Chapter 104 It's so complicated: We need to strengthen our intermediary business.

Did Wang Xiao resist the temptation?

Of course not.

She has always been a very curious person.

She had never been to Suifenhe.

Going there to broaden your horizons wouldn't be a bad thing.

Almost instantly, Wang Xiao made up his mind: "Go!"

Before leaving, however, she wanted to call Xiang Dong to let him know where she was going, so her subordinates wouldn't be wondering where to find their boss.

As luck would have it, just as she was about to make a call, Xiang Dong called her back.

He had just returned from a dinner party.

The hosts were manufacturers from Leshui County, and their purpose in hosting the dinner was to try to reach a settlement with the trade city.

Now that Deputy Secretary Cao has spoken, goods from Leshui County have indeed been directly blocked by Jiangdong.

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast.

Other places followed suit, and for a time, every manufacturer in Leshui County was in danger.

Ultimately, the products produced by everyone are largely the same, and it's hard to say that any one product is indispensable.

So if they really decide to ban them, they really won't be able to make a living.

After this group of manufacturers came to the rescue, they pressured Yongnian Shoe Factory, forcing the factory manager to come up with money to pay off his debts.

But Yongnian Shoe Factory said it had no money and couldn't come up with two million US dollars.

So in the end, the businessmen of Leshui County each contributed 30,000 or 50,000, and managed to scrape together two million US dollars.

They essentially paid off Yongnian Shoe Factory's debts first, their only request being that the commercial city lift its ban on them.

Xiang Dong didn't dare to be arrogant. Although he went to the banquet, he didn't give a definite answer at the table. As soon as he got home, he asked his boss for his opinion.

Should they accept this step or not?

Wang Xiao pressed further, "Two million US dollars, did you really raise it? How many people contributed?"

"There are a total of 374 people." Xiang Dongdu exclaimed, "The people of Leshui County are really good at doing business. They said they would raise two million US dollars, and they raised two million US dollars just like that, and they did it perfectly."

Wang Xiao had already made up his mind: "Then I'll report this to Secretary Cao."

This matter had already alarmed the leaders, and without their intervention and pressure, the manufacturers in Leshui County would not have been able to react at all.

If, at this point, she were to bypass her superiors and act on her own initiative, that wouldn't be considered ignorant; that would be considered stupid!

On the surface, the only requirement for Leshui manufacturers is to enter the trade city.

But who doesn't know that the boycott was the beginning of the turmoil at the commercial city?

The provincial government hasn't even made a statement yet, and she's already let the person in without saying a word. Isn't that a blatant slap in the face to the leaders?

Wang Xiao mentally prepared a draft before knocking on Deputy Secretary Cao's door and reporting the matter in detail.

Deputy Secretary Cao's face showed no change in emotion; he simply asked her calmly, "What do you think of this matter?"

Wang Xiao honestly replied, "The purpose of the trade city is to recover economic losses and teach unscrupulous manufacturers a lesson."

From this perspective, their demands have been met at this point.

Deputy Secretary Cao sighed, quite moved: "The people of Leshui are really good at sticking together, and their reaction is really fast."

In any other place, if such an accident happened, not only would they be able to gather everyone together in such a short time to discuss countermeasures, but most importantly, everyone would be willing to spend money.

It's important to understand that these manufacturers are all small business owners, and even those that wear the red hat of a collective enterprise are actually private companies.

This means that there is no unified organization above them, and their actions are all spontaneous.

If it were a state-owned enterprise, a large and publicly owned one, getting a regional leader to agree to do this would be extremely difficult.

State-owned enterprises still have to pay for things out of the pockets of their owners.

They paid with their own hard-earned money.

Even if Yongnian Shoe Factory issues IOUs, so what? These days, there are plenty of people like Huang Shiren who can't do anything to Yang Bailao.

Deputy Secretary Cao repeated, "They're united as one, advancing and retreating together."

It would be great if companies in Jiangdong had this sense of collective honor.

Wang Xiao shook his head with a smile: "They are wise to be pragmatic. They don't want to be tied together, and the outside world also regards them as a group. It's hard for them not to stick together."

This is also related to the fact that locals do business by mentoring others and developing in a family-based model.

Almost every company, if you dig carefully, can be found to have some kind of kinship or connection.

Deputy Secretary Cao sighed again: "There's a reason why they can't be completely destroyed by wildfire and can spring up again with the spring breeze."

In the 1980s, Leshui goods were universally condemned across the country for being counterfeited and of poor quality.

But just a few years later, he's doing incredibly well again.

It may well be related to this decisive courage.

So what do you think?

