"Xiao Rui, are you with Xuan Bing? Why haven't you answered the phone after calling for over half an hour?"
Fang Yi's voice came from the other end of the phone, which made Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing tense up. Qin Xuanbing even pulled the blanket over her naked body, as if her mother could see half of it.
"Cough...cough cough..."
Zhuang Rui looked at his still-erect penis, and while answering his mother-in-law's call, he felt a bit strange. Only after Fang Yi pressed him for an answer did he quickly reply, "Mom, we were outside and it was quite noisy, so we didn't hear you. We just got home. Is something wrong? I'll have Xuanbing tell you..."
"No need, it's the same whether you listen or not. Aren't you going to buy a plane? I asked about it for you today..."
Fang Yi was quite busy when she received her daughter's call, but she immediately looked it up for them when she had some free time. Given Zhuang Rui's wealth and status, it seemed quite normal for him to buy a private jet, which is why private jets are quite common in Hong Kong.
"Mom, what did you say..."
Zhuang Rui slapped his proud little penis, pulled the blanket over it, and covered it up. Although his mother-in-law looked very young, she was still an elder. He felt guilty about answering the phone with his thing exposed.
"There are two models that I think are suitable. One is the 'Prime Minister One' business private jet produced by Raytheon Aircraft Company in the United States. It costs about 50 million RMB and has a cruising speed of up to 835 km/h. It is the world's fastest light business jet, but the space is a bit small, with only about five or six seats."
The other model, the Hawker 800XP, is also manufactured by Raytheon, but its performance, range, and passenger capacity are much better than the "Prime Minister I." Of course, it's also much more expensive, costing around 100 million RMB. You could consider it…
"Okay, Mom, I'll think about it and check out these two models online again. I'll get back to you tomorrow. If I decide to buy them, I'll have to trouble you again..."
Zhuang Rui's mind wasn't on the plane at this moment.
"This child, we're all family, there's no trouble at all. You and Xuanbing should get some rest..."
The words coming from the other end of the phone made Zhuang Rui, who was usually thick-skinned, blush involuntarily. It turned out that his mother-in-law probably already knew what he was doing.
Chapter 606 Decision
"Honey, why are you up so early? Huh? What are you doing?"
The next morning, when Qin Xuanbing opened her eyes, she found Zhuang Rui already sitting on the bed, typing on a laptop placed on his lap.
"Huh? You've really decided to buy it?"
Qin Xuanbing pulled her hair back, revealing her snow-white neck, and leaned her shoulder on Zhuang Rui's shoulder. She saw pictures of several airplanes and some data parameters on the laptop screen.
Zhuang Rui nodded and said, "It's decided, Xuanbing. Come and take a look, which one should we buy?"
After searching online for a while this morning, Zhuang Rui discovered that the main reason why wealthy people in China don't buy private jets is probably not because of money. Although the maintenance costs of private jets are very high, it's really nothing for some people with billions in assets.
The main reason why these people are hesitant to fly private planes is due to the restrictions on general aviation. According to relevant domestic regulations, privately registered aircraft must submit a route application 15 days in advance if they want to fly, otherwise they will not be allowed to take off.
In business activities, many things are decided on the fly, and many are unexpected events. No one can plan their next month in such detail. As the saying goes, plans are no match for changes.
As a result, taking a domestic flight is far less convenient than flying on one's own private jet, so many people have given up the idea of buying a private jet.
However, this matter shouldn't be too difficult for Zhuang Rui to resolve. Although Zhuang Rui doesn't want to use his maternal grandfather's family connections to bully men and women, it shouldn't be a big deal for him to seek some benefits for himself, right?
Zhuang Rui isn't exactly a saintly gentleman who's devoted to public service and the country, and he's spent every penny of what he should have. He just needs to shorten the application period for the opening of the air route. I believe this matter can be resolved by asking Ouyang Jun.
"How's the look going?"
