Chapter 310 It's all bubbles (bug fix): Why is there so much fighting and snatching?
That evening, Wang Xiao joined the other graduates for a buffet dinner at the provincial government canteen.
She had just finished getting her food and was sitting down at the same table with Secretary Fang, when two graduates pushed and shoved each other over, asking hesitantly, "Secretary Fang, after we come back, can we register our household registration in Jinning?"
She wasn't the one being questioned, but Wang Xiao still felt like her computer had crashed instantly.
How subtle.
One second they seem to be very international, talking about the future of the semiconductor industry.
The next second it came down to the household registration issue. How can this not be a unique feature of Chinese culture?
After all, there seem to be very few countries where household registration is more important than nationality.
Secretary Fang gave an affirmative answer, and the two recent college graduates finally felt relieved and went back to have dinner in peace.
Watching them leave, Secretary Fang sighed softly, "We finally managed to secure a flexible quota for them to stay in Jinning. Hopefully, we can use it when the time comes."
Wang Xiao poked at the rice grains in her plate with her chopsticks, not really wanting to discuss the topic. The household registration system that divided people into different classes seemed somewhat nauseating to her.
She took a sip of mung bean soup to suppress the cloying feeling, and then went straight to talking about Ovechkin's affairs in Jiangbei.
This was originally the main focus of this trip to Jiangdong.
Wang Xiao couldn't help but exclaim, "We never expected that Ovechkin had already produced antistatic gloves in Xishui Town and was even preparing to sell them back to Russia."
Secretary Fang was filled with regret, yet there was nothing he could do.
This is a classic case of being slow at one step, and slow at every step. Jiangbei had already made the first move, and if Jiangdong tried to compete, it would have lost the initiative.
Moreover, Wang Xiao also mentioned that she and Ivanov's Russian friends in China had already visited Ovechkin's antistatic glove factory.
Given the Jiangbei people's penny-pinching nature, I doubt any of them will escape.
In this way, Jiangdong Province would not be able to take action to seize the goods again, otherwise the Russians would wait for a higher price and be picky, which would ruin the overall situation.
So, where should Jiangdong start now, without encountering the same problems as Jiangbei, in order to break this deadlock?
Secretary Fang fell into deep thought.
Footsteps sounded again at the table, breaking the silence.
A young man with glasses, wearing a T-shirt with the words "Nothing to My Name" printed on it, and with tanned skin, came over carrying a tray.
He simply nodded to Secretary Fang and then sat down next to her.
Wang Xiao admired the courage of today's college students; they truly are the chosen ones.
Before she transmigrated, unless she was deliberately trying to gain attention, she would never have taken the initiative to sit next to the provincial party secretary for a meal.
Of course, if it were before she time-traveled, she probably wouldn't have even sat down before being forked out.
What's even more impressive is this young man. He sat down and didn't even speak to Secretary Fang. He just nodded slightly as a greeting. Then, the next second, he turned his gaze to her and said, "President Wang, I believe that the crisis in Japan's semiconductor industry is the result of its own choices and has nothing to do with South Korea or any other country."
Wang Xiao nodded in agreement: "Yes, the problems in Japan's semiconductor industry have always existed, such as efficiency and cost. If these problems are not solved properly, they will lead to the collapse of a thousand-mile dike due to an ant hole."
"No, no, no." The boy shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I meant that the Japanese brought this upon themselves; they were greedy and ruined their own lives."
In 1994, anti-Japanese sentiment among the Chinese people was not strong. To put it simply, very few people even mentioned the massacre.
So the undisguised disgust in the boy's eyes piqued Wang Xiao's interest: "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."
“Real estate, stocks!” The boy, forgetting to eat, tapped his fingers on the table. “The Japanese actually abandoned the semiconductor industry in the 1980s. These companies are speculating on stocks and land like madmen. Huge sums of money that should have been invested in semiconductor research and development and expanding production have all flowed into real estate and the stock market.”
He shook his head with disgust. "Where the money is, there the industry and society will care. The Japanese abandoned the semiconductor industry themselves; their glory in the 1980s was just a final burst of energy after years of accumulation. Once the economic bubble burst, all the problems became apparent."
