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Chapter 526: Chapter 434: Gratitude (Please Subscribe!)_1
Not much later.
Leader Ling and Tang Kai concluded their discussion.
Tang Kai was very satisfied with the gains from this trip. The smooth sailing feeling he was experiencing almost felt unreal, but reality assured him that it was indeed happening.
It could be foreseen that with the establishment of this company, his and Leader Ling’s interests would become more solid. His influence within the entire industry in Thailand is set to grow increasingly larger.
Because all the goods would be transported through his company, everyone would think the goods were his. Doing business with Leader Ling, who didn’t seem to care too much about ’interest’, made Tang Kai extremely excited.
This period was the smoothest time he had ever experienced in his business life.
He had no idea how the Myanmar Bank would operate in the future, or how the Asia Dollar would break free from regional currency restrictions, but he hoped everything would go smoothly, and wished for Leader Ling’s reign to last as long as possible.
As long as the Asia Dollar went out, and the economy within the territory did not collapse, his business with Ling would be long-lasting.
Before Tang Kai could think any further, Ling soon rose and led Tang Kai downstairs.
Downstairs,
Tang Qing was idly strolling around the reception room. Everything there had a unique charm – the screens, the porcelain racks, the antiques, the wooden table, the landscape paintings – although it all seemed a bit mismatched, it could still fool most people.
The antiques here were all real. Since ancient times, Huaxia and its neighboring countries had had close cultural exchanges, resulting in many valuable items being passed down. The leaders were fond of plundering and being ostentatiously refined, leading to plenty of inventory, and ultimately benefiting Tang Qing.
However, Tang Qing and the territory were no longer lacking in these trifling things, so he kept all the antiques from Huaxia for his own amusement, gifting, or for future gifts. Most were stored in the warehouse, and few were used for decoration.
Just like in this reception room.
Contrary to Tang Qing’s behavior,
Wei Jun and others were sitting upright, looking at the door, waiting for Tang Kai to come down. Seeing Tang Qing strolling around at ease, everyone’s nervous mood inevitably relaxed a bit.
"Old Tang, don’t mess with other people’s things. What will we do if you break something?" Li Kai, sitting obediently in his seat, said to Tang Qing, who was closely examining a porcelain piece. Seeing Tang Qing acting like he was at his own house, Li Kai couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Exactly, Brother Tang, this isn’t our home, be careful." Feng Sen chimed in agreement.
"What are you afraid of? The host puts these things here for guests to appreciate. If you don’t appreciate it, isn’t the host’s intention wasted?" Tang Qing explained.
Upon hearing this,
The two were speechless.
They were surprisingly at a loss for words, wanting to say something, but unable to find any reasons to refute him.
But seeing that the two soldiers in the reception room were turning a blind eye to Tang Qing’s behavior, the two let their guards down a little, but only just that. They didn’t dare to be as bold as Tang Qing.
Seeing Tang Qing even rummaging through the cabinets, Li Kai almost rushed over to stop him, his heart was pounding - why in the world was he fiddling with other people’s cabinets? What he didn’t know was that Tang Qing found the carvings on this rosewood cabinet quite good.
Rosewood furniture, especially an antique one, not to mention its value, but its construction and craftsmanship also interested Tang Qing, so he was examining it.
Finally, when there was nothing left to see, Tang Qing returned to his seat.
It was only then that Li Kai finally relaxed.
After a short while,
Upon seeing Tang Kai and Leader Ling coming down, everyone else quickly stood up, looking at Ling, the ’king’ of this land.
Ling looked at Wei Jun and said indifferently, "Mr. Wei Jun, Boss Tang has already told me about your situation. There’s no problem, you can go to your own house and take a look. If you are willing, you can buy it and live there anytime. After all, this land now belongs to us. Your family gave up everything here, so the ownership has been transferred. We can’t just give it to you for free."
