Chapter 443 President Tang's Might (Bug Fix): A Sudden Downpour
Mayor Huang hosted a dinner at a well-known floating restaurant in Bangkok, situated on a tranquil tributary of the Chao Phraya River.
The restaurant's main structure consists of interconnected traditional Thai stilt houses, with long wooden walkways connecting them to the shore, making them appear like a secret garden floating on the water.
Strictly speaking, this description is not really a metaphor.
Because the dining tables arranged on the waterfront terrace are surrounded by banana trees, frangipani trees, and carefully trimmed shrubs, and at this time the flowers are in full bloom, the fragrance is rich, the grass and trees are lush and verdant, it is exactly like a small garden.
As Wang Xiao sat down, Deputy Director Chen from the Municipal Party Committee Office, who was sitting opposite her, sighed and said, "President Wang, don't you think we should open a restaurant like this in Xiaozhou? It's such a treat."
It's so beautiful.
It was dusk, and the golden fish-scale tiles on the stilted roofs shimmered in the setting sun. At first glance, it looked exactly like a temple, radiating a divine aura.
Mayor Huang was speechless: "Then you should also take a look at the weather in Xiaozhou. Bangkok is hot all year round, while here it's so hot in summer that dogs die and so cold in winter that cows freeze to death."
Everyone at the table burst into laughter.
It's no wonder Thailand has developed its tourism industry so well; they're blessed with natural talent.
Take June for example. In theory, the water should be very hot in the evening. After being exposed to the sun all day, the water will release all the heat accumulated during the day. Sitting on the terrace is like sitting in a steamer.
But the angle of this river bend is great. The evening breeze blows on you, dispelling all the dryness and heat, leaving only a soft, gentle warmth.
As the sun slowly sinks below the horizon on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, the afterglow paints the entire sky in vibrant hues, from dazzling gold and fiery orange to deep crimson. Being there feels like stepping into a postcard.
Who wouldn't say they enjoyed it?
Mayor Huang sighed, "I do want to set up a restaurant like this in Xiaozhou. It doesn't matter if it's a floating restaurant or not, it's the main thing that I want to do this."
He pointed to a cashier counter not far away, where the cashier was busy typing.
Note that it is a 14-inch touchscreen computer with no keyboard; everything is operated on the computer screen.
Wang Xiao also craned her neck to look curiously. LCD panels had always been a topic of interest for her, and she naturally knew that touchscreen computers already existed.
But she didn't expect that Thailand had become so advanced that the floating restaurant used touchscreen computers.
Mayor Huang continued to ramble on: "This is really advanced. Look at this, after they finish recording the accounts, the data is sent directly from the back office to the kitchen. No one needs to go over there to tell the kitchen what to do."
If this happened in Europe, America, or Japan, he would just see it and probably wouldn't be too shocked.
Because subconsciously, he knew that with advanced technology, it was normal for other countries to come up with all sorts of trendy gadgets.
But this is Thailand! As a developing country, Thailand has actually come to this.
As expected of the famous Asian Tiger.
The setting sun bathed the wide Chao Phraya River, its spreading colors transforming the turbid yellow water into a flowing, shimmering ribbon of gold.
It looks like the brocade from a temple.
Deputy Director Chen couldn't help but sigh: "It's more than that, they already have an aircraft carrier. They can sail back after completing their training in Spain."
These words immediately piqued the interest of everyone at the table.
In fact, another major event that attracted national attention occurred in 1996: the Taiwan Strait crisis, when the United States sent an aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Strait.
Oh, actually everyone knows about this.
Another related event was that after the Chinese people learned about this, they were collectively filled with righteous indignation and took the initiative to donate money to the country so that our country could also have the money to build an aircraft carrier.
Unfortunately, ordinary people probably don't know this, but the officials present were well aware of it.
Building an aircraft carrier is not something that can be done simply by having money; you also need technology and a supporting industrial system.
If even one step is missing, you can't build it.
That's why so many countries want to buy aircraft carriers. For example, Thailand bought its aircraft carrier from Spain.
But buying an aircraft carrier isn't something you can just do whenever you want, so until now, they can only watch other people's aircraft carriers and drool over them.
