Volume 5: The Age of Storms Chapter 0723: Mouse, Mouse
"President, Lu Yingde has arrived in India and is now waiting for your summons at his hometown." Han Zhenhe said again after walking down from the roof.
Indra Nooyi is the person chosen by Masami Ueto to be the leader of the Galaxy Goddess. She is an Indian, of the Brahmin caste, born in 1955. She has a high level of education and rich work experience. Most importantly, after Nan Yi read her information, he confirmed that she had been the leader of PepsiCo in her previous life.
"You went to the United States to pick him up yourself, right?"
"Yes, President."
Nan Yi thought for a moment and said, "Call her and ask her to come to Mumbai. I want to meet her."
"I'll call her in a minute."
Nan Yi walked into his study, first turned the calendar on the table to the current day, then flipped back and wrote the three words "send red envelopes" on the third page.
"Call Divaman over." After writing, Nan Yi said to the school beauty.
About five minutes later, Divaman came to Nan Yi's study.
"gentlemen."
"Divaman, please sit down."
Nan Yi waited for Diwaman to sit down opposite him and then said, "Outside the gate of Peacock Villa, there are two acres of land that belong to me, right?"
"Yes, when the fence was built, Mr. Farrakhai ordered that those two acres of land not be included in the Villa."
"Well, that's just right. I want to plan a spice factory there. It doesn't need to be too big, one acre will do. There's not much work to do in the farmland recently. After the festival, you can ask the workers in the villa to level the land, and then let the workers who built the house take the lead in building the factory building and the drying yard."
"Sir, different spices have different drying and processing techniques. I wonder which spices you plan to make?"
"I want to run an experimental spice factory. The more complete the product range, the better. The fewer employees, the better. I don't expect to make a profit, but I can't spend too much. There are many children under the age of fourteen working in Mumbai, right?"
“Yes, although a law was enacted the year before last to prohibit the employment of minors in many industries, and those who illegally employ child labor will face a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of 20,000 rupees, this law is ineffective and has not been well implemented.
This is because if many minors cannot work, boys can only beg on the streets and girls can only go to Kamathipura, and their fate will be even more miserable. "
"Oh, it's so pitiful. Well, we can have more staff in our spice factory and hire more minors. I don't want to see the poor children living on the streets." Nan Yi said compassionately.
"Sir, you are very kind."
"This is what I should do, Divaman . The preparation work for the spice factory is now in your hands. I take back what I said earlier about not caring about profits. For the sake of the children, I have to run the spice factory well so that they can always get their wages."
"Okay, sir, I'll make arrangements now. The workers have already rested for a while, and we can't let them rest any longer. Over time, people will become lazy."
"Divaman, don't work too hard. The weather is still very hot. Prepare some ice for the workers so they can have cold drinks."
"Okay, let me thank you sir on behalf of the workers first."
"You go ahead."
Nan Yi waved his hand to let Divaman leave, took out the scratch-off lottery ticket that had not been scratched from the drawer, and started scratching it with a coin in his hand.
After scratching dozens of tickets, Nan Yi threw the lottery ticket aside.
Most of them didn't win, but a few won small prizes. However, Nan Yi remained calm and didn't feel any psychological fluctuations. This made Nan Yi, who wanted to simulate the psychology of lottery players, feel very unsuccessful.
Nan Yi has never believed in such illusory things. He thinks it is normal if he doesn't win, and he thinks it is a bait if he wins. He doesn't have any expectations, nor will he cover the prize redemption area with his hands and slowly move it away bit by bit to increase his adrenaline.
"It's still a little bit off. It's not time to think about lottery yet."
Nan Yi muttered to himself, cleaned up the lottery ticket crumbs that had fallen on the desk, walked to the newspaper rack, picked up a stack of newspapers, and walked towards Peacock Lake.
Lee Ka Po, Merlion Company.
A programmer slammed the table. "Fuck! It's down again. There's something wrong with the algorithm. The CPU can't handle the calculations at all."