This is ultimately a business matter, and the leadership decided to return the decision-making power to the businessman.

“My idea is this: since they’re sticking together and sticking to their positions, then our trade city should also require them to stick together. If any of their products have a problem, then the other hot water manufacturers who signed in to enter the market should also bear joint liability.”

No matter the era, collective punishment is a very unfair thing.

The problem is that the people of Leshui are incredibly good at causing trouble; it's a classic case of the devil being one step ahead of the saint.

There's nothing they won't do, only things you can't imagine.

Moreover, they are very good at public relations; they are masters of encirclement and suppression.

Dealing with them requires the city to be riddled with radar.

Right now is a crucial time to build a good reputation, and the slogan of the trade city is: We keep up with the trends, we have novel designs, and we have excellent quality.

The first two points are relatively easy to overlook. Whether something is fashionable or not is subjective, and everyone has their own interpretation.

But quality is a hard and fast rule; if the quality is bad, it's bad.

Once your reputation is ruined, it will be extremely difficult to reverse it.

Wang Xiao was self-aware and didn't have any brilliant ideas, so she simply took the opportunity to implicate them, binding them together and making them supervise each other.

Deputy Secretary Cao had no objections and nodded, saying, "Let's do it this way."

They can't keep blocking goods from Leshui County indefinitely; if it goes on for too long, the local government will have something to say about it.

We see each other all the time, we're all in the same circle, it's impossible to completely disregard others' feelings.

For now, it's best to take profits and call it a day.

But when Wang Xiao called Xiang Dong again, Xiang Dong hesitated: "Would they agree?"

Business people can only guarantee that they will behave themselves; how can they control whether others will cause trouble?

“If you can’t do it, don’t even bother coming in.” Wang Xiao’s attitude was firm. “We have to speak up the moment our provincial leaders make their statements. If they don’t show some attitude, how are we supposed to face the leaders? They’re the ones who stirred up this mess.”

Xiang Dong understood immediately: "That's right, we're caught in the middle, getting yelled at by the leaders."

He still felt a little regretful, "Is the matter of Yongnian Shoe Factory just going to be settled like this? It's too easy on them."

Wang Xiao was baffled: "How can you say 'let it go'? The public security bureau has already filed a case, and how to handle it is their business. How can we law-abiding citizens interfere with the public security bureau's affairs?"

In reality, such words are just empty boasting.

In fact, using connections to get someone out of trouble is perfectly normal in this day and age.

If you have strong enough connections and find the right channels, you really can get someone out of trouble.

However, these things are none of their concern; it all depends on the capabilities of Yongnian Shoe Factory itself.

The next morning, Wang Xiao and Ivanov parted ways with Deputy Secretary Cao.

Before leaving, Deputy Secretary Cao reminded her, "Spring is here, that piece of land should be developed."

Wang Xiao's attitude was very good: "Don't worry, we will definitely develop this land well."

Her idea was to develop that land into a shopping mall complex with an amusement park, which naturally required careful planning.

We need to consider all aspects, including transportation.

We definitely can't just get on the horse anytime soon.

Otherwise, if you build a house halfway and a bunch of problems come knocking, you'll have nowhere to turn for help.

She and Ivanov were used to traveling by plane and had no patience to take the train slowly to Suifenhe.

Fortunately, Wang Xiao's contact with the Air Force was not without its benefits. The Air Force arranged an old plane to take the four of them directly to Heilongjiang.

Actually, when they arrived in Heilongjiang, it was still quite early, and the sky was still bright.

But then they had to transfer from a truck to a jeep, and then take a taxi themselves, which took a long time.

After much searching, the four of them finally reached the threshold of the car dealership. By then, it was already pitch black, and their stomachs were growling with hunger.

Tang Yicheng was entertaining a client: "Seventy-five thousand, not a penny less. Don't tell me about other people selling cars for sixty thousand. If it's a sixty-thousand-yuan car, buy it if you want, we won't stop you."

Don't you even look? That's a used car!

What kind of car do we have here? It's genuine, just rolled off the assembly line from the Russian factory.

Let me tell you the absolute truth: even the Russians themselves, if they wanted to buy a car and went to the factory with rubles, wouldn't sell it to them.

The customer looked unconvinced: "They don't want it for free, they're giving it to you for nothing?"

Several soldiers nearby shook their heads and laughed: "You're such an amateur. These days, the Russians like goods—leather jackets and jeans. If money can't buy things, it's just waste paper."

The customer pursed his lips and pleaded, "Oh, can you make it any cheaper? The national guide price is 70,000 yuan."

