Chapter 167 Debt Collection: That's not shameful.

The advantage of living in a large factory area is that you can confidently look out and see familiar faces everywhere you go.

If you shout out from a direction you can't see, the people who jump out will be people you know.

Moreover, because of the three-shift system, there are always people in the family quarters at any time.

"Who is it? What's wrong?"

Without hesitation, Wang Xiao yelled, "He killed someone!"

Several workers who rushed over upon hearing the commotion immediately grabbed the man without saying a word: "Who did you kill?"

The person who was caught refused to admit it, saying, "No, don't frame an innocent person."

"Where did you get the blood on your body?"

"I killed the chicken."

Wang Xiao and Liu Ba didn't dare wait for their statements any longer and quickly ran upstairs.

Grandma Zhang also heard the noise, opened the door, and peeked out. When she saw Wang Xiao, she immediately asked, "Xiao Xiao, what's wrong?"

Wang Xiao shoved the spring rolls she was holding into her hands: "It's okay, Grandma, don't come out."

Lyuba had already locked onto her target by following the scent of blood.

Wang Xiao ran up to the fifth floor and was already out of breath.

But the door was locked; it was a security door.

The person who followed was surprised: "Hey, isn't this Old Zhao's house? Let's climb over the balcony."

In these old-style residential buildings, the balconies of two houses are very close together, and people often forget their keys and simply take them from their neighbor's house to open the door.

But when the neighbor across from Old Zhao opened the door, everyone ran over to see what was happening and began to shake their heads.

It can't be turned over.

Old Zhao's balcony has security bars installed.

There was a period before the Lunar New Year when thieves were particularly rampant, and some families in the steel factory's residential area installed security grilles on their balconies.

Oh no, where is Lao Zhao?

I'm on a business trip.

Where is their Jingjing? Quickly find the child and get the key to open the door.

Oh dear, how could you let a child see something like this? It's terrified a perfectly healthy child.

Ask her for the keys, not letting the child come back—hey, what's this Russian guy taking? Oh dear, girl, what are you doing?

Lyuba grabbed a screwdriver from her neighbor's house and quickly opened the security door.

My goodness, even a professional locksmith with a bunch of tools still takes ages to pick locks.

That Russian is quick and efficient.

However, everyone quickly forgot to marvel at Lyuba's efficiency, because as soon as the door was opened, a strong smell of blood wafted out.

With many people going abroad these past two years, it's become popular for many families around the steel mill to use carpets brought back from overseas. Because the carpets are dark in color, it's impossible to tell at a glance how much blood the person lying on the floor has lost.

But the smell of blood was so strong that even slaughtering ten chickens and ducks at once during the New Year couldn't keep up.

When you step on the carpet, the feeling from the soles of your shoes is that the carpet is soaked with blood.

A familiar neighbor screamed in fright, "Mikoto, Mikoto! You...you...you—"

Lyuba ran up and crouched down to check on him: "He's still breathing."

Wang Xiao's mind raced: "120! Call 120 right now!"

Earlier this month, their trade city took the lead in donating a total of fifty ambulances to the Jinning Emergency Center, which are now coming in handy.

"Why are you calling 120? Get out of the way, don't get in the way."

Anyone with a sharp mind would have already run over and called Chen Yanqiu.

Dr. Chen, who had been reassigned, returned to his post and rushed over with his first-aid kit from home. Upon seeing the situation, he immediately began to stop the bleeding.

"Quickly, quickly. Get a board over here, get to the hospital, get to the hospital right away."

With many hands making light work, someone immediately dismantled the bed and carried the person downstairs.

Wang Xiao ran downstairs and called out, "Mom—"

Chen Yanqiu didn't even turn her head: "Don't follow me, hurry home. I haven't turned off the gas stove yet."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao realized it was a big deal and immediately turned around and went back home.

As she walked past the flowerbed, she bumped into her father.

Wang Tiejun was on his way home for dinner when he heard about the murder. As a factory leader, he definitely had to go to the scene.

"How is it, Xiaoxiao?"

"My mom arranged to take me to the hospital. I'm going home to turn off the gas stove, and I'll go to the hospital later."

"Don't go. You stay home and rest. I'll come over."

When the two girls got home, they found the gas stove was off.

The two looked at each other, and Wang Xiao glanced at Liu Ba: "Why don't you take a shower?"

Before Dr. Chen arrived, it was Lyuba who examined the injured person and helped stop the bleeding.

There was a pool of blood on his clothes.

