N-M Chapter 24: There are things I can't say right now.
Chapter 24: There are things I can't say right now.
On the way to the guesthouse, Zeng Jiahua curiously fiddled with his newly bought cell phone.
Men are interested in electronic products and mechanical things. They used to be able to tinker with a radio all day long, let alone a new gadget like a mobile phone, which is still very high-tech.
However, Huang Xiaochuan wasn't particularly interested in this old relic. Compared to the smartphones he used to use, it was rubbish. Moreover, due to the insufficient number of base stations, the signal would be intermittent in some areas.
Moreover, this thing can't roam. Mobile phones activated in Shanghai can only be used within the Shanghai area for a period of time. Outside of Shanghai, it becomes a brick, wasting power and having no other use. Its only purpose is to serve as a brick for self-defense.
After studying it for a while and calling 114 a few times, Zeng Jiahua quickly figured it out. This thing was actually used in a similar way to a regular telephone, except that it didn't have a wire.
After returning the mobile phone, commonly known as the "Big Brother," to Huang Xiaochuan, Zeng Jiahua instructed, "I'm going back this afternoon. You stay and have dinner with Section Chief Ge. Remember, you pay for it, and I'll reimburse you when we get back. Section Chief Ge has helped us so much and now he wants to treat us to dinner. I feel bad about accepting his invitation, so please don't let him treat us."
"You two are both young, so I won't get involved. I'm not good with words anyway, so I'd better go home and have some drinks with my friends. Today is a good day, we should celebrate properly."
As he spoke, he took out a wad of cash from his bag. Considering the high cost of living in Shanghai and the need to save face, Zeng Jiahua counted out two thousand yuan and handed it to Huang Xiaochuan.
"Treat Section Chief Ge to a nice meal, find a high-end restaurant, don't worry about spending the money, you hear me?"
Huang Xiaochuan took the money, casually stuffed it into his pocket, and patted his pocket, saying, "Uncle, you don't need to teach me how to spend money; I was born knowing how. But isn't two thousand yuan a bit too little?"
Huang Xiaochuan's boastful words made Zeng Jiahua want to give him a good whack on the head again, but after raising his hand, he couldn't bring himself to do it and withdrew it.
These days, the nephew is more popular than his maternal uncle. Besides, they're counting on this money-grubbing brat to bring more business back to the factory in the future.
He then counted out another three thousand yuan and handed it to Huang Xiaochuan: "Here's another three thousand, okay?"
Huang Xiaochuan reached out and took it: "That should be about right now."
Zeng Jiahua was a little confused about what Huang Xiaochuan was up to, so he asked, "Five thousand yuan for a meal? What are you planning to eat? Dragon meat?"
After putting the money in his pocket with his head down, Huang Xiaochuan replied, "I haven't decided yet. I'll ask around and find out which restaurants have good food, then just throw five thousand yuan at them and let them decide what to do. How about that?"
"You little monkey, you spendthrift..." Zeng Jiahua couldn't help but raise his hand as if to hit him again, but when he saw Huang Xiaochuan's grinning face, he lowered his hand and muttered, "You little rascal, you're always making fun of me."
Zeng Jiahua took Huang Xiaochuan to the guesthouse, showing the receptionist the factory's letter of introduction and the note written by Ge Changli. Soon, the guesthouse staff gave Huang Xiaochuan a single room. There was also a private bathroom, and just as Ge Changli had said, it was very clean, no worse than some hotels.
Zeng Jiahua looked around the room for a long time, clicking his tongue and saying, "This guesthouse looks ordinary from the outside, but I didn't expect the conditions inside to be so good. The price isn't too expensive either, not bad at all."
But he added, "Lock the door when you go to bed at night, and don't drink too much alcohol."
"Don't worry, Uncle, I'm not a child anymore."
As they talked, they walked out. When they reached the entrance of the guesthouse, Zeng Jiahua said, "Okay, then I'll head back. If I walk now, I can get home in time for dinner. Oh, by the way, can I use your phone for a bit? I'm going to invite a few friends over for some drinks."
Huang Xiaochuan handed the mobile phone to Zeng Jiahua, who then dialed the number to call his friend.
Not long after, a phone call came in.
"Ah Qing, it's me, Ah Hua. Let's have some old wine together tonight."
"Why is this phone number a big mobile number from Shanghai? Ah Qing, you bastard, you know your stuff! I borrowed this phone from someone else. I'm in Shanghai on some business. I'll call you and then get back."
"Hey, feed me...? Why is there no sound?"
Huang Xiaochuan reminded him, "Uncle, walk back and forth a few times. Sometimes the signal is bad and it affects the call."
