Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Simon Lang is increasingly hoping that the authorities in Beijing will stop being so stubborn and agree to the terms so that they can get the domestic construction going quickly. That's the real priority.

Especially through this incident.

"Because it's obvious that you can't handle these things, nor do you have the capability to do so. And even if you could, the priority would definitely be military use, and everyone from top to bottom would be focused on military applications. By the time it finally gets to the civilian sector, it'll be too late!"

"But domestic development and construction cannot stop, because you only have this short window of opportunity. Originally, because we just fought a war to establish the nation, we might have been able to maintain stability for another ten or eight years. But now, as your actions become more and more significant, this period of stability will definitely not last too long."

"This rare period of stability may last less than five years before it ends. Those scum outside might not be able to hold back and will start looking for ways to get rid of you. If we don't hurry up and get things under control now, you might not be able to focus on this peacefully for a long time to come."

"Instead of this, why not just let the market space be cleared out? She makes money, and you all benefit. Everyone earns something, and everyone gets tangible benefits. A win-win situation, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

If you really look at it that way, it's a win-win situation, which is indeed very appealing.

But the problem is
"This plate is just too big, and Yi-yi's appetite is just too big. We don't have that much money to buy so many things from her. We can't keep taking out loans, can we? We already owe a lot."

After saying that, Ximen Lang immediately started again.

He waved his hand, signaling Ximen Lang not to speak yet.

Bai Ling continued.

“I know that since Yiyi has shamelessly brought up such a big deal with you, she must have made a lot of concessions on the price. Even if she doesn’t make a profit and can only break even, she’s willing to do it.”

"But do you know what we're most afraid of? Because these cheap and good products are like an addictive poison! Once you start using them and it becomes a habit, you can't live without them for the rest of your life!"

"Because it's impossible for us to offer such incredibly low prices while also maintaining exceptional quality and producing such high-quality products! Even if we worked ourselves to death, we could never achieve the same quality and price as you!"

"What if they get used to it and become addicted to it? What about us? What about all the other industries? So many people rely on this to make a living. We can't just give it all away, can we?"

This is precisely the almost unsolvable problem in the world today, and also the most troublesome point for future generations.

The products of later generations are unique in both quality and price, and are unparalleled in the world.

But those countries were unwilling to open their borders and buy large quantities of goods from later generations.

The key is that if you really have the ability to manufacture it yourself, then that's fine too.

But clearly, they didn't, and even if they worked themselves to death, they would never catch up with the pace of later generations.

They stubbornly persisted, which truly infuriated later generations.

How annoyed?
Ximen Lang didn't know what future generations would think, but he certainly wanted future generations to emulate Dai Ying from back then.

Blast open the other country's gates with cannons, then shout "Open the door, free trade!"

Of course, Ximen Lang would never allow future generations to do such a thing regarding the people of Beijing, who share the same ancestry and are bound by blood ties.

So, this situation became incredibly awkward.

"Are you suggesting we raise the price even further? Raising the price is easy, but can you afford it? Even if you can, can you afford to use it?"

This is yet another problem that can be described as unsolvable.

Because the people in Beijing simply didn't have any money. Even if they weren't already heavily in debt...
That wouldn't be the case, as they wouldn't willingly give Xia Yiyi money!
How could they possibly be giving her large sums of money?

But if prices aren't raised, all these industries in Beijing will definitely be completely destroyed by future generations.

It might take many years for them to recover.

"So, is there a way to have the best of both worlds? A way to raise prices, thus protecting our domestic industries, without losing too much, so that she profits from all the gains?"

Seeing that Bai Ling had actually thrown such a difficult question at him, and that she was staring straight at him as she spoke, waiting for him to give an answer.

"She actually thinks of me like that?!"

Thinking this, Ximen Lang felt completely uneasy.

"You're dreaming! If there really were such a good method, I would have already..."

Ximen Lang stopped halfway through his sentence.

Why is that?

Because of a sudden flash of inspiration, he actually came up with a solution that was not really a solution.

That is.
“Raise tariffs on these imported goods until they can protect our domestic industries. This way, not only will we make a huge profit, but you will also make a lot of money. At the same time, it will also provide a certain degree of protection for our domestic manufacturing industry.”

"Well, it's a compromise, albeit a compromise. The reason it's a compromise is that it will inevitably lead to a problem: the price of imported goods will increase significantly! And these increased prices will ultimately be borne by the domestic population, which is very awkward."

That was indeed quite awkward.

This is especially true for ordinary people who are all working-class.

The price increase is unbelievable.

"So once this price goes up, the prices we sell here will inevitably also see a rise. Can you accept this outcome?"

Bai Ling and Lao Luo could certainly accept this result.

In fact, even the idea of ​​tariffs was something Bai Ling gradually guided Ximen Lang to say, and then Ximen Lang brought it up himself.

It's not just Bai Ling and Lao Luo who have this idea now; a month or two ago, when Ximen Lang brought tens of thousands of vehicles of various kinds and supplies from the future for the first time, the people of Beijing had already had this idea.

However, the city of Beijing at that time was severely lacking in the supplies that Ximen Lang had brought from the future.

How severe is the shortage?
The city of Beijing, desperately short of funds, couldn't care less about anything else. All they had on their minds was to quickly grab these things and put them in their own pockets.

Subsequently, although Ximen Lang brought back many good things from the future and acted as an intermediary to help the two sides negotiate many super-large orders,

Even super orders starting at trillions.

But in reality, most of these so-called super orders are still just on paper.

