The boss brought over by Old Demon was surnamed Hou.
His name was Hou Liang.
He was not tall, but he was sturdy, and he had a loud voice and a commanding tone.
Perhaps due to doing business in Africa for a long time, his skin had darkened.
Boss Hou was in his forties, one of those who took advantage of the reforms and opening up of the early '90s, with a mix of three parts effort and seven parts luck, he had made his initial fortune in the building materials business.
Then, in the mid-90s, when macroeconomic controls were implemented and national infrastructure investments were reduced, many bosses involved in the building materials business went bankrupt because of triangular debts.
But Boss Hou had good Feng Shui at his ancestral tomb. Before the controls, he was approached by a distant relative who was dabbling in clothing and miscellaneous goods in Africa and wanted to expand investment there, so he invited Boss Hou to invest.
Boss Hou was also visionary. Most people in the '90s liked to do export processing businesses for Europe and America, but he found the competition too fierce, the labor cost too suppressed, and the strict product inspections by Western countries were onerous; a single issue could lead to paying through the nose for damages.
Africa was different, though.
The people there didn't have high purchasing power and only wanted low-end goods.
Second-hand clothing, daily necessities, and even second-hand appliances were popular there.
Furthermore, the quality requirements weren't so high as long as the items were usable.
Seeing the domestic building materials business on a downturn, he simply closed down his processing factory early and took his money to Africa for a second venture, becoming an African "Daoye" (a term for savvy businessmen).
Within a few years, he had established a firm footing in North Africa, opened two shopping malls, and even expanded into the timber business.
Africa was rich in wood, including ebony, rosewood, and African padauk, all at cheap prices. After two years, just like a pig jumping into water, Hou Liang's wallet swelled as much as his increasingly protruding belly.
Of course, along with his wallet, his ambitions and his tone inflated as well.
Song Heping, along with a few Illigo mercenaries, went to meet Old Demon and Hou Liang. Upon meeting them, Hou Liang immediately asked Song Heping about his monthly income.
Song Heping couldn't very well tell them that he damn well had just sold fifty tons of gold for several billion US dollars.
"I make 1000 US dollars a month."
He didn't tell the truth in front of Old Demon and Hou Liang.
To his surprise, Hou Liang reacted with wide eyes, "What?! Only 1000 US dollars a month? Song, your life really isn't worth much, is it?"
While sizing up the armored vehicles fleeting by and the heavily armed soldiers, he continued, "This is a conflict zone, even messier than Africa, and they only give you 1000 US dollars a month?"
Song Heping could only play along, "I'm new to the industry, haven't been doing it for long, that's why the salary is like this, it'll increase with time."
With a generous offer, Hou Liang said, "With that kind of money, I think you just shouldn't bother. I'm planning to invest in gold mines in Africa next year, Song, do you want to come to Africa to make a fortune with me?
Old Demon told me you were in the military before, brother will pay you 1500 US dollars a month, just be the head of security, manage a few African mercenaries to look after my safety, how about that?"
Out of respect for his kindness, Song Heping couldn't bluntly refuse and diplomatically said, "I've signed a contract, there's still a year left, and breaking it would mean having to pay a penalty."
Hou Liang clicked his tongue twice, disdainfully saying, "What if you just run away? Would they actually go to Africa to make you pay up?"
Song Heping nearly laughed out loud when he heard this.
It seemed Hou Liang really underestimated those international mercenaries.
He probably thought they were the same as the private soldiers in Africa who just grab an AK and go on duty.
"I still need to keep my word, maintain integrity..."
He could only continue to play along.
Old Demon, however, noticed something amiss.
"Heping, you only make a thousand US dollars a month, and you're booking us rooms at the Jade Palace? How many months of your salary will that cost you?"
The Jade Palace is one of the two top-tier hotels in the Green Zone, where a regular executive room costs 500 US dollars per night.
Song Heping's heart skipped a beat, lamenting that he hadn't expected this.
If he had known, he would have just booked a regular hundred-dollar-a-night hotel in the Green Zone. When he previously called Old Demon and heard it was hard to book a hotel, he had let himself get carried away and blurted out the Jade Palace...
"It's okay...it's okay, we're brothers after all."
"What is it?"
The conversation caught the attention of Hou Liang nearby, and he joined in.
"Is the Jade Palace expensive?"
Old Demon explained, "A regular executive room is 500 US dollars a night. Usually, it's reserved for US Army personnel stationed in Iraq or high-ranking officials visiting here; it's not for the average Joe."
What Song Heping had actually booked for them was not a regular executive room but a deluxe executive suite, which cost 800 US dollars per night.
Now, he found himself in a tricky situation.
He thought about fudging the details later, claiming it was just a regular room. After all, even Old Demon had never stayed there before and wouldn't know the difference between a regular and a deluxe executive suite.
"You're a true brother! So generous!"
Hou Liang gave a thumbs up.
"Xiao Song, it's exactly your kind of spirit I admire! When you come work with me in Africa, I absolutely won't let you down! Don't worry about the room charges, Brother Hou will reimburse you, you only earn that bit of petty cash a month, I can't let you pay for me."
"Thank you, Brother Hou."
Song Heping could only continue to feign ignorance and accompany with a smile.
He simply didn't resist.
After all, it looked like Hou Liang could well afford it.
If he acted too eager, it could raise suspicions.