"Tosh, the customer didn't specify the number of CPUs. Maybe adding two more CPUs will allow the server to handle the computation."
"No, Osha, I've got some ideas. Our algorithm still has a lot of room for improvement. Come with me out for a cigarette. I want to discuss this with you."
"Why not."
Osha shrugged and walked out of the office with Tosh.
On the rooftop of the office building, the two lit cigarettes for each other. Osha took an awkward puff and said, "Tosh, where do you think the system we are developing can be applied?"
"Osha, you've actually thought of it, haven't you?" Tosh asked instead of answering.
"Yes, I figured it out. This system should be used to count the numbers purchased for lottery tickets. It needs to extract the numbers with the most repetitions, as well as the numbers that appear only once, and also classify them. Needless to say, it must be classified by the area where the lottery tickets were purchased. Damn capitalists, they even fake the lottery tickets."
"Don't complain. After completing this project, we will not only receive a generous bonus, but also a long vacation. Or you should think about where to go on vacation."
"We'll talk about this later. How do you think this system will solve the problem of long-distance data transmission? Will it be done by laying lines or transmitting via satellite?"
"It should be a satellite. The transmission power of laying lines cannot be guaranteed, and the cost is not low. It is more convenient to use satellite. Osha, my optimization idea is this. Let's change the traversal mode..."
Tosh and Osha soon began discussing technical issues and became absorbed in them.
Nan Yi picked up the cup, took a sip of tea, and folded and sorted the newspapers he had read. Newspapers were not thrown away or sold as waste after reading. Nan Yi would collect all the newspapers he had read and then send them to the newspaper warehouse for storage.
When you are old, it will be a wonderful experience to look back on the dozens or even hundreds of tons of newspapers you have read.
Time passed quickly and it was evening. After Devman and the servants prepared the dinner, Sonu and Saira came together, one step ahead of them, while Priyanka and Kochhar arrived first.
The dinner was held right beside Peacock Lake. The sky was dotted with stars, two bonfires were burning around, and two colorful lanterns were hanging on the curtains, flickering. The servants stood dozens of meters away. While others enjoyed the exquisite dinner, Nan Yi and Sonu negotiated the details of the cooperation.
"Adam, Indian officials are greedy. No matter what you do, you must give them a benefit, otherwise the work cannot be carried out at all."
"I know, Sonu, that's why I'm going to give you 12% of the shares, and I'm also trying to get some votes. I like making friends and am willing to make progress together with my friends. I'm not a speculator, but I came to India to make a real investment."
Nan Yi and Sonu both tacitly removed the suffix of "Mr." and did not talk about Sonu's trip to New York. There was no need to talk about it. Now both of them were actively promoting the progress of cooperation, and it was clear that Sonu already recognized Nan Yi's strength.
"I understand that, but where do you plan to start?"
"The stock market, United Cement stock, my people are already watching this stock, a guy called Harshad Mehta is manipulating it, he might push it to sky-high prices."
"A sky-high price? How high does he plan to push the stock price to?"
"Maybe 8,000 or 9,000 rupees, maybe tens of thousands, who knows? Mr. Mehta is very ambitious. Sonu, the labor group needs a lawyer. I have already picked someone, Akshay Patera. It is not convenient for me to come forward, so you may need to invite him."
Sonu nodded and said, "Akshay is indeed a good choice. I have a good relationship with him. I will call Delhi and have a good chat with him. I believe he will accept my invitation."
"That's great." Nan Yi raised his cup and said, "Sonu, I wish us a happy cooperation."
“It’s a pleasure to work with you!”
After a glass of wine, Sonu brought up Harshad Mehta again. "Adam, tell me about Harshad."
"The detailed information has not been fed back yet, but I can make some analysis based on his actions. He is a very daring person who is quick to exploit loopholes. Strictly speaking, he is engaging in insider trading, which is prohibited and illegal in the stock markets of other countries, but is allowed in BSE."
"Mad cow disease? Ah, BSE. I don't know much about the stock market, but I know it's very easy to make money through insider trading. So what you do is follow him?"
