Chapter 217 Trouble: Other People's Children

Moscow winters are truly lackluster, with absolutely no good news.

Politics remains a mess.

Prior to the first State Duma elections, the Federal Ministry of Justice banned communists from participating in the elections on the grounds that they had participated in riots.

As it turned out, the Communist Party wasn't going to back down either. They filed a lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court and actually won.

It is clear that, in a sense, Russian law has indeed gained some dignity.

Finally, the Department of Justice approved 13 political parties and coalitions for electoral rights.

While politics were in turmoil, the economy offered no solace to Wang Xiao and his colleagues.

By December, international oil prices had plummeted to $14.

Wang Xiao has completely given up on paying attention to oil and gas prices. Anyway, the oil and gas fields have been burning through money from summer to winter without producing much.

Let's talk about it after the $1 billion is burned through.

Amidst the bleak wind and rain, the only thing that brought her solace was that the clothing stores in Tokyo were selling like hotcakes.

To be precise, starting from October 18th, the day after the press conference, customers began to come to the store, mainly housewives.

The reason they chose E-You is not only because the clothes are indeed cheap, especially the fleece coats which are unbelievably cheap, but also because they believe that E-You is a store run by a large company, so it is guaranteed in all aspects.

It is clear that, regardless of the country, housewives are always the most pragmatic group.

Subsequently, as reporters' fitting reports were published in the media, E-no-Yu's popularity continued to rise.

Some reporters were relatively easygoing and expressed their feelings about trying on the Yi You brand in a gentle way. They praised the fleece coat for its good warmth and durability. Most importantly, they said that if the coat got stained, they could just throw it in the washing machine and the stain would be completely gone after washing. They thought it was very suitable for outdoor workers like reporters who often have to go out in the wind and rain.

Some reporters were quite serious, commenting that the fitting experience was mediocre, not as comfortable as American brand fleece mountaineering jackets and coats. They noted the static electricity in the dead of winter, which was uncomfortable. However, the reporters also admitted that considering a double-faced fleece coat costs only 3000 yen, it's still good value for money.

These fitting reports effectively helped E-no-U maintain and further boost its popularity, allowing people who had never noticed E-no-U's negative news to discover the store's existence, greatly increasing customer traffic.

Yamada Saori couldn't help but admire the boss's foresight. She now really felt that they should open a branch store, otherwise the less than 400 square meters of business space on the two floors simply couldn't meet the needs of the customers.

Every day, as soon as the doors open, a large number of customers flood in, and even when the doors are closed, long queues of customers wait.

Such a grand occasion naturally attracted the interest of television, newspapers, and magazines, and news interviews once again helped Yizhiyou enhance and solidify its brand awareness.

Just like promoting newcomers in the entertainment industry, after three rounds of public opinion fermentation (pre-opening advertising, post-opening press conferences to address the scandal, and subsequent media follow-up publicity), Yi no Yu went from being an unknown nobody to almost becoming a second-tier celebrity and was finally on the table.

Some customers even took the Shinkansen from Osaka to buy clothes, which sparked another round of heated discussion after being interviewed by reporters.

Yamada Saori and her staff were extremely busy.

She even had to hire more part-time workers three times in a row, otherwise she simply wouldn't have enough manpower.

They were to serve hot coffee to customers who were waiting in line before the store opened.

They have to constantly check inventory and restock to ensure that customers can buy the clothes they want in a timely manner.

They need to maintain constant contact with the contract manufacturers and shipping companies to ensure that inventory can be supplied.

Even so, the clothes were still sold out.

As a result, Saori Yamada had to appear on television again to sincerely apologize to the public for the insufficient inventory of fleece products and the chaotic state of the store, which failed to provide customers with a satisfactory shopping experience.

Addressing television viewers, she emphasized that E-no has contacted the factory to place additional orders, and the contract manufacturer is working overtime to fulfill the demand as quickly as possible.

To shorten customers' waiting time and express their sincere apologies, E-no-Yu has chosen the expensive air freight method to replenish its stock.

The sensational effect caused by this news was predictable.

Wang Xiao regretted that she was too conservative back then and chose a shop that was too small.

It's less than 400 square meters, what can you do with that?

It would take at least one or two thousand square meters to barely make it work.

The assistant secretly clutched his chest, thank goodness, the boss didn't mean to take over an entire street.

But Wang Xiao really wanted to.

What's the point of turning this whole street into a shopping mall? Are you going to sell clothes everywhere? Hey! You're turning this into a huge clothing wholesale market.

No, no.

