Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 820 The Golden Age

Xiao Wei discovered that the leader of this investment promotion bureau was a real drinker.

After downing two jin of baijiu, his face wasn't flushed or out of breath, and he could even down a bit more beer. He spoke steadily and calmly, except his laughter was a little louder.

It's not easy for anyone. Xiao Wei thinks the first requirement for promoting leaders in the investment promotion bureau must be the ability to drink.

In fact, in the 90s, especially the early 90s, the selection criteria for leaders of China Merchants Group did include the ability to drink. This also applied to positions such as secretary and assistant; everyone had to be a heavy drinker, and an exceptionally heavy one at that. The ideal candidate was an all-rounder capable of drinking three cups' worth of liquor.

At this time, the market economy had just begun, and the mainstream society had no idea what a market was, let alone what an economy was. However, they knew how to cultivate relationships and build connections, which was a characteristic of the entire country in the 90s. Cultivating relationships and building connections naturally involved dining and drinking.

I don't know when it started, but whether someone can drink, and whether they can drink heartily, has become a standard for judging a person. It's ridiculous.

Actually, this is something we learned from our Russian big brother. Chinese people aren't necessarily good at learning good things, but they're incredibly quick to pick up bad habits. Due to their geographical location and national customs, the Russians particularly admire those who can drink; they get things done by drinking first, as if being able to drink gives you an edge. But what does this have to do with us? The result was that this practice was adopted, from the military to civilian life, and eventually became widespread.

So you want to learn the whole thing? They get things done after drinking. But we drink, and that doesn't guarantee anything. It's like copying how universities charge exorbitant fees or medical bills—they take the money and get the job done, teaching you, treating you, providing thorough and responsible service. We just copy the fees, and then claim everything else is just a matter of national conditions. Haha.

The same goes for highways. You copy others by charging tolls, but why don't you copy them by removing toll booths when the toll period expires? Oil prices rise along with others, but why don't you see that when prices drop? You treat money like dirt when you go out, throwing it away recklessly, but when you come back, money is money, and you're so stingy with your own people that you wish you could avoid paying a single cent.

People always criticize Zixi for saying "I'd rather give to foreigners than to my own people," but the truth is, most Chinese, especially respectable ones, are like this—they can't stand seeing their own people do well. When foreigners make money, they're all smiles, fawning over them, truly impressive. But when their own people make money, they curse them and then report them.

Since the 1990s, inspirational stories, entrepreneurial tales, and feel-good platitudes have become popular in China. Many people study them as gospel, but no one seems to realize that they are all stories from the 1950s and 60s, or even earlier, written by foreigners. What good are they? What use are they except for making money for the authors?

National conditions, cultural background, politics and laws—there's absolutely nothing in common. You think you can learn from others? Foreigners can make a fortune with a small invention, but can we do that? A single Tencent product can teach you a lesson in no time.

In foreign countries, ordinary people can become rich and make money by writing a book and publishing it. Can we do that? Who cares? Everything is in the hands of a limited number of people. Whoever touches it dies. It has nothing to do with intelligence, talent, or cultural refinement. If Harry Potter were written by a Chinese person, you might not even see it.

……

After drinking from beginning to end, the leader sat with Xiaowei for a few minutes, exchanged a few words with him, and then took his leave. Xiaowei guessed that he must have felt unwell from drinking, so he went home to rest. The remaining invited guests continued to eat and drink heartily.

Back in 92, seafood was just becoming popular. After serving large portions of fish and meat, seafood like turtle would be served. It was almost embarrassing to invite someone to a meal without a turtle dish. In reality, this was just a successful marketing campaign. Behind every trend and craze, there's always a small group of beneficiaries giving orders.

Back then, people had money, but there wasn't much to spend it on, and resources were scarce. You had to help them find a way to show off, right?

Like the world's three biggest scams—yogurt, diamonds, and human head trafficking—and all three were perpetrated by Russians, one of whom was even a Nobel laureate. What was his true motive for deceiving people? The answer is quite simple: to make money.

Everyone is trying to make money, so even though they all know it's a scam, so many people still keep praising it and trying to keep the scam going, and so many people are willing to be scammed because they need a topic to show off and brag about.

The production of crystals and diamonds could supply everyone in the world with a handful, and they'd have to be in large blocks; small ones wouldn't be accepted. Why did antiques become so popular? There are countless reasons, but it's simply because a small group of people wanted to make money and swindle others, thus creating an industry that eventually became a customary practice. This includes stock speculation.

Like cosmetics, everyone knows they're actually harmful to the skin, everyone knows they're sold for hundreds of dollars in bottles containing only a few cents' worth of product, yet people still flock to them. Why?

Everyone knows money should be used for daily living, supporting the elderly, and raising children. So why do magazine editors, earning only 3,000 yuan a month, insist on telling you how to live on 50,000 yuan, and why do people actually believe them? What are luxury goods for? Who dictates your consumption habits?

This is a world of liars.

The 90s were a golden age for people all over the world. Looking at today's prominent figures, how many didn't rise to prominence during that era, whether domestically or internationally? It was also from that time that money became everything, and the era of laughing at poverty but not prostitution began.

……

"Hello, are you all satisfied with today's arrangements?"

A woman with big eyes and a bodycon dress stood slightly bent over by the table and asked Xiao Wei and the others a question.

Xiao Wei said, "It's okay, it's very good, quite nice."

The woman smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling, and said, "I'm glad you're all satisfied. Is there anything else you need regarding accommodation or transportation? Would you like us to send a car and arrange a tour guide? You can have a good look around Harbin. The scenery here is definitely worth seeing; there are many fun places to visit. Have any of you been to Harbin before?"

Xiao Wei shook his head: "Never been here before, this is my first time."

The woman said, "Then you'll need to go to many places: Central Street, the Cathedral, the Songhua River, Sun Island. We've arrived at Sun Island, we've arrived at Sun Island." She softly sang a couple of lines, then said, "I don't sing well; this is a song about our Ice City, Sun Island."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "I've heard of it, it's quite popular. Why don't you sit down and talk? I feel tired and uncomfortable standing here."

The woman smiled and sat down. Xiao Wei noticed that each table had someone assigned to keep her company and talk to her. This investment promotion conference was really well prepared.

"My name is An Xiaohui, and I'm a music teacher. Bosses, what are your surnames?"

Chen Hui asked, "Are you a teacher? What are you doing here?"

An Xiaohui said, "They're just temporarily on loan. Look at all these people. How could the Investment Promotion Bureau have so many employees? Most of them are borrowed from various units. If they're lucky, they might stay. But most of them will have to go back to their original units after this meeting, which means their own work is being delayed. It's really quite unfair."

Xiao Wei asked, "Aren't you worried?"

An Xiaohui laughed and said, "I'm just an elementary school music teacher. My job is easy, and there's nothing serious about it."

(End of this chapter)