Chapter 209 Should we hold an exhibition and trade fair? It cost so much money!

At 8:30 p.m., Ivanov made a special trip to the wholesale building to find Wang Xiao.

He held a large bouquet of roses, and in a fit of his histrionic personality, he gazed at her tenderly as soon as he arrived at the restaurant entrance: "Wang, darling, I've come to take you home."

Wang Xiao grabbed him immediately, anxiously asking, "What exactly happened?"

Ivanov was completely bewildered and stammered, “I was so bored at the club, their food was awful, and I didn’t want to listen to their nonsense or watch their boring dances. So I came here. By the way, do you have any soup? I think I should have a bowl of hot soup right now.”

Wang Xiao was utterly speechless: "Don't you know that the president just issued a statement to the citizens at eight o'clock, announcing the termination of the legislative, administrative, and supervisory functions of the Russian Federation People's Congress and the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation? He abolished the People's Congress and the Soviet, he abolished the current parliament. He said that Russia will establish a federal parliament and a professional bicameral parliament, and will hold elections on December 11th and 12th."

Ivanov's eyes widened. The club didn't broadcast the news, and besides, he had probably already left the club by eight o'clock and was driving here.

So the news hit him like a bomb, and he blurted out, "Is he crazy? This is unconstitutional!"

Wang Xiao almost felt sorry for him: "The highest authority can amend the constitution! Ivanov, I have a bad feeling about this."

The people in the delegation were extremely nervous; anyone going abroad would be afraid of unrest.

They couldn't quite figure out what the Russian government structure was all about. Their impression was that, well, the president and prime minister had a falling out, or the chairman of the military commission and the president were about to have a major fight.

Anyway, that's the gist of it: the top leadership is going to start throwing punches at each other.

The older folks muttered under their breath, "I hope Russia won't experience another Cultural Revolution."

If I'm going to die, that would be a huge problem.

The long-time residents of the wholesale building reacted much calmer: "It's alright, that's just how it is in Moscow. They take filming movies and TV shows much more seriously than they do. They're just playing house. It's fine."

Wang Xiao was at a loss for words.

Ivanov instinctively wanted to refute, but couldn't find a way to do so, so he simply took a bowl of radish and fish ball soup that the waiter brought him and gulped it down.

After finishing a bowl of hot soup, Ivanov felt even more uneasy than before.

He wasn't worried about Moscow descending into chaos. Sigh, having experienced August 19th and tanks rolling through the streets, what do the people of Moscow have to fear about chaos?

What he worries about is the upheaval at the top, a new round of reshuffling is coming, and some people will rise to prominence while others will fall into ruin.

As Ivanov wiped his mouth, he made up his mind: "Your Majesty, we must go back."

The members of the exhibition group were somewhat flustered and anxiously asked, "Mr. Wang, can our exhibition still proceed?"

“Of course.” Wang Xiao gave him a reassuring smile. “Apart from abolishing the old ruble, the actions of the Moscow government have basically no impact on the lives of ordinary people. Here, it’s anarchy.”

She led the way, saying, "Come on, I'll take you back to your hotel. But don't go out at night, and don't look for any fun. Moscow nights are dangerous."

Someone chuckled dryly: "What fun could we possibly have? We're not big bosses like you, we're broke."

Wang Xiao smiled but didn't reply.

Haha, when it comes to playing tricks, businessmen are just playing with what the leaders have already left behind.

The motorcade first went to the hotel, and then circled around to the White House.

This is the location of the Russian Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Soviet.

The president has launched an attack on them, and the speaker cannot remain indifferent.

On a chilly September night, Wang Xiao and Ivanov sat side by side in the train carriage, staring at another famous White House in the world.

Ivanov muttered to himself, "He will convene an emergency meeting, launch a counterattack against the president, and announce his removal from office. The vice president is on his side, and it's only natural that he will become the new president."

He frantically listed the names of people in his mind, drew lines between them, analyzed the relationships between them, and considered the possible course of events after tonight.

“The phone probably can’t make any more calls,” Wang Xiao murmured. “If I were the president, I would definitely cut the phone lines in this building. That way, the speaker wouldn’t be able to summon a large number of members of parliament for a meeting.”

That's the difference between a speaker of parliament and a president.

The president can sign presidential decrees directly, while the speaker of the house must summon his subordinates.

