Chapter 1561 That is the paradise in my mind
Xiao Peng was shocked when he learned that Charles had two P-40s: there are only 19 flyable P-40s in the world, including the only remaining P-40B. Each of these is very expensive.
But after listening to Charles' explanation, Xiao Peng suddenly realized that his two P-40s were not the P-40s produced by Curtiss during World War II, but the P-40 two-seat commemorative edition launched by North American Aviation in 1968.
This matter is just like 'a child without a mother - it's a long story'.
In the early days, the two companies most fiercely competing in the aircraft industry were the Wright brothers, who invented the airplane, and Curtiss, the first American to fly a self-made seaplane. The two companies, after competing against each other, merged to form the Curtiss-Wright Company. During World War II, they profited immensely from the war, with the P-40 fighter being one of their products. Curtiss-Wright became the second-most valuable American company in terms of total contract value during the war, second only to General Motors.
However, after World War II, the company began to decline. Today, the company still exists, but it no longer produces aircraft. Instead, it produces aircraft parts and various equipment such as valves and brakes. Their aircraft manufacturing department was sold to North American Aviation in 1948.
North American Aviation is also an aircraft manufacturing company that rose to prominence during World War II. Its products include the world's most widely used T6 Texan trainer, the P51 Mustang fighter, the A-5 attack aircraft, the B-25 bomber, the B-1 strategic bomber, and many more. Their OV-10 is still in service with many Southeast Asian air forces.
The company was initially doing well, but in 1960, it suddenly started getting involved in aerospace. The 1967 Apollo 1 fire was blamed on the company, and within two months, it was merged with Rockwell Automation. About thirty years later, it was merged with Boeing...
Before they were merged into Rockwell, they produced a batch of 'P40' two-seater commemorative editions, which probably meant: we were once glorious, and we also swallowed others.
However, the sales of this batch of 'P-40 two-seater commemorative edition' are really not very good!
As for the reason? Even in its day, the P-40 was never considered a good aircraft. Despite its fame, its performance was generally mediocre. It performed poorly on battlefields around the world. Even on the Daxia battlefield, where it shone brightly, it was easily outmatched by the Zero fighter. (The P-40's primary opponent on the Daxia battlefield was the Hayabusa fighter, also known as the Type 1 fighter.)
At the time, the people who bought the "P-40 Two-Seat Commemorative Edition" were generally nostalgic people with experience in World War II. At that time, Charles' father was only a teenager, and his grandfather bought two of these planes to use for spraying pesticides on the farm.
By this time, Charles was more active. In addition to spraying pesticides, this plane could also be used for "aerial sightseeing" and flight training. He had his own small flight school and was looking for Xiao Peng to solicit business.
Xiao Peng answered truthfully, "Char, I actually have two Lesnars at home, but they were damaged by water a few days ago. If your plane is an original P40, I might consider buying it directly, but I have no interest in this two-seater commemorative edition."
Charles whistled. This was a real stunner—you want the original? Do you know how much the original costs?
But look at the car Xiao Peng is driving outside. Although I don't know what brand it is, it's obviously an expensive one. It seems that this Daxia person is really financially capable.
"Hmm..." Charles hesitated for a moment and said, "Xiao, I've heard from my grandfather how brutal the war was back then, but I want to give you a word of advice. After all, you're still young, and that was a long time ago. You can't get so angry just hearing about the Japanese. Look, other states here are full of hatred, but we Texans are the only ones who are warm and tolerant, and people of all skin colors can live together in harmony. You should learn from us Texans and let go of the hatred in your heart. Don't hate the Japanese so much, you need to be more open-minded!"
Xiao Peng was so helpless after hearing this that he didn't know what to say. As a Daxia native, he could curse Japanese people for three days and three nights without repeating himself. He hated the "saintly" thing the most. But after all, he and Charles had been chatting quite well, so it didn't seem like he would just give him such a hard time and start cursing.
Xiao Peng rolled his eyes and smiled, "Char, you're really wrong. Let me tell you, as a Daxia person, I've been taught to respect the Japanese since I was a child."
"Ah?" Charles' eyes were full of doubt after hearing this.
Xiao Peng laughed, "I'm not kidding. The country in the world that loves Japan the most is our Great Xia. You might not believe it, but in our junior high school textbooks, there's a text specifically about Japan. It says, 'In the Japanese restaurant industry, there's a rule that dishes must be washed seven times with water, and opera troupes are paid by the piece.' One student, trying to improve efficiency, skipped two washes. During a spot check, the boss used a test strip and found the dishes weren't clean enough. He questioned the student, but she argued, 'Wasn't washing five times clean enough?' The boss said flatly, 'You're dishonest, please leave!' The student had no choice but to apply for a job at another restaurant. The boss looked her over and said, 'You're the student who only washed the dishes five times? Sorry, we don't need you!' The second, the third... She kept getting rejected. Not only that, but her landlord also asked her to vacate the property. She had no choice but to move out of town.' Look, such absurd and ridiculous articles can be found in every junior high school textbook in our country. Doesn't our country still love Japan?"
After hearing this, Charles was a little confused. What Xiao Peng said meant that their country liked Japan or hated Japan?
Xiao Peng continued, "Char, I won't hide it from you. When I left Daxia and went to France, I actually wanted to go to Japan the most. My God, you don't know what kind of existence Japan held in my heart when I was a child."
Charles asked in confusion, "What kind of existence is it?"
Xiao Peng's eyes widened as he spoke, "That's heaven! In my impression, all I know about Japan is that 'Wagyu beef is grown up drinking beer and listening to music'; oh, and 'Japanese people are very clean, there's no garbage on the streets'... Oh, right! In Japan, even toilet water is drinkable!"
"Wozfa? What did you say? You can even drink toilet water?" Charles' eyes widened and he asked, "Are you kidding me?"
"That's why I thought Japan was a paradise back then!" Xiao Peng said, "That's why I say our country loves Japan the most. I grew up reading magazines like Yilin, Readers, and Youth Digest, all filled with content like this. They were books that became more and more interesting the more I read them!"
Full of public intellectual flavor!
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