Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 511: The Strange Sap Culture, Embarking on a Long Journey
A black man wearing a bright yellow suit, high-end crocodile leather shoes, and a sexy Burberry plaid scarf around his neck strode towards Lin Yuan.

As soon as Lin Yuan saw the black man's clothes, he knew they were definitely not cheap.

You can complain about the low cost-effectiveness of luxury suits, but it is difficult to complain about the materials used.

Luxury goods have always had an implicit standard: even without looking at the logo, they must make people feel that they are expensive and high-end at first glance.

This high-end feeling actually comes from the top-quality clothing materials.

The suit worn by this black man is obviously made of high-count wool. The texture is very delicate and reveals a silky luster.

Lin Yuan estimated that this suit was probably made of more than 150 counts of wool.

The so-called 150 count refers to the number of times a pound of wool can be made into yarn and wrapped around a spinning cone used to wind wool.

If the wool is spun thicker, then the yarn made from one pound of wool can only be wrapped around the spindle 30 times, which is 30 count, also known as coarse wool. It will feel prickly when worn on the body, making the skin itchy.

If the wool yarn can be woven finer, reaching the level of 50-60 loops, it will be worsted wool, which is suitable for making base shirts, scarves and other clothing that directly contact the skin without causing obvious discomfort.

Wool yarn with a count of more than 130 is as thin as a hair. When made into clothing fabric, it has a very delicate texture and a silky luster.

Suits made of high-count wool naturally have a sense of luxury, but high-count wool suits are easy to wear and wrinkle, and require careful care.

Lin Yuan found it hard to imagine that a man wearing such a high-end suit would appear on a large flatbed boat?

Is he also a passenger?

This is too incongruous.

The way he was dressed, he should be appearing at a high-end banquet for top people, not on this crowded and cramped "hell ship".

The black man walked up to Lin Yuan and said with a smile, "Hey, my name is Buta. I'm also a passenger on this ship and live right in front of you. Let's get to know each other so we can talk more on the way. I think we have the same interests!"

Sure enough, he was a passenger on the ship. This strange-looking black man was his neighbor.

But the reason why he came to visit really confused Lin Yuan.

"Common hobbies?" Lin Yuan asked puzzledly.

Buta brought over a stool and sat down carefully, fearing that he would wrinkle his flashy bright yellow high-end suit.

After sitting down, pretending to be ready for a long conversation, Buta pointed at his suit and said, "Look, this is a high-end Giorgio Armani suit, $7000."

Then he pointed to the leather shoes on his feet and said, "Versace crocodile leather shoes, only they have such cool styles, $5000 a pair."

As Lin Yuan looked increasingly bewildered, Buta unbuttoned his suit, revealing the shirt underneath. He said, "Look, this is a high-end Zegna shirt, made of Egyptian long-staple cotton, $500."

He then raised his arm, revealing two emerald cufflinks on his sleeve, and said, "These are the Jacques Van Cleef & Arpels cufflinks that best reflect a man's taste and are known as men's jewelry. They're $1200 a pair."

"As for the Burberry scarf around my neck, it cost $200 and is just a small decoration, so I won't say much."

After showing off all his outfits, Buta looked at Lin Yuan with anticipation, waiting for Lin Yuan to respond.

How to answer this?
You come up to me and show off your wealth, displaying your entire outfit worth over $14000. How do you expect me to respond?

I'm praising your expensive outfit. Be careful about getting robbed on the boat.

After witnessing the purchasing power of $1 at the dockside market and realizing that a boat ticket that takes more than 20 days to travel 2200 kilometers only costs $30, it was really a bit magical to see a black man showing off an outfit worth $14000.

So Lin Yuan could only politely reply, "Your outfit is quite expensive. It's beyond my expectation."

Hearing Lin Yuan's answer, Buta shook his head in dissatisfaction and said, "Don't joke with me. I want to see your clothes. They must be more expensive than mine. Let me open my eyes."

Lin Yuan was even more confused and replied, "I don't have any clothes to show you. I don't usually wear such expensive clothes."

Lin Yuan was telling the truth. Except for some special occasions, he wore T-shirts and sportswear most of the time.

This makes it very convenient to wear, and you don’t have to worry about wear and tear or dirt. If it gets dirty or broken, you can just replace it with a new one.

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Buta became even more dissatisfied: "I don't know why you, as a fellow Sap, are so low-key. This goes against our Sap spirit and culture."

Sap?

Lin Yuan suddenly remembered that when he got on board just now, the staff member who wanted to sell him a cabin ticket had whispered that he was Sap, and his words were full of disdain.

