"I went to Moscow last winter, and my boss also went to Ukraine. He must have had the same experience. In order to exchange cash for food, an entire street, ranging from pianos to medals, was put up for sale. Some black markets even sold people. There are all of them, hey, if it weren’t for my control over there, I would definitely help the boss choose some beautiful girls. As you can imagine, this winter will definitely be worse. I recently saw a report that the unemployment rate in Russia has reached 32%. Even if Ten years ago, no one could have imagined that the Soviet Union would reach this level."
Inside the restaurant of Southampton's Seaside Manor.
While eating and chatting, the topic unknowingly turned to the recent turmoil in Russia. Simon skillfully picked up a piece of cumin mutton with chopsticks and said: "You China is actually only a little bit worse. There is nothing to gloat about."
"I am an American now, just like the boss," Chen Qing defended with a smile: "And I don't gloat about others' misfortunes. The Chinese side has also been reflecting on this over the years."
"What did you reflect on?"
"This is not what I care about," Chen Qing said, and couldn't help but ask: "What does the boss think of these things?"
"Which ones?"
"The former Soviet Union, and China?"
Simon took a sip of the rice wine at hand, considered it for a moment, and said, "Actually, excluding historical contingency, there are only two things that affect all of this, the production system and the distribution system?"
Chen Qing thought her boss would talk about the country's system, but she didn't expect this. She asked curiously: "What do you mean?"
Simon said: "The reason why the Soviet Union collapsed was, on the one hand, that the production system could not meet the basic needs of the continuously growing national population. This is actually more typical based on Chinese history. In ancient Chinese dynasties, the country was generally around 300 Within 300 years, a very important reason is that the production system in the agricultural era cannot meet the natural population growth of more than 300 years, so wars occur, and then dynasties change. Each change of dynasties means a large number of deaths of the population. What do you say? , ten rooms and nine empty rooms, and then everything starts again.”
Chen Qing thought it made sense and asked, "What about the distribution system?"
"The production system and the distribution system are actually inseparable," Simon said. "As for the Soviet Union, while productivity reached its limit, the distribution system became increasingly unfair. The upper levels of the pyramid used their privileges to occupy more and more social resources, further aggravating the situation. The social contradictions, coupled with the backwardness of the production system, eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union."
"I understand," Chen Qing nodded, then added: "So, the current production system and distribution system in Western countries are the most reasonable, right?"
Simon smiled: "Maybe."
Seeing that her boss didn't seem to agree, Chen Qing did not get to the bottom of it, but said: "Boss, starting from 1978, China's productivity has been liberated. Does this mean that China only needs to solve the problem of the distribution system? "
"Yes," Simon nodded, and then said: "However, I personally think that this is unsolvable."
"Isn't the West a good reference for raising tax rates, inheritance taxes, etc.?"
"Let's put it this way, a sentence in the Chinese book "Tao Te Ching", in my opinion, is the essence of the distribution system of human society."
"Um?"
"The way of man is to give more than enough loss."
"How to solve it?"
"The final outcome of the human social distribution system is destined to be that a very small number of people occupy the greatest extent of social resources, then collapse, and start from scratch, repeating the cycle."
Chen Qing stopped picking up the food and looked at the man opposite: "Is the boss so pessimistic?"
"The two most typical examples," Simon said: "One is in China. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng besieged Beijing and the treasury was empty. In order to defend the city, Emperor Chongzhen hoped that all the officials in the city could donate money to help the army. As a result, all the officials desperately cried for poverty. After a lot of hard work, I finally raised 200,000 taels of silver. Then, Li Zicheng invaded Beijing and tortured all the officials in the city. Do you know how much money was squeezed out in the end?"
Chen Qing blinked her beautiful big eyes again.
She really doesn't know this.
I only remember in the history books that the common people were eating pots of milk to welcome King Chuang, just like the ending of a fairy tale. I didn't expect that there would be such a wonderful follow-up after the ending.
It seems that I still need to study more.
Simon was about to reveal the answer when he noticed that Yu Xiaomin, who had been standing by and listening quietly, was hesitant to speak, and asked with a smile: "You know?"
Yu Xiaomin nodded: "It seems like 70 million taels."
Before Simon said anything, Chen Qing was already surprised: "So many?"