Mayor Huang noticed that there were also international friends at the table, and jokingly said to Belikov, "Oh dear, we've made a fool of ourselves in front of our friends. We really need to learn from you and strive to be self-reliant one day."
Belikov smiled and shook his head: "Not at all, you've made great progress. You might even surpass your teachers someday."
Outsiders may not know the details, but as a financial advisor to the Russian Federation government, he does know a bit about the ins and outs.
When it comes to aircraft carriers, everyone has their own grievances.
Logically speaking, Russia shouldn't lack aircraft carriers, right? After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they even towed an aircraft carrier back from a shipyard in Ukraine.
However, after a newly built aircraft carrier enters service, it still needs to be integrated with the technical staff. Many problems will only be discovered when it is actually used, and then the feedback will be given to the technical staff to solve them.
But the Soviet Union has collapsed, and Russia and Ukraine have separated. Aircraft carrier construction bases are mostly located in Ukraine. They are no longer part of the same country, so why should they cooperate with you?
Berikov sighed inwardly. The Soviet Union had collapsed too quickly. The more decisive and swift the collapse was at the time, the more severe the aftereffects were now.
Moreover, he even had a vague suspicion that the aftereffects would not disappear and would become more and more serious as time went by.
But how could he say such things? He could only say polite words.
Small boats swayed in from the waterway between the dining tables, and waiters took the food they had ordered from the boats and served it to the tables one by one.
Belikov seized the opportunity to change the subject, asking in fluent English, "Is this cashier and ordering system manufactured in your factory?"
The waiter's English was quite good; although he had an accent, he could at least understand what the foreign customers were saying and give them a reply: "No, this is the most advanced POS system we imported from the United States."
After she left, everyone sighed again.
That's a huge difference.
In the 1990s, before the Eight-Point Regulation, it was an unspoken rule for officials to dine and drink excessively with people while attracting investment.
Many of the officials from Xiaozhou present considered themselves to have traveled all over the country and tasted all kinds of food, but none of them had ever seen such a touchscreen computer POS system, let alone had a factory making it.
It's a world of difference.
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Take it one step at a time. It's said to be an imported system from the United States, but the chips used in this computer and the touch screen panel may not be made in the United States. They may be imported from Japan and South Korea. In the past, Japan and South Korea did not have these technologies and factories, but now look at the global industrial distribution, they have gradually caught up."
Deputy Director Chen hissed, then suddenly realized: "Hey, if that's the case, doesn't that mean the US has become a processing center?"
Look, all the most critical parts of a machine are made in foreign countries. What you're doing is just assembling. If you don't call it processing with supplied materials, what do you call it?
Mayor Huang was both amused and exasperated: "Don't talk nonsense. Processing with supplied materials means you don't have the technology, you only provide labor and space, and the sales channels are handled by them. The United States has the technology and the sales channels, so... that's probably what contract manufacturing is."
But after he finished speaking, he felt like something was off.
Alright, alright, let's eat first. We finally managed to get a table, so we have to try some authentic Thai food.
After dinner, everyone went to the high terrace to overlook the Chao Phraya River.
The river surface was shimmering with light, and the small boats looked like fireflies dancing in the night.
Mayor Huang sighed, "This place is so beautiful. I would be content if our Xiaozhou could be built like this someday."
Yes, although newspapers are reporting daily that the Thai economy is doomed and that the baht is bound to depreciate, long lines are forming outside banks as people rush to exchange their dollars for gold bars to preserve their wealth.
But if you were in Bangkok in June 1997, most people wouldn't think it was the eve of a huge financial crisis.
Because Bangkok is so well-developed now, the first Chinese idiom that comes to mind when you see it is "thriving".
It seems that every industry is booming, and everyone's face is full of hope.
Wang Xiao sighed inwardly. One move affects the whole situation. If the first domino falls, how can the others escape unscathed?
She gave a hasty smile, ignoring Mayor Huang's words, and instead abruptly started another topic: "By the way, I wonder if Leader Xiaozhou is interested? At the end of June, the chip factory and the LCD screen factory are going to Japan and South Korea for inspection. If Xiaozhou is interested, we can go together. It's easier to discuss things with more people. If the city doesn't have a budget for this, Wuzhou will cover the expenses."