Tang Yicheng waved his hand dismissively: "Then go buy a car worth 70,000 yuan, no one's stopping you."

After hesitating for a long time, the man finally made up his mind: "Seventy-five thousand it is. You can't fool me. There can't be any problems with the car."

"You think I'm kidding me?" Tang Yicheng pointed to the side. "Look, the tax bureau is all here. Have you ever seen someone who plays with ghosts pay taxes?"

That's absolutely not allowed.

The first step in playing the devil is to evade taxes.

The customer started counting the money; these days, most business transactions are done in cash.

People don't even trust checks, because many have never seen one before, and there are many counterfeit checks.

It's not as reliable as cash.

Tang Yicheng shouted into the house, the door opened, and Cantonese songs came from inside. The television screen flashed by, clearly showing that the tax bureau staff were watching TV.

"Issue the invoice."

Without saying a word, the person sat down at the computer and started operating the system, then signed and stamped the documents.

The process flows smoothly and effortlessly.

Tang Yicheng took a file folder, put all the documents inside, and handed it to the customer: "These are the complete set. Just take this to the vehicle management office to complete the procedures."

The customer was still not reassured and repeatedly emphasized, "If there are any problems with the car, I'll come back to you."

Tang Yicheng nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, you can come find me whenever you want."

His eyes swept over the person at the door, but it was dark and he couldn't see their face. He blurted out, "Boss, here to buy a car?"

Wang Xiao walked in with a smile: "Boss, what kind of cars do you recommend?"

"Oh, Mr. Wang," Tang Yicheng chuckled. "Why are you two only arriving now? I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow."

"I had to change buses several times along the way," Wang Xiao remarked. "The taxis here are pretty good; the starting fare is only ten yuan."

"That's the price. There used to be a lot of Jeeps around here, but now that we've come, there are more Ladas being used as taxis. Hey—have you guys eaten yet? Come on, let's go eat."

During this season, Suifenhe uses centralized indoor heating.

Tang Yicheng was only wearing a light jacket, but now he had to quickly put on a coat.

Even late at night in March, the outdoor temperature in Suifenhe was quite alarming.

The others immediately got to work: some put on their clothes, while others rushed to the toilet.

The tax bureau staff were counting the money nearby: "Today there are 136 vehicles, totaling 136,000 yuan."

Tang Yicheng looked at the money counting machine and nodded: "Yes, that's the number."

After both parties signed the confirmation, the tax bureau locked the money in their safe.

It's late at night, the bank is already closed. Their cashier will come tomorrow and deposit the money back into the bank.

Seeing that the safe was locked, the tax officer stretched and muttered, "Oh, I'm exhausted, I can finally go home."

Tang Yicheng politely suggested, "How about we go eat together again?"

"No, no, I have to go home. If I don't go back, she'll start arguing with me again. This old woman, she never thinks about how hard I work, leaving early and coming home late every day."

No sooner had the tax collector left than the soldier rolled his eyes and said, "How dare you! You do nothing all day but sit in the room collecting money and still complain about being tired!"

My goodness, making tens of thousands a day, that adds up to millions a month, all with no initial investment.

Tang Yicheng's driver laughed: "Oh, you didn't take any money?"

The soldier retorted confidently, "We didn't collect as much as they did; we still have to do the work."

Tang Yicheng quickly begged for mercy: "Alright, you guys just don't need to do any work, just sit there and be good."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

After everyone got dressed, Tang Yicheng even gave Wang Xiao a wool scarf, which he had asked the Russian for a replacement.

Although it doesn't look very appealing, it is indeed very warm and is genuine wool.

"You're not dressed warmly enough; it's really cold outside."

As he spoke, he mentioned that he wanted to get Wang Xiao another military overcoat.

Ivanov, watching from the side, was quite envious. He wasn't wearing much either, just a flight jacket. Why didn't Tang Yicheng give him any more clothes?

Tang Yicheng found it strange: "You're Russian, and you're afraid of the cold? Aren't you a grown man?"

Ivanov was suffocating, but for the sake of national dignity, he couldn't complain of the cold.

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated. She took a scarf and draped it over his shoulders: "You should wear this, or you'll catch a cold."

Ivanov was immediately moved to tears, and said affectionately, "Your Majesty, I knew you were the best to me."

Oh my god!

Tang Yicheng felt that the goosebumps all over his body were enough to make a dish called roasted chicken skin.

How desperate for love must this Russian be? He's already moved to tears. It's really something else.

However, Wang Xiao is much more ruthless than Tang Yicheng.

No matter how watery Ivanov's eyes were, she remained unmoved.

Because such sweet talk is nothing to her.