Lyuba couldn't take it either, especially since her sense of smell was quite acute; the smell of blood all over her was unbearable for her.

"Then I'll take a shower first."

For bodyguards, even taking a shower and changing clothes is a "battle shower."

But when she finished cleaning up and came out, she saw the boss sitting at the table, eating spring rolls with gusto, and she felt relieved.

Thank God the boss wasn't too scared.

Wang Xiao is actually doing fine.

The main issue is that Mikoto, who was seriously injured, was wearing a blue-purple outfit, and the bloodstains were not obvious.

And the carpet in her house was liver-colored, so even if someone walked on it, they wouldn't be able to see the large amount of blood.

Otherwise, Wang Xiao probably wouldn't be able to eat anything right now, let alone call out to Liu Ba, "Eat up, or you'll get soft and won't taste good."

Lyuba had no objections and sat down to eat with the boss.

She was also curious: "What was the relationship between the murderer and that woman? It shouldn't have been a home invasion robbery, nor did it seem like he was a thief."

Because the victim's home wasn't messy; it looked more like the host entertaining guests, with watermelons and strawberries on the coffee table.

Although in March, local greenhouse watermelons and strawberries entered their peak season, prices dropped by more than half compared to the Spring Festival period.

However, compared to fruits like apples, they are still considered relatively expensive.

The fact that the host was willing to serve it to the guests shows that the relationship between the two parties is not bad.

Wang Xiao shook her head: "I don't know that man either."

She spends little time at large factories and knows a limited number of people.

However, judging from the reactions of the factory workers just now, they shouldn't be from their steel plant.

Forget it, instead of racking my brains guessing, I'll just wait for my parents to come back and ask them directly.

She realized that Comrade Wang Tiejun and Ms. Chen Yanqiu didn't want her to go to the hospital and get involved in this matter.

The claim that the gas stove wasn't turned off is probably just an excuse.

There was no food in the pot, so how could the gas stove be lit?

Just as the two of them finished a plate of fried spring rolls, a shout came from outside: "Are you there? Anyone with type O blood, hurry up and go to the hospital to get a blood transfusion."

In 1993, the blood bank system was not yet fully developed. In cases where a blood transfusion was urgently needed, people would often have to draw blood on-site.

Wang Xiao quickly replied, "I have type O blood, I'll go to the hospital right away."

Some employees from other large factories also didn't know their blood type, but they still went along, hoping to get their blood used.

The factory workers' hospital was extremely busy, with doctors and nurses in white coats constantly running around.

Mikoto, who was barely clinging to life, had already been rushed to the operating room for emergency treatment. The nurse called out to the blood donors, "Come over here, come over here to have your blood drawn."

Wang Xiao donated 300ml of blood, then sat down in a chair to rest.

To be honest, she didn't donate blood much before. She felt uncomfortable seeing blood flowing out of her body.

There was no other way this time; we couldn't just stand by and watch them die.

Wang Xiao leaned back in his chair to catch his breath.

From afar came panicked voices: "Your Majesty, where are you? Madam, where is the emergency room?"

It's in Russian.

She looked up and had no choice but to raise her hand, weakly calling out, "Over here, over here."

The weather in March was neither too cold nor too hot, but Ivanov was sweating profusely and felt completely exhausted.

Those who don't know the story might think he had just had several hundred milliliters of blood drawn.

He gasped for breath: "You, you, you haven't received any treatment yet? Don't the doctors care about you? This is outrageous!"

Wang Xiao was puzzled: "I'm fine. I just had my blood drawn. What's the doctor's business?"

Ivanov stared in disbelief: "You weren't stabbed?"

He just got back to Dachang and heard that a woman had been stabbed and was probably going to die. The Russian woman was covered in blood.

His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed to Wang Xiao's house to check, but no one was home.

The factory workers said the whole family had gone to the hospital. Good heavens! Chairman Chen was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and Deputy Factory Director Wang ran so fast that he lost his shoes.

Ivanov felt dizzy and disoriented; he had no idea how he had stumbled and run all the way here.

Wang Xiao wanted to roll her eyes but also found it funny: "Can't you wish me well for once?"

Lyuba also expressed her dissatisfaction: "Sir, please trust my professionalism. If Miss Wang is injured, it will definitely be me who falls first."

Ivanov said irritably, "It's because you're the only one left."

Normally, no matter where Wang Xiao goes, he is always accompanied by at least three or four bodyguards.

But I'm having some thoughts today.

