"Grandma, it's me, Zhuang Rui. How are you doing?"
Zhuang Rui knew that this was Qin Haoran's aunt, so he quickly went forward and took the old lady's other hand.
"Good...good, good boy, you're really tall..."
The old lady spoke with a heavy Cantonese accent. She pulled her other hand out of Hu Rong's hand and touched Zhuang Rui's face, but it was a bit difficult for her to stand on tiptoe. Zhuang Rui quickly squatted down.
"Come on, let's go home..."
The old lady was quite decisive; she took Zhuang Rui's arm and turned to leave, leaving Hu Rong, who had originally wanted to introduce the other people to Zhuang Rui, with nothing to do but shake his head and smile wryly as he followed behind.
Hu Rong lives with his parents, grandmother, and others. As soon as he entered the courtyard, a large group of people surrounded him. There were adults and children, most of whom had never left Myanmar. They were all very curious to see relatives from China and asked him all sorts of questions, making it quite lively.
Finally, it was the old lady who spoke up, and the group dispersed, giving Hu Rong the opportunity to introduce Zhuang Rui to his father, Hu Junzheng.
Hu Junzheng appeared to be around fifty-six or fifty-seven years old. According to Hu Rong, his father was in poor health, so when Hu Rong was in his twenties, he handed over the family business to Hu Junzheng.
Zhuang Rui stepped forward and greeted him respectfully. Hu Junzheng was very approachable. After helping his elderly mother to the table, he invited Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei to sit down. Peng Fei was now Zhuang Rui's cousin, so the Hu family treated them as one of their own.
This welcome dinner broadened Zhuang Rui's horizons. He had eaten at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing before, but he couldn't name most of the dishes on the table. It was a veritable feast of delicacies from land and sea.
Braised bear paw, steamed freshwater turtle, and a vegetable sliced into pieces that was very chewy—when Zhuang Rui asked, it turned out to be elephant trunk. There was also braised pangolin meat and some other dishes made from animals he had never even heard of before. And let me tell you, the taste was absolutely amazing.
"Son, drink more. This wine was made from the tiger penis of a tiger I hunted when I was young. You're about to get married, so it's okay for you to drink more. Take a few more with you when you leave; this stuff isn't rare here..."
The wine served to Zhuang Rui was a homemade liquor from the Hu family, which shouldn't have been very strong, but it contained tiger penis.
While urging Zhuang Rui to drink, Grandpa Hu also told him to take a few tiger penises back to China, since they were getting engaged soon. Zhuang Rui blushed and couldn't help but lament in his heart, "I'm still young, it seems... I don't need these things yet."
Chapter 490 The Sexually Happy Life of Burmese Men
"What a fine young man! If he were in Myanmar, we'd find him several wives..."
Hu Junzheng's words were somewhat subtle, but the old lady's next words left Zhuang Rui speechless.
"This... find more wives? Is that really okay?"
Zhuang Rui held a piece of braised pangolin between his lips, but didn't put it in his mouth for a long time. He asked a silly question, which made everyone laugh.
"Polygamy is allowed in Myanmar, but having too many wives isn't necessarily a good thing. Don't listen to your grandma..."
Hu Rong explained to Zhuang Rui while laughing.
In Myanmar, due to the large number of ethnic groups and their respective customs, there is practically no government law. For example, if a thief is caught, he is often beaten to death by onlookers, which is not illegal in Myanmar.
The Burmese government basically doesn't interfere in anything. For example, internal disputes between villages are mediated by village elders according to local customs, which is generally quite fair.
Moreover, Myanmar seems to have little concept of nationality. It is a truly "free and democratic" land. You don't even need to become a Burmese citizen. You only need to practice in a local temple for 7 days to gain recognition from local customs. From then on, you will be recognized by Burmese society and will be fully qualified as a Burmese man.
This would grant them the same rights as local residents, except perhaps the right to vote. However, it seems there are no elections in Myanmar, and they could marry and have children locally.
Myanmar is a country with severely low productivity. Survival is the primary issue that ordinary people need to address. In addition, there is no family planning policy here, and most families have many daughters. Some families who cannot afford to raise their children will marry them off. Of course, the marriage partner does not necessarily have to be single.
Myanmar's polygamous system may seem ridiculous, but it actually has its advantages for women.
For example, unless the woman has committed dishonest acts, divorce is absolutely prohibited. You must never abandon her after starting a relationship. As a saying often heard in Western churches goes: whether in poverty or sickness, you must support her for the rest of your life.
Since women are responsible for labor, men are responsible for all housework... cooking, washing clothes, taking care of children. According to the general standard in Myanmar, if you have three wives and eight children, then you have to do the housework for a total of 11 people.
Hearing this, Zhuang Rui felt a chill run down his spine. Just imagining a grown man carrying one on his back, one in his arms, and a bunch of naked children following behind him made him shudder. These Burmese men must be living a really miserable life!
Some friends might say that the daytime is a bit miserable, but the nighttime is blissful, living the life of a groom every night openly and legitimately, something you can't do in China.