Hearing Leader Ling’s words,
Wei Jun was thrilled. The prospect of buying back his family’s property was the best outcome he could have envisaged. Wang Bo tightly gripped Wei Jun’s arm.
"Thank you, thank you Leader Ling, many thanks," Wei Jun and Wang Bo frequently bowed in thanks. This home held so many childhood and paternal memories for Wei Jun. He had initially thought he’d never see it again. Yet now, he had the opportunity not just to revisit it but to buy it, enabling him to live there anytime he wished.
Deep gratitude filled his heart.
"No need to thank me, Mr.Wei. Your past actions are in accord with our principles, so we’re on the same page. If you had also gotten into the flower growing business, I wouldn’t be so amicable. Now, as for the price of your family’s former property, I don’t demand much. You can give me a hundred thousand US dollars as a token of goodwill," Ling casually stated. He wasn’t making an arbitrary price. Considering the considerable size of the Wei’s estate, a round number seemed apt.
"Alright, no problem, I’ll pay," Wei Jun readily agreed. In this age, a hundred thousand US dollars was certainly a hefty sum. It could buy a large courtyard house in Beijing, let alone an old homemade in this remote town. But the value of a home, he realized, wasn’t tied to its luxury.
"Good, it’s still early, and I’ll show you around. Consider this as an inspection of your investment project and the environment," Ling suggested.
No one else dared to utter a word.
Soon after,
They followed Ling around his territory. This time they weren’t traversing in a car, else all they’d be doing really was ’going around.’
Ling led the way, and the others followed.
Tang Kai was still slightly nervous. He knew that all civilians in the territory had been disarmed, yet some might have slipped through. Particularly, since Ling had recently seized power in two areas, there were bound to be people seeking revenge or causing trouble, scenarios that happened often before.
Unbeknownst to Tang Kai, those intending to create unrest were now working in the mines.
Currently, every free-moving individual in the territory was law-abiding and supportive of the governance. All dissenters had been separated out. Their motivations were then investigated by the intelligence department, who assigned them to differing mining camps based on the findings.
Naturally, the mining camps differed. Felons and petty thieves couldn’t be lumped together. Their crimes, labor intensity, levels of danger, and the difficulty in rehabilitating them varied. Hence, each labor camp was given a particular crime to target.
Every night, these inmates had to attend classes, complete assignments, pass tests, memorize rules, and learn how to become useful members of society.
It was an extremely ’scientific’ process.
The prisoners were put through the wringer. Basic literacy was a challenge, and reciting the violated legal codes without any omission was a daunting task. They were sullen and restless, their faces marked with constant dismay.
Greetings turned into, "Have you memorized your legal section yet?" Surprisingly, the outcome was great. Those with lighter offenses committed no further crimes after their release.
They knew that any repeated violation led to copying their previous violated code a thousand times.
Domestic abusers, for instance, before lifting their hands on their family, were reminded of the punishment. The very thought of it made them lose their aggression, preventing them from raising their hands on anyone.
Tang Kai felt today’s Ling was different from the one he knew before.
He was talking a lot more.
The whole journey, he explained about each building they came across. It seemed as though sometimes he spoke to them, other times he seemed to be talking to himself, or, appearing to report to someone.
All in all, Tang Kai felt Ling’s persona had collapsed.
"This is the biggest supermarket in Xin’an Town with three floors. Most of the items we sell are currently imported from Thailand, but we aim to produce fifty percent of our products in the future. Several new factories are under construction. By the end of the year, we should be capable of self-producing at least forty percent of our goods."
"This is the head office of Myanmar Bank, which also does business with the public. At present, it offers deposit and loan services..."
"This is our police headquarters..."
"This is our industrial and commercial headquarters..."
"..."
PS: Chapter Two. I’ve been pretty busy these days and haven’t had much time to write. I promise to keep updating as much as I can, and I’ll make up for any missing parts when I have the time. I’m not even gonna ask for votes, generous readers, just give what you think is right.
