Chapter 2902
Helping to Repair a Railway
Chapter 2902 Helping to Build a Railway
The reception room of the Ninth Department.
Old Chen chatted warmly with the prince from Camel, and even the translator couldn't help but smile as he spoke.
Yang Xiaotao then began to talk with Faisal.
The two had previously collaborated to "scam" Canon from Japan, so they could be considered to have fought side by side.
"Old Fei, your belly's all puffed up! Looks like you've been eating well!"
"Haha, Yang, you still look so young."
Faisal's head covering had been changed to white; I don't know what the significance was, but you could tell from his complexion that he was very well-fed.
Then she whispered to Yang Xiaotao, "Last month, I had another son."
Then he held up three fingers, "I have three sons now, one more than you!"
With a triumphant smile, she said, "Now I need to consider having more sons, otherwise I don't know who to divide all my wealth among!"
Yang Xiaotao waved his hand, "Old Fei, listen to me, it's better to have more daughters!"
"To put it simply, this daughter is her father's warm little cotton-padded jacket!"
"Do you understand what a 'little cotton-padded jacket' is? It's something you wear on a cold day to keep warm, both physically and emotionally!"
Faisal felt that Yang Xiaotao's description was a bit beyond his understanding. Did they need cotton-padded coats there?
However, having a good understanding of Chinese culture, he still understood what Yang Xiaotao meant.
So you're saying your daughter treats you better than your son?
He didn't think much of it.
What a daughter can do, a son can do too.
There are even some things that sons can do, but daughters only know how to make things worse.
Of course, he wouldn't refute Yang Xiaotao, nor could he refute him in this situation.
Yang Xiaotao continued, "Let's put it in a broader sense!"
"When a girl grows up, she becomes a mother!"
"Think about it, if we raise this daughter well, she can improve the quality of women when she grows up. And if the quality of women improves, it will directly affect the quality of the nation!"
"Why? It's easy. A woman who becomes a mother will pass on her good qualities such as integrity, courage, resilience, tenacity, hard work, and wisdom to her children. Only when children inherit these qualities can they grow up to be successful, only then will the nation have hope, and only then can the country become strong..."
Yang Xiaotao got more and more excited as he spoke; anyone who didn't know better would think he was an educator promoting his educational philosophy.
However, Faisal wouldn't listen.
In his eyes, the qualities his mother possessed, his father could also provide.
Even if they cannot give, isn't there still the great Allah?
Allah is omnipotent and the only true God.
Faisal wanted to refute Yang Xiaotao, but then he remembered that the guy in front of him was an atheist, so there was no point in talking to him.
In short, you both said your piece, and I listened to mine.
Although I didn't believe it, I still maintained at least some respect on the surface.
No matter how well you explain it, I'm not going to do it.
It wasn't until Yang Xiaotao urged him to have more daughters that Faisal finally couldn't help but retort, "Daughters? No, no, no, sons are better!"
"Having a daughter means having to provide a dowry, and once those things are given away, they can never be taken back!"
"As for my sons, I can buy them a piece of land nearby, and then my sons' sons can buy land themselves. This way, our family will be united and can remain strong..."
Faisal said smugly, then added, “When my niece got married, her dowry included a hundred camels.”
"In addition, they also gave us a small oil field, an oasis plantation, and..."
Faisal was pointing out his blackened fingers and talking at length about the dowry, and Yang Xiaotao immediately shut his mouth.
The dowry is indeed quite generous.
If you have several daughters like that in your family, you'll probably have to empty your pockets!
"Alright, then I wish you many sons!"
Yang Xiaotao said this reluctantly, but in his heart he hoped that this guy would have a few more daughters so that he could be so rich.
He then added, "Of course, I also wish you good health!"
Faisal raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy!"
Then, laughing awkwardly, "Of course, it would be even better if there were more medicinal wine!"
"Hahaha"
"You always say you're in good health, Lao Fei, you'd better take it easy!"
"No need, I only use it occasionally, just a few times a week..."
Their pleasant conversation caused quite a stir, drawing curious glances from those around them.
Old Huang sat together with Old Wang, Old Song, and a few others.
Li Hongfeng and Lao Hong from the Ninth Division were also sitting at the end.
"Old Huang, guess what they're saying?"
Old Wang's gaze kept falling on Yang Xiaotao and the other man, and he wanted to hear what they were saying, but they were too far away to hear clearly.
Old Huang glanced at Old Wang beside him, who was calmly drinking his tea, while his attention was focused on Old Chen at the top.