What's the subtext of "You're too good to me"?

I've already acknowledged your kindness, so you need to treat me even better from now on. Otherwise, how can you live up to my praise?

This takes advantage of people's sense of being needed.

Dream on!

Things should be done as they should be. Even close siblings keep clear accounts, let alone half-siblings.

Wang Xiao is cold-blooded by nature and is especially wary of this kind of thing.

She declined the military coat, wrapped herself in a scarf, and said, "Let's go, let's drive over and go straight to the restaurant."

It's only cold for a short while; I grit my teeth and get through it.

She couldn't stand the smell of the military overcoat; she didn't even know who had worn it before.

Tang Yicheng laughed and said, "Sure, as long as you're not afraid of the cold."

There were about ten of them, and it took three cars to fit them all.

The engine was ignited, the clutch was released, and the car roared onto the road.

Suifenhe is small, even tiny. The city's permanent population is only a little over 30,000. It's smaller than a large township.

To describe it using an old local rhyme: Suifenhe has no river, a small stream that doesn't reach your ankles, a hotel and a shop, a road that leads to the end, and a loudspeaker that can be heard throughout the city.

Suifenhe has now undergone a complete transformation, with its streets bustling with activity and bright lights even late at night.

There were blond, blue-eyed Russians, and also black-haired, black-faced Asians.

The ethnic composition of this yellow-skinned population includes people of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese descent.

Oh, North Korea is divided into South Korea and North Korea.

Anyway, people coming to Suifenhe to make money come from all over the country.

The car stopped in front of a three-story building. Outside, there was a row of cars, mostly Beijing Jeeps, but also some Russian ones.

Tang Yicheng led the way, and the manager came out to greet him: "Mr. Tang, why are you so late? People wanting private rooms are about to fight us."

Tang Yicheng wasn't about to indulge him: "Boss, our boss just got off the plane. Hurry up, hurry up, bring out some of your signature dishes."

The manager led the people into the private room, then told the waiter to quickly place the order. After a flurry of activity, he finally settled the people in and then rushed to serve the next group of guests.

The door to the private room closed, and it finally became a little quieter.

Wang Xiao jokingly teased Tang Yicheng, "Not bad, Mr. Tang, you're quite the style now."

Tang Yicheng clasped his hands in apology: "Boss, please be sarcastic. To be honest, it's incredibly easy to act like a big shot here. Just pay your bill when you eat, don't ask for a receipt. If you pay, you'll be the most stylish person around."

Everyone in the private room agreed wholeheartedly.

That's right, that's exactly the point.

These days, running a restaurant can be profitable, but only if you receive payment, not just IOUs.

The waiter brought the dishes to the table, starting with braised chicken with mushrooms and braised pork belly, truly hearty dishes.

Tang Yicheng quickly called to the owner, "Try this, braised pork, made with black pork, it's really delicious."

He always ate with Wang Xiao, and Wang Xiao would eat meat heartily, so he didn't feel any pressure when he was trying to sell.

Wang Xiao picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth. It was indeed delicious; the meat was tender and melted in his mouth.

The ultimate goal of braised pork is to achieve a balance where the lean meat is neither too lean nor too fatty; this is the kind of braised pork that achieves that.

She ladled herself another bowl of chicken soup, drank half of it heartily, and her stomach finally felt better.

The door to the private room opened, and the waiter brought out pork blood sausage and steamed fish to the table.

A complaint came from outside: "You can't keep giving me IOUs, I can't pay my bills now."

"Oh, don't worry, don't worry. Do you think we're short of money for these two meals?"

The soldier, who was putting a piece of pork and blood sausage into his mouth, suddenly blurted out: "I think you businessmen are too soft. You want to leave without paying? Let's see how you manage to walk away."

Tang Yicheng was both amused and exasperated: "Do you think this is a war? Don't think the military doesn't issue IOUs. The military guesthouse has received countless IOUs."

The soldier, around twenty years old, retorted, "Anyway, this won't work. Everything you do is so muscular and doesn't solve anything."

The retired truck driver retorted, "How can we not solve problems? We're using our brains. Didn't you think our General Feng solved the problem brilliantly last time?"

"What's so pretty about it? We could have just driven straight there and solved the problem. Why did it take so long and go around in circles?"

Wang Xiao asked Tang Yicheng curiously, "What's wrong?"

Tang Yicheng glanced at Ivanov and subconsciously replied in Russian, "It's not a big deal. If any villagers want to become highwaymen..."

What's terrifying about highwaymen these days isn't that they're just outlaws, but that they're a collective crime committed by an entire village.