Zeng Jiahua immediately regretted his words: "Xiao Chuan, is it easy to return this phone number?"
Zeng Jiahua then understood why some people would circle around the streets and shout loudly when making such calls, afraid that no one would hear them. It turned out that these ridiculously expensive phones had this problem of poor signal!
Huang Xiaochuan was both amused and exasperated by Zeng Jiahua's antics. Instead of answering his question, he reminded him that the phone seemed to have a signal again, because Huang Xiaochuan could hear someone saying "hello, hello" on the cell phone!
Zeng Jiahua continued his phone call with his friend.
"The signal was bad before, but it's clear now. Okay, phone calls are expensive, so I won't talk to you anymore. Could you tell Amin and Alan for me?"
"You bastard, you treated me to some drinks and then called me a miser. You're paying for tonight."
After finishing the call amidst laughter and banter, Zeng Jiahua returned the mobile phone to Huang Xiaochuan.
"Alright, I'm going back now. Don't forget to come home early tomorrow, and don't forget to get invoices for your accommodation and meals," Zeng Jiahua added.
After saying that, he glanced at the cell phone in Huang Xiaochuan's hand, shook his head, opened the door, and left. Huang Xiaochuan escorted him all the way to his car.
After Zeng Jiahua left, Huang Xiaochuan went to a nearby shopping mall and bought himself a bag. This mobile phone was too big to fit in his pocket, and he couldn't carry it around all day.
With nothing much to do in the afternoon, Huang Xiaochuan spent his time in his room flipping through the newspapers he had bought from outside, looking for any useful information. Before he knew it, it was evening.
Before leaving get off work, Ge Changli called home to tell Huang Xiaochuan that he wouldn't be home for dinner that night, and then went to the guesthouse to find him.
After the two met, Huang Xiaochuan said, "I didn't expect your unit's guesthouse to be so nicely decorated?"
Ge Changli smiled and said, "The main reason is that we in foreign trade travel to many countries, and the leaders feel that there are some things we need to learn from. I agree. A clean and tidy accommodation is what we frequent business travelers want most, and of course, delicious food is also one of them. We'll have dinner here tonight, please try it and give us your valuable feedback."
Huang Xiaochuan joked, "I'm a glutton. I wouldn't trade anything for a good meal, not even an emperor."
Ge Changli laughed: "Let's go eat."
Just as Ge Changli had said, the chef at the guesthouse canteen was indeed very skilled, and they even offered Western food.
However, the two didn't choose Western food tonight, but casually ordered a few local dishes and a few bottles of beer. Ge Changli was not exaggerating at all; the dishes were of very high quality, and Huang Xiaochuan couldn't stop eating, constantly giving a thumbs up.
As they ate and chatted, the conversation turned to current international events, since people in foreign trade are naturally interested in these kinds of things.
At this time, the international situation appeared relatively calm. The Iran-Iraq War had ended, and the situation in the Middle East was generally easing. The war in southern China had also ended, and the country was focusing on economic development, while relations with Vietnam were gradually being repaired. The northern power had completely withdrawn from the quagmire of war in Afghanistan last year, and was currently undergoing domestic reforms.
Therefore, Ge Changli believed that the current international situation was excellent. Huang Xiaochuan, however, smiled without saying a word. He knew that the northern power was showing signs of fatigue, its empire was about to collapse, and its days were numbered. But he did not say these things; he simply watched Ge Changli speak with a smile.
There are some things that are inconvenient for him to say given his current status and position. Saying them would be easy, but if he couldn't clarify the source of the information, it would leave hidden dangers. So it's better not to say anything.
If history hadn't been altered by Huang Xiaochuan's rebirth, then on August 1st, 1990, negotiations between Iraq and Kuwait regarding the oil issue would have broken down, and tomorrow, August 2nd, Iraqi troops would have occupied the entire territory of Kuwait. The world's attention would have been focused on the Middle East, this land of conflict, and the Gulf War would have broken out early the following year, quickly ending in Iraq's defeat.
Next year, in December 1991, the great northern power collapsed, leaving behind a complete mess. Western capital, taking advantage of the loopholes in the other side's reforms, had long ago secretly planted time bombs. Once the time was ripe to detonate them, the West wielded its capitalist sickle, working from within and without to ruthlessly harvest the great northern power. It was a veritable feast, with the capital accumulated by the great northern power over decades being completely divided up.
Unfortunately, these are things that ordinary people like Huang Xiaochuan can't get involved in. Capital is bloodthirsty, and if a nobody like Huang Xiaochuan dares to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, the other party could blow him out of the solar system with a sneeze.
That evening, Ge Changli spoke with great enthusiasm, Huang Xiaochuan listened with delight, and both host and guest were happy.