Seeing that Old Huang was ignoring him, Old Wang pursed his lips and picked up his teacup as well.
This involves satellites, and for satellites to fly, they need rockets.
We had to rely on the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry.
So he had to call them.
As for why he was called Huang Laolai, he didn't know; he probably just brought him in to make up the numbers.
Thinking this, Old Wang looked at the attendees beside him.
Mr. Song from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Wu Kuan from the Ministry of Railways, who was calmly drinking tea nearby.
The two looked calm and collected, their thoughts unreadable.
However, Old Wang still muttered to himself for a while, "The railway workers are here, could it be to build a railway?"
A thought flashed through his mind, and then he looked at Yang Xiaotao again.
I heard before that this guy earned 150 million, so the net profit must be at least 100 million.
Damn, oil tycoons are really rich!
But Yang Xiaotao is really good at keeping quiet; he makes so much money without uttering a sound.
No, we need to invest more!
Yes, at least ten million!
Thinking this, Old Wang's gaze toward Yang Xiaotao became even more ardent.
The next moment, he saw Yang Xiaotao turn his head and look over, which startled Old Wang so much that he quickly looked away, feeling a little guilty and scared.
"Yang, we've come here again and we need your help with something."
The two chatted for a while, and when Faisal saw that Old Chen and His Highness the Prince were still having casual conversation, he knew it was time for him to go ahead and make the arrangements!
Yang Xiaotao also understood that Faisal and his group had come all the way through the northwest wind, and they weren't just bringing them money.
They must have come for something.
Yang Xiaotao shifted to a more comfortable position and then said earnestly, "Tell me, as long as it's within our power, we'll definitely help!"
Faisal smiled, understanding the meaning behind Yang Xiaotao's words: if he could help, he would; if he couldn't, he definitely wouldn't.
This guy!
However, he knew even more clearly that once he truly agreed, it meant "I will definitely help!"
After a moment, Faisal said in a low voice, "We need your country's help to build a railway!"
"railway?"
Yang Xiaotao frowned subconsciously, then glanced at Wu Kuan, Old Wu, standing to the side.
No wonder Old Chen asked him to come to the meeting; the higher-ups probably already knew about it, but the specifics hadn't been finalized yet.
Thinking this through, Yang Xiaotao asked, "I don't know much about your railway business."
"However, if you don't mind, I can speak to your superiors on your behalf!"
"Of course, that's on the premise that I need to understand the situation; otherwise, I can't say for sure!"
Faisal listened but did not rush to speak. Instead, he considered his words carefully before quietly recounting what had happened.
After Faisal finished speaking, he looked at Yang Xiaotao seriously, trying to discern his thoughts from Yang Xiaotao's expression. However, Yang Xiaotao remained calm after listening, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Faisal added, "The original railway between the two places was destroyed in the war and has not been repaired to this day!"
“Every time there is a pilgrimage, it causes massive traffic jams!”
"Many people miss the pilgrimage because of transportation issues, which makes the public very dissatisfied!"
Faisal spoke in a low voice, his face showing a hint of unease.
Then the topic shifted, "We really need a railway like this, even if it's a bit slower, it can still alleviate traffic pressure between the two places."
Yang Xiaotao rubbed his fingers together, glancing at Old Chen beside him. Seeing that the two were still talking about the friendship between the two countries, he knew that this matter needed to be considered carefully.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Xiaotao asked, "Old Fei, did you contact other people before you came to us?"
Faisal's face showed a fleeting embarrassment upon hearing this, before he smiled and said, "Indeed, we contacted railway companies in several countries."
"but…"
"They felt that building a railway in the desert was too difficult, and the materials, equipment, and subsequent maintenance would require a lot of expenditure."
"So no one has accepted this mission!"
Yang Xiaotao listened quietly to the other party's explanation, maintaining a smile on his face.
But in his heart, he was suspicious.
It's definitely very difficult.
But from what the other party said, we can tell that if it was possible to build a railway before, why can't it be done now?
With so many years of technological development and rapid changes, the problem will only become simpler.
He didn't believe that those 'capital' would shut up in the face of profit.
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.
Yang Xiaotao became secretly on guard.
After explaining the situation, Faisal saw that Yang Xiaotao did not agree, so he explained further, "Yang, we didn't just randomly find your side!"
"We also conducted our own investigation and believe that you are fully capable of completing this task, which is why we approached you for help."
Yang Xiaotao became interested upon hearing this and immediately smiled, "I'm very interested in the investigation you mentioned!"
"You know, we ourselves didn't even know we had this capability!"
