Chapter 165 Those are all prejudices: We need more communication.
Cao Da Die was ambitious; he had already planned to promote the products in the name of divine gift.
Chen Yu was stunned.
No, Uncle, you're exaggerating a bit. Your slippers might be somewhat acceptable, but selling Tiger Balm, cooling balm, or even Huoxiang Zhengqi Water would be plausible, since it's hot there and there are lots of mosquitoes, so they would definitely come in handy.
How are you going to force a connection between those bed sheets and duvet covers and divine gifts?
This is not how you talk nonsense.
Do they think Africans are fools?
"Hey, what are you saying, girl? How could I treat someone like a fool? This is called 'tailoring your approach to the person,' no, it's called 'adapting to the situation,' understand?"
Uncle Cao said in a serious tone, "This has nothing to do with being stupid or not. More than fifty years ago, when the New Fourth Army was recruiting troops in Maoshan, the first thing they did when they captured a Japanese soldier was to take a picture. Then they would take the picture to the village to show everyone and tell them that the Japanese soldiers were also people, just small in size, not real ghosts. As long as you fight them, you can still kill them."
This was the first time Chen Yu had ever heard of such a thing.
Her eyes widened in surprise. She knew about Maoshan; it belonged to the Yangtze River Delta region and was very close to Nanjing, which was the capital of the Nationalist government at that time.
Moreover, the economy in the Jiangnan region was quite developed at that time.
Cars whizzed by on the street, and the phones in the mansions rang loudly. There were gramophones and movie theaters everywhere; it was all very fashionable.
Could the people of Maoshan really still regard the Japanese devils as ghosts?
“Why not? You’re obviously young and inexperienced.” Uncle Cao said seriously, “My uncle was a guerrilla fighter back then, and he was recruited by the New Fourth Army.”
Sigh, the word "incorporate" is rather subtle. It sounds suspiciously like something about bandits or river pirates.
Wang Xiao and Chen Yu exchanged a glance, both holding back their words, only expressing their astonishment: "I never expected this to happen."
Uncle Cao spoke with an earnest tone: "So we've only been living a good life for a short time, how could I look down on my black friends and think they're fools? Back then, we were even less knowledgeable than they are now. This era is developing so fast."
Some people nearby, listening to the commotion, remarked, "It's good that reform and opening up happened; otherwise, we would still be frogs in a well."
Uncle Cao became proud again: "When it comes to reform and opening up, it depends on the location. Not every place can develop. Look, isn't our place developing better now?"
Back when we were fighting the Japanese, our New Fourth Army was good at business. We were so good at it, selling Pegasus brand cigarettes, which were hard currency. Even the Japanese devils had to call us "Fourth Master" and pay us tolls.
The Eighth Route Army is no good; they're poor. They need financial support from our New Fourth Army, otherwise they can't survive.
Look at the situation now, it's the same.
Wang Xiao listened intently, finding it strange and interesting.
Ivanov, who was watching from the sidelines, suddenly realized: "No wonder you chose the special economic zone for development instead of Chongming Island. It turns out that the Eighth Route Army never competed with the New Fourth Army when it came to economic development. It's a long-standing factional dispute."
Wang Xiao rolled her eyes: "Can't you say something nice? Can you even calculate it like that? Shanxi merchants were very famous in Chinese history."
Even 30 years from now, "having a mine at home" means coal mining. Shanxi coal bosses represented a glorious era.
After listening to Uncle Cao's endless boasting, Wang Xiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who's looking after your business in Africa while you're back in China?"
"Hey, I'm going to find a piece of land over there and build a commercial street to settle down and do business."
Chen Yu exclaimed in amazement, "You're incredibly fast! You're so decisive and efficient; you take action as soon as you say you'll."
"Of course," Uncle Cao said with great enthusiasm. "I may not have time for Moscow, but I can't let Africa slip by. Mr. Wang, I'll head over to the China Commercial Street first."
Wang Xiao was overjoyed and nodded vigorously: "Great, great, great! We'll definitely send you a big flower basket when your commercial street opens."
Uncle Cao then launched into his self-aggrandizing mode: "Come on over and have some fun, it's on me. I'm good friends with their chief now. When the chief invites me for drinks, he always takes a sip straight from the bottle first, and then lets me have a drink first."
