Chapter 85

After spending the night in the waiting hall, Lin Qiangsheng wandered around the area the next morning and found a HSBC bank with a Visa sign.

Lin Qiangsheng ate a plate of dry-fried beef noodles at a nearby breakfast stall and returned to the waiting hall around six o'clock.

At this time, some of the group members had already woken up, squinting in their seats. Everyone had a poor night's rest; the waiting hall was infested with mosquitoes, and the fatigue made the members look haggard and exhausted.

Deputy leader Song Hui, at the level of a vice-provincial governor, was a representative of the provincial government. Team leader Gong Benyan said to him, "The comrades look very bad. I didn't expect this trip abroad to be so tiring!"

Song Hui nodded and said, "Yes! Our responsibility is to take good care of the comrades and ensure the success of this inspection activity! Let the comrades freshen up and then tidy up their luggage. After that, let's see if we can find a place for breakfast."

Gong Benyan nodded and told everyone to get up and freshen up.

This delegation was sent out after careful consideration. First, the provincial leaders were unsure about the outcome of this visit to Western Europe. Second, they didn't know how the foreign side would view the inspection team. If they sent an important figure and the foreign side didn't take it seriously, it would be a waste of time. Therefore, they decided to send a vice-provincial governor as the deputy leader and a provincial party committee member as the leader. This way, if the foreign side had any issues, the team wouldn't lose national dignity.

Song Hui's rank was higher than Gong Benyan's, so Gong Benyan had to consult with Song Hui on everything.

Lin Qiangsheng returned to the rest area, where everyone was discussing the problem of going out for breakfast. They hadn't completed the entry procedures, so they couldn't leave the airport.

"Director Gong, the things we brought from home are almost gone. There's nothing to eat here, and we can't leave the airport! What should we do?" a member asked Gong Benyan.

There were vending machines in the waiting hall, but no one trusted them and dared to use them.

Gong Benyan nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Well, eating bread all the time isn't good. Let me go ask!"

He stood up and walked towards the airport entrance. Before he reached the door, he was stopped by airport staff. Under the curious gazes of the group members, Gong Benyan spoke a few words to the staff, who kept shaking their heads. Finally, Gong Benyan shook his head and walked back.

The group members' anticipation turned to disappointment. They looked at each other helplessly and sighed.

Gong Benyan returned and said with a bitter smile, "We need to complete the entry procedures to leave the airport! I'm sorry, everyone. Please bear with it and have a simple meal. I have two more breads; anyone who needs them can come to me."

"Ah! We are all Chinese, why are we so unreasonable!" a member said in confusion.

"Exactly! We can't even go out for breakfast!" another person said, and the others began to complain.

"I saw some of our people go out!" a member said softly.

"Who went out?" "Out of the airport?" everyone asked in surprise.

Gong Benyan and Song Hui looked at the speaker, who nodded and slightly tilted his head, looking at Lin Qiangsheng's family, and said, "That one, it seems to be the child of the car factory manager."

"Oh?" Song Hui and Gong Benyan looked at each other.

Gong Benyan stood up, walked to the head of a row of seats, and smiled at Lin Qiangsheng, asking, "Comrade, did you go out just now?"

Lin Qiangsheng was staring at the airport entrance when someone asked him. He was startled and turned to look at Director Gong.

Lin Xiangrong and Xu Hongmei quickly stood up. Lin Xiangrong said, "Director Gong, the child is ignorant! He caused trouble for everyone!"

Director Gong waved his hand and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I just want to ask how your child managed to leave the airport."

Lin Xiangrong looked at his son and said, "How did you leave the airport? Tell Director Gong!" As he spoke, he gave his son a meaningful look.

Lin Qiangsheng looked at Gong Benyan, stood up, and said, "I applied for entry procedures and was able to go out."

"Oh? Can you still leave the airport now?" Gong Benyan asked.

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Yes, I can leave the airport."

Gong Benyan smiled and said, "Good! Now I have an important task for you, comrade. Help everyone buy breakfast outside the airport. Can you do it?"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said confidently, "I can!"

Gong Benyan smiled and said, "Good!" He asked the group, "Who wants breakfast? Give the money to this comrade and let him help you bring breakfast."

"Okay!" The group members were delighted and immediately started rummaging for money.

Gong Benyan quickly told everyone to be quiet and maintain order.

Lin Qiangsheng said to everyone, "Breakfast is 3 yuan! Dry-fried beef noodles and char siu rice are both 3 yuan! Hong Kong dollars!"

The group members were shocked. Someone said in surprise, "So expensive! What kind of breakfast is this! Too expensive, I won't eat it!"

Such an expensive breakfast immediately made everyone hesitate. In their hometown, a breakfast cost at most a few cents. They were not used to such expensive meals and found it hard to accept. When someone paid, the others gritted their teeth and took out their money.

The inspection team had 24 members, and in the end, Lin Qiangsheng collected breakfast money from 19 people. Actually, everyone could afford it; they were just shocked by the 3-yuan breakfast and found it hard to accept. Once someone paid, the others followed suit.