Faisal laughed along, "That's because you don't know much, Yang. You Chinese are really amazing."
"You're right, I do not know much about some things."
Yang Xiaotao struggled to move, then looked at Faisal and asked, "So, what do you know about this situation? Can you tell me?"
"Of course, I'd love to talk to you about your country's railways!"
Faisal leaned forward and then laughed, “The Northwest Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway built by your country is a truly magnificent feat.”
"Especially in the desert sections, you have perfectly solved the problem of laying railway tracks in the desert and resolved the impact of the harsh environment of wind and sand erosion on the railway."
"It is this railway that has shown us your country's strength in railway construction..."
As Faisal recounted the story, Yang Xiaotao finally understood what was going on.
This shows they did their homework!
“Faisal, you have done a good job with your research, but we need to think about this. You know, we've never built a railway overseas before!”
Faisal nodded, then said with a hint of encouragement, "Yang, although you haven't started on the railway yet, you've opened a lot of factories in Persia!"
"Yang, I think this is an opportunity for us to deepen our cooperation..."
"Yang, we have money, you have technology..."
"Yang, we need to strengthen our cooperation!"
When Faisal spoke, his mouth was almost right in front of Yang Xiaotao's.
Yang Xiaotao leaned back, then nodded and said, "Indeed, we need to strengthen our cooperation!"
Upon hearing this, Faisal immediately smiled.
Many people present noticed their smiles and began to speculate amongst themselves.
The reception ended shortly afterward.
Old Chen personally saw the prince and his entourage off, and only after they got into their car and headed to their hotel did he turn back to look at everyone.
"Let's go back and have a short meeting."
Everyone was in awe.
Back in the arranged meeting room, everyone took their seats.
After sitting down, Old Chen did not rush to speak. Instead, he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea. The people below also dared not speak casually and waited patiently.
A moment later, Old Chen put down his cup and looked at Yang Xiaotao, who was sitting next to him.
"I see you're having a good chat with that Faisal."
"Why don't you tell me first?"
Yang Xiaotao looked at Old Chen and said, "Boss, I was just chatting with him for a bit, don't take it seriously."
"Just say it, whether it's true or not is none of your concern."
After Old Chen finished speaking, everyone showed interest.
Old Wang muttered from the side, "That's right, just say it, we'll all listen too."
Yang Xiaotao shook his head, and then explained the matter that Faisal had asked him for help.
"That's how it is. They want us to help build a railway."
"I didn't know anything about this, so I didn't dare to agree."
Yang Xiaotao spoke casually, but he kept an eye on Old Chen's expression out of the corner of his eye. When he noticed that Old Chen's expression was normal, he knew that Old Chen had been prepared for this matter.
He was secretly glad that he hadn't immediately agreed to Faisal's request.
At the same time, Yang Xiaotao also noticed that Wu Lao from the Ministry of Railways had a calm expression.
This indicates that Mr. Chen had already told the other party and was aware that the matter might have already been resolved.
After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, the people present whispered among themselves.
"I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it's just railway construction."
Old Wang spoke with little enthusiasm, a hint of disappointment on his face.
Old Huang glanced at Old Chen, then looked at Old Wu across from him, and suddenly understood why he had come here for the meeting.
Nowadays, the steel rails needed for railway construction are basically all produced by the Ministry of Machine Building.
I guess the reason I came here by myself this time is to discuss how to get things done.
Thinking of this, Old Huang and Yang Xiaotao exchanged a glance, then both remained silent, waiting to see how things would develop.
After a moment of discussion, Old Chen finally spoke up, "The matter that Xiao Yang mentioned has already been discussed with the other party before they came."
"Our opinion is the same as Xiao Yang's; we need to investigate and discuss it before making a judgment."
At this point, Old Chen looked directly at Wu Kuan, "Old Wu."
"We can't just agree to this, nor can we just refuse it."
"What I mean is, should we send a working group to the other side to investigate and see if we can produce a report?"
Then he looked at Old Huang and Yang Xiaotao, "All the steel mills in our country that can produce high-quality rails are located in your area."
"We also sent professional personnel to accompany them this time."
"Take a good look at it."
"If we can do it, they will not only provide full material support, but we will also benefit greatly."
After Mr. Chen finished speaking, Mr. Wu took the lead in expressing his opinion, "We will send professionals who were involved in the construction of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway to conduct an investigation."
Old Huang nodded, "We will also send professional personnel."
Then everyone looked at Yang Xiaotao.
Seeing this, Yang Xiaotao had no reason to refuse and immediately said, "We can send people too!"