Simon said: "If you compare it again, you will feel it is more. During the Chongzhen period, the Ming Dynasty's annual fiscal revenue was only three to four million taels. 70 million taels is equivalent to the fiscal revenue of the Chongzhen period for twenty years. If Chongzhen With this money, not only could he easily appease the refugees caused by the drought in the north in the late Ming Dynasty, but he could also make the Liaodong defense line impregnable and not give the Qing army any chance to enter the pass. Unfortunately, he did not."
Chen Qing was thoughtful.
"You see, those with vested interests would rather destroy the country than profit from the world. And another typical example I just mentioned is the two world wars. Fundamentally, the causes of the two world wars are It is still the countries participating in the war that want to readjust the distribution system. This is not the distribution system of a single country, but the global distribution system. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit ridiculous."
Chen Qing understood immediately this time and continued: "In the end, they all benefited the United States and created a superpower that accounts for nearly half of the world's GDP."
"So, the problem of the distribution system is basically a deadlock and it is difficult to untie it."
Chen Qing had a different opinion: "Aren't European and American countries doing very well now?"
"Western countries are currently in the strongest stage of the natural cycle of 'birth, growth, strength, decline, and destruction', so you will feel very good, but, as I just said, the fundamental trend is to make up for the excess of losses. It will not change. Just like the United States, you should note that the Clinton administration has lifted many restrictions on industry monopolies, which will inevitably lead to the emergence of oligarchs. The result is that in the near future, a very small number of people will control more and more wealth. .”
Chen Qing said: "What about Europe? Several Nordic countries, for example, have achieved almost equal distribution through high tax rates?"
"If I remember correctly, none of the five Nordic countries has a population of more than 10 million. Calculated with 6 billion people in the world, it is not representative. Perhaps the two major powers in Europe, Germany and France, are also moving towards this trend of equal distribution of high tax rates. , but you have to understand that one of the inevitable results of these measures is to significantly weaken social productivity. In fact, productivity is declining throughout the West due to the continuous improvement of social welfare. Ordinary people may envy the increasing number of working hours in these countries. Short, but the fact is that when productivity drops to a certain level, the result is actually the same as a serious imbalance in the distribution system, both leading to collapse, because there is no free lunch in the world, and there will be no pie in the sky."
"But..." Chen Qing couldn't help but argue: "I think everything is fine now?"
"I just said that one is at its peak period. Just like the topic we talked about before, when the ancient Chinese dynasty was strong, other countries in the world regarded China as the best, the country of gold. Now, the West is in At its peak, all other countries looked at the West and saw it as a country of gold."
Chen Qing thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and then lowered her voice slightly: "Boss, according to you, China's future... um, is it a dead end?"
"The most interesting thing about history is that among the inevitable trends, there are countless accidents, and it will be the same in the future."
"Does the boss mean to take a roundabout way and not be optimistic about it?"
"In my personal opinion, the key to whether China can embark on the 'strong' phase of the natural cycle is not to solve the problem of the distribution system, but to, as I just said, gain more than it can lose."
Chen Qing's eyes widened slightly: "Expanding outward, isn't it easy in modern society?"
Simon raised his chopsticks and pointed at Nizi opposite: "Narrow."
Chen Qing stuck out her tongue: "Boss, can you explain it carefully?"
Simon picked up the wine glass next to him again, and found that it was empty. He motioned to the side, and Yu Xiaomin quickly stepped forward to fill it up for Simon.
After taking another sip of wine and slowly eating a piece of fish, Simon continued: "The two world wars have proved that outward expansion is not feasible. However, just like now, the reason why the West can grow rapidly is that every time If the economic cycle of about ten years can be successfully passed, the key is to have enough losses but more than enough."
"Um?"
"Three examples, US dollars, high technology, and luxury goods."
Chen Qing continued to show her all ears.
