Chapter 122 Let's build a wholesale building: How about Sakhalin Island?

As it turns out, Wang Xiao's attempt to shift blame and expose the scandal involving the movie actor was completely unnecessary.

Because the citizens of Moscow seem to care about this matter at all.

Because soon there will be something more important: to suppress this rumor.

The United Nations is considering imposing sanctions on Iraq, Libya, and Yugoslavia, and Russia, contrary to its previous stance, has voted in favor.

The news caused an uproar in China.

The Russian people were already very uncomfortable with the fact that the Russian president visited Western countries and begged for economic aid like a beggar.

Now the country has no stance to speak of and has completely become a yes-man of European and American countries, which is extremely shameful.

In this situation, the Russian government should engage in crisis public relations.

As if they were afraid of not being able to add fuel to the fire, they even abandoned their last fig leaf, prompting a public explanation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

"If we didn't participate in the sanctions, we wouldn't receive any loans from the West, which would amount to approximately $15 billion; we also wouldn't be able to postpone payments on Russian debt, and just from that postponement alone, we saved the national treasury $18 billion this year." (Note ①)

Wang Xiao wanted to cover his face after reading the newspaper; this wasn't what it meant to be open and honest.

The Russians' reaction was predictable.

They've always considered themselves a great power. Even if they're temporarily down on their luck, they still have their integrity. How could they become henchmen and lackeys?

Suddenly, almost all newspapers were criticizing the government's attitude, and even Westerners believed that the government should not be so indecisive.

But strangely enough, the excitement seemed to belong only to the newspapers; for the citizens of Moscow, it didn't interfere with what they were doing at all.

Long queues formed in front of Huaxia Commercial Street, with no sign of the number of people coming to exchange their down jackets.

People who knew each other gathered together and chatted while waiting in line. But unlike the Chinese, who would inevitably discuss national affairs in groups of three or five, none of the Muscovites mentioned anything about the government.

Wang Xiao privately asked the Russian staff how they and their families viewed the government's actions.

As a result, the young people said that their families were not surprised by anything the government did.

This doesn't mean they are satisfied with the government's actions; it just means that the general consensus is that a different president might not necessarily be better than the current one.

Anyway, the previous one, the one before that, and the one before that, were all pretty bad.

Rather than going through all that trouble with someone else, it's better to just make do for now.

Anyway, no matter who sits in the seat, everyone still needs to eat, wear clothes, and sleep.

So, does it matter who the president is? Not that important.

Wang Xiao didn't know what to say.

Because no matter when or where, all rights are earned through one's own efforts.

Rather than placing our hopes on the conscience of those who have already benefited, we should always be prepared to fight.

But adhering to the principle of peaceful coexistence and non-interference, Wang Xiao refrained from commenting on other people's politics and focused her attention on changing her down jacket.

The down jackets that were brought in for exchange mainly fell into three categories:

One type is the typical "chicken feather jacket," which doesn't mean it's filled entirely with chicken feathers. Some are even more outrageous, containing only scraps of burlap and waste paper.

Their ability to sell well is largely due to their trendy designs and colors.

These feather coats, extending past the knees, meet the need for warmth in Russian winters. They are reversible and come in vibrant colors such as deep purple, light red, bright green, and dark yellow, aligning with Russians' preference for bright and cheerful aesthetics.

One type is better; it's filled with duck feathers, but not down. You can feel the stiff, long feathers when you touch it, and the feathers will sprout out after only two days and start flying everywhere.

There is another type of down jacket, such as duck down jacket or goose down jacket, but it is unknown how long they have been stored in the warehouse, and because of the poor storage conditions, the clothes have become completely suffocated.

With a simple lift of the arm, a gash appeared, sending fuzz flying everywhere.

The last option is something that can be salvaged: refurbish it and turn it into a down comforter. Down jackets are expensive because of the down feathers.

Perhaps because she had been looking at the clothes for a while, the middle-aged man nervously emphasized, "I bought them from you Chinese people. You didn't say that only Russians could exchange them."

Well, this guy actually came all the way from Ukraine.

According to him, he bought the clothes at the train station and didn't have time to look at them closely.

He heard from a friend in Moscow that he could exchange his down jacket for a high-quality one for free here, and he was immediately interested.

So even though train tickets have gone up in price, he still traveled all the way to Moscow just to change out of this down jacket.

"No problem, we accept it. I just want to see if there are any clothes that look the same as it."

What a joke! How could she possibly look down on someone who came all the way from Ukraine?