"No, it should be said that we are pushing him in the direction we need. Mr. Meta will be our benefactor. Through him, we can make a huge amount of money and achieve several goals. Finally, he will also sacrifice for mad cow disease, making it more standardized, and the labor group can live in a healthy stock market."
"Ahaha, to the respected Mr. Mehta." Sonu smiled and raised his glass.
"Cheers to Mr. Mehta!"
"Sonu, Bandhavgarh National Park is now at its best scenery season, and it is also the best time of the year for hunting. It is time to go on a hunting trip with a few like-minded friends."
"Ah, Mr. Neeraj Akuri, the chairman of United Cement, loves hunting. Mumbai Mayor Prabhu is also very interested in hunting. I will invite them and the four of us will go on a camping and hunting trip."
"Ha, that's great. I've always been interested in hunting, but my marksmanship hasn't improved much. I'm fine with fixed targets, but I'm not very good at moving targets. Maybe I can learn some shooting techniques from you guys."
"We can discuss with each other. My shooting level is also very average."
The dinner ended in a friendly atmosphere. The next day, Nan Yi discussed the details of the cooperation and the asset composition of the Labor Group with Sonu. In addition to insignificant assets such as Dharavi Trade and unestablished enterprises, 20% of the shares of Galaxy Goddess, which were spun off from the Shiva Group, were also injected into the Labor Group.
Sonu's upcoming contributions and efforts will be huge, which makes Nan Yi feel embarrassed not to give him some benefits first. Of course, the shares of Galaxy Goddess only have full dividend rights, but no voice that matches the share amount. These 20% shares are more like B shares among AB shares.
The cooperation agreement signed by both parties is very rigorous and detailed. The shares of the labor group will not be transferred to Sonu at one time. Of course, Sonu’s funds will not be in place at one time. Nan Yi and Sonu still need a process of running-in and building mutual trust, which will be a long process.
In order to show his sincerity, Nan Yi directly transferred 5% of the shares to Park Yanka and confirmed her identity as the chairman and president of the labor group.
As for whether she is a mascot or not, it all depends on Priyanka herself.
The day after the signing, which was the evening of October 24, Nan Yi invited Kochha to have dinner alone at a restaurant outside, where they ate traditional Indian food.
Nan Yi has always complained that Indian street snacks are tacky. The deepest reason is not that he thinks the production process is too dirty. The food production process cannot be delved into. If you investigate in depth, you will find that the bright and beautiful food in the end is actually full of flaws in the production process.
For example, in Chinese cuisine, there are actually several vegetables that are usually not washed before being put into the pot. It’s not because we are lazy, but because they are easier to cook without moisture, and the final product will taste better.
In fact, what Nan Yi can't stand the most are the hands of the vendors. There is white in the black, and dark in the black. The color of the knuckles is particularly dark, and it looks like mud that has not been rubbed clean. This gives people a psychological suggestion - the food is dirty.
Just as many people will not buy snacks from the elderly’s stalls, psychologically, people will always consciously or unconsciously associate elderly people who are not relatives with various diseases, and then develop a psychological resistance to the food they provide.
In Mumbai, Nan Yi cannot be down-to-earth when eating out. He can only choose high-end restaurants, and can only choose chefs whose hands are one color, not colorful black.
Nan Yi tore off a piece of Roti from the stainless steel bowl, dipped it in the paste-like potato sauce, and put it in his mouth to chew. "The taste of the spices is too irritating. I prefer something lighter."
As Nan Yi spoke, he tore off a piece of Roti and stuffed it directly into his mouth without dipping it in sauce.
"Did what happened in the past two days give you a little stimulation? Do you feel a sense of loss?"
"Boss, to be honest, I feel stimulated but also very frustrated." Kochha said dejectedly.
"It's not surprising. I would feel lost too." Nan Yi shrugged and said, "The caste system has been in existence for more than 2,400 years. The ancestors of the Sharma family laid a solid foundation for their descendants a long time ago.
