Chapter 58 Forward Forward Forward (Revised)

That woman from Zhongguo is here again!

On a street somewhere in Mosk, a few scalpers exchanged glances and looked at the woman who was walking towards them carrying an inconspicuous woven bag.

What's the exchange rate today?

"1:940, that damned Ye Mouqin, he must have been brainwashed by alcohol!"

"I want to exchange $30,000."

"Of course, no problem, but you'll have to wait a bit. I need to have someone bring the money over. You know, we don't usually carry that much cash..."

"No cash, bank transfer only."

The woman spoke very quickly and concisely, finalizing the deal in just a few words.

As is customary, the scalper carefully inspected the US dollars in the woven bag. After confirming their authenticity and quantity, the woman took him to a nearby state-owned bank, where she skillfully slipped perfume and chocolates to the teller, along with several envelopes. The originally tedious and lengthy transfer process immediately became easy and pleasant.

At the woman's request, the scalper transferred 28.2 million rubles to the account of a transportation company.

The two then left the bank. Before parting, the scalper hugged the woven bag to his arms and said to the woman:

"If you need to exchange money again, I can give you a higher exchange rate than others, as long as you still use US dollars for the transaction."

The woman said casually, "Forget it, I prefer to meet new friends."

After saying that, the woman turned and left. The scalper tried to stop her, but was stopped by the tall, strong man behind her.

He has a face that's not to be trifled with, and fists that are even more so.

"Don't follow, or you'll face the consequences."

The man gave him a deep look, and after confirming that the scalper fully understood him, he turned and left with the woman who was waiting for him ahead.

The ox stood there dejectedly.

What bad luck! He had originally wanted to find out where this woman lived and where her money came from—he would have been happy to sell that information for a good price.

After entering the subway and changing lines multiple times to confirm that no one was following him, He Changyi breathed a exaggerated sigh of relief.

"finally!"

She finally exchanged the last dollar for rubles and transferred the money to the transportation company's account.

As agreed by both parties, the first batch of 1,000 tons of scrap steel will be loaded onto trucks next week, transported from Vladimir to a Black Sea port, and then shipped to China.

According to the purchase and sale contract, after the scrap steel was delivered, the steel mill transferred all the payment to He Changyi's account.

It really wasn't easy for her to take this step!

Alexei, who had been brought in as a bodyguard, looked down at He Changyi.

"Perhaps I can request payment of my appearance fee?"

He Changyi waved his hand and said readily, "Of course! I'm a good boss who never delays wages! Tell me, what do you want? As long as your request is reasonable, the organization can meet it!"

Alexei countered, "Should I thank you for your generosity?"

He Changyi arrogantly held up the back of his hand in front of Alexei.

"We successors of socialism don't follow these feudal serf etiquette rules, but if you insist, I can accept it. Alright, kiss me. If you're still not satisfied, I can lift my foot—I remember it used to be quite popular here to kiss the master's instep?"

Alexei slapped her hand away without hesitation.

Even serfs will choose a good master for themselves.

He Changyi: "That's not necessarily true. You Eguo people have never been picky. As long as you have enough strength, you can even gleefully elevate a princess who marries into your country to the position of emperor. It's not difficult to have multiple Tsars of Zhongguo."

Alexei: "...Zhong Guo, the Tsar?"

He Changyi winked at him happily.

Alexei: ...

"I remember that Zhong Guoren has always been reserved and low-key."

He Changyi smoothly picked up where he left off.

"Now you can witness the diversity of human beings."

Alexei glanced at her, then looked away with disdain.

A blurry figure was reflected in the subway window, and he saw his own lips unconsciously curving upwards.

Finally receiving the first payment from the steel mill, He Changyi no longer had to rack her brains to make quick money and speculate on foreign exchange. Heaven knows, those black market scalpers were staring at her with X-ray vision, wishing they could skin her alive and tear her apart.

