My Thrilling Experiences in USA

[wenzili]

:flare: (1) An Ominous Beginning

One day in December of 1992, a flight of UL205 to Wichita city was soaring in the blue spectacular sky.
On the contrary to the peaceful environment outside, in the cabinet, a rumor was ominously spreading out: “The Wichita Airport has been shut down due to a blizzard!” people were largely disturbed. They nervously passed the news in private.
Sure enough, an air-stewardess’s depressing voice was sounded in broadcast.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am terribly sorry to inform you all， we have to head to and land on Kansas airport, because an extremely heavy snowstorm blocked Wichita airport.” The air immediately turn to be frozen.
“Damn it! Why such a misfortune happened to me in my first trip to USA” a deadly sigh was coming from my friend Mr. Huang on my left.
“What a changeable weather of America! It was all right a moment ago when we took off in Denver.” The condemnation came from another friend, Mr. Shu on my right.
Yes, with blue sky and warm sunshine, the weather was very nice, when we boarded in Denver. However, after less than two hours, the sudden blizzards happened in middle area and imposed such a disaster to us.
How could we free from the anxiety!
After a while, the loudspeaker sounded again. ”…… For same reason, we have to head to Houston Airport.” This announcement made us shudder even more.
Things went wrong from worse to worst.
“There isn’t sufficient fuel to Houston!” Another thrilling hearsay was spreading out everywhere, which had seized our hearts and aroused another tide of noises and sighs again. Some women and children were even screaming out.

“It seems to be more likely I’ll lose my 75KG body here!” one of my friend sadly said.
Needless to say, we all were full of the deadly sadness and depression.
In the mean time, the ground-service people together with military army who were hastily deployed to Kansas Airport were fiercely struggling against the disaster. They were using dozen of scrapers to figure out a narrow runway.
As the snowstorm was too heavy, some mobile boilers and salt spreaders had to use to move away the falling sleets in clusters.
With their persistence and hard work, a landing environment had been created dynamically and successfully.

This excellent news was immediately broadcasted on board.
Firstly, the compartment was completely silent, then, after the news releasing, a hail of delightful exclamation was suddenly burst out.
“My God!” My heavens!” with long breathes; all sort of surprises and excitements were let out.
“Thank my lucky stars!” “Thanks to Marx’s protection!” constant cheers were coming from my both sides. My friends, Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu recovered from the nearly collapsed minds. We all failed to conceal our excitement and were fiercely shaking our hands in tears to celebrate our survival.

In this way, after several frights and surprises, we finally arrived at Kansas Airport.
“Hello! Mr. Li” a young man with strong figure and dense black hair appeared at the exit and cheerfully greeted to me.
“Hello, Xiao Tan! I am so happy to be able to see you again! We were within a hair's breadth of losing our life a moment ago.” I said with a harsh slap on his arm.
“Yes, I knew it well and shared same anxiety with you.” He replied.
“Oh, let me introduce two new friends to you. This is Mr. Huang, the director of Jiangxi Foreign Affair Office.” He immediately approached to Mr. Huang and shook his hands.
“This is Mr. Shu, the chief engineer of the Provincial Drilling Equipments Manufacturing Co.”
“Hello, Mr. Shun! Nice to meet you” Xiao Tan also came to him and shook his hands.
“Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu, this is Xiao Tan with formal Chinese name of Tan Shao Sa. He comes from our Yun Nan province. Now, he is appointed to be our partner, Mr. John Hook’s assistant serving as subject manager in our cooperation project.” I introduced Xiao Tan to them.

“So nice to meet you!” They all shook hands again and again.
I fully understood it was a kind of special expression not only for the relaxation of free from a fatal crisis, but also for longing a successful cooperation.


( To be continued)

[B-Mental]

I can't wait to read more. A delightful story, and I'm very happy you arrived alive. I will apologise for the weather on behalf of my fellow North Americans. I hope this doesn't dissuade you from returning.

