Chapter 105 The Robot Needs a Change of Track: Want an Airplane? Trade an Airport for One

It does get light early in Suifenhe.

The next morning, around 5 a.m., it was already bright outside.

Wang Xiao quickly got out of bed, brushed her teeth and washed her face, then went downstairs to eat red bean buns with soy milk.

Come to think of it, Ivanov and his two bodyguards both really loved red bean buns, perhaps because they were sweet.

Wang Xiao didn't care; in her eyes, both delicious food and beautiful women were wonderful things, and neither was superior to the other.

Eating red bean buns with them is also an option.

Tang Yicheng kept urging from the side, "Hurry up, hurry up, if you can't finish eating, you can eat on the way."

Why the rush?

Because they wanted to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

What's so interesting about a flag-raising ceremony?

Which school doesn't raise the national flag every day?

It's not like we're going to Tiananmen Square to raise the national flag.

No, Suifenhe is different.

Since July 1st of last year, Suifenhe has become the second city in China to hold a flag-raising ceremony every day.

Tang Yicheng only learned about this matter after he started selling cars here every day.

Goodness, he's someone who's seen the national flag raised at Tiananmen Square.

The flag-raising ceremony in Suifenhe is practically a 1:1 replica of Tiananmen Square.

Their armed police squadron's flag-raising team underwent several months of intensive training in Beijing, and their uniforms were also custom-made there. Even the streetlights around Tiananmen Square were retired from Tiananmen Square and then reassigned to Suifenhe.

This is such a rare and unique phenomenon, it's absolutely one of a kind in the whole country, everyone should definitely see it!

The group of five set off early in the morning to watch the flag-raising ceremony at the city center square in Suifenhe.

Good heavens! They thought they had arrived early enough, it was only a little past six o'clock. But there were already hundreds of people gathered in the square.

There were locals, people from other parts of the country whose clothes and accents clearly indicated they came from the south, and quite a few Russians. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the flag-raising ceremony.

Looking at the crowds surging toward the square, Tang Yicheng suddenly exclaimed, "So many Russians! The food in Russia is really expensive."

He said that because he saw a Russian guy showing off his apple.

Early in the morning in March, the temperature in Suifenhe was so low that everyone had to wear a padded jacket.

He seemed genuinely happy showing off in this open-air setting.

Indeed, Jinzhou in Liaoning is famous for its apples. Therefore, the apples from Suifenhe are sweet and cheap, making them a fruit that even rural children can easily afford.

This is quite different from the situation in Russia.

Russia has few fruits, and the cheapest ones are the apples grown by the locals. They are small and sour, and in his opinion, they are only good for making candied hawthorn skewers, which can be used as substitutes for hawthorn berries.

But these kinds of apples, if converted to Chinese yuan, would cost about three yuan per kilogram.

The better ones are mostly imported from Europe, and the price is at least double that of the original ones.

He couldn't help but exclaim again, "Airlifting fruit from here is definitely profitable."

The Northeast, compared to the South, is indeed vast and sparsely populated, with abundant resources.

Wang Xiao's words dispelled his wishful thinking: "If we're going to organize vegetables and fruits from here, then at least someone would have to stay here long-term to organize the supply."

No matter how profitable a business is, even one where you can make money effortlessly, if the source of goods is wrong, it can still be ruined, leaving you with nowhere to turn to cry.

Tang Yicheng was quite frustrated: "I know, I was just saying. Besides, we can't open a flight route from here anyway."

Now he understands that opening an air route is harder than climbing to heaven.

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Who said it can't be opened?"

She then turned to Ivanov and said, "We need to airlift food over, otherwise what will our farmers eat?"

Sow a single grain in spring, reap ten thousand in autumn; but that still has to wait until autumn.

For several long months, we are not gods and cannot live on air and dew.

Rice and flour are fine to be transported by train, but vegetables, fruits, and meats that are difficult to preserve must be airlifted.

Because the transshipment capacity of both ports is too weak, it cannot keep up with the rapid development of border trade. The backlog of import and export goods is very serious.

If we relied on the train, we'd probably only get potatoes, onions, and maybe an apple, with the rest being various dried vegetables and fruits.

If you add other fruits and vegetables with high juiciness, you can expect them to rot on the way.

After thinking for a while, Ivanov grasped the key point: "Then we still need to arrange another plane."