Overall, Song Heping didn't want people back home, including Old Demon, to know about his real identity and business dealings.
These matters were best kept to as few people as possible.
Otherwise, who knows if it could cause any adverse effects on his return to his home country in the future.
After depositing the luggage at the hotel, Song Heping learned from the experience and at noon took the two for a simple meal at an ordinary restaurant in the Green Zone. They had some authentic local foods like lamb and naan, and after the meal that cost over forty US dollars, he eagerly paid to show hospitality and also to thank Brother Hou for covering the room charges.
In the afternoon, Song Heping took them to see the timber at Yousuf's place.
As soon as Hou Jun walked into the factory area, he was stunned at the sight of the people.
Before coming here, Old Demon had told him about a large batch of wood.
But "a large batch" can't be quantified.
That's a broad term.
Hou Liang felt there should be quite a bit.
But he didn't expect such a huge batch!
These woods were originally intended for the construction of the Cultivation Palace. With Sadam having several dozens of palaces all over the country, the amount of wood used was enormous.
Most of them had not yet been used for interior decoration when the US Army attacked, so about seventy percent of the wood was left unused in various warehouses. This was just a part of it, but it was enough to dumbfound both Hou Liang and Old Demon.
"Heping, is this the 'large batch of wood' you were talking about?"
"Is it not enough?"
Song Heping glanced at Yusuf, then said to Old Demon, "If it's not enough, I can have someone find more for you."
"No, no, no!"
Hou Liang immediately waved his hands in denial.
"It's more than enough. I estimate there's about thirty thousand cubic meters of lumber here."
As he spoke, he walked over to the piles of wood, looking here and there.
"Top-quality African blackwood..."
"This is rosewood..."
"And Huanghuali..."
"All good stuff..."
Hou Liang suddenly turned around and asked Song Heping, "How much did you say it was per cubic meter again?"
"30..."
Song Heping hadn't really been paying much attention to the matter.
To confirm the price, he turned to ask Yusuf, "How much was it per cubic meter again?"
"30 US dollars."
Yusuf gave a definite answer.
Song Heping quickly repeated, "30 US dollars per cubic meter."
Hou Liang looked around, estimated a rough total, then took out a calculator and began furiously tapping away on it.
"What's he doing?" asked Yusuf to Song Heping.
Song Heping said, "He's probably calculating the price."
He couldn't help but look at the surrounding wooden materials.
If it's 30 US dollars per cubic meter, 30,000 cubic meters, that would be 900,000 US dollars.
It didn't seem like a lot...
After jabbing at the calculator, Hou Liang finally came back and pulled Song Heping aside to whisper, "Xiao Song, I have something to ask you..."
Song Heping asked, "What is it?"
Hou Liang whispered, "There's at least 30,000 cubic meters here. If I take it all, that would be at least 900,000 US dollars, but..."
Song Heping immediately realized that Hou Liang probably didn't have enough funds.
900,000 US dollars would be over seven million RMB.
"Do you want to take it in batches?" Song Heping asked.
Hou Liang had previously boasted too much and thought at worst it would be ten thousand cubic meters.
He could manage 300,000 US dollars by scraping together funds.
He hadn't anticipated several tens of thousands of cubic meters...
"Right, for these woods, could you hold them for a while?" Hou Liang feared that such high-quality and low-priced goods would be snapped up by someone else. Besides, he had previously agreed to take the entire batch at once. If he now said he only wanted one-third, would the chubby Illigo raise the price?
Song Heping nodded, "That's possible."
"Don't you need to ask him?" Hou Liang glanced at Yusuf not far away: "Isn't the wood his?"
Song Heping was taken aback.
Because he knew that if he wanted it, Yusuf would definitely agree to hold it.
"I can persuade the other party for you. However, I want to know how much you're paying Old Demon per cubic meter in commission?"
"As we agreed before, if it's 30 per cubic, I'll pay him 3 US dollars per cubic meter in commission," Hou Liang said straightforwardly.
Song Heping said, "How about this, we give Old Demon a commission of 15 US dollars per cubic meter, I don't want my cut, and then I'll secure the deal with the owner for you. This batch will be yours for six months."
"You don't want a commission?" Hou Liang was surprised.
Song Heping said, "That's right, I don't need it. If you agree, I can get people from the Temporary Management Committee to sort out all the customs clearance procedures and shipping schedules for this batch of wood."
"Really?!"
"Really."
Hou Liang could hardly believe his ears.
Someone who only made a thousand US dollars a month was not at all tempted by a commission amounting to several hundred thousand US dollars and was willing to give it all to Old Demon.
This made him see Song Heping in a new light.
Hou Liang suddenly realized he had underestimated the young man before him.
"Old Demon making a friend like you, he must have accumulated some serious virtue in his past life."
Song Heping said, "Old Demon and I partnered up in business before and lost quite a bit. Moreover, the reason I can still stay here as a mercenary is also thanks to the connections he provided. I owe him a favor that I need to repay."
"Brother, that's honorable!" Hou Liang gave a thumbs-up, "If you ever find yourself in need and come to Africa after your contract ends, with Brother Hou here, you won't have to drink watered-down drinks."
"Alright, If I can't make it here, I will definitely come to find you."
Song Heping suddenly felt an inexplicable sentiment towards Africa.
He had a feeling that perhaps there would be a future collaboration with Hou Liang.