Regardless of gender or age, everyone pitched in.

What would you do if you encountered someone like this? Would you run them all over?

That's a really big problem.

So you either pay the toll or wait for your entire load of goods to be looted.

The commercial city in Xiaozhou encountered this situation and was forced to pay three thousand yuan the first time.

The driver went back to report to his supervisor.

After investigating the matter thoroughly, Feng Zhonglin devised a plan to incite the masses to fight against each other.

How should I put it?

The saying goes, "One kind of rice feeds a hundred kinds of people." This means that if one village does evil, it doesn't mean that the surrounding villages are all bad.

The vast majority of ordinary people are quite simple and honest.

For example, they are already very satisfied with being able to take on handicraft work in the village and earn thirty or forty yuan a month.

Feng Zhonglin took over some of the shoe insole processing work. The quick-handed women could earn fifty or sixty yuan a month without interfering with their family affairs.

The local villagers were very satisfied.

After receiving orders for two consecutive months, the trade city suddenly announced that they no longer wanted the work.

The reason is: every time they go to collect goods, they get robbed, and the money they earn isn't even enough to cover the losses from the robberies; they simply can't afford it.

They really didn't dare go to the commercial city over there.

The people in the surrounding villages were furious.

The problem of labor surplus is very serious now, and it is not easy for farmers to find a stable source of income near their homes.

As a result, the cooked duck flew away, no wonder everyone was angry.

Unfortunately, in rural areas, almost everyone in the nearby villages is related to someone else.

When everyone sat down together to discuss the matter, they collectively went to confront the culprit.

That village, which relied on robbery to make a living, used to be quite arrogant.

After being given a good beating by everyone, they finally behaved themselves and dared not cause trouble again.

Several villages then joined forces to approach the trade city and gave it their assurances.

The villagers formed patrol groups and took turns patrolling this section of the road. If anyone from that village dared to cause trouble again, they would beat them into submission first.

Ivanov listened with great interest, particularly curious: "Then why don't the people from other villages rob?"

“It’s far away,” Tang Yicheng explained. “That village is the closest. Even if everyone is scrambling for it, that village will have the biggest advantage.”

Therefore, compared to other villages, people do not have the geographical advantage to become robbers, so they might as well honestly earn a few dozen yuan a month.

Ivanov then realized, "Feng is indeed formidable."

As the Chinese saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.

Then let the local bullies manage themselves.

The soldiers scoffed, "You guys just don't mind the trouble."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "There's no way around it. You can't guard against thieves forever. We business people have to make money by being friendly."

Didn't she want to crush Yongnian Shoe Factory? But she couldn't.

They're not mortal enemies, but if she goes too far, she'll offend a lot of people.

The waiter brought out stir-fried vegetables, and Tang Yicheng quickly urged everyone, "Eat this, eat this. I feel like vegetables are more expensive than meat here."

Everyone laughed. "That's right," they said, "vegetables don't grow well when it's cold."

Although this restaurant doesn't look particularly impressive, the chef's skills are indeed quite good, and the ingredients are relatively fresh. Everyone was quite satisfied with the meal.

After a satisfying meal, everyone went downstairs.

Tang Yicheng paid his bill at the counter, while Wang Xiao listened intently to the customers chatting in the lobby.

At the nearest table, someone was complaining: "It's no good anymore. Even the Russians aren't honest anymore; they've started playing tricks on us. Before, we were the ones fooling them, but now they're the ones fooling us."

The people at the table burst into laughter: "You think you can be fooled?"

"Stop talking! I got two thousand tons of corn, and we agreed to exchange it for fifty Lada trucks. But damn it, there are three other companies with the same delivery slips as me!"

The laughter at the dinner table grew even louder, with someone joking, "Others marry one woman twice, but they marry one woman three times!"

As for losses, I doubt he'd lose much. Corn is currently around 60 cents a kilogram, so 2,000 tons would be 1.2 million yuan.

If the fifty Lada cars are divided among three families, and each family owns 16 cars, they can sell them for roughly 1.1 to 1.2 million yuan.

Moreover, Russia currently does not levy tariffs on imported grain, so his biggest losses should be the travel expenses and the kickbacks he received when passing through customs.

The loss is probably only around 100,000 yuan.

The complainer shook his head: "It's no good, it's really no good. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, the Big Brother was no longer the Big Brother, unreliable. No credibility. It wasn't like this last year. Last year, I replaced three train cars of old motors with a whole trainload of wallpaper, and there wasn't a single problem."

Unless you encounter a scammer, as long as it's a legitimate organization, you'll be absolutely fine.

"These days, nobody's good enough."