The electric fan hanging from the ceiling whirred, carrying the aroma of food, a complex mix of smells.
The boy emphasized: "It's not the bursting of the bubble economy that caused the problems facing Japan's semiconductor industry now, but rather that the bubble burst and the problems that already existed have nowhere to be covered up."
He was exasperated, saying, "The bubble burst, the money evaporated, and when Japanese semiconductor companies finally realized what was happening and wanted to reinvest, they didn't have the large sums of money to spend. In the semiconductor industry, falling behind one step at a time leads to falling behind the next, and it was only a matter of time before Japan was dethroned from its number one position."
Seeing him clench his teeth, Wang Xiao was truly afraid that he would break a tooth at such a young age.
Getting a filling in a tooth isn't cheap these days, especially if you go to Singapore; it could cost him a fortune.
She nodded in agreement: "Your point of view is very interesting. I suggest you write an article so that all those who come after you can learn from it."
The boy shook his head again: "You still don't understand what I mean, Mr. Wang. I mean I'm not optimistic about the future development of China's semiconductor industry."
That's really too inappropriate.
Even Secretary Fang couldn't help but interject: "Student, why do you have such a pessimistic view? Although we are temporarily lagging behind, we can catch up and surpass you."
"We do not have the conditions to catch up and surpass others."
The boy's voice was harsh, rudely interrupting his leader, "Why do the Japanese speculate on land? It's the result of a greedy government. The government sells the land. To extract money from the people's pockets, the Japanese government has repeatedly raised land prices. Half of Tokyo's land could buy the entire United States. What a greedy and shameless government it must be to do something so shameless!"
Wang Xiao held her breath, neither refuting nor speaking out for the Japanese government, because she had nothing to say.
Even so, the boy still retorted to his imagined rival: "Don't talk about Japan developing real estate to solve the housing problem for ordinary people. If they really wanted to, why don't they implement a public housing system like Singapore? Is it because the Japanese government doesn't have the conditions to do so? No, it's because they are greedy, racking their brains to empty the wallets of ordinary people, not even sparing the wallets of three generations, the next generation!"
Secretary Fang is truly a man of great composure. Despite being so bluntly rejected by this arrogant young man, she didn't lose face at all. Instead, she nodded in agreement: "Singapore's public housing system is still very worthy of study and learning."
The boy shook his head firmly: "No, you won't follow Singapore's example."
Wang Xiao was completely impressed by this guy. She had never seen such a reckless college student who was completely ignorant of social etiquette and could even be described as utterly rude.
She cleared her throat, wanting to remind the other person that basic manners were still necessary.
But the boy couldn't wait to continue: "Why is the land speculation in Hainan out of control? Wasn't the land approved by the Hainan government? They've never seen money in their lives, yet they've turned land into gold."
"Something went wrong, and now that no one's willing to take the fall, they're blaming those who got involved for being greedy and unrestrained." The boy sneered through his nostrils, "Aren't the Hainan government the most greedy and shameless ones?"
Wang Xiao was speechless. Today's college students are indeed unscrupulous, daring to say and curse anything.
Moreover, after criticizing the Hainan government, he changed his tone and dragged all local governments into the fray.
"I don't believe that only the Hainan government is greedy. Don't other local governments envy them? Don't they want to sell land and make a fortune? They just don't have the conditions for it yet."
He was panting heavily, his nose covered in sweat. "Tulips can be sold for exorbitant prices, let alone land."
The tulip mania is a common economic term, and its core elements are: a frenzied pursuit of wealth, herd mentality, a complete loss of rationality, the eventual bursting of the bubble, and the financial ruin of millions. (Note: ①)
This tulip can be replaced with anything else, such as garlic. When garlic prices are so high, they can skyrocket a hundredfold, becoming more expensive than meat.
But that's not the focus of their discussion right now.
The boy brought up the water reform again: "After the separation of water resources, local governments are facing financial difficulties. Don't they want to make money? I've looked into the distribution of fiscal revenue, and the money from selling land should belong to the local governments, right? I don't believe that local governments wouldn't be tempted by such a large sum of money, which requires almost no cost."