Everyone around was stunned. What kind of etiquette was this? How could anyone host a dinner like this? It was so impolite!
Uncle Cao's eyes widened: "This is the highest courtesy they can offer!"
Everyone was even more confused. Goodness, the Russians' highest level of hospitality is bread and salt, which is barely acceptable.
After all, once you know that historically salt merchants were even richer than those who owned mines, you'll understand how fortunate it was to be able to afford salt.
What does it mean when Lao Hei takes a swig from the bottle before offering the guest a drink? Is he afraid the guest will finish it all in one go and he won't have any left?
When Wang Xiao heard their increasingly wild guesses, he had no choice but to explain: "It's to tell the guests that the wine is good and there's no poison in it. Historically, Africa has been largely colonized and invaded, and there are too many cases of people becoming slaves to Europeans because of drinking."
Everyone suddenly realized, "Oh, slaves, we know. That's probably how slavery came about in America."
"Oh dear, this old black man is really dim-witted, letting someone fool him like that, he's such a simpleton."
"Old Hei, he's not very bright. You can't grow smart people in a godforsaken place like this."
"Don't talk nonsense, that's not true." Wang Xiao immediately retorted, "African culture has a very long history. The oldest rock paintings in history originated in Africa. Ancient Egypt was once ruled by black kings. You can't deny that the four ancient civilizations exist. Three of the world's oldest universities are in Africa. Ibn Herder, the great historian and sociologist of the 14th century, was African."
Seeing that everyone seemed quite confused, Wang Xiao added, "He put forward the proposition of historical materialism earlier than Marx."
oh--
Now that you put it that way, I have a more intuitive understanding.
So, this old guy is really something else, even predating Marx.
I never would have guessed! There's actually a civilization in such a desolate place as Africa!
I originally thought they were barbarians, from a purely primitive society.
Wang Xiao said seriously, "That's all an illusion. It's a result of subtle influence, constant brainwashing, and a barrage of propaganda. It's like the saying 'three men make a tiger,' constantly bombarding us with the same words. So naturally, we start to believe it's true."
Those around them, upon hearing this, seemed to agree that it made sense.
Other things might be a bit dubious, but the fact that the pyramids are in Africa is common knowledge.
The fact that the Black people were able to build such amazing pyramids couldn't possibly be due to alien help; it just shows that they are smart and capable, a testament to the wisdom of the working people.
How did I suddenly become so stupid and dumb for no reason?
“That’s what the robbers always say,” Wang Xiao sighed. “How can they openly rob people if they don’t portray them as stupid and dumb? Anyway, they think people are stupid and dumb and don’t deserve good things.”
A Chinese smuggler overheard this and asked curiously, "Which side are these bandits from?"
"Look where the mummy is, that's where someone stole it."
Wang Xiao pointed north and said, "When our Yuanmingyuan was looted and burned, didn't they still call us pigs?"
The tactics are all the same; only those who are the most noble and elegant deserve to enjoy the best things, regardless of whether they made them.
The middle-aged woman slapped her thigh in exasperation: "Isn't this just pointless? If you're going to rob someone, just rob them. Why go through all this trouble? What's the point?"
Just as Wang Xiao was about to speak, someone else blurted out, "Because what they do is too dirty, and they know they can't let people see it, so they have to pretend."
Wang Xiao followed the others and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
Hey! It really is those black international students.
Ivanov suddenly realized why the king had suddenly spoken so many good words for Africa; it turned out he was trying to win over the king.
In fact, the social image of African black students was not very good to the Soviets.
Specifically, they are all not very good, just look at the mainstream impression that Black international students in China have left on society.
They both received high living allowances (equivalent to the wages of a skilled Soviet worker in the 1950s and 60s), and both lacked ambition, showing more interest in alcohol and female students than in their studies.
Even on December 19, 1963, a demonstration that shocked the world took place in Moscow's Red Square.
Hundreds of African students shouted slogans in English and Russian, such as "Moscow is a center of racial discrimination" and "Stop killing Africans."
The incident was triggered by the death of a Black international student in the suburbs after getting drunk.
