Chapter 151 The Martial World is Full of Pitfalls (Bug Fixing): It's Truly a Deadly Trap!

Wang Xiao, not wanting to waste time with pleasantries, cut to the chase: "Why do you want to buy her factory?"

On the other end of the phone, Ovechkin said decisively, "Miss Wang, Ms. Zheng is in a very pitiful state. As a gentleman, I should lend a helping hand."

Haha, if you say you were lustful at first sight, I can at least say two words in my mind.

Now you're acting pitiful? It's like there aren't any more pitiful people in Moscow, and I'm not a capitalist.

“Speak like a human being,” Wang Xiao said with a cold threat. “Pigs are meant to be slaughtered; I never save pigs.”

It was probably the terrible squeals of the big fat pig in the yard outside the window that frightened Ovechkin.

He immediately became obedient and replied, "She offered a low price."

For such a large factory, including all the equipment and a warehouse of raw materials, Zheng Xiufang only asked for five million Chinese yuan.

It's worth noting that in 1992 alone, their factory's profits reached three million Chinese yuan.

This price is definitely a clearance sale.

If it were any other factory of similar quality, they wouldn't be willing to pay even 20 million, let alone 10 million.

Because everyone knows now that it's a good time to make money, according to their estimates, in 1993, the output value of foreign trade with Russia will more than double.

So Ovechkin spent five million to acquire the factory, which was a real bargain.

He felt guilty and subconsciously added, "This is all the cash I have."

He could arrange for someone to wire him money from Russia.

But the problem lies in Russia's banking system; you can't easily count on it for at least a week.

Ms. Zheng Xiufang needed it urgently and couldn't wait, so she sold it for a pittance of five million.

The deal was completed smoothly, but the real trouble with Ovechkin from the factory was just beginning.

Ivanov watched the pig being slaughtered with great interest.

Russians have a similar pig-slaughtering custom to Romanians: they singe off the hair.

Therefore, when he first saw the Chinese custom of slaughtering pigs for the New Year, he couldn't take his eyes off it and couldn't help but cheer for it, even more excited than if he had slaughtered a pig himself.

Regarding the plight of his compatriots, he only had one question: "How did these two get together?"

Previously, when they ran into Lao Zhao and his family at the commercial city, they didn't see Ovechkin and Ms. Zheng talking privately.

“At the Jinning Grand Hotel,” Wang Xiao explained. “Zheng Xiufang went there to secure investment.”

To be honest, she quite admired Ms. Zheng's choice.

Given the complex inheritance situation of their family, locals probably wouldn't want to make this mistake.

Out-of-town investors, however, are powerless against local bullies and dare not make a move easily.

Only wealthy foreign businessmen who fail to fully grasp the power of rural clans are likely to be tempted by profit, knowing full well the dangers (obviously, there's no problem, why would they have a clearance sale?), and still venture into the tiger's den.

Ivanov muttered, "Serves him right."

You should bear the consequences of the good you gained.

He dared to accept such a cheap offer of 5 million? He's clearly taking advantage of a widow and her orphan.

How will they make a living after selling the factory?

Wang Xiao had to remind him, "5 million is not a small amount."

This is not her speaking on behalf of Ovechkin, but simply stating the facts.

Currently, bank deposit interest rates are quite high. The annual interest rates for fixed deposits, which are lump-sum deposits, for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years are 3.24%, 5.4%, 7.56%, 7.92%, 8.28%, and 9.0%, respectively.

Oh, you need to add a percentage at the end, and it's calculated as simple interest, not compound interest.

Even so, with a principal of 5 million, the annual interest alone is enough for Zheng Xiufang and her child to live comfortably and respectably.

Honestly, if she had 5 million yuan in savings 30 years later, before she transmigrated into the book, she would definitely be considered a wealthy person.

Ovechkin's real advantage lies in the fact that he now has five million in cash.

For most business people, especially those who run factories, their money is basically tied up in goods, so it's not easy to come up with five million at once.

In any case, this matter is already settled.

Wang Xiao sighed: "Pack up and let's go."

Where to go? To rescue people, of course.

Even if they roll their eyes to the heavens, if Ovechkin gets into trouble in China, they'll still have to help him.

Otherwise, if the news gets out, their reputation will be completely ruined.

These days, business people rely on reputation more than half the time to make a living.

Ivanov cursed under his breath, "Damn Ovechkin!"

He hadn't even had a chance to eat the pork stew.

It was true; the stove was burning brightly, and they were gutting the pigs. Besides the "pig-killing feast," they also fried all sorts of meats.

