50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 858 Anxious Happiness

"Moreover, even if I could use it, I couldn't do it, because it wouldn't be a good thing for you."

Sun Zhiwei knew what Peter was talking about. If Sun Zhiwei used the Russian plane here, he would definitely face a CIA investigation when he returned. That's how sensitive things are right now.

"It's okay, we're just ordinary drinking buddies. We don't talk about these things when we're drinking. Let's have another drink."

Because it's either polar night or polar day in the polar regions, making it difficult to distinguish between day and night, the taverns here are open 24 hours a day.

As time went on, some guests drank too much and went back to sleep, but soon other people would come to drink, and the flow of people in the tavern hardly decreased.

A few hours later, the tavern had almost completely changed its occupants, and the appointed time finally arrived. Professor Saul Maxwell arrived at the tavern on time to pick him up.

After paying the bill in US dollars, Sun Zhiwei put his coat back on, put on his hat, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and then followed Professor Maxwell to the small airport on the edge of town.

A Saab A340 transport plane was waiting at the small airport. It had just flown in from Stockholm to pick up Sun Zhiwei.

The Saab A340 is a 30-seat twin-engine turboprop regional transport aircraft jointly developed by Saab Scania of Sweden and Fairchild of the United States.

The aircraft received its type certificate from Sweden in May 1984, which is recognized by nine European countries, and its type certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in June of the same year.

The distance from Stockholm to the research town of Ny-Ålesund is more than 2100 kilometers, and a round trip flight would cost a lot of money.

However, Professor Maxwell didn't need to pay for it; the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had ample travel expenses. Using public office for private gain happens in every country.

Professor Maxwell's reason was simple: he needed to return to the Stockholm Academy of Sciences for research, and it was only natural for the Academy to send a plane to pick him up as the branch director.

As for Sun Zhiwei, he just happened to hitch a ride on the plane.

Professor Maxwell had already tossed two bottles of wine to the captain beforehand, and Sun Zhiwei would not be mentioned in the subsequent flight logs.

He only needed to make the trip once, without spending a penny, and gained a favor from the American tycoon for free.

It will be much easier to approach him for investment after some time has passed; it's perfect.

Sun Zhiwei saw all of this and sighed inwardly, thinking that foreign scientists had it tough too, racking their brains to get investment for their research projects.

Three hours later, after refueling once along the way, Sun Zhiwei arrived safely in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

Sweden, though a small Nordic country, should not be underestimated.

What comes to mind when modern people hear the word "Sweden"?
Nobel Prize, Volvo, IKEA, Ericsson, and actually Saab, the Gripen fighter jet, 15% of 5G patents, etc.

This small country, with a population of only 800 million, has crushed America in five major fields: communications, precision manufacturing, military industry, clean energy, and medical technology.

Sweden is a small country in terms of area and population, but it is a world power in industrial manufacturing, which is somewhat contradictory, but true.

The later Gripen fighter jet had performance comparable to the F-35, but cost less than 1 million yuan, and its domestic production rate could reach over 90%.

All of this was brought about by Sweden's current Prime Minister, Palme, who, since taking office in 1969, has stood firmly against the Soviet Union and the United States and implemented rigorous reforms.

During Palme's second term, he enacted a series of laws, including the Employment Protection Act and the Workplace Co-determination Act, ushering in an era of "high taxes and high welfare" for Sweden, which continues to this day.

Some say that Sweden is "the happiest country in the world," but this "happiness" should be viewed from multiple perspectives.

Sweden's welfare system is indeed very comprehensive, including child allowances, sick leave benefits, medical insurance, housing subsidies, unemployment benefits, and old-age insurance.

From a welfare perspective, they are indeed happy.

From birth to age 16, children receive a monthly child allowance, enough to buy formula and diapers.

Hospital visits are free except for registration fees, and education is free from primary school to university.

Even if you lose your job, don't worry. You can still receive 90% of your salary in the first year, and continue to receive basic living allowances and housing subsidies thereafter. Everyone here has at least 5 weeks of paid leave per year, and parents can share up to 480 days of paid parental leave.

In addition to extended parental leave, Swedish parents are also entitled to reduce their daily working hours by 25% until their child turns eight.

The kindergarten childcare fee is only 2% of the monthly income. For example, if the monthly salary is 1, the fee is 200.

Swedes love coffee, especially during work hours, believing that this break helps improve work efficiency and promotes social interaction among colleagues.

In Sweden, coffee is not just a beverage, but an important part of culture and lifestyle.

Drinking coffee during work hours has even been written into the Labor Law.

The Labor Law stipulates that employees are entitled to two "coffee breaks" (called "Fika" by Swedes) during working hours, each lasting about 15 minutes.

Swedish employees are not too worried about layoffs because the Employment Protection Act stipulates that companies must follow the "first-in, last-out" principle when laying off employees.

In other words, if a company wants to lay off employees, it must first lay off the last few people who joined the company.

Finally, there's retirement. Starting at age 62, seniors can receive a minimum allowance of over 22,000 kronor, plus insurance premiums and tax surcharges, totaling around 30,000 to 40,000 kronor per month.

However, one cannot simply focus on the high welfare benefits of receiving tens of thousands of euros per month without working, while ignoring the hardships of living in Sweden.

First, in Sweden, personal income tax accounts for 50-70% of total personal income.

Haha, for example: the monthly salary is still 10,000, but the tax payment is 5000-7000.

Then there's free healthcare, which is indeed free, but you have to wait in line.

A week's wait for an appointment for a cold isn't long; by the time you get an appointment, you're usually better. But for serious illnesses, unless you're on the verge of death, you'll have to wait six or seven hours.

If you don't want to wait in line, then you have to go to a private clinic, but the cost is so high that even Swedes can't afford it.

The university is tuition-free, but you have to pay student union fees, which are mandatory, but thankfully they're not very high.

There's also the issue of housing, where renting is very expensive.

In Stockholm, there is an official agency called Bostadsfrmedlingen (housing agency). You must go through them if you want to rent a house.

You need to pay 200 kronor (equivalent to 150 yuan) per year to queue up. How long will the queue last?

The average waiting time to rent a decent apartment in downtown Stockholm is 8-12 years.

You read that right, it's not "month", it's "year".

Even if you get a spot in the queue, you can't be picky about the apartment you're assigned. Location, layout, and orientation are all up to fate. Not satisfied?
Sorry, please continue waiting in line.

There's also unemployment benefits, but receiving them isn't easy; you have to prove you're "actively looking for work."

What does "actively seeking" mean?
You need to report your job search progress to the employment center every week, attend government-arranged training courses, and accept assigned jobs (even if the salary is low or does not match your major).

If someone is found to be "slacking off," their welfare benefits will be immediately suspended.

Finally, there's the cost of living; prices are high in Sweden.

The express train fare from the airport to the city center costs 180 yuan, a cup of the most basic coffee costs 30 yuan, a bottle of mineral water costs 15-18 yuan, a simple fast food meal costs at least 75 yuan, and a haircut costs 300-500 yuan.

Even if you earn tens of thousands a month, it's not enough to live on at this price level.

In short, happiness here is linked to money and time. Swedes live decent lives but are generally anxious.

(End of this chapter)