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao went to their comrade's wedding to attend the celebration.

Sergei and the others went to work with Ivanov.

What kind of work? Recruiting researchers from the former Soviet Union.

If Wang Xiao wants to develop chips and LCD displays, even if he doesn't build production lines, he at least needs technical personnel.

Before returning to Taiwan to start his own business, the head of TSMC was the senior vice president of Texas Instruments, a US semiconductor giant. He had accumulated 30 years of work experience and had a wealth of personal connections, which enabled him to recruit the talent he needed.

To be fair, China currently lacks a talent pool of this scale.

It is estimated that it will take about ten years, with the rise of the overseas returnee trend, before similar conditions can be met.

Wang Xiao cannot afford to wait, and the development speed of chips and LCD screens cannot afford to wait either.

So she and Ivanov discussed it and decided to form a powerful alliance.

China's massive population provides a sufficient consumer market for these two industries.

The Soviet Union, on the other hand, possessed some of the world's top theoretical physicists, including those specializing in semiconductors and other fields.

If used properly, combining these two elements can definitely achieve a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts (1+1>2).

Although top scientists have been leaving for Europe and America since before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But they have a solid foundation and have retained quite a few people.

These were the people Ivanov was specifically recruiting.

The reason Wang Xiao didn't show up was because, after discussing it, they decided it was best for her not to show her face.

This would make the Russian scientists feel more comfortable and at ease.

Compared to Western countries, the material conditions they can provide are definitely inferior. But in terms of emotional value, they will certainly provide plenty.

To better carry out his work, Ivanov brought several bodyguards with him.

The bodyguards they hired at great expense were all highly skilled and capable, and could be of great use.

When Ivanov returned to the factory, he heard that Wang Xiao, who had only left behind a female bodyguard, had gone to the hospital and that Lyuba was covered in blood. How could he not panic?

In fact, he was so dizzy at the time that he almost fainted on the spot.

His career, the career he had finally seen a glimmer of hope in, was now doomed.

"God help me." Ivanov forgot his Marxist stance again, devoutly made the sign of the cross on his chest, and looked at Wang Xiao with deep affection. "Thank goodness you're alright."

The deep affection in his eyes was so moving it was almost touching, and it was full of sincerity.

Nonsense, who doesn't have deep feelings for money?

An auntie next to him, who hadn't had her blood drawn yet, kept shaking her head at the old Russian man: "Oh, you young man, how could you come empty-handed? You should at least get something for Xiaoxiao to eat."

Wang Xiao wanted to say she wasn't hungry, but because she had just had blood drawn, she did feel a little dizzy.

Unlike blood donation vans, hospitals don't provide milk or bread.

"Buy me a cup of milk tea."

Now, milk tea shops have sprung up all over the streets and alleys of Jinning City.

It first spread from the Jinning Grand Hotel, and later, because it was so popular with Russians, more and more shops opened. Locals also couldn't resist the temptation of milk tea and even developed many new varieties.

As a result, the aunt got angry: "Why drink milk tea? Listen to me, go outside and buy a cup of red date and red bean porridge, and make some longan water, it's good for replenishing blood."

Wang Xiao was very skeptical about whether the so-called blood-replenishing treatment was actually effective, but since she did need to replenish her sugar levels, she agreed: "Okay."

However, she overestimated Ivanov; the jujube and red bean porridge he brought back was so sweet it was practically sugar-coated.

He further asserted, "They said that brown sugar is better for replenishing blood."

Wang Xiao was about to go crazy: "But you can't just add three spoonfuls at once!"

Ivanov, however, thought it was quite nice, just the right amount of sweetness.

There's nothing wrong with eating more sweet things.

Wang Xiao pushed the porridge back to him: "You eat it yourself."

She truly admired the Russian's sweet tooth.

While other people at least have peanuts as a snack when they drink, these guys are better off drinking with canned sugar water.

She couldn't understand what kind of magical combination this was.

Just then, the union officer came over to hand out red bean buns and milk to the people having their blood drawn. Ivanov took the porridge and started munching on it.

He hasn't eaten yet.

The bodyguards made their own arrangements, sending someone to buy boxed lunches at the hospital entrance. They had just seen it; it included sweet and sour pork.

Ivanov drank half a bowl of porridge, then finally remembered to ask, "What exactly happened? Why would someone stab you?"

Wang Xiao shook her head, but before she could speak, two middle-aged women walked by and started chattering: "Who else? That guy was her lover. Serves her right, she could have had a good life, but she had to be a slut. Now look what's happened, she's even lost her life."

