Chapter 44: Local Bartering Practices (Supplement...)

Unlike Moscow, Vladimir is a city made up of factories, and its atmosphere is quite robust and simple.

This means that when there isn't enough cash to buy necessities, the citizens of Moscow will pull out their most treasured heirlooms, such as fur coats, jewelry, and gold, while the citizens of Vladimir will bring other things.

For example—

"Are you sure you want to trade this for a bottle of Jong-kook vodka?"

Looking at the long, oil-stained iron chain in front of him, Geng Zhi, who was behind the counter, asked suspiciously.

There were saw marks on both sides of the broken chain, indicating that it was a part removed from some large machine.

The man who came with the chains was dressed in a slovenly style. His outer cotton coat was so black that its original color was unrecognizable, and the exposed collar revealed that he was wearing work clothes underneath.

"This is genuine, high-quality steel, weighing twenty kilograms. It can be used to make a thousand tin cans. It's a great deal, and all you have to pay for is a bottle of vodka, the kind made in China."

He sniffed, as if he could smell the Red Star Erguotou liquor through the glass bottle.

"Although it's not my favorite brand of vodka, I've heard that Zhongguo vodka is also very good. It tastes like swallowing a mouthful of fire, and I can't wait to try it!"

Geng Zhi was in a bit of a dilemma.

During this period, he had met many barterers, but at least they brought things like tarnished silver ornaments, gem-encrusted wedding rings, or at least military binoculars. This was the first time he had seen someone bring an iron chain to exchange for liquor.

He couldn't make up his mind, while the man kept urging him on.

If it weren't for a counter blocking his way, he would have probably taken the Erguotou from the liquor shelf himself.

Geng Zhi certainly couldn't let him do that, and the two sides pulled and tugged at each other, and their tempers flared up during the friction.

Just then, someone walked in. Geng Zhi caught a glimpse of the newcomer out of the corner of his eye and exclaimed with delight:

"Boss, you're finally back! What do we do? This guy wants to trade our Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) for iron chains!"

He Changyi first put the little black dog in her arms, then put aside the bag of food that Grandma Vitalie had brought her, and finally walked forward and picked up the iron chain on the ground to examine it carefully.

"Where did you get this chain? Is it legally sourced?"

He Changyi's question hit the nail on the head, and the man's eyes flickered, refusing to answer directly.

"That doesn't matter. All you need to know is that this is the best steel, and the canneries will love it."

He Changyi put down the chains and said bluntly:

“This is important. I don’t want to become an accomplice in the disposal of stolen goods for no reason. Either explain where you got the stuff from, or get out of here with your chain.”

The man complained indignantly:

“Mr. Zhong, you’re taking this too seriously. Relax, it’s not a big deal. This is Russo, not your country.”

He Changyi was too lazy to waste any more words with him. She grabbed the heavy iron chain with one hand and threw it at the man.

Caught off guard, the man was nearly knocked down by the chains and took two steps back to regain his balance.

This is a full 20 kilograms of iron chain!

Even adult men couldn't throw it as easily as she did.

He Changyi disgustedly took out a handkerchief and wiped the engine oil off his hands, saying casually:

"Alright, get lost. You weren't here today, and I haven't seen you either, understand?"

The man glanced at He Changyi warily, then struggled to lift the heavy iron chain and left the store without looking back.

Geng Zhi walked out from behind the counter to the door, and only after seeing that the man had indeed gone far away did he close the door with peace of mind.

"Boss, why didn't you take his chain? It looks like it's made of solid steel and it's thicker than my wrist."

He Changyi found a clean stainless steel water bowl on the shelf, poured some water and fed it to the little black dog.

Seeing the little black dog with its entire muzzle buried in the bowl, licking and drinking water with gusto, she lazily said:

"You're still thinking about it? Do you even know where he got that chain from?"

Geng Zhi shook his head.

He Changyi walked past him and patted the silly boy on the shoulder.

"It was stolen from the factory."

Geng Zhi was a beat slow to react.

"Isn't this theft?! Why doesn't the factory in Oros do anything about it? That stingy old man surnamed Zheng is afraid that the factory workers will steal his goods, so he even spent money to hire two security guards to check the workers after get off work."

