"What are you thinking about? You can't leave home? Or are you not used to flying?"
"No way, I've never been to the Middle East. I wonder what it will be like."
Plane On the way, seeing Zhu Xuefeng staring out the window in a daze, Director Jiang beside him couldn't help but take the initiative to ask, thinking that it was Zhu Xuefeng's first time traveling by plane and he was a little unaccustomed to it.
“It’s nothing. I and several other professors went on an inspection trip. The population was sparse, and a large amount of land was very barren due to lack of water. Herdsmen lived in pursuit of grass, and the few oases were densely populated areas. , the desertification of the land is severe, but oil extraction machines can be seen everywhere, the climate is hot, and human activities are very restricted.”
Zhu Xuefeng has been to the Middle East decades later, and it is completely different from the description given by Professor Jiang. , magnificent, with all kinds of modern buildings and facilities everywhere, and the national welfare is even better. The people who work are basically foreign workers. The energy of the oil economy is still very large, and it has completely changed in the past few decades. Sample.
"What's the point? If you want to see sand, wouldn't it be more convenient for me to go to the Sahara Desert, haha."
Director Jiang said with a smile, "Xiao Zhu, you have to think like this It’s really wrong. The cultural heritage of the Middle East is also very rich. The ancient Babylonian civilization is also a treasure of mankind. You have no specific tasks this time. Since you are invited by the prince, of course you have to let him take you to understand the culture of the peninsula. .
After a long flight, the plane finally arrived at the prince's land. It is now not far from the capital. Looking down from the window, we can see the wild desert Gobi, grand civilized monuments, and a large number of modern buildings, as well as the oil economy. The power of oil has begun to quietly change this barren land. You must know that twenty years ago, this place was extremely barren. It was only after 47 years of oil exploration that it gradually became rich. Of course, it is still early.
In this land twenty years ago, no one knew that there was huge wealth under the ground, and no one knew that the black goo could be exchanged for a lot of wealth.
The special plane was parked at a special berth. , the group was still very low-key. The landlord’s family, represented by Prince Abbas, conducted a pick-up at the airport. The standards were very high, but very low-key because there were no reporters or external personnel on site. The team was quickly picked up at the Jidar Hotel.
Director Jiang and the accompanying management staff who led the team briefly emphasized the discipline of foreign affairs, and were arranged by the attentive landlord to go to dinner first. As for Zhu Xuefeng, he was picked up directly by the prince's bodyguard, and Zhu Xuefeng was also taken away with him on the plane. The two large boxes that came over took up a truck.
"Is it appropriate for Xiao Zhu to leave the team like this? What did he take with him? Such a big thing?"
The leader in charge of discipline is named Shang and is only responsible for the entire process of foreign affairs discipline management. I don’t know much about Zhu Xuefeng, I only know that he is Director Jiang’s student. Director Jiang is the person in charge of this project, and he communicates with each other for all activities.
"Leader Shang, you may not know it well. Comrade Xiao Zhu was personally invited by the prince. He does not need to participate in this event. Don't worry, there will be no special circumstances. I can guarantee this to you. Inside those two boxes were gifts he had prepared for the prince, which were recorded in the customs clearance documents.”
“Oh, it seems that I have a good relationship with the prince.”
Leader Shang secretly noted it. , asked again.
"He didn't participate in any activities? Then how did he get into this team?"
Leader Shang was very unhappy and could not tolerate sand in his eyes. Although the whole process was arranged by the landlord, domestic There is no extra cost, but I can't stand those who do something special and have personal contacts with foreign countries. I have to report it when I go back and check it carefully.
"Leader Shang, you may not have paid attention to the report. It was mentioned in this report and the leader also gave instructions. Don't think that he is here to visit. In fact, he fought for this project. "It's because of this that I became friends with the other prince..."
Leader Shang looked at the disappearing figure in surprise, "Is this student really so powerful? Did he get it..."
I don’t know anything else, but I still understand this. When this project is completed, it will bring 30 million in foreign exchange to the country. This can no longer be described as a big project. How can such a young man have such great ability?
