"Hey, what kind of business trip are we going on? This auction is over, we're just going to pick up the leftovers..."
As the middle-aged man spoke, his eyes were filled with envy as he looked at Zhuang Rui. The plane was mostly filled with Chinese people, and his loud voice drew everyone's attention. Even the pretty flight attendants in the cabin turned their attention to Zhuang Rui.
"Sir, do you know what the top bid price was at this public auction?"
"Young man, tell me, what was the total transaction price of this public auction?"
"Yeah. I heard it only ended this morning, and they don't allow phone calls on the plane, it was so nerve-wracking..."
Upon hearing that Zhuang Rui had boarded the plane after attending a public auction in Yangon, the entire cabin erupted in noise as everyone bombarded him with questions about what had happened at the auction.
Zhuang Rui was getting a headache from these inexplicable questions, so he quickly stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this jade auction is just about trading jade stones, there's nothing much to say, really nothing much to say..."
"Young man, please tell us, whether we'll make any money on this trip depends entirely on the outcome of this auction..."
"Yeah, we might have made a wasted trip and even lost money on the plane ticket..."
"Sir, would you please have a seat?"
As soon as Zhuang Rui finished speaking, the barrage of questions came out again, this time mixed with the voice of the pretty flight attendant, who asked Zhuang Rui to sit down. However, when the flight attendant looked at Zhuang Rui, her eyes were also full of curiosity.
You see, on flights from China to Myanmar, the people flight attendants see most often are those who come to Myanmar to gamble on jade. Having heard this topic so often, they naturally have a deep understanding of jade gambling and know that those who can afford to go to Yangon to participate in the jade auction are all big bosses. Therefore, they also treat Zhuang Rui with special regard.
"Okay...okay, I'll sit down. Excuse me, sir, what's going on with you all? Please tell me."
Zhuang Rui had assumed that the people on the plane were all going to Mandalay on business, but now it seemed that he had misunderstood. It turned out that these people were also in Myanmar to deal in raw stones.
Zhuang Rui guessed correctly. These people were indeed trading jadeite rough stones between China and Myanmar. However, they didn't have enough money to participate in the Myanmar jadeite auction, so they could only wait until the auction ended to go to Mandalay to buy some rough stones and sell them back to China.
The reason these people went to Mandalay was that most of Myanmar's raw stone merchants were concentrated there, and they would all return after the auction. Moreover, although Mandalay was also controlled by the government army, there were many loopholes in the airport inspections there, which were not as strict as in Yangon, so these people were able to take some raw stones out of the country.
In Burmese parlance, the group on that plane were smuggling jadeite rough. They didn't have any customs clearance documents; they just bribed the staff at Mandalay Airport to bring a sack or two of rough stones onto the plane. Whether they made a profit or a loss depended on the small amount of rough stones they smuggled out.
The Myanmar jade auction is a bellwether for the entire jade market, and these people naturally know it very well. However, they were unable to access the latest market information while on the plane today, which is why they were so eager to ask Zhuang Rui.
"You...aren't you guys engaging in smuggling? If you get caught, won't that be a huge problem?"
Zhuang Rui hadn't expected the Myanmar government to have such strict controls on the export of raw stones, yet these people still dared to smuggle them so openly, seemingly without any fear.
"Smuggling my ass! We're just taking a few rough stones onto the plane. And the money spent on bribes and bribing officials is more than the price of the stones themselves. Real smugglers are always escorted by cars, ships, and soldiers. What's this? The people in Myanmar are probably hoping their rough stones will be smuggled out of the country..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the middle-aged man curled his lip in disdain. Others, including the pretty flight attendant, largely agreed with him, finding such incidents quite commonplace and realizing that Zhuang Rui was making a fuss over nothing.
Although he had been in Myanmar for quite some time, it wasn't until he heard the middle-aged man's explanation that Zhuang Rui truly understood the social structure of Myanmar.