The items that Simon Lang actually brought back and brought back were not even worth mentioning in the context of genuine international trade between countries.

It was just a minor skirmish.

There's really no need to impose tariffs on such a small amount of goods.

That's why the authorities in Beijing have been holding back until now.

And now, real international trade is about to begin in earnest. Those enormous deals that Simon Lang negotiated as an intermediary will soon be realized.

In this situation, the authorities in Beijing should naturally follow the proper procedures and raise the tariffs.

As for the fact that prices will inevitably rise after tariffs are established, thereby increasing the burden on the public.
"Do you want to hear what you're saying? Take a good look at all this stuff. Look closely, which of these things is something that ordinary people here can afford?"

"Steel bars and cement—aren't these things that ordinary people use regularly?"

He couldn't continue speaking halfway through his sentence.

The reason is quite simple.

That means these things are really not something that ordinary people in Beijing can afford today!
Even without increasing these tariffs, they still wouldn't be able to afford it!

In fact, they don't even have these needs!
After all, most houses nowadays are still mud houses!

Yes, you heard right, mud houses. Mud houses made by mixing clay, lime, and fine sand! (These kinds of houses are rare now, but they used to be very common, especially around the year 2000.)
Even this is good.

Some people don't even have mud houses to live in; they can only live in thatched huts that leak from all sides and have no roof over their heads.

As for the blue brick and tile houses that everyone often talks about
Sorry, this thing has absolutely nothing to do with the working class.

Because this is a high-class thing that only landlords could afford to build!

Therefore, saying that this thing has absolutely nothing to do with ordinary people in Beijing is not just nonsense, but a real and existing fact.

Especially after traveling this far, Ximen Lang had seen many villages, large and small, and even went deep into them to gain a profound understanding of the rural conditions.

Ximen Lang couldn't find any way to refute Bai Ling's statement and could only accept it.

Then came the problem.

"Even if these things don't go up in price, ordinary people still can't afford them. So who are you planning to give them to?"

"Boss, of course it's for various companies, and for us truly wealthy people."

There's no need to elaborate on the wealthy; their money is simply free money if you don't want to make it!

In fact, for these truly wealthy people, you have to raise prices drastically and make a killing off them.

Otherwise, they'll think you're selling counterfeit goods.

After all, we don't aim for the best, we aim for the most expensive.

"It would be such a waste not to earn this money."

As for these companies
"Needless to say, these companies may not have official titles, but they all have government shares. Since they have shares, isn't it normal for us to give them some subsidies or something?"

Good heavens, this whole series of moves left Ximen Lang completely dumbfounded.

Seeing that Bai Ling really had a plan, Ximen Lang said uncertainly.

"Is this the legendary practice of returning all the money of the wealthy and powerful, while splitting the money of the common people 30/70?"

"Wrong! To be more accurate, the money of the common people should be returned in full, and the money of the wealthy and powerful should be split 30/70!"

"666! You're really amazing! You actually came up with this kind of trick. You and Yi Yi should both be hung from a street lamp so you can get a good view of the scenery below from the lamp's perspective!"

Bai Ling's face darkened immediately upon hearing these words.

Look at Ximen Lang's mouth, he really keeps poking holes in Bai Ling's lungs.

They were afraid that these two little devils would cause some trouble because of this.

Before Bai Ling could react, Lao Luo continued to explain to Ximen Lang in more detail, picking up where he left off.

"Of course, making money can only be secondary. Our main goal is always to raise prices, even if it's just a formality. The actual price will still be the same, and we will still do it."

"The goal is to make this relatively high price deeply ingrained in people's minds, thereby indirectly protecting the domestic manufacturing industry. Although this self-deceptive approach may not be very effective, it at least leaves some hope for the domestic manufacturing industry, preventing it from being completely destroyed and unable to recover for many years."

Don't say it, you really don't say it.

Although what Bai Ling and Lao Luo said sounded like they were just making a lot of unnecessary noise.

But you know what, what they said actually makes some sense.

Not only did it leave hope for the local manufacturing industry, it also inadvertently planted a huge time bomb for future generations.

What kind of big bombshell?
Once the domestic manufacturing industry has grown strong enough, it can use tariffs to drive the future generation out of Beijing at any time!

This is really too much!
Ximen Lang was so impressed that he didn't even know how to comment.

It's really hard to give a proper evaluation.

After all, they're both my flesh and blood.

Therefore, Ximen Lang simply decided not to comment at all.

Drop a sentence.

"As long as you are happy."

Then, just as they tacitly accepted the large-scale entry of Xia Yiyi and her descendants into the world market of Beijing, they directly accepted the actions of Lao Luo and Bai Ling.

Of course, the reminders that need to be given should still be given.

That is.
"You can plant mines, but you have to give me a heads-up before you detonate them. Just like here, countless people over there rely on this line of work for their livelihood! You have to give us enough time to adjust, otherwise, I can't agree!"

The sudden flash of wisdom made Bai Ling and Lao Luo hesitant to meet Ximen Lang's gaze.

Seeing that Ximen Lang was speaking seriously, Lao Luo also quickly made a solemn statement.

"Ah Lang, don't worry. No matter what, we are bound by blood. Yi Yi has indeed helped us a lot. We would never do something like betraying our own brothers! I guarantee this with my integrity! I even have Bai Ling's elders give a written guarantee!"

Luo Yonghao has already brought up those people, so what else is there to say about this?

Of course, it has to be decided. (End of Chapter)