However, this is not necessarily a good thing. In Myanmar, the concept of "fairness" in traditional customs is deeply ingrained in all aspects of family life. You must treat each of your wives equally and take turns having sex with them.
If you marry some of your wives and want to show favoritism, that's not allowed. It would be met with unanimous condemnation from public opinion. Having sex would become a moral obligation, and many students would probably lose all interest in sex.
"Brother Hu, can't the men go out to work in the fields while the women stay home to take care of the children?"
Zhuang Rui asked, almost as if possessed, "Isn't it better to do some physical labor outside than to stay at home taking care of the kids and sweeping the floor?"
Hu Rong shook his head upon hearing this and said, "Myanmar is different from China. If a man has three wives and lets each of them take care of the housework, then the farm work of four people is definitely something that one man cannot handle."
If one man and two women go to farm, the two women will definitely worry that their children will not receive proper care from the other woman, which can easily lead to conflict.
Therefore, the only reasonable system is to let all women farm, while the men stay at home to take care of the children, and these wives and concubines generally have very good relationships, almost like sisters..."
Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded by Hu Rong's words. This was too fair! If that's the case, having another woman in the house is like the first wife having an extra helper and less work.
Zhuang Rui even suspected that the first wife would not only not prohibit her husband from taking more wives, but might even encourage him to take as many wives as possible. The women in Myanmar work together during the day and rest in the same bed at night. The friendship and trust that women build together through their work is likely to be very close.
Therefore, Hu Rong's statement that his wives and concubines were "like sisters" is not an exaggeration at all in reality in Myanmar.
After Hu Rong finished explaining the wedding customs of Myanmar, he smiled and looked at Zhuang Rui, saying, "How about it? Should I find you a temple? Stay there for seven days, and you'll be treated like a Burmese. With your wealth, I bet plenty of people would be eager to marry their daughters to you..."
"No, Brother Hu, I wouldn't dare say that to Xuanbing..."
Zhuang Rui raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, which made everyone burst into laughter. Originally, everyone was just joking with Zhuang Rui, and the atmosphere at the table was very harmonious. Even the old lady drank several cups of homemade rice wine.
Although Zhuang Rui said he wouldn't dare, his heart warmed a little. However, he knew that Qin Xuanbing had a cold exterior but a soft heart. If he really did this, it would definitely break her heart.
Besides, if he wanted to marry, he would have to find a girl from China. As he thought of this, the image of Miao Feifei suddenly popped into Zhuang Rui's mind, startling him.
This one is even worse. If this lady were born in Myanmar, and her husband dared to marry a second woman, she would definitely take scissors and cut off his manhood in the middle of the night.
After dinner, Hu Rong arranged for Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei to stay in guest rooms. There was basically no entertainment in Myanmar, and it became very quiet after eight or nine o'clock in the evening. Zhuang Rui, who had drunk some wine and was tired after a long day, took a shower and fell into a deep sleep.
When Zhuang Rui woke up the next day, it was already past nine o'clock in the morning. He quickly got up, washed up briefly, and left the room.
Hu Rong happened to walk into the courtyard where Zhuang Rui was staying. Seeing him come out, he greeted him, saying, "Xiao Zhuang, go have breakfast. Don't rush out this morning; let the two professors rest a bit. Oh, and I won't keep you any longer. Go check on the hotel first..."
Zhuang Rui nodded. He knew that the two of them had really been through a lot yesterday. They vomited several times on the way, and even brought up bile. Even by noon, they might not have recovered.
After giving instructions to Zhuang Rui, Hu Rong left in a hurry. After Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei finished their meal, they went into their room and closed the door.
"So, can you tell the difference?"
Zhuang Rui looked at Peng Fei with a slight nervousness. Peng Fei was holding a map of Hpakant and comparing it with the location of the Rising Sun Flag on the digital camera screen.
Seeing the extensive excavation efforts in Hpakant yesterday, Zhuang Rui's hopes were waning. Perhaps the treasure from back then had been unearthed by jade miners.
After examining the map carefully for a while, Peng Fei said confidently, "Brother Zhuang, the location on this map is about 30 kilometers into the Savage Mountain. It should be considered deep in the mountains, a place rarely visited by people. We shouldn't be discovered..."
"Savage Mountain?"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback upon hearing this. Having read a lot of relevant information before coming to Myanmar, Zhuang Rui was not unfamiliar with this name.
The Savage Mountain was the place where the Chinese Expeditionary Force suffered its first defeat. Tens of thousands of defeated Chinese soldiers were swallowed up by that mountain. Who would have thought that the Japanese would one day be besieged there as well?
The city of Hpakant is located on the edge of the Savage Mountain, and the Uru River, the source of jade, flows through the middle of Hpakant. The so-called old mines of jade are basically located on both banks of this Uru River.
"Thirty kilometers, how about this, let's put this aside for now, and see if we have a chance to go there after we've finished looking at the jade mine..."