Meanwhile, as she had previously predicted, the price war for copper bracelets in the market had reached a fever pitch, with some even calling for super low prices of ten rubles.

After all, this thing is not difficult to make, and the cost can be reduced to negligible levels—cables that can be seen everywhere, idle factory machines, a few desperate people looking for a solution, and mature design solutions on the market.

However, due to severe hyperinflation in Russia at this time, small-denomination ruble banknotes gradually disappeared from the market, and even the kopek coin used for making phone calls became a rare commodity.

When He Changyi priced the copper bracelets at fifty rubles, many people, unable to afford the corresponding denomination, simply bought ten bracelets at once and took them home to distribute to friends and relatives.

With copper bracelets now priced at ten rubles, He Changyi almost suspects that the Russian people are planning to wear ten bracelets on each arm to practice Iron Wire Fist.

There are also bronze statues.

Compared to bronze bracelets, bronze statues present a slightly greater technical challenge.

The reason is that to coat the plaster statue with an ultra-thin layer of copper, a special chemical fixer is needed, which cannot be made by just any small family workshop.

However, this is not a big problem.

The Oros people, who were so poor they were practically eating tree bark, quickly devised various religious sculptures. As a people raised in the bitter, cold Volga River, the Oros people possessed an astonishing level of artistic talent.

Before long, statues of various materials and shapes appeared on the market, from wood carvings to stone carvings, using every imaginable material. In fact, due to their familiarity with religious mythology, the themes and shapes of the statues were more in line with the preferences of the local people.

Zhongguo's factory was not to be outdone.

When He Changyi placed an order with the factory, the shrewd factory owner immediately saw a business opportunity and produced more plaster statues in addition to the order quantity for sale.

The moment the bronze statue appeared in Moscow, shrewd Chinese traders immediately placed large orders with domestic factories. A week later, the statues from China were being dumped onto the market like crazy.

In the course of the business battle, in order to attract more customers, the Chinese and Emei sides even began to court churches and use holy water to consecrate their respective statues.

It was practically a free-for-all.

Before the melee began, He Changyi jumped off the battlefield, tore off the fattest piece of flesh, and stood on the shore watching the life-and-death struggle below.

She now has a new goal.

No longer needing to worry about raising start-up funds for the scrap steel business, He Changyi methodically arranged for the remaining scrap steel in the yard to be shipped out in sequence.

Once the route is familiar, it becomes a mechanical task. All you need to do is follow your previous experience to avoid the reefs and undercurrents beneath the surface, and keep the people in key positions in check, so that ship after ship of scrap steel can be successfully dispatched from the Black Sea port.

The second batch of scrap steel, the third batch of scrap steel, the fourth batch of scrap steel...

When all 6,000 tons of scrap steel were shipped to Zhongguo, He Changyi finally received the full payment—a total of US$1.59 million.

After deducting costs and some under-the-table expenses, He Changyi's final profit was $800,000, a gross profit of nearly 50%.

In legitimate business, this is a fairly considerable profit margin.

The scrap metal business is very profitable!

While accelerating the acquisition of scrap steel in Vladimir, He Changyi also took some time to return to China to contact more steel mill sellers.

Unbeknownst to her, as she boarded her plane at Mosk Airport, another plane from Beijing had just landed.

Yan Zhengchuan walked out of the airport empty-handed, without a suitcase, opened the door of a taxi waiting in line outside, and said directly in Emei language:

"Go to Vladimir."

The taxi driver looked over in surprise in the rearview mirror.

"Are you kidding me? Vladimir is a full 200 kilometers away from Moscow!"

Yan Zhengchuan slammed a stack of US dollars onto the taxi's center console.

"To go, or not to go?"

The taxi driver's eyes lit up, and without saying a word, he stepped on the gas, his enthusiasm growing exponentially.

"Go ahead! It's only 200 kilometers! Please sit down, I'll get you there as quickly as possible!"