A person at the next table chimed in, "It's no good, it's really outrageous. I sent them a thousand tons of sugar, and a month has passed, but the payment still hasn't come. I'm so annoyed."

Once one or two people spoke up, the surrounding voices of agreement grew louder and louder.

Some people even criticized the Russians sitting in the lobby eating: "How could you do this? How could you break your promise?"

The Russian was baffled by the scolding, muttering something under his breath, and just kept eating.

Finally, the hotel's lobby manager stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, Russia is such a big country with so many people, who knows who? He's not the one who's lying to you."

The diners then reluctantly returned to their tables.

After paying the bill, Tang Yicheng came over and saw Wang Xiao and the others standing there without moving. He asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Are there more and more Russians breaking their promises these days?"

"Oh, that's true," Tang Yicheng said dismissively. "They really don't know how to manage their money."

For example, car factories don't want rubles, they only want supplies.

You could have taken the supplies and sold them for money, but that wasn't the case. The factory distributed the supplies directly to the employees so they could go home and make a living.

The problem is, you're not selling your factory; if you don't raise money, how will you get raw materials? And if you don't get raw materials, how will you continue production?

He felt worried for the Russians after seeing this.

Ivanov offered an explanation on behalf of his compatriots: "They're afraid too. Factories are all on credit now, and they're afraid that once the money goes out, the raw materials won't come in."

In short, it can be summed up in one word: chaos.

"Let's go, it's getting late, let's hurry back. It gets light early here, it's light at four in the morning."

Wang Xiao also stepped outside.

She ran to the car and discussed with Ivanov, "We need to expand our brokerage business."

Judging from the behavior of the Chinese businessmen in the restaurant just now, their trust in Russian importers has probably been greatly diminished.

However, both sides still have a need for barter trade, so they urgently need a more reliable intermediary.

This business is a bit troublesome, and it might consume a lot of rubles, which is a necessity for them.

Ivanov thought for a moment, nodded, and then defended his compatriots: "Many factories simply don't know how to deal with outsiders; perhaps they were also deceived."

Wang Xiao chuckled, but outwardly still respected his national pride.

One key manifestation of Russia's poor business environment is that its importers are completely untrustworthy.

This isn't Wang Xiao criticizing them; it's a lesson learned through the blood and tears of countless foreign businessmen doing trade with the Russian Federation.

Even former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Davydov, stated: In developing trade with Russia, foreign parties should not expect Russian importers to contribute significant funds to purchase goods. Instead, they should hope that foreign companies will ship their products to Russia and sell them to the Russian people.

Wang Xiao readily agreed: "That's why they need us even more. It turns out we weren't fooled for nothing."

Tang Yicheng frowned beside him: "Hey, do Russians all have a lot of money hidden away at home? It's like this every day, how come so many people are still spending money to buy things?"

He had previously heard people read Russian newspapers saying that Russians had stockpiled a lot of goods at home, so even if prices rose later, it wouldn't affect them.

Because they no longer need to buy daily necessities.

But in reality, he discovered that the newspaper was wrong.

Russians are not only buying things, but they are buying more and more.

Tang Yicheng was completely baffled as to why everyone was still able to come up with so much money.

Did the Soviet Union leave so much wealth to the Russian people?

"Because they have basic social welfare guarantees," Wang Xiao explained. "Russia inherited the Soviet Union's universal welfare model. Housing, education, and medical care are basically free or very inexpensive. Ordinary people spend most of their money on food and daily necessities. In addition, with the devaluation of the ruble, they rush to spend their wages on things as soon as they receive them."

Tang Yicheng suddenly realized and nodded: "That makes sense."

Two minutes later, after driving on for another two minutes, he began to wonder again, "If that's the case, then basic living standards are guaranteed, but prices won't stay stable; they'll keep rising. Because everyone keeps buying."

Ivanov said irritably, "When all the money can only be used to buy food, prices will naturally stop rising."

He is now paying particular attention to the situation in Poland, where the economy has significantly improved through shock therapy.

He hoped his country would have the same good fortune.

The car drove back to the detached house, a three-story building near the edge of the city, which was also one of Tang Yicheng's proudest investments.

At the beginning of the year, he was looking for a place to sell cars here, but he felt that the space he rented was too small, so he simply bought this building.

It wasn't expensive back then; the house, yard, and backyard all cost only 100,000 yuan.

As a result, the news that Suifenhe was approved as an open border city this month was announced on CCTV, and the very next day someone wanted to spend 150,000 yuan to buy the building.

The original homeowner was filled with regret and even hired local thugs to try and have a serious talk with Tang Yicheng.