[wenzili]

(2) An Icebreaking Journey

Our task to USA was for marketing promotion for our local products, especially the drilling bits, which was globally predominated by an American company, Houghes Ltd.
For years, the bits adopted in our oil-drilling industries had been imported from Houghes without any exclusion.
At that time, the bits became a sort of insurmountable barrier to develop our oil industries not only for their expensive purchasing prices but also for its sensitivity to political climate.
To get rid off such passive situation, our local government took the advantage of “the diversification from military industries to civilian” and organized dozens of backbone military suppliers to develop our own bits. After tackling lots of headache technological difficulties, they got complete success in bits development and batch production.
After various tests, the key quality properties were closed to Houghes’, but the sales prices were less than 1/3.
These newly developed products were quickly targeted by Jiangxi Foreign Trade Company as one of the key export commodities to switch over local farming-oriented trade structure.
They immediately connected with me for help.
As a representative of one Chinese Aviation company in USA, I was residing in Wichita and sparing no effort on marketing our aviation products.
After years’ communication to local entrepreneurs, I’d got some local business friends. Mr. John. Hook, known as local “Petroleum King” was one of them.
Entrusted by Mr. Huang, the director of Jiangxi Foreign Affair Office as mentioned before, I contacted to John and set up a business tie between them. I’d also conducted a lot of preparation before hand to initiate our cooperation project.
Thanks to our joint-effort, the project was going well.
For operation needs, John hired a local over-seas student, Mr. Tan Shao Sa to be his project manager and our interface.
According to our scheduling, the bit’s trial run will be conducted on site. Meanwhile, as per Tan’s instruction to local geological features, Mr. Shu provided 4 bits with different materials and cutting parameters accordingly.
With different moods, we left Kansas Airport and had been tucked into Xiao Tan’s rickety car.
After a noisy ignition, we were tardily running on a highway.
Outside the car, there was a spectacular scene.
After snowing, the charming sun hung up in the center of the welkin and gently cast its sunshine on the complete white field, which brought me tremendous pressure and excitement. However, my friends aside took no care to the scenery outside.
They all fell into deep thinking and anxiety.
I fully understood the situation.
As an expert, Mr. Shu knew his products well. What he concerned most was not the product quality, but the accuracy of the geological data provided by Tan Shao Sa.
Even a layman knows; different tools should be used for different materials cutting.
If Tan’s data had anything wrong, just like cutting Tofu with diamond bit or scratching a piece of glass with a fruit knight, a stupid situation would inevitably be created, which would destroy all our previous efforts surely.
Moreover, under our <Trial Run Agreement> signed before, “if the bit is broken and damages the oil well, Then, Chinese side should be responsible to recover any direct and indirect losses to Part B.”
“If that disaster happens, how can I face to thousands of staffs and workers who are longing to convert their hard work to common profit?” A stern word was repeating in Mr. Shu’s mind again and again.
Sweating like a pig, he felt as if were challenged by countless potential enemies. In this way, he couldn’t help shivering in mind.

In the mean time, secured by a tight seat belt, Tan Shao Sa was stiffly seating beside me with a deep frowning forehead. As the project manager of American side, he had more complicated feeling than us.

“Mr. Li,” he said suddenly, “ Thank you for your hard work, two of our guests had safely arrived here, therefore…., it seems to be….., your task …..has been fulfilled. You may go to your business and ….and leave us ……alone, after we arriving at Wichita. ” He said falteringly but coldly.
A nauseous impulse instantly rose in my mind.
“Oh, that’s alright! ” I did my utmost to conceal my sickness and replied him indifferently; “I am worrying at having not enough time to accompany you all. Ok, it is time for me to transfer Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu to you now.” I said continuously, “One thing, please do keep in mind: You should treat them well and never forget you are Chinese, Ok?” As I said, an ominous suspicion dimly appeared in my mind.
“No, no, please!” Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu interrupted my words simultaneously.
” Mr. Li, you had promise me before to help me by all means.” said Mr. Huang.
“Please do me a favor, Mr. Li, and help me to complete all tests! As you know， both of us know nothing about English, nor any custom here.”
I knew, their request not caused by their cowardice but by a professional sensitivity.
After all, it was in an alien country where someone could certainly gain infinite confidence and courage from a trusty friend with language and business skills.
“……” encountered their unshakable requirement, Tan Shao Sa had nothing to say.