When you and Priyanka were still a fertilized egg, Priyanka ran as hard as she could, surpassing her competitors one after another, and finally won the first place and was reborn into the Sharma family;
But you, when you need to work hard, you read Aesop's Fables and learned from the rabbit in the tortoise and the hare race. You slacked off, allowing your competitors to overtake you one by one, and your own foundation became very poor.
Of course, there are big problems with my statement. If you want to refute it, I will tell you that this is the reincarnation theory in Buddhism. "
"Boss, I understand what you mean. The Sharma family is very powerful and is a partner that our group needs very much. Whether Priyanka is capable or not, she will be in a high position."
"Yes." Nan Yi nodded, "The Sharma family is a cornerstone that the Labor Group needs. Without a solid foundation, it is impossible to build a tall building. The height that the Labor Group can reach depends on the foundation.
Changda, I believe that you are very capable, and I also believe that your future is limitless, so I will make an exception and give you generous treatment that far exceeds your ability, but that is in the future, and if you want to display your abilities, you also need a good platform.
What I am doing now is to build a good platform for you, where you can fully display your talents. You don’t have to worry that I can’t see your efforts, and you don’t have to worry that your efforts will not be rewarded as they should be.”
Nan Yi took a piece of Roti from his stainless steel bowl and put it in Kochhar's bowl, "Bread, I have already drawn it for you. It is real, not virtual. You will also have the same treatment as Priyanka in the future, as long as you work hard and make achievements.
There are some things I can't tell you for the time being, but you can think about why the Sharma family is willing to cooperate with me. Is your future only in Mumbai, only in the labor group, or is there a broader sky? "
"Thank you, Boss, for your guidance and your affirmation. I will think carefully and work hard."
"Hmm, I've talked too much and my mouth is a little dry. Please get me a soda."
"OK."
Kochha called the waiter and ordered a glass of soda for Nan Yi.
"Diwali is coming, and this festival is similar to the Chinese New Year. You and I are of the same age, but you were born later than me. According to Chinese customs, I should give you a red envelope."
After taking a sip of the soda water brought by the waiter, Nan Yi said to Kochha, "You still need to earn more than 900 points for the house you live in. Now I will give you these points in a red envelope, and the house will belong to you in the future.
Ah, the house is not very good. You should live in a bigger and better house. During the holidays, you can think about what your dream house should be like. After you have thought it through, tell me so that I can evaluate how many points you need to complete to own it. "
"BOSS, are you planning to let me move into the Dream House ahead of time?" Kochha said in disbelief.
"Yes, why not? If you have an ideal husband, I don't mind helping you get him." Nan Yi shrugged and said.
"Haha, that's not necessary. I can find a husband myself."
"That's a pity. You can't enjoy the hidden benefits of the group. The group not only pays wages, but also gives you a husband."
"Ahaha, I won't enjoy this benefit." Kochha laughed happily.
"Well, I got some leather goods orders from Xiangkeng this time. I'll talk to you about it tomorrow afternoon."
When the atmosphere was moving towards a more relaxed and comfortable direction, Nan Yi spoiled the mood by shifting the topic to work. Superiors and subordinates are superiors and subordinates. They can have an easy conversation, but they cannot become close friends, especially between male bosses and female subordinates. It is not appropriate for them to get too close.
Compared with men, women are more likely to blur their own positioning in different situations.
Business is business, and the workplace is the workplace. Mixing in too many side issues will only complicate simple things.
"Okay, I'll go to Peacock Villa tomorrow afternoon." Kochha put away his smile and nodded seriously.
Nan Yi nodded, picked up the Roti that he had not finished eating, put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly.
The next day, Nan Yi had just finished talking with Indra Nooyi who was going to Varanasi to take up his new post when Marion, whom he had not seen for a long time, showed up.
"So, you're tired of that ascetic handsome guy?"
Marion shook her wine glass and sat lazily opposite Nan Yi. "Yes, I'm tired of him. I can't find anything new in him anymore."
“So you’re tired of India?”