Wang Xiao comforted him, "Let's talk about it later. We'll slaughter another pig on New Year's Eve."

Why wait until then?

On the one hand, pig butchers are very busy. They are skilled workers and have been busy non-stop since the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.

On the other hand, the pig slaughtered early on New Year's Eve is used to make stir-fried shredded pork and braised pork slices for everyone. Although traditionally it is believed that stir-fried dishes should not be eaten during the New Year, otherwise there will be quarrels in the new year.

But in recent years, nobody cares about this anymore, and there are just as many stir-fries served.

The pig slaughtered today is used to make big dishes such as fried meatballs, braised pork belly, and fried ribs.

Each has its own purpose.

Anyway, the factory is doing well now, so it's not like we can't afford to slaughter pigs. Let's slaughter a few more so everyone can have a good New Year.

"I'll go make a phone call first."

Who should I call?

Of course, I went to see the leader.

She's not so arrogant as to think she can get someone out of trouble just because of her looks.

The saying goes, "The common people can't fight with the officials." She had never been to Xishui Town and didn't know the local customs.

Rather than recklessly putting yourself in danger, it's better to directly ask your supervisor for help.

However, Wang Xiao didn't know many leaders, so she decided to stick with those she knew and called Vice Mayor Sun of Xiaozhou directly.

Thank goodness, although Vice Mayor Sun was in a meeting, it ended after fifteen minutes, and Wang Xiao was able to contact the person successfully.

After exchanging brief pleasantries, she got straight to the point and explained the purpose of the phone call.

To prevent the leader from being disrespectful—

Although all over the country is now engaged in investment promotion, and even townships are building development zones to attract foreign investment.

However, foreign investment is also divided into different levels, with the focus on capital.

The CIS countries have a common nickname: "poor Russians." When they do business in China, they are still considered "middlemen" or "traders" by mainstream society.

Compared to them, businessmen from developed capitalist countries and regions who are wealthy and powerful and directly set up factories and companies locally are obviously more valued.

Therefore, Wang Xiao emphasized: "My Russian friends are looking for new investment opportunities. Although they started their economic reforms later than us, they have their own advantages. Their technology is actually very advanced, so funding is naturally not a problem for those who want to invest."

Ovechkin came to China with us this time to spearhead the effort. If things go well for him, the rest of our circle of friends will come too.

In fact, Vice Mayor Sun was not particularly impressed with the advanced technology of the Soviet Union.

What he's really interested in is that if Russians come to invest, it's basically the same as processing imported materials, just like Ovechkin.

They took over a leather clothing factory.

They make clothes and shoes here, and they'll definitely have to sell them back to Russia.

In the Russian market, locals will definitely have a wider sales network.

In this way, their products from Jiangbei can further penetrate into thousands of households in Russia.

He certainly welcomes such a good thing.

As for Ovechkin, it wasn't a big deal, just a minor dispute.

"Alright then," Vice Mayor Sun glanced at his watch, "I'll make a call to Heng'an County; their county party secretary is a classmate of mine from Party School. I have a meeting this afternoon and can't leave for the time being. I'll have Xiao Ding pick you up."

Xiao Ding is the driver.

The leader's driver is a trusted confidant, someone who can act as a spokesperson in crucial moments.

Wang Xiao immediately thanked him, "Thank you so much, Mayor Sun."

But the fact that things were going so smoothly was not good news for Ivanov.

Because when Driver Ding arrived, the pork stew had just been cooked.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't have been this fast; it takes time for the Xiaozhou municipal government to get to the village.

However, Driver Ding was already out on business when Vice Mayor Sun called his phone, and he came directly over.

Now that the car is here, Wang Xiao and his team are in a hurry to rescue their friend, and they can't very well keep their leader's driver waiting.

Poor Ivanov could only reluctantly put down his chopsticks, his eyes practically glued to the steaming pork stew, refusing to budge.

Carrying a large basin—yes, one of those big, ornate basins used for serving main dishes—the older woman at the table was amused and emphasized in her thick local accent, "Oh dear, then take it with you to eat. You have to eat eventually, so pack it in a thermos."

The thermos was also bright red, which looked very festive.

Perhaps all older women in the world are dedicated to fattening up their younger relatives. In any case, the size of the thermos made Wang Xiao suspect that this was not a meal, but a week's worth.

Well, by the time we get to Xishui Town, we should be able to have dinner.

The old man next to me was about to pick up his rice bowl when he heard this and said in surprise, "Why does it have to be until evening? No, no, don't take the long way."