(To be continued by Part 3: One More Horror-Striken Trip)

[wenzili]

Thank you,my friend B-Mental, for your attention and comment!

[B-Mental]

I too work in the petroleum industry in northern Alaska. I am smiling as i read your words. Have a great day Wenzili

[wenzili]

(3) A Mysterious Descent of A Refining City

Tan Shao Sa informed us the trial run would be conducted in the wells No.1,No.2 and No.3 of Gerby oilfield simultaneously. The operation time was scheduled in the middle night tomorrow.

Located in North Colorado, Gerby is a small town but is one of the strategic petroleum storage bases in USA.
So-called petroleum storage base, it was far beyond my imagination of a mystery place with lots of huge concrete or shining metal tanks and tightly controlled by armed guards.
Actually it is nothing but some original underground wells.
After drilling completion and equipped with pipelines as well as some control elements, the wells are always ready for emergent needs.
Undoubtedly, it is a most economical and wise measure for oil storage.
Some of my American friends proudly claimed to me from time to time: “Our American just carry out oilfield drilling, but never use them now. In this way, after several years, the only petroliferous country left in this world will be our USA!”
I didn’t know whether it was true or not then, but I am sure the conclusion must be right.

My office was lodged in a motel in the east suburban of Wichita. There, as I knew later, was the exact location of such a storage base.
The motel was almost submerged by clumps of dense bushes, where group of foxes and rabbits always unexpectedly haunted. Their bloody bodies were always found crashed on the road.
One day in January 1991, the Gulf War broke out. A petroleum crisis was quickly spreading out in all over the world.
All people, including American went into panic for lacking of oil.
At that very moment, to calm down American people, the Old Bush decidedly asked for the emergent employment to the strategic storage for three days.
One middle night, I was awoke and went to bathroom. Suddenly, a strange scene outside the window surprised me a lot.
The sky was as bright as daylight.
Illuminated by thousand lamps, dozens of mobile refining towers were miraculously erected near by my motel.
Endless military tanks were queuing for refilling.
I could hardly believe my sense! How could it be possible for such a large refining city to be set up in just a moment!
Three days after, all things mysteriously disappeared again! Only vast and lonely plain left…....

(To be continued by Part 4: One More Horror-Striken Trip)

[wenzili]

4. One More Horror-Stricken Trip

Gerby is about 700 kilometers away from Wichita.
John provided a 7-seats plane, “Air King” to us.
After his reception banquet, we boarded on his private runway nearby his cottage hastily.
Inside the plane, the space and decoration were also beyond my ken, which was much smaller and simpler than I imaged before.
Squeezed in such narrow cabinet, plus bumping flight caused by constantly turbulence, we all felt like seating on a Roller Coaster and got airsickness soon.
Struggling against the ailment, we had a very hard time to get over every minute among the clouds.
Finally, with our teeth setting on edge for more than two hours, we had landed on our destination nearby the oilfield. I looked my watch unconsciously: it was the exact one o’clock am.

