Chapter Twenty-Four: Xu Gong Arrives
In a very ordinary street inn near Nizle city, close to Jabalia refugee camp, I was accompanying Xu Gong in meeting the 7 leaders of this exploration team. This team of eight people is the leadership group of more than 400 people and they met with me for the first time half a month after I was appointed as project manager.
It's been over a week since the first transportation of goods, and later I learned from Hassan that Mahmoud was in the jeep that was bombed at the time. This little guy who wanted to give me a hard time was really scared by my so-called underlings.
He never dreamed that my subordinates would want his life because of the way he teased me. The one who still wanted to find trouble with me was scolded by his leader, thinking that he couldn't even do the most basic things, and was removed from his military position, really becoming Hassan's assistant, responsible for contacting transaction information between us.
This group of eight people came to me because a small unit from Hamas's Kassam Brigade made a mistake, and before the high-level negotiations on uranium mining had yielded any results, they once again launched a terrorist attack across the border into Israel, targeting the southeastern residential area of Ivhaasara town. However, this time the Israeli Defense Forces did not successfully stop the terrorist attack in time, resulting in one civilian house being destroyed, four cars parked near the attacked house damaged by shrapnel, and seven members of an Israeli military officer's family killed inside the attacked house, reportedly because it was the home of a pilot who had previously bombed Gaza.
This conflict has made the issue of uranium mining more complicated between the two sides, and the seven guys in the project department next to the Agricultural University in Beit Haemek, which is closest to the Palestinian excavation point, can't stand it anymore. The resumption of work on this project seems to have no deadline, and although there are no problems with workers' wages, the entire exploration team's project department is now guarded by the Kassam Brigade military, and even every day personnel entering and leaving need to be accompanied by a translator and a small leader to explain the reason. Except for going out to see a doctor or local employees normally buying food and essential living materials, almost all other reasons are not allowed to leave the project department's scope.
They, who couldn't contact the outside world, waited left and right but still couldn't find me at their project department. So they simply got up very early in the morning, using the excuse of going out for medical treatment to come and look for my whereabouts. Fortunately, they knew Hassan's satellite phone, otherwise they would have completely lost contact with the outside world.
According to Hassan's instructions, they found my new address and came here. As for why I chose to stay in this refugee camp instead of the excellent conditions at the hostel, it's because I discovered that the food and living supplies I transported last time didn't circulate in these large refugee camps. There must be some problem somewhere, as these supplies were hoarded. In just half a month, before the uranium mine started operating, I have already sent over three batches of supplies back and forth across the border. This is absolutely abnormal.
But after listening to these guys' complaints, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. As the so-called project manager, I hadn't even visited the project department once, and I hadn't thought about whether I had any responsibility towards them. It seems that Xu Gong is good at managing engineering construction, geological exploration, and research, but he has no way of dealing with those protective measures against the Cassan troops who are restricting their movements. In other words, I overestimated him. This guy is capable of doing his job, and his management work is fine, but when it comes to interpersonal relationships and external affairs, he's not up to par.
I'm not interested in listening to Mr. Xu introducing these purely technical experts who are just like him, so I instructed Mahmoud, who was waiting on the side, to go and talk to those Khasan travelers, kindness is kindness but it can't be too restrictive, protecting safety is necessary, but personal freedom is also important.
Watching Mahmoud leave after listening to Hassan's translation, he hastily followed the eight unknown guys who came in a hurry and went out for dinner. Looking at these guys' appearance, it was clear that they hadn't eaten lunch before coming.
I watched in amazement as these seven people wolfed down the entire half-case of military canned goods and compressed biscuits that Shui Cui's subordinate had brought, it really gave me a fright. I handed a bottle of water to a middle-aged man with hair as white as Xu Gong's, and I was afraid he would choke to death. Looking at these guys, it's hard to imagine they only missed one meal at noon today, and I couldn't help but wonder which project department they belonged to this morning?
Before I could finish asking, the front door on the first floor was opened again, and a hurried footsteps accompanied by a burst of Arabic returned upstairs. Without looking, I knew it was Mahmoud who had just left coming back. He turned his head to look at Hassan sitting next to him watching Western scenery, but Hassan couldn't hold back his laughter, repeatedly waving his hand at me, indicating that he couldn't speak.
I don't understand why he's so happy, so I looked at the only Palestinian among the eight people in a row, translated by Amiad, this young man who looks like he's under twenty years old is also employed by Jiao Ge Company as a translator. Although he looks very young and beautiful, with big eyes and long eyelashes like a girl, he's actually around 24 or 25 years old.
He hastily swallowed the food in his mouth, adjusted his emotions and said with a slightly embarrassed expression: "What he said is that Kasan Travel discovered our disappearance and has sent someone to inform you, but was blocked by this gentleman and informed us of our current location, telling them not to be too anxious."
I still don't understand what this kid is being shy about, I just feel grateful to those responsible for their safety. It's only 2 pm now, and these eight people got up at most at 5 or 6 am, it's only been half a day and they've already discovered that someone is missing, really very responsible. Besides, this Xu Gong is really unreliable, others are doing it for your safety, not to put you in jail, do you need to make them so busy?
Hassan took a deep breath and then gestured for me to follow him out of the dining hall. We left one after another, went downstairs, and stopped at the entrance on the first floor. Only then did he look at me and say: "Brother, you don't think these people just came out today, do you? It shouldn't take long to drive from Beit Ha township to here, but I forgot to tell you that they called me yesterday afternoon. The report from Hamas is that these eight people have been missing for three whole days."