Yan Zhengchuan looked out the window at the rapidly changing scenery, his mind preoccupied.

Is she... really his lost sister?

Before leaving the country, Yan Zhengchuan obtained He Changyi's exit information through customs.

However, he couldn't find a young woman named "He Changyi", but he found "Yang Daniu".

He Changyi's passport information shows that her real name is Yang Daniu, an extremely rustic name. Yan Zhengchuan could hardly connect "Yang Daniu" with "He Changyi".

Yan Zhengchuan was initially taken aback and displeased that He Changyi had concealed her real name, but he quickly came to understand her.

If he were named "Yan Dazhuang," he certainly wouldn't want to tell his new friends his real name.

Following the lead of "Yang Danu," Yan Zhengchuan eventually found the Yang family.

He came to this small town alone without alerting anyone, quietly inquiring about Yang Danu and the Yang family.

Even though more than two years have passed, locals still talk about Yang Danu's gossip with great interest.

"You mean that female hooligan?"

Yan Zhengchuan: "...A female hooligan?"

The locals said, "That's right. She's not married and she went around hugging and kissing men and doing naked dances. Isn't that being a female hooligan? If it weren't for her sister-in-law's kindness in getting her out of jail, she'd probably be in some kind of labor camp somewhere right now! The Yang family is really unlucky to have picked her up and raised her!"

The amount of information in that statement was overwhelming, and Yan Zhengchuan composed himself.

"Come on, have a smoke, and we'll talk slowly."

The locals happily took a Hongtashan cigarette from Yan Zhengchuan, took a deep breath under their noses, and then, reluctant to smoke it, tucked it behind their ears.

So Yan Zhengchuan simply stuffed the entire opened package of Hongtashan cigarettes into his hand.

The locals declined, saying "Oh, you're too kind," while deftly stuffing the cigarettes into their pockets.

"Yang Daniu is notorious around here. She's been a bad girl since she was little, clearly wicked at heart. Otherwise, why would her own parents have abandoned her? Let me tell you..."

Yan Zhengchuan learned from the locals that Yang Daniu was an abandoned baby that the Yang family picked up at the train station and raised as their own daughter. They not only didn't let her work at home, but also supported her education to go to a nursing school. After graduation, she was assigned to work in a hospital, and her future looked bright.

But Yang Danu is a heartless and wicked woman.

Yang Danu is unfilial to her parents and disrespectful to her brothers and sisters-in-law. She spends all her earnings on herself and never thinks of helping her family.

Not only that, Yang Daniu stole her younger sister's malted milk powder when she was a child, and now she steals her younger sister's husband. She has no shame whatsoever.

She even went to a dance hall to dance indecently with men, and was arrested by the police in public. It is said that when she was put into the police car, she was completely naked and looked extremely beautiful.

Yan Zhengchuan interrupted the local.

"You saw it with your own eyes?"

A local said, "I wish I could see it."

Yan Zhengchuan rebuked with a dark face, "You didn't even see it, what nonsense are you spouting!"

The locals said matter-of-factly, "I didn't see it, but that's what everyone's saying."

He wanted to describe Yang Danu's young body in more detail, down to the small mole on her thigh, but Yan Zhengchuan rudely dismissed him, taking the Hongtashan cigarettes out of his pocket before he left.

"Get out! If you dare say another word, I'll deal with you!"

Yan Zhengchuan was quite intimidating when he was serious, and the local dared not do anything, muttering curses as he left.

Yan Zhengchuan lit a cigarette for himself, but after only two puffs, he crumpled it into a ball.

What kind of nonsense is this!

Yan Zhengchuan simply couldn't connect the Yang Daniu mentioned by the locals with He Changyi.

The He Changyi he knew was cunning and quick-witted, with a rebellious and willful spirit. She was worldly-wise but not cynical, as if the world was her playground, where she could play until she was done and then leave.

He Changyi is not a selfish, frivolous fool!