As soon as we got out of the cabinet, both my friends, Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu bowed and vomited fiercely.
I proposed Tan Shao Sa to find a hotel nearby so that we might be able to refresh ourselves by having sound sleep and comfortable showers. Then, we would keep our decent images and fresh mind to deal with our negotiators tomorrow.
Both Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu agreed with my suggestion, except for Tan who firmly rejected my proposal with unknown reasons.
“No, no! You shouldn’t be slack like in China. Here is America, you know? We must hurry up. Reach to the three sites as soon as possible, three! You know?”
“We still have plenty of time. Please refer to the time table; the trial run won’t be started until 12 o’clock pm.” Mr. Huang said with a sheet of paper in hand.
“Come on! We shouldn’t plan ourselves so precisely. How many variables will appear do you know?” Tan firmly insisted.
After such unhappy argument, Tan finally agreed to arrange a room for us to take shower and rest in local inn of Gerby.
We couldn’t persuade him any further and had to get on a small van with our numb legs.
It was about 2 o’clock a.m., when we arrived at the Gerby.
Tan parked the van at a corner. Then, he turned to us and said:” Ok! Let’s take a rest in an inn nearby here. Since I am too young to check in……”
We all puzzled and stiffly looked at him. We had no idea what kind of weird idea he would have again.
“I think……Mr. Li is more senior than me and his oral English is much better than mine. Therefore, I think it’s better for him to check in first, then we all follow him to share the room.”
“ Why?” Mr. Huang asked in bewilderment.
“ In such a small and remote town, it is very easy to cause somebody’s suspicion for a young man to book a hotel at midnight. The reception will certainly ask me some questions; unfortunately, my English is too poor to explain correctly.”
We all recognized this sort of behavior was very improper and unusual, but we found no reason strong enough to reject his arrangement.
Especially for me, I thought I had fully understood his motivation.
As one of Chinese over-seas students, he must suffer a lot to survive in a foreign country. Saving every cent had become their common habit.
Moreover, he valued his employment so much that he was eager to show his accomplishment of cost reduction to his boss.
Under such consideration, the sympathy to him immediately swept over my mind.
“ Ok, let me try.” I replied and got off the van.
Against gusts of icy wind, I bowed my body and walked hard toward a small inn where the dim light was cast through the door glass.
I pushed the doorbell outside.
With the door open, a hail of fierce barks suddenly burst out in such silent night. I let out a cry and jumped back several paces.
“For what? The man.” A man seated behind the reception desk asked me in a very impatient and impolite mood.
“I need a room.” dispensing with politeness for him, I answered coldly.
“Show me your ID or passport!”
“Yes！” I passed it to him, and then received a worn-out check-in book.
I filled the form carefully.
“40 dollars!” he stretched out his right arm and asked me for money without glance at the book.
I took out a roll of green money from my inner pocket and picked up 40 dollars to him.
“Yes, here you are.”
To my surprise, he clutched it abruptly, then stood up and shouted to me:
” Get out here, immediately!” he pointed to the door.
“Why should I？I had paid the deposit.” After regained my composure, I asked him firmly.
“Come on, guy!” as shouting, he run to me from the desk as if he were going to rob my money.
Instinctively, I retreated to the door and protected my pocket with my hands.
“ Never treat me as a fool” he said ironically, “Ever since your van arrived here, the dogs’ barking immediately alarmed me to notify your behavior.” He said with a sarcastic smile.
“My God! Several persons shared one car. Then one got off the car and came here. I am sure you must be none other than a representative of that gangster group.” He said ferociously.
I was shocked by his words and resented Tan’s such a stupid arrangement, which caused so severe misunderstanding and such a huge trouble.
“No, you are wrong! We are…….” I tried to explain the situation, but he interrupted me rudely.
” Shut up!” He shouted again.
“If you consider us as a group of gangsters, why did you charge me?” I asked.
“****!” He was immediately provoked by my question and fiercely turned to his dog: “Janis, go ahead!” as crying he went to untie the huge wolf dog that was staring at me with its hostile shining eyes and coarse sob.
Immediately responding to its world-shaking howling, I jumped out the door and fled away as quickly as I could.
Accompanying the barks, a heavy door sliming was heard behind me. ……
I told my friends the entire story, after I returned to the van.
They all were annoyed by this unfair treatment. Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu even went further as to go for explanation.
“No, no! Never to it, please.” Tan stopped them in hurry, “We must leave here as soon as possible, since he may be calling the police.”
Before our any response, Tan started the van and madly ran away from Gerby.
“ What are you doing? Tan!” asked Mr. Huang loudly, “Is it illegal here to book a hotel after down payment?”
“ I could hardly understand the situation,” said Mr. Shu, he used to keep silent,” We come here not for selling drug, nor for ammunition smuggling. We are for formal, legal business! Why are we always treated as escaped criminals?” he complained with obvious dissatisfaction to Tan’s manner.
“For what? Don’t you know the real reason?” said Tan, “Simply because you are Chinese and here is USA!” he said with slow tone and every syllable stressing.
“What’s wrong with our Chinese?” three of us assailed him simultaneously.
“ Come on, save your national dignity and self-respect and enjoy them at home please.” He said with a heavy sigh, then, he told us a sad story his own.