These days, there's no reason for clothing sellers to just sell clothes.

Don't clothes need accessories?

Do you wear clothes but not shoes?

If you buy clothes, why don't you buy bags too?

Not using beauty products is already considered conservative.

Even if you're in the textile and apparel industry, you should at least have a set of bedding.

Unfortunately, there's no going back in life. Even with his time-traveling cheat, Wang Xiao couldn't turn back time.

She could only watch helplessly as the massive influx of traffic flowed by over time, and had to console herself: "Take it easy, it's a new brand, we've just started, we can't get carried away."

But I'm still so angry!

If we had hundreds of stores now, our revenue would definitely skyrocket.

Ivanov retorted, exasperated, "Do we really need hundreds of stores?"

“Of course,” Wang Xiao emphasized. “For the apparel retail industry, or for all household goods retail, including supermarkets, only when a sufficient number of stores are concentrated in one area will turnover increase dramatically.”

Fearing Ivanov might not understand, she explained, "Firstly, this gives consumers confidence, shows your financial strength, and lets them know that you are a large-scale enterprise with guaranteed product quality in all aspects. Secondly, your advertising and marketing reach can benefit all stores, which is equivalent to spreading costs and increasing profits. If one store makes headlines, the buzz can benefit other stores."

Ivanov reacted quickly: "But if one store has an accident, will other stores also be affected?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "Of course, there's no such thing as eating meat without getting beaten. Sigh, what a missed opportunity."

This time, she has to seize the opportunity of the Japanese real estate crash to expand her store as soon as possible.

After expressing her mixed feelings of relief and sadness, Wang Xiao turned to her assistant and asked, "Is there anything else going on lately?"

The assistant is so perceptive; he knows that what the boss needs right now is good news, preferably with a touch of gossip to put him at ease.

So he did not hesitate to bring up the story of Yukio Fujisa.

Oh, it's said that this man, originally from China, changed his name to Japanese because he thought he would have a wonderful life in Japan and was a lucky man.

His assistant genuinely neither knew nor was interested in whether his past life was fortunate or not.

But he dares to say that Yukio Fujisa is by no means lucky right now.

When he inexplicably received that anonymous letter that said "I know your biggest secret," he comforted himself by thinking it was just some bored guy playing a prank.

But later, no matter where he went, even if he left Tokyo for other places, he could still see the same anonymous letters. He panicked and became increasingly irritable.

So, is this the story of an unlucky guy gradually driven mad by his growing paranoia?

No, the human being, or any living being, regardless of its quality, is full of uncertainty.

Including Yukio Fujisawa.

What was his reaction in his panic? Did he call the police for help?

No! He chose to find comfort in a woman's belly.

Ivanov was overjoyed when he heard this, and even boasted to Wang Xiao, "Wang, I told you, he would definitely pull this stunt."

The assistants and bodyguards remained silent, especially the men, who really didn't understand what their male boss was so proud of for guessing this.

Wang Xiao said "Oh," showing little interest: "Getting arrested by the police isn't a big deal, at most you'll be fined a little money."

It's quite interesting that prostitution is clearly a transaction involving both buyer and seller, yet the punishment for the buyer always seems to be less severe than that for the seller.

Unexpectedly, the assistant, like a storyteller, used a step-by-step approach, dropping a bombshell on the boss: "But he wasn't going to a normal brothel; he was doing an illegal private transaction."

How is it illegal? Well, it's a very serious social problem in Japan: teenage prostitution.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this seems commonplace; it's been depicted in countless Japanese dramas, so it doesn't seem like a big deal.

But in reality, it is a crime.

According to Japanese law, engaging in sexual activity with a person under the age of 18 for payment is called child prostitution. Those who engage in child prostitution, also known as clients, are subject to imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of up to 3 million yen.

This man has now been arrested.

Wang Xiao exclaimed in surprise: "He did that? Oh my god, could he have contracted HIV in the process?"

The assistant looked even more surprised: "Miss Wang, you already knew?"

Wang Xiao's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "It can't be true, can it?"

She was just saying it offhand.

She first learned the term "compensated dating" when she was very young, from a Japanese drama called "God, Please Give Me More Time" that she watched with her neighbor.

In that film, Kyoko Fukada plays a high school student who contracts AIDS through compensated dating and eventually dies.

Although the values ​​presented in this drama are questionable—the love story between a man in his thirties and a 16-year-old high school girl that begins with a one-night stand would raise the blood pressure of any normal person—Wang Xiao truly remembered the scene where the female lead dies of AIDS.