"If you, Adam, strongly invite me, I can stay in India for a while longer."
"Ha, that's impossible. I've been worried all this time, afraid that something might happen to you here. I don't know how to explain it to your family. Stay at the villa and have a good rest. I'll arrange a flight for you to Paris the day after tomorrow."
Nan Yi wished Marion would leave as soon as possible. You know, Marion was invited to India by Nan Yi, and if anything happened to her here, Nan Yi would be jointly responsible.
As long as Marion was sent away safely, even if she flew back immediately after getting off the plane, any accident would have nothing to do with Nan Yi. In fact, Nan Yi's help meant that the Wallenberg family owed him a favor.
"Adam, have I become a bad guest in your eyes?"
"Not a bad guest, but I'm a little scared of you, really. I'll ask the maid to come and help you bathe and change clothes. After that, you can rest for a while, or you can come to the lake to find me. I'll be there."
Marion laughed wildly and said, "Haha, okay, help me arrange a flight for the day after tomorrow at noon. Sophie is not here, so it's pointless for me to stay any longer."
"uh-huh."
As time entered November, Peacock Villa became very quiet. Sonu made an appointment for the hunting trip, which was scheduled for November 5th.
When he learned that the school beauty had arranged people to lurk there, Nan Yi decided to give himself a vacation and go on a real short trip.
The travel destination that Nan Yi chose for himself was the Karni Mata Temple, which has a more popular name - the Rat Temple.
In Rajasthan in western India, there is a place called Desanuk. A devout Hindu named Karni built a rat temple in the 15th century. For more than 500 years, this rat temple has been very popular, with believers coming to worship the rats in an endless stream.
There are thousands of rats in the temple, where they are specially protected and fed.
The Karni Mata Temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, an officially recognized goddess of the royal families of Zodpur and Bikaner who led an ascetic life and disappeared .
Among the thousands of rats in the temple, five white rats are said to be particularly sacred and are the incarnations of Karni Mata herself and her four sons.
The temple does not actually worship mice, but the goddess Durga, the mother of Ganesha and the wife of Shiva.
Karni Mata's real name was Ridhu Bai. She was born on October 2, 1387. At the age of 6, she was given the title of Karni because she miraculously healed her aunt, which means she will benefit the world. "Mata" is the Hindu name for the goddess, meaning mother.
Karni Mata's life is full of legends. Various miracles made people believe that she was the reincarnation of the goddess Durga. She got married in 1415, but soon arranged a wedding for her sister to marry her husband, and then she moved to her aunt's village.
From there, she began a wandering ascetic life with her followers, during which many legendary stories happened.
In 1463, her adopted son accidentally drowned while drinking water in a pond. She pleaded with the god of death, Yama, hoping to bring her adopted son back to life, but the god of death rejected her request.
She clenched her fist and swore angrily: "From now on, my people will never fall into the hands of the god of death again. Their souls will temporarily reside in the bodies of mice after death, and return to human bodies with the birth of newborns."
When something is linked to religion or gods, it often loses its annoying characteristics and is given peace, making it look less annoying.
Nan Yi came to the Rat Temple. From the outside, the temple looked extremely clean and there was no peculiar smell. The silver gate was engraved with patterns of animals and plants. One of the patterns showed a scene of pigeons and rats fighting for food.
Before coming, Nan Yi had learned that they had to take off their shoes to enter the Rat Temple, so they all put on protective socks with specially treated bottoms. The function was very similar to rock climbing shoes. Running in protective socks would be uncomfortable, but they would not be pierced.
The temple does not charge admission. Locals will leave their shoes outside the silver gate, while foreigners will take off their shoes outside the temple. Nan Yi and his group are all foreigners, so of course they also take off their shoes outside the temple. Therefore, in addition to the people who stayed outside the temple to meet them, they also left someone to look after the shoes.
Entering the silver gate, what comes into view is an open space about the size of a basketball court, paved with black and white marble tiles, and a net propped up in the air to block out all objects, except sunlight.
