Chapter 459 Family

Rana sat there slowly drinking bottled water. The land beneath his feet was in a very special place.

Looking up, you can see the towering Qutub Minar, a victory monument built by an ancient invader after conquering Delhi.

The massive, jagged tower has stood on nights like this for eight centuries.

Even now, it is the only man-made object in this lazy and quiet sky.

In this landscaped yard, all the landscaping is designed to cover the ground.

But in the nearby jungles and wastelands, on both sides of the road, magnificent tombs, palaces and temples can still be seen.

For hundreds of years, they have grazed livestock, grown crops, worshipped gods, built houses, and made petitions on this land.

Today, it's just a quiet path, flat and perfect, the land sealed under emerald green lawns.

Just as Lana was in a daze, a tall figure appeared.

They had never met before, but Lana felt immediately drawn to him.

This charm comes from the way he speaks to you. He is open and honest, looks you in the eye, and calls you by your name frequently.

"Lana, would you like some wine?"

"Uh, Mr. Soul, I can do either."

"What kind of red wine do you like, Lafite, Romanee-Conti, or Chapelle-d'Or?"

"Oh, I've heard of that name. I've been to Downing Street before."

"Dorn Church then." Ron gestured to the servant.

Rana was delighted. Mr. Sur was a man of grace. There weren't many entrepreneurs with this quality in Delhi's business community, but every one of them was a master of persuasion.

For example, Rana himself benefited greatly from it, even though he was just an international broker.

"To be honest, I was originally planning to go abroad for research on my own." Ron smiled and picked up his glass, "But a friend told me that it wasn't necessary, and that you would handle it beautifully."

"What we do is usually not known to outsiders, nor is it meant to be known to the world. But we have the most comprehensive network of connections and can help you find the most suitable person in the shortest time."

"That's exactly what I want." Ron nodded in satisfaction.

At this time, two plates of sumptuous appetizers were brought up, one for each of them.

"Murthy said you were good, so I decided to give you the business."

"I helped him connect with a potential foreign competitor, and after that, he acquired the other company."

Murthy is one of the founders of Infosys. Ron had just met him not long ago, and Rana was the middleman introduced by him.

In Delhi, relationships are like this, with only a fine line between formal and informal.

Often the doors of business people are kept securely shut, but once opened, everything is open to you.

If you gain the approval of a friend, you automatically become a "buddy".

This clan dynamic can be endearing at times and irritating at others, but it's how many places in Delhi operate.

"This business is not about software, you know, it's something completely different, iron ore and coal."

"The Witbank coalfield in South Africa can be considered, and Brazil's 'Iron Quadrilateral' region and the Carajás iron ore mine in the north are also good." Rana responded immediately.

"Very good," Ron nodded with satisfaction, "At least we have a direction."

"How much will it cost? If it exceeds a certain amount, I might need to team up with a few friends to do it together."

"It doesn't matter. I just want the end result. The coal and iron ore must at least be enough to produce 3 million tons of steel annually. That's the minimum requirement."

Lan Lana quickly wrote it down in his notebook, then couldn't help but take a sip of the red wine.

The scale of the business made him thirsty and he was extremely alert.

"India's real estate market is very hot right now, and East Asian countries have also increased their steel imports by 25% this year. I need to prepare in advance."

Ron whispered as if his words were insignificant. In the distance, Isa was walking around the yard with little Ravi on the marble path.

Rana seemed to see in him the qualities of an old Delhiite. Business meant much more than just making a living: business was a temperament, a lifestyle, and a social identity.

Of course, he is not as old-fashioned as the old money guys. Rana has dealt with jewelry families in North India before.

Those people's business networks not only spanned the Indian subcontinent, but also extended along trade routes west to the Arabian Peninsula and east to China.

These jewelry trade networks consist of a single line, designed to overcome barriers to trust.

Because the entire network involves many different communities, religions and languages, obstacles also come from the nature of the jewelry trade itself.

Because the value of the goods is very high, credit issues exist at every link in the jewelry supply chain.

It is impossible for merchants to pay before receiving the goods. The entire cross-border trading system consists of traders delivering priceless goods and receiving only the promise to pay in the future.

The question is obvious: how can we be sure that someone who is so trusted will not just walk away?

There is no doubt that violators will be punished, and the entire trading community will unite to ensure that violators pay their losses.

At worst, people will stop doing business with violators.

Businessmen work hard to build their reputation, and this reputation translates directly into business opportunities.

They live lavishly and spend lavishly so that others know they are financially sound.

They donated to temples and charities and hired poets to praise their wealth and integrity.

In business negotiations, they will exaggerate their hurt pride: "Me? You see me like that? You've got me wrong."

