Chapter 201 New Delhi
Ron had never been to New Delhi, either in his previous life or in this one.
Now the city, India's capital, home to Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister and the ministers' official residences, the pride of Indian urban planning, the showroom of democracy boasted in the newspapers, was at his feet.
"Anil, go see why the driver hasn't arrived yet?" Ron raised his wrist again at the airport exit.
Although this was their first time in New Delhi, the Sur family had already made arrangements here.
To be precise, ever since Ron took over the limestone mine in Mirzapur, he asked his family to find a place to settle in New Delhi as soon as possible.
This kind of business involving large-scale mineral development cannot be done without some connections in New Delhi.
State chief ministers, including Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, have been based in New Delhi for a long time.
India's business and politics are naturally deeply intertwined, and they have to keep an eye on news from New Delhi.
As the representative of the Sur family, Ratan stayed in New Delhi during this period.
This city is just on the border of Uttar Pradesh, and he is familiar with the customs and culture of North India.
Ron called him in advance, and Ratan vowed to come to the airport on time, but he didn't show up for almost an hour after getting off the plane.
Anil came back in a Civic car.
The driver, pale and sweaty, opened the car door and jogged over.
"Young Master, I'm late. The traffic in New Delhi is too congested." He bent down and touched Ron's toes.
"Where's Ratan?" Ron asked, noticing the car was empty.
"The master was with a minister's assistant last night and got drunk. He hasn't gotten up yet."
"Forget it, let's go back first." Ron waved his hand.
He knew the driver as Ishan and had ridden in his car before in Ron, Uttar Pradesh.
Yi Shang diligently stuffed the luggage into the trunk and bent down to open the car door.
Ron stepped one foot in and then stopped.
"What's this?"
At the foot of the luxurious leather seats in the back row, there is a large, shiny helmet.
"It's the spittoon, sir."
"Why put it in the car?" Ron frowned.
"Some guests like to chew betel nuts. If they spit the residue out of the car window, it may stick to the side of the car. So the host puts a spittoon in the car to avoid damaging the car." Yi Shang explained with a smile.
He was usually the one who cleaned the car after each trip. The betel nut residue stuck to the car was a nuisance, and Yishan was always very careful not to damage the beautiful paint.
It was much more convenient with the spittoon; he only had to wash the shiny helmet.
"Put it at the back." Ron frowned in disgust.
"Okay, young master." Yi Shang stuffed the thing into the trunk quickly.
"Where are we staying?" asked Ron.
"Defense zone, Buckingham Tower Apartments, young master." Yi Shang started the car.
New Delhi also has its own wealthy areas such as Defence Region, Greater Kailash and Vasant Kangri, which are close to India's power center.
Ron observed the city, which is indeed the pride of Indian urban planning.
All the roads looked the same, forming circles with large patches of grass in the middle.
Many people were sitting on the grass, sleeping, playing cards or eating, and then there were four roads extending straight out from the middle of the grass.
If you drive down any of the roads, you'll see circles again, with large patches of grass in the middle, where people are sleeping, playing cards, and eating.
It is easy to get lost when driving on a road like this. Yi Shang in the front seat kept looking around, as if trying to figure out the direction.
The roads are very neat and organized, more so than most streets in Mumbai.
Yet New Delhi and Mumbai have one huge thing in common that undermines the city's majesty as a capital.
Poor people, poor people everywhere!
Thousands of people, mostly from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, live along New Delhi's roads.
The poor people in these two places are easy to distinguish because they are thin, dirty, and live under bridges or overpasses like animals.
Cars whizzed past them while they built fires to cook, fetched water for washing clothes, and occasionally picked lice from their heads.
These homeless people are a big trouble for Yishan. They never wait for red lights and always run across the road as they please.
Every time Ishan braked to avoid them, Anil, who was sitting in the passenger seat, would curse loudly.
New Delhi is also a crazy city.
As cars entered the city, they drove slower and slower, and the traffic jam became severe.
Every five minutes, the long line of cars would tremble, and then Ron and his Civic would move forward 30 centimeters.
The taillights of a large number of cars in front lit up, and everyone honked their horns impatiently, including Yi Shang.
The sound of horns rose and fell along the entire road, each with its own tone, forming a symphony of traffic jams.
The air was filled with car exhaust, and wisps of blue exhaust gas swayed and flickered in front of the car headlights, growing thicker and thicker. It could neither rise into the air nor disperse, and could only slowly and brightly spread horizontally, spreading around the car like fog.
Ron looked out the window. The road was packed with cars, bicycles, tuk-tuks, rickshaws, and taxis, all jockeying for lanes.
People riding bicycles and motorcycles wrapped their faces with towels. Looking back, they saw a group of people wearing sunglasses and masks behind their cars.
It looked like the streets were full of bank robbers.
New Delhi's air pollution is so severe that even India, known for its air pollution, can't handle it.
After more than half an hour, the Civic finally squeezed out of the traffic jam, but Yi Shang encountered another trouble.
The houses in wealthy areas all have house numbers, but the letters and numbers on the house numbers make no sense at all.
According to the normal order, Building A should be followed by Building B. However, the front of these houses is A211, and the back row may be F332.