Mayor Huang raised his eyebrows in surprise: "To Japan and South Korea?"
His surprise wasn't because Wang Xiao was prepared to cover the expenses of the official inspection team; she was always quite generous.
He was curious: "Are you planning to import technology from Japan or South Korea?"
He didn't have much of an impression of South Korean technology at first, after all, South Korea was a newcomer and hadn't been developing for many years.
However, the decision to launch Project 909 was made after the chairman of China visited South Korea, which shows that South Korea's chip industry is developing very rapidly, almost at a breakneck pace.
Wang Xiao smiled, neither nodding nor shaking his head: "We'll just check the market first, and then see if there's an opportunity to cooperate. They say the world is a village, and people in the village will see each other all the time. In the future, we'll all have to cooperate, and no one can be isolated."
A gentle breeze blows from the water, carrying the coolness of the water vapor and the fragrance of flowers.
Mayor Huang nodded: "That's great, we're in luck. We should definitely send someone over to take a good look."
Since the goal is to introduce technology, this kind of visit won't be just a cursory glance; it will allow us to see their true assets. I imagine there are many people who want to go.
As the last rays of sunlight faded on the horizon and dusk settled in, the high-rise terraces became increasingly lively.
The waiters brought out fruit, snacks, and beer. Many people sat on the lounge chairs on the terrace, chatting and enjoying the breeze.
Music could be heard in the distance, a lively tinkling sound. The theater lights came on, and when the wind blew, they resembled a flowing galaxy.
Some people stood up and walked in twos and threes toward the theater.
Someone came over to greet Mayor Huang: "Hurry up, the ladyboy show is starting."
Mayor Huang waved his hand repeatedly: "No, no, we have rules, there's no such expense."
In fact, in 1997, domestic discipline was not so strict, and watching ladyboy shows was even regarded as a fashionable symbol of opening up to the world and liberating one's mind.
But there are always some idiots out there.
There was a fool from Jiangbei Province who went to Thailand for tourism, took a photo with a ladyboy, put his hand on her chest, and laughed heartily.
The problem is, fine, he takes photos, he cherishes them and keeps them at home to look at; in this day and age, that's not a big deal.
For some reason, he put the photo under the glass in his office as a way of showing off.
When the higher-ups came to inspect the work, they saw him but remained calm and collected. He didn't sense any danger whatsoever and even boasted about it.
As a result, at the subsequent meeting, he became a negative example, a bad representative who violated the image of a Party member, and was publicly criticized.
Following this incident, Jiangbei Province held a special meeting and repeatedly emphasized that Party members and cadres must pay attention to their image when traveling abroad, so as not to embarrass themselves and their units, or tarnish the country's image.
So now, let alone taking photos with ladyboys, the mayor's inspection team doesn't even dare to watch ladyboy shows, for fear of accidentally becoming a negative example.
The newcomer was also a seasoned figure in the underworld. Unable to persuade Mayor Huang, he turned to Tang Yicheng and said, "Boss Tang, you can't be all about party loyalty, can you? Come on, let's go see what the ladyboy queen is doing today."
Tang Yicheng waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, you guys go ahead. We'll go stroll around the night market."
He then turned to Wang Xiao and said, "There are so many fireflies here. When you take a boat and drift along the river, the fireflies will be flying right around you."
People around him chimed in, "Hey! Mr. Tang has a beautiful woman with him, so he doesn't care about watching ladyboys. Go check it out, it's so interesting! The beautiful woman will definitely enjoy watching it too."
Going to Thailand without seeing ladyboys is like going to China without climbing the Great Wall or eating Peking duck – a wasted trip.
Seeing his boss's expression and the slight shake of his head, Tang Yicheng immediately became bolder: "No, no, what's so interesting about this? If you want to see beautiful women dancing, just watch beautiful women. There are plenty of beautiful women in Thailand. It's creepy to just cut up a perfectly healthy man like that."
The people at the next table laughed: "How can you say that? This is someone else's art. You have to respect art. Don't make it sound so old-fashioned."