Nan Yi did not make a fuss about this net. Not to mention the picture of pigeons and rats fighting for food that he had just seen outside, he had set up a similar net himself, which was simply used to prevent flying birds or insects.
The main temple is directly in front of you. The hall is quite deep and the statue is shining with golden light, tempting people to go in and worship it.
There were several enamel basins filled with water and milk on the open space on the left. Looking over the enamel basins, you could see a person cooking something in front of a big pot in the back, and several women in bright saris were nodding their heads and chatting next to them.
A priest in white was dozing on the steps in front of the temple, perhaps recalling the story he had with a goddess last night, which started with and ended with the number "4", with a "0" in between.
A little boy was chasing something in the corner with a wooden stick in his hand. Nan Yi squinted his eyes and watched for a long time, but he couldn't tell what was being chased. He only saw air.
The temple is peaceful and tranquil, with a hint of utopia.
Ding ding ding! The man who was cooking just now knocked on the big pot with a stick. The women stopped chatting and walked over to him to help. Some milky white food was poured from the pot into a metal basin as big as a bathtub, and the fragrance spread immediately.
There were rustling sounds and dense crawling sounds. Rats came out from the square passages reserved near the foundation of the temple, one after another, in a continuous formation, without rushing, as if they were taking a leisurely walk.
When they arrived at the eating area, the mice began to disperse. Some came to the water basin to suck the nectar; some came to the milk basin, sniffed it, and then immersed their heads in the milk; some went straight to the large metal basin, stood up, lay on the wall of the basin with their front legs to take a look inside, and either ate the food directly or left to pick out the rice offered by believers in the open space next to it.
The net in the air was swaying irregularly up and down. The pigeons fluttered their wings and looked greedily at the delicacies below, uttering sweet words, "Fuck, you are crazy. You feed mice instead of pigeons. Hey, I'm talking to you, you black and stupid guy. If you don't come to feed the pigeons, I'll give you a bird flu."
"The rats here have no worries about food and water, they don't need to burrow into sewers. Look at their fur, it's shiny and glossy, their eyes aren't red and dirty, and they have a thick layer of lard on their bodies. They will surely taste great if you grill them on skewers." The tiger cub swallowed his saliva and said in Nan Yi's ear.
"No matter how clean it is, it's not as clean as a vole." said the school beauty.
Nan Yi laughed and said teasingly, "This is the land of rats. Eating rats is much more serious than stealing the offerings on the altar. Be careful that some rat spirits understand what you say and call their brothers to bite you to death."
"I don't believe it. Didn't they say that the strange things were a few white mice?"
Nan Yi and the other two were laughing and chatting, but the other foreigners hid in the sunlight near the door, looking at the mice enjoying the free air with fear and curiosity.
In sharp contrast to the foreigners are the locals, who apparently treat rats as their own relatives, happily looking down at the rats crawling over and over on their feet. Some people put their hands together in front of the rats, worship them, then reach into the milk basin, scoop up a handful of milk and put it into their mouths.
"Hey, this god believes in the benefits and rewards in this life." Nan Yi couldn't help but complain.
At this time, another person brought out a tree root full of holes. The little mice immediately gathered around it happily, drilling in and out of the tree holes, treating the tree root as their little mouse paradise.
The women continued chatting while scattering plump grains of rice on the ground. At the feet of the white-robed priest, two mice stood up and rolled their eyes, not knowing what bad idea they were up to.
The little boy by the wall stopped chasing and started playing hide-and-seek with a mouse, occasionally stroking his cuddly pet with his hands.
At this time, a priest from a temple approached the foreigners with cleaning tools, and while cleaning up the vomit, he persuaded them in English: "Don't be afraid, these are holy rats, they will never hurt anyone. According to our customs, being stepped on by a rat in the rat temple will bring you good luck for the day.
Also, the Rat King will appear in the main hall today, so don’t miss the opportunity. If you can get touched by the Rat King, you will get the greatest honor and the greatest luck, which will last a lifetime.”
"This charlatan's words are quite tempting."