He Changyi only said one sentence.

"That's because Director Zheng is still paying wages."

Geng Zhi still didn't understand, while He Changyi had already gone behind the counter, taken out the ledger, and checked the store's sales during this period.

Seeing this, Geng Zhi had no choice but to swallow his questions and rack his brains on his own.

Then I couldn't think of anything.

Two days later, another local came to the door with goods, requesting to barter.

This time he brought ten wrenches.

Geng Zhi looked down at the wrench, then up at the workers in overalls, and turned to shout in Chinese towards the warehouse behind him:

"Boss, come out quickly! Someone else is here to sell stolen goods!"

Before He Changyi, who was taking inventory, could respond, the worker in front of him choked.

"Cough cough cough... This, this isn't stolen goods, I didn't try to sell stolen goods..."

He was speaking Chinese.

Hearing his familiar mother tongue spoken by the big-nosed Russian man, Geng Zhi felt no emotion of hearing his native tongue in a foreign land; instead, he exclaimed in horror:

"Oh no, now even thieves have learned to speak Chinese!"

Worker:……

Wait a minute, what do you mean by thief?

He Changyi walked out of the warehouse covered in dust, dusted off his hands, pushed Geng Zhi aside, and went to greet the guests himself.

"Hello, what would you like to order?"

The worker calmed himself down, switched to the more familiar Emei language, and pushed the wrench forward.

"How many goods can I exchange these wrenches for? I need canned goods and children's down jackets."

He Changyi picked up a wrench, looked at the marks on it, and checked its quality.

"Is this scrap?"

The worker said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Those that were screened out by the factory's quality control... Although they can't be used as wrenches, the raw materials used are high-quality steel. I think that even if they are treated as scrap, they still have recycling value."

He Changyi understood.

"Okay, I understand. But we can only calculate it based on the scrap steel purchase price, do you agree?"

Upon hearing this, the worker immediately exclaimed happily:

"Of course! Each wrench weighs one kilogram at the factory. You can check it again."

He Changyi said, "No need, I already know the weight."

She grabbed a bag, took several cans from the shelf, thought for a moment, then went into the warehouse and took out a children's down jacket.

"I'm sorry, this down jacket has a minor flaw. If you'd like, you can buy it at half price."

These were defective products she discovered during her inventory check. They had a serious problem with lint leakage, and there were also stains on the clothes that she didn't know where they came from.

The workers' eyes lit up when they saw the pink children's down jackets, and they agreed without hesitation.

His little Natasha will love this beautiful new down jacket!

The worker, carrying a bag of canned goods, carefully folded his down jacket and hung it on his arm, then happily said goodbye and left.

Geng Zhi stayed quietly to the side and watched the whole thing, not daring to say a word.

You should know that he usually loves to openly complain to He Changyi in Chinese about how the Russians are cheap and demanding, especially in front of customers.

But to my surprise, there were some hidden talents among the local workers, some of whom could speak Chinese.

Straightforward: Despair.jpg

Could it be that the things he usually says to customers actually get through to him?

After the workers had walked away, he cautiously asked He Changyi:

"Boss, why didn't you ask him where the wrench came from? What if it was also dirty?"

He Changyi was packing the wrench into the suitcase he was going to take back to China.

To be fair, although the wrench is somewhat deformed and cannot accurately remove bolts, it is made of high-quality steel, the most expensive kind even if sold as scrap steel.

"You think this is dirty?"

Geng Zhi said, "Of course, otherwise who would have so many defective wrenches? We're not running a factory."

He Changyi raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, then go after that Russian now and make him return the canned food and down jacket, and take the wrench with him."

Geng Zhi: "Huh???"

"This...this isn't a good idea...they've already exchanged everything and left with their things. If I chase after them with a wrench now, they'll probably smash my head in..."

He Changyi said bluntly:

"Since you knew it was inappropriate, why didn't you say so sooner? Why wait until now to speak up? If the other party really came to sell stolen goods, isn't it too late to say so now?"

Geng Zhi was a little dumbfounded and subconsciously said:

"But...but...with the boss here, I don't think there will be any problems..."

He Changyi's words were half a lesson and half a teaching.