Tang Yicheng glared at him: "What kind of art is this? I don't think anyone respects this as art. Taking a photo with a ladyboy costs 20 baht. Taking a photo with an elephant, tiger, or gorilla costs 30 baht, and with a scorpion it's even 50 baht. Humans are treated worse than animals, and you call that respect?"
People around burst into laughter: "People buy tickets to enter the zoo, not the other way around!"
Another person chimed in, "Don't you also buy tickets to see ladyboys?"
Well, now that you put it that way, it sounds like there's no difference between transvestites and animals.
While everyone was laughing, someone suddenly whistled.
Wang Xiao looked over curiously and saw a beautiful woman in a floral dress swaying gracefully as she walked towards them.
This... it feels like she's coming straight for Tang Yicheng.
Wang Xiao, who had been drowsy, suddenly perked up. She and Liu Ba exchanged a glance, their faces filled with the excitement of watching the drama unfold.
Wow, Tang is really lucky with women! He's only been in Thailand for a short time, and he already has suitors coming to him.
Mayor Huang also forgot his leadership demeanor and craned his neck to watch the drama unfold.
Oh dear, what a pity, he still wanted to marry President Tang off to Xiaozhou.
The laughter from the people around him grew louder. The businessman who had just been joking with Tang Yicheng winked at him and said, "That's right, our boss Tang doesn't need to buy a ticket to go in. He comes out and shows you himself."
Wang Xiao sensed something was wrong when he heard this. Upon closer inspection of the woman, the dim lighting and heavy makeup created a filter effect, softening her features, but upon closer look, masculine characteristics could still be discerned.
At this moment, Wang Xiao's mind went blank, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
She and Lyuba looked at each other, then immediately turned their heads away, their eyes shining, as if afraid of missing even the slightest detail.
But in the midst of this shock, it seemed like a part had already passed, and all they could see was the transvestite glancing at Tang Yicheng with a resentful expression.
Well, Wang Xiao didn't really like the term, but she couldn't find a more accurate word to define the other person for the time being.
Tang Yicheng was also uncomfortable, and with a helpless expression, he emphasized in broken English: "What are you going to serve me for? This isn't the old society, there's no such thing as serving someone."
He had long forgotten the English he learned in secondary school, and only started picking it up again after arriving in Hong Kong. His grammar was practically nonexistent, and he relied entirely on simple words to cobble things together, but surprisingly, this didn't prevent Lily from understanding what he meant.
Then Wang Xiao and Liu Ba heard a deep, leisurely voice.
Lily spoke English with an accent, but because she spoke slowly, Wang Xiao understood her: "If I were a real woman, would you not have rejected me?"
Tang Yicheng stared at Lily with wide eyes, his face full of confusion: "Even if you were a woman, I would never marry you."
He quickly turned to Wang Xiao and asked, "The word for wife is 'Qi' (齐). How do you say that in English?"
Wang Xiao was startled. "Wow, three days have passed, I have to look at you in a new light! When did our CEO Tang start taking the cultured route?"
Unfortunately, Wang Xiao disappointed him, simply translating it as: "A wife is one who stands as an equal to her husband."
Tang Yicheng nodded repeatedly, continuing in his broken English with gestures: "Equal, understand? Are you equal to me? If not, how could you be my wife?"
Unfortunately, no matter how much he pleaded, Lily only looked at him with resentful eyes.
Seeing Wang Xiao scratching his head, I was incredibly curious about what kind of story they had.
Tang Yicheng couldn't take it anymore: "You're a grown man, stop relying on others all the time. Do you know Eunuch Sanbao? Zheng He, Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean. He was also a eunuch, but that didn't stop him from going to the battlefield and making military achievements, leading such a large army on voyages to the Western Ocean!"
He spoke with great passion, but Wang Xiao and Liu Ba both agreed that he was completely talking past each other.
Look at Lily, after hearing all that, her only reaction was to look even more resentful and aggrieved.
Tang Yicheng was about to go crazy, completely at a loss: "Alright, alright, I know you probably think I'm just talking without understanding the situation. Well, let me tell you, in this life, if you don't give up on yourself, no one can give up on you."