Director Jiang has left. He needs to arrange accommodation for the inspection team members. Leader Shang is still in a daze. At some point, a middle-aged man approached and whispered.
"You don't have to worry about this student Zhu. This is specially arranged by the superiors. He has other important tasks, so you don't need to ask."
Leader Shang looked at Zhong Zhong on the side. A young man, this is the leader of the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemical Industry. I don’t know why he came with him this time, and he brought a few people with him.
"He has other tasks?"
"Well, it is not convenient to disclose this matter, I hope you can understand."
"I understand, I understand the discipline. ”
Not to mention the surprise of Leader Shang, Zhu Xuefeng followed the guards and got into the car again. The car was very smooth, but not slow, heading east, and soon left the city and left the capital.
It’s amazing to see a car driving on a wide road. There are desertified lands on the side of the road, and occasionally some normal green spaces. Director Jiang is right. This is true close to the capital. It is conceivable that other places are more desertified. serious.
The guard could speak English and briefly introduced the scenery along the way to Zhu Xuefeng. The suburbs of the capital now did not appear prosperous and affluent. Zhu Xuefeng never imagined that decades later, this prosperous suburb would now be so desolate.
It didn't take long and we arrived at an ancient city, which was not far from the capital, only a few dozen kilometers away.
“Dear distinguished guests, this is the ancient city of Diriyah. Before the new capital was determined to be Riya, it was our old capital. It has a long history. Our royal family originated in this ancient city.”
< br>"Oh, it is indeed shocking and has a strong sense of history. I am proud of your civilization."
This is the birthplace of the royal family. After hundreds of years of sandstorms, the ancient city's earthen walls are still spectacular. I remember that in the future, no one was allowed to live inside, and it became a world heritage site.
"We will arrive at the prince's palace soon. His Royal Highness is already waiting for your arrival."
The guards were very polite, and Zhu Xuefeng had to cooperate with him. chat.
The car passed through a large square, bypassed the mosque, and soon stopped in front of a palace. The palace did not occupy a large area, but the style of the peninsula was very prominent and magnificent.
"Dear distinguished guest, we have arrived..."
Zhu Xuefeng got off the car and entered the palace gate under the leadership of the guards. Several guards outside the gate did not check and still stood motionless. Zhu Xuefeng was curious, why didn't he do the most basic security?
In order to maintain the original appearance of the ancient capital, the prince's palace has not been greatly decorated, and it is not as grand as imagined. However, the magnificent buildings still reveal the glorious history of the ancient capital.
If Lao Xue and his team are brought in to carry out historical monument repairs, it will probably be very successful. The entire palace, like the ancient city, has been eroded by wind and sand and time. If it is not repaired, it will be a loss to the royal family's wealth.
Entering the palace, I saw a prince dressed in white from a distance.
"Dear brother, the people in front of you are your relatives. I am very happy to finally have you here."
Prince Hodlid came up to meet him, stood in front of Zhu Xuefeng, and raised his His left hand was placed directly on Zhu Xuefeng's right shoulder.
"Your Highness the Emir (the title prescribed by royal customs), I am very happy to see you again, especially in your palace."
Zhu Xuefeng also learned this etiquette and put his left hand Placing it on the prince's right shoulder, the two kissed each other's cheeks and then embraced each other tightly.
Saudi people are warm and friendly, and Hodlid is an example. He behaves elegantly and generously, and respects international etiquette. When meeting Zhu Xuefeng, he did not shake hands according to international etiquette, nor did he hug him cordially.
Between relatives and friends in Saudi Arabia, they often place their left hand on each other's right shoulder, kiss each other's cheek gently, or touch each other's forehead with their noses, and then hug each other tightly.
The prince was already very kind to Zhu Xuefeng. In addition to Zhu Xuefeng satisfying his hobby of outdoor adventure activities, the two had secretly discussed some ethnic issues. Zhu Xuefeng gave him some ideas, which the prince adopted and achieved good results. The effect was a lot of points in the eyes of the king.
Of course, it is impossible to become a crown prince. The tradition here is to pass from brother to brother. The current crown prince is the prince's uncle. Prince Hodlid has an elder brother and two younger brothers.