"I'm not a god, how could I never make a mistake? Since you discovered the problem, you should have brought it up at the time, even if it turned out to be insignificant afterward. You can't keep it to yourself. Did your Chinese teacher ever teach you the saying, 'Even the wisest person can make a mistake, and even the most foolish person can have a stroke of genius'?"

He said, somewhat embarrassed, that:

"I sleep during Chinese class..."

He Changyi took a deep breath.

"Alright, just remember this: I won't be in the store all the time. If you find any problems, you must tell me immediately, understand?"

Geng Zhi's voice was much louder this time.

"knew!"

Seeing that the silly boy had indeed learned his lesson, He Changyi picked up a wrench and explained to him:

"This is different from the chain we had last time. The wrench is factory-made and has the factory's mark on it. Recently, many local factories have been unable to pay wages, so they are using inventory and raw materials to pay off debts. However, our customer is not so lucky; his factory gave him a defective wrench. Although it doesn't sell for much as a wrench, it is still quite valuable as scrap metal."

Geng Zhi understood now.

So it turns out He Changyi wasn't the one who knowingly broke the law...

Sigh, he had already planned that if the Russian police came to investigate the stolen goods, he would step forward to take the blame for his boss. Wouldn't the boss be so moved that he would swear to avenge him and drive the Zheng family's factory into bankruptcy?

If that day ever comes, he can die in peace even while in prison.

Probably because the success story of exchanging wrenches for cans spread throughout the city, many workers came carrying saws, hammers, axes (...).

There were so many people that the warehouse, which originally stored various light industrial products and food, was transformed into a scrap metal recycling station, crowding out the space for newly arrived goods.

He Changyi simply piled the scrap steel that he couldn't fit in the corridor, and Geng Zhi was worried that it might be stolen.

And guess what? Hey, after one night, all the new mops that were outside were gone, but not a single piece of scrap metal was missing.

He muttered curses as he tore apart an old garment, tied strips of cloth to an iron rod, and after finishing, thought for a moment before putting this unusual mop behind the counter.

He refused to believe that anyone would steal a mop right in front of him this time!

Vladimir City truly lives up to its reputation as a heavy industrial city. Even though the workers spontaneously exchanged scrap steel for goods, He Changyi received nearly a thousand kilograms of scrap steel in less than a month.

Some factory leaders even approached He Changyi to inquire whether they could exchange scrap steel for goods.

If workers are given heavy industrial products instead of edible and usable daily necessities, more workers will choose to steal machinery and raw materials from the factory and pay themselves.

Before He Changyi could answer, Geng Zhi, whose Emei language listening comprehension was improving day by day, spoke first:

"No, boss, if we keep accepting scrap steel, our warehouse will be overflowing!"

The factory leaders couldn't understand what Geng Zhi was saying, and asked He Changyi uneasily if he was dissatisfied with the deal.

He Changyi stomped heavily on Geng Zhi's foot and said with a smile:

"It's nothing, he was just too excited. But I think the exchange rate between scrap steel and commodities can be discussed further."

Then she turned her head, smiled, and said to Geng Zhi:

"If you dare to interrupt again, I'll have your dad come to Moscow to pick you up."

Geng Zhi dared not utter another sound, and with teary eyes, he limped into the warehouse on one leg.

The little black dog sniffed around, then turned and pulled out a hidden bone from deep within the warehouse, placing it in front of Geng Zhi.

I was deeply moved by his straightforwardness!

"Thank you, but I won't eat it. Sigh, if only the owner were as kind as you..."

The little black dog barked at him, then picked up the bone and walked away.

Geng Zhi: ? ? ?

Wait, put the bone down first!

After seeing off the factory leaders, the building manager very politely came to his door and asked He Changyi to quickly dispose of all the scrap steel, as the floor slab had limited load-bearing capacity and if it continued to be piled up indefinitely, the floor would collapse.

After a round of negotiations, He Changyi presented an envelope and saw off the beaming manager.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of dragging a heavy object behind her. She turned around and saw Geng Zhi dragging a sack of scrap steel out with a worried expression.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Geng Zhi said, "Didn't the Russians say the floor was going to collapse? I quickly moved everything to the hallway. Every little bit less weight helps. You're always in the warehouse; what if you fall downstairs and die?"

