Liu Handong didn't care. Qin Xianyang contacted the local embassy for help. It was in line with his way of thinking. The instructor officer transferred to a state-owned enterprise. He was a member of the country when he was born and a ghost of the country when he died. If he had difficulties, he would of course go to the country. Unlike himself, he would do everything first.
You have to rely on yourself, and if you really can't do it, then you can find the country.
Takikati is very similar to Dubai. It is a city built on the seaside desert. The old city is all earthy yellow, and the new city is a viaduct that has been suspended in half, with huge foundation pits, dilapidated and depressed, just like the city after a nuclear war.
Ruins, this is a desperate city.
"This place is not beautiful at all." Liu Handong said to the taxi driver.
"If you want to see a beautiful place, I will take you there." The driver's English had a weird accent, but he was still fluent.
He took Liu Handong to the east of the city, where the Colin Palace is located. There was a lush oasis on the seaside, with large date palms and palm trees. White palace buildings were hidden among the green trees. A breeze blew against his face. It was not that kind of
Instead of the hot and salty sea breeze, it is a fresh and moist cool breeze. This refreshing wind comes from the countless fountains in the palace garden, forming a unique microclimate in the hot desert. You can imagine that water is more powerful than oil.
In the expensive Arabian Peninsula, it is very expensive to maintain such a garden.
The palace strictly prohibited people from approaching, and could only take a look from a distance, otherwise the military police would come to inquire. The driver was a Pakistani laborer with a labor visa. He did not want to cause trouble. He said to Liu Handong: "If this place is not beautiful, he
There is another place that is guaranteed to be breathtakingly beautiful.”
"Go and have a look." Liu Handong said.
The driver drove for twenty minutes and arrived at the seaside. It was extremely deserted with no human habitation. There was only a lonely lighthouse in the desert. The blue water of the Persian Gulf washed over the coast. White seagulls soared in the sky. Behind it, a red sun was setting in the west.
.
"Whenever I miss my hometown, I come here to relax." The driver stood beside the car, squinted at the sea, and suddenly read a poem: "Inmysolitude of heart Ifeelthesighofthiswidowedeveningveiledwithmistandrain."
After admiring the Persian Gulf under the sunset for a while, the two got in the car and returned to the city. Passing by a chaotic residential area, the driver pointed to the simple houses made of fiberglass tiles and said: "Migrant workers live there, and they are all Muslims from South Asia.
They only have an income of three to four hundred dollars a month and are the poorest people in the country."
When he returned to the Kempinski Hotel, Liu Handong asked the driver how much the fare was. The swarthy Pakistani man held out a finger: "One hundred dinars."
The currency in circulation in Colin is the dinar, which has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. One hundred dinars is equivalent to twenty US dollars. After such a long trip, it is only twenty US dollars. The price is not only reasonable, but also a bit of a loss.
"It's my invitation to see the sea view." The driver said generously, "The friendship between China and Pakistan will last forever."
Liu Handong took out one hundred dollars: "Thank you my friend, God bless you. Can you leave your name? If necessary, I will call you."
The driver gave him a card with a name and number on it.
"Sharif." Liu Handong memorized the name of this Pakistani driver who could recite Rabindranath Tagore's poems.
…
The next day, Qin Xianyang came to the hotel to find Liu Handong and said that he had already found a place to live and even looked at the office. He only waited for Liu Handong to see it before placing a deposit and signing the contract.
Qin Xianyang's favorite place was on a busy street in the old town of Takikati. It was the fourth floor of a five-story office building with more than 70 square meters. It had simple decoration and convenient transportation. Liu Handong had no objection, so the two of them went to purchase telephones.
For office equipment such as fax machines and printers, there are only scrap electronics shops selling Japanese second-hand goods in Takikati, which are not as big as electronic cities in China.
Two desks and a sofa were brought into the office. Two newly purchased wool handmade carpets were laid on the old wooden floor. A portrait of the king was hung on the wall, and the office looked a little more stylish.
The two of them were sweating after working hard. The office only had an old-fashioned Japanese window air conditioner, which was rumbling but not enough. Qin Xianyang said that he had to buy a new air conditioner and refrigerator, and also go to the government to register.
Liu Handong said there was no need to register, since there was no business anyway.
Qin Xianyang said: "Now I can tell you why I came to Colin."
"Why?"
"Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there were two salesmen who received the same task and went to the temple to sell combs..."
"Stop it, I don't want to hear your Chicken Soup for the Soul story. I read it in "The Reader". If you have something to say, you don't need to beat around the bush." Liu Handong interrupted unceremoniously.
Qin Xianyang smiled sheepishly: "Then I won't beat around the bush. This is how I think about it. The country of Colin is relatively poor. In fact, it is sitting on an oil field. Even if the reserves are limited, it is not a problem to feed one million people.
Yes, and their royal family is not poor at all. As far as I know, the Emir of Colin is their supreme leader, equivalent to a king. He is already very old. An old man in his nineties will not live long.
It’s been too long. After he passes away and the crown prince ascends the throne, he must work hard to create a career. Although we can’t get oil and gas resources, we can find ways to build refinery projects and provide them with one-stop services. This is our strength.
.”
When Liu Handong heard this, he admired Qin Xianyang's ability and courage.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Qin Xianyang went to open the door. Several people came in, looking around. The leader talked a lot of nonsense, and finally asked for a management fee.