Other uncles also contributed dozens of brothers to him. This is a huge family, and it is difficult to rise to the top. Fortunately, the prince is still very young and has achieved some good results, so he has some foundation. It is hot and rainless here. The traditional clothing for men is a white loose robe that reaches the instep, collarless and long sleeves. The prince is no exception. The white robe is covered with a gold-trimmed cloak and red and white checkered tulle. And it is fixed with a hoop made of black camel hair.
The elegant loose robe combined with the tall figure, handsome appearance and a typical nobility, the appearance is indeed very outstanding.
Several friends who should be princes around him were also dressed in flowing white robes, which made Zhu Xuefeng very ashamed. This thing was obviously more solemn and noble than his own suit. Sure enough, the national ones are the most beautiful.
According to the custom here, even if you have an appointment in advance, it is common to be 15-30 minutes late. It is said to be a sign of demeanor.
When going to an appointment, sometimes a few uninvited people will be brought along, thinking that this is to give the other person face, so it seems normal for these people to show up. Zhu Xuefeng also unexpectedly learned about the customs here So that they don't make a joke when they meet.
“Dear brothers, these are also brothers from our royal family. Like me, they all like outdoor activities very much. They like the beach motorcycles and kayaks you sent very much.”
< br>The prince briefly introduced the men around him. As expected, they were all children of other princes, and they were probably representatives of forces close to the prince.
“Nice to meet you!”
Zhu Xuefeng greeted several men cordially, and the prince walked hand in hand with Zhu Xuefeng, once again expressing friendship and necessary respect.
In the large palace, Zhu Xuefeng imitated others to sit cross-legged and accepted the coffee from the guard. Zhu Xuefeng knew that it was rude to refuse the first cup of coffee when he was a guest here.
There is not a single maid in the entire palace, which is completely different from what Zhu Xuefeng imagined. In his imagination, there should be many beauties covered in gauze dancing with him to entertain him, but he didn't expect that to be the case at all. Maybe he remembered it wrong? Or have customs changed in later generations?
Seeing that Zhu Xuefeng seemed a little confused, the prince briefly introduced the customs here. It turns out that women are not allowed to appear when men are meeting guests to discuss things. As for the veil, this is the teaching that Saudi Arabia now follows. There are some differences from other countries. It is only required to wear a black robe to cover the whole body when going out on the street, and to wear a headscarf to cover the hair, but the veil is not required.
"Dear brother, you should come and see more. If you don't come a few times, you won't understand our culture. We admire the long history of Chinese civilization, and our Babylonian civilization also makes us proud..."
With the prince's opening remarks, everyone started to communicate about the two civilizations. The men all seemed gentle and elegant, and their conversation was very decent. They did not have the temperament of a full moon scimitar or a galloping horse. You know, the land of the Persian Gulf has been fighting for thousands of years, and it is at war with the West because of different religious beliefs. The prince's ancestors are definitely tough people.
During the conversation, the servants and cooks quickly placed the food on the table. According to the customs here, when entertaining distinguished guests, they usually roast whole sheep or roasted camels. The eyes of the sheep are regarded as the seats on the table. Treasure.
Due to the small number of people, we didn’t prepare to roast the whole camel. The whole lamb was golden and oily, which made Zhu Xuefeng move his index finger. After coming here for more than two years, he really didn’t have a chance. Later generations will be in Ninety-nine Ding. I have eaten Mongolian-style roasted whole lamb before, but the roasting method is completely different from today's roasting method, but it tastes very good.
The staple food for dinner is flatbread, which is smeared with butter, honey, etc. The taste is sweet or spicy. Zhu Xuefeng was not picky and tasted them all. He seemed very interested and made several people secretly nod in approval.
"This is specially prepared for you. Try it. It is different from the way you make it in China."
Seeing a large plate of food delivered to Zhu Xuefeng alone, the prince took the initiative to introduce it.
"This is arranged by me personally. I hope you like it."
"Thank you, my dear brother. I am very curious. My nose tells me that the smell is very beautiful. There seem to be many kinds of fragrances that make me feel Doubts and expectations."
