in2ebook Chapter 278 A Slap in the Face!
Chapter 278 A Slap in the Face!
"I don't understand any of this!"
"If you don't understand, learn!"
Zhong Yuemin joked:
"There's always a first time for everything. You were completely clueless about matters between men and women before, but look at you now. After being trained by your man, you're now Teacher Zhou, even better than me."
Zhou Xiaobai scolded,
"You're such a rascal, you can't even finish three sentences without getting serious. I'll listen to you, okay? Yuemin, you're leaving soon, I'll miss you."
"Me too. Parting is for a better reunion in the future. Stay in the capital and take care of my dad for me. Wait for your man to come back."
"I know. You also need to take good care of yourself. Most importantly, don't go around having affairs. You already have a wife, so you have to always remember that."
With her red lips pouting and cheeks puffed out, she looked playful and adorable.
Zhong Yuemin blocked the road again without hesitation...
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In October, the Fourth Arab-Israeli War broke out. The immediate cause was Egypt and Syria's attempt to reclaim the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, which had been occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Initially, the Syrian and Egyptian armies advanced rapidly, achieving successive victories. However, with the intervention of the world's superpower, the United States, the situation deteriorated sharply. Israel launched a counterattack, ultimately turning the tide and forcing the Arab states to sign a ceasefire agreement and reach a reconciliation.
On the surface, it appears to be a reconciliation between the two sides, but in reality, the Arab side lost. They had five or six of them against one Israeli, and they had the Israeli side completely under pressure. However, the US intervened, and in the end, they were defeated despite having a great advantage. It's frustrating and humiliating!
However, this also indirectly contributed to the unity of the major oil-exporting countries.
In my mind, the Middle East is rich in oil, so when people mention oil, they always think of deserts, camels, oil fields, and Arab uncles wearing gold and silver, driving luxury cars, living in villas, and wearing white headscarves.
This look alone is enough to make you rich; it's the epitome of wealth.
But that's not the case right now. Because of the West's exploitation, the Arab oil-producing countries are now extremely poor. The oil that gushes out of Saudi Arabia is extracted, refined, and sold by Western companies. Saudis don't even get a share. The royal family can only get a small share of the profits. The Arab men wear rags and eat meager meals while watching the West steal their wealth. They have very little control over oil resources.
Under the influence of the West, international oil prices rose only slightly from 1960 to 1973, reaching the $3 mark at the end of 1972 and just exceeding $3 per barrel in the summer of 1973.
It's important to understand that in the 1970s, while $3 still had some purchasing power, there were almost no profits to be made from oil extracted from the ground, plus storage and transportation costs.
However, after the outbreak of the Fourth Middle East War, the major allies of the Arab world were more united than ever before and imposed an embargo on the United States and countries that sided with Israel. After the oil embargo, international oil prices rose instantly, doubling in the first month. By the end of 1973, international oil prices had soared to $12 per barrel, four times that of two months earlier.
In fact, during the booming development of the oil industry in the 20th century, the Arab region was not the only major oil-producing area; North and South America, Iran, Southeast Asia, and Northern Europe were all producing oil.
However, Middle Eastern oil has many advantages over oil from other regions. The oil deposits here are shallow, the oil is clear, and the extraction cost is low. For a long time, the West has controlled the local oil resources, suppressed oil prices, and reaped astronomical profits.
Therefore, the ban in the Middle East had a significant impact on some established capitalist powers. Even though the oil crisis ended, the economic recession continued. In 1974, the GDP of the three capitalist powers—the United States, the United States, and West Germany—collectively shrank, with negative growth of more than 1%. The United States, in particular, was an island nation with scarce oil resources, relying almost entirely on imports. With the ban in the Middle East, domestic transportation costs increased, indirectly causing prices to soar and the stock market to suffer heavy losses.
Domestically, due to broader economic factors, economic development is not stagnant but rather regressing, resulting in low demand for oil. Furthermore, his previous warning to his father and his reporting to relevant departments have allowed him to prepare and stockpile a significant amount of oil in advance. Therefore, the oil crisis has had minimal impact on the domestic economy.
Right now, Zhong Yuemin is on the phone with his wife. They talk every week, and each call lasts an hour or two. If it weren't for his wealth, most people couldn't afford it. They habitually start by cuddling up to each other: has she missed me, what did you do this week, what did you eat, what's new? It's all about the little details and trivial things in life.
He wasn't in a hurry, listening to his wife slowly talk. Anyway, he had nothing to do all day in the army. Having a sweet wife to coax and confide in was a great spice to his monotonous and boring life.
"Yuemin, both my dad and our dad are praising you, saying you're incredibly insightful, almost like Zhuge Liang. Oil prices really have gone up, you know? Our dad previously suggested buying and stockpiling some oil just in case, but Li Yuanchao's father's faction was firmly against it, mocking that it was completely unnecessary. But look what happened, they were proven wrong so quickly. I heard from my dad that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, our dad will climb up the ranks again this year."
"Really? That's great!" she replied casually.
"Why don't you seem excited? Dad got a promotion, aren't you happy?"
"I'm happy, but not so excited that I'm incoherent. Honey, you keep calling him 'our dad' so smoothly and naturally. What's wrong? Are you in such a hurry to get married?"
The humming sound from the other end
"So what if I'm anxious? Yuemin, have you thought about me?"
"I think about it every day, especially at night. I can only sleep in bed, hugging the quilt and unable to sleep. If you were here with me, we could talk at night, and I wouldn't have to suffer from insomnia."
Zhou Xiaobai understood the meaning of 'communication', and pouted.
"Who wants to talk to you, you scoundrel..." He added another sentence.
"I...I want to too."
"Don't tempt me, or I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep at night and will have to rely on myself."
"Don't do anything reckless. You train every day in the army, it must be exhausting. You need to take care of yourself. I... I'll wait for you!"
Since following this scoundrel, many coded messages have become instantly understandable; they've long since developed a tacit understanding.
Zhong Yuemin laughed, "Alright, alright, you just wait and see how your man deals with you when he gets back."
"I'm not afraid!"
The girl was proud and very confident.
"By the way, Manager Liu asked me to tell you that because of the oil crisis, the stock market and property market in Hong Kong Island have been significantly affected. As planned, they have taken the opportunity to buy up a lot of company shares, properties, and land."