Think about it, countless Russians have frozen to death from drinking in the dead of winter, so what's so surprising about a Black international student who doesn't understand the situation getting into trouble?
But these black men insisted that the guy who died from drunkenness was murdered.
Following this demonstration, relations between Black students and ordinary Soviet citizens began to deteriorate.
Later, the Soviet government reduced subsidies for international students and raised the bar for international students.
Unable to bear it any longer, Black international students went directly to Europe and America, becoming anti-Soviet vanguards and engaging in various forms of slander against the Soviet Union.
In other words, the Soviet Union spent a lot of time and effort, offering a bunch of preferential policies, but instead of receiving any praise, it became a laughing stock in the eyes of Western countries.
It is evident that people's hearts are unpredictable and complex; if you humble yourself and try to bribe them, they will look down on you instead.
If you punch someone and they don't dare to utter a sound, they might even try to make amends for you, saying that they asked for it and that you hit them to help them improve.
When the time is right, you have to act.
Ivanov subtly maintained his stance, taking a slight step back and offering only a polite social smile to the Black student.
Anyway, they weren't after him.
They emotionally emphasized to the public: "The colonists committed countless heinous crimes against us, so many that they themselves dare not even look at them. On their way back to England, they destroyed all the records on the Atlantic Ocean."
But we ourselves left behind a record of their shameless crimes!
The Russians couldn't understand it, but the Chinese present admired the student who was speaking.
Wow, he's doing really well! He can even use idioms now, like "罄竹难书" (qìng zhú nán shū). That character "罄" is so hard to write, I wonder if he can even write it.
The woman who had slapped her thigh earlier clicked her tongue again: "Oh, they've already done it, and even kept a record, so why did they burn it? What are these people thinking?"
"Otherwise, how can they maintain their public image?"
Wang Xiao shook his head, "When we talk about England and France, we think of British gentlemen and French romance, all sorts of wonderful things."
But their own great writer, after they burned down the Old Summer Palace, said that these two robbers were called England and France. They did absolutely nothing human.
Let's talk about America again. Now, it seems so bright, so wonderful, so democratic.
But let's all think about it, who were they originally? They were exiled convicts, the earliest ones being thieves, bandits, and hooligans.
What did they do? The United States was originally inhabited by Native Americans.
How much help did the Native Americans give them when they saw how difficult their lives were? How did they repay them? And what kind of lives are the Native Americans living now?
Did the Native Americans feel unworthy to live on that land and voluntarily step down to give way?
That's absolutely impossible. Why should we give up our own home to outsiders?
So how did white Americans come to power? Another idiom immediately comes to mind – "the cuckoo takes over the magpie's nest".
How did the turtledove take over? It knocked the magpie's eggs out of the nest, cutting off the magpie's offspring.
Hey, those American devils are evil at heart too. They pretend to be good people, but they're not good people at all.
The Black international student became agitated: "Yes, they are bad. They look down on us, but they were the ones who kidnapped us and sold us into slavery. We didn't want to go there."
The first international student to speak was probably the most fluent in Chinese among them. He exclaimed to Wang Xiao, "I never imagined that there were Chinese people who knew so much about our African affairs."
Before studying abroad, they didn't have much of a concept of Africa; their biggest thoughts were about their own country or even their tribe.
However, once they actually come out into the world, the concept of African countries is very vague for people outside of Africa. The whole of Africa is considered as one entity.
So what Miss Wang just mentioned about Africa's glorious history is the glory of all of them.
One of the middlemen chuckled and said, "Oh, Mr. Wang is really knowledgeable and knows everything."
This flattery was so over the top that Wang Xiao couldn't handle it.
But she has to say that if it were when she first transmigrated into the book, she would probably be able to recount much more of Africa's glorious history.
After all, she really put in a lot of effort back then in order to interview the black international student at her school who was a reseller so that she could do a live broadcast. She looked up a lot of information and did her homework.
She had no choice but to do it; her online celebrity persona was that of a smart and beautiful girl. Despite her crazy personality, she was actually quite knowledgeable.