Zhu Xuefeng smelled it. Although it was covered with a lid, the alluring fragrance still filled the hall.
"There seems to be mutton? Tomatoes..."
The taste is very mixed, "There seems to be carrots and onions..."
"My dear brother, your nose It’s amazing. Open it and take a look at our fried rice.”
Zhu Xuefeng opened the lid and was surprised to find a hand-made rice. It was shiny and oily. It was indeed mutton, carrots, onions, some raisins and some unknown ingredients. It looked very appetizing.
Zhu Xuefeng knew that according to the custom here, Western tableware is mostly used to entertain foreign guests, and the locals grab the food with their hands, shape it into balls, and put it into their mouths.
If there are grains of rice on your fingers, rinse them in a pitcher of water. When dining with guests, it is best to have some uneaten or untouched rice left on the used plate.
“Try it, my cook is very proud of his craftsmanship, you have to help me find something inappropriate for him, haha, they say that Chinese food is famous, and although we have a lot of deserts here, it is not considered Food desert…”
Zhu Xuefeng followed the custom here and ate quite a lot of roast mutton. For most people, he would be full within a few seconds. Although he was not used to eating with his hands, the taste was very good. According to Zhu Xuefeng, My assessment is that I used too much suet and it was a bit greasy.
"It's very good. It's a pity that I really can't find any shortcomings and let you down...".
Looking at the remaining quarter of the meal, Zhu Xuefeng complained in his heart. It is a strange custom. China values "hard work for every grain". This is too wasteful.
"Musandini will be proud of this, haha." The prince looked very happy.
Zhu Xuefeng took a sip of black tea. The small table was too full. The drinks included camel milk, black tea, and coffee. He didn't dare to try camel milk. It would be better to drink some tea to break up the greasiness of the mutton fried rice.
There is no alcohol here, and drinking is illegal. A few people quickly filled their stomachs and came to the backyard. There are no bars or dance halls here at night, and there are basically no entertainment activities at night, but preparations have begun in the backyard. Bonfire, the prince wanted to wait until dark before organizing activities.
A few people came to a small conference room, "Dear brother, you are one month later than expected. You don't even know how I spent this month, haha, come on, give me Let me tell you..."
A few people sat down for a while, and when the servants brought in the coffee and left, the prince couldn't wait to speak.
"Oh, don't worry, I have brought everything I promised, and I won't let you down."
Inside the big box are two sets of jet skis. This time I brought them with me If the opportunity arises, deliver it in person.
"It's just those two big boxes, I'm looking forward to it!"
"We saw it too, is it more interesting than beach motorcycles?"
The prince expressed dissatisfaction with someone questioning his friend, "Brother Salva, don't underestimate the imagination of dear Brother Zhu. He described it to me. I'm really looking forward to it, but it's a pity that it's dark now."
"I like beach motorcycles very much. It has changed my life, it’s great. As for the new gadget you mentioned, I’m also looking forward to it. I hope it will be as popular as beach motorcycles.” Salva seems to really like beach motorcycles, actually once again. Showing a hint of doubt.
The prince did not dwell on this issue, "Brother Salva, let's try to go to the Red Sea tomorrow, haha, you don't know how difficult it is to wait for this baby..."
< br>"I won't let your expectations turn into disappointment, dear brother, I have tested it, and I can be sure that all the princes will be fascinated by it."
Zhu Xuefeng is very confident, in the offshore, very long There will never be a more exciting and fun project than jet skiing. The love of Li Bin and others speaks volumes. No young person will refuse this big toy.
After a few people chatted for a long time, it got dark and the bonfire outside was lit. They felt the lazy dance of the Saudi people and tasted the roasted camel again. The prince saw off the others. After chatting secretly with Zhu Xuefeng for a long time, he declined the invitation to stay overnight. Only after Zhu Xuefeng's insistence did he agree to send him back to the hotel.
"Dear brother, I will arrange the things you mentioned after breakfast tomorrow. Once done, we will set off."
Getting in the car, Zhu Xuefeng breathed a sigh of relief, even with the prince It's already very cordial, but it's also very inappropriate to stay here. I'm an organized person, and I didn't come alone. (End of chapter)