Zhong Da Pao had brought his bald middle-aged friend along. This guy looked like he was very impulsive and had a one-track mind. He did not have a good expression on his face when he saw Li Du.
The car drove south, and the dilapidated Hpakant appeared on both sides of the road.
There was no more road after that. There were too many trucks here, and the roadbed had long been destroyed. Fortunately, it had not rained recently, so the ground was still relatively flat. If it had rained, it would have been difficult to move an inch.
At the southernmost part of the town, a series of dilapidated buildings and shacks appeared. It was a residential area that looked like a slum. There was a sign in front of the residential area that read: Dragon City!
"But with the Dragon City Flying Generals, don't we teach them how to cross the Yin Mountain?" Li Du smiled casually.
The middle-aged man snorted, "I'll beat them up if they come!"
Li Du's words were said casually. The middle-aged man's words seemed a little strange, but if he connected the two sentences, there was a deeper meaning.
"What's wrong? Is that the Chinese residential area in front? Are we going to start ruling from this road? "
Zhong Da Pao said, "Yes, the poem you just said is the origin of the name of this place. Did you ask around about the local people these two days?"
Li Du shook his head and said, "No, I just looked at the two words' Dragon City 'and sighed. What's going on?"
Zhong Da Pao said, "Nothing much. I'm just bringing you to where our people live."
The name Dragon City was impressive, but the actual situation was a little shabby. The houses were dilapidated, and the people wore tattered clothes. Many of the houses had salted vegetables and other unknown things drying in front of them. Coupled with the dirty water in front and behind the houses, the smell was even more pungent.
The car stopped, and Zhong Da Pao got out. The people who were playing cards around greeted him.
Li Du looked carefully and realized that he had been here before. When he entered the town previously, he had passed through here. He saw many disabled people with limps and missing arms. There were many of them.
When he was in the town center, he heard a lot of Mandarin. Now that he was in Dragon City, he heard even more. There were many northern, southern, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, and so on.
Zhong Da Pao passed him a cigarette. Li Du rejected it. "Sorry, I don't smoke."
So he passed the cigarette to a little old man. The little old man only had one hand. He held the cigarette in his mouth and pinched it into two pieces. He kept one piece in his mouth and passed the other to the man beside him.
Zhong Da Pao pointed at the people there and said, "They are all compatriots. They are all from China."
Li Du nodded to show that he understood. "And then? I saw them. They're in bad shape. Why did you bring me here? "
Zhong Da Pao did not answer. Instead, he said, "There are many rich people in the town. The surrounding land has been dug up. There's no way to grow crops and vegetables. We have to rely on transportation. You've seen the condition of the road. The cost of entering is very high."
"That's why everything here is expensive. A catty of brown rice costs 12 yuan, and a catty of cabbage costs 12 yuan. Fruits can easily cost 20 yuan or more. The prices of chicken, duck, and fish are even more frightening. People here only eat a few times a year."
Li Du said, "If that's the case, why don't the people here return to their countries?"
The bald middle-aged man sneered. "Can they go back?"
Zhong Da Pao continued, "They can't go back. Actually, you can say that there must be something hateful about these pitiful people. Most of them used to be doing well in their countries. They all had some money and came here to try their luck."
"And the result?" Zhong Da Pao shook his head. "You saw the result. Not only did they not get rich, they even lost their lives here!"
Li Du said, "I did see all that. Let's get straight to the point."
Zhong Da Pao said, "We don't have much money now. But we have so many mouths to feed and to survive. Hence, we want to earn some money. How can we earn money quickly here? Gambling on stones! So, brother, you have to help us! "
Li Du smiled and said, "Let me clarify first. I'm considered a businessman …"
"All businessmen are cunning?" The bald middle-aged man interrupted. "You want to earn money, right? With your ability and our connections, it's easy to earn money. "
Li Du said, "No, I mean, why should a businessman like me help the people here? Is it because of compassion? "
Zhong Da Pao looked at him sincerely and said, "Because we are all compatriots. We are not trying to blackmail you or ask you to donate money or anything. We want to work with you. You have been here for two days. If you don't have a reliable person to work with, you won't be able to enter. "
Li Du looked at the people and asked, "What's wrong with them?"
Zhong Da Pao said slowly, "What else? They have money in their hands and came overseas to gamble on stones to make a fortune. In the end, they lost all their money. Then they borrowed money to cheat others to continue gambling. In the end, they still lost money. In the end, they had no choice but to stay here. "
Li Du frowned and said, "In other words, you think I should help a bunch of gamblers?"
Zhong Da Pao shook his head and said, "There are not only gamblers here. There are also many innocent people. Some of them were tricked into coming here. Some of them are the children of previous generations. Someone has to help them. Otherwise, are we just going to watch them die?"
Li Du asked, "Are you considered the mayor here? Are you taking care of them? "
Zhong Da Pao said, "We take care of each other. I take care of them, and they take care of me. In fact, my life was saved by them. Back then, they saved the lives of many of my friends and me. That's why I am here to do my part. "
In the past two days, Li Du had asked around. He had long known about the existence of Dragon City. However, the locals called it the 'Chinese Village.' Zhong Da Pao was the village chief.
Just as he had seen before, Zhong Da Pao was a soldier. The waiter told him that more than thirty years ago, there was a small team from the People's Liberation Army who came here in civilian clothes to carry out a mission. However, the mission failed and they were exposed.
The waiter did not know the details of the mission. What he knew was that they had offended the bosses and leaders of the local fields and were violently attacked.
At that time, there was already a Chinese Village in Hpakant. After the villagers found out about the team's identity, they helped them escape from Hpakant without hesitation. Because of that, there were many casualties.
After two years, a few of the team members who had left Hpakant returned. They had wanted to lead the Chinese Village to make a name for themselves in Hpakant and occupy a few fields to develop.
However, reality was not like movies. The local power was complicated and they did not manage to take down any of the fields.
Fortunately, they were also very brave at that time. They forced the bosses to swear an oath that they would not bully the Chinese or enter the Chinese Village. It was considered as helping the Chinese to gain a piece of territory. At least the Chinese who came here had a place to stay.
In recent years, China's national power and economy had become stronger and stronger. China's jade merchants had gradually become the main force in the Hpakant business world.
This had increased the local status of the Chinese, but it did not help to improve the quality of their lives. The merchants would not come to the poor slums. The people who came would only increase the cost of living there.
Therefore, the situation of Zhong Da Pao and his Chinese Village became more and more difficult.
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