This is free mobile advertising, an ad that helps whitewash Chinese goods.

If she had gone to Ukraine herself to arrange this, the cost would have been higher, and the results might not have been as good as they are now.

Things done when they are in high demand will have a greater impact.

“It’s okay.” The Ukrainian man instantly perked up, happily pointing to a navy blue down jacket, “I want that one.”

The shop assistant next to him asked about his size and immediately brought him a garment to try on.

His friend proudly emphasized, "I told you so, they changed into designer down jackets, the kind exported to Switzerland and Finland, all high-quality clothes. My grandma is very comfortable wearing them."

Wang Xiao smiled and handed over a plastic bag.

Inside was a warm cup of full-sugar milk tea, a sandwich in a paper bag, and a beautifully printed Great Wall postcard with the words "I'm sorry to have troubled you, and I wish you and your family a happy life and all the best" written in both English and Russian.

She reminded customers, "If you know anyone who also needs to change their down jacket, please tell them to come and change. If it's inconvenient for them to come, you can ask a friend to bring it for you, or you can send the jacket to me, providing the size, color, and style, and we will send it to them."

Everyone was overjoyed to hear that it could be mailed!

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Of course, but the data must be accurate, otherwise the clothes we send won't fit, and we'll have to go through all that trouble again."

In fact, if it weren't for the ruble's extremely poor exchange rate and the fact that the shopping street couldn't directly accept US dollars, she would have considered starting a telephone mail-order sales business.

Since most Russian families have telephones, they can simply look through the brochures at home, check the box for mailing, and save themselves the trouble and hassle.

However, the ruble's decline seemed endless, and she needed to exchange it for dollars, so she dared not take the risk.

The customer left happily wearing his new down jacket, drinking milk tea as he went.

Manager Zhang, watching from the side, was quite worried about one thing: "President Wang, will we run out of down jackets to replace?"

Previously, Chinese businessmen in Moscow made various oaths and vows, confirming that the number of feather jackets they sold from last year to now would not exceed 10,000 at most.

So even if they replaced everything, they didn't think it would be a big problem.

However, now, people are coming not only from other parts of Russia, but also from other CIS countries. How many down jackets will they have to wear?

He wasn't worried that the one million US dollars raised by the Chinese businessmen wouldn't be enough to cover the compensation amount; he was genuinely afraid that there wouldn't be enough down jackets.

It's already November, and duck farmers across the country, supplying down jacket manufacturers, are already gearing up to harvest their ducks. On one hand, they're extracting the down to make clothing; on the other hand, the ducks are either served directly or cured to make preserved duck.

The situation is similar for geese.

If you want to conjure up more ducks and geese now, that's completely asking the impossible.

But how can you make down jackets without duck or goose down?

Wang Xiao reassured his subordinate, "It's alright, I've already placed an order with the down jacket manufacturer."

The truth is that before she placed the order, the down jacket manufacturer, with its extremely keen business sense, had already discovered the business opportunity.

The crackdown on counterfeit goods does not mean the disappearance of the sales market; rather, it means a large market gap.

When bad money is driven out, good money naturally takes center stage.

What if they don't have enough down reserves? They'll raise them, on the spot.

The currently popular meat duck breed, Cherry Valley duck, can be raised for 4-6 weeks before being ready for market. The duck meat is served on the table, and the down goes to the factory.

If you start raising them in November and raise them in January, it will be just in time for the Lunar New Year in December. If you act quickly then, you might even catch the peak sales season in China.

If there isn't enough time, we'll supply it exclusively for export. Luckily, Moscow's winter lasts until April, so there's plenty of time to sell it slowly.

When interviewed by reporters, Ivanov spoke eloquently: "A Cherry Valley duck only produces 6-10g of down. Our down jackets have a high down content and are large, even larger than the standard sizes needed by Chinese people, so naturally more down is required. It takes at least 16 ducks to make one down jacket."

Normally, winter would be approaching in China at this time of year, so raising ducks from scratch now would be significantly more expensive than in the spring.

However, hearing that we needed them, and to compensate for our losses as Russians, our Chinese partners in the commercial district were willing to raise ducks at a high cost and then supply them to us at the original price.

He kept rambling on, trying his best to memorize the information Wang Xiao had found for him, "The reason I chose to raise Cherry Valley ducks now, instead of Muscovy ducks which produce more down. Those ducks are bigger and look a bit like geese because it takes 10 weeks to raise Muscovy ducks before they are ready for market, and I was afraid there wouldn't be enough time."