The increase in the number of middlemen and speculators in Beijing can only mean one thing—the market has grown larger, and the demand has increased.

In layman's terms, this means that Wuzhou Company's planes are in even higher demand.

Compared to making huge sums of money, using airplanes to transport supplies to farmers is truly a heartbreakingly extravagant act.

Wang Xiao nodded and added, "The vegetables don't need to be transported several times. Don't worry, as long as you open up the open space in front of and behind the house to everyone, there will be more vegetables than you can eat, and it won't be a problem to supply the locals."

Ivanov exclaimed incredulously, "Really?"

“Of course it’s true.” Tang Yicheng laughed. “Chinese people feel uncomfortable if they see an empty plot of land that isn’t planted with vegetables.”

Everyone present who could understand Russian laughed along.

That's absolutely true. When Chinese people grow vegetables, they'll do it if they have the conditions, and if they don't, they'll create the conditions.

If given the opportunity, they could turn all of Moscow into a giant vegetable garden.

Wang Xiao continued, "The meat can be transported over every now and then. I think it's relatively easy to get fish from Russia. Being able to eat fish is the same as eating meat."

Currently, in rural areas, especially in economically underdeveloped rural areas, people can only eat meat during festivals.

In this respect, people don't have high demands; they welcome salted meat, cured meat, salted chicken, salted duck, and salted goose.

In addition, people in rural areas raise chickens and ducks whenever they have the means, and chicken and duck eggs will become important sources of protein and fat.

"We can transport more fruit over there. On the one hand, it will be for the farm workers, and on the other hand, we can welcome locals to buy it at prices below market value. It's also a way to build good relationships with the locals."

As for disrupting market order, there's really no need to worry about that.

Because in the desolate Siberian region, the supply of goods is much worse than in large cities like Moscow, terribly worse.

It even got to the point where if you had money in your hand and wanted to buy fruit at the market, there was no stock available.

Ivanov kept nodding.

As a self-proclaimed Marxist, he always believed that he was meant to benefit the Russian people.

Now that conditions permit, he would be happy to benefit even a small segment of the population.

but--

"Your Majesty, can we secure a new air route?"

He hadn't realized it before, but now he suddenly understands that in China, getting approval for a new air route is actually very difficult.

Wang Xiao blinked: "Don't worry, we have the Heavenly Ladder, don't we?"

Hey Air Force guys, want some planes? If you want planes, you need to open up flight routes.

We first rented someone else's helicopter to help transport the goods. As the transport progressed, the helicopter ended up staying at our airport, which made perfect sense.

Otherwise, if you suddenly decide to buy someone else's military aircraft, how many eyes will be watching? That would be too conspicuous.

With such a complex international situation, and Russia no longer being the former Soviet Union, can it truly be in control of its own destiny?

If you can't do it, wouldn't you be led by the nose by others and unable to exchange your money for other things?

As the saying goes, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

Now that we want to target their military aircraft, we must be extremely discreet.

Ivanov blinked several times, quite certain: "Your Majesty, you just want to open more shipping routes."

Because they had an unspoken agreement from the beginning that military aircraft would not be acquired from Russian territory.

After all, these weapons are relatively strictly controlled domestically.

At least there are still people watching over things.

Those who can easily take action are the troops stationed abroad. The country is too far away for the central government to manage them, and foreign countries have no real jurisdiction over them; moreover, they themselves do not want to leave their weapons to the countries where they are stationed.

With these three forces working together, the loss of weapons by troops stationed abroad is the fastest and easiest to achieve.

Now, Wang Xiao is going to great lengths, clearly having ulterior motives.

The person who was exposed did not deny it at all, but instead said with righteous indignation: "If we don't take this opportunity to get more routes, we won't be able to get them later."

Now she understands that they have to stick close to the Air Force.

While others have a need for them and they themselves still have value, they quickly make demands.

Otherwise, if you don't use your rights, they will expire.

Wang Xiao reminded his partners: "We need to have more backup plans, otherwise if we are held hostage again, we will have no way to fight back."

She was terrified when she almost lost half of her Moscow flights last time.

Tang Yicheng, wiping his mouth beside him, said, "If we're going to set up flight routes, does that mean we'll have to get planes again?"

Good heavens, it feels like they're either working on a plane or on their way to work on a plane.