If she is completely ignorant about Africa during a live broadcast, it will not only hurt her interviewees and make them feel uncomfortable, but it will also make her fans criticize her: "What are you doing, you ignorant idiot? Are you afraid of losing face abroad?"
As it turns out, all the efforts were worthwhile.
Even though she has now transmigrated into the book and no longer does live streaming, the remaining impressions of the materials still allow her to speak eloquently to Black international students: "True history should be remembered, not distorted and altered by various prejudices."
International students lamented, "There's too much prejudice. You don't understand us, and we don't understand you."
“That’s why we need more communication,” Wang Xiao smiled. “Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. Only when we deepen our communication and understand each other more deeply will those external voices imposed on us crumble and lose their appeal.”
Ivanov raised an eyebrow slightly, suspecting that his partner wanted to further expand into the African market.
As expected, Wang Xiao asked them with great enthusiasm about their experience of bringing goods home before the Lunar New Year and whether there was anything the trade center could do for them.
Uncle Cao chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, just tell the trade city what you want now. Even if they don't have it on hand, they'll make it for you when you go home for your holiday."
He raised his voice again and shouted to the left, "Hey Chen, come here, come here. I think you don't need to look anymore. Just tell Boss Wang directly what you want. He can set up a production line for you right now and make it immediately."
At first, Chen Yu thought that the "Little Chen" he was referring to was himself.
Although she is already President Chen and follows the path of a powerful businesswoman, she is older and a senior figure in the business world, so it's not a big deal to call her "Little Chen".
Before she could adjust her smile and express her opinion, a young woman had already approached Uncle Cao.
Uncle Cao immediately offered his enthusiastic introduction: "Oh, Mr. Wang, let me introduce you. This is Xiao Chen, she's very capable, a true heroine, just like all of you women."
Wang Xiao laughed: "I know, I know. She's a very smart, capable, and enterprising girl."
"Why--"
Uncle Cao was astonished, "Boss Wang, are you a miracle worker? How did you know?"
Chen Mengning was a little embarrassed: "I've met Mr. Wang, and I even wanted to ask him to invest, but it didn't work out."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "If you still want to make color TVs, you have the money to invest in yourself now, right?"
Chen Mengning immediately shook his head vigorously: "I won't do that, I'm currently doing foreign trade."
Thinking back to herself last year, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed; she had been far too presumptuous back then.
Before the opening-up policy, everything was in short supply in the market, and you could make money no matter what kind of business you did.
Because the seller's market is larger than the buyer's market, everyone is eager to buy things with their money in hand.
As long as it's a product, brand doesn't matter, and even the quality doesn't matter.
But once the market opens up, more people will enter the industry, and competition will naturally follow.
The buyer's market is larger than the seller's market. Customers are particular about comparing prices to avoid being ripped off, and they prefer big brands and popular items.
You are a small factory, your products are not well-known, and you can't even get into the shopping mall.
The shopping mall needs to make a profit too; the goods we buy are unwanted, and they're just taking up space in their warehouse.
After she understood this principle, she felt that it was best to do business where the seller's market was larger than the buyer's market.
Color TVs are no longer viable. For their small factory, the only way to improve competitiveness is through technological upgrades.
But if she had that ability, she would have become an expert long ago.
She was just an ordinary businesswoman.
So she chose to change course and continue down the path of scarcity, becoming a seller who was sought after by customers.
Uncle Cao blinked twice, not really understanding the connection between Boss Wang and Xiao Chen, but that didn't stop him from immediately switching into the mode of being the most active member of the praise group.
"Oh, I knew it. Birds of a feather flock together. Outstanding women tend to cluster together. Little Chen, you're just like Boss Wang when it comes to business—you have the same drive."
Why did he say that?
Because this girl really doesn't consider herself an outsider.
He first met her when he boarded a plane.
There are weight restrictions on the carry-on luggage that passengers can bring.
She's a young woman carrying a lot of goods; she definitely can't get on the plane.
So what will she do? Reduce her luggage? That's impossible.
She immediately begged other passengers to help her share her luggage, and she also turned to Uncle Cao for help.
Although the deal didn't go through, Uncle Cao was also a businessman and had brought a lot of goods, so he had already used up his quota.
