PDLP Chapter 144 Myanmar
Chapter 144 Myanmar
Ying Ni, Mu Ya, and Miao Yimo boarded a flight to Myanmar. As the plane gently touched down on Burmese soil, they felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Once they left the airport, they boarded a welcoming car and headed to their hotel in the city.
As their vehicle passed through a village, they witnessed this scene. The sun scorched the earth, sending dust billowing and filling the air with a dry, pungent scent. Simple thatched huts dotted the corners of the village, their roofs covered with tattered palm leaves, as if ready to be blown away by the wind at any moment. The walls were a mixture of mud and straw, with faint light filtering through the cracks. The furnishings inside were sparse: a few wooden planks cobbled together to form a bed, covered with a worn straw mat, and a few broken pottery pots and bamboo baskets piled in the corner.
The village roads were bumpy and muddy, difficult to navigate. Barefoot children ran through the streets, their innocent smiles unable to conceal their frail frames and tattered clothing. Women, carrying buckets of water, trudged from the distant well, their faces etched with the marks of time and the hardships of life. Occasionally, a few emaciated poultry could be seen foraging by the roadside, their occasional feeble cries.
In the distant fields, farmers bent over, toiling diligently. Their skin was tanned by the sun, their tattered clothes soaked with sweat. The rice in the fields was sparse, and the harvest was clearly not ideal. Occasionally, a few dilapidated oxcarts would slowly pass by, the creaking of the wheels as if telling of the hardships of life. Despite this, they persisted, cultivating the land with their hands and sweat, hoping for a better harvest in the days to come.
As the car drove on, entering town and heading to the hotel, they witnessed Myanmar's poverty. In wooden cubicles lining the road, women bathed, and Ying Ni and Mu Ya unconsciously averted their gaze. They felt mixed emotions, but understood that this was Myanmar's reality and they could not intervene. They knew that, while the scene before them was uncomfortable, it was truly part of Burmese culture, and as outsiders, they should respect local traditions and customs.
Miao Yimo scanned his surroundings carefully, noticing Ying Meng and Mu Ya looking away. He explained softly, "Although jadeite resources are plentiful here, not everyone has access to them. These precious minerals are held by a very small minority, and now, they've become a focal point for contention among various factions."
He continued, "This auction was actually a complex game of chess between the government and local warlords. The warlords had exhausted their existing mineral resources and were desperate to find new ones to maintain their power and financial resources. The government, on the other hand, hoped to reap huge economic benefits from this auction. After intense talks and negotiations, the two sides finally reached a consensus. The warlords each brought out their treasured and precious jadeite collections to raise funds for the auction."
Ying Ni and Mu Ya exchanged a meaningful glance, their eyes gleaming with silent understanding. Despite the intense power struggles at the top of Myanmar, they seemed to have no direct connection to them. They had simply come here out of curiosity to visit the auction and pick out a few stones they found pleasing to the eye. However, their relaxed attitude wasn't universally understood or accepted.
In Myanmar, some people were clearly uneasy and concerned about the arrival of Miao Yimo, the heir of the Miao ethnic group, especially when he was accompanied by two women. They quickly and secretly launched a background investigation into Ying Ni and Mu Ya, seemingly determined to uncover every secret about them and not miss any possible clues.
As Ying Ni and Mu Ya entered the hotel, their personal and background information had already quietly appeared on someone's desk. A tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the hotel corridors, and every step felt like dancing on the edge of a knife, fraught with uncertainty and potential danger.
Little do they know, certain forces in Myanmar see them as potential threats, or pawns to be manipulated and exploited. Ying Ni and Mu Ya simply hope to remain neutral in this complex power game, but fate seems to have no intention of letting them stay out of it easily, and their future is full of unknowns and variables.
As the first rays of morning light filtered through the slits in the curtains, warm sunlight bathed Ying Ni and Mu Ya's faces, waking them from a sweet dream. They quickly washed and prepared to embrace a new day filled with hope. Their destination was the famous gambling stone street on the Myanmar side, a place not only steeped in mystery but also filled with opportunities and challenges.
Miao Yimo had just received an urgent report from the Miao leader, requiring him to personally handle some urgent matters. Before departing, he left behind a capable assistant for Ying Ni and Mu Ya to ensure their safety and a smooth journey. This assistant was a shrewd and capable young man, his eyes gleaming with wit and composure.
After breakfast, the assistant led Ying Ni and Mu Ya out of the hotel and set off for Gambling Stone Street. The buildings lining the street were simple yet elegant, steeped in history, and the air was filled with a faint aroma of spices. As they walked, the three of them admired the surrounding scenery and took in the exotic charm of this place.
However, Ying Ni and Mu Ya soon realized that from the moment they left the hotel, they had been secretly followed by several forces. Their intuition told them that these followers had no good intentions and might be seeking a specific purpose. They remained calm and continued on their journey, but they were secretly on high alert, preparing for any possible situation.
As they approached the gambling stone street, the stalls on both sides gradually multiplied. Stones of all kinds filled the stalls, each one seemingly telling its own story and secret. The assistant led them through the bustling crowd to a relatively quiet stall. The stall owner was a wrinkled old man, his eyes revealing a hint of cunning and shrewdness.
"Are you here to gamble on stones?" the old man asked in not very fluent Chinese.
Ying Li and Mu Ya nodded. They knew that every next step was full of unknowns and challenges, and they needed to rely on their own wisdom and intuition to make the right choice.