Geese take 100 days to grow and produce less down.

Why is this down jacket priced higher than the one next to it? It's because it's made with goose down.

In fact, our farm has indeed started trying to raise ducks.

However, since we've just started raising them, we're still exploring and raising a small number, so it's better to supply them for down jackets.

Next year, we plan to raise half ducks and half geese.

Geese are quite cold-resistant, and the geese in Heilongjiang are raised very well. We'll go there to learn from them and see how they raise them.

If the breeding goes well, we'll introduce a production line next year and start making down jackets ourselves.

Ivanov spoke with great enthusiasm.

What kind of duck can be used to make the famous Peking duck, and what kind of goose can be used to make roast goose?

Duck and goose excrement can be composted and used as base fertilizer for planting.

He poured his heart and soul into agriculture, determined to combine industry and agriculture, truly deserving to be called an outstanding example of contemporary entrepreneurship.

In short, they are very sincere and willing to serve customers wholeheartedly. They will take all measures to ensure that customers' rights are not infringed.

So, bring over any down jackets you need to replace; you'll definitely be satisfied.

Of course, with such generosity, wouldn't some people try to take advantage of the situation?

The answer is, of course.

Never overestimate the limits of human nature; when it comes to profit, many people will go to great lengths.

They would never consider taking advantage of others to be a shameful thing; on the contrary, they would think it would be foolish not to take advantage of someone.

Among these people were Russians and Chinese, all of them very clever.

The former couldn't find a feather jacket for a while, but realizing the price difference between the two, he specially went to Beijing to buy one, only to be caught by the police who were lying in wait.

That's right, someone as money-loving as Wang Xiao would never let anyone take advantage of him for nothing.

She had been waiting for this day for a long time.

As soon as the suspect was apprehended in Beijing, her press releases were immediately arranged.

Look, even with down jackets readily available, Russian vendors are still going to great lengths to find feather jackets, purely to save money, and they're ripping off their own people.

Chinese down jacket manufacturers also took the opportunity to protest their innocence, saying that they first started producing down jackets when Russian businessmen approached them last winter.

He was quite puzzled at the time, unable to understand why the Russians would use chicken feathers instead of duck down. Because in China, there's no such thing as a "chicken feather coat."

He initially thought it was due to different lifestyles in different countries. That's why he started producing down jackets using chicken feathers, which are specifically used to make feather dusters.

He genuinely had no idea that the Russians would ship these clothes back to their country and sell them as down jackets.

This is clearly an attempt to shift blame.

But Wang Xiao wouldn't tell the truth.

She even managed to remain completely hidden, making no mention of the fact that the Russian merchants had traveled thousands of miles to buy the feather coats in order to extort money from Huaxia Commercial Street.

She insisted that this person was trying to cheat his own people by buying counterfeit goods and reselling them at high prices to his fellow countrymen.

The wholesale price of a regular down jacket in China is two to three times that of a feather jacket.

Look, even the manufacturers were shocked, repeatedly stating they genuinely didn't know Russians don't actually wear feather jackets. If they had known, they would never have done something like this.

After all, if they honestly make down jackets, their business isn't bad.

As for the claim that Russian merchants were tricked into buying the feather coats in China, the manufacturer personally thinks it's unlikely, because the prices are different.

Anyway, he always tells you directly what materials are used.

You get what you pay for; the price is clearly stated.

Wang Xiao didn't care about anything else and directly dragged the Russian merchants down with him.

It's impossible for Russian vendors to be completely unaware that they're selling feather coats.

Since someone is pretending not to understand, then don't blame her for being impolite.

Pull one over so they can help push the cylinder.

As for the Chinese who wanted to take advantage, well, they were the ones who had a bunch of feather coats stored up on hand.

He wasn't in Moscow, so he didn't experience the horrors of the chicken plague.

Therefore, even when people died, he couldn't bear to dispose of his mansion.

Upon hearing that Huaxia Commercial Street was accepting feather coats in exchange for genuine down jackets, his brilliant mind immediately began to work.

Authentic down jackets are definitely more expensive than feather jackets.

With this back and forth, he doesn't need to go back to China to buy goods; he can make a fortune for free.

This clever big-headed guy is quite shrewd; he's worried that if he shows his face, people won't give him the replacement.

So he approached his landlord and asked him to arrange for people to line up together to exchange for down jackets, paying each person two hundred rubles.

His operation went quite smoothly, and he successfully changed back into his down jacket.

But how high is the moral bottom line for someone who takes advantage of others' kindness?