He Changyi took another deep breath.

Well, the child's intentions were good, it's just that they're not very good at expressing themselves...

No, she couldn't take it anymore!

He Changyi charged forward aggressively.

"Boss? Boss, what's wrong? Ah—Boss, calm down... I was wrong, I was wrong, what, what did I do wrong? I...I...Although I don't know what I did wrong, Boss, whatever you say I did wrong is what I did wrong..."

After the beating, He Changyi felt refreshed.

"Go find the building manager and ask him to send someone to move the scrap metal to an empty room on the first floor. I'll dispose of it all at once after a while."

Geng Zhi huddled in the corner, sobbing softly:

"What if the Russians don't agree?"

He Changyi walked over and patted the boy's head with pity.

Sigh, it's all Director Zheng's fault. He raised perfectly good children to be stupid.

Upon seeing this, the little black dog immediately wagged its tail and rushed over, pushing aside Geng Zhi with its rear end, indicating to He Changyi that it should come and pet it.

upright:?

Being patted on the head like a child is a little embarrassing but barely acceptable. But why is even a puppy trying to steal my attention?!

He secretly exerted his strength, trying to push the little black dog aside.

While the little black dog was being affectionate with He Changyi, it took a moment to turn around and give Geng Zhi a menacing bite. There was no broken skin or bleeding, but it still hurt quite a bit.

Dogs are naturally hierarchical animals; if a subordinate dares to disobey a superior, he will be severely punished.

The little black dog's bite was a lesson to the straightforward person who dared to bypass it and fawn over his owner.

upright:……

No, how many superiors does he actually have?

It's one thing for him to be in a less-than-ideal position, but how come he's even inferior to a puppy?!

Geng Zhi started rolling up his sleeves, trying to outdo the puppy in height.

He Changyi urged him, "Hurry up, the administrator will be leaving soon."

The administrator's working hours are very localized, even shorter than the daytime hours in the Orothian winter.

You might not be able to find him during the day, but you definitely won't find him after dark.

Geng Zhi went downstairs dejectedly.

Forget it, a good man doesn't fight with a dog.

To Geng Zhi's surprise, after hearing his purpose, the manager immediately sent three burly men to help him move things. He told them to put the scrap metal in the largest room on the first floor, and said that if that wasn't enough, he had plenty of empty rooms that weren't rented out.

The three burly men who came to help were also very enthusiastic. They carried sacks on their shoulders and moved like the wind, and it took them less than an hour to move all the goods in the warehouse to the first floor.

Geng Zhi was confused.

ah?

Are all Russians this helpful?

Is this the same Oros he first met through robbery and theft on the train?

When Geng Zhi voiced his question, He Changyi looked at him with the kind of care one would give to someone with intellectual disabilities.

Then, in front of Geng Zhi, she gave each of the three burly men two cans of food and a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

Geng Zhi suddenly realized!

No wonder, it turns out that money can make the devil turn the millstone.

However, the three burly men refused the gift on the spot.

upright:?

Wait, his conclusion seems to have been overturned on the spot...

"He, you are the best person I have ever met in China! Thanks to the cough medicine you gave me, my mother was able to sleep soundly through the night. You have helped me so much, I cannot accept any more gifts from you."

"Yes, you brought my wife Zhongguo yarn and a knitting book. She crocheted a new sweater for everyone in our family! Look, this scarf is the one she knitted for me."

"I didn't come here for your canned goods and Zhong Guo vodka. You're my friend, and even without those, I'd still do something for you!"

Geng Zhi struggled to understand, but he strained his ears and, using his rudimentary Emei dialect, managed to piece together the whole story.

His straightforwardness is truly remarkable.

The boss is the boss after all; he doesn't show off, but puts in the hard work all day long.

I just wonder when he'll be able to cultivate himself to the level of a boss...

If that day ever comes, the first thing he'll do is open a new factory next to Zheng's factory, snatch all the master craftsmen from his factory, and send them home to collect scraps.

At He Changyi's insistence, the burly men left with the gifts, feeling both happy and embarrassed.