Despite Myanmar's abundance of precious gems and teak, these are concentrated in the hands of a very small minority. The majority of Myanmar's population is impoverished and lacks the means to acquire wealth. Driven by poverty, resource theft has reached unimaginable levels. It's not something that can be stopped simply by government directives; it only brings some degree of restraint.
In Myanmar, the country began to focus on the trade of raw jadeite only in the 1980s. Many locals in Mandalay still have a large number of raw jadeite stones, which are old mine materials from decades ago. These locals do not want to participate in the public auction and be taken advantage of by the government. As a result, there are both buyers and sellers, forming a special smuggling channel.
Zhuang Rui shook his head. These people were just ordinary businessmen who earned their money through hard work. As the saying goes, "Those who steal pearls are punished," but those who steal a country would naturally not take this small plane or make the trip just to carry a sack of stones.
"Over 20 million euros? That's over 200 million RMB!"
"Yeah, this is a bit too outrageous..."
"Old Yu, is it possible that we didn't bring enough money this time?"
As Zhuang Rui announced the bid price, everyone in the cabin, whether they were there to shop in Mandalay or on business, including the beautiful flight attendants, gaped in disbelief.
After Zhuang Rui told them the winning bid price at the Myanmar jade auction and the total transaction amount of 8 billion RMB, the entire cabin fell silent. No one spoke anymore. They were all digesting what Zhuang Rui had just said and analyzing how much rough stone they could buy in Mandalay with the money they had brought.
I believe this news will spread throughout the jewelry industry by tomorrow at the latest. At that time, no one can predict how high the price of jade jewelry will rise in the market.
At this point, the people in the cabin were no longer interested in asking Zhuang Rui for details, and Zhuang Rui, now with some free time, turned his attention to the television screen in the cabin that was showing an introduction to the city of Mandalay.
Mandalay is the capital of Mandalay Region in Myanmar, a famous former capital, and the second largest city in Myanmar, with a population of over 800,000. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of Myanmar and was once the site of the Myanmar royal palace.
Because Ava, a famous ancient capital in Myanmar's history, is located in its suburbs, overseas Chinese in Myanmar call it "Ava City". During World War II, Mandalay was a major battlefield between the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the Japanese army, so a large number of Chinese remained here. Today, Mandalay's economy is mainly controlled by the descendants of Chinese. Due to its advantageous geographical location, it has always been a center for the trading of jadeite rough, finished products, and various gemstones.
Many of Myanmar's major mines have branches in Mandalay. The Yangon jade auction has only become popular in recent years. In the last century, the auction was often held in Mandalay, and many legendary stories of jade gambling took place here. It can be said that Mandalay is a place with a long history and tradition.
The flight from Yangon to Mandalay wasn't very long; just over an hour later, the plane arrived over Mandalay Airport.
"Brother, don't be fooled by the fact that Myanmar is under a military government. The real power in Myanmar still rests with us Chinese. See those houses? They all belong to us Chinese..."
As the plane swooped down to land, Zhuang Rui could see from the window that on the edge of this city full of pagodas, rows of luxurious villas were lined up. The middle-aged man sitting in front of Zhuang Rui was introducing them to him, but his voice was soon drowned out by the roar of the plane landing.
Compared to Chinese living in places like Indonesia, the Chinese in Myanmar are much better off. Although they are wealthy, they rarely participate in politics. In addition, local forces in Myanmar are not anti-Chinese. Therefore, in Chinese-populated areas like Mandalay, the economic lifeline is basically in the hands of the Chinese.
Chapter 480 Airport Conflict
After getting off the plane, Zhuang Rui turned on his phone and found several new text messages, including one from his mother and another from Qin Xuanbing. The last one was from Professor Meng, reminding Zhuang Rui not to forget the postgraduate entrance exam next week.
The preliminary exam for postgraduate studies is a written test, and the exam venue is in Beijing. Zhuang Rui had been thinking about it all along. In his opinion, he would have enough time after returning from Myanmar. However, after seeing the text message, Zhuang Rui still made a phone call to Professor Meng.