[wenzili]

Tan Shao Sa was born in an official family in southwest China and brought up in the years of “Culture Revolution”.
Although he got a diploma of high school; but he had very poor knowledge even less than a pupil graduated from primary school.
In 1980s the “Open Door Policy” was introduced to China.
Just like the rising up of floodgates, million of Chinese youths from the riches or senior official families rushed out of China and dashed to west countries for overseas study or money making.
Tan’s parents managed to send him to USA.
Thanks to the help of his father’s friend, he was enrolled by Wichita University.
Soon after his entrance, he was flunked out for all E-scores.
He had to work in a Chinese restaurant where his wife was serving as a waitress.
There, the young couple was in day and night shifts respectively.
Before long, his wife was falling in love with a regular white customer.
Tan got devoiced soon and had to live alone.
To save money, he moved to a humble flat in the basement of a black residence located in a hill closed to the entrance of A22 highway in west suburb of Wichita.
Every evening, he left here and drove his squeaky jalopy to the restaurant as quick as he could.
One day, he got up too late and dashed down the hill.
Shortly before the entrance, he found two police cars with red lights twinkling and alarm horn blaring quickly followed him. One of them even took over and blocked his way. He promptly took a hard break and got out of the car to see what happened.
To his surprise, he found several armed policemen jumped out from the cars and besieged him.
“Stop! Raise your hands!” they all shouted to him with guns pointed to his head.
He was petrified and quickly raised his hands. Then, a bobby came to him and sternly asked for driving license.
Unfortunately, he was too hurrying to take it when he left home a moment ago.
“Sorry sir, I forgot to ……. But, I ……live the top ……the hill. I can……” He was trembling and faltering with his poor English.
“Show me your ID card, then.” one more order.
“Sorry again! The same, no take!” with shrugging, he try to explained the reasons, but two policemen approached to him and pressed him to the ground skillfully.
With two hands tightly cuffed on his back, he was tucked to a wagon.
“Tell me why, sir.” He kept mumbling, but no one inside the car paid any attention to him.
He was sent to a prison 40 miles away from Wichita.
For several days, the boss of the restaurant found no waiter on evening duty; he asked Tan’s pre-wife if she happened to know where he was.
She was very staggered and immediately reported to police. For several days, she had spent a lot of efforts to find him.
Finally, the puzzle came to light, due to a suspect of over speed and illegal driving without driving license; Tan Shao Sa was arrested and put into a prison.
Her husband told her even more, driving down the hill was extremely easy to be over-speed. If for a common American citizen, no matter black or white, to fine a ticket was enough, however to yellow Chinese it would be another situation.
Recent years, more and more Chinese migrations had been surging into USA. Some of them damaged their reputation by indecent behaviors and integrity ignoring, which resulted a sort of hatred and repulsion among local residents, even in some governmental staff, such as policemen, immigration officers etc.
Therefore, once a Chinese committed a crime, then, a much severe penalty must be imposed upon.
Thanks to pre-wife’s hard work, Tan was bailed out.
From then on, whenever he met or even heard a policeman, he would nervously go into panic.