Driver Ding, who had been driving for over ten years and was practically a walking map himself, was understandably puzzled upon hearing this: "No, it takes four or five hours to drive to Xishui Town."

Things are different now than they will be 30 years from now, when highways are everywhere and cars can go incredibly fast.

The roads these days are so winding and twisting that even places that seem incredibly short on a map can end up taking you until dark after all the twists and turns.

"No, no, no, there's a road now, just cut through it."

The old man said with a hint of pride, "Their road is repaired, and it's passable now."

Driver Ding was taken aback: "What road is this?"

"From Daijiaqiao to Xinjiawei," the old man said proudly, "it's a very wide road."

Driver Ding thought for a long time, but he couldn't recall there being any roads there.

At least during last year's Chinese New Year, he still couldn't see the road.

Moreover, building a road is not that simple. Now, all localities are submitting reports to higher authorities, hoping to receive funding for road construction.

After all, everyone understands the principle that to get rich, you must first build roads.

But there are too many monks and not enough porridge, and the funds from higher authorities are also extremely tight. Every penny has to be carefully considered how to spend it.

Once this kind of application is submitted, the just-in-time argumentation process can take several years.

"We built it ourselves," the old man emphasized again. "Every village contributed, and we raised the money ourselves to build the road."

In rural areas today, various forms of levies are extremely common, including conscripting farmers during the off-season to repair roads, reservoirs, and dikes.

Such conscription was unpaid; local governments were only responsible for the farmers' food and lodging. Therefore, the costs were extremely low.

Road repair funds can also be collected as part of a quota system, which is a form of "three levies and five unified collections".

Even so, the driver couldn't help but gasp, instinctively asking, "They didn't cause any trouble?"

Starting in the mid-1980s, due to the excessive burden of rural quotas, the relationship between farmers and local governments was often quite tense, and there were even cases of farmers killing rural officials in anger because they could not bear the burden.

But this time the old man shook his head and said cheerfully, "They organized it themselves, and each village contacted each other."

Why are they so proactive? Because everyone is afraid of missing out on making money.

After the car started moving, Yamada Ichiro proudly pointed out the window, beaming with pride: "This village specializes in making insoles, and the ones ahead make hats."

The saying goes, "Where my heart finds peace is my home."

Since coming to China, he has never left the Power of Love, except for a few trips back to visit relatives.

Several of his apprentices left one after another, and some workers from the Japanese factory came in. Under his leadership, the team was generally stable.

Yamada Ichiro remained unmoved, fully demonstrating the international revolutionary spirit that comrades are more reliable than compatriots.

This time, he volunteered to be the guide. He had traveled this new road before and knew which direction the car should go.

Before boarding the train, he also comforted Ivanov in English, assuring the Russians that the Chinese government would not bully foreigners indiscriminately.

Now, while in the car, he transforms into a tour guide, enthusiastically recommending the villages he passes through.

The Xiaozhou Trade City has an amazing siphon effect; a large area surrounding it has almost all embarked on the path of foreign trade.

In addition to the existing factories, many villages have organized their own people to start production using the simplest machinery and equipment, such as sewing machines.

That is why they urgently need roads.

After all, as the old saying goes, "One should not sell firewood for a hundred miles, nor buy grain for a thousand miles."

Having no road to travel is tantamount to cutting off trade routes.

If villages want to expand their production scale and normalize their industries, they can't just travel over mountains and valleys; they need a main road leading to Rome.

Otherwise, the merchants won't bother coming to your place to collect goods.

Once they realized this, the villagers' simple philosophy began to take effect—relying on others was useless; self-reliance was far more reliable.

At this time, the powerful clan forces and blood ties in rural areas come into play.

They organized themselves privately and quickly connected all the villages in the surrounding area. Everyone pooled their money and labor to start repairing the road.

Yamada Ichiro said proudly, "This is the great spirit of collectivism, and only China can do it now."

He didn't speak these words in English anymore, but in Mandarin.

Since arriving in China, he has worked hard to learn the local language, and now he speaks Xiaozhou dialect much more fluently than English.

However, the Chinese people on the train could only chuckle.

Collectivism is not very realistic; the collective economy in rural areas has basically gone bankrupt.

It can only be said that farmers' strong survival instincts drive them to be dissatisfied with the status quo, strive hard, and try every means to improve their lives. As for the specific name under which this is carried out, that's not so important.

The road repairs were indeed helpful.