The landlord and his friends changed into down jackets, and then turned their backs on them.

They each wore one piece, and refused to give the rest to that brilliant mind.

Wouldn't they sell them themselves to make money?

With things having developed to this point, the brilliant strategist got anxious and wanted to get to the bottom of things.

Then he was punched in the head by one person, leaving him bleeding profusely, and was even kicked out of his home.

The Russian winter... By the time he finally managed to find a friend to ask for help, he was half dead.

Later, he developed a high fever and severe pneumonia, and he is still in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment.

But none of the Chinese businessmen in Moscow showed any sympathy; they didn't even bother to contribute money, let alone take a look at the business.

unlucky!

Don't say we're heartless; he didn't have a conscience when he was cheating his own people.

Those twenty-six down jackets were bought with their donated money.

You bastard, it's better if you die soon.

Colluding with the Russians and deceiving his own people—if this happened during the Anti-Japanese War, he would be a complete traitor and deserve a terrible death.

On Saturday night, when the Chinese businessmen were having dinner together, they all hurled insults at this person.

But there's no point in scolding him now. The main reason we're all gathered here today is for something else—renting a place.

Among Chinese businesspeople in Moscow, those who own their own homes are extremely rare; the vast majority rent.

Moscow residents generally enjoy good housing conditions, with access to utilities such as water, electricity, gas, and heating, and their homes are relatively spacious. A couple often owns three rooms, or more than one residence.

They vacated their spare housing and rented it out to foreigners to supplement their household income.

The current standard rent is between $10 and $30 a month for sharing a room with the landlord, along with the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. This is equivalent to a month's salary for a Russian.

As for renting a separate apartment, a two-room apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and balcony, it would cost $100 to $150. Some apartments could double that, costing $200 to $300.

Chinese business owners who prefer to live comfortably spend more money, while those who want to save money stay in just one room. They have generally maintained a peaceful coexistence with their landlords.

After the chicken feather jacket incident, these landlords seemed to have conspired together, and suddenly they all demanded a rent increase.

The reason was that they felt unsafe; who knew what kind of things were inside the Chinese merchants' goods?

What if something happens if we put it in their house?

You have to pay more.

"Those Russians, they're all obsessed with money!"

Some people complained, "They just think we're easy to talk to. They'll just replace our perfectly good down jackets without a second thought. They must be rich."

Wang Xiao gave him a cold glare: "If I remember correctly, you sold dozens of feather jackets. If you hadn't sold them, other people could have paid less."

Third Sister quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, you bunch of idiots, stop taking your good fortune for granted. You've got too much credit for yourselves, haven't you? You're all pushing your luck. Mr. Wang is cleaning up your messes, don't you have any self-awareness about what you've done? Now you're putting on airs."

"Hey, hey, hey, let's get down to business." The oldest man present, Zhuang Ye, spoke up, criticizing the sarcastic man, "A grown man like you, acting like a woman."

The third sister immediately retorted, "Hey—we women don't have your petty tempers!"

Mr. Zhuang quickly bowed to her and begged for forgiveness: "Alright, alright, I know you're all heroines. Um, Ms. Wang, it's not that we can't afford the rent. We're just afraid that the Russians will take advantage of us and raise it again and again. What if it never ends?"

Actually, he owns his own shop and usually lives in a small room within the shop.

Whether the landlord raises the rent or not has little impact on him.

The problem is, you can't start something like this.

Once they backed down, the Russians felt they could go even further.

By then, who knows how badly they'll be bullied?

Wang Xiao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have a general idea of ​​what to do, but I'll have to make arrangements when we get back. Don't worry, we're all in this together, I definitely won't abandon this responsibility. However—"

Her expression turned serious. "Since everyone is here today, let's all speak frankly and openly."

Don't treat people like fools; nobody is a fool.

The Russians bought the feathered suits without really understanding why, not because they were stupid, but because they trusted us.

But if people realize they've been scammed, will anyone still trust us in the future?

Honestly, can we make money in Moscow without resorting to underhanded tactics?

The answer is yes.

Take a feather jacket as an example. Its wholesale price in China is only forty yuan, and it can be even cheaper if you buy it directly from the factory.

But if you take it to Moscow, you can sell it wholesale without retailing, and you can earn 100 rubles per piece.

What if it were a regular down jacket? You could get it for around 80 or 90 yuan wholesale, resell it, and make 70 or 80 yuan profit without much trouble.

On the surface, the latter's profit margin is much smaller.