He patiently explained, adopting the same approach he used when the political commissar gave him ideological education back in the army, breaking it down for him in detail: "Even if you think of yourself as Zheng He, you can still do other things. If you feel that others will look at you strangely, you can do a job that doesn't involve interacting with people. For example, learn programming and become a programmer, or become a writer and write columns for newspapers, or do other things. There are always paths you can take."
He looked at Lily intently and said, "You speak English so well, much better than me. It's clear you're smart and learn quickly."
He tried to sweet-talk her a lot, but Lily still didn't react much.
Tang Yicheng was truly worried sick and had no choice but to turn back. "Of course, if you still want to perform, you should improve your skills. I'm not saying this to be mean, but although you have a lot of material to perform, I really think your level needs improvement."
He began to analyze things seriously, "As for Thai song and dance, cowboy dance, Japanese song and dance, Korean song and dance, I don't know whether they're good or bad, so I won't talk about them. Let me just talk about the Teresa Teng songs you sang. Listen to them yourself and see how big the difference is. And that Journey to the West story you performed was a mess. Since you've already performed it, you should learn properly and perform well..."
He talked incessantly, like a drama school director.
Wang Xiao silently counted in her mind: 1, 2, 3...
Sure enough, when she counted to 7, Lily finally interrupted Tang Yicheng.
Wang Xiao and Liu Ba gripped each other's hands tightly, afraid they wouldn't be able to hold back and burst out laughing on the spot.
Good heavens, bro, how can you do this? Nobody likes being criticized for their skills in public, okay?
Lily spoke in a high-pitched voice, her eyes gleaming: "So you're worried about my life and want me to have a better one, is that it?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Tang Yicheng said seriously. "Why can't a perfectly healthy person live a good life? Everyone should live a good life. Alright, don't count on me anymore. I won't be staying in Thailand for long. I have to leave after this deal is done."
Lily, however, had her own ideas: "I'll wait for you in Thailand. I'll accompany you whenever you come to Thailand."
Wang Xiao really wanted to cover her face. Poor Tang Ge had been talking for so long, but the poor guy hadn't heard a single word.
The evening breeze was blowing and the waves were splashing.
Tang Yicheng resolutely refused, his face firm: "That won't do. Didn't I say? Husbands and wives are equal. If I keep finding someone here and someone there, won't my wife also keep finding someone here and someone there? If I'm wearing so many green hats, I'll have to go and kill people. If the police catch me, I'll be shot on the spot. I'm so young, why shouldn't I live a good life?"
The people around, who were listening intently to the commotion, were laughing so hard their shoulders were hunched over, chuckling like they'd eaten too many roasted soybeans.
Lily was also shocked by Tang Yicheng's words and couldn't continue to complain.
He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but his companion came to find him. The next performance was about to begin, so he had to leave.
As one of the main characters left, the atmosphere became even more lively, with people whistling continuously.
Tang Yicheng turned his head and saw Wang Xiao's gleaming gaze, as if he were enjoying the drama. He was completely dumbfounded: "You're a big boss, you're about to become the wife of a vice prime minister, how can you still be so gossipy? You should be more careful, otherwise..."
Oh, forget it! Birds of a feather flock together. Knowing Mr. Ivanov's personality, if he were here tonight, he'd probably be even more excited and gossipy than Wang Xiao.
Good heavens, it's still unbelievable when I think about it now. How could someone like that have made it into the national leadership?
Wang Xiao chuckled and started gossiping: "Wow! How did you get yourself into all this romantic entanglements?"
Tang Yicheng practically begged for mercy on his knees: "What nonsense! You're the boss, watch your mouth. I was just dragged to watch a show, and when we came out, I ran into him being harassed by a drunk customer, so I just helped him out."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were enjoying the gossip, and one of them, holding a beer bottle, winked at him and said, "Brother Tang, you seem to have a lot of experience. You talk a good game."
Tang Yicheng also took a couple of sips of beer from his bottle, and smiled wryly: "You'll know if you were in Hong Kong. When you go out to do business, seven or eight women will pounce on you every day and ask you to save them from their brothels."
Wang Xiao was practically laughing hysterically while holding the coconut juice, but she still had a conscience and reminded him a couple of times: "Then you'd better be careful. Don't bring up your theory that wives are equal. Even if someone can't climb a high mountain, they can still drag you to the bottom of the valley. That's the same as being equal."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao gasped in shock. Could this really be done?
