I'm a Master in India

Taiji Ali's dark brown skin encased his slender but sturdy body, smooth and taut like a boxer's.

Inside the dimly lit hut, a thick head of silver-gray short hair was striking, even lighter in color than his goatee.

He usually wore a cotton kurta and plain white Western-style trousers. Although his clothes were simple and inexpensive, they were always clean and well-ironed.

After stating his request, he didn't rush Ron to respond. His gaunt hands occasionally picked up a few dates from the plate beside him, a snack favored by most Indians.

Ron was quite surprised by Taiji Ali's request, or rather, his plea. He had expected the other man to propose a commission-based arrangement.

That's how negotiations usually went when dealing with customs officials and police.

But today was an exception. The unspoken rules of Mumbai seemed to have no effect in the slums.

"I can come once a week, or I can tell them everything I know. But as I said, I'm not a professional doctor, and I can't guarantee I can cure every ailment."

"That's enough," Taiji Ali said with a smile. "Anand and the others have been following you for more than half a year and haven't been to a hospital once. That's enough for the slums."

"Alright, I'll come once every Thursday. If there are patients here, have them ready in advance."

"The people at the docks are easy to deal with. Rahul likes you, I can tell."

Rahul was the head of the fishermen in the dock area, and Ron's goods were shipped out of there with his approval.

Every slum or impoverished area in Mumbai has such a leader. They are not gang leaders in the traditional sense; their power comes from the devotion of the people who support them.

They are also the sole managers of the slums. They resolve conflicts that have escalated, and mediate disputes over assets, usage rights, and ownership. Many people even seek their advice on everything from employment to marriage.

In a sense, figures like Taiji Ali completely replace the government. They manage more and have a broader reach than the government.

Of course, not just anyone can be a slum leader. They must care for the residents here like a saint, and act justly and selflessly, just like today.

Taiji Ali was telling Ron that as long as he didn't harm the interests of the fishing village, Rahul would welcome him.

This was an encouraging sign, meaning that if he needed it in the future, he could mobilize the resources here at any time.

Don't look down on poor places like slums. Many profitable deals in Mumbai are made in these areas.

With their recognition, Ron finally felt like he had his own sphere of influence in Mumbai, albeit not very stable yet, but it was a good sign.

After saying goodbye to Taiji Ali, Ron went back to continue working on his loan matters. The time to use the money was coming soon, and he needed to prepare in advance.

However, to Ron's surprise, when he and his accountant Haruth explained their expectations to the Indian Bank, their loan application was rejected.

The bank's response was very simple: Ron had nothing to mortgage. His house was rented, the company office was also rented, and the storefronts at the train station and airport were still rented.

He didn't have even the slightest bit of fixed assets, and even presenting the company's cash flow statements wouldn't work. It was completely impossible. The Indian Bank's strange lending policy caught Ron off guard.

Now he had two paths in front of him: either spend money to buy an apartment or a piece of land and then mortgage it to the bank for a loan,

or try other banks, perhaps they would have different policies.

He didn't even consider the first path. He was already short of money, where would he get the extra money to buy fixed assets?

So Ron took Haruth to the United Bank, the Industrial Credit Bank, and a private bank.

Unsurprisingly, all the state-owned banks rejected his loan application. By this point, Ron had realized that this was a nationwide policy.

India's economy was still very difficult in 1992. Last year's transportation of gold to Europe to exchange for foreign exchange reserves was even regarded as a disgrace by many elites.

The national economy was in danger, and the lending conditions of banks had become much stricter. In short, it was just one sentence: no loan without corresponding collateral.

The other private bank was willing to give money, but their conditions were even more excessive. If there was no collateral, then exchange it for company shares.

Not just a few percentage points, but a shareholding of more than 60%. Ron was even laughed at by this absurdity.

Helpless, he could only use his connections to ask Harry and Singh to help him connect with people. They helped Ron find a senior bank official, but the feedback was not optimistic.

"They want 30% of the loan amount as a reward?"

"You understand, Ron, this is the rule," Harry said, shaking his head.

"But I heard that usually only 10% to 20% is needed, why is it 30% this time?"

"Because you have nothing to mortgage. Helping you get a loan is equivalent to bypassing the policy, so the cost is naturally higher."

"So, if I want to get a loan of 3 million rupees, then the actual application amount is at least 4.3 million rupees?"

"That's about right."

Ron was once again amused by this absurd rule. This was why he was unwilling to take out a loan from a bank.

He had long heard that the money that borrowers received was different from the loan contract. Because a portion of it would be given to senior bank officials as bribes.

This wasn't just targeting him; everyone was like this, the entire country of India was the same.

But this time it wouldn't work. He was unwilling to spend this 1.3 million rupees unjustly. At the same time, in the next few years, he would also have to pay the interest on this 4.3 million rupee loan.

The price was too high. With 1.3 million plus interest, the money he lost far exceeded the 3 million he received.

"Ron, in India, people who are qualified for loans through banks are already lucky enough. Countless people are turned away from banks every day, with no way to appeal," Harry reminded him.

"I know, I'll consider it carefully," Ron smiled at him.

He knew that Harry meant well and was telling the truth. It's just that this kind of "luck" was a bit too ridiculous.

Calculated this way, he might as well go to private lenders, such as Hader Khan.

But this was also a path he was unwilling to take. He was unwilling to owe favors to gangsters unless absolutely necessary.

Favors from officials and gangsters were the hardest to repay, and he had been trying his best to avoid this situation.

It seemed he had to think of other ways. Coincidentally, there was no news from Rashid for the time being.

Annoyed, Ron had nothing to do, so he simply prepared to go to Leopold Cafe for a drink. His genius friends might have some feasible unconventional ideas.

However, before he could leave, Mary called.

"Ron, are you free to come to the studio?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing important, just to chat. Also, Lena misses you a lot, and a producer wants to ask you for some help."

"Okay, I'll be right over."

Speaking of which, it had been more than a week since he had interacted with Mary and the others. It wouldn't hurt to discuss a few big deals.