Sixty percent of Kazakhstan’s territory was either desert or was in a process of desertification.
Many places that were turning into deserts were a result of indiscriminate development of farmland in the past. A large-scale agricultural project was carried out in Kazakhstan during the time of the Soviet Union, which ignored the natural environment and the farmland was neglected afterward.
The Kazakh government, too, after becoming independent from the Soviet Union, was practicing the similar farming policy and it was aggravating the desertification of its territory. Arirang Farm was not an exception. The land was neglected for decades and it was turning into a desert when Youngho had claimed it.
The annual precipitation was only 200 millimeters and it was concentrated only in winter, and it did not help farming. Fortunately, the branch of the Ural River was close by, and water could be drawn to the farmland from it. It was a very lucky case.
However, in the case of the Koryoin town, there were no large water resources nearby, so it was not possible to create a mining village or build smelting facilities around it. At first, Youngho had planned to build a mining city, but the water was an obstacle and he had to revise all of his plans.
Therefore, the plan was revised to send the raw ore to the smelting plant only after dressing of ore. Fortunately, the open-air mining system only required a very primitive technology to separate minerals. Not much of facility funds were needed since it was only necessary to build a connecting road to the industrial road to the city of Aktobe, where there was a smelting plant.
Park Youngsun, who was discussing the road route with Youngho, suggested an idea.
“Mr. Lee. I don’t think you need a paved road. This is a dry region, so the road won’t get muddy and even if you make a paved road, it will cost you more to maintain the road in several years. Large trucks could still come and go on the rough road.”
“Don’t you think we still should make a road?”
“You’ll just need to even out the surface with a bulldozer. I’ll also look for a way to develop underground water resource. If the Koryoin town’s upper stream gets polluted because of the minefield development, we won’t have any supply for drinking water.”
Anywhere he went in Kazakhstan, there were enough mineral resources but the problem was water supply. The government also developed underground water resources around farming regions because of water deficiency, but in a remote area like the Koryoin town was not benefited by it.
“The underground water resource development is the most urgent matter. Even if we build a lodge for mining workers now, it would be useless without any water supply.”
It seemed that Youngho would have to focus on underground water resource development with a heart of Native Americans calling for rain.
The Lakota people, who lived in the desert in Arizona of North America were known to make rain when they did a ritual for rain. The reason was that they kept doing the ritual until the rain finally fell. Since the region had 200 millimeters of precipitation a year, it would have rained if they endured the ritual until the rain came.
It was a reckless and indefatigable method, but it was a way to unite the people who lived in a barren environment. If they did not have a belief that there would be rain, they could not have done the ritual so patiently.
Park Youngsun was also in high spirits that he would drill multiple holes until he found underground water like the Indians who persevered. Youngho also encouraged him that he would support him until the water was found.
“Youngho, you should quit the clothing and porcelain goods business. They’re already out of our hands since we’re too busy doing other things.”
Youngho had no time to think about his clothing stores and porcelain store. He had been thinking about getting rid of those businesses and Jong-il had mentioned about it just in time.
“If there’s anyone suitable for the business, you can sell the businesses. As for the Sumqayit store, you should ask if Sevan wants to buy it first. As for the direct stores in Baku, try selling it to Stephany too.”
“Stephany will be exuberated to hear that. Karajan will also love it if her cousin becomes the owner.”
“I feel a little sad now that I should let go of the direct store.”
Chunho Merchant’s direct clothing store and H Porcelain store in Baku were what made Youngho now. On the basis of those businesses, he was able to be rooted in Baku, but now the scale of his businesses had grown too big and the profits he made from those stores were incomparable to what he made from his wine business and hotel business. It was time to get rid of small businesses in a decisive manner and concentrate his energy on the hotel, wine, and shipping businesses.
Youngho was invited by Sevan to the Main Police Department, so he went there in a long time. Sevan, who had agreed on receiving Youngho’s share of the Sumqayit clothing store, could not hide his excitement.
“Mr. Lee. You’re handing in the clothing store that has been like a widow’s cruse. You must’ve decided to focus on your main businesses.”
“I’m a little sad to let it go, but I need to have my eyes on bigger things.”
“How’s purchasing sites that are on the railroad route?”
“The sites were in a disputed territory and it doesn’t look great, but I’m thinking to become an underwriter of the private consortium. My advice for you is not to take the risk, now that you have my share of the clothing store.”
Russia, which was actively carrying forward the railroad business, was caught up with Ukraine’s problem and the railroad to the Gulf was at a standstill.
“I’ve heard that you brought some war orphans when you went to look around the sites to purchase. I just think that there are so many regions that are too good to miss.”
Sevan still did not give up his dream to purchase land around the railroad route. Since the price of the land would double and triple in time for sure, it was understandable but Youngho did not want to risk things for such small things. It was more important not to miss more important things while chasing after small things.
When the railroad connection construction began, Azerbaijan and Iran would be tied together as an ally and it would stabilize regions around them. There would still be borders, but people could freely come and go in and out of countries, so Iranian Azerbaijanis in northern Iran might be self-contented with their autonomous region. Then, there would be one less disputable factor around the Caucasus region.
