The plane finally landed. The film crew disembarked with utmost speed, heading for their transport to Florence. In Florence, there were only two ways to travel: by plane or by train; long-distance buses were non-existent.
The flight had already departed, and the next one wasn't until tomorrow. Thus, their only option was to reach the train station as quickly as possible and take a train from Rome to Florence.
Although the plane landed two hours before the train's departure, and the airport was connected to the train station by metro, which would take about an hour to reach the station, theoretically, they had ample time.
However, to the film crew's surprise, as they reached the customs exit and prepared to pass through, they were stopped by a customs officer who asked them to wait.
"Hello, we are journalists, and we're here to promote your country!" Wang Dafu tried his best to communicate with the officer, but it was of no avail. They were still held in the waiting room.
"Why are they detaining us?" Li Sisi was a little scared, as this was her first time abroad and her first time passing through customs.
"He said there were dangerous items in our suitcases and that we had to be confirmed before they could decide our fate!" Wang Dafu said, utterly exhausted. His communication with the officer had consumed a significant amount of his time and energy.
"Dangerous items? Impossible. Our belongings were checked before boarding, and we definitely didn't bring any dangerous items!" Liu Xiang said, incredulous.
"Let me ask you, did you put a jar of Laoganma in your bag?" Wang Dafu glared at Liu Xiang, who nodded. "Yes, you know, the food in Europe is simply inedible. If I don't have a jar of Laoganma, I fear I won't be able to survive here! But how can Laoganma be a prohibited dangerous item!"
"But that staff member insisted it was a dangerous item. When he opened the lid, he said the chili oil inside looked very similar to nitroglycerin, so he suspected we were carrying explosives!" Wang Dafu said.
"Are they... pigs? Can't they smell it?" Liu Xiang and Li Sisi were both shocked.
"I said the same thing, and then he smelled it..." xxs
"And then?"
"Then he said there was a strong stimulating odor and suspected it was nitroglycerin with gasoline added!" Wang Dafu was utterly exasperated. Liu Xiang and Li Sisi were equally indignant. What on earth was this!
Wang Dafu felt incredibly weary. Being detained in the waiting room for a jar of Laoganma was an outcome he had never anticipated when they set off.
"This shouldn't be happening. I've been to over a dozen countries, and none of them have ever stopped me because of a jar of Laoganma!" Liu Xiang was completely dumbfounded.
"Then can we just give up this jar of Laoganma and leave?" Li Sisi asked.
"How is that possible? They won't let us leave without confirming our identities!" Wang Dafu sighed. "Alright, although this sounds unbelievable, it's actually quite normal in Italy. I've lived in Italy for five years and have seen too many Chinese people detained at customs for various reasons. A jar of Laoganma is actually not a bizarre reason. Sometimes, customs officers simply detain you because you look fierce, or you don't resemble your photo, and they can hold you for three days, or even deport you directly, and you have no recourse!"
"Then we won't be deported, will we?" Li Sisi asked worriedly.
"No, I've already contacted our reporter station in Rome and asked them to get in touch with our embassy. With their intervention, we should be out soon!" Wang Dafu said shrewdly.
Indeed, within two hours, the staff announced that their Laoganma had passed inspection and they could leave customs and enter Rome.
However, the entire film crew was on the verge of tears. The last train to Florence of the day was impossible to catch. They would have to spend the night in Rome and then take the earliest train to Florence the next day.
Although this was an inauspicious start and delayed their plans by a day, Wang Dafu still comforted his team, stating that it was fortunate they were released from customs in just two hours.
It was best to head to a hotel near the train station for a good night's rest and then work with full energy tomorrow.
---
"Boss, do we need to find a way to make them miss tomorrow's train?" Hu Jing whispered to Huang He from not far away from the film crew.
"No, customs officers can be bribed, but making them miss the train is unrealistic. After all, they look like they'll stay near the train station, and we can't interfere with their transportation unless we can somehow stop the train from running."