Wang Xiao was taken aback: "Really?"

Oh, she remembered.

Meiqin is Lao Zhao's wife. Their family had a very ugly falling out because of Meiqin's affair.

However, what really surprised Wang Xiao was that more than two years had passed, and she still hadn't broken up with that guy.

She's practically a carbon copy of Aunt Xue! She was truly in love with Wei Guangxiong, only to be betrayed by him.

Wang Xiao couldn't help but feel heartbroken: "She really doesn't have a brain."

The aunt chimed in, "That's right, and they still made us draw so much blood from her."

Although that's what she said, Aunt Han didn't refuse when the nurse came over to draw her blood.

After all, while having an affair is wrong, it's not a life-threatening situation.

Otherwise, the world's population might decrease by at least one-fifth.

After listening to the translation, Ivanov immediately remarked, "That's why some people should never become obsessed with love, or they'll be doomed."

Of all the men and women he'd seen cheating, it was almost always the women who suffered the most.

For example, the famous Madame Bovary was eventually driven to commit suicide by poison.

There's also Anna Karenina from Russian literature, and the person upstairs also committed suicide by lying on the train tracks—a one-way street from which there is no return.

Why involve emotions when it should be a matter of physical attraction?

If you get emotionally involved, it will definitely not end well.

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him. This guy was clearly trying to get his own agenda; his words had a hidden meaning.

She started by asking the key question: "How did it go? How did the talks go?"

Ivanov said smugly, "You don't even know who made the move."

He had to admit that he might often make mistakes when doing other things.

But when it comes to dealing with people, he is absolutely outstanding.

His captivating eyes, which seemed to gaze affectionately at even dogs, were a great help to him, making people feel that he was particularly sincere and willing to continue chatting with him.

Today he mainly talked about an industry leader.

It can be said that, starting in the 1960s, the Soviet Union relied mainly on him to take off in the semiconductor industry.

Even during Gorbachev's era, when the president wanted to showcase the brilliance of the semiconductor industry, the industry leader was still a veteran who had been practicing asceticism for nearly thirty years.

Ivanov had one advantage in recruiting him to work in China.

That is because the big shot spent his childhood in China; his father was a doctor at a military hospital in the Soviet Union. Therefore, he has a childhood filter for China and an innate sense of affinity towards it.

However, what truly piqued his interest was the terrible environment in Moscow.

The Soviet Silicon Valley is now just a page in the archives; the income of researchers is a pitiful joke relative to soaring prices.

The lack of food and clothing was bad enough, but what he found even more unbearable was the collapsing public security.

With the Mafia running rampant and gunshots heard all the time, it's no longer a shocking or bizarre occurrence for people to die in the streets.

Yes, they can hide from these things.

But what about the drug-dealing mafia? They're everywhere, dragging children down with them one by one.

One of his daughter's friends, who used to visit their home often, became addicted to drugs and turned into a prostitute.

He feared his daughter would be influenced by him, so he was in a hurry to move away from Moscow.

However, there was one thing he was very wary of: he was afraid that China was also related to him and that he was originally fighting alone.

For more than two decades, he lacked enough peers to discuss and improve his designs with him.

Because the global semiconductor industry has developed a division of labor, Japan dominates the production of memory chips, the United States continues to focus on microprocessors, and the Dutch company ASML provides lithography machines for all those who need them in this industry.

He believes that the main reason the Soviet Union's semiconductor program failed was that it was excluded from the system and had to work alone.

This was extremely critical, as it meant that the Soviet Union lacked an international supply chain.

Each step requires personal investment, with funds continuously pouring in like a flowing stream.

Even more critically, it has no way to compete in the international market. Even if its products are excellent, it cannot compete with others for international market share.

Because this circle doesn't include you.

Ivanov was quite worried: "Your Majesty, he is telling the truth. He has accumulated nothing but bloody lessons."

Wang Xiao, however, was full of confidence: "It's okay, don't forget, China has a huge consumer market."

A population of 1 billion and a booming economy—what does that mean? It means that doing business here can be very profitable.

Don't forget the nature of capitalists: given enough profit, they will sell the very rope that will strangle them.

To put it bluntly, so what if China had to produce all of these things itself?

The combined population of the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands is still less than that of China.

Many years ago, when we were developing the atomic bomb, a meritorious official said: What is it about us Chinese that is inferior to others? If others can do it, why can't we?

Joining the industry chain is easy, but if that's not possible, then you can do it yourself.