Also, Russia would be the one who wanted peace around those regions the most, since it would not stand if the golden railroad route to the Indian Ocean went wrong. In the future, all of the countries around the Caspian Sea would have to use this railroad route and the regions around the route would be naturally kept in peace.
Countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan would also transport goods on the Caspian Sea. Shipping Industries would naturally develop and Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea would be developed according to the business trend. Although transporting business in the Caspian Sea had been suffering a recession, it would soon change.
Then, Azerbaijan would permanently become a safe country. Moreover, the country would make a lot of profits from the railroad business. That was why Youngho wanted to become the underwriter for the railroad private consortium. If he became the underwriter, he would be able to get involved in many profitable businesses related to the railroad. The railroad distribution business would soon become a widow’s cruse that would give him consistent, secure profits just like his wine business.
“Wow, and when you said that, Yaniv agreed to do it?”
“Yup. He said if I came to report to him in Volgograd twice a year, he won’t bother any businesses of the foundation.”
“Is he really going to pay five million dollars?”
“Yeah, that’s right. We’d be getting a fat check donation soon. Now we can expand the foundation’s business.”
Zeynep bragged that she was able to convince Yaniv to donate five million to the Arirang Foundation. Trying to make a connection with Zeynep, he promised to Zeynep to donate such amount to the foundation at the Batumi hotel’s building dedication ceremony.
It was an enormous amount, but Yaniv did not mind.
Now Zeynep would have to make a trip to Volgograd twice a year, but Yaniv’s offer was too good to refuse. She was now into looking for a new charitable project. She did not mention about collecting antiques anymore.
Her determined eyes scared Youngho since it was obvious that she would look for ways to get away from Youngho.
“Zeynep. The foundation’s boundary is within Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. We won’t be getting involved in other regions just yet.”
Feeling the need to draw the line in advance, Youngho softly informed her.
“Oh, you’re right. I was going to help Kurdish refugees in Iraq, but I guess I’ll have to quit.”
It seemed that she had heard a lot about Kurdish refugees from the war orphan, Jelyan.
“There’s a lot of international relief organizations involved in helping them, so you won’t have to worry. I just brought little orphans because they had no families.”
“Is that so? Okay, I thought everyone was dying in hunger.”
The war orphans were all adapting well at Zeynep Farm.
Especially, Jelyan dramatically became brighter and it made Youngho happy. Leon also looked for Jelyan the first thing whenever he opened his eyes from sleeping. He caused such trouble every time she went out to school since he nagged to follow her to school.
The darkness in her soul was nowhere to be seen now after receiving psychiatric help and care from the family. Youngho almost passed away when she first called Fatima and him ‘mama and papa’.
Although she was not his biological daughter, he wanted to raise her as if he was her real father and he was so emotional when she called him ‘papa.’ It was even touching since nobody forced her to say those words.
Some war orphans who suffered aphasia after a traumatic experience tended to forget about their own past and Youngho wondered if she was that case as well. It was difficult to understand that one could erase the memories of his/her own family, but it could be a defensive mechanism to survive through indescribable pain.
Zeynep was on her summer break and because of her eagerness, the whole family flew to Volgograd on a Cessna airplane to meet Yaniv. She was eager to get the donation check from Yaniv before he changed his mind.
After receiving the check from meeting Yaniv, she then nagged to visit Batumi.
It seemed that Fatima also wanted to travel more away from people’s attention. So, Youngho agreed to her since it was a long-awaited family trip. He also wanted to show Jelyan a new world.
She had lived in hilly areas in landlocked regions and she first saw a sea, only after she came to Baku. She did not speak English fluently just yet, so it was difficult to talk in depth, but there was no problem communicating basic needs and emotions with each other.
Jelyan looked excited about going on an airplane trip.
Kim Ilkwon landed the eight-seater Cessna airplane at Batumi Airport.
Cho Chulhwan, who already knew about Youngho’s visit came to the airport to receive the family.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to watch you and see if you’re running the hotel well. I’ve got to collect money as well.”
“You came just in time. We had Turkish group travelers and they just checked out today. If they didn’t, you would’ve slept in my house.”
“What? A group travelers in a five-star hotel?”
“I made some discounts for advertisement. People should come back because they’ve already experienced our great facilities.”
The management professionals were running the hotel properly, but Cho Chulhwan and Um Sangtaek had been studying about hotel business and together, they were great partners. He said that he kept losing track of time because work was so fun.
“Don’t overdo yourself. This is a famous vacationland anyway, so travelers will voluntarily come in all four seasons.”
“What are you talking about? As soon as our hotel had a grand opening, other same-level hotels nearby began event sales. If people stayed there for four days, they gave one night for free.”
The world was going through a recession and because of terrorism around the region, people were reluctant to take trips. That was why hotels in Batumi were so competitive with each other.
“Oh, yeah? You can give away Zeynep wine for free at our hotel. We have an overflowing amount of wine.”
If the rumor spread out that Arirang Hotel was giving away free wine that was 30 dollars a bottle in the market, wine lovers would rush into the hotel. Especially, people around Batumi loved wine. Since Zeynep Wine was new around the region, they would be intrigued to taste the new wine and they would come back again for the wine.
It was a win-win sale strategy.