Wang Xiao was very open-minded: "If we can't get one right away, we can rent one first."

In short, compared to the huge profits from trade, the expenses of leasing aircraft are only a small part.

Ivanov, however, was full of confidence: "We Soviet Union may not have much else, but we have the most airplanes."

"Here it comes! Here it comes!"

Someone nearby shouted loudly.

Everyone hurry over there.

Goodness, it's really started.

A group of imposing armed police officers marched in step toward the flagpole. After the national flag was handed over, the national anthem was played.

Wang Xiao subconsciously sang along to the national anthem.

Actually, her behavior was a bit abrupt, because when people watch the flag-raising ceremony in this era, most of them just stand at attention and do not have a strong sense of singing the national anthem.

However, the curious gazes that turned to Wang Xiao were not focused on Ivanov, but rather on his face.

He was also singing, but he was singing "The Internationale".

As he hummed softly, several Russians next to him joined in.

When the music ended, the five-star red flag was already flying high, but they still didn't stop, and sang "The Internationale" completely.

In the last few beats, some Chinese people who knew "The Internationale" joined them, and the whole square turned into a grand chorus.

As the singing stopped, a gray-haired Russian standing diagonally in front of Wang Xiao and the others murmured, "You are so kind; you can still raise the red flag."

His companion must have been Chinese, at least the hair peeking out from under the towel was black, and he whispered a word of comfort to him.

Then, the two hurriedly left the square.

The others followed suit, and most of them were heading to the same place—the Suifenhe Stock Exchange, located in Beihai Park.

That area is a free trade zone between the two countries, one of the most distinctive places in Suifenhe.

One of them is naturally the flag-raising ceremony.

Tang Yicheng said with great interest, "How about it? Isn't this place exciting enough?"

Ivanov asked curiously, "Why is this place decorated like Tiananmen Square?"

Having come through the same system, he believed that its political significance far outweighed its economic significance.

Is Tiananmen Square something that can be copied so easily?

Tang Yicheng laughed out loud: "Because the mayor of Suifenhe is the nephew-in-law of the top leader, a relative of the emperor."

His eyes shone brightly as he looked intently at Wang Xiao. "I think Suifenhe is very important. We just need to keep an eye on Suifenhe to see how national policies will develop."

He was keenly aware of this from the first time he witnessed the flag-raising ceremony in Suifenhe.

This is a benchmark, a benchmark that stands out prominently.

The central government is afraid that people won't realize the benchmark.

They sent a relative of the leader to take charge, and fearing that people wouldn't realize the deeper meaning, they specially copied the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square.

What does this mean? It means that everyone should open their eyes wide and see clearly how to proceed in the future. Just look to Suifenhe.

He spoke with great enthusiasm, but Ivanov's expression grew increasingly serious. Finally, he couldn't help but speak up: "This is bad, this is very bad. Leadership is a position, not a person. If everyone is watching the leader, acting according to the leader's wishes, and everyone is flattering him, then we're doomed. Nepotism is the worst thing; it will destroy socialism."

He really hates this kind of thing.

Because the same thing had happened in the Soviet Union, everyone was busy currying favor with the leadership. No matter how absurd the decision, there were always a bunch of people singing its praises.

That's terrible.

There aren't many red flags left; this can't happen again.

Tang Yicheng was a little confused and didn't know how to respond.

Actually, he didn't think it was a big deal. At least it gave everyone a sense of direction, so they wouldn't be completely clueless and wouldn't know which way to go.

"But you have to admit one thing: doing this is very much in line with the current situation in China."

Wang Xiao looked at Ivanov and said, "The ideology of prioritizing officialdom has existed in China for thousands of years, and it is very difficult to change it in a short period of time."

The main contradiction in China at present is the contradiction between the people's ever-growing material and spiritual needs and the backward productive forces.

Simply put, the most important thing to do is to develop the economy.

To achieve this goal, all means may be used, even unscrupulous ones.

This includes the current situation where officials are so bureaucratic and people rack their brains to figure out the intentions of high-ranking leaders.

Who are the people who try to figure out what the big leaders are thinking? Actually, not many are ordinary people; they are mainly low-level leaders, junior officials, and grassroots cadres.

They may seem insignificant, but they are the lowest-level implementers in a country's political and organizational structure. Their combined influence is actually quite astonishing.