Ivanov was also surprised: "He really caught the disease?"

The assistant nodded: "These are the test results."

All the Russians, including Ivanov, were at a loss for words.

Because of different national circumstances, Soviet law stipulated that women could marry at the age of 16. Even men over 20, regardless of marital status or childlessness, had to pay a childlessness tax. Furthermore, in Japan, teenage prostitution is indeed not uncommon.

It's unrealistic to expect a Russian man like Ivanov to think that Japanese men who have sex with high school girls are beasts.

Ivanov sighed, "He's just too unlucky."

If you get AIDS, it's basically a death sentence.

He suddenly snapped out of his daze and stared at Wang Xiao with wide eyes: "Wang, is this why you refused the dessert?"

The so-called "little dessert" was a pastime he found for Wang Xiao. It was a "Sanmaozi," or rather, a mixed-race person with one-quarter Russian ancestry. Apart from having a more defined facial structure and fairer skin, he basically looked like a Chinese person.

At 18, he was in the prime of his youth, handsome, and had no body odor; all he wanted was to earn some pocket money.

Ivanov swore that he was just trying to cheer her up because he felt sorry for her being so depressed about the persistently low oil prices.

As a result, Wang actually refused this snack, which had absolutely no issues with its flavor.

Good heavens, do you know how desperate he was? He truly believed the king had fallen in love.

Because, clearly, the first thing she saw when she saw the dessert was amazement.

But in this situation, she still says no. What other explanation could there be besides love?

Oh, now he finally understood. She was afraid of danger and afraid of accidentally contracting a disease.

Wang Xiao didn't know how to explain this for a moment. She didn't sleep with the handsome young man because she was afraid of getting a disease.

If she had this awareness, she wouldn't have become the Queen of the Sea before she traveled through time.

She was simply afraid of being banned.

Sigh, how am I supposed to explain this?

She wears female-oriented clothing and follows a female-oriented storyline.

As we all know, male-oriented novels can have harems that go on forever, but female-oriented novels with multiple partners will be banned.

Given that she's making quite a bit of money right now, she's hesitant to cross the line, lest she be kicked out of the house.

Therefore, she can only give a vague answer now: "It's safer to use a doll."

Anyway, she has an entire team of world-class experts who custom-make dolls for her, perfectly matching her wishes. Whether they're real or not doesn't really matter.

Ivanov also belatedly realized he was afraid.

He knew about AIDS long ago, even though it was an incurable disease.

But when someone you know is perfectly fine one minute and then suddenly gets into this mess, the psychological pressure it causes is unimaginable to outsiders.

He took a deep breath and decided to order another delicious doll.

To this end, he specifically called his female companion, who looked remarkably like Sharon Stone, and asked her to cooperate in making a doll.

Undoubtedly, he was scolded.

The pretty young woman felt humiliated, as this was a questioning of her personal charm.

He'd rather sleep with a fake doll than with her! Does she behave like a dead fish in bed?

Ivanov was trembling from the roar, and when he hung up the phone, he kept muttering, "God, God."

That's terrifying!

Should he be glad he did well in bed, or he would have been strangled by a roaring Godzilla?

Wang Xiao, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, turned his head away immediately upon hearing this.

Oh God, she wanted to call out to God too.

If she could always be as confident as Ivanov, her life would be amazing.

The assistant rushed in from outside.

He knew the atmosphere in the room was pleasant and not suitable for being disturbed, but he didn't dare to delay.

"Boss, something's happened. The goods at the container market have been seized."

Ivanov was about to wink and show off to Wang Xiao like a peacock when he heard this and said irritably, "Find a way to solve it. You guys don't think the boss is very idle, do you?"

Yes, he's really quite free, so free that he's just chatting idly here.

But if the boss is already incredibly busy, he'll only make his employees even busier.

The assistant said cautiously, "I can't solve it. I specifically asked you. Bribing me won't help."

Ivanov frowned: "Who is it? The police?"

“It’s tax police,” the assistant quickly reported. “The team leader is Vladimir Punonin. He said you’ll know who he is just by his name.”

Wang Xiao was already putting on her overcoat when she heard the voice and looked at Ivanov with a puzzled expression: "Your friend?"

Ivanov looked pained, as if he were reminiscing about the past: "Other people's children, role models, the examples for all of us bastards."

Wang Xiao nodded: "I understand, people like me."

Ivanov was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Oh, Your Majesty, you are a confident man too."

Wang Xiao casually replied, "Of course, I am the queen, my confidence shines."