Which genius came up with the idea of building Unit F behind Unit A and Unit 82 behind Unit 13?
Ishan has been in New Delhi for almost a month, but he still gets lost often.
"Can't find the way?" Ron saw his dilemma.
"Master, I don't know English." Yi Shang smiled awkwardly.
"The one in front is Windsor Manor, and the one on the right is Green Heights."
"Oh, I know the way, Master!" Yi Shang turned the steering wheel and turned into another road.
These luxury apartments all looked similar, with gleaming glass everywhere, making it difficult for Yi Shang to remember them.
He still prefers the manor back home in Varanasi, where the kitchen is bigger than the entire apartment here.
Buckingham Tower is the most upscale apartment building in this area. It has a luxurious lobby on the first floor with an elevator.
Ratan's apartment was on the twelfth floor. Ishan parked the car and took Ron and the others directly upstairs in the elevator.
The room is decorated in a modern style and the sofa is luxurious and soft.
Ishan first knocked on Ratan's room door and then went to the kitchen to clear the dishes.
He was not only a driver, but also served as other servants.
After leaving the manor, the country master's treatment dropped by more than one level.
Ratan came out of the room sleepily, reeking of alcohol.
"Brother, I'm sorry, that jerk didn't let me go until midnight last night."
"Have you established connections with the people here so quickly?" Ron sat down on the sofa and relaxed.
"You don't know how difficult those thugs around Yadav are. They will always try to take advantage of you."
"How about in Uttar Pradesh? I mean the mines in Mirzapur."
Ron came to New Delhi this time not only to meet with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Pawar, but also to deal with the cement plant issue.
He had already taken out a loan of Rs 30 million in Mumbai, which he used to order equipment and buy basic building materials.
Now it is up to Uttar Pradesh's Yadav to deliver on his promise and secure another Rs 70 million. Construction will begin as soon as the money is in place.
"Those experts you brought in are constantly wandering around the mine. They've drawn up a bunch of blueprints, but no one can understand them."
"We are building the largest and most advanced cement plant in Uttar Pradesh. Patience is always a good idea."
The preliminary exploration work has been completed and construction materials are being delivered to the mine in a steady stream.
"Anyway, you came at the right time. Let's deal with that Yadav and then go back to Uttar Pradesh. I don't want to stay in this damn place for even a day. I can't play with guns and I can't find women casually. It's so boring." Ratan had a very bad impression of New Delhi.
"I thought you'd like big cities."
"I prefer the countryside, you know, that's our place." Ratan made a gun gesture.
"I will make an appointment with the minister tomorrow. I have already found a way in Mumbai before coming here."
Ron got Minister Mabang's phone number from Shawan, and they chatted for a few minutes, but didn't go into detail.
Of course, business involving collusion between officials and businessmen cannot be talked about openly on the phone. The third brother also has the habit of eavesdropping on the phones of important people.
He had to go to New Delhi in person, both to be safe and to show his sincerity.
"That's perfect. Let's meet Yadav first today. His assistant is slick and unreliable."
"Today?" Ron was a little surprised.
“Afternoon. Life in New Delhi begins in the evening,” Ratan winked.
This was exactly what Ron meant. He was tired from the journey and needed to rest for a while.
While the two brothers were talking, Anil had already taken the elevator to the second basement floor.
This is the servants' quarters. Every apartment, house, and hotel in India has separate quarters for servants.
Some are built in the back, and some are built underground like Buckingham Tower.
The servants' quarters were like a series of connected rabbit cages, and were occupied by drivers, cooks, cleaners, maids and chefs.
They can rest, sleep and wait in it. If the owner needs anything, just press the doorbell.
Anil, out of pure habit, checked every corner of the servant's quarters to ensure that nothing was there that might be detrimental to the master's safety.
He had attended this kind of training in Mumbai. Officer Aij used his connections in the Special Forces to get him in and take classes for several months.
Ishan led the way in front. He and Anil had known each other before and were considered acquaintances.
"There's nothing to see here, just a bed and nothing else."
Ishant feels Anil has changed, he used to be a country bumpkin like him.
Now, he walks with his head held high and his eyes look like he is not someone to mess with.
He was a little jealous. We were both servants, so how come you were doing better than me?
How dare you look your master in the eyes and straighten your back? You are not a qualified loyal servant!
"Open the door." Anil said lightly.
"Coming!" Yi Shang nodded and bowed.
Damn it, he'd never break his servant habits.
The servants' quarters were indeed simple, with an unfinished floor and walls covered in cheap white plaster that bore the marks of the workmen's hands.
In the middle of the room was a small, tattered bed, just big enough for a person to sleep on, with a mosquito net hanging over their head.
Ding-ling-ling. A sharp electronic bell sounded in the corridor.
Ishan rushed out in one step, leaving Anil, who was still in a daze, far behind.
Ha, I am the best servant, he thought proudly.
This is the ringing sound of the master upstairs calling the servant. Yi Shang had been trained like a dog long ago and had a natural conditioned reflex.
Sure enough, Ratan's command came from the intercom-like speaker.
He asks Yishan to prepare the car immediately as he will go to a minister’s house later.
(End of this chapter)
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