In other words, their actions can, to a large extent, influence the direction of a country.

Let me give you an example. Why did the August 19th coup attempt last year fail? Wasn't the most direct reason the defection of lower-ranking officers in the army who originally sided with the Soviet Communist Party?

So even if the military leadership didn't want to, they could only watch helplessly as the coup failed, given their inability to command their own officers.

Do you think this truly represents the will of the people?

Ivanov instinctively wanted to say: No!

What kind of real public opinion is that?

During the nationwide elections in March, most people did not want the Soviet Union to disintegrate.

But why is this happening?

“Mid- to low-ranking officers are important because they are the people who directly contact the soldiers. They may not represent the soldiers’ true thoughts, but they have the ability to command the soldiers.”

Those who can actively and firmly make a choice are always a minority. The vast majority of people are actually passive; even if they are not so willing, they may not resist fiercely.

Therefore, grassroots cadres have become the most crucial figures in policy implementation.

A key characteristic of China's reform and opening up is that it started as a spontaneous phenomenon among the people, and then became a model that was promoted nationwide.

Whether it was the land distribution to individual households in Xiaogang Village or the contract system in factories, the real initiators were grassroots cadres. The former was the village head of Xiaogang Village at the time, and the latter was the factory manager.

Without their leadership, spontaneous actions by the masses would be difficult to carry out. It requires someone to organize and push it forward.

Only then can this model have a chance of success, and only then can it be promoted nationwide as a model.

Such genuine, spontaneous acts from the people are naturally the best.

But what if there isn't one, and the current situation forces the government to take immediate action?

Ivanov already knew the answer; he just needed to create a model example.

We need to set examples to inspire others to learn from them.

Suifenhe was established as a model under these circumstances, supported by various factors. It was a model that was made impossible for anyone to ignore, achieved through various means.

Ivanov curled his lip and muttered, "You guys really don't mind the trouble. If you want to do something, why don't you just give the order from the Central Committee?"

Tang Yicheng immediately waved his hand and said seriously, "It's different. This was done by the lower levels themselves. If anything goes wrong, the central government can stop it at any time."

If it's replaced by an administrative order, can it be changed so easily? What will happen to the government's credibility?

Wang Xiao also laughed: "There's another point. The ones you choose yourself, and the ones you make under pressure from above, will have completely different results."

In particular, some people have explicitly stated that this choice was the result of their own deduction.

The person who makes the choice is actually quite pleased with themselves.

See how perceptive and insightful I am?

Those of you who can't understand, just wait until you regret it later.

I am the trendsetter of this era!

Ivanov was stunned, and after a long while, he finally managed to say, "We were just too honest."

He really thought the Soviet Union died because it was too honest.

How can someone be so honest? Unlike these people, who are full of cunning and scheming.

Tang Yicheng didn't like hearing this at all, showing no respect to the foreign boss, and directly retorted: "That's because your officials are always thinking about nothing, never considering the feelings of ordinary people. How can officials be officials if they can't even understand what ordinary people are thinking?"

Ivanov was unconvinced and glared at him angrily.

Wang Xiao, annoyed by their constant noise, quickly changed the subject: "Hey, want to go check out the trading market?"

I definitely have to go see it, it's so lively.

The morning market in Suifenhe opens very early; it's open even before the flag-raising ceremony begins.

A row of cars were parked along the roadside, with license plates of various regions, indicating that their owners came from all over the country.

This trading market doesn't even have paved roads; it rained last night, and the ground is all muddy right now. But that doesn't dampen the participants' enthusiasm at all.

Inside the market, a temporary stall, about three or four hundred square meters in size, was set up around wooden railings. Russians of all ages stood behind the stalls, selling their goods.

There were woolen coats, electric shavers, cameras, mechanical watches, and all sorts of small hardware tools.

The area outside was surrounded by layers upon layers of Chinese people, but what they were holding in their hands wasn't money, but rather "Ah..."

"Didas" sportswear, "Boxing Champion" underwear.

The former is obviously a counterfeit, but the problem is that neither party in the transaction cares about that. The Russians only require that the clothes look authentic and be of good quality.

Besides sportswear and underwear, ginseng royal jelly, sneakers, and bubble gum are also popular items on the market.

Almost every Chinese person is shouting, "Comrade-in-arms, come and exchange!"