Thirty kilometers wasn't a long distance for Zhuang Rui. With his and Peng Fei's physical condition, even in the mountains, three or four hours would be enough for a round trip. He wondered if he could find an excuse to go hunting and go there with Peng Fei to take a look.
Having arrived in Hpakant, the treasure was within reach. Although the two of them couldn't retrieve it themselves, Zhuang Rui wouldn't be satisfied without taking a look. If the treasure was still there, they could always find a way to retrieve it later. ...
Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei had been studying the map. Around noon, they received a call from Hu Rong, who was accompanying two professors. Hu Rong had sent his driver to pick up Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei and repeatedly emphasized that they should wait outside the house and not leave the city.
Hu Rong was thinking about their safety. In Hpakant, the major jade companies are all outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, and each of them employs a group of mercenaries. Assassinations between them happen frequently. They might have been targeted by some ill-intentioned force when they entered the city yesterday.
Those forces wouldn't dare to assassinate or kidnap Hu Rong, because that would cause unrest throughout Hpakant and even Myanmar. However, some forces are capable of capturing Hu Rong's guests and making threats against them.
After waiting for more than half an hour, the driver I met yesterday drove the car to the gate of the house. There was one car when it came in, but as it drove out of the city center, five more cars followed behind.
The mine we're going to today not only has Hu Rong's own jade mine, but also another company's. Furthermore, we'll be passing through the territories of several powerful factions along the way, so we can't afford to be careless.
Chapter 491 The King of Emeralds
After a night's rest, although the two professors still looked tired, they were able to move around without any problems. They were also eager to see the origin of the King of Jade.
Myanmar's unique geological features hold an irresistible allure for all geologists.
After meeting up with Hu Rong and others at the Yudu Hotel, the convoy of seven vehicles drove out of Hpakant City and headed upstream along the clear Uru River.
Although the banks of the Uru River have long been mined beyond recognition, this river that nurtured the Hpakant people remains crystal clear, flowing quietly through the city of Hpakant.
The car drove upstream along the Wulu River, and the scenery along the way was very beautiful, with large banana trees, dense forests, and the babbling river, just like a painting.
At regular intervals along the Uru River, there are suspension bridges with wooden planks laid across them. Many people cross these bridges, most of them heading to the Hpakant market.
These people include locals from Hpakant who have farmed for generations, as well as many people of varying character who come here to make a living. It should be noted that Hpakant is the crossroads of Mandalay, Mogaung, and the important northern Myanmar town of Grape.
Besides jade, Hpakant also contains abundant gold, silver, and copper mines, as well as teak trees in its forests, all of which are tradable resources that attract all sorts of people with various motives to Hpakant.
In addition to these, when people talk about Hpakant, they always say that Hpakant is formed by three lines: the white line, the red line, and the green line.
The white line refers to drugs. This area is close to the border between India and China and has always been a hotbed for drug traffickers. Many drug lords wanted by Interpol are hiding in places like Hpakant.
The red line refers to the rubies, a specialty of Myanmar, which are famous worldwide, while the green line is naturally jadeite.
Along the 150-kilometer stretch of the Uru River, centered around Hpakant, are hundreds of jade mines of varying sizes, including Longtang, Xiangba, Huika, Mogang, Dakanmu, Dongmo, and Houjiang.
Among these are ten historically significant mines, all located near the upper and lower reaches of the Uru River. The newer mines are mostly in the Dongmo area, where the mines are largely bare, with large quantities of exposed rough stones directly visible, though lacking the outer skin of the older mines. ...
After driving for more than an hour, the convoy arrived at the foot of a mountain. After the people in the cars in front got out and negotiated, the checkpoint at the foot of the mountain moved the roadbed blocking the way.
The convoy drove along a not-so-wide mountain road to the middle of the mountain, where it stopped on a flat slope, and everyone got out.
"Brother Hu, is this your mine? It's truly magnificent..."
Half of the mountain opposite had been flattened. Below Zhuang Rui and the others, hundreds of people were busy at work, and excavators called "excavators" were making a roaring sound, constantly pulling stones out of the mountain wall.
Skilled workers nearby immediately stepped forward to examine the stones that the excavators had pulled out. Some were hammered, others were identified by sight. As long as the stone seemed valuable, it was immediately loaded onto the truck. Once the truck was full, it would be transported out in a unified manner.
"This isn't my mine; it belongs to the Myanmar government. Let me show you the world's largest 'King of Jade'!"
Right here…
As Hu Rong spoke, he beckoned everyone to follow him up the mountain path.
"The world's largest jadeite? Does it weigh 300 kilograms?"
Zhuang Rui asked curiously, "Although jadeite is not measured in 'carats' like diamonds, it is still a rare gemstone. Zhuang Rui has handled quite a few rough stones, and the most he has ever extracted was only a little over 100 kilograms of jadeite from one of them."
300 kilograms?
Hu Rong stopped and laughed, "Brother, you're underestimating the world's king of jade. 300 kilograms multiplied by 10,000, that's roughly the weight of that piece of jade..."
"How many?"