Zhuang Rui got up, drew back the curtains, and opened the window. A cool breeze immediately blew into the room, greatly reducing the decadent smell. Returning to bed, Zhuang Rui embraced Qin Xuanbing and saw the beauty in his arms staring intently at the computer screen.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Xuanbing pointed to a picture on the computer and said to Zhuang Rui, "Zhuang Rui, I think we should buy Raytheon's 'Prime Minister One'. Although its range is a bit shorter, it's also much cheaper..."
"A lightweight aircraft with a full composite fuselage, and a spacious cabin like a medium-sized aircraft. The standing height in the cabin is only 1.65 meters, isn't that a bit too low?"
Zhuang Rui frowned as he looked at the aircraft parameters on the computer. At his height of 1.65 meters, wouldn't he have to bend over to get in and out? And if he needed to use the restroom, that posture wouldn't be very comfortable.
"Hmm, it's a little low..."
Qin Xuanbing nodded. She was 1.7 meters tall even without high heels, so this model was indeed a bit small.
"Two standard large-format 8-inch x 10-inch flat-panel LCD displays fully integrate the flight management system and the digital 3-axis autopilot system. It's fast, with a cruising speed of up to 835 km/h, making it the world's fastest light business jet. Hmm, that performance is pretty good..."
When Zhuang Rui read the next part, he nodded. In fact, he didn't understand any of these flight management systems and automated stances at all. He mainly noticed the phrase "the fastest in the world" at the end.
But when he saw the following, Zhuang Rui frowned again, because the Raytheon "Prime Minister One" model could only carry five people, including the pilot, and its total range on a single fuel load was 2,435 kilometers. This distance was only suitable for domestic use, and it was unlikely to be used for intercontinental routes.
"Xuanbing, this model won't do. We're going on a round-the-world trip someday, and this 2,000-kilometer distance, including a refueling stop in Hong Kong, is too much trouble. We might as well take a plane from an airline..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head, rejecting this model, and then looked down to see another private jet, also made by Raytheon, but with much better performance than the first one.
The Raytheon Hawker 800XP aircraft has low requirements for runway length and can take off and land on gravel or grass. It has been approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China for use at high-altitude airports, including Lhasa Airport.
Furthermore, the cabin of the Hawker 800XP private jet is the largest among mid-sized jets, with different seating layouts that can accommodate 6 to 10 passengers. The cabin has ample overhead space, allowing even someone of Zhuang Rui's height to stand upright and walk around comfortably.
What impressed Zhuang Rui most was that the Hawker 800XP private jet has a maximum range of 4,800 kilometers, which is farther than any other medium-sized business jet, making it particularly suitable for use in China and neighboring countries.
In this way, even when traveling to places like the UK and the US, he would only need to refuel once along the way, which is acceptable to Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui is still a young man, and he is very much looking forward to owning a private jet. In Beijing slang, it's a matter of great pride.
However, the price tag below still made Zhuang Rui feel a little heartache. 14 million US dollars, after converting the exchange rate in his mind, was about 120 million RMB.
"The world's best-selling luxury mid-size business jet. Equipped with world-class electronic flight and navigation systems, the cabin features a central bar, premium lavatories, fully adjustable leather seats, flight dynamics displays, high-fidelity audio, DVDs, and other high-end entertainment facilities, providing customers with a truly luxurious experience. In terms of performance, it is fully comparable to the Boeing 747 wide-body aircraft, rapidly climbing to a stable airflow layer above 10,000 meters after takeoff with minimal turbulence..."
Looking at the descriptions below the pictures, the luxurious features finally convinced Zhuang Rui to make up his mind. He said, "Buy it, let's buy the Haoke 800XP model. Xuanbing, call Mom later and tell her I'll transfer the money later..."
"You idiot, that's my mom..."
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, but she was secretly delighted. Although she wasn't the kind of girl who liked to show off, owning a private jet and traveling the world with her lover was probably an irresistible temptation for any woman in the world.
"Okay, then next time I see my mother-in-law I'll call her 'Auntie'..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and joked, but then suddenly remembered the phone call he had with his mother-in-law yesterday. His heart skipped a beat, and his gaze toward Qin Xuanbing became intense.
"No, you have to get up, or Mom will definitely scold you later..."