"Let's find a way to delay their itinerary by a day once they reach Florence!" Huang He said with some frustration. He had already spent over 500,000 US dollars upon arriving in Italy.
These dollars were paid to a local Italian intermediary to arrange for eight master shoemakers to be fabricated. Even though this intermediary was a local power player with connections to various Italian underground organizations, they couldn't make the train stop running. It would still require time for arrangements and preparations.
It was simply a matter of time constraints. Huang He needed more time than the film crew members!
"Never mind, let's go to Florence first and meet with Mr. Ricci to confirm the situation there!" Huang He said, and then, with Hu Jing, they got into a luxurious Mercedes and headed for Florence.
Indeed, renting this car and the accompanying driver cost Huang He $1000 a day, something completely impossible for the budget-conscious film crew.
Under the driver's full-speed acceleration, Huang He, Hu Jing, and three subordinates arrived at their destination, Florence, at 10 PM that night. They also met Ricci, who was responsible for finding the eight masters for him this time.
The first piece of news they received was very bad.
"What, the local masters are unwilling to cooperate with us? Even if we pay them, they won't?" Huang He asked, frowning.
Huang He's original plan was to find eight well-known masters locally and have them change their names to deal with the reporters. This was a relatively simple task, easy for a local like Ricci to handle. However, he hadn't expected Ricci to deliver such terrible news.
Not a single local master shoemaker was willing to do him such a small favor, even with Huang He offering $100,000 per person.
"They stated that changing their ancestral names is a great disgrace, and they won't do it even for just a few days!" Ricci shrugged. "My dear Huang, I don't recommend this method either, as too many people know these masters."
"Even if these masters were willing to change their names, your reporters could easily visit their neighbors or check the association's registry to discover our fakery. Changing the name of these already famous old guys, while not impossible, is too difficult with only one day's notice!" Ricci said.
"Are there any better solutions?" Huang He asked in return.
"Of course, instead of going to all the trouble of fabricating eight masters, it would be better to deal with those three reporters!" Ricci said with a smile. "Huang, I assure you, I have a hundred ways to make sure these three reporters never dare to speak of their experiences these past few days!"
"That won't do!" Huang He refused without a second thought.
If Huang He were to do that, he could simply arrange a car accident in Italy, have them hospitalized for a few months, and all problems would be solved.
However, Huang He was, after all, a kind person. If he were to do this, he would be fabricating the situation first and then harming three Chinese people to cover his lies, which made Huang He feel very uneasy.
Moreover, through previous surveillance, Huang He was certain that these three members of the film crew were decent people. Especially Wang Dafu's pursuit of evidence made Huang He respect him even more.
Not to mention that Miss Li Sisi was also someone Huang He had fantasized about before. If he were to act against her like this, Huang He feared he might gradually become the kind of person he detested the most.
Most importantly, dealing with these reporters wouldn't solve the problem. The best solution was to actually possess eight masters, which was the ideal outcome.
"Mr. Ricci, what if we do this..." Huang He said quickly.
"Oh, you really don't mind the trouble!" Ricci covered his head with a look of frustration.
"I'll pay more!"
"Oh! This is simply a perfect plan!" Ricci slapped his thigh with force. "I have a suggestion. I know a rather remote village where the entire village is engaged in shoemaking. They are also very low-key in all of Florence and are very good friends with one of my old friends. With a word from my friend, the entire village will cooperate with you!"
"Of course, my friend is a very distinguished person, and it will take a large sum of money to persuade him to come out, as he has to support over a hundred people, and they live very difficult lives!"
"No problem, will another 300,000 US dollars be enough?"
"Absolutely no problem. You are truly too generous, just like our great Roman Empire!" Ricci said with a smile.
"However, Mr. Ricci, I am a little curious. If the village you mentioned truly makes shoes collectively, how do they manage to be so low-key in all of Florence?" Huang He asked curiously.
"Because their work is not recognized by this world, so they have to be low-key!" Ricci said with a smile.