Ivanov closed his eyes, then opened them again, and tried to make a phone call.

As expected, the call could not be connected.

He cursed, "He's so clever, he applies what he learns so well."

In August 1991, government telephone communication was also cut off.

Wang Xiao sighed: "Actually, whether they can hold the meeting or not is no longer important. What's important is the army. Whichever side the army is on, that side will win."

Throughout history, the saying "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" has been an ironclad rule. Unless one is mentally deficient, no one would suffer a crushing defeat while holding an army.

Ivanov raised his head slightly, and one of his assistants, responsible for gathering information on the movements of government officials, immediately reported: "On September 16th, the President inspected two military units in the suburbs of Moscow, including the Dzerzhinsky Division and the Taman Division."

What's so special about these two units? They were supporters of the current president during the August 19 Incident.

Ivanov gave a mocking laugh: "How long-lasting! More than two years of practice, and it's still not enough for our army to recognize the truth of its weakness. No wonder our soldiers have been so disgraced on the battlefield."

Wang Xiao retorted sarcastically, "That's not necessarily true. It's enough to relinquish some benefits. For example, the export rights to certain goods."

This is also one of the arguments used by the president's faction to attack the current speaker.

Because Khasbulatov was Chechen, it is said that after he arrived in Moscow, trade was taken over by the Chechens. He established a large company called "Rewards," exporting products such as oil, but the money he earned disappeared without a trace.

Corruption in the Russian military has existed since the Soviet era, or to be more precise, corruption in the military has been a serious problem throughout history and across the world.

"During the Song Dynasty in China, a famous minister said that the country should think that civil officials should not be greedy for money and military generals should not be afraid of death. I have heard an explanation that this was because in ancient times, it was accepted that military generals were legitimate to amass wealth, and looting was common practice after a successful siege. Now, there is no need to loot, and the management rights can be transferred."

Ivanov sighed deeply: "What will our Speaker do? Well, he could try to win over the retired generals. I just don't know how effective that will be."

Wang Xiao sighed as well: "I'm not optimistic, because it's been many years since we've had a proper war. People forget about you when you're gone. The only thing a retired general can rely on to mobilize troops is his prestige. What prestige does a general who hasn't been on the battlefield or won a battle in so many years have left?"

The more they reasoned, the more desperate they became. This time, the National People's Congress and the Soviet were almost completely fading from the historical stage.

Wang Xiao suddenly had a whimsical thought: if she were to transmigrate into a male-oriented novel, would the protagonist rewrite history?

The thought only flashed through her mind before she dismissed it.

Because novels are not allowed to involve politics now.

Moreover, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence state that non-interference in the foreign affairs of other countries is a fundamental principle.

Ivanov didn't even see him; he just sighed and didn't seem to intend to get involved.

The most important reason why his family has been able to continue to this day is that they have always been loyal to the newly established regime.

"Damn it, these idiots." Ivanov looked distressed, marking each of the images in his mind with a big X.

He had done this several times since the country fell into turmoil, and each time he felt an urge to cry.

However, he never stopped writing.

“God!” he murmured, making the sign of the cross on his chest. “You will forgive your guilty lamb, won’t you?”

He quietly removed the photos marked with an "X" and moved the new photos to the front row.

“Let’s go,” Ivanov finally made up his mind. “I think tonight will be a sleepless night.”

Compared to the tension and collapse in the White House, the Kremlin seemed quite calm and composed.

In fact, the next day, Ivanov learned from his friends in the government that the president's speech was pre-recorded and was to be broadcast on television at 8 p.m., but the president went home at 7 p.m.

His poor opponent broke down in the White House overnight.

In the morning, when Wang Xiao went out and her car passed by the White House, she noticed that there were roadblocks made of metal poles and concrete slabs around the White House.

The assistant explained to her, "This was all done last night by supporters of the parliament."

Wang Xiao asked curiously, "Where did they get all this in the dark?"

The assistant paused for a second before answering, "A construction site nearby."

Wang Xiao sighed deeply: "The construction site is truly an undeserved disaster."

With just a casual remark, she stunned the manufacturers attending the trade fair.

When Wang Xiao arrived at the airport to pick them up around 1 p.m., several people anxiously asked her, "Ms. Wang, is it still possible for this trade fair to take place? We heard that Russia now has two governments and two presidents?"

Uh, that's the truth.