Saragama's initial explanation was that Sapu was a typical Congolese thug, but he didn't have the chance to explain more.

The person standing in front of Lin Yuan now is Sap?
What is Sap spiritual culture?
Why did he think of himself as Sap?
Seeing Lin Yuan's puzzled expression, Buta continued, "You can't hide it from me! I know you're a Sap who pursues a quality of life and the envy of others! People like us should never keep a low profile and should show off our brilliance to the fullest. Otherwise, wouldn't all the hard work of saving money be in vain?"

"Huh?" The huge amount of information made Lin Yuan a little confused.

Buta pointed at Lin Yuan's wrist and said, "You still don't want to admit it? A Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph watch costs at least $30."

Sap raised his wrist, revealing a large gold watch, and said with a smile, "This gold Rolex watch is only $5 and can't compare to your Patek Philippe, but when it comes to style, yours is too low-key. I'd rather have something like this for the best effect."

Lin Yuan felt even more helpless. The Patek Philippe on his wrist was bought for him by Gao Yuanyuan, who had just finished filming "Hero" when he attended his first Oscars. She spent all her fortune to buy it for him.

Originally, he was alternating between this Patek Philippe and the Rolex that Zhang Ziyu gave him.

But after he and Gao Yuanyuan developed an intimate relationship, he began to wear Patek Philippe more often.

Now, I didn’t expect that because I took a Patek Philippe on the “Hell Ship”, I was regarded as a Saap by the staff on the ship and Buta.

What exactly is Sapp?
So Lin Yuan turned his head and looked at Saragama beside him: "What exactly is Sapu?"

Seeing Lin Yuan's embarrassed look, Saragama, who usually had a stern face, couldn't suppress a smile.

He suppressed a smile and said, "In Congo there is a very famous association called the Sape Society, which means: Association of Style Makers and Elegant People."

“Join the Sapp Association and become a Sapp.”

"They pursue the eye-catching effect brought by luxury goods and consider themselves a group of people with taste and style in life."

"But the vast majority of these people are poor people living in slums. In pursuit of a 'high quality of life', they are willing to go hungry and save money, spending two years' wages on a pair of leather shoes, just for that moment of being the center of attention."

"Saps are a minority, so they consider each other family and become very close to each other as soon as they meet. They will share their experience in selecting expensive clothes, and showing each other their collections is also their most common way of communicating."

"This Mr. Buta is probably here to see your collection of valuable suits."

After hearing Saragama's explanation, Lin Yuan understood. Isn't this the Congolese version of high-quality human males?

A typical example of someone who doesn't have the fate of a rich person but suffers from the diseases of a rich person.

Make a swollen face and make a fat man?

However, Lin Yuan also understood why he was mistaken for Sap:

He can only afford 30 yuan to buy a big deck ticket and is reluctant to spend 90 US dollars more for a cabin ticket, but he wears a super expensive Patek Philippe watch.

This behavior is so abnormal that it's no wonder he was mistaken for Sap.

However, this also made Lin Yuan wonder: Are the people of Congo so simple and honest?
In such a poor country, is there a soil for the existence of Sap culture?

Aren’t these Saps walking ATMs?
Even if we can't sell the clothes at market price after robbing them, we should still be able to sell the whole set for a thousand dollars, right?

Chinese people believe in not showing off their wealth, but the Saps are afraid that others don’t know how expensive their clothes are, and this has developed into a culture.

This gave Lin Yuan a deeper understanding of Congolese culture.

Lin Yuan could only look at Buta with a mixture of laughter and tears as he explained, "I'm sorry, although I'm wearing an expensive watch, I'm really not Sapp. I'm just a Chinese passing through who wants to experience what it's like for the Congolese people to travel by boat."

So I don’t really have an expensive suit to share with you.”

After hearing Lin Yuan's explanation, Buta realized that the yellow man in front of him was not Congolese.

He had just looked at the other person's expensive watch and thought he had met a fellow, so he rushed over happily.

Now that he found that this might not be the case, Buta said embarrassedly: "Although I recognized the wrong person, I believe you also have a heart of Sap. No matter what kind of difficulties you are in, don't forget to pursue a high quality of life.

But I still want to apologize again for my recklessness. I am sorry that my presumptuousness offended you."

Lin Yuan smiled and pulled out a bottle of Coca-Cola from behind him, handed it to Buta, and said, "Don't feel sorry. We're friends now. Let's drink a bottle of soda together to cool down. This damn weather is too hot."

Talking about the weather is always the best way to start an awkward conversation with strangers.

Buta took the Coke, hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can I have another bottle of Coke?"

"Clam?"