Even if she really took a fancy to her brother-in-law, He Changyi would have a million ways to easily make the man fall head over heels for her. She clapped her hands, her gloves were spotless and not a speck of dust on them.

She would never put herself in such a passive situation!

Yan Zhengchuan went to the local public security bureau to retrieve the information on the Yang family's adoption of He Changyi. In those days, the management was not sound, and the Yang family lied and claimed that Yang Danu was born at home and registered her at the police station as their biological child.

Clearly, the birth date shown on Yang Danu's household registration book is not her actual date.

However, Yan Zhengchuan can confirm that Yang Daniu was adopted later than his sister was lost.

But he needs more information.

Yan Zhengchuan, posing as Yang Daniu's classmate, visited the Yang family with two bags of fruit.

Upon learning of his purpose, the Yang family immediately displayed hostility and defensiveness, but Yan Zhengchuan pretended to be oblivious and continued to ask him questions with enthusiasm.

Mr. Yang said irritably, "She's no longer part of our family. You've come to the wrong place!"

Yan Zhengchuan looked surprised: "I heard that something bad happened to her, but how could it be so serious that she has to sever ties with her family?"

Brother Yang said, "Yang Daniu is an ungrateful wretch; don't be fooled by her!"

Seeing that Yan Zhengchuan was handsome and dignified, the Yang family was afraid that Yang Daniu would really marry her classmate and live a good life, so they exaggerated and spoke ill of her.

Yan Zhengchuan appeared startled, but inwardly he was calmly analyzing the situation. The Yang family and the local man had said similar things, with only minor differences in details, which did not affect the overall picture.

It seems that Yang Danu really did do those things.

But it doesn't matter, oranges grown north of the Huai River become trifoliate oranges.

The Yang family is a group of selfish and short-sighted petty citizens. Being immersed in such a toxic family atmosphere for a long time, even good children will be corrupted.

He Changyi has now run off to Oros and has immediately turned over a new leaf, which shows that the child is good at heart and it's all the Yang family's fault!

Yan Zhengchuan didn't show it on his face, but said regretfully:

"Oh, your family is really wronged. If only you hadn't adopted her in the first place."

Mr. Yang slapped his thigh.

"That's right! I knew the old woman shouldn't have taken her in; it would have been better if she had frozen to death at the train station!"

freeze to death……

Yang Danu was found in winter, and his sister was lost in winter as well.

Yan Zhengchuan suppressed his excitement and turned to Yang's mother, who was wiping things around with a rag, and said:

"You're just too kind-hearted. Maybe Yang Danu's biological parents were watching when they picked her up."

Yang's mother's hand trembled, and the rag fell to the ground.

She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but Yan Zhengchuan had already picked up the rag and handed it to her.

Their eyes met, and he said softly, "You see, if we had left her at the South City Railway Station back then, none of this mess would have happened."

Yang's mother took the rag and said in a flustered manner, "That's right, that's right..."

Yan Zhengchuan said casually, "That's why they say you shouldn't pick up a baby in the twelfth lunar month. If you do, the whole family won't have a good New Year. You've had a tough time these past few years."

As if she had found a kindred spirit, Yang's mother stopped wiping around with a rag and began to complain to Yan Zhengchuan.

“You have no idea how crowded the trains are in December, how difficult it was for me to bring her back from the south of the city. And Yang Daniu is so unfilial, she doesn’t pay me wages, she doesn’t hurry up and get married so I can get a dowry, she even beat up my eldest son and took two thousand yuan from my family. I really regret it…”

Mr. Yang quickly interrupted her.

"Why are you saying all this? Go and get the food ready. Have Xiao Yan stay for lunch today."

Yan Zhengchuan stood up.

"No need, I don't need this meal."

His sudden change in attitude left the Yang family somewhat bewildered.

Yan Zhengchuan dropped the pretense and stared at the Yang family with disgust.

"I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. However, we'll probably meet again soon."

Brother Yang was a little confused.