He shook his head vigorously, sweat dripping from his forehead, his tone extremely pessimistic, "Even if there are no conditions now, you will create them later and turn the land into tulips."
“By then,” he looked up, “what’s the point of developing the semiconductor industry? All the money will be flowing into real estate, everyone will be busy making money, who will want to touch the money-burning semiconductor industry?”
He finally stopped criticizing, but the sudden silence made the atmosphere at the table incredibly awkward.
All the surrounding sounds—the scraping of chopsticks against plates, the rumble of carts carrying trays pushed by cafeteria staff, the shouts of chefs making fresh noodles—were amplified infinitely in this eerie silence.
Secretary Fang gently tapped the table, looked intently at the indignant young man, and said calmly, "Student, you only see one possible danger in the future. First of all, I must admit that this danger is possible. Because reform is like crossing a river by feeling for stones, unlike studying and taking exams in school where there are standard answers."
She shook her head, as if sighing, "There is no answer. Since we are feeling our way across the river, we are likely to make all kinds of mistakes. No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. The greatest virtue is to correct them."
Even after the leader had spoken so bluntly, he still couldn't sway the fiery college student. He remained sharp: "If we had made a mistake, Japan would be like today, having missed its best opportunity. Even if they realize their mistake later and regret it, the opportunity will never come back."
Secretary Fang shook his head: "Student, your intuition is very sharp, which is excellent. But you only see the dangers of the future, not the efforts we are making now."
She pointed at Wang Xiao and said, "We discussed the dangers of housing last year when President Wang came to the provincial government for a meeting, and we took preventative measures."
Wang Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Secretary Fang hadn't brought it up, she would have had no choice but to bring it up herself.
Otherwise, the conversation at the dinner table will get out of control, making the whole situation awkward and unmanageable, and it will also affect the mentality of these graduates who are about to go to Singapore, making their already precarious chance of returning home even worse.
The color TV in the cafeteria was playing past Spring Festival Galas, and Fei Xiang was singing: "Come back, come back, wanderer who has roamed the world..."
The electric fan whirred, carrying the singing to every corner of the cafeteria.
Secretary Fang presented the facts and reasoned with the public: "Last year, we launched a policy to gradually solve the housing difficulties of urban and rural residents in Jiangdong Province in batches."
"On the one hand, the government allocates land to enterprises, coordinates and plans the construction, and the employees of the enterprises raise funds to build workers' communities at cost price. The government also helps to solve problems related to transportation and supporting living facilities."
She pointed at Wang Xiao, "President Wang promised that once the workers' residential area in Jinning is completed, she will build a supermarket there. We have no plans to speculate on land; on the contrary, we are working together to solve the problem."
The boy reluctantly accepted this condition, but he was not satisfied because he believed the key issue was the city's new population.
Even though the household registration system remains strict, the abolition of food coupons means that the major trend of population migration is unavoidable.
These newcomers to the city, like migrant workers, are almost never going to become formal employees of regular companies; they are the biggest victims of land speculation.
The boy wiped the sweat from his forehead and emphasized, "That's just how Japan is."
Secretary Fang laughed: "Then you haven't seen the development of our township enterprises. Their growth has absorbed a large number of idle rural laborers, making farmers less interested in going to the city and more willing to work near their homes."
She pointed at Wang Xiao again, "President Wang gave us a very good suggestion: the township credit union should lend money to the employees of township enterprises so that they can have money to build houses in the village to improve their living conditions."
The boy was stunned, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.
Because he had never heard of what Secretary Fang was talking about before.
Wang Xiao acted as a confidante, smilingly helping to defuse the situation: "This was planned last year and implemented this year. You probably won't see the results for a while. But you'll definitely see them when you come back in three to five years."
The boy pursed his lips, his eyes sharp as knives: "I hope you can keep your word."
As he spoke, he was about to pick up his tray and leave.
Wang Xiao called out to him, "Wait a minute."
Facing the greenhorn who had just graduated from university, she straightened her expression and said, "You're about to go to work in Singapore, so I have to remind you today that in the future, you all need to pay attention to your tone, wording, and attitude when communicating with people at work and in life."