The wind on the Chao Phraya River rustled the leaves and carried the fragrance of unknown flowers.
Wang Xiao smiled enigmatically: "Why not? The Cowherd could hide the Weaver Girl's feathered robe, preventing the fairy from returning to heaven."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao exchanged a glance, then looked intently at Tang Yicheng: Brother Tang, even men need to be careful when they're out and about!
Tang Yicheng was both amused and exasperated: "Go away, you two, shut up and don't come here to die."
Mayor Huang laughed and said, "Then you don't need to look outside. I guarantee you'll find a girl from a good family, someone you know well."
As everyone burst into laughter, a middle-aged wealthy businessman came over and patted Tang Yicheng on the shoulder: "Oh dear, Brother Tang, you really don't understand romance. How could you say that? That's art."
Tang Yicheng, however, didn't take it seriously: "What kind of art is so noble that it can disregard people's bodies? Oh, Europe used to have castrato singers, and that was also called art. Why don't they do that anymore? That's wrong, that's bad. They ruin perfectly healthy people's bodies."
The wealthy businessman retorted, "You can't say that. Transgender people make a living this way. If this isn't allowed, what will they eat? They'll starve to death!"
As he spoke, he smiled at Wang Xiao and said, "Beautiful lady, don't you think so?"
Wang Xiao smiled and said slowly, "In the past, there were many men who castrated themselves outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, all wanting to enter the palace and become eunuchs. Later, there were no more emperors and eunuchs, and no one castrated themselves anymore."
Without buying, there would be no killing. This applies to animals, and it applies to humans as well.
The wealthy businessman paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned to look at Tang Yicheng.
The latter raised his eyes, about to nod, when suddenly a gasp came from not far away: "What?! You're not kidding, are you?!"
Everyone instinctively turned their heads to see what had happened.
Then came a string of gibberish in Thai, which few people could understand.
The people sitting on this terrace are mostly Chinese. There are quite a few Chinese in Thailand, and if you include those of mixed race, the percentage could reach 40% or even more.
However, Thailand has done a particularly good job of assimilation. Not many of the new generation of Chinese can speak Mandarin; their mother tongue is entirely Thai.
Wang Xiao quickly turned to find the translator: "What are they saying?"
He seemed particularly excited.
The translator ran over and then back, his face looking as if he'd been struck by lightning. He opened his mouth, paused for a moment, and then said, "They say the finance minister is going to resign."
Wang Xiao was taken aback: "Really? Has an announcement already been made?"
She wasn't surprised the finance minister was forced to resign. The Thai government was clearly trying to sacrifice the minister to save itself, shifting all blame for its inadequate response to international short-selling attacks onto the finance minister.
But she didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Couldn't the government hold out for a couple more days?
Such a clean and decisive rejection, turning one's back on others without a second thought—will any capable officials dare to step forward and turn the tide in the future? Everyone might as well just give up and do nothing.
The translator shook his head: "I don't know, they said it was discussed in a cabinet meeting."
Finance Minister Ravitan is known as the "guardian of the Thai baht." Whether he resigns or not will directly affect the baht's exchange rate.
Now, no one cared about enjoying the leisurely evening anymore; almost everyone stood up, eager to go back and find out more information.
With a sharp crack, the bright snow from the sky illuminated the entire terrace, and anxiety was written on everyone's face.
Some people are eager to verify the good news, while others are stubbornly waiting for the rumors to be clarified.
See, what is honey to one is poison to another; people's joys and sorrows can never be shared.
The rain poured down without warning, as if a hole had been torn in the sky.
Wang Xiao looked at the rain and sighed softly.
It really is Bangkok's rainy season; the rain is coming and going.
It seems destined that we won't be able to see fireflies today.
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The touchscreen computer in the Thai restaurant mentioned in the article (1997) is referenced from the November 1998 issue of *Information and Computers*, in an article titled "Inspirations from a Bangkok Restaurant" by Zhang Zheng of Shanghai Jifeng Information Technology Co., Ltd. Thailand's economy did indeed develop rapidly before the Asian financial crisis, and many Chinese people were particularly envious of its economy at the time.
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