Tang Yicheng laughed heartily from the side: "Let me tell you, every time I see it, I'm afraid the person inside will punch me out."

He was deeply impressed by the fact that in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, calling someone "comrade-in-arms" wasn't a way of getting on their good side, but rather a sign that one was genuinely looking for a beating.

Ivanov proudly raised his chin: "Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, there are still many Marxists like me."

Tang Yicheng internally rolled his eyes to the heavens.

Haha, who did Marxists offend to be stigmatized like this?

In the free market, in addition to the trading counters in the central area, there are many more stalls on the outskirts.

The vendors were all Russians, but they wanted Chinese currency, not just simple barter.

Tang Yicheng glanced around and his eyes landed on an antique telephone. He asked his boss with great interest, "Hey, Mr. Wang, take a look at this."

Wang Xiao looked over and couldn't help but light up.

Ah, it really is beautiful; it's an antique European-style telephone.

Tang Yicheng couldn't help but feel smug: "I knew you would like it."

She just likes this glamorous style.

Tang Yicheng took two steps forward and asked them in Russian how much it cost.

The Russians here sell goods at very low prices; if you're looking for a bargain, this is definitely a good place to go.

The old man with gray hair asked for fifty US dollars.

Tang Yicheng tried to bargain with him: "What do you want to buy? How about I exchange it for something else? How about two sets of Adidas?"

“That’s too few.” The Chinese woman next to her peeked out from under her scarf. “Three sets, at least three sets.”

Her gaze swept over Wang Xiao, then suddenly stopped, her face lighting up with delight: "Oh my, Mr. Wang, I never thought I'd run into you here?"

She might mistake one person for another, but looking at Ivanov and his two bodyguards, the woman was absolutely certain that this was her sponsor.

Wang Xiao was also quite surprised to see Ms. Shen.

She was a truly exceptional benefactor. Ever since investing $50,000 in the other party at the Beijing Hotel in Moscow during the Chinese New Year, she hadn't been pressing them for research results or rushing them to publish articles so she could get half of the royalties as soon as possible.

Now, whenever Wang Xiao bumps into someone, her first reaction is still, "What a coincidence! When did you come back to China?"

Ms. Shen explained, "I came back to talk to the publisher about publishing my book. I heard that border trade is booming in Suifenhe, so I came to take a look."

The gray-haired Russian man next to them was still looking at them with a puzzled expression.

Ms. Shen quickly introduced the two parties: "This is Professor Kalayev, who is here on vacation and also wants to exchange some items. This is Mr. Wang, my sponsor."

She then explained the definition of a sponsor, emphasizing that without Wang Xiao's generous donation, she would not have been able to make so many copies of the materials, let alone continue her research.

Dr. Kalayev's eyes lit up immediately, and he stared intently at Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao subconsciously wanted to touch her face, wondering if she had red bean paste stuck to her face the whole way.

He mumbled something very quickly, but because his accent was so heavy, even Wang Xiao, who was quite fluent in Russian, couldn't understand what he was saying.

Ivanov even helped translate: "He asked you if you wanted to invest in household robots?"

Huh? What does that mean?

This means that Professor Kalayev has a somewhat special background; he originally studied war robots.

This sounds really high-end and impressive.

However, because the Soviet Union had too many military research institutes and had researched too many advanced technologies, the war robots were not so bad.

Like most military research institutions, Professor Kalayev's robotics institute has been struggling for the past two years.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, everyone truly felt the power of its collapse.

Without funding and with significant cuts to military spending, military research institutions have to find their own ways to transform.

After discussing it with his colleagues at the robotics institute, he felt that they should make use of their expertise.

Since there's no market for war robots, they might as well develop their products in the home.

In the 1980s, Japan developed a household robot.

Once the owner gives the command, the robot can serve tea and water, pour coffee, deliver snacks to guests, and even greet them. It's quite interesting.

The Robotics Institute believes this direction of development has great potential. It is said that everything in the capitalist world moves at a fast pace, and people don't have time to do housework, so they desperately need the help of robots.

They also approached Japanese manufacturers to explore the possibility of cooperation between the two sides.

Unfortunately, the Japanese manufacturers, despite showing interest at the time, ultimately gave up.

Wang Xiao listened carefully to the timeline and estimated that Japan's decision to abandon the project was related to the tightening of monetary policy in their country.