However, once seven or eight soldiers arrived, the original homeowner never mentioned it again.

Tang Yicheng was still regretting it: "If I had known this would happen, I would have bought a few more houses here and rented them out directly."

Suifenhe's value is skyrocketing. The market price for a bed (based on the number of beds) has increased several times compared to two years ago.

Judging by this trend, prices will likely rise further.

Wang Xiao laughed: "Suifenhe is such a small place, even if you buy it all, it's still only so much."

The car stopped at the entrance, and Tang Yicheng got out. He saw two people guarding the gate and immediately told them to hurry up: "What time is it? We're closed. If you want to buy a car, come back tomorrow. It's not that we don't want to make things convenient for you, but the tax bureau staff left early and there's no one to issue you an invoice."

The man standing at the door smoking in the freezing cold, wearing a dog-skin hat, quickly explained, "No, it's like this, brother, we heard you're from Wuzhou Shipping Company?"

Tang Yicheng became alert, his gaze instantly sharpening like a knife as he stared at them: "Who are you? What are you asking about this for?"

The man quickly offered Tang Yicheng a cigarette: "Brother, please don't misunderstand, we just want to find out what the airline is going to do."

Everyone present gasped in shock. Were they here to raid my hometown?

Tang Yicheng remained calm and probed the other party's intentions: "Why do you want to start an airline? The Russians have so many airlines, and the sky is full of planes, isn't that enough?"

"Hey, those Russian planes can't fly over our territory."

Although the smoking man had already seen Wang Xiao and Ivanov, there were Russians everywhere in Suifenhe, so he couldn't be bothered to take another look.

He only focused on Tang Yicheng and explained to others, "Brother, you see, Suifenhe is developing, and trade between China and Russia is also growing rapidly. But the port's transshipment capacity is too weak."

Fresh fruits and vegetables often freeze in winter and rot in summer, a very serious problem. Suifenhe is only 220 kilometers away from Vladivostok, yet the prices of fruits and vegetables on the two sides can differ by several times or even dozens of times.

My buddy and I thought, let's start an airline and use airplanes to airlift fresh fruits and vegetables over. At least it'll be some income.

Tang Yicheng laughed: "You've put it so well, how come you're not afraid that our Wuzhou Company will directly steal this business opportunity?"

The man tried again to offer Tang Yicheng a cigarette, but Tang smiled like a Buddha: "No way. Your Wuzhou Company does big business, using large cargo planes. We just use helicopters for transportation, it's small-scale. You wouldn't even look at this kind of business."

Tang Yicheng declined his cigarette; Wang Xiao had warned them about this before.

You can't just accept cigarettes from strangers. What if they put heroin in them? It'll end up like the poisonous cigarette Tang Tiezui smoked in the play "Teahouse".

If you end up becoming a heavy smoker without even realizing it, you'll have nowhere to turn for help.

He waved his hand: "My throat is sore, I'm not smoking lately."

The man wearing a dog-skin hat pleaded, "Brother, please tell me which mountain I should go to burn incense and pay respects to?"

Tang Yicheng was both amused and exasperated: "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I'm just an employee."

Wang Xiao also looked completely bewildered.

If you ask her specifically how she got the airline up and running, she honestly can't explain it clearly.

Because she didn't run the program from beginning to end.

"Alright, alright, you guys should go home now, it's late at night. I really don't know, how would I, a mere laborer, know so much?"

The man was still persistent. A car pulled up by the roadside, and a man in a military overcoat got out, looking speechless: "Alright, you're really going to block someone's door? Don't be ridiculous."

"Who's joking? They've already made it work, haven't they? Who else am I supposed to ask if I don't ask Wuzhou Company?"

"Let me tell you, it's no use asking," the man in the military overcoat said helplessly. "I've already inquired for you. If you want to build an airport here..."

First, you need to get the flight routes approved, then the airport project needs to be approved. You need to establish connections between the military and local authorities; there are four lines of communication: the planning department, the civil aviation department, the local military region, and the air force. You have to get through each of them.

Only after that can you build the airport. After the airport is built, you need to apply for a port of entry and go through customs.

"Count them, hundreds of stamps, which one is easy to get, which path is easy to take?"

"Dog-skin hat" retorted, "If they can do it, why can't I? How powerful is Wuzhou Company? Does it have connections to the highest levels? I'm not completely unrelated either."

"It's not a matter of how capable it is, it's just lucky! It was set up before the collapse of the Soviet Union."

Don't you even remember what the situation was like last spring? Eastern European countries were all lowering their red flags. Our socialist family was so weak and isolated.