During the phone call, Professor Meng knew that Zhuang Rui was in Myanmar, but he didn't say much. He just told him to go to his home first after returning to Beijing, as there were some important points he needed to discuss with Zhuang Rui. That's how China's exam-oriented education works; even last-minute cramming can be effective.
"Huh? How do you snatch a bag?"
As Zhuang Rui walked out of the passageway, he was still on the phone when, unexpectedly, someone snatched the suitcase he was pulling from behind. Zhuang Rui immediately cried out.
"Bang!"
Before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, the person who had snatched the suitcase from behind Zhuang Rui was already flying through the air, only to be kicked in the chest by Peng Fei. However, the person was still tightly gripping Zhuang Rui's suitcase.
"What happened?"
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui ran to the person who had fallen to the ground and couldn't get up. He took his own suitcase from the person's hand, and when he looked at the person again, he was a little dumbfounded.
The person lying on the ground, touching his chest and seemingly unable to speak due to the pain, was wearing airport staff clothing. At the exit, a group of people were scrambling for passengers' luggage. However, a few others noticed what was happening and approached while talking on walkie-talkies.
"Hey bro, why did you hit them?"
The middle-aged man who sat in front of Zhuang Rui on the plane also came out at this moment. When he saw this mess, he couldn't help but frown.
"I didn't hit him, he stole my luggage..."
Zhuang Rui said sullenly, while Peng Fei stood in front of several airport staff members, preventing them from coming forward, and was communicating with them in Burmese.
"Sigh, these guys. They're all just trying to squeeze out a few tips, buddy. You don't know, at Mandalay airport, even helping you carry your handbag will cost you $10, and filling out a form will cost at least $10. You're here for the first time, so you don't know the rules. We always spend hundreds of dollars on tips just from these guys. Well, I can't say any more. Take care, buddy..."
Upon seeing a few people approaching from a distance, the middle-aged man quickly stopped talking and disappeared into the crowd disembarking from the plane. He frequently traveled this route, and if the airport staff took notice of him, he would be in serious trouble.
"Damn, is this even possible?"
Zhuang Rui was speechless. Forced sales do exist, but demanding a tip was something he'd never heard of before. Were all the Burmese people desperate for money?
"Brother Zhuang, these people are demanding compensation, saying we assaulted someone and they want $5,000 in damages. This person... wasn't actually injured much..."
After exchanging a few words with those people, Peng Fei turned back to look at Zhuang Rui, looking somewhat embarrassed. He had only kicked out subconsciously, but he had reduced the force of his kick, only making the man uncomfortable for a short while. The $5,000 was somewhat of an extortion.
“$5,000? Not even $5! Are all your airport staff robbers? Snatching passengers' bags right off the bat? I'm telling you, I'm going to complain to the Myanmar government…”
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui immediately became furious. It was only natural to give a tip if the service was good, but he could not accept this kind of behavior of forcibly snatching his bag and demanding a tip. He knew that Myanmar was a British colony in the past and English was the common language here, so he shouted it out loud.
"Sir, your friend injured one of our airport staff members. We're just asking for some compensation for medical expenses. Is that too much to ask?"
A man who looked like a leader walked over. He had been watching from the side for a while, and only came over to negotiate with Zhuang Rui when Zhuang Rui shouted that he wanted to file a complaint. He spoke English with a slight Burmese accent.
Who are you?
Zhuang Rui asked in English.
“My name is Wencha. I am the supervisor of the airport ground staff, and it is my responsibility to seek justice for my employees…”
Actually, it's common practice for staff to accept tips at Mandalay Airport. The airport's top management are so busy accepting bribes that they're practically rolling in them. When Win Cha and his group of staff accept tips, it's just to generate revenue for themselves. Besides, he gets a cut from every tip, so of course he's going to step up now.
However, Wencha didn't want to make a big fuss. All he wanted was money, and judging from Zhuang Rui and his companion's appearance and clothing, they didn't seem like those Chinese merchants who secretly smuggled a few sacks of raw stones. Wencha was also quite polite in his speech.