According to Yamada Ichiro's investigation, the income of the surrounding villages he visited along the way has basically doubled during this period.

An ordinary peasant woman, while engaged in agricultural production, can earn two to three hundred yuan a month in the village.

Driver Ding gasped, hardly believing his ears: "Wow, so much money! Much more than my salary!"

Seriously, two or three hundred yuan—not many employees could earn that much in 1993.

“They work hard,” Yamada Ichiro emphasized earnestly. “They deserve more income.”

Two or three hundred yuan is too little.

In Japan, earning two or three hundred yen a day would be considered too little.

However, things in China are indeed cheap. For just two or three hundred yuan, the villagers are all smiles and happy all the time.

That's why his Japanese colleagues were happy to come and work here in shifts. This way, they could earn the salary of an ordinary worker in Japan while living a comfortable and wealthy life here.

Putting everything else aside, showing off strawberries and watermelons in the dead of winter, especially eating them with forks, is absolutely a very enjoyable thing.

Wang Xiao looked out the car window with curiosity and noticed that most of the people buying strawberries and watermelons from the roadside were passing truck drivers.

Indeed, most people wouldn't dare to eat these expensive and delicate winter fruits.

But just as she had this thought, a man dressed as a farmer came up ahead carrying a hoe to buy strawberries.

He pulled out a 10-yuan bill, bought a small bag of strawberries, and was still happy.

It is evident that as long as farmers have spare money, they are willing to try new things even if they are expensive.

Wang Xiao slowly exhaled and withdrew his gaze.

She dared not look any further, for a surge of pride welled up within her.

She considers herself a sophisticated egoist, and even today, she remains self-centered, prioritizing her own interests above all else.

However, personal development does not mean that it is meaningless to social progress.

It is precisely because millions of people have improved themselves that society as a whole has made great strides forward.

Even if she initially established two international trade cities simply to make a lot of money for herself.

But who can deny that the existence of the commercial city has boosted local economic development and brought tangible benefits to everyone involved?

Why shouldn't she be proud?

Thanks to the roads built by the farmers themselves, they traveled through villages and alleys and arrived at Xishui Town smoothly in just over an hour.

This small town is quite prosperous, as evidenced by the numerous buildings throughout the town, ranging from two or three stories to five or six stories, and the villages also have many buildings.

Besides that, there are factories. As you drive by, the roar of machines on both sides of the road never stops.

The factories in Xishui Town are mostly sweater factories.

It is said that the earliest people sent down to this area were educated youth from Shanghai, who brought with them the technology of producing sweaters and found a way to produce and sell them.

After the educated youth returned to the city, the locals took over the sweater industry. With the deepening of reform and opening up, their sweater business grew bigger and bigger, and they have become quite well-known.

However, because so many people are entering the industry, the local competition is fierce and brutal, and profits are squeezed considerably.

Some people couldn't handle it and switched to producing leather jackets.

Among them, Lao Zhao's factory is a rapidly developing leader.

The car stopped in front of the police station.

Ivanov thought he would see Ovechkin with a bruised and battered face.

They've already taken him to the police station; it would be a complete surprise if he hadn't been beaten up.

As it turned out, something strange really happened. The Ovechkin man sat in the police station as if he were at home, looking incredibly relaxed and at ease.

The police station chief was talking to the county public security bureau leaders when he saw Wang Xiao and his group. He immediately emphasized, "They're perfectly fine. Nobody did anything to them."

Wang Xiao couldn't believe it. After greeting him, she pressed Ovechkin, "You really weren't beaten?"

Ovechkin winked slyly, practically beaming with pride: "I told them I was your friend. Offending me was offending you. Ha! They certainly didn't dare lay a hand on me."

Wang Xiao's eyes almost rolled to the sky.

Haha, her name is so useful, how come she didn't know?

She really underestimated her influence; in fact, Ovechkin's statement was not an exaggeration.

Yamada Ichiro earnestly emphasized to her, "The factories here are basically all engaged in foreign trade."

Even sweater factories that previously had overcapacity have found a large market in the CIS countries. As long as the sweaters are stylish and brightly colored, they have no worries about selling their clothes or not having orders.

Even some small family-run processing plants that were previously forced to shut down due to competition have now started running again, continuously packing and loading sweaters onto trucks, which are then transported directly to Moscow by plane.

Some locals have even started sheep farming businesses, believing that wool prices will rise and they can make a fortune by shearing sheep.

Well, we haven't seen any sign of the wool business yet; the sheep have already been mostly eaten by the townspeople.