She tapped the bowl lightly with her fingers and said seriously, "University students are called the pride of heaven. Schools and society are very tolerant of you, allowing you to grow freely and express your opinions. But once you enter society, you won't receive the same treatment, especially in Singapore, where it's their territory and no one will cater to you."
"Think about it yourself, was your attitude appropriate today? The Party Secretary is magnanimous and won't hold it against you."
Secretary Fang smiled slightly and said slowly, "It's alright, it's normal for young people to show their talents."
Wang Xiao shook his head: "This is not normal. He thinks his trip to Singapore is a sure thing, so he's acting recklessly. But—you really lack basic social common sense. Being smug and turning your back on people beforehand is a very dangerous thing. Now, any small thing could prevent you from leaving."
The boy's wheat-colored face instantly turned snow-white, as if it had been coated with lime.
He stammered, "I...I...Secretary, that's not what I meant."
The evening breeze rustled the grapevines outside the window, and the vines trembled in the wind.
Wang Xiao pressed his hand down: "Don't be nervous, no one is threatening you. I'm just reminding you not to do something stupid like this when you get to Singapore. Otherwise, you'll be in an unfamiliar place, and if someone wants to mess with you on their turf, it will be a piece of cake. Peace brings wealth, and not easily getting into conflicts with others is the most basic principle."
She sighed and adopted a serious tone, "I hope you all do well, and Secretary Fang and the provincial government also hope you do well. We hope you go there safely and come back safely. With your intelligent minds, you shouldn't have made such a basic mistake. I hope you've already made all your mistakes and won't repeat them when you get to Singapore."
The boy nodded repeatedly, assuring them, and left with his tray.
Wang Xiao wasn't worried that he hadn't listened.
Because it is obvious that he highly approves of Singapore.
Almost everyone in this world is very polite to those they respect.
Secretary Fang didn't look at the boy's departing figure, but stared at the joke, and sighed softly: "You were setting this up last year, weren't you?"
Looking back now, her original intention in promoting the 10 million housing project was not to help steel mills sell steel or to help upstream and downstream enterprises and employees in the construction industry weather the crisis, but to arrange housing in advance and minimize the space for subsequent government-led land speculation.
This person doesn't think three steps ahead for every one step he takes; he thinks ten steps ahead for every one step he takes.
She wanted to work in semiconductors, so she prepared everything she could in advance.
Wang Xiao smiled, eating watermelon, and didn't admit, "Secretary, you overestimate me."
She put down the watermelon rind, saying, "I'll just step on the watermelon and go wherever it takes me."
Secretary Fang shook his head and smiled without saying a word.
If you don't want to admit it, then don't admit it. It's no big deal.
Just as Wang Xiao finished her meal and was about to wipe her mouth, her Nokia phone rang in her bag.
Well, with the current signal strength, her cell phone is mostly just a status symbol for her; she rarely answers a call.
As soon as the call connected, Ivanov's excited voice came from the other end: "King! Oil! Oil! Oil! We've struck oil! God, I thought I wouldn't live to see the day we strike oil."
Wang Xiao could no longer hear what he said after that.
It wasn't because the cell phone signal was too weak, but because she was completely overwhelmed by a huge surprise, and her mind went blank.
"What? Oil has been found!"
Oh Gods and Goddesses! All the gods and Buddhas!
From last summer until now, really, for such a long time, she's been busy with this and that, working on the container market in Moscow, opening a clothing store in Japan, and building chip and LCD screen factories. She hasn't mentioned the Sakhalin oil and gas fields at all. It's not that she's calm, but that she doesn't want to make herself anxious.
Every day, millions of dollars are burned the moment I open my eyes.
No one could withstand that.
Especially since she is a time traveler and knows there are other easier and more reliable ways to make money, she also has doubts about life.
Thank goodness, she finally experienced the golden finger of a transmigrated woman.
Her oil and gas field has produced oil!
Wang Xiao stammered as he explained to the bewildered Secretary Fang, "The oil and gas field, the Sakhalin Island oil and gas field. From last year to now, we've burned through about six hundred million US dollars. Neither Ivanov nor I know what we'll do if we burn through the remaining one billion US dollars and still can't get any oil or gas."
