It is said that bullets are not long-sighted, and war is the most ruthless! But in reality, there are people who take the initiative to go up, not afraid of hardships and dangers to stand in a different place, what are they for?
The answer is: to get rich, for money. And Shenzhen boy Liu Lei is one of them, in the war-prone exotic land of just over a year, he made more than 3 million US dollars, about 25 million yuan at that time, can be described as a winner in life!
In 2003, war broke out between Country M and Iraq, and the world was a sensation.
Since World War II, Country M has participated in a number of wars, including: invasion of Korea (June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953), armed intervention in Lebanon (July 15, 1958 - October 25), war against Vietnam (1961-1975), invasion of Grenada (1983.10.25-11.2), air strikes on Libya (April 15, 1986), Panama War (1989-1990), Armed evacuation of Liberia (June 3, 1990- 1991.1.9), Gulf War (1991.1.17-2.28), armed intervention in Somalia (1992.12.4-1994.3.21), Kosovo War (1999.3.24-6.10), Second Gulf War (2003.3.20-2011.12.15), Libyan War (2011.3.19-10.31), etc.
It can be seen that in this era of peace, the M-nation is not honest, and they have imposed the title of world policeman on themselves.
Back to the point, the 2003 Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, was unilaterally initiated by Country M. Country M, which has always regarded itself as "defending peace," does not know where to put its face this time.
As soon as the war between the two countries broke out, the local war situation became the focus of attention, and the news that rolled in front of the television set every day was particularly eye-catching.
Liu Lei, a young man engaged in the IT industry in Shenzhen, loves international information on weekdays, and when he sees a battlefield scene of wreckage and ruins on TV, he has a long heartache.
Liu Lei (right)
When he learned one day that a large number of soldiers were fighting in Iraq, but could only eat dry food for the troops, he sensed a business opportunity.
He had a bold idea and decided to go to the war-torn Iraq to pan for gold.
What is he going to do in Iraq? I believe everyone later knew that he was going to open a restaurant there to make money.
Only because he found that there were a lot of British and American soldiers there, and their salaries were very high, with daily salaries of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
But the food is single, and there is no other delicacy except dry food. That is to say, those soldiers have money and no place to spend, and if they open restaurants there, they must have money to earn.
Just do it! Liu Lei contacted one of his best friends, and after discussing it, they thought that this idea was feasible, and the two hit it off.
Before setting off, they learned some battlefield escape and self-help skills to protect themselves in case of accidents.
A month later, Liu Lei and his friends embarked on the road to Iraq with more than 3700 US dollars. Unfamiliar with both Iraqis, they chose the city of Baghdad, where the fighting was more concentrated and had the most soldiers.
The two departed from Hong Kong and transferred to Amman, Jordan, via Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Another 5 hours of car ride through the Iyo Highway, known as the "Highway of Death", reached the destination.
This tossing and turning took 2 months. The two arrived in Baghdad exhausted in July. At that time, they were stunned by the sight in front of them, in addition to the scorching heat and the ruins and broken walls; although they had seen it on TV, it felt completely different to be immersed.
Without much thought, Liu Lei and his friend Zhang Luo opened the restaurant. And the address they set their sights on an apartment called Andrews.
When he came to visit this apartment, he found that next to it were two five-star hotels, the Palestine Hotel and the Sheraton Hotel.
This is the place with the most foreign journalists, and the flow of people is hundreds of people every day; at the same time, some soldiers will be nearby, so the source of visitors is OK.
So he approached the owner of an Arabic hotel in his apartment and hoped to convert it into a Chinese restaurant.
At first, the boss did not agree, soft grinding hard bubble after a month, only to relax: open a restaurant can be, the profit first negotiated four or six points. The hotel is willing to provide venues, workers, etc. Liu Lei is responsible for the chef and manages this piece. The restaurant was named "Chinese Dragon".
Liu Lei thought to himself, there are many people, there are reporters, there are soldiers, and the business should be good.
But he still miscalculated, and the reporters were dedicated. As long as the war situation began, he usually did not care about eating or only eating one meal a day or even bringing his own food to get as much war report as possible, and rarely patronized his restaurant.
And the soldiers are not concentrated, very scattered. Only three or five people come to consume, so the business is not good at all.
What's even more frightening is that there are often battles around this hotel, and the attack of gunfire and bullets has become the biggest threat.
Once, in the middle of the night, a shell exploded in the open space next to the restaurant, causing Liu Lei and his friends to break out in a cold sweat, but fortunately, only the building was damaged and people were fine.