However, from a long-term perspective, quick money may only last for one winter at most, but afterwards it is a steady and long-term income. With steady and solid progress, you can make money as often as you want.

"Everyone is eating at the table, and the food is pretty good. If anyone tries to overturn the table, they're going against everyone. If that day comes, even if that person dies in the street and rots, and no one claims the body, we won't even ask about it."

She looked around and said, "Let me make this clear: I'm going to continue relying on Russia for a long, long time. If anyone tries to take away my livelihood, they'll have to face me."

The third sister is now very cooperative, immediately taking sides: "That's right, that's what my third sister wanted to say too. We're not afraid of people, but we don't provoke people either. If anyone pees in the soup bowl, I'll just shove it on their head."

Others who had already bought shops in Moscow and wanted to bring their families over to develop their businesses also expressed their opinions.

Some people also subtly suggested that people shouldn't think they'll be fine just because they've caused trouble here and are running back to their home country or to another country.

Don't forget, Russia may not have much else, but it has the most kgb.

There are tons of retired KGB officers with no job prospects. Some of them run private detective agencies; finding an ordinary person like you would be a piece of cake for them.

Some people avoided eye contact, while others had unnatural expressions.

Wang Xiao pretended not to see it and signaled the bodyguards to start distributing the "Honest Business Commitment Letter".

"Everyone, take a look. If you think you can do it, then sign it. If you think you can't, then don't force yourself. Otherwise, it'll make things awkward."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, and someone finally asked, "What's the result if we sign? What's the result if we don't?"

"If you sign, I'll figure out your accommodation. If you don't sign—"

Wang Xiao shook his head. "Those who have different paths cannot work together. Let's not force ourselves."

The third sister held the letter of commitment, having read it from beginning to end, and felt that it wasn't a big deal.

Isn't it just about honesty, integrity, and transparent pricing?

She owns a shop now, not a street vendor, and doesn't have to haggle with people, so she felt there was no problem and readily signed her name.

With her taking the lead, other shop owners also signed up quite readily.

The remaining people hesitated, but eventually signed most of them.

Wang Xiao didn't press the remaining people, but simply withdrew the commitment letter and instructed them, "We should have news about the accommodation in the next couple of days. If you're free, just come to the restaurant to wait for news, or you can call us directly."

My third sister was incredibly curious. After everyone had finished eating and gone home, she kept asking, "Where are all these people going to stay?"

Surely she doesn't own thousands of villas?

That won't work either; the villas are all in the suburbs, too far away.

The Russians can only travel around because they own their own cars.

Most Chinese businesspeople travel by foot, subway, or bus.

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "If there really were that many villas, I'd be laughing my head off."

It was truly heartbreaking later on; she just wasn't destined to make money in stocks and real estate investments.

She didn't get a single thing from the stock market get-rich-quick myths that started in 1991 and continued into the first half of this year.

Moscow's real estate market... sigh, Ivanov once said he wanted to invest in real estate.

What did she say at the time? She confidently told people that because Moscow residents had spacious housing and no one lacked housing, the real estate market had no future.

And what happened? The result was a resounding slap in the face. Housing prices in Moscow rose as quickly as they could, skyrocketing. Now, the price per square meter of usable space in Moscow has exceeded one thousand US dollars.

Considering the current income level of ordinary Moscow residents, these housing prices only prove one thing: regardless of whether they are Chinese or foreign, ordinary people should not dream of buying a house in the capital.

Fortunately, they were in a hurry to spend rubles and needed shops to do business, so they bought quite a few shops.

Otherwise, simply because she missed out on the incredible wealth that came with the real estate boom, her friendship with Ivanov might have been in jeopardy.

The third sister became increasingly curious: "So where do you plan to arrange for them to go?"

"Let's find a bigger house," Wang Xiao said vaguely, without going into details. "It's freezing cold, and everyone's been setting up stalls outside all this time, it's unbearable."

The third sister was quite puzzled.

Does this mean they're going to be given shops?

That's absolutely impossible.

The prices in Moscow shops have already gone up this morning, and besides, there are tens of thousands of people; where would you find so many shops to sell?

Wang Xiao didn't elaborate. She waved to the people and, surrounded by bodyguards, got into her car and left.

The third sister's nephew curled his lip and said, "Still hiding it, all mysterious."

His third sister slapped him on the back in an annoyed tone: "Mind your own business! Hurry up and drive back."

When Wang Xiao returned to the villa, he happened to run into Ivanov, who was dressed like a peacock and about to go out.