Simply put, it's harder to get a loan now.

Professor Kalayev is quite excited and is trying hard to promote their household robots: "This is a very good direction for development. Robots can liberate humans from heavy labor."

Wang Xiao listened with great interest. Who hasn't seen a science fiction movie? Who doesn't want a robot that's devoted to their family?

But the businessman's blood was boiling in her veins, and she was moved but refused.

For household robots to have a market, they will have to wait until the cost of human labor becomes higher than the cost of robots.

We're still a long way from that point.

"It's impossible. If you're hoping for China as your sales market, then there's definitely no hope."

The average living space per person in China is very small. People are so crammed into their homes that there's no room for robots.

Moreover, labor costs are not high in China, so if people have the money to buy robots, they would prefer to hire nannies.

If this were Russia, I doubt many people would be willing to buy a personal robot.

Nonsense, the shutdown rate in Russian state-owned enterprises is already that high.

There aren't enough people to do the work, so where would robots fit in?

Professor Kalayev tried to persuade them further: "What about exporting to Japan, the United States, and Western Europe?"

Wang Xiao was quite ruthless: "Japan's electronics industry is very advanced, so products entering Japan shouldn't have much of a competitive advantage in this area. As for the United States and Western Europe, it might be more convenient for them to import from Japan."

Wake up! Household robots aren't bad; their time just hasn't come yet.

To put it bluntly, Japan might actually be more welcoming if Russia directly sold them war robots.

Don't forget, Japan spent a lot of money on the Gulf War.

Professor Kalayev was extremely disappointed.

For these scientists, finding a way to make a living is much more difficult than conducting scientific research.

Undeterred, he asked Wang Xiao again, "Then do you want to make copies of our information?"

The Institute of Political Economy is now relying on selling photocopied materials to the public. At least last month and this month, it has given its employees a subsidy of 1,000 rubles each, which is enough to keep everyone making ends meet.

Perhaps this wealthy Chinese woman is also interested in robots.

Wang Xiao thought for a moment, then reluctantly nodded: "Okay, I'll make a copy. How much?"

Professor Kalayev wanted a high price, but the problem was that the Institute of Political Economy only charged $10,000 for each copy of the materials.

He wanted to fool people, but he lacked confidence.

He could only reluctantly state, "Ten thousand US dollars."

OK, this is a good opportunity to take it down as a gift for the Air Force.

Whether they need it or not is their business; at least we should show a good attitude.

She agreed so readily that Professor Kalayev regretted that he had sold her for too low a price.

But it's too late to back out now; he's worried the seller won't buy it.

The morning market is getting busier and busier. It's open from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m., and will close soon. Everyone is rushing to buy things.

Wang Xiao looked at the goods that Kalayev had brought. Apart from an antique telephone, the rest was a bag full of binoculars.

"Let's go, I'll take all of these." Wang Xiao called out to his men, "Professor, I want to have a serious talk with you. You can't survive by just selling photocopied materials."

Professor Kalayev came across the border to sell goods and earn money to take them back to Russia. If he didn't find a way to make money, his whole family wouldn't survive.

His parents, who lived on a collective farm, received only four hundred rubles a month, which was far from enough to live on.

Since Wang Xiao was willing to buy his things, he naturally had no objection. He only emphasized, "The binoculars are 180 yuan each and are top-quality military binoculars."

Wang Xiao nodded indifferently: "OK, OK."

I'll also send this to the Air Force; it's just a small gift, nothing more.

She then asked Ms. Shen for her opinion: "Would you like to continue browsing around here, or..."

“I’ve already seen it.” Ms. Shen nodded with a smile. “I’ll go with you.”

Although she didn't completely distrust Wang Xiao, Professor Kalayev was the kind of scientist who lacked common sense, and since she had received a favor from his wife, she naturally felt she should accompany him.

This time, because there were two more people in the group, one car couldn't fit them all, so Wang Xiao hailed a taxi on the road.

Tang Yicheng chuckled when he saw the taxi driver: "You're pretty good, getting your taxi license done so quickly."

The driver said smugly, "Hey! It really is! I didn't expect it to be so fast. I only applied for a week, drove around twice, and they got my license."

Now, the starting fare for his trip is ten yuan.

Unfortunately, people from all over the country are flocking to Suifenhe right now, and there are just too many people wanting to take a taxi.