"What's wrong with you? What did my mom say that upset you? What do you mean by 'we'll meet again'?"

Yan Zhengchuan didn't explain, picked up the fruit, and turned to leave.

If he waited another second, he was afraid he would lose control and draw his gun to shoot all the human traffickers.

From beginning to end, the Yang family never said when or where Yang Danu was found.

He was the one who first brought up "December" and "South City Railway Station," and Yang's mother admitted it.

—She took away a baby girl from the South City Railway Station in December, who was very likely not abandoned by her parents.

That baby girl is most likely his lost sister.

Seeing that Yang Daniu had suddenly left, Yang's older brother asked his father, "What's wrong with her? Did she have a relapse?"

Mr. Yang said solemnly, "I think he still cares about Da Niu and can't stand us talking badly about her. Humph, a broken pot with a broken lid, he's no good either!"

Brother Yang fell into deep thought.

"He said we'd meet again someday. Does that mean he'll come to discuss the bride price with our family when he marries Da Niu?"

Mr. Yang said decisively, "Then he shouldn't expect to save on the bride price just because of a few words we said today!"

Yan Zhengchuan went out and casually gave the fruit to the old man who collected scraps. He stood by the trash can and smoked a cigarette before calming down.

Now there's just one last step.

He returned to Beijing, booked the next available flight to Moscow, and carried only his identification and money.

Yan Zhengchuan knew He Changyi's company address and landline number, but after hesitating for a long time, he still didn't get through to the phone.

What should he say?

Hello Xiao He, I feel like you look like my lost sister. Come back to China with me and we'll do a paternity test!

He Changyi would probably smile and say, "Sorry, I'm busy and it's inconvenient for me to go back to China. Why don't you come abroad for a face-to-face meeting?" Then, when he arrives, she would put a gun to his head.

The person wielding the gun might also include the blond leader and the mixed-race man with black hair.

The three of them discussed it and decided to disassemble it into parts and bury them in flowerpots as fertilizer.

Some things are better said face to face.

At least he could explain to He Changyi before he drew his gun that he wasn't crazy, nor was he playing a game of finding his sister.

Before setting off, Yan Zhengchuan made another trip to the military region.

Yan Zhengshan was preparing for an upcoming exercise and was extremely puzzled when he learned that Yan Zhengchuan had come to see him.

His younger brother has always been unconventional. The last time he saw him, he didn't come to see him for a year. Could it be that their mother's condition has worsened?

Thinking of this, Yan Zhengshan's heart tightened. He handed over his work to the political commissar, rushed to the gate, and the first thing he said to Yan Zhengchuan was, "What happened to Mom?"

Yan Zhengchuan realized that his older brother had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "Mom is fine."

He was about to speak when he stopped, unsure how to begin.

Yan Zhengshan's father was always busy with work, and his mother was in poor health. He had raised his younger brother alone since childhood. A single glance was enough for Yan Zhengshan to know what kind of trouble this boy was up to. Seeing his hesitation, he asked suspiciously:

"You didn't get that girl pregnant, did you? Yan Zhengchuan, let me tell you, if you dare to do something like that, I don't care what happens to other people, just wait for me to whip you to death with this belt!"

Yan Zhengchuan: ?

He angrily yelled, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly do such a thing! Even if I did, I wouldn't need you to clean up my mess!"

Yan Zhengshan was relieved, as long as it wasn't a matter of principle.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say. I'm busy right now and don't have time to discuss teenage thoughts with you."

Yan Zhengchuan almost began to doubt whether his trip to the military region was the right choice.

He said irritably, "I think I've found my sister."

Yan Zhengshan almost didn't react.

"Our sister?"

Yan Zhengchuan said, "You heard me right, it's our sister, the sister who's been missing for over twenty years, I think I've found her."

Yan Zhengshan's expression changed instantly.

"Are you kidding me?"