Simon said: "After the U.S. dollar got rid of the gold standard and became the global reserve currency, the United States has been harvesting the world through U.S. dollar tools. If you are interested in the specific means, you can learn about it yourself. This is one. The second one is high technology. The cost of 1 U.S. dollar in Western countries Semiconductor chips are sold to developing countries that lack production capacity, and the price can be as high as 100 US dollars or even higher. People who are used to all this think that this is the power of technology, but in essence, this is a kind of robbery. And then there is , luxury goods, world-renowned luxury brands, are basically in established Western countries. This item is more profitable than high-tech. A satchel that costs tens of dollars can even be sold for tens of thousands of dollars. It is generally believed that this is Brand effect is a high added value, but in fact, it is also a kind of plunder in essence. Developed countries sell their own products for a hundred times huge profits. Through these profits, the profit margins from backward countries are not even doubled. The arrival of a large number of cheap goods not only ensures the high welfare and low working hours of its own citizens, but also largely offsets the potential social problems caused by the decline in productivity and the imbalance of the distribution system. This is not enough loss but more than enough reward. In the future If China wants to truly rise to the top, it must achieve this goal like Western countries."
After listening to Simon's words, not only Chen Qing, but also Yu Xiaomin next to her showed a slightly frowning expression in thought.
Whether it is to achieve a currency counterattack or a high-tech overtake, it seems to be very difficult, let alone luxury goods. How can there be any luxury brands in China
Simon smiled when he saw this: "It's difficult, right?"
The two women nodded slightly together.
Simon said nothing more and took the initiative to change the topic.
The meal lasted for more than an hour. Near the end, Lin Guili appeared again.
The Korean girl had already changed out of her original waitress uniform. She was wearing a light blue silk suspender dress, which was very close-fitting and showed off her figure. Her hair was loose and her face was slightly rosy. She whispered after entering the door. With every sentence ready, his eyes flickered back and forth between Simon and Chen Qing, waiting for instructions.
Simon shook his head and said: "I suddenly want to watch a movie, forget it tonight, you can go to bed early."
After saying that, he stood up and walked out.
Chen Qing stood up, waved her hand towards Lin Guili, who had a complicated expression, and chased after her.
Yu Xiaomin hesitated a little and chose to follow, leaving Lin Guili standing there in a daze.
This is…
In the past few days, and just now, was all your hard work in vain
There was some resistance and grievance at first.
Now, suddenly there is a deep sense of loss.
In the corridor outside the restaurant.
Chen Qing held her boss's arm and said with a smile: "Including Lin, there are 25 people in total. Can the boss do scientific research again?"
Simon shook his head: "I suddenly stopped thinking about it, it's boring."
Chen Qing encouraged: "Can you find a camera to record it?"
Simon raised his hand and struck somewhere behind Nizi: "I don't have the habit of being the leading actor."
Chen Qing hummed in agreement and continued with a smile: "Then after the boss finishes watching the movie, at least try those eight. The carefully selected ones are all young ones."
"trouble."
"Oh, the boss is so weird. All other men like it, but only the boss finds it troublesome. I can't give it to other men first and then give it to the boss, right?"
Then he got another blow.
Chen Qing felt aggrieved.
So, it’s a dilemma.
But she is still very smart: "Since the boss doesn't like it, I let them mutually, um, then give it to the boss?"
So the third note.
Chen Qing was helpless.
You are in trouble.
Just as he was talking, the housekeeper Angora Davis, who learned that her boss had had dinner, also appeared, with Carmen Case by her side. Hearing that Simon wanted to watch a movie, she followed him to the basement of the villa.
The first thing I came to was the copy room next to the private screening room. I was not interested in the new films in recent years. The good films were basically from Daenerys Entertainment, which Simon had watched many times. Generally, I would not waste time on picking and choosing. I chose Fellini's black and white film "La Dolce Vita".
Three hours.
When the film screening ended, it was almost early morning.
In a private screening room.
Chen Qing wasn't very interested at first, not to mention it was a black and white film, but unexpectedly she watched it immersedly until a voice came in her ear: "What do you think?"
Chen Qing leaned against her boss and said, "Suddenly I feel, well, a little empty."
Simon smiled and said: "This shows that you, like the male protagonist, have fallen into a siege of life that you cannot extricate yourself from. You have lost your direction and forgotten the meaning of life. You need to calm down and reflect."
Chen Qing was dissatisfied: "Well, boss, how do you feel?"
"Very fulfilling."
Chen Qing: "..."
Simon explained: "Although I already have a lot, I still have not lost my goal. I still know that I am pursuing, exploring, and moving forward."
Chen Qing put her head on her boss's shoulder: "Then I just need to follow my boss forever."
"so smart."
"hehe."
"I suddenly want to take an adventure. Just like in the beginning of the movie, Manhattan must be very lively during the recent fashion week. Do you want to come together?"
"certainly."