On the evening of September 21, the president announced that the People's Congress and the Supreme Soviet were now history.

At midnight, the parliament declared the president's actions unconstitutional and a rebellion, and elected the vice president to the presidency.

Both presidents issued their own executive orders, and both had their own armies and interior ministries of support, and both were quite powerful.

Wang Xiao found it all ridiculous, and was thankful that Russia was currently free of any major natural or man-made disasters; otherwise, who would the heads of state be calling to express their sympathy and condolences?

But so what?

Pointing to the bustling crowd at the flea market, she earnestly told her guests, "This is the real Moscow."

But when the car passed the White House, everyone saw a circle of troops surrounding it, and they couldn't stay calm. They insisted on going to the embassy to find out the truth.

They just wanted to come to the trade fair; they didn't intend to lose their lives in Moscow.

Wang Xiao and the others had no objections, so they dragged them to the embassy to find out what was going on.

The embassy is extremely busy, with everyone closely monitoring the situation. It's really hard to say who will emerge victorious in this current parliamentary and presidential contest.

In response to inquiries from managers from China, the embassy can only help by making phone calls to inquire whether the Moscow government has any restrictions on visiting foreigners and whether the trade fair can be held as scheduled.

The official who answered was particularly enthusiastic, assuring everyone with certainty: "No problem, all activities will proceed as scheduled, there will be no danger, as long as you don't go to dangerous places or do anything dangerous."

He made some nice-sounding promises, but in reality, just one day later, on September 23, bloodshed occurred in Moscow.

At 8:50 p.m. that evening, a group of unidentified armed men attempted to seize the headquarters of the CIS Joint Armed Forces. According to television news reports, a 34-year-old captain was killed in the attack, a woman was killed by a stray bullet, and a police officer was injured.

The perpetrator withdrew after the special forces arrived.

The following day, the president signed an order to confiscate congressional weapons, requiring everyone inside the White House to evacuate by 5:00 AM on the 25th and surrender their weapons. A large number of military and police then surrounded the White House.

The situation instantly became tense.

Originally, members of the delegation from the China Youth Daily were supposed to interview manufacturers at the trade fair; the former had arrived in Moscow on the afternoon of the 22nd at the invitation of Komsomolskaya Pravda, and since they happened to be on the same flight, they arranged to interview each other.

As a result, the building housing the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper is now surrounded by the army because it also houses two other communist newspapers.

Ivanov was so angry he laughed: "They've really stopped pretending now."

What a load of rubbish! The president, who claims to be on the path of freedom and democracy, ordered the power to be cut off to the White House at 10 p.m. on the 24th, plunging the entire White House into darkness instantly.

Even the head of the foreign economic liaison department of Komsomolskaya Pravda, a supporter of the president, couldn't help but complain to his Chinese colleagues: Can you imagine? The US president suddenly cut off the water, electricity and telephone to the legislature while it was in session, and ordered the army to surround the legislature.

That would be the most ridiculous thing in the world.

The whole world is laughing at Russia.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao couldn't help but touch his nose and say something honest: "He's overthinking it. Right now, whatever's happening in Moscow, I guess everyone thinks it's normal."

Politicians have done too many shameless things, so who cares about their outrageous actions anymore?

It can be said that the two years before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union trampled all the glory of the Soviet Union over the past few decades.

Even though the president and Congress were practically locked in a tank-to-tank battle, the China Export Commodities Fair was still held as scheduled.

What else can we do? The venue has already been rented, the advertisements have been placed, the exhibits have been brought over, and hundreds of exhibitors have come all the way from China; and you cancel the exhibition and negotiations with just one sentence? Isn't that just ridiculous?

Anyway, Wang Xiao didn't think it was necessary to cancel it, and neither did the embassy.

Even the ambassador and officials from the Moscow city government and the Russian federal government personally attended the exhibition and delivered speeches.

Let us look back on the past and look forward to the future, and wish the exhibition a complete success.

Manager Hu still finds it unbelievable: "They're going to throw the world into chaos!"

He said this because he experienced the Cultural Revolution.

The then-President of the State, holding the Constitution, attempted to lodge a strong protest with the rebels, demanding that the dignity of the President of the State be upheld.

In Moscow today, on the evening of the 24th, after the parliament's power was cut off, the newly elected president addressed parliamentary supporters from the White House balcony, saying that the supporters were defending the constitution and the motherland.

