Sail across the sea

Chapter 499 Why am I bewitched?

"So, Dandan, do you want to go abroad?" Gao Fan asked Xu Dan.

Xu Dan shook her head firmly: "I don't want to."

"Why? Didn't you just say that everyone wants to go abroad?"

“I’m influenced by you. You once told me that no matter how good foreign countries are, they are still other people’s places. Although our country is a bit poor, as long as we work hard, it will definitely get better gradually. I think it’s much better now than when we were kids, and it will definitely get better in the future.”

"Does your husband, Lao Cheng, think the same way?"

“My husband, Lao Cheng, admires you so much. He believes everything you say.”

Gao Fan was speechless, but also felt quite gratified. He had always had a good relationship with Xu Dan and her husband. Xu Dan's husband, Cheng Haoguang, was a technician and had a rather simple mindset. Sometimes when Gao Fan talked to them about national economic development, he could present some facts and reasoning, and Cheng Haoguang would often agree.

Perhaps it was through such subtle influences that Xu Dan and her husband's thinking gradually became more aligned with Gao Fan's. At least in an atmosphere where foreign cultures were generally admired, the couple were not tempted.

Of course, there's another important reason: Gao Fan paid Xu Dan five times the salary of a typical civil servant. Xu Dan had no worries about food or clothing, and buying luxury goods wasn't difficult for her, so her yearning for foreign countries wasn't as strong.

But civil servants like Xiao Pei have limited incomes. Working in the foreign trade sector exposes her to far more foreign luxury goods than others, so it's not surprising that she might have some desire for extravagance.

"Xiao Pei wants to go abroad herself, why are you worried about her?" Gao Fan returned to the original topic.

Xu Dan said, "Actually, it's not that I'm worried, but Xiao Pei herself is a little uneasy. She said she doesn't know that American well, and what if she goes abroad with him and gets scammed in a foreign country where she doesn't know anyone?"

"Why doesn't she contact Fang Rui? Fang Rui is in the US now and doing quite well. If she contacts Fang Rui, at least she won't be all alone after going abroad, right?" Gao Fan suggested.

“How could she possibly contact Fang Rui about something like this?” Xu Dan said. “You know she used to have feelings for Fang Rui. Now she’s going out with an American, how is she supposed to tell Fang Rui about this?”

"Does she want me to talk to Fang Rui?"

"We can ask Bob for help."

"That's one way."

Gao Fan has finally figured out Xu Dan's line of thinking, or more precisely, Xiao Pei's plan.

Xiao Pei wanted to find a partner among American businessmen so she could immigrate to the United States. However, she was also uneasy about the businessman and worried about being scammed.

Xiao Pei was probably somewhat attracted to this American, perhaps influenced by a degree of admiration for foreigners. Given Xiao Pei's mindset, if this American could genuinely treat her well and help her achieve the American Dream, allowing her to enter a modern world overnight, then she was willing to settle down and live a stable life with him.

With this in mind, she hoped someone could help her verify the other party's identity and provide a guarantee for her in the United States. If she had a contact in the United States, it would be much more difficult for the other party to lure her there and sell her.

She knew Gao Fan had some American friends, so she wanted to ask him for a favor. However, although she and Gao Fan were familiar with each other, she found it difficult to ask him directly, so she asked Xu Dan to relay the message.

Although he was very unhappy, Gao Fan couldn't refuse the request.

Xiao Pei has become obsessed. If Gao Fan doesn't help her, she might blindly follow someone to America like a moth to a flame, and even if she's sold to some poor mountain village deep in the Rocky Mountains, no one will know.

“Okay, go and find out about the other party from Xiao Pei. What’s his name? Which company does he work for? What promises did he make to her? After you find out, I’ll have Bob in the US help verify it,” Gao Fan said. Hearing Gao Fan agree, Xu Dan wasn’t happy. She said dejectedly, “I really don’t want Xiao Pei to marry an American. Actually, she’s always had men pursuing her. She’s told me that several of them are very eligible. I don’t know why she’s so obsessed with going to America.”

"Everyone has their own ambitions," Gao Fan advised.

"I'm worried she'll regret it later."

"The blisters on your feet are all from your own walking; you can't blame anyone else."

"They've really gone mad."

"There's no other way, our country is indeed too poor, so we must work hard to make the country rich as soon as possible."

"Yes, let's work hard!"

Xu Dan's emotions were roused by Gao Fan's words, and a smile appeared on her face.

"By the way, what did you and Zhang Wei talk about just now?"

After finishing discussing Xiao Pei's matter, Xu Dan brought up another topic.

“Zhang Wei said that his company, Fair Chemicals in the United States, hopes to invest in building a large fertilizer plant in Maolin,” Gao Fan summarized succinctly.

"This... should be a good thing, right?" Xu Dan was a little uncertain.

Attracting foreign investment is a hot topic these days, and local governments promote any place that manages to attract foreign capital as a major achievement. Therefore, Xu Dan believes that if Feier Chemical invests in and builds a factory in Maolin, it would be a good thing.

Gao Fan said, "The state has some restrictions on foreign investment in the agricultural production materials sector."

"Oh." Xu Dan understood. After all, she was the company's office manager and knew some of the policies. Gao Fan just had to mention it for her to know what was going on.

Gao Fan said, "Dandan, what Zhang Wei told me today gave me a reminder. After you return to Cangtang, have the office keep an eye on foreign investment in building factories or acquiring existing factories in China. We need to be prepared for the future."

"Do we need to monitor all the projects?" Xu Dan asked.

The company's office had a subordinate information department that specialized in collecting various domestic business information. Since the internet did not exist at that time, Gao Fan had the company subscribe to a large number of industry newspapers and periodicals, and had the information department extract, organize, and archive all the important information for use in company decision-making.

Gao Fan thought for a moment and said, "We don't need to monitor all projects. Just focus on the chemical industry. We can't worry about other industries."

“No problem, I’ll arrange it when I get back,” Xu Dan replied.

Gao Fan said, "We must take this matter seriously. The next 20 years will be the most dangerous time for our country's economy. If we can't weather this storm, our country's economic lifeline will be seized by others, and we will only become their economic colony."

"What if you manage to pull through?" Xu Dan asked with a smile.

Gao Fan laughed too: "If we can get through this, no one will dare to make any tough statements against China anymore. Even if Trump comes, he'll have to stand up and offer a toast."

(End of this chapter)