Startled by Zhuang Rui's gaze, Qin Xuanbing quickly got out of bed, wrapped a towel around her body, and went to the bathroom.
"You bastard, you can't look at that..."
Suddenly, Zhuang Rui saw a large, snow-white head peeking through the window. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at it. Opening the window meant being spied on! When did the white lion develop this hobby?
After washing up, Zhuang Rui checked the time and it was almost lunchtime. This was one of the advantages of not having to work. However, if this continued for too long, he probably wouldn't have to wait until he was thirty or forty to use his penis. He could probably use it in just a few days. After getting up, his waist was indeed a bit weak.
"Zhuang Rui, should we tell Mom about this? What if she doesn't approve?"
Walking on the way to the Intermediate People's Court, Qin Xuanbing asked somewhat nervously.
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "It's okay, my mom doesn't know anything about these things. She never interferes with the money I earn..."
Sure enough, Zhuang Rui brought up the matter during lunch. Ouyang Wan didn't pay much attention to it. Her son was capable of making money, and how he wanted to spend it was his business. Ouyang Wan only inquired about the safety of the private jet, and after learning that its performance was guaranteed, she didn't say anything more.
After dinner, Qin Xuanbing called her mother-in-law, but Zhuang Rui was a little frustrated. He had thought that he could buy the private jet as soon as he paid the money, but he was told that he had to pay half of the deposit and wait for a full eight months for delivery. This greatly dampened Zhuang Rui's enthusiasm for buying the private jet.
Since he had already decided to buy it, he figured he might as well wait a bit. Zhuang Rui first asked his mother-in-law to find out the price, and once the formalities were cleared up, he would prepare to make the payment. There were currently no branches of Raytheon in mainland China, so it would be more convenient to handle these matters in Hong Kong.
Buying a private jet is a big business deal. Raytheon has only sold a little over 500 Luxury private jets worldwide. They produce them according to the customer's preferences, height, and various requirements.
Raytheon took Zhuang Rui's order very seriously, and even sent an expert named Tom from the United States to Beijing to discuss some details with Zhuang Rui, including the specific configuration of the cabin, etc., so that Zhuang Rui could experience what it truly means to be the customer's best friend.
However, the person said they were powerless to meet Zhuang Rui's request for prompt delivery.
After all, this is something that flies in the sky, and the technical requirements are very strict. It also needs to undergo multiple tests. They have to be responsible for the safety of the guests. Zhuang Rui thought about it and agreed. He couldn't very well use himself as a test pilot, could he? Zhuang Rui cherished his life very much.
In the following days, Zhuang Rui had a completely relaxed time. He would occasionally visit "Qin Ruilin" and "Xuan Ruizhai," and both shops were doing well.
The business of seal stones at "Xuanrui Zhai" has already started. Just as Zhuang Rui had predicted, before he could even give the seals to Fatty Jin and others for promotion, those pretentious people in the capital had already flocked there.
In just three to five days, twenty or thirty people had already asked for his seal. It was estimated that Master Ge's income this month would be at least twenty or thirty thousand yuan. After meeting Zhuang Rui, he thanked him profusely.
Chapter 607 Swords and Blades (Part 1)
Early in the morning, I walked out of the courtyard house to go to work, went to the small shop at the entrance of the alley to buy breakfast, and rode my bicycle. Unfortunately, there was no smoke coming out of the back. Compared to those who squeezed into the car, it was quite leisurely.
Walking through the streets and alleys, Beijing is changing every day, but the habits remain the same. Living in a new house, we reminisce about the past and listen to old operas.
Just thinking about Donglaishun's hot pot makes my mouth water. The Ditan Temple Fair is not as good as Changdian now. There seem to be more people than things at Dashilan. If you come to Beijing, you will immediately miss it.
Walking through the bustling market of Panjiayuan, listening to old Beijing songs, Zhuang Rui felt very content. Life is just about living, and he was living his life to the fullest.
Old Beijing was the political and cultural center of the country, and its rich cultural atmosphere is unmatched by many other cities. When people first come to Beijing and see those ancient buildings, they often feel as if they have traveled back in time, as if they have stepped into ancient times hundreds of years ago.