Most importantly, however, they use various methods to develop purely commercial relationships into various forms of interdependence in order to minimize deception.

In order to tie down their partners, they would give gifts, offer favors, provide warm hospitality, and even arrange marriages.

They become very close to each other and talk like friends or even brothers, unless their business goes wrong.

There is nothing in their lives outside of "business"; their daily lives and families are dedicated to supporting and enhancing their business while also providing trusted partners and heirs.

Their pursuit of friendship and social life is never separated from building business connections.

This is the old money of North India, or the old money of Delhi.

Mr. Suhr's demeanor towards others is very similar to theirs, making you feel like you are in the spring breeze, as if you are an old friend.

But Mr. Suhr keeps business, family, and even life very separate.

The old money guys all consider business for the sake of business, but he is not like that, in fact, it is almost the opposite.

But they all have one thing in common: they are all connected by various ties.

The two men chatted while drinking red wine in the yard and soon agreed on the commission for this transaction, 2%.

According to industry practice, the commission for small and medium-sized projects is between 3% and 5%, while for large projects it will drop to 1% to 2%.

There is no doubt that if Ron goes overseas to acquire minerals, the transaction amount will definitely exceed 100 million US dollars, which is a big business.

Rana was happy with the 2% commission rate, even though going to South Africa required more risk and coordination costs.

At this time, night began to fall, and through the panoramic glass of the house, you can see the bright lights inside.

There were shadows moving inside, and soon a man came over with a leisurely gait.

"Brother, when will you finish your business? Dinner is about to start."

"Right now, this is our friend, Lana." Ron introduced them.

"Hello, I'm Latan. I heard you're from South Africa? Wow, I didn't realize you're quite the hero."

"Um, hello." Lana shook his hand.

The man who came was Ron's cousin Ratan. He was wearing pointed shoes, a brand new T-shirt, and a lot of gold jewelry, looking very stylish.

The scent of his perfume was even stronger than the scent of the flowers around him.

Through the window Lana could see the uniformed waiters setting the table for dinner. They had prepared twelve places on the long white table.

Someone was already drinking in the room; it felt like a nightly ritual, the way many of Delhi's wealthy people ended their day.

The people coming today were not guests, but Ron's relatives.

Family members from Uttar Pradesh come to Delhi every once in a while to have family dinner together.

They would stop by the "farmhouse" for a few days, and Ron was very welcome.

Such a big place would seem empty without family members.

In India, families have to live together, but they have to separate because of business.

Ratan said a few words and walked into the Glass House Restaurant to have a drink.

"India's economic growth is very strong now, and the only thing holding it back is infrastructure and education."

"Yes," Rana nodded in agreement. He hated Delhi's traffic.

“Corruption is rampant in almost all projects, especially public works projects. If it weren’t for those termites, our children’s education wouldn’t be affected and our roads wouldn’t be left unfinished.”

"Corruption is inevitable." Rana nodded with a sigh.

“You know what pollution inspectors are? It’s the new Indian licensing system. They’ll blackmail you!”

"What? You are Mr. Sur?" Lana was shocked.

"No, not me. It's a supplier to Soul Electric." Ron shook his head. "Every department of theirs complies with environmental regulations 100%, but those pollution inspectors can still get you killed. This is no joke. They can shut down your company, and then you're done."

"I understand that for manufacturing companies, if they stop working, the losses will be immeasurable."

"Sul Electric produces hundreds of thousands of various products every day. If a supplier fails to deliver, we will also suffer heavy losses. To minimize the losses, we will simultaneously include three or four companies in our supplier system."

Ron has been troubled by all kinds of strange problems recently. Just because Sur Electric Appliances is not in trouble doesn't mean that its downstream suppliers are also going smoothly.

While he was negotiating with New Delhi, he also began to introduce a supplier competition system. These responses were all forced upon him.

Lana noticed that more and more people were in the room. Through the glass, it looked like a real theater with an illuminated stage under the lights.

Various characters were dressed in various costumes. Some were leaning against deep sofas, their feet in Italian leather shoes stretched out and trembling.

At another end, waiters in white uniforms were placing flowers in a marble fountain, letting them float in it. Above their heads was a huge crystal chandelier made of bright blue Murano glass.

Lana stood up and said goodbye tactfully, he knew the party was about to begin.

"I look forward to hearing from you, Rana. Can you give me a reply within two months?"

"Of course, Mr. Soule, I'm flying to Brazil next week."

"Okay, I'll invite you to the party next time."

Ron sent him away and turned around to see Isa waiting for him at the door with Ravi.

"Honey, let's go in."

"Ron, I'm pregnant again."

"Really? That's perfect. Ravi needs a brother or sister."

As a father, he began to believe that the saying "more children, more blessings" made sense.

(End of this chapter)