Lin Yuan really didn't understand the way Africans think. How could a guest receive a drink from the host and then ask for another bottle before finishing it?

Buta pointed to a little boy not far away, barefoot and wearing tattered clothes, and said, "That's my son. I want to give him a bottle, too."

This scene shocked Lin Yuan again: You are just trying to show off your wealth and save money by going hungry to buy a suit worth more than 10,000 US dollars.

What's the matter with letting your son wear tattered clothes and go barefoot without even buying him a pair of shoes?
Lin Yuan suddenly didn't want to communicate with Buta anymore. He picked up a bottle of Coke and stuffed it into Buta's hand. "Here, take it. But I need to get ready for a shower. I can't continue talking to you for now. Please go back."

Buta didn't notice Lin Yuan's change in attitude, but was still very happy to get two bottles of Coke.

He smiled and said, "Then I'll go first. We'll find time to talk later." After that, he turned and walked towards his son.

After Buta left, Saragama said, “Mr. Lin, the culture of Sap or Congo may be very different from yours. Mr. Buta may not be a bad person.

This is a common phenomenon among the Sapu community: the father is dressed brightly and beautifully, while the children are dressed in rags and run around barefoot.

"Not to mention in China, even in South Asia, don't parents give priority to their children with the best things? He wears a brand-name suit while letting his children go barefoot. Isn't that unreasonable?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Mr. Lin Yuan, I'm afraid you're talking about a family that's not too short of supplies. When I was a child, my family only killed a chicken during festivals.

My father would eat two chicken legs and a whole large chicken breast by himself, leaving only the meatless parts such as the wings, neck, feet, and head for my mother, me, and my siblings.

Because my father has to do heavy physical work and works the hardest, he must and deserves to eat the best, as he is the head of the family.

In a poor family, there's no such thing as giving the best things to children first. After all, there are so many children, but only one father as the head of the family. "Saragama rarely spoke so much.

Hearing Saragama's words, Lin Yuan thought of his father, who once told him about his life in China when he was a child.

His father was born into a farming family in Qilu Province, China before arriving in the United States.

It is indeed as Saragama said, in rural families at that time, once there was something delicious to eat or drink, it was impossible to give priority to children.

Instead, the grandfather, as the head of the family, eats first. He has to do the heaviest work at home, endure the most hardships, and earn the most income for the family.

Grandpa is the real pillar of the family and deserves to enjoy the best things in the house.

At that time, my father could only watch with his mouth watering, and he could only pick up some leftovers after my grandfather finished eating.

It has to be said that having grown up in an industrial society, even when Lin Yuan was miserable in his previous life, he had never experienced real material scarcity.

It was in India and Congo that he had the opportunity to experience the family lifestyle under extreme poverty.

In such a place, every family has a large number of children, and many children do not grow up to adulthood, perhaps dying from an illness or an accident.

Parents will only be sad for a day or two at most, and then continue to work hard to make a living.

To say something politically incorrect: only only children are precious. How can many children be so valuable?
Thinking that children's treatment can override that of their parents in any way is also a kind of ignorance that makes you want to eat meat.

only……

It still doesn't make complete sense.

A Sapu like Buta can buy ten sets of clothes and shoes for her son by buying half a scarf less.

So Lin Yuan asked, "But the gap is too big, isn't it? Why does Sap treat his own children like this?"

Saragama explained: “The main thing is the special culture of the Sapu, and the children of Sapu are often Sapu as well.

In Sap's opinion, children grow quickly and their clothes will soon be outgrown.

Instead of dressing your child in ordinary clothes, it is better to save money and let him wear his father’s fine clothes when he grows up.”

Lin Yuan was speechless. What kind of nonsense was this?
Soon, Saragama said what might be the most truthful thing: "When children are poorly dressed, they become more obsessed with clothing. This makes them more enthusiastic about Sarpu culture when they grow up."

After hearing this explanation, Lin Yuan completely understood: it was the mechanism of compensation psychology.

The more people lack something when they are young, the more they will pursue it when they grow up.

If Sap lets his children wear worse clothes when they are young, the probability that his children will become Sap when they grow up will inevitably be higher.

What kind of weird culture is this?

"The child's mother doesn't care?" Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask.

There is only one good mother in the world, and a child without a mother is like a weed.

This is extremely politically incorrect. Who says a father doesn't love his children?

Does it mean that a child who follows his father will be like a weed?

But from the perspective of big data, both parents have good and bad sides, but overall, mothers are definitely more reliable than their parents.

After all, a woman's maternal instinct is, most of the time, an unreasonable kind of love.

In response to Lin Yuan's question, Saragama said:

"More than half of Sapp's children have no mothers."