In the dead of winter, eating mutton soup warms you up from head to toe—it's so comforting!

Unfortunately, Old Zhao's brother is extremely upset right now. He roared at the top of his lungs, "You adulterer! You stole my brother's belongings! You shameless bastard!"

Some people chimed in, while others frowned at Wang Xiao and complained, "This can't be done, Mr. Wang. You can't help outsiders bully our own people."

They refrained from beating up the Russian out of respect for Wang Xiao, not because they were genuinely afraid of her.

Instead, they believe that doing business is about making money through harmony.

True business people generally won't easily break off relations unless absolutely necessary.

Wang Xiao looked surprised: "How could they be bullying us? The Russians also paid for the factory. They can't just deny everything because he's Russian. That doesn't make sense. People will laugh at us if they find out."

“That slut Zheng Xiufang, how dare she sell the factory?” Old Zhao’s brother spat out, “My brother’s body is barely cold, and she’s already messing around with sluts.”

Wang Xiao's face darkened, and he warned her, "Don't talk nonsense. You can't just make things up like that; you have to consider the international repercussions. If doing business is about illicit relationships, then who here has any legitimate relationships?"

“We’re not talking about the Russians,” a man with a buzz cut next to him emphasized. “We caught Zheng Xiufang cheating on us. We were just about to open the ancestral hall for the New Year and remove her from the family genealogy.”

Wang Xiao's gaze instantly turned cold.

She finally understood why Zheng Xiufang would rather break her bones than not sell the factory and get the money.

Because her husband's family, who were supposed to help her and her child survive after her husband's death, refused to give them any way to live.

Catching someone in the act?

Haha, what a coincidence!

While they're fiercely fighting over the inheritance, how stupid and desperate must she be to so eagerly hand over such a fatal weakness?

What kind of inexplicable confidence do these men have in their own bodies, thinking that women can't live without them?

They're really good at using foul language to smear people.

Wang Xiao shook his head, his tone indifferent: "Since it has nothing to do with the Russians, what's the point of bringing this up? Let's stick to the facts. There's no reason for us to meddle in other people's private lives just to do business."

It's pointless to try and clear Zheng Xiufang's name now.

She took the money and left with her child; even if the locals' gossip could cause a flood, it wouldn't concern her at all.

Why bother with people who don't cause any trouble in your life?

Wang Xiao only emphasized: "My friend bought the factory, the money and goods were settled, and all the procedures were in order, so you shouldn't be causing him trouble."

“He’s the one who’s causing me trouble.” Old Zhao’s brother said like a celestial dog, “He clearly knows that my brother’s factory belongs to the Zhao family. It’s not like he doesn’t know about our family’s affairs.”

Wang Xiao vehemently denied it: "How would he know? Let me tell you the truth. In the eyes of the Russians, we all look pretty much the same. If we change clothes, they won't be able to tell who's who."

He only met you once, and he couldn't understand what you were saying. He didn't even know where you lived, so how would he know who was who?

He only knew that someone wanted to sell the factory, and he happened to want to buy it, so they hit it off immediately.

"Don't play dumb. If there's nothing fishy going on, how could it be sold so cheaply?"

Wang Xiao retorted again: "Then tell me, how much did it cost to build this factory? Is 5 million yuan cheap? You could build two factories like this in another place. He's a foreigner, visiting your Xishui Town for the first time, how could he possibly understand the market?"

"Alright, stop messing around. Otherwise, the Russians might think you Xishui Town people are unreasonable and won't want to deal with you."

These words, though seemingly gentle, were actually a threat.

Since your Xishui Town wants to do business with the Russians, you should think carefully before doing so.

If you ruin your reputation, people will skip you when buying goods from you in the future, which will be a big problem.

Seeing that the expressions on the faces of the others had softened, Wang Xiao quickly pressed his advantage: "Alright, alright, it's not a big deal. Zheng Xiufang left with the child, and the child is still part of your Zhao family, right? She didn't abandon the child, and you all just wanted the child to have a good life, so isn't that enough? Why make such a fuss?"

Everyone fell silent, exchanging glances and pondering the pros and cons of the matter.

Wang Xiao pressed on, "The formalities are all done, what else is there to say?"

Old Zhao's brother, however, had a sudden inspiration and excitedly exclaimed, "What procedures do we need? My brother's business is a collective enterprise; one person can't sell the entire factory!"

Wang Xiao couldn't help but gasp.

Good heavens, what a huge pit this is! It's a total disaster!

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I really don't want to go to work at all.

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