At that time, strengthening ties with Moscow, especially in private trade, was of great significance.

Don't forget, the earliest restoration of relations between China and the Soviet Union was through the "watermelon diplomacy" of the 1980s. The high-ranking officials of both governments at the time had an unspoken need for this.

Besides, Wuzhou Company didn't build its own airport; it leased an air force base. They could easily utilize existing connections.

You want to build your own airport? Are you kidding me? Don't even think about it. You'd be better off sticking to foreign trade. Otherwise, you'll be in deep trouble, if not completely ruined.

The man in the military overcoat managed to get his friend into the car with a push and shove: "Alright, go back and get some sleep, then you won't overthink things tomorrow."

Ivanov was incredibly curious and kept asking Wang Xiao, "What are they saying?"

Tang Yicheng translated the general meaning in the simplest terms.

Ivanov immediately showed an expression of amazement: "Your Majesty, it's so complicated!"

He didn't find it too troublesome when he was in Moscow.

Wang Xiao chuckled: "This is the first time I've heard of this either. I didn't go through any procedures."

As Tang Yicheng opened the door, he exclaimed, "We still have to thank the Air Force. If it weren't for the Air Force, I don't know what would have happened to us now."

Good heavens, he always thought the most troublesome thing about getting an airplane into the air was getting the airplane in operation.

Now that he's listened to this explanation, he suddenly feels that getting a plane has become the easiest thing to do.

Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?

He was also relieved: "Luckily we acted early, otherwise we would definitely be out of luck by now."

Ivanov exclaimed in surprise, "It's so complex!"

Wang Xiao chuckled and said, "Maybe it wasn't complicated back then, but it definitely is now."

Why?

If something can generate huge economic benefits and make money, then there must be a lot of departments and people in charge of it.

Tang Yicheng emphasized in a serious tone, "Then when I go back, I'll bring the Air Force some gifts. After all, they helped us a lot."

Wang Xiao nodded: "We should thank you properly. You can buy whatever you want, and remember to transfer the money to your account."

Honestly, she has already decided to forgive the Air Force's cowardice in Beijing.

She will find them the most cost-effective aircraft.

————————

Regarding doing business in Russia in the 1990s.

Conventional international trade is settled by letters of credit. According to the general rules of this settlement method, the buyer first deposits the payment with a bank, the bank opens a letter of credit, notifies the seller's bank in another location to inform the seller, the seller ships the goods according to the terms stipulated in the contract and the letter of credit, and the bank pays on behalf of the buyer.

However, this method was not feasible in Russia at the time. They did not accept letters of credit for settlement; they accepted cash.

Even Americans doing business with them would carry a suitcase full of cash and be surrounded by bodyguards (the Russian mafia is also very powerful) when they went to make a transaction.

People who don't know the situation might think it's a gangster business, but it's actually just a very ordinary transaction, like buying timber.

The fact that Russian importers were unreliable was something even the Russian government itself acknowledged at the time.

Charter flights and tax-inclusive trade with Russia became mainstream after 1994. This was partly because on January 1, 1994, Russia reduced the duty-free allowance for passenger shopping from US$5,000 to US$2,000. It was also because Russian importers had such low fulfillment rates that barter trade became unsustainable, forcing middlemen to find their own ways to smuggle goods into the country.

There are many reasons for this situation, including factors related to the banking sector. In the 1990s, Russian banks were highly unreliable; commercial banks frequently failed, and it was common for them to use customers' money to buy bonds. Holding onto foreign businesses' dollars and refusing to remit them was commonplace. At that time, even ordinary Russians didn't trust their own banks and trusted foreign banks more.

There are also reasons related to internal management chaos. For example, oil fields extract oil and sell it, but this can only be done through a monopoly company. As a result, the oil is sold, but they have difficulty receiving payment.

Every time I look at the relevant information, I feel that the powerful and wealthy in our own country are always the most ruthless in exploiting their own people.

Furthermore, in the early 1990s, the price of corn was lower than that of wheat. At that time, there was still a distinction between coarse and refined grains. According to the data A Jin found, at the end of 1992, the price of corn in Chongqing was 0.76-0.8 yuan/kg, a 25% increase from the beginning of the year. The corn in Chongqing was imported from Liaoning, Shaanxi, Henan, and other places. This means that the purchase price would have been even lower at the place of origin.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-12-31 23:25:42 and 2024-01-01 19:11:05!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Qiqi 50 bottles; ajptnuqt 11 bottles; Enjoy life alone, Su, Wukanwukan, Congcong, ~~~ 10 bottles; 56978374, Pangpangxiong, 206558081 bottles;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!