When He Changyi returned from seeing off the guests, he saw Geng Zhi staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

What are you thinking about?

He blurted it out bluntly.

"I'm going to take all the scrap in the county, so that the guy surnamed Zheng won't even be able to pick up any junk!"

He Changyi: ...

He Changyi turned around and started looking for something on the shelf, asking honestly and curiously:

"Boss, what are you looking for?"

He Changyi said without turning his head:

"Let me check if this batch of Erguotou has been adulterated with industrial alcohol, otherwise it wouldn't be able to damage people's IQ so severely."

Geng Zhi didn't understand, thinking to himself that he hadn't heard of any guests getting into trouble from drinking recently...

Geng Zhi was still deep in thought when He Changyi affectionately patted his forehead.

"Sigh, my brain wasn't working well to begin with, and now it's even worse. That's why they say drinking is harmful."

upright:?

upright:!

"Boss, I have something to say, it's not what you think—"

Carrying the scrap steel as a sample, He Changyi indulged in a rare luxury and flew back to China.

After getting off the plane, He Changyi did not go to the hotel, but immediately took a taxi to the steel plant located on the outskirts of the city.

This was a period of rapid development and construction in China, with a huge demand for steel. However, domestic iron ore production was limited and could not meet all the demand. Imported iron ore was too expensive and required foreign exchange payments, and not all companies could afford it.

Therefore, cheap scrap steel becomes the most cost-effective option.

Although steel recast from scrap steel suffers from poor ductility and weldability due to current smelting processes, limiting its application to products with low strength and performance requirements, the significant price difference between scrap steel and iron ore makes these drawbacks seem acceptable.

Currently, some of the scrap steel in China comes from the recycling of household waste, such as toothpaste tubes, broken bicycles, and cracked iron pots, as well as window frames, steel bars, and pipes from demolished buildings. Another portion comes from restructured state-owned enterprises, where large quantities of their original production lines and machinery have been dismantled and remelted as scrap steel.

Even so, it is still not enough to meet the strong market demand for steel.

After all, the entire capital city has now become a huge construction site, with the sounds of construction machinery crashing everywhere and a huge amount of smoke and dust covering the city.

He Changyi first approached the state-owned steel plant.

The person in charge of receiving her regretfully declined after learning her purpose, as their factory already had a regular scrap steel supplier. The high-quality scrap steel from Oros sounded tempting, but without a stable, long-term supply, the steel furnace couldn't just stop running to wait for scrap to be cooked.

Undeterred, He Changyi took the samples to other steel mills.

Fortunately, there were enough factories in the area, so it wasn't difficult for her to visit them one by one.

The final result was that three private steel mills and one small state-owned steel mill expressed interest.

After all, the price offered by He Changyi was really cheap. Even if the quality of the Eros scrap steel was only half that of the sample, they would still make a profit.

However, before signing the contract, the steel mill's leaders subtly questioned the legality of the scrap steel's source, asking if there were any legal issues and whether the Russian police would come knocking on their door. They worried about causing a diplomatic incident that would scare their allies.

Listen carefully to the underlying meaning of what you are saying.

He Changyi warmly invited the leaders to visit Eros to inspect the source of scrap steel and guide the scrap steel recycling work, in order to provide the steel plant with more and better quality scrap steel.

By the way, He Changyi covered all the expenses for the inspection.

Thus, both sides were delighted.

When He Changyi set off for Oros again, this time she was not alone, but with a small tour group of four people—one representative from each steel mill, which was fair.

To properly entertain these clients, He Changyi spent a huge sum of money to purchase a soft sleeper compartment on an international train.

Compared to the four-person hard sleeper compartment, the two-person soft sleeper compartment is much better.

The beds were snow-white, the carpets were thick, and the two private rooms shared a bathroom with a shower and toilet.

After settling the four elderly men on the train, He Changyi returned to her compartment. The other berth was empty; she didn't know if no passengers had arrived or if the tickets hadn't been sold.

Accompanied by the all-too-familiar whistle, the international train slowly departed from Beijing Station.

At this moment, the door to the private room opened, and He Changyi looked over upon hearing the sound, exclaiming in surprise:

"How could it be you?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: I've finally figured out the plot! So happy!