See, they're all just using the constitution as an excuse.

After the president of China was branded a traitor, China was plunged into a decade of turmoil.

What about Russia? What will happen to Russia?

Wang Xiao glanced at the worried veteran cadre and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Isn't Russia turbulent enough? It's already a disordered East, practically anarchic."

She gestured with her chin, indicating to the crowd continuously pouring into the venue, "The Russians themselves don't care, so we foreigners shouldn't worry about it for them. Otherwise, they might misunderstand and think we want to interfere in their internal affairs."

Manager Hu quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, we're too busy with our own country's affairs to meddle in other people's business."

He was about to sigh again when his subordinate called out, "Manager, come here! This gentleman wants to discuss cooperation with us."

Manager Hu quickly responded with "Yes, yes," and hurried back to his booth.

Wang Xiao walked forward, observing the situation at each stall. As she reached the corner, she bumped into a group from the embassy and jokingly said to the ambassador, "Mr. Ambassador, how can you not support our own new Chinese product and wear a fleece coat?"

The ambassador looked exasperated: "You're still talking? What does the 'M' on the back of your shirt mean?"

On September 15th, the embassy staff also went to MJ's concert. However, fearing it might have a negative impact and be used against them, they kept a low profile and didn't go to the front.

When Wang Xiao delivered the tickets, he also sent a fleece coat along with them, saying it was the complete set.

The embassy staff didn't pay much attention. After all, it wasn't appropriate to wear a suit and tie to a concert, so they just went with the flow.

Because Russia has no culture of cheering or support, the embassy staff didn't seem to notice it.

When they came to their senses, they didn't know what to say.

Wang Xiao laughed heartily: "That's alright, bring the clothes over and we'll replace them with fleece sweaters without the lettering. Oh, you're really wasting resources, the same style with the letter M is selling like hotcakes right now. The European orders I received specifically requested the same style."

To be honest, this was quite a pleasant surprise for her.

She originally thought that the sales of fleece in Europe would mainly rely on the Bucharest container market to spread to neighboring countries.

After all, Michael's Dangerous Tour concert tour had already been held in Western Europe last year; the remaining destinations this year are Israel, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico; theoretically, the star effect should be limited in the European market.

Unexpectedly, the market response in Budapest was even better. A businessman came directly to them and bought 100,000 of the same item in one go.

Therefore, even if you conduct countless simulations beforehand, the final market reaction often surprises you. There are simply too many uncontrollable factors.

The ambassador waved his hand: "No, no, no, they've already been worn, how can I give them back to you?"

Wang Xiao was incredibly enthusiastic: "It's alright, we have our uses."

While they were talking, they arrived at the food exhibition area.

There are manufacturers showcasing chocolates, booths displaying various cookies, and people selling candy; the air is filled with a sweet aroma.

The young administrative assistant curiously peeked out and recognized the two varieties, shrimp crisp candy and Li Wang candy. He whispered his opinion: "Li Wang candy is good, it's just the right firmness. Shrimp crisp candy is no good, it's too hard and too sweet. People only liked this variety back when there wasn't any candy available."

Upon hearing this, the exhibitor immediately slapped his forehead in frustration: "Oh dear, that's really the case."

Their factory felt that everything was in short supply in the Moscow market, so they weren't careful enough in selecting products. They're probably going to suffer a big loss this time.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true. You'll see. I think the shrimp crisp candy will sell better. But if no one is interested in your Li Wang candy, don't take the samples back. Come back to us. We really like it."

The embassy's administrative assistant stared at Wang Xiao in astonishment, then turned to look at the shrimp crisp candy and the Li Wang candy, completely baffled.

His secretary, who had worked in Moscow for several more years than him, said helplessly: "You can't judge Russians' tastes by your own. Their standards for sweetness are on a completely different level from ours. We say 'I'd rather die than buy salt,' they say 'I'd rather die than sell sugar,' they have a sweet tooth."

As expected, the next group of people to show interest at this booth, whether Russian trading companies or ordinary Russian shoppers, all took a liking to the shrimp brittle.

Even the ambassador exclaimed, "There's a lot to learn about doing business; you have to adapt your approach to the situation."

Wang Xiao laughed: "The customer is God."

Meanwhile, Manager Hu came looking for Wang Xiao again.