After deducting fuel costs, he can earn several hundred yuan a day.

He felt that he could earn back the cost of buying the car in less than a year.

Tang Yicheng gave him another suggestion: "Russian oil is cheap. If you use their oil, you're guaranteed to make more money."

The driver's eyes lit up instantly, and he slapped the steering wheel, excitedly exclaiming, "You're really amazing, bro!"

Ms. Shen listened in stunned silence.

These people are really something, they know how to take advantage of others.

No wonder they can make money.

When the car was driven back to the building, the lobby was already packed with people who had come to buy cars.

There were people haggling over prices, and others calling on tax officials to process invoices; the sounds were constant, making it even more lively than a vegetable market.

Wang Xiao simply led the person into the kitchen, since there were at least two people who could sit there.

The soldiers who had been sitting outside came in, made each of them a cup of soy milk, and then put biscuits and sponge cakes on a plate and served them on the table.

They probably felt that this way of entertaining the boss's guests was too simple.

The baby-faced soldier ran upstairs again, bringing back sunflower seeds, peanuts, and a bag of apples.

Wang Xiao was amused by him and quickly stopped him, saying, "Alright, alright, you go ahead and do your thing."

The soldier's face immediately turned red, and he retreated awkwardly.

Just as Wang Xiao was about to have a proper conversation with Professor Kalayev, she noticed that his eyes were already fixed on the sponge cake. She changed her mind before speaking: "Let's eat something first. I didn't have time to eat this morning."

Ivanov, of course, wouldn't expose her; she ate three red bean buns in one go that morning, eating just as much as the men.

Professor Kalayev immediately waved his hand: "No, no, I've already had breakfast. What do you want to tell me?"

Wang Xiao stood up with a smile, took a sponge cake, and said, "Please have some first, I have a phone call to make."

She was only half telling the truth.

On the one hand, she wanted to leave space for Professor Kalayev, so that people could at least settle down and eat slowly.

On the other hand, she really needed to make a call to the Air Force to discuss the flight path.

If you want to get more planes, you'll have to work harder yourselves.

Let's take a look first, see which airports your military has that we can use.

Don't keep them hidden away and unknown to anyone. Use whatever can be used for both military and civilian purposes.

Without both aircraft and funding, the airport will eventually be abandoned due to lack of maintenance.

You asked us, Wuzhou Company, how many planes we can build for you, and what class of planes we can build.

Well, we'll have to see. We need to find an opportunity.

How about I give you this guarantee: as long as one airport is operational, we'll add a plane to that airport accordingly.

It doesn't have to be Moscow; there are plenty of routes that can be flown over.

Don't forget, the Soviet Union had troops stationed overseas.

So far, none of these troops stationed abroad have returned.

Their military equipment is quite substantial.

Hey, don't ask any more questions.

I can't answer this now, it's unreliable. If I were to brag, wouldn't I be fooling people?

I can't do something like that.

Give me the list of airports first, then we can discuss where it's most convenient to get the goods.

Oh, by the way, I have a small gift for you, but I don't know if you'd be interested.

These are all free gifts, please don't misunderstand or overthink it. They are simply to thank you for your help and support over the years.

After hanging up the phone, when Wang Xiao went downstairs and returned to the kitchen, there were hardly any sponge cakes and cookies left on the plates on the table.

Ivanov was cracking sunflower seeds nearby, his posture remarkably like a squirrel.

When he saw Wang Xiao, he generously shared a handful of melon seeds with her and praised her, "Delicious."

It was the first time he had ever eaten this kind of nut, and he never expected it to be so delicious.

Wang Xiao answered the call, but didn't finish it. He first greeted Professor Kalayev, saying, "I'm sorry, my call took a while."

Professor Kalayev quickly said, "It's alright," and then sat up straight, just like a student attentively listening to a lecture.

Wang Xiao stopped being polite and went straight to the point: "That's right, I personally think the situation at the Robotics Research Institute is different from that at the Political Economy Research Institute."

The latter research content can become history, become archives, and even twenty years from now, as long as someone is interested in this history, they can still take it out as material to continue research.

In other words, these social science materials can be continuously monetized. In fact, their value will increase over time.

However, for those researching robots, if they stagnate even slightly, their technology will become obsolete.

Perhaps in the beginning, some people will be interested in your technology and willing to pay to copy the data.