Lin Qiangsheng immediately ran out of the airport and went to a few breakfast stalls at the entrance, ordering breakfast for 19 people.

After about 20 minutes, Lin Qiangsheng ran back with a plastic box.

At this time, an old minivan was parked near the airport entrance. The female owner was looking at the entrance when she suddenly said, "Hey? Is that the person? He wants to exchange 250,000 US dollars!"

The middle-aged man in the driver's seat, around 40 years old, looked and said, "Should I go in or should you? Does he really look like someone who can exchange 250,000 US dollars? He doesn't seem like it!"

The woman nodded and said, "Yes, it's him! He also said he was a PLA soldier and could call a hundred or so soldiers to Hong Kong in a minute!"

The middle-aged man sneered and said sarcastically, "Call a hundred or so soldiers? I can call a hundred or so gangsters from Causeway Bay!"

The woman hit the man and said, "Enough, you're the one who's talking nonsense! Go and get him for me! I need to exchange the money quickly; this 250,000 US dollars is borrowed, and it's costing me interest every minute!"

The middle-aged man grunted and got out of the car. The woman in the car held a briefcase and anxiously watched the man enter the airport.

Lin Qiangsheng ran back, distributed the boxed meals, and said with a smile, "Here, everyone's breakfast is ready. This is the breakfast of capitalism!"

The group members laughed and came forward to collect their boxed meals. Indeed, a 3-yuan breakfast was different; at least there were a few pieces of meat to provide some comfort.

Gong Ya looked at the char siu rice and said to her grandfather, "This is char siu! It's just a piece of roasted meat! Grandpa, try it."

Gong Benyan looked at his granddaughter and said with a smile, "Good granddaughter, you eat it. Grandpa doesn't eat!"

Gong Ya shook her head and forced the food into her grandfather's mouth, pouting and saying, "Grandpa has to eat too!"

Gong Benyan smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay! Okay! You eat the rest."

The middle-aged man walked into the waiting hall and looked at the inspection team. He made a few gestures to Lin Qiangsheng.

Lin Qiangsheng looked at the strange middle-aged man, who was winking at him, and slightly tilted his head, walking towards the restroom.

In the restroom, the middle-aged man followed him in, and Lin Qiangsheng asked, "Are you looking for me?"

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Kid, are you the one who wants to exchange US dollars?"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Yes, it's me. Did the woman send you?"

The middle-aged man nodded and said, "I'm Ah Kuan, she's my daughter. Where is your money? We've brought the money!"

Lin Qiangsheng said to the middle-aged man, "I need to see the US dollars first!"

The middle-aged man sneered and said, "No way! I need to see the RMB first!"

Lin Qiangsheng looked at the middle-aged man, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "I'll go get it. Let's do this quickly!"

The middle-aged man nodded and said excitedly, "You're a man of your word, so am I!"

Lin Qiangsheng went out, dragged his suitcase into the restroom, and Lin Xiangrong and Xu Hongmei glanced at their son.

Lin Qiangsheng placed the suitcase on a toilet, opened it, and lifted the cardboard to reveal bundles of 10-yuan RMB. He took out a bundle, flicked it, and then took out a few more for the middle-aged man to inspect.

The middle-aged man, standing next to Lin Qiangsheng, leaned in, smiled, and nodded, giving Lin Qiangsheng a thumbs up and saying, "Brother, you're straightforward! Wait here, I'll get the money!"

The middle-aged man ran out. By the time Lin Qiangsheng had changed his clothes, the man had returned with a briefcase.

Lin Qiangsheng looked at the middle-aged man and said, "Money for goods, let's do it!"

The middle-aged man stared at Lin Qiangsheng and said, "Okay!"

They exchanged the briefcases and quickly separated, wary of a sudden attack.

Lin Qiangsheng took the briefcase into a stall, opened it, and counted the US dollars. There were exactly 250,000 US dollars, all genuine.

Lin Qiangsheng took the briefcase out and heard the sound of counting money. The middle-aged man was in another stall. Lin Qiangsheng said, "250,000 US dollars, exactly! I have 500,000 RMB. You charge 10,000 US dollars as a fee. What about the rest?"

The middle-aged man said from inside, "Wait! 40,000 Hong Kong dollars for you!" A moment later, he threw a stack of Hong Kong dollars out of the stall.

Lin Qiangsheng counted 40 one-thousand-dollar bills, all genuine, and said, "Thanks!"

Hearing Lin Qiangsheng leave the restroom, the middle-aged man cautiously opened the door, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief. He then excitedly dragged the briefcase out.

Lin Qiangsheng used his clothes to cover the small briefcase and put it into the plastic box with the breakfast.

Lin Xiangrong looked at his son and asked, "Why did you get a small briefcase? What happened to the big one?"

Lin Qiangsheng rolled his eyes and said, "Thermal expansion and contraction!"

Lin Xiangrong glared at him and asked, "It contracted so much that the wheels disappeared?!"

Xu Hongmei pinched her husband, and Lin Xiangrong whispered to Lin Qiangsheng, "We'll ask you when no one is around."

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