The state-owned enterprise leader, who was twice Wang Xiao's age, was a little flustered: "Come, come, Mr. Wang, you give me your opinion. I feel like this old Russian is a fraud."

"What's wrong?" Wang Xiao asked, puzzled. "Is something wrong with him/her?"

As they spoke, they arrived at the booth. At a small table next to it sat a young Russian man, muttering to himself while typing on a portable typewriter.

Manager Hu panicked: "He's about to sign the contract with us, and he just arrived. Could he be a scammer?"

Back in China, he had heard that there were quite a few scammers in Russia these days. They specifically prey on Chinese people's desire to do food delivery business, scamming them out of their goods and not paying them.

The translator next to him was equally uneasy: "He's too proactive and enthusiastic, it feels very unusual to me. Look, this is the business card he gave us."

Wang Xiao recognized the young man by looking at the company name and his name on the business card and then at his face. He immediately greeted him with a smile in Russian: "Hi! Yura, thank you for coming."

Yura, the business manager of the trading company, looked up and smiled at Wang Xiao: "Hello, Miss Wang, I knew that the manufacturers you organized were all reputable and capable companies."

Manager Hu nudged Wang Xiao's arm frantically and whispered, "You know this Russian guy? He's not a conman?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "I know them. Their company's main business is fertilizer trading. Now that fertilizer prices have gone up, they're also doing other trading. It's normal for them to be fast-moving. These days, private companies, joint-stock companies, and joint ventures that are legitimately engaged in trading in Russia operate at a very fast pace, and it's common to see them working overtime at night. Take Yura, for example. He might be signing a contract in Moscow today, and tomorrow he might be flying to Almaty. You might even run into him in Vladivostok the day after tomorrow."

Manager Hu's eyes widened, and the translator also looked incredulous.

While they were talking, Yura had already drafted the contract and handed it to Manager Hu: "Take a look. If there are any parts that need to be modified, we can discuss it now, and I'll reprint it right away."

Manager Hu was completely dumbfounded, holding the contract for a long time and not knowing how to react.

Wang Xiao reminded the translator, "Look, if you don't think there are any major problems, go to the legal office over there. The lawyer will review the contract for you and make sure it doesn't violate any current Russian laws before you sign it."

Manager Hu blinked hard twice, responded with "oh oh," and quickly went to look at the contract with the help of the translator.

Another translator watched them leave and couldn't help but sigh, "Moscow is really something now. I remember five years ago when I was studying at a university here, I started work at 9 a.m. and would go to the university office to do something. She wouldn't arrive until 10 a.m., and then she would need to touch up her makeup and have breakfast. She would tell me to come back in half an hour. Later, I figured out their routine and could only go to them at 11 a.m. because if I went any later, they would go to have lunch."

The person next to him laughed and said, "Then you might as well go and get things done with them this afternoon."

The translator shook his head: "In the afternoon? Don't expect to find anyone in the afternoon. They often run away with all sorts of excuses after lunch."

"Even if you finish your business with them at 11 o'clock, you can't just go out and buy some bread to eat. At that time, all the shops in Moscow, except for a few big department stores, were closed for lunch. Some were closed from 1 to 2 o'clock, and some were closed from 2 to 3 o'clock."

"Even when they're at work, they chat idly and are incredibly inefficient. People are in a real hurry, but it's none of their business. They just keep going at a snail's pace and don't care at all. They just make you run around in vain."

When the Soviet Union collapsed, many foreigners found it unbelievable, but he thought it was perfectly normal.

Given the Soviet Union's inefficiency, it would be a miracle if the country hadn't collapsed.

Someone nearby laughed out loud: "It's pretty much the same now. If you go to the government office or the train station to buy a ticket, it's perfectly normal for them to ignore you. The most efficient ones are all private companies or joint ventures. They're energetic and focused on efficiency."

Before the surrounding Chinese could react, a young Russian man browsing goods at a nearby stall suddenly looked up and said earnestly in broken Chinese, "We represent the future of Russia. The laziness and egalitarian mentality fostered by the old system should be completely eradicated. As long as we shake off the shadow of socialism and thoroughly eliminate the last remnants of filth, falsehood, and hypocrisy accumulated over the past 70 years, Russia will surely enter a new era."

The group of Chinese people were completely stunned.

In an instant, in this corner of the bustling exhibition hall, it became so eerily quiet you could hear a pin drop.