But before long, the decrypted technology will become obsolete, and who will be interested then?

This is the truth, the truth that everyone present can understand.

The problem is that, apart from providing photocopies, their robotics research institute doesn't know what else to do.

They wanted to make a housekeeping robot, but Mr. Wang, you're not interested.

Wang Xiao tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "So we have to change tracks. We can make robots, but we can make intelligent silicone robots, not steel shells, but silicone shapes that are very similar to real human skin. To put it simply, they are infinitely close to real people."

Professor Kalayev looked bewildered: "Why are you doing this?"

Robots that are nearly indistinguishable from real people, or even more lifelike than real people, have long appeared in science fiction novels and films.

But he didn't understand what the point was.

If it's meant to replace workers, then wouldn't maintaining its most basic performance be sufficient?

What's the point of having a human-like appearance? It only increases production costs.

“No,” Wang Xiao emphasized. “It has two uses. One is for medical teaching. Due to the need to respect human rights, there are fewer and fewer cadavers available for medical research and teaching. We need dummy humans to meet this market demand.”

Professor Kalayev listened and nodded, "That's certainly possible, it's not difficult. What about another use?"

Wang Xiao bluntly stated: "It's used to make sex toys to replace real people and satisfy everyone's needs for sex."

"puff!"

Ms. Shen was drinking soy milk when she heard the sound and choked, coughing violently.

Wang Xiao apologized to her: "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were drinking something."

Professor Kalayev was extremely embarrassed: "This..."

"It can save many innocent people," Wang Xiao said bluntly. "Whether it's Eastern Europe or the current CIS countries, many women are trafficked and forcibly sent to brothels every day."

The saying goes, "No demand, no supply." If buyers could obtain sexual satisfaction without using real people, then the number of victims would be greatly reduced.

As you've probably noticed, there are increasingly more women falling into prostitution these days.

Ms. Shen finally finished coughing and quickly offered her opinion: "But the problem is that this lifelike robot must be expensive, and not many people can afford it. At the same time, the cost of finding a prostitute is not high."

It could even be said to be very low.

Russians generally have more open attitudes toward sex than Chinese.

This led her to discover that some female college students would undress for just a pack of cigarettes or even a few cigarettes. Of course, they might not have considered it an exchange.

Ms. Shen is not yet clear about the fees charged by real professional prostitutes on the market, but she estimates that they will not be too high and will definitely be much cheaper than buying a robot.

Moreover, no matter how well-made a robot is, it can't compare to the experience of a real person.

Professor Kalayev nodded in agreement.

He tried hard to suppress his strange feelings and racked his brains to consider the problem from a business perspective.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized Miss Chen was right; no one would spend a lot of money to buy a dummy instead of a real person.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "They don't need to buy them, they can just use them. It's like going to a bathhouse; you don't need to own the bathhouse and just charge for each use. We just need to open a shop, put the finished smart silicone dolls in there, and let customers use them."

Ms. Shen choked on her own saliva again, coughing several times before weakly saying, "Are you going to open a brothel?"

Her values ​​have been shattered.

She had thought that after more than a year, she had seen so much that she would no longer be surprised by anything.

but--

She was a good businesswoman who made a lot of money, so why did she decide to open a brothel?

Wang Xiao was baffled and vehemently denied it: "How did it become a brothel? Brothels provide sexual services from natural persons. We have robots. This is called the Intelligent Silicone Doll Experience Center."

Well, she's already quite content.

At least Ms. Shen, a highly educated intellectual, did not jump up on the spot.

This was no easy feat in the spring of 1992.

————————

The sharing of silicone dolls remains a gray area in China.

In addition, regarding the folk trading market located in Beihai Park in Suifenhe, the information A Jin found indicated that it opened in March, while others said it opened in April. The article adopts the former statement.

Um, it took me over an hour to correct the typos, but I suspect there are still some that slipped through. Please feel free to point them out! ^O^ Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2024-01-01 19:11:05 and 2024-01-02 23:11:26!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: yueyueing (1 rocket);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xiyuan 40 bottles; MJ 30 bottles; Ring 20 bottles; Bookworm 10 bottles; Half-Sugar More Sweet 6 bottles; September Shanshan, ruoshui 5 bottles; Ou'an, Fat Bear, 372964581 bottles;

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