(To be continued by Part 6:Contacting USA Workers in Zero-Distance)

[wenzili]

（6） Contacting With USA Workers in Zero-Distance

Tan finished the story with tears.
We all kept silent and felt sorry to him. No one complained to his lodge misguidance any longer.
Since no room for us to stay, he had to drive to and parked on an open field outside Gerby.
It was extremely cold. We all sat closely to keep warm and to get over that bitterly coldness in midnight.
Gradually, the starred sky turned dark to indigo. Pieces of rosy downs were glinting above the east horizon in harmony with the first cockcrow and the twittering of birds. Then, longing under the blue welkin, all clouds became as red as a flame.
I had to admire the alien beauty, but no any poet’s impulse was ever burst, since, at that time, I was bitterly cold and dreadfully hungry.
No one speaking, we all fell into a deep thinking, “why the situation came to be so worse?” “As decent senior management in well-known Chinese enterprises, we came here for business decently. We did nothing wrong. Why should such a confounded situation befallen to us? ”
Under the first sunrays in the morning, Mr. Shu checked the series numbers of wells and related bits again with Tan. Then, against the nippy wind, he got off the car and went to the boot. He had carefully checked the readiness of the bits one by one.
Found no fault, he got on the car. Then, with the car roaring, we started our new journey again.
The tests were conducted in the west and northwest suburbs of Gerby, about 40-50 miles away.
Our car was winding about the snow hills on a narrow and slippery path at a speed less than 20 mph.
It’s about 9 o’clock, when the profiles of several iron derricks appeared in the horizon. We were so happy that we all shouted out cheerfully.
The oilfield was deadly quiet. Nothing but a motor’s monotonous buzzing plus occasional metal bumping was sounded. All these gave us an extremely dull and depressive feeling.
As per original arrangement, we drove straight to the derrick No.1. Then, with collective effort, we managed to draw the bit No.1, weighted about 100kg, out and left it outside the door of the well enclosure.
In the mean time, with a squeaky sound, the door opened. A smeary worker, looked like a team leader, came out.
“Good morning, sir! I suppose you are Chinese.” He greeted to us with a resonant voice.
“Good morning! Yes, we are, and for bit test.” I came to him for handshake.
All my friends had handshakes with him in turn.
“Welcome all of you. Please left the bit over there and come in please.”
“Ok! Thanks!”
We followed him in file.
At this very moment, a sort of complicated feeling rose in my mind.
Yes, after such an arduous journey and with so much hardship, we finally got our products here and had such an opportunity to contact with American workers in zero-distance.
How could we free from and conceal our excitement?
There were about half dozen of workers operating on the drilling platform.
Different from the scene shown on Chinese movies—all petroleum workers wearing exactly the same uniforms, they all wore various helmets and overalls with different colors and shapes. One of them even wore wadded pajamas.
To respond our enquiry, Tan explained to us: “Oh, that!” said he, “Different from your workers in Da Qing Oilfield, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but why?” Mr. Huang asked further.
“Different from your state own enterprises，all expenditures including overalls purchasing are on public bills. Here, almost all enterprises are run by private owners. They pay workers high salaries and the workers are responsible to buy their own overalls. Besides, they always change their job and transferred to different companies. Therefore, it is impossible for them to have uniforms like in China.” We fully understood the situation and had no surprise any more.
Under chilly wind and working in open area, the workers with dark mauve faces were operating hard but slowly.
With clouds of white vapor jets from their nostrils, they were repeating same processes again and again, loading and unloading the drilling bit to get core samples.
At that time the temperature dropped as low as minus 20 degrees. Without shade neither any conditioning facilities, the working condition was really beyond our imagination.
The team leader kindly led us leaving the platform and came to a so-called “dressing room”. Here, a whirring gas torch was used to warm up someone who had been frozen stiff. Since no roof on the room, the warm-up effect of flam radiation was very limited.
We were very thankful to his kindness. After a while, under the consideration of travel to other two sites, we had to say good-bye to him.
Mr. Shu came to him in time and asked him to sign a receipt.
About 3 hours later, we completed the delivery of other 2 bits to well No.2 and No.3 and got on Tan’s car again.
With heavy breathing, Tan said to us weirdly:” Ok! You had fulfilled your task. Now, you may either go back to Wichita or even go home waiting for the final test results.”
“Leave Here?, Why?”” We can’t understand what the reason is. After such a long journey and spent so much money, we had come here. For what? It is incredible to leave this area before the final test results come out.” Mr. Huang and Mr. Shu said angrily.
“Yes, there is another reason for you to go home and recheck the cost carefully, since the quotation you offered before were too high to accept.”
I was shocked by Tan’s manner too, which, I thought, was far beyond the business practice and industrial regulations.
Without price recognition, why should you ask us to come here for testing? I was sure it by no means was John’s idea.
With a meaningful glance, I hinted to my friends “be careful” and “no need to worry about it”.