Loud gasps filled the cafeteria, and someone even knocked over their plate with a loud crash, but surprisingly, no one noticed.
Everyone looked lost and their eyes were blank.
Good heavens, that's 1 billion US dollars!
When Boss Wang received the pager, everyone turned to look at her. After all, pagers are a luxury these days, let alone cell phones.
It turns out the phone was just the appetizer; the real prize was a billion US dollars.
Good heavens! If a mountain of 1 billion US dollars were to collapse, it could crush the cafeteria and kill them all.
Is this a living, breathing person? No. This is a walking golden Buddha!
After Wang Xiao finished the call, he noticed the stares of those around him, some stunned, others like wolves.
She smiled and said frankly, "Alright, students, don't worry. If you return to China in three years, even if I don't have any money, I can still sell oil to pay your salaries and build apartments."
Everyone still looked completely lost and dejected.
The impact of 1 billion US dollars was so great that they felt this figure should not have anything to do with China.
Is it really possible for a Chinese person to pull out 1 billion US dollars out of their head?
Secretary Fang was also overwhelmed with emotion. She took a deep breath before smiling and sighing at Wang Xiao, "Congratulations, you really have a big hand."
Currently, China's foreign exchange reserves are only a little over 50 billion US dollars.
Wang Xiao clutched his chest, looking shaken: "Thank God, it finally produced some oil. This $1 billion was basically raised for us by the black marketeers in Moscow; otherwise, even if Ivanov and I were sold off, we still couldn't raise this money."
Secretary Fang smiled and shook his head: "You underestimate yourself. It's your ability to raise this money."
Wang Xiao smiled bitterly and waved his hand: "It's a special situation. I couldn't raise this money at any other time. With no oil or gas production, I feel guilty whenever I see my creditors. Last time I went to Moscow, I was so nervous that I didn't dare to see a single person. Thank God, I don't have to hide anymore. At least people can see hope, and I can slowly pay off my debts later."
She was telling the truth: if you borrow and repay, it's not difficult to borrow again.
If the major issue of oil and gas field financing cannot be resolved, her credit limit will continue to be overdrawn, making it difficult to extract money from speculators in the future.
As it turned out, Secretary Fang only grasped the key point he wanted to know: "If that's the case, then those speculators still have quite a bit of spare money on hand."
Wang Xiao, unaware of the danger, casually replied, "It's all hard-earned money. The ruble has fallen sharply, and Russian banks are unreliable, so people don't trust them and would rather invest their money elsewhere."
Secretary Fang clasped his hands together and said, "That's perfect! Come and invest in Jiangdong."
Under the lights, the eyes of the provincial party secretary looked like those of a wolf.
Wang Xiao was dumbfounded. No, how did they suddenly jump to this topic?
She wiped her mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse: "They've already invested. They've bought quite a few subway bonds issued by the provincial government."
Secretary Fang shook his head, put down his chopsticks, and said with insatiable greed, "That's nothing. They can also invest in factories in Jiangdong and use Soviet technology."
The old Russian woman won't compete with Jiangbei anymore; Jiangdong Province must seize the wealth of the profiteers and speculators.
Wang Xiao put down the wet wipe and shook his head immediately: "No way, no way. These middlemen and women basically don't deal with the Russians except when they're selling goods. Most of them can't even speak Russian fluently, let alone understand Soviet technology. Asking them to buy technology and build factories back home would just make them easy targets."
She emphasized, "These people even dared to deceive Ivanov, who has a powerful family background and is a native of the country."
Secretary Fang expressed his regret but did not give up: "Then let's not build a factory. Let them come to Jiangdong to build buildings. It's a waste to abandon so many buildings halfway through construction and leave them unfinished. It would be better for them to pool their money and take over the project so they can make money themselves."
Wang Xiao's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
No, when did Secretary Fang become like this? It's like trying to shave flesh off a mosquito's leg, fighting and grabbing for every last bit of it.
————————
Note ①: The explanation of the term "tulip mania" comes from Baidu Encyclopedia.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
