Chapter 1489 Stop The Beating (1/2)
Godanwei was frightened and shouted, ”Stop beating us! Stop!”
The young men howled even louder, and begged for mercy in their weak Chinese and English,
”I quit, I quit!”
”Help me!”
”Please, no!”
Li Du snapped his fingers, and Brother Wolf and the others stashed away the belts and took the machetes and other weapons away from the young men. Li Du said to Godanwei, ”Do these people know the situation in Hpakant?”
Godanwei shook his head. ”I don't know. They are the local gangsters.”
Li Du said, ”Ask them to get lost. If I meet them again, I'll break their legs.”
Godanwei went to a young man and said a few words, and the youths ran away like dogs with their tails between their legs.
Once they were on their way again, Godanwei became as obedient as a puppy.
He had only seen these men looking big and tall, but he had not seen their strength before, so he didn't warn his companions in time.
They did this a lot. Godanwei would find rich people to blackmail with his tour guide job, and then notify his gangster companions, who would go ahead of the road to blackmail unsuspecting tourists.
However, the gangsters left early, there was no signal in the mountains, and they could not contact Godanwei. Moreover, he thought he would take his chances, hoping that Li Du and the others were not as strong as they looked.
He had met many people. Some looked tough but dissolved into fearful, trembling beings when they met a native with a machete.
He hoped that Li Du was such a person so that he could get his ID back, rob some money and run away.
As a result, he found himself up shit creek without a paddle!
The car drove for more than two hours. The road was bumpy and they could not drive fast. Li Du was a little bored, so he asked, ”You said your cousin's family is in Hpakant. What are they doing there?”
Godanwei said, ”They are working as miners. The whole family drives excavators in the mine.”
Li Du asked, ”What's the situation in the jade mine over there?”
Godanwei shook his head. ”Bad, very bad. The government has set up inspection offices to intercept unqualified mines. More than a thousand mines have been closed this year. Many people lost their jobs.”
Li Du knew that the government has not only closed many mines but also stopped approving new mines in Hpakant and refused to extend expiration dates for existing ones.
As the word circulated in the global jewelry industry, jade, the oldest and most important gem originating in Hpakant would slowly become history.
The closure of illegal mines, the refusal to open new ones and the numerous legal obstacles in the way of extending the existing mines' operating period meant that mining and marketing Myanmar jade would become even more difficult in the years ahead.
As Li Du pondered these matters, the guide asked cautiously, ”Boss, are you here to attend the jade mine bidding fair? Ready to stock up?”
Listening to his words, Li Du was stunned. ”Aren't most of the mines closed down? How can there be a jade auction?”
The auctions were a collaboration between the Myanmar jade association and the state mineral administration, in which large and small mines would send the raw stone to jade dealers around the world.