But Cao Dadi was also deeply impressed by her because of this.
He also paid special attention to the follow-up developments and found that she eventually managed to get on the plane with her goods.
A woman nearby asked curiously, "Girl, what happened to you?"
They were used to the Moscow route, either chartering cargo planes or hiring people to carry the cargo; they never asked other passengers to help share the load.
Chen Mengning smiled and said casually, "I never thought about the possibility of not being able to take the goods with me. I'm already at the airport. Even if I have to kneel down and beg, or kowtow to someone, I will still get the goods on the plane."
These words were spoken lightly, but the ruthless determination behind them was truly admirable.
Was it a mess? How many people who save their first pot of gold aren't in a mess?
As long as you don't commit murder, arson, or other heinous crimes, there's nothing shameful about making money.
The old woman gave her a thumbs up and sincerely praised her, "Girl, you're truly extraordinary."
For example, her ability to do business in Moscow on her own is enough to attract attention.
In fact, Chinese goods have already gained recognition in Moscow, the supply and sales market is becoming increasingly mature, and there are readily available charter flight routes.
To be honest, the risks are not as great as outsiders think.
But going to Africa, where you're unfamiliar with the place, and a young girl like her, venturing out into the world all by herself, takes immense courage.
With that kind of ruthlessness, it's no wonder he's getting rich.
Chen Mengning smiled, not complaining to anyone, only talking about lighthearted things: "I think Africans are really nice. When I'm doing business in their bazaar and there's no space, they make room for me."
I went to the restroom, and the people next to me automatically watched my stall and helped me sell my goods. When I came back, they gave me back every penny they owed.
The old woman chuckled, "Oh, Old Hei is doing quite well."
Chen Mengning chuckled: "I don't know if I count as a Black person or not, I'm an Arab. They are really easy to talk to, and later I even set up my own stall. I specifically went to places with high foot traffic and good business. As a result, they always made room for me and squeezed out a space for me to do business."
That's why her business is booming, and she sells out every time.
Sure enough, selling goods directly is much simpler than manufacturing them.
It's definitely great that the seller's market is bigger than the buyer's market.
Wang Xiao had been listening the whole time, and now she offered some advice: "From now on, set up your stall in one fixed location and don't keep moving around."
She explained, "Your goods are fresh and in high demand for them. After someone buys them, they are likely to go back and show them off to their friends and family, and then bring more people to buy your products."
But if you move to another location, people won't know where to look for you, and you'll miss out on a lot of business.
One translator asked curiously, "But wouldn't more new customers come if we went to a place with a larger flow of people?"
"New places and new customers mean that new customers are unfamiliar with your products. You have to spend more time and effort to let them understand your products before you can get them to open their wallets."
But it's different when regular customers bring in customers. They already know what the product looks like in advance, and they approve of it.
This time, all they had to do was pick out the colors of the goods and then buy them. The conversion rate was many times higher than before.
And they were also new customers.
They also have other social circles, and these people are your potential customers.
In business, you either advertise widely or spread the word by word.
You set up a stall in the Grand Bazaar, and you don't advertise. You mainly rely on word-of-mouth.
Don't waste this sales channel.
Uncle Cao clapped his hands, beaming with excitement: "That's right, we have to stick with it, otherwise we'll just lose customers for nothing."
He turned his head and looked at Wang Xiao with a grin, "Hey, Mr. Wang, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with this time."
Wang Xiao smiled and asked, "What's the matter?"
"It's the tent, your big tent, could you lend it to me?"
Uncle Cao's face beamed with joy. "Look, it takes time for me to build the market over there, right? We can't just leave the place undeveloped and do no business. So I was thinking, could I borrow that big tent in your trade city for a bit, so I can at least get by?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Well done, old comrade, you've even set your sights on the commercial city, you've got some nerve.
But will the boss agree?
She'll definitely agree! Anyone with eyes can see that she's very interested in opening up the African market.
As expected, Wang Xiao's smile deepened: "I can't borrow it, but I can rent it."
She does need to open up the African market; she needs more money—enough to support her long-term endeavors.
Now, she will do everything she can to earn more money.
Because what she's doing is a bottomless pit, requiring a constant influx of money.
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