161 Country of Origin
Vivian discussed her idea with Jobs. Jobs didn’t know about Vivian’s cheat, but he was confident in his own strength.
Recently, there had not been any large Jade auctions like the last one in Kolma Town. The two of them decided to go to the Mandhesi Jade Trade Fair in M Country a week later to get the goods directly. First, they wanted to buy some raw stones for stone gambling. Second, they wanted to choose raw materials for the Jade accessories of the ten jewelry stores. Therefore, the order this time was very large. They could also reduce costs by going to the country of origin.
Vivian’s stomach was getting bigger and bigger. When Leon knew that she was going to Southeast Asia, he was very worried.
Leon sat beside Vivian, trying to persuade her. “Mom, I’ll go with you. You know my grades. It won’t affect me even if I don’t go to class.”
Vivian refused without a second thought. Since the Independence of the M Country, the government forces and the local armed forces of various ethnic minorities had been in constant civil wars. There were many armies in one country, and they were involved in prostitution, gambling, and drugs. For the sake of Leon’s safety, Vivian would not bring him along this time no matter what.
After struggling for a while, when he saw how determined Vivian was, he understood that he can’t do anything more as persuasion was useless. He could only compromise. “Then we have to call each other every morning and night!”
Vivian looked at him lovingly. “Alright.”
Leon continued, “You’ll have to bring Fanny along too. The eating habits in Southeast Asia are completely different from ours. You’re pregnant now, so if you can’t eat, the three of you will go hungry. Besides, the climate there is completely different from here. You’ll get used to it faster with Fanny around.”
Vivian had wanted to go out simply, but when she saw how Leon was determined to go with her without Fanny, she could only nod in agreement.
The trip was expected to last a week or two. Leon accompanied Vivian as she packed two large suitcases. He also nagged Fanny to pay attention to Vivian’s daily life, and repeatedly reminded Daisy and Lilian not to let Vivian leave their sight.
Under Leon’s worried gaze, Vivian successfully left the house.
Jobs had specially invited five trustworthy Jade appraisal experts to go with him and two newly recruited assistants.
Vivian was also a little worried about the situation over there. She specifically asked Andy to personally lead a team of 20 people and four guards, a total of 34 people to M Country.
As soon as he got off the plane, a hot wave hit them in the face. In China, people started to wear cotton-padded clothes in December, but the temperature difference between morning and night in Mandhesi was huge. It was still hot to wear short-sleeved shirts during the day, but at night, one had to wear thin coats.
Jobs came here almost once a year. He was very fluent in the simple language of the M Country and was quite familiar with the place. He had already contacted a car and three translators to arrive at the airport to pick them up.
The group arrived at the parking lot. There were four business vans and one off-road vehicle.
Vivian got into the off-road vehicle, along with Jobs, Andy, David, and Lilian.
The five-star hotel they were staying at was located near the East Gate of the palace in the city center. It was about an hour’s drive from the airport.
This was Vivian’s first time in this country. She looked out the window at the entirely different architectural styles as she listened to Jobs introduce the local economic development.
Mandhesi was the second largest city in M Country. It was a very famous cultural ancient capital with beautiful scenery. The palace of the last dynasty was also here, and there was also an extremely beautiful temple.
Most of the people here believed in Buddhism. Although there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor, even in the turbulent situation, Vivian could still see the peaceful smiles on everyone’s faces.
There were almost no high-rise buildings on either side of the road. Most of them were self-built houses with no more than five or six stories. The streets were flat and straight, but because there were no traffic lights, everyone had to rely on their tacit understanding to drive through the crossroads. There were very few cars here, and most of the locals rode motorcycles and tuk-tuk cars.
Most of the men and women on the street wore cylindrical skirts, which were the local traditional clothing. The men’s circular skirts were called “longyi”, and the women’s circular skirts were called “tamane”. Because of the weather, most people wore slippers on their feet and would also apply a yellow powder called “neem powder” on their faces. This was a natural beauty skin care product made from Huang Xiang tree bark grounded with water, which could also repel mosquitoes and insects.
The car stopped at the entrance of the Seaton Hotel. The bodyguards of Eternity Secure Company were all wearing the same suit and their cold aura made the people in the hotel and passers-by turn their heads and take a few more glances.