Chapter 327 'Their Brand' Cigarettes
As Xiao Peng and the others walked out along the dock, Fabian couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Xiao, you don't know who Chen Cheng and the others are? Are you so confident in handing the boat over to them? And that Chen Zetao, are you so confident in handing such precious things over to his assistant? Aren't you afraid that they'll get lost?"
Pascal said, "Fabian, don't be so curious. Xiao must have his reasons for doing this. As the best partners, we just need to do our part. Xiao will handle the salvage, and we'll handle the PR and sales. Then we'll just wait and see how the profits are distributed. Is there anything easier than this?"
Xiao Peng gave Pascal a thumbs up: "Well said!"
Fabian sighed and said, "Xiao, I've known you for quite some time, and we've spent a lot of time together. But to be honest, I still don't understand the way you Chinese think and do things."
Pascal interrupted him: "Hey, Fabian! Xiao did this to vent his anger on you! You don't appreciate his hard work and you're still saying these things. I almost want to beat you up now!"
"Hey!" Fabian said hurriedly, "Xiao, don't get me wrong. I'm very grateful to you. I don't care about those things either. I just don't understand your secretive way of doing things."
Xiao Peng grinned and said, "Our ancestors have a saying: 'If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his dignity; if matters are not kept secret, they will become harmful.' The environment we live in now is too complicated, and for many things, the fewer people who know, the better. Fabian, let me tell you something that will hurt you. If I have something to keep secret, you'll be the last to know, because you're such a curious person!"
Fabian's face turned bitter after hearing this: "Xiao, what you said is so hurtful! I was just complaining about cultural differences!"
Xiao Peng laughed after hearing this. "Well, since you put it that way, I'll tell you something. You see, I grew up in China and then spent a long time in Marseille. I guess I understand a bit about both Eastern and Western cultures, right?"
Fabian nodded.
Xiao Peng laughed and said, "I've noticed a characteristic of Westerners: you like to think of yourselves as 'saviors,' looking down on different cultures as if they were saving 'barbarians.' You believe yours is the best and everyone else is wrong. When others point out your shortcomings, you say, 'Many things actually happening in our country and society are different from what you think.' Even with the current situation in Paris, you don't think there's anything wrong with it. Instead, you think the lives of our people are miserable."
Fabian did not deny Xiao Peng's words: "You are right. Based on my understanding of you Chinese people, you are born without some of the rights that should belong to you."
Xiao Peng laughed after hearing this. "The right to rebel? The right to cause trouble? The right to talk nonsense? You know what? I really like one of your French ideological educators, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In 'The Social Contract,' he said: Everyone must equally give up some of their natural rights and freedoms and obey authority in exchange for maintaining social order and protecting residual power. Western countries often say they are influenced by Rousseau's teachings and are committed to building anti-authoritarian democratic states, but in fact, it is we Chinese who truly inherit Rousseau's spirit! Believe me, most of us Chinese don't care whether your country is good or bad. We are more interested in whether our country's public utilities are complete, whether our country's infrastructure is convenient for the people, and how hundreds of millions of people can escape poverty in just a few decades! Besides, your so-called freedom of speech is not freedom either. What happened to McBride? What happened to Assange?" (The former was the person who exposed Australian military atrocities, the latter is the founder of WikiLeaks)
Fabian blinked. "I thought I was a good debater, but you've left me speechless."
Xiao Peng lit a cigarette and smiled. "That's why I always say there's no good or bad, only differences. Don't compare things; just go with what you think is good. I don't want to debate with you either. People who like to debate have a common problem: they trust their mouths more than their ears. No one in this world has ever truly convinced a pair of ears. I'm just expressing my opinion."
Pascal patted Fabian. "Your so-called debate is just a quibble, while Xiao's is well-reasoned and well-founded. This incident illustrates the difference between reading and not reading! I'm not saying you don't read, but your knowledge base is still quite a bit behind Xiao's. He lives in the library when he has nothing to do, and you're debating with him?"
Fabian's face was filled with rage. "I just asked a few questions and you two gave me a lecture! I won't ask anymore, okay? Pascal, you're right. From now on, I'll just do my job! Xiao, can you really let me vent my anger?"
Xiao Peng gnashed his teeth in anger after hearing this. "Counting the supplies and wasted time, how much money did they waste keeping us in the Sea of Marmara for so long? Anyway, I won't be coming to the Black Sea again! I'm going to teach them a lesson this time! Do you believe me?"
Fabian laughed. "If I don't believe you, who will you believe? Huh?"
His words came to an abrupt end because a few Ukrainian guys suddenly came over and walked towards Xiao Peng and his friends and stopped them.
The leader among them kept pointing two fingers at Xiao Peng and saying something.
Pascal asked in confusion: "What is he doing?"
Fabian took a deep breath. "Oh my god! They say Odessa has bad security, but they can't possibly come here and rob people so brazenly in broad daylight, right? Xiao, do you know what they're talking about?"
Xiao Peng shook his head. "You can let me read Russian, but I can't let me hear it. But don't worry, these people are not here to cause trouble."
As he spoke, he smiled, took out cigarettes from his pocket, handed them to them, and lit them for them. The young men lit the cigarettes, gave Xiao Peng a thumbs up, and said goodbye and left.
"What does this mean?" Pascal and Fabian were both confused. "Did you come here just to ask for cigarettes?"
Xiao Peng laughed and said, "You haven't seen this before? This custom exists in many places in the former Soviet Union. They jokingly call this practice of asking for cigarettes 'their brand' cigarettes. Cigarettes aren't expensive here, not because these people can't afford them, but because they see cigarettes as a public good. If you want to smoke and don't have any, asking for one is perfectly normal. Of course, if you want to strike up a conversation with someone, asking for a cigarette is also a very effective way to do it!"
"Damn, I was so scared! I thought they were here to rob me!"
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