“OK!” Wang Xiao looked him up and down. “Could you ask that beautiful lady if I can borrow her time for half an hour?”

Ivanov made a phone call in front of her, postponing his meeting with his girlfriend, before turning to Wang Xiao and asking, "What's going on?"

“Two things,” Wang Xiao said, first mentioning the investment plan. “Could you get a large dormitory building, similar to the Ditan Hotel?”

Ivanov asked in confusion, "What do you need this for?"

"Build a wholesale building."

Wang Xiao said seriously, "My previous thought was that if we tried to position Chinese goods as mid-range goods, we could avoid the fierce competition at the bottom and the rampant counterfeit and shoddy products."

But I realized I was wrong. The nature of Chinese goods dictates that they will inevitably flow into the low-end market.

Why? Because the income of ordinary Russians is currently very low, but the prices are really low.

Or rather, for a long time to come, Russia will be in a bizarre situation where it has the price levels of a developed country and the income levels of a developing country.

With their meager incomes, ordinary people can probably only afford cheap Chinese goods from light industrial industries.

People at different income levels can have vastly different consumption habits.

For example, in Wang Xiao's view, if you can buy a leather jacket for 10,000 rubles from a store, there is absolutely no need to risk spending 8,000 rubles on the free market.

However, for the truly low-income group, or more than half of Muscovites at present, the remaining two thousand rubles are crucial.

Perhaps without those two thousand rubles, they wouldn't have money for food and wouldn't be able to survive at all.

Therefore, Chinese goods in the free market will not lose their market just because business is booming in the Chinese commercial street.

"Because we are facing different audiences. Commercial streets cater to the middle class, while free markets meet the needs of ordinary people at the bottom of society."

Ivanov asked, puzzled, "Do you mean you want to lower the price?"

If they absolutely have to lower prices, they will still have a profit margin, but they will earn much less money.

No, no, no, we can't lower the price.

The middle class needs its own places for consumption and socializing, and that's what commercial streets are designed for. The middle class neither needs nor wants to have too much interaction with the lower classes.

If the number of working-class people in the commercial district increases, the middle class will automatically leave.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, there are indeed various barriers between social classes.

"We need to get the low-end goods going too. We need to create a place similar to the Bucharest container wholesale market. We'll run the market, provide the space for people to do business, and take care of safety, hygiene, and other logistical support."

Wang Xiao copied the previous plan: "Each merchant who moves in will pay a deposit of five thousand US dollars. If they sell counterfeit goods and refuse to return or exchange them, the customer's loss will be deducted from this five thousand US dollars."

Yes, what she wants to do is to be a wholesale distribution center, not a hands-off manager, but a wholesale distribution center with strengthened supervision.

This is the only way to control the quality of the low-end consumer market.

She had never paid attention to this matter before because she felt that she shouldn't overstep her bounds.

When she entered the Moscow market, there were already Chinese businessmen there.

The latter doesn't need to be managed by her, nor is she happy to have an extra person on her who is bossing her around.

Everyone is like a shopping mall and a street stall, each content in their own way.

Her current approach is to move all the street stalls into the small commodities market. The target consumer group for the latter hasn't actually changed, but the shopping environment has improved considerably.

The most basic point is that once the stall is fixed, customers won't have to search all over the world for someone if they want to buy something again.

For sellers, this helps stabilize their customer base.

Besides, Moscow winters are so cold.

It's freezing cold outside, and nothing beats the warmth and comfort of being inside.

Wang Xiao already had a plan in mind: "We need to refine the logistics services for the wholesale building."

First, they provide three meals a day, with unlimited rice and steamed buns, as well as stir-fried and stewed dishes.

Don't underestimate delicious food; very few people can actually guarantee that they'll have three full and good meals a day.

Because they had to stay at their stalls for long periods and dared not leave to eat, many people developed stomach problems.

Now that they've moved into the wholesale building, they don't need to leave their rooms. Three meals a day are delivered to their door, completely satisfying everyone's Chinese palates.

Wang Xiao emphasized, "The people who trade vegetables are generally in good economic condition and can afford to eat vegetables in winter. These tens of thousands of people consume a large amount of greenhouse vegetables every day."

Ivanov couldn't help but laugh.

Since the greenhouses have already started producing vegetables, he had previously discussed with Wang Xiao what to do if Muscovites' consumption levels decline and they can no longer afford the high prices of greenhouse vegetables.

As a result, she has now created another sales channel for him.