Zhuang Rui was going to pick up the seal from Grandpa Gu today, but the appointment with the old man was in the afternoon. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to come to Panjiayuan in the morning. Although there weren't many genuine items, he might just happen to come across one.
Qin Xuanbing has been busy these past few days. She has turned a side room in the backyard into her studio. She is currently designing some jewelry styles based on the jade pieces provided by Zhuang Rui. Of course, she is only working on the paper and not actually carving them. After drawing the designs, she will still hand them over to Luo Jiang in Pengcheng for carving.
If Luo Jiang hadn't been from Pengcheng and unwilling to leave, Zhuang Rui would have wanted to find him another place in Beijing to settle down, since sending a batch of finished jade ornaments from Pengcheng every month would be quite troublesome.
Of course, Zhuang Rui didn't concern himself with these matters; Zhao Guodong had Zhou Rui deliver them to Qin Ruilin, and Manager Wu handled the rest. The trouble Zhuang Rui referred to was the fear of problems arising en route. After all, each shipment of jade was worth hundreds of millions of yuan, and Zhuang Rui wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it unattended if Zhou Rui hadn't been the one transporting it each time. ...
These past few days, it seems like Panjiayuan is holding an event. Everyone is dressed strangely, even the small stall owners who set up their own stalls are all dressed in the same way. Some are wearing Tang suits, some are wearing long robes, and none of them are dressed normally.
Since he was already at Xuanruizhai and had nothing else to do, Zhuang Rui simply wandered around the various stalls. When he came to a stall selling swords, he stopped.
"Oh, boss, you've arrived! Come and see, I have everything here, from Tang Dynasty swords like the Mo Dao, Yi Dao, Zhang Dao, and Heng Dao, to Emperor Qianlong's grand review swords..."
The stall didn't seem to be doing very well, and it was located on a corner, so not many people stopped there. The stall owner's overly friendly attitude towards Zhuang Rui was quite overwhelming for Zhuang Rui.
"From the Tang Dynasty? Goodness, even from Emperor Qianlong? Dude, you're kidding me. If you had that kind of stuff, you would have been rich by now. Why would you be setting up a stall here?"
Zhuang Rui, having nothing better to do, squatted down and started chatting with the stall owner. However, his eyes were fixed on the stall. To be honest, there weren't many stalls selling swords and antiques in Panjiayuan. Zhuang Rui had been there many times, but this was the first time he had seen one.
Sword collecting has only become popular in recent years, but since most unearthed swords are made of copper and iron, they are easily corroded in the soil, and there are not many in good condition. Those things on this stall that are polished to a bright shine are undoubtedly modern handicrafts.
"Hehe, we also have antique swords, but I'm afraid you won't like them..."
The stall owner smiled sheepishly and pointed to a corner of his stall.
"oh?"
Zhuang Rui followed the man's finger and saw six or seven pieces of broken copper and iron, covered in rust. They didn't look like swords at all, but rather resembled fire sticks used for burning in rural stoves.
"This...you actually dare to sell this?"
Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded. It was impossible to judge the quality of these items; they were practically worthless. However, Zhuang Rui knew that these might indeed be antique swords and knives, but with such poor condition, they were basically worthless.
"Brother, judging from your tone, you're quite the expert. These are all unearthed artifacts. They all look like this after being buried underground for a long time; otherwise, they would have been taken long ago. Take a look, if you like any of them, I'll give you a discount..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the stall owner realized that the other party was also a player, and that what he said was quite honest.
"Hehe, I'll just take a look. I really don't know much about antiques like swords and knives..."
Since he was bored anyway, Zhuang Rui calmed down and began to examine the seven or eight pieces of broken copper and scrap iron, even though they were not of high quality.
In recent years, the prices of antique swords and knives have risen very rapidly in the international antique auction market. A Qing Dynasty sword that was originally worth only a few hundred dollars was recently auctioned for more than $100,000 at a British auction, which has suddenly made sword and knife collecting popular in China.