He looked extremely serious, no longer the relaxed person he was when he was teasing his younger brother; he exuded the imposing aura of a military commander.

It seems that if Yan Zhengchuan were really joking about this, Yan Zhengshan could immediately order his soldiers to lock him in a solitary confinement room for three days and three nights to calm him down.

Yan Zhengchuan simply said, "It's not entirely certain yet, but the possibility is very high."

Yan Zhengshan retorted, "What do you mean by 'highly probable'? Let the evidence speak for itself! Do you solve cases without looking at the evidence, relying solely on your own analysis of probability?"

After he finished cursing, he took a breath and calmed himself down before asking, "Where is that girl? I'll go with you."

Yan Zhengchuan said irritably, "You can't go."

Yan Zhengshan's eyes widened.

"Why can't I go?! Is there anywhere in this world I can't go?!"

Yan Zhengchuan asked knowingly, "Can you go to Moscow?"

Yan Zhengshan: ...

I really can't go.

He is an active-duty soldier, and he needs approval to go abroad. Unless it is for foreign affairs activities, soldiers like him cannot go abroad at will before they are discharged from the military.

Yan Zhengchuan said with a hint of mockery:

"It's a good thing I didn't join the army, otherwise we would never have found this sister. Alright, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Moscow to see her in a couple of days and bring her back for a DNA test. Be prepared."

Yan Zhengshan suddenly asked him, "Who else did you tell about this?"

Yan Zhengchuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Right now, only you and I know about our family."

This gives him a headache.

Zhou Cheng has spread the word throughout the entire bureau that He Changyi is his sister. During this time, his colleagues congratulate him whenever they see him. Even the bureau chief was alarmed and specially called him to his office, saying in a friendly tone that even if the case of his sister's abduction is to be investigated, he, as a family member, must recuse himself.

Does that mean he can execute human traffickers without trial?

He's such a law-abiding and law-abiding person. He didn't kill the Yang family members when he met them. Doesn't that prove his principles?

Yan Zhengshan failed to grasp the hidden meaning in his younger brother's words, still believing that only the two brothers knew about this matter.

"Don't mention this to Mom yet. She's not in good health and can't handle stress. If it turns out to be a misunderstanding, it will only upset her more."

Yan Zhengchuan rolled his eyes.

"Do you need to remind me? I didn't let a word out. I didn't even dare to go to the sanatorium."

Yan Zhengshan asked again, "Aren't you going to tell Dad?"

Yan Zhengchuan remained silent for a moment, then replied hastily and perfunctorily:

"He has the world in his heart, how could he care about such trivial matters at home? Telling him is useless, let the old man dedicate himself to the country wholeheartedly."

Yan Zhengshan didn't try to persuade him further; he knew about his brother's inner conflict.

"My sister's situation depends on you."

His expression was even somewhat solemn.

“Let’s take her home. It’s time for our family to be reunited.”

Yan Zhengchuan pursed his lips.

I'll try my best.

Yan Zhengshan glared at him: "What do you mean 'try your best'?! This is a must! If you can't bring your sister back, don't come back either!"

Yan Zhengchuan was so angry that he turned around and left.

"Warlord-like behavior! I wouldn't have bothered coming to see you!"

Fate sometimes likes to play tricks on people.

When Yan Zhengchuan's plane landed in Moscow, He Changyi passed him by. On the same flight path but in the opposite direction, she returned to Beijing.

He Changyi is a person who always looks forward.

She had long forgotten about the Yang family, and her background was irrelevant. She lived in the present and didn't care about the past.

While taking a taxi to a steel mill on the outskirts of Beijing, He Changyi noticed a huge red banner displayed by a department store on the roadside—

Prices have plummeted! Color TVs are now being sold by weight!

[Special offer: One color TV for only 999!]

He Changyi: !!!

"Driver, stop the car immediately!"

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Author's note: Yan Zhengchuan: Family members, do you think I'll be able to meet the girl who looks like my sister this time?