Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 418 Change of itinerary
Upon arriving in Brazil, Yan Hui experienced severe jet lag and felt generally unwell. His boss said it would take three or four days to adjust, but Yan Hui only had three days there.

This was the first time Yan Hui had experienced the discomfort of long-haul economy class air travel and jet lag. After dinner, he drank some alcohol and felt sleepy but couldn't fall asleep. He dozed off several times, only to wake up a few more times. By daybreak, he was finally sleepy again.

...

As mentioned before, of Yan Hui's five brothers, the second oldest is the oldest, with the eldest being a few months younger. However, the eldest brother is prestigious at school, comes from the wealthiest family, and is also the tallest. When the eldest brother tried to take his place, the second brother, with his arrogant and domineering appearance, had no chance against him…

Despite the banter and jokes, the eldest brother always had the air of a big brother. Among his brothers, he prioritized dedication in his conduct and work. For example, when Yan Hui was trying to get into foreign trade, the eldest brother, who didn't deal in knitwear, managed to sell a container for Yan Hui.

In recent years, Yan Hui has been a great help to his boss whenever he needed goods, sending a few standard containers every year. To meet his boss's trade needs, Yan Hui often stayed up late to coordinate.

Of the five sworn brothers from back then, only the eldest brother and Yan Hui still have a working relationship.

So, there's no point in saying more. If the boss weren't here, Yan Hui wouldn't have gone to Brazil to look at iron ore mines; he's not a steel mill owner...

No matter how uncomfortable jet lag was, Yan Hui still got up as agreed and had breakfast with his boss.

"Your health is pretty good. I was worried that drinking would cause you problems, but I didn't expect that even after drinking quite a bit yesterday, you were still able to get up on time today." The boss reached out and pinched Yan Hui's arm. "Not bad, not bad."

"I've worked my way up all these years thanks to good health. Let me tell you, I've been getting less than six hours of rest a day for the past few years, but I've always been full of energy. And I haven't been sick for years." Yan Hui took a bite of the strangely-tasting seafood. "You guys eat this stuff every day? What is this?"

"This is called coconut milk stewed seafood, it's pretty delicious!" The eldest brother complained that Yan Hui didn't know how to eat it.

"This stuff is fine for lunch or dinner, but why eat it for breakfast?"

"You're really something. If it weren't for you coming, how could I have made these arrangements?" the boss said helplessly.

"I'm not that picky. You can cook me a sweet potato and I'll be fine with it. I heard that sweet potatoes originated in South America. I wonder if they taste even better here." Yan Hui still has a strong affection for sweet potatoes.

"Alright, I'll take you out for roasted sweet potatoes tomorrow," the eldest brother said irritably. "You don't act like a big boss at all!"

"When you have time to come to Jinan, I'll treat you to the most exquisite Shandong cuisine."

"Is that even a question?" The boss glanced at his watch. "Are you really planning to fly to Caracas this afternoon? I heard it's a bit chaotic there. If you're going, you should listen to my friend."

"No rush, let's talk about it when your friend arrives at noon. You should listen to advice when you're traveling." Yan Hui had a long talk with his boss last night and learned a lot about Brazil, which changed his mind a bit.

“Okay, let him come over at noon. I’ve already told you about my friend’s situation. He’s very money-oriented. Here, as long as you pay enough, he can do anything,” the eldest brother said. “He’s different from us. He was born in Brazil, and his parents came here in the 1960s.”

"That's pretty impressive." Yan Hui ate something casually. "I'll go back and rest for a bit later."

"Okay, you can get some sleep. I'll wake you up at 11 o'clock."

"Hmm." Back at the hotel, Yan Hui contacted the translator, but the translator was still in bed, clearly not quite settled in either.

Around 11 a.m., Jiang Yutong finally recovered and took the initiative to come and find Yan Hui.

“I have a friend here today who speaks Chinese. I’ll take you there, and you just need to stay with me. Even if they bring a local friend, don’t translate for them or tell them you speak Portuguese,” Yan Hui instructed.

"Is there anything I understand that you want to tell me?" Jiang Yutong seemed to understand something.

“If it’s crucial and urgent information that’s been deliberately withheld, you can find an opportunity to tell me. When you’re abroad, you still need to be careful. My boss told me about this; he said it’s best to be cautious here. Don’t worry about my brothers, but you should still be careful with outsiders,” Yan Hui explained.

"I understand." Jiang Yutong nodded.

Shortly after the conversation, Yan Hui took Jiang Yutong to see the boss, where they met the boss's friend, "Brother Tian," at a high-end restaurant.

Tian Ge looks rather thin, and his skin is slightly dark, giving him a bit of a Latin American appearance, but you can tell at a glance that he is of Chinese descent.

The leader introduced everyone to each other, mentioning that Jiang Yutong was Yan Hui's assistant. Tian Ge and his friends didn't ask any further questions. In their view, Jiang Yutong was simply a woman brought along by Yan Hui, and therefore deserved some respect.

"I heard from Yan Bin that you want to visit the Vale and Carajás. Do you want to see the scenery or go inside the mines? If you want to see the scenery, that's simple. We can rent a plane and fly over the mines. If you want to go inside, that's also simple. Whatever you need, just give me the money, and I can let you see it."

"Brother Tian is indeed capable here," Yan Hui said, somewhat surprised.

What level of company is Vale?
To put it simply, the iron ore mining volume here reached 3 million tons in 2007.

Vale can supply nearly 20 steel giants like Laiwu Steel.

With a company this big, can you see anything you want?

"We have brothers in Carajas, no problem. You might not know, but last year things were really good here. Even in the first half of the year, we were busy and making money! But things aren't like that lately! On the 15th of this month, Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. This financial crisis... well, Carajas is cutting production quite badly right now, and they'll probably start laying off workers soon. At this critical juncture, nobody's stupid. They're willing to trade some power for some money! Just tell me what you need, Mr. Yan," Brother Tian said confidently.

"Hmm, I heard it's a bit chaotic over there?" Yan Hui asked uncertainly.

“There is a bit of that, but it’s fine if you come with us! Even if you just want to go to the very back of the mine, we can arrange that!” Brother Tian assured him.

"Brother Tian is truly amazing! Does this mean Vale will reduce production next year?"

"Who knows? Anyway, there's bound to be a lot of trouble this year."

Tian Ge's behavior made Yan Hui feel that he was very unreliable. He didn't want to go with this man to see the mining area two thousand kilometers away, so he chose another option: "If I only need some internal intelligence information, how much would it cost?"

(End of this chapter)