After 4 months of operation, the first venture did not make money but lost money.
Liu Lei thought that this place was unsafe and unstable, and he had to find another place.
While chatting with some reporters, he knew that there was an area called the "green zone", which was relatively safe, and there were many soldiers there, and the "source of visitors" was also guaranteed.
With only $1,500, Liu Lei traveled for 2 hours to find the british and American soldiers stationed in the "green zone".
This is an area centered around former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein State Guest House, which is safer than anywhere else. Because in addition to the wall of several meters thick, there were tens of thousands of British and American soldiers stationed.
But safety is safety, that is, ordinary people will not let in. Liu Lei was blocked outside the door without a pass, and he was not allowed to enter.
It's hard to come here, you can't toss it in vain. Liu Lei softly grinded hard bubbles and told the guards that I had a menu here, which I could make, and it was very tasty. If my restaurant opens inside, you will have a lot of delicious food to taste.
After reading the menu and pictures in Liu Lei's hand, the guards showed a satisfied look and quietly put them in.
Liu Lei guessed correctly, these soldiers had long been tired of eating dry food, and changing their taste was very attractive to them.
Green zone in Iraq
Entering the "green zone", Liu Lei found the officers who issued the passes, invited them to eat a "hearty meal," and successfully got the passes. Saying that it is a big meal, it is actually Liu Lei's own cooking of more than 10 Chinese dishes.
With a pass, you can do business in the "Green Zone". Liu Lei spent $1,400 to rent a house near the Presidential Palace. It is said to be a house, but it is actually a business center.
Why he chose there, this has to start from his keen observation. Entering the "green area" Liu Lei accidentally found that there were many people eating in the business center, and after learning that it was not the military canteen, he took the initiative to talk to the person in charge about cooperation.
Due to the unique Chinese cuisine, coupled with the exquisite menu with pictures, the person in charge agreed to Liu Lei's leasing needs, and the location became.
Liu Lei and his friends did it themselves, bought another $100 tableware, and the restaurant opened.
At that time, as soon as the tableware was bought, the money was spent, so I found a good brother and borrowed a sum of money, which was enough to buy vegetables.
Hearing that a new restaurant had been opened, or Chinese food, these soldiers were happy to blossom.
Don't look at Liu Lei is an IT man, but the cooking skills are not bad, and the fast food he makes is very popular with those soldiers. For Chinese cuisine, those foreigners gave a thumbs up and praised it.
When Liu Lei was stir-frying, the gun was picked up
In particular, a piece of Yangzhou fried rice with full color and flavor became his signature there, and many soldiers ordered it to be eaten.
With a source of customers, the natural benefits come up. Fast food ranges from $7 to $20 per serving, and these big soldiers don't blink an eye. You can earn more than $1,000 a day, and your wealth is growing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Later, he learned that these soldiers were paid very well, and there were too few places to spend money, except for eating and drinking, other places basically did not spend money. Some soldiers even paid $3,000 a day, which really startled him.
After a while, a soldier asked him if he had any wine. People abroad, drinking seems to have gone deep into the bone marrow, and there is nothing to always want to take a few sips.
This allowed Liu Lei to find new business opportunities, he came back from outside to buy (wine), and then sold it to soldiers, and it was another income to change hands.
What is even more exaggerated is that British and American soldiers are not allowed to drink alcohol during combat, so they put the wine purchased from Liu Lei's restaurant into the shell box and then quietly transport it back to drink. Even drive a helicopter to buy alcohol and make others suspicious.
Liu Lei calculated that selling alcohol and fast food can have an income of about five or six thousand US dollars per day. At the same time, he was quite business-minded, and he also observed that the soldiers were very tired every day, and resolutely opened a massage shop to acupuncture and massage for them. The fee is about $30 an hour, and sometimes you can receive dozens or even hundreds of dollars in tips.
This can make them excited, and it won't be long before the money to buy a house and a car should be available.
Car bombs
But things under the sky are so smooth, just when he is ready to open a chain store in the green area and do a big job. A car bomb explodes in the "Green Zone", and the next big cleanup begins, and whoever is there is to be strictly checked and controlled.
There was no way, Liu Lei's shop had to close its doors, and finally Liu Lei left after working in Baghdad for a year and a half, making a total of $3 million... The total amount is about 25 million yuan.
And his story is too true and classic, becoming an immortal legend that people praise, and truly confirming the old saying on the mainland: how bold people are, how productive the land is. I'm not afraid of not being able to do it, I'm afraid of not being able to think of it.