(To be continued)

[wenzili]

(7) A Dramatic Turning

About a week later, Tan suddenly appeared in Mr. Shu’s hotel.
“No good, no good! The quality is absolutely unacceptable!” he said with shrugging and head’s waving, as if in a completely disappointment.
“What? What’s wrong with our bits?” Mr. Shu asked with a great astonishment.
“Yes, the testing reports had come out this morning. Almost all drilling lives in meters are less than 1/3 of Houghes.” Tan said with an intoxicated tone. Then he passed a roll of typing paper to Mr. Shu and sat down next to him with a pair of legs highly crossed.
“What? 1/3? No, it is impossible!” looked like another person; Mr. Shu lost his born gentleman style. He rebounded from the sofa and shout out, as if a roaring lion. His distortional face got terribly pale, since he felt like insulted by Tan’s words.
“The results are in black and white” Tan answered jauntily.
When Mr. Shu had a glance to the paper, he was really petrified. With an agape face, He sank into the deep armchair and had nothing to say for a long time.
“Things went worse, but not hopeless yet.” Tan hardly concealed his amusement; he took a deep breath then joyfully said. “There are plenty of solutions available. Maybe price cutting down is the best one.” as saying as squinting to Mr. Shu, he said again:” You needn’t worry too much. I’ll do your favor and explain to John.” Finding Mr. Shu still in silent, he added further: “Above all,” he suddenly raised his tone, “you should make up your mind to cut the prices down as soon as possible. We all need to value the cooperative opportunity. Don’t we?” After several hacking coughs, he completed his persuading with awkward smiling.
Enlightened by his odd appearance and behaviors, Mr. Shu was suddenly tumbled to all. He jumped out from the sofa and stoutly demanded: “It must be something wrong. I need to recheck the core samples on sites.”
It was Tan’s turn to be shocked. He knew nothing about geology, but he fully understood what the result would be after the core rechecking. He went to nervous again. Then, he pretended to be annoyed:” What’s wrong with you, Mr. Shu. It is absolutely impossible to have any dirty trick as you imagined. Here is USA, American are the most honest people in the world.”
“Maybe you are right. However, I am worrying about someone playing a jackal to the tiger.” said Mr. Huang sarcastically, while he came out from Bathroom. He was illumined by Tan’s whimsical behaviors too.
“Ok, if you all distrust your compatriot; then, I have nothing to say.” He said, after heavy breathing, “If you want to check the data, go ahead, you can do it by yourselves.” He swaggered out, then went into his car and ran away as quick as possible.
Both Mr. Shu and Mr Huang were terribly enraged by his manner again, since they knew without Tan’s leading, they all, with no English skill, had no way to go to anywhere.
With one hand holding the report and the other resting on forehead, Mr. Shu was completely blanked. However, Mr. Huang kept his clear mind and had a good suggestion. He asked Mr. Shu to dial to my office in Wichita and called me immediately.
“Mr. Shu, never worry about it. Keep good and clear mind to overcome the crisis, otherwise, if you fall down, no one can sort it out on your behalf.” I comforted him at the other end of the line.
“Besides, John is my old friend. After this call, I’ll make an appointment with him and find out what the problem is.”
To support my coming visiting to John, they spent whole night for sending a set of original testing files in domestic laboratories and faxed to me instantly.
Thank to our joint efforts plus John’s support, we rechecked the geologic data from wells 1#, 2 #and 3# and found all of them had been confused when Tan sent to us.
Obviously, it was on purpose and the plotter must be none other than Tan Shao Sa who once kept on declaring himself as a patriotic Chinese compatriot.
Fortunately, Mr. Shu’s had brought 4 bits, one more than original arrangement, here.
Rearranged by John himself, the fourth test had been conducted in Gerby oilfield again. Sure enough, the drilling life in meters even slightly better than that of Houghe’s.
We all were hailing for our success. In the mean time, Tan Xiao Sha was quitted and depressingly left York Petroleum Company with his handbag under his arm.