"No mother? Where did the child come from?" Lin Yuan asked, "Could he have been picked up?"

Saragama shook her head and said, "She ran away. Usually, a few years after giving birth, she can't help but run away."

"Although Sapp seems unreliable, most of them are surrounded by women."

"Many women are attracted to the high-profile appearance of the Sapu. After all, compared to those ordinary African men with dusty faces, the Sapu's appearance is so attractive."

"Therefore, many women were proud to be with Sapp at the beginning. In their view, it was an honor that so many women liked Sapp, and Sapp chose them."

After hearing Saragama's explanation, Lin Yuan nodded in understanding:
No matter where in the world, if a man is willing to spend money on dressing himself up, he can avoid becoming a woman's bootlicker.

Especially in East Asia, many men understand this truth very late.

East Asian men like to focus on their careers and work overtime desperately, under the pretext of giving women a stable life.

But how hard do you have to work and how outstanding do you have to be to be able to afford a house in a first-tier city?
How difficult is it to raise your salary from 10,000 to 20,000? How much more difficult is it to raise it to 40,000?
But if you make yourself look a little more handsome and a woman really likes you, wouldn't it be easier for her to share half of the down payment and repay the mortgage with you than to work so hard to earn a salary?
Saragama continued, “But most women, after a few years of having children with Tharp, can’t stand it anymore.”

"After having children, women become more realistic. They no longer value a man's sexual attractiveness, but rather his ability to take on family responsibilities."

"Almost no woman can tolerate her man not taking any responsibility for raising children, and even spending her hard-earned money on expensive clothes that make him look even more flashy."

"So, almost all women will choose to flee from their Sapu men. Some women will take their children with them, while others will leave their children with the men."

"Normally, if it's a daughter, they'll take her away with them."

"But if it's a son, it will affect the woman's search for a new man, so she will often leave the child with Sap and run away alone."

Lin Yuan thought of Buta's child, also a son. No wonder Saragama thought the child's mother had run away. This was probably a local practice.

Now it seems that it is really a blessing to have a local expert like Saragama by my side.

If Ambani had not sent Saragama to his side, Lin Yuan would probably have taken a cargo ship directly to Kisangani, and would have missed a lot of wonderful things.

At this time, GAKKI came out from the tent after cleaning.

She smiled and asked, "It seems something interesting happened just now? Even through the tarpaulin, I can basically guess what happened."

Lin Yuan shook his head helplessly. "If you have any questions, just ask Saragama. I'm going to take a shower. Please help me take my change of clothes to Gary."

After saying that, he walked into the inner room and began to take off his clothes and wash his body.

The conditions on the large deck ship were very poor. Lin Yuan could only scoop water from a bucket and pour it over himself, then wipe his body with a towel.

The water flowing from his body flowed all over the floor.

Fortunately, they were located right next to the ship's side, and most of the sewage flowed into the river quickly.

While taking a shower, Lin Yuan thought about his experience today:
He met the interesting President Cabida, visited the market in the dock area, tasted the local chandelier tree branches and the mouth-exploding "devil's tofu".

Then he and GAKKI boarded the "Hell Ship" with Congolese characteristics, and met Gary, who did laundry, and "Sapu" Buta.

Lin Yuan felt the colorfulness of the Congo trip even at the very beginning.

When Lin Yuan finished cleaning and walked out of the tent, the large flatbed boat finally left the port of Kinshasa under the tow of the cruise ship and headed towards Kisangani.

At this time, the large flatbed boat that Lin Yuan was riding on was sailing around Banmu Island, the largest island in the Congo River.

Similar to a roundabout in the middle of a concrete road, Banmu Island is also located right in the middle of the Congo River.

Lin Yuan stood on the large deck, looking at the scenery on both sides of the Congo River:

On the south bank is a large area of ​​stilt houses and iron houses built on the water, which is obviously a slum on the water.

On the north shore of Bambu Island, there are all beautiful small villas, which must be the wealthy area.

The rich area and the slums are facing each other across the Congo River, which is full of magical atmosphere.

This also made Lin Yuan wonder why, whether in India or Congo, the rich areas always like to be close to the slums, yet far away from them?

Suddenly, the boat shook violently, apparently caused by turning while making a circular motion around Banmu Island.

The violent shaking to the right almost made Lin Yuan lose his balance, and a burst of shouting and cursing came from the boat.

But the shaking soon ended, and the usual cheerfulness returned to the big deck.

Saragama walked to Lin Yuan's side and asked solemnly:
"Mr. Lin, do you feel the boat tilt slightly?"

(End of this chapter)