Zhuang Rui looked at the person who was speaking. He didn't look like a supervisor at all. His fat face and big ears were completely different from the thin and weak Burmese people that Zhuang Rui knew. He looked like a head chef from a state-run canteen.
"I'm sorry, I don't think my friend did anything wrong. He was just acting in self-defense. It was your employee who violated my rights first. I didn't ask him to carry my bag..."
Zhuang Rui was getting serious. He was usually easygoing, but he really couldn't stand the behavior at the Myanmar airport. It was true that his money came easily, but it didn't grow on trees. Why should he give it to them?
"Sir, you mean you don't agree to a settlement, is that right?"
Wincha is probably a man with a dog-like face; he can change his expression in an instant. He put on a stern face and spoke a few words into the walkie-talkie in Burmese.
"Brother Zhuang, he's called the soldiers outside. You go out first, I'm fine..."
Peng Fei turned to Zhuang Rui and said something. He really didn't take the Burmese soldiers seriously. The Kuomintang army, which had been defeated in China decades ago, had been able to defeat the Burmese government army so badly that Peng Fei didn't believe these ragtag bunches could hold him back.
Before Zhuang Rui could reply, a squad of soldiers rushed in from outside the airport and surrounded Zhuang Rui, Peng Fei, and the airport manager.
"It's not something that can be solved by paying $5,000 now..."
Wencha looked at Zhuang Rui with a smug expression, thinking to himself how much money he should extort from Zhuang Rui. After all, bringing these soldiers in to act like bullies would come at a price, and these soldiers were ruthless when it came to demanding money.
"Oh? How much money would be appropriate?"
A voice rang out from outside the group of soldiers.
“At least $20,000… no, $50,000. My employees have been injured. Without $50,000, they’ll be going to jail…”
Wen noticed that Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei were dressed well. He immediately changed the amount he was about to say, from 20,000 to 50,000, while glancing outside to see who was being so cooperative. He then asked the question he was about to ask.
"Brother Hu..."
Zhuang Rui recognized the accent as somewhat familiar. Looking outside, he saw Hu Rong wearing a traditional Chinese double-breasted gown.
"Mr...Mr. Hu, Big...Big Brother?"
When Wencha saw Hu Rong, he didn't recognize him at first. However, when he heard Zhuang Rui call him "Big Brother," he was stunned. He knew a little Chinese, but Wencha's Chinese level was still at the level of explaining that "Big Brother" came from the same mother's womb.
Every Burmese knows the Hu family. Although they don't participate in politics, they are practically the local tyrants in the Hpakant region. Their mine protection teams are even more powerful than the government army.
It can be said that if the Hu family wanted to, with their financial and material resources, they could easily instigate the independence of a certain region in Myanmar. After all, there are many ethnic groups in Myanmar, and they are not very harmonious. It is common for them to want to break away from each other. In fact, there are always certain interest groups behind them.
As the ground staff supervisor at Mandalay Airport, Win Cha had naturally done a lot of welcoming and seeing off guests. His understanding of Hu Rong was more in-depth than that of the average Burmese. He knew that Hu Rong had a great influence not only in the business world but also in the military, and that he had good relationships with some powerful generals in Myanmar.
Given Hu Rong's status and position in Myanmar, he could easily frame Wen Cha for treason with just a word, causing him to disappear without a trace. Therefore, Zhuang Rui's address of "elder brother" immediately terrified Wen Cha, who was now trembling with fear.
Wencha reacted quickly, kicking the still-crying staff member on the ground hard, and looked at Zhuang Rui with a fawning smile, saying, "Misunderstanding, it's purely a misunderstanding, sir. My employee meant well and wanted to help you carry your bag, but since you don't appreciate it, then forget it. It's just a misunderstanding..."
"Since it's a misunderstanding, can we leave now?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at Wen Cha, too lazy to bother with such a person, pushed aside the soldiers with guns beside him, and went to greet Hu Rong. The two hugged.
"I'm sorry, Brother Zhuang, I was delayed on the way. I didn't expect this to happen..."
As the landlord, Hu Rong also felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Mr. Hu, it's really a misunderstanding..."