（ To be continued by Part 8: The Soul Calling Back）

[kiz_paws]

Your stories are quite fascinating, each one compels me to keep reading. No matter how much hardship is endured, the human spirit always keeps bouyant. I look forward to reading more, thank you, Kiz :)

[B-Mental]

Yes please continue. I at first thought that perhaps someone failed to use the correct metric conversions which would cause your data to be off. What type of bits are they PDC or rollercone?

[wenzili]

Your stories are quite fascinating, each one compels me to keep reading. No matter how much hardship is endured, the human spirit always keeps bouyant. I look forward to reading more, thank you, Kiz :)

Thank you, my web-friend, Kiz! For your patience!
This is a real story. I hope you may help me in both grammar and English wording so that you may have less hardship to understand it.

[wenzili]

Thank you again my friend B- Mental! Our bits type was rollercone at that time when this story happened.

[wenzili]

（8） Calling A Stray Soul Back

After years, when Mr. Huang, Mr. Shu and I met in Nan Chang again; this story inevitably came to our conversation.
Firstly, I was happy to know, their bits business had got great success after that icebreaking journey. Then, we had a wide range of topics: from their frightening maiden voyage to the unfair treatment in Gerby Inn, from Tan’s peculiar requirement on the road to Wichita to the deliberate plot of well No. confusion. As talking, we all had a complicated feeling.
We had no idea what happened to him, after Tan left the petroleum company. We all felt pitying for his misfortune, in the mean while, also sad for his dishonesty.
My friends attributed his motive to his extreme self-concern.
After lots of suffering and scare in an alien country, he finally found a decent job. He cared it too much and eagerly wanted to show his accomplishment toward cost reduction to his boss. However, he sacrificed a real moral value, which led to his complete failure.
In addition to above mentioned factors, my personal understanding was rooted to the political degeneration of his family.
After the trial to the “Gang Four”, his father was downfallen for his conspiracy involvement.
From a noblest official family to humbler prisoner one, they had experienced such a desperate change, which created enormous revenge.
With such politic resentfulness, Tan, of course, hated everyone from mainland China and considered its any failure as his own great happiness.
As we ardently talking, a bygone performance of “Soul Calling Back” couldn’t help appearing in my mind.
In my childhood, there was a strange custom in my hometown.
When a child was frightened outside door, the parents always considered its soul had been separated from its body and got lost. Like a stray dog, the soul wandering outside could not find the way home.
In this case, a soul calling back process should be undertaken.
Before sunset, the parents always raised a child’s shirt at the top of a bamboo stick to guide the road home, since the soul could remember nothing but its own smell.
One adult in front kept throwing rice and constantly calling: “Please come back, my little dog (one of the most popular nicknames in our countryside)! You should know only here is your home. ” ……

(The End)

Written on August 1, 2007 in Po Dong, Shanghai

For more stories, pls. refer to my blog: http://wenzili.my.24en.com

[wenzili]

Hello,
I'm new here and just wanted to say "hi" :)

How's it going?

"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things as a meaningful unity" - Albert Einstein

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abigail2
http://gail.freehostia.com[/QUOTE]

Hi! My new friend, abigail2,
I am not quite understand what your quoted meaning is. Anyway, I enjoy Buddism too, since my mother was a dedicated Buddism. I am sure she is in the Elysium now.

[kiz_paws]

Hi wenzili, no need to thank anyone for patience -- it was a pleasure to read your entries. And I want to warmly welcome you to LitNet, something I didn't have the pleasure doing before. Take care, Kizzo :)