"Besides food, we also need to provide services such as hair washing, bathing, haircuts, and shaving. Telephone and fax services, moving goods, and transportation are the most basic services."

Lawyers also need to be involved, providing relevant legal advice, and offering services such as visa applications and company registration in Russia.

Wang Xiao spoke more and more fluently, "And there are banks. Now that Russia has liberalized the exchange of US dollars, banks can set up a branch in the wholesale market to accept rubles and exchange them for US dollars, or directly provide remittance services."

These are all important.

Although many people think that Chinese vendors in the free market are all working alone and are not worth mentioning.

But like Yabao Road and Ritan Hotel, many of them are connected to legitimate factories.

These people don't have to go through the hassle of shipping the goods back and forth; instead, the domestic factories or partners ship directly to Moscow, and they are responsible for sales.

Their remittance needs are particularly high.

Because once you've sold the goods, you have to pay the suppliers as soon as possible, otherwise you won't be able to continue doing business.

Ivanov pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked Wang Xiao curiously, "Why aren't there any wholesale markets like this yet?"

After hearing Wang Xiao's words, he felt that this commercial complex, which integrates accommodation and sales, was absolutely necessary to exist.

Why didn't others realize this? It's incredible.

"Because no one is taking the lead in doing this."

Wang Xiao was helpless.

Strictly speaking, the most logical thing to do should be for the Moscow government to do this.

It is only natural that the government plans and arranges it.

The problem is that Russia today is more similar in its level of economic openness to China 10 years ago.

It's already quite good that the government can turn a blind eye and not interfere or restrict everything.

You still expect it to be a service-oriented government? What kind of pipe dream are you having?

Yes, yes, Moscow does have quite a few free markets.

However, these are mostly spontaneously initiated, and the government opens them up to meet the barter trade needs of its own residents.

Foreign merchants are engaged in wholesale and retail here, which is finally a side business.

The government's attitude is simply to allow it; as for providing more services to foreign businesses, that's basically impossible.

It's not that money isn't appealing, but rather that they find it difficult to realize that these services can be charged for at high prices; or perhaps they do realize it, but the process is too complicated, and government officials are too lazy to create unnecessary trouble for themselves, so they simply give up.

As for Chinese businesspeople who urgently need this, I'm sorry, their resources are generally insufficient to support such a large project.

If you want to build a wholesale warehouse, you at least need to have a building, and the building should be quite large.

You're unfamiliar with Moscow; where are you going to find an apartment?

Even if you find a building, the financial strength required to rent the entire building long-term is not small.

In addition, doing business requires cultivating relationships with all sorts of people.

Otherwise, if you rent an apartment, many people will cause you trouble.

In fact, there are similar wholesale buildings nowadays, namely hotels where Chinese businessmen stay.

However, the area there is too small, and the number of rooms is extremely limited, which cannot meet the needs of so many people.

"Right now, the Chinese business owners are having a conflict with their landlords, who want to raise the rent. They are not happy about it, but they have nowhere else to go."

This is a great opportunity for us to find a bargain.

It's cold now, so indoor transactions have an advantage over outdoor transactions.

Once they move in, they only need to pay rent; no other management fees are required, and they can start doing business immediately. Isn't that much better than having to pay stall fees every time you enter an indoor market?

Ivanov thought for a moment, then started making a phone call.

Large buildings, preferably dormitories, are preferred as they can meet basic living needs.

He wants a long-term lease, at least three to five years at a time.

Oh, and he also needs a security team to maintain order in the building.

If anyone knows someone with connections, please feel free to recommend them.

Wang Xiao was also there to refine her plan.

Initially, she considered nursing homes, but now she thinks that nursing homes are too far away and inconvenient for customers.

Let's focus on building a wholesale warehouse first.

The sanatorium can continue to be her sex doll experience center.

I'll make a call back to China and see how far their children have progressed.

It's almost the end of the year, time to meet KPIs! Don't procrastinate.

Well, ultimately it's because Moscow is just too cold; otherwise, it would have been so much easier to just set up a container wholesale market.

She wrote down the plan point by point, and by the time she got to the part about "the wholesale building can provide legal services, and if customers are extorted by the Moscow police, the building will step in to help coordinate the issue," Ivanov had already made a round of phone calls.

The initial location selected is a military barracks.

Yes, he didn't slip up; he was a soldier in the army.

Ivanov was truly speechless; he never expected that the army would actually rent out its barracks.

Okay, okay, he already knew the military was a mess, and that they were selling weapons like hotcakes.