I don't know what exactly made Ivanov laugh, but the poor kid was still laughing so hard he was shaking even after getting on the bus.

When he finally stopped laughing, he looked miserable and on the verge of tears, muttering to himself, "I'm doomed, he's going to scold me to death."

Wang Xiao was puzzled: "Are you afraid of being taught a lesson by him?"

“Of course,” Ivanov sighed painfully. “He was a truly upright and good man. God, although he eventually left the party, he was one of the closest I’ve ever met to my ideal Communist. Do you understand what I mean? He was truly selfless. His leaving the party was the fault of the CPSU, not his.”

Wang Xiao nodded: "You mean he couldn't stand the corruption and incompetence of the Soviet Communist Party, so he withdrew from it."

Ivanov nodded and sighed again: "Then he doubted the meaning of communism and went to the other side, but he was still an upright and selfless good man."

Wang Xiao felt sorry for him and patted him on the shoulder: "Good luck to you."

Look, they're clearly friends, they could have just called or met up to talk privately, but they had to make such a fuss that they ended up seizing the goods in the container market and then dealing with things from a business perspective.

What a half-baked person!

But they do it openly and honestly.

Wang Xiao wouldn't stand by Ivanov and take the blame; her job was to appease the vendors in the market.

The container market has never advertised since it opened.

However, in Moscow, such markets don't need special promotion, because every Muscovit is an informant.

Seriously, once you see the queues of Muscovites, you'll understand. Wherever there are goods, people will come to them and then attract their friends and family through word of mouth.

In the container market, there are now many stalls selling paper stationery, clothing, shoes and hats, and even car parts.

Besides Chinese merchants, there were also Vietnamese selling toys, Caucasians selling leather goods, and Turkish merchants.

Their integration doubled the market's appeal, with large numbers of customers coming and going even on cold winter mornings.

Today, however, the guests are all watching and wondering how the sudden raid by the tax police will end.

When the car arrived at the market, Wang Xiao saw a large number of tax police officers wearing overcoats and cotton hats.

This is a new department established by the Russian federal government in June of this year. As the name suggests, it is a law enforcement agency that helps the tax authorities collect taxes.

The reason for deploying the police is that tax evasion and tax avoidance are commonplace in Russia. Instead of reflecting on how chaotic its tax laws are, the government first deploys law enforcement, as if this will put tax collection on the right track.

Ivanov, his bodyguard, and assistant were dropped off in the car first, and the rest of the people followed Wang Xiao as they continued inside.

Wang Xiao saw Major General Punonin through the car window.

Wow, he must be under 40 years old, yet he's already a major general. That's really impressive.

Yes, tax police in the Russian Federation government have special police ranks, with officers at the general or colonel level including tax police general, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major.

This kid from someone else's family is really doing quite well.

Wang Xiao didn't get out of the car to say hello; she went straight inside.

Section Chief Tang is going crazy. She just shipped three containers of auto parts from China, which perfectly meet the market's needs and are being shipped out very quickly.

As a result, her goods were inexplicably seized as soon as she opened her shop today because she did not have a formal customs declaration certificate.

In reality, normal customs declaration certificates are practically nonexistent now, because tariffs have risen rapidly, and everyone is using chartered flights with taxes included to transport goods to Moscow for business.

Section Chief Tang couldn't provide the goods, so he could only watch helplessly as the Russian tax police hauled away her goods and seized her containers in the warehouse.

The merchants who had suffered the same fate all had anxious and fearful expressions on their faces, afraid that their goods would be confiscated this time, which would be a huge loss.

Seeing Wang Xiao get out of the car and walk this way, the Chinese businessmen felt relieved, as if they had found their pillar of support.

Regardless of what people say about this young female tyrant behind her back, there's one thing that Chinese businessmen who have spent a long time in Moscow really admire:

That is, she may collect money and not extend credit, but she will genuinely help when something happens.

Look, there are a bunch of Russian tax police in the market, and even the paratroopers are just watching silently, but she doesn't hide or avoid them, and still comes over.

As soon as Section Chief Tang saw the man, he jumped up and started waving his arms frantically, shouting, "Hey, hey, Mr. Wang, you have to help us get the goods back!"

Wang Xiao pressed his hand down, signaling everyone to calm down: "Don't worry, I'm already here. Even if the market suffers a huge loss, we'll definitely get the goods back for you all out of our own pockets."

One impatient person said, "When is it? I have a customer coming from Kyiv who needs to pick up the goods and catch his train."