Ivanov slumped back in his chair, unable to hide his envy: "You have so many people. My God, you have so many people."

"Don't worry," Wang Xiao reassured him, "the population will decrease in the future."

Anyway, before she transmigrated into the book, the birth rate had already plummeted.

Did we experience negative growth? Oh, I can't remember. Even if we did experience negative growth, it wouldn't be surprising.

After all, she herself is someone who doesn't want to have children.

Ivanov didn't believe it. He thought the king was showing off, so he snorted and continued drinking the rest of his porridge.

Wang Xiao also ate rice with a mouthful of milk and a bite of bread.

Lyuba asked her if she wanted to eat, saying that today's boxed lunch smelled delicious.

Although the rice from southern China is quite unpalatable, it has a woody texture and no flavor whatsoever, making it just as unpalatable as American rice.

But the dishes today were very good. Whether it was the sweet and sour pork, the fish balls, or the braised beef brisket with tomatoes, they were all very fragrant.

Unfortunately, when Wang Xiao glanced at the tomato sauce on the sweet and sour pork, she instantly thought of blood and lost her appetite. She decided to just stick to eating her bread.

Everyone waited outside the operating room for nearly three hours before Wang Xiao finally saw her mother walk out with a doctor she knew, talking as they walked.

"It was so close! Luckily the knife missed a little, or I would have been dead already."

"Mom—" Wang Xiao had already started showing off her red bean and taro milk tea, so she quickly let go of the straw in her mouth and waved to her mother, "How is it?"

Chen Yanqiu looked exhausted. Seeing her daughter, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Why did you come here? I told you to stay home."

She didn't want her daughter to see such a bloody scene.

"I came to donate blood, but they said they don't have enough. Mom, how is she now?"

This time, it was the doctor's turn to answer the question: "The surgery is over, and he's still alive for now. It all depends on whether he can get through the critical period."

A group of people gathered around, and upon hearing this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

However, someone immediately scoffed: "She's already so old, yet she still thinks she's a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, loving someone to death every day, as if she's living in a romance novel. Now look what's happened, she's about to lose her life."

Wang Xiao touched his nose, feeling that the aunt had wronged the seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.

The seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls she knew were all very materialistic, each and every one of them obsessed with money.

On the contrary, the older people seem to be suffering from a kind of lust for love, and their behavior is so outrageous and unbelievable.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

A woman who looked six or seven parts like Mikoto, and was slightly younger, rushed over angrily, saying, "Don't wrong my sister! My sister was trying to collect a debt. He refused to pay it back, so he tried to kill my sister and run away."

Sigh, wasn't this supposed to be an emotional dispute? How did it suddenly escalate into a financial dispute?

That's right, money is definitely more important than emotions, so disputes must be on a higher level.

Mikoto's sister pointed at the police officer who had come with her: "Can you ask the police officer if this is really the case?"

The security guards at the large factory do most of the work of the public security system. They didn't have a strong sense of secrecy when speaking to their own people, and blurted out, "It's true, the man confessed. Fang Meiqin bought Great Wall bonds from them. Now that Great Wall has run into trouble, Fang Meiqin wanted her money back and they argued. Now a bunch of people are coming to him to collect debts. He originally wanted to borrow money from Fang Meiqin, but instead of getting the money, he's being chased for debts, so in a fit of anger, he stabbed Fang Meiqin."

Wow, everyone's senses immediately changed.

If it was all for money, then Fang Meiqin deserved to be stabbed like that.

Everything related to money is done properly.

Chen Yanqiu spat, "Serves her right? I've been nagging you every day since I told you not to buy Great Wall Company's bonds. But she wouldn't listen, she just ignored me. Now look what's happened, huh? Happy now?"

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

Some people belatedly slapped their thighs and exclaimed, "Great Wall's bonds! What's wrong with their bonds?"

"What else happened? Didn't you see the news? Something bad has happened."

The scene was filled with the squawking of chickens and geese, and some people even cried out in distress.

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes when she saw this.

So all her previous attempts to persuade her were for nothing. It's true what they say, good advice is useless against a suicidal person.

They're so eager to give money to scammers.

————————

Forget it, I'm not going to use my phone to type anymore. I'm finding myself increasingly lacking self-control; I just want to play with my phone whenever I pick it up, and my efficiency is terribly low.

In addition, I have no intention of cutting the outline; I will finish writing it no matter how bad my grades are.

I'm so anxious! There's still so much to write.

Covering face.

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