But that was pushing things outwards; now it's absorbing them inwards. They're no longer worried about military secrets or anything like that.

As a result, Wang Xiao showed no inclination to sigh along with him.

Isn't that normal? The military in China is doing booming business, engaging in all sorts of trades, and there are even a lot of them running nightclubs.

What's so surprising about renting out military barracks?

The Pacific Fleet is now using warships to transport goods back and forth, making the most of its resources.

Seeing Ivanov blinking repeatedly, Wang Xiao brought up another matter: "Oh, right, there's something else very important. We need to adjust the share allocation for the Huaxia Commercial Street. You need to reduce your share as much as possible, and increase mine as much as possible. Don't get me wrong—"

She emphasized, "It's all for tax avoidance."

Now she truly understands why so many people evade taxes.

In some places, the tax collection is so thorough that it's as if they want to squeeze every last drop out of people.

Currently in Russia, if companies strictly adhere to regulations, they must hand over 70-80% of their profits.

Many of these taxes, from a legal perspective, constitute double taxation.

However, it is common for the Russian Federation government to issue laws today that contradict laws issued yesterday; who can you expect to correct the unreasonable aspects of taxation?

Don't even think about it.

Does the government really not understand? They're just pretending to be ignorant.

In this situation, finding ways to avoid taxes is the key.

Since it is currently the Russian companies that are levying high taxes on joint ventures.

So they should take advantage of this and try to reduce their tax share as much as possible.

Ivanov nodded dejectedly: "Alright, alright, let's go make the changes."

Although he didn't distrust Wang Xiao, he naturally preferred to have more say in the company, even openly, on his own turf; it would make him feel more comfortable.

Wang Xiao patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "When Russian laws are revised to give joint ventures sufficient preferential treatment, we can make the changes again."

Ivanov waved his hand weakly: "Forget it, don't think about it anymore. I've given up all hope for the government."

Instead of relying on them, we should pray to God.

The two continued their discussion on how to manage the barracks.

It wasn't until the phone rang and Ivanov's girlfriend roared angrily on the other end that the domineering CEO suddenly realized, oh no, he had completely forgotten the time.

But no matter how much he apologized, the furious young woman refused to forgive him.

Tonight's date is off!

Ivanov looked at Wang Xiao pitifully: "Wang—"

Wang Xiao patted him on the shoulder and abandoned him without hesitation: "You play by yourself, I'm going back to sleep."

She has a ton of work to do tomorrow and doesn't have the energy to waste time with him.

Ivanov had no choice but to go back to his room and go to sleep.

Anyway, he had already released his excitement psychologically from discussing money-making plans with Wang Xiao, so he was no longer physically excited.

Just go to sleep, it's fine.

I'm just feeling a bit down.

However, when he received a call from his friend the next day, he completely forgot the sadness of being stood up.

Are you interested in developing the oil and gas fields on Sakhalin Island?

Oh, that's Sakhalin Island. The largest oil and gas field was discovered there in the 1970s.

Ivanov had heard about this when he was a child.

But whether it was because the Soviet government at the time didn't have the money, or because the Soviet Union had too many oil and gas fields to develop, he never heard anything further about it.

Now, is it finally time to take action?

My friend laughed on the phone: "If you think it's okay, come over and sign the contract quickly. My dear friend, hurry up and sell the grain; you can't really let our Russian people starve to death."

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① These are the exact words of the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson at the time. Back then, many high-ranking Russian officials made very unseemly remarks.

Furthermore, wholesale markets in Moscow historically only emerged after 1994. Barter trade faced difficulties in the latter half of 1993, and in 1994, the Chinese and Russian governments restricted it, prompting some Chinese companies to abandon barter trade and begin engaging in cross-border direct sales. Companies engaged in cross-border direct sales and their shipment volumes gradually increased, with large quantities of goods being transported to Moscow via railcars, containers, and chartered planes, urgently requiring warehousing and wholesale. This created a pressing need for Chinese commercial centers integrating warehousing, wholesale, and accommodation.

Prior to this, Chinese business owners primarily sold their goods from pushcarts in free markets.

The timeline in the story is moved forward due to the appearance of the female lead. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2024-01-20 07:15:05 and 2024-01-21 07:14:16!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Fatty Bear (1 landmine);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Junzi Danmo 30 bottles; Weijibufake 20 bottles; maruru, ruoshui 5 bottles; Tianshang Baiyun 2 bottles; aurora, Qingluo Xiaoshan, 20655808, Qiqi 1 bottle;

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