Wang Xiao smiled wryly: "We are legitimate businessmen, not gangsters. The Moscow government has changed its leadership, and we need to spend time maintaining new relationships, right? Okay, everyone, wait a bit. Don't worry, I'm telling you this now, I'll be in the market until your goods arrive, I absolutely won't leave. Perfect timing, we won't be idle either, you can make any requests or suggestions you have about the market."

Seeing her relaxed demeanor, the vendors' initial fear dissipated, and they began to offer their opinions all at once.

Some complained that the cafeteria food was bland and tasteless.

Some people find the market too boring, and after closing their stalls at night, there's nowhere to go for fun.

He emphasized, "Don't tell me to learn Russian by watching TV. I'm terrified of studying, which is why I came to Russia to do business."

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "Okay, it's under construction. The billiard room and karaoke room are both under construction. It will definitely meet everyone's work, life, and entertainment needs."

Someone even dared to ask, "Is there a place where we can play a couple of rounds?"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "No. I arrived in Moscow in 1991. In those two years, I saw countless people doing business like you. They were doing just fine, but then they went and gambled a couple of times. At first, they thought it was a small matter, but in the end, they went bankrupt, even murdered and robbed, and finally got shot."

“This is not a good idea. I don’t play myself, and I won’t build a casino for you to play in.”

"No matter how you look at it, gambling, prostitution, and drugs are all unethical ways to make money, and I don't do it. I also advise everyone not to get involved."

"Everyone has come all this way, to a place where they don't know anyone, just to earn more money so that they and their families can live a better life."

"There are countless ways to pass the time, you can do anything. We can bring more Hong Kong and Taiwan videotapes to the video arcade later, or you can exercise when you have nothing to do."

"Anyway, don't touch what you shouldn't, so you don't regret it later."

She wandered around the market, talking to the vendors in various languages.

By the time she got to the back, her feet were aching, and she felt like screaming, "Ugh! Ugh!"

Why is Ivanov still not done?

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The following information about the Soviet Union's single tax is sourced from the internet.

The reason Russia has such a small population is a product of the interplay of natural and historical factors. Firstly, the population was never large to begin with, and secondly, war and internal strife contributed significantly. Some estimates suggest that before World War I, Tsarist Russia had a population of approximately 170 million, which dwindled to 120 million after the war. Following the collapse of the Tsarist government and the establishment of the Soviet Union, the country experienced civil war, famine, and the Great Purge. It wasn't until 1939, before World War II, that the Soviet population recovered to approximately 160 million. Before it could even catch its breath, World War II caused further massive population losses, leaving the Soviet Union with only 150 million after the war, and even now, the Russian Federation has only about 140 million. It took Russia nearly 80 years to recover.

Although the Soviet Union initially championed the slogan of women's liberation and permitted abortion, the reality was far from ideal. The Soviet Union needed a large population to achieve its grand vision. Therefore, it focused heavily on increasing its population. In 1936, the Soviet Union enacted a new policy banning abortion. In the Soviet Union, abortion, or assisting a woman with an abortion, was a crime, punishable by up to two years in prison for serious offenses. However, abortion remained highly clandestine; unless the Ministry of Internal Affairs was deployed to monitor each case, the practice persisted. (In this respect, Romania went even further, with Law No. 770.)

Seeing that there were always ways to circumvent policies and that actual population growth was far from satisfactory, the anxious Soviet leadership devised another plan. In late 1941, as Moscow, the Soviet capital, teetered on the brink of collapse, the Soviet Union passed a new tax—the "single tax." According to the regulations, all men aged 20 to 50 without children and married women aged 20 to 45 without children were subject to this tax. The tax was based on the prevailing Soviet wage levels. Specifically, those earning less than 80 rubles per month, barely enough to support themselves, were exempt. Those earning 100 rubles or more paid 6% of their wages, with the tax deducted and paid directly by their employers to avoid a trip to the tax office.

The policies implemented from above were undoubtedly rigorous, but unfortunately, the Soviet Union's finances were chronically strained. On the surface, with a little spare cash, they aided poorer nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America in their global revolutions, while in reality, they insisted on competing with the wealthy United States, engaging in a massive arms race. Therefore, the promised benefits to Soviet citizens who had children were either subject to harsh conditions or involved kickbacks. Those who obeyed the organization and had children ended up with a lot of trouble, their suffering only known in the darkness of night, when they cried under the covers.

In short, given the overall situation, ordinary people, regardless of whether they care about world news or not, are perfectly aware of the situation. Therefore, the Soviet Union, as the big brother, did not achieve much in its efforts to crack down on childlessness and encourage people to have children.