Liu Handong and Qin Xianyang looked at each other. They didn't expect to encounter the local underworld and charge protection fees to our state-owned enterprises.
"Give it or not?" Qin Xianyang asked.
"You can't give it. It will be over if you start it." Liu Handong said.
"Then I'll call the embassy." Qin Xianyang reached for the phone, but was stopped by someone. Several strong men looked a little ugly, and they were ready to take action, but Liu Handong's face was darker than theirs, and his fists were as big as bowls.
It makes a snapping sound when pinched.
Seeing that they were not easy to bully, the extortion gang left angrily. Liu Handong said proudly: "Qianglong just wants to suppress the local gangsters. They are still early to fight me."
He didn't feel proud for long before the police came to his door. Colin's police officers were dressed similarly to the military police. They also wore khaki uniforms and turbans, and carried British Browning pistols on their waists. They asked to check their passports and business licenses.
Qin Xianyang explained in Arabic that we are employees of a Chinese energy company, and we came to Kelin to raise branches. However, we just arrived yesterday and we didn’t have to rush to apply for a license.
Only then did Liu Handong realize that Qin Xianyang's Arabic proficiency was no worse than his own. Thinking about the instructor who got up early every day to memorize English words, it made sense. This guy was a top student when he was in middle school. He went to the Army Academy because his family was poor.
Because I don’t have to pay tuition, I can save money to educate my younger siblings.
The police were very arrogant and rummaged through the house to search. Liu Handong wanted to take action, but Qin Xianyang signaled him not to act rashly. These police officers were obviously on the same side as the local gangsters and were deliberately looking for trouble. The attack played into their hands.
"There is beer and cigarettes here!" the policeman exclaimed as if he had discovered a new world.
The non-alcoholic beer was given to them by Tian Fei, a small box of twelve cans, the cigarettes were gifts from Li Song, and an American Lucky Strike, which was not a violation, even if it was in accordance with Islamic law, it didn't matter, because the two of them were not Muslims.
But in a place like the Emirate of Colin, the police won't talk to you about the law, because they are the law. The police want to arrest two people for smuggling. Liu Handong became anxious when he heard that. If he was really arrested, no one would take advantage of him. This place is no better than Dubai.
, it is possible to be killed in prison.
When he was about to get violent and hurt someone, Qin Xianyang loudly said, just arrest me alone, you must have someone to pay the fine.
The police thought it made sense, so they put handcuffs on Qin Xianyang, pulled him downstairs and pushed him into the police.
"Go to the embassy, don't intensify the relationship. We can leave, but the future will be gone!" Qin Xianyang was afraid that Liu Handong would be impulsive, so he held the door of the police car with his hand and shouted. The police officers became angry and waved their hands.
The police baton was used indiscriminately. The baton used by Police Colin was made of hardwood and was not as tough as a rubber baton. Qin Xianyang's head started to bleed after a few blows.
"Don't be impulsive." Qin Xianyang was pushed into the car and shouted to himself. Liu Handong gritted his steel teeth and tried hard to restrain his anger and watched the police drive away.
When he came downstairs, he saw that the tire of the Toyota Camry was already flat. There was no need to ask whether it was the gangsters who did it. Liu Handong had no choice but to call Sharif and ask him to drive to pick him up.
Five minutes later, Sharif's taxi drove downstairs, and Liu Handong got in and said he was going to the Chinese Embassy.
"Have you been blackmailed?" Sharif asked.
"How do you know?" Liu Handong was surprised. It seems that taxi drivers all over the world are the same, well-informed and knowledgeable.
"There are many gangs here. They are all foreigners, Palestinians, Turks, Kurds, and Muslims from the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. They are all bad people, very bad guys. They are involved in human trafficking, drugs, and extortion. The Chinese are
They are notoriously rich and afraid of trouble, so of course they want to come and knock on you." Sharif said, "There is no point in going to the embassy, because the embassy can only go to the police, and the police are bribed by bad people, and they are a group.
of."
Liu Handong asked about some gang organizations, Sharif also heard about it and talked nonsense all the way, and the embassy arrived.
The Chinese Embassy in the Emirate of Colin is very small. It is a small white building, two rows of flat-roofed houses, surrounded by iron fences, date palm trees are planted in the yard, and a bronze plaque hangs in front of the door. There is no police on duty, and there is only a South Asian concierge.
.
The size and level of an embassy are directly related to the country in which it is stationed. Ambassadors to permanent members of the United Nations Security Council such as the United States, Britain, France, and Russia must be at the deputy ministerial level, while ambassadors to ordinary countries are only at the director-general level. For small and unimportant countries, even ambassadors only have the deputy ministerial level.
The embassy in Colin is probably an ambassador at the director level at most.
The embassy staff received Liu Handong, promised to coordinate as soon as possible, and asked him to go back and wait for notification.
"What kind of attitude do you have? Do you still have the masses of the people in your heart?" Liu Handong was very dissatisfied with this perfunctory attitude. He banged the table and lost his temper. "Our citizens were illegally arrested, and you are still taking your time and not worrying. People have their own strengths and weaknesses. You
Are you responsible?"
The staff was also angry: "Our diplomatic agencies have the responsibility to rescue their own citizens, but after all, we are not the local government. We also need to coordinate..."
Liu Handong was very unhappy and left angrily. He went out and got in the car and asked Sharif: "Sharif, do you know where I can buy guns?"