Chapter 230 If you guys aren't good enough, then forget it: You're really not cut out for it.

Ivanov's depression lasted only one night; the next day, he was back to his usual self.

Don't misunderstand, it's not that Russia's predicament has been resolved, nor that the war crisis has disappeared, but rather, as the saying goes, "beyond the sleeping dragon, there must be a phoenix chick."

Wang Xiao's comparison of the Russian president to her father, Comrade Wang Tiejun, is indeed accurate.

When it comes to making her so angry that her lungs hurt, the two of you are on the same level.

The day after returning to Jinning City, Wang Xiao woke up, ate, packed up, and prepared to leave.

Her main task upon returning to China was to go to Shanghai to check on the development of the newly acquired land; she didn't plan to stay at home for long.

Before she left, she asked her father how the preparations for leading the project to build houses for farmers in the countryside were going. She had already spoken with Secretary Fang of the provincial government. That would make things easier if there were any coordination issues later.

As a result, Wang Tiejun immediately assured her with confidence: "Don't worry, Xiaoxiao, I discussed this matter with the factory director yesterday, and the leadership team held another meeting this afternoon to finalize it. The factory has already communicated with the cement plant and construction company, and we have immediately contacted the township enterprises below. Construction can start at any time."

As Wang Xiao listened to him speak, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

In the end, she even had to interrupt her father: "Wait, do you mean you just go and build houses for people like this?"

Wang Tiejun was stunned by his daughter's question. He opened his mouth and said, "Yes, we were thinking of taking advantage of the time before the New Year to build a building first."

Wow, small houses in the countryside are easy to build. If you have the right people and machines, they can be built very quickly.

Wang Xiao's vision went black. She pinched her philtrum, took a deep breath, and called to her parents, "Please take me out."

Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu exchanged a glance, feeling that something was amiss, as if a storm was brewing; but they couldn't quite put their finger on it, and could only nod subconsciously: "Of course, we came back from the factory just to see you off."

Wang Xiao smirked and strode forward.

Ivanov was very perceptive; he dared not approach at all, for fear of being burned to ashes.

Ah! Life is only complete with regrets. Look, Uncle Wang and Aunt Chen make Wang's life so colorful!

Wang Xiao strode all the way to the entrance of the steel plant's residential area.

Fortunately, Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu were not office workers and were fairly quick on their feet, otherwise they really wouldn't have been able to keep up with their daughter.

They noticed their daughter staring at the vendors selling various snacks outside and asked curiously, "Xiaoxiao, what kind of snack do you want?"

Sigh, a girl will always be a girl. Even though she's grown up and has been working for so many years after graduating from university, she still has a sweet tooth and likes to eat snacks.

Wang Xiao pointed at the candied hawthorn skewers and asked the seller, "Hey, you have quite a lot of candied hawthorn skewers, it's quite rare to see them like this."

The candied hawthorn vendor smiled: "Hey boss, give me a skewer. Look at mine, this one is hawthorn, this one is orange, this one is apple, see, they're all different."

Wang Xiao then laughed, "Oh dear, there's too much, I can't finish it all."

"It's alright, it's alright." The vendor immediately turned the straw bundle holding the candied hawthorn sticks halfway around to reveal what was behind it. "Look, this one is short, with three fruits, and we also have three flavors."

Wang Xiao ordered a skewer.

Wang Tiejun quickly took out his wallet and paid the money, which was only half the price of a regular candied hawthorn.

But he felt the owner still made a profit, because each skewer was less than a third the size of a normal candied hawthorn.

Wang Xiao stood to the side, took a bite, and said to the stall owner with a smile, "Yours is good, it's different from everyone else's."

While giving change, the stall owner chuckled, "Of course. There's so much delicious food in Jinning City, and so many different kinds. Why don't you try something new? You don't even bother to look at the boss."

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded: "Then you go ahead with your business. I wish you great success."

Then, she lifted her foot and walked forward again.

There were people selling vegetables by the roadside ahead. They were selling fresh shepherd's purse, dandelion, and wild rapeseed, all of which were lush and vibrant.

Wang Xiao smiled and struck up a conversation with the old lady selling vegetables: "Grandma, why are you selling wild vegetables?"

The old woman immediately greeted her, "Boss, look, they're so fresh, just dug from the ground. You've had too much meat and fish, boss, have some wild vegetables to change things up."

Wang Xiao gestured for the person to weigh dandelions for her: "Grab two handfuls. Hey, why don't you grow vegetables to sell?"

The old woman quickly grabbed some vegetables and put them on the scale, explaining, "I see that all kinds of vegetables are grown here. You city people don't lack good food, but you don't eat wild vegetables much. Fresher ones are better."

Wang Tiejun quickly took out his wallet to pay the bill, then asked in confusion, "Xiaoxiao, are you taking this to Shanghai to eat?"

This girl is really not afraid of trouble.

Wang Xiao shook her head: "If I want to eat, I'll go to a restaurant and buy it for Mom."

Chen Yanqiu was both amused and exasperated: "Oh dear, can't we buy it ourselves? Why do you have to buy it for us?"

Seeing that the driver had brought the car over, Wang Xiao called to her parents, "Come on, Mom and Dad, get in the car."

Wang Tiejun said good-naturedly, "Alright, alright, we'll take you there."

Oh dear, a daughter is still a daughter, and she still loves her home.

The family of three got into the car, and Xiao Zhao instinctively tried to follow.

Lyuba immediately raised her arm to stop her.

Good heavens, can't Chinese men tell the difference between the height of eyebrows and eyes?

How is it that Miss Wang's father can still laugh happily now?

Didn't you see that their male boss had already made the sign of the cross on his chest, praying to God for protection?

Even the driver wisely got out of the driver's seat, leaving the car to Miss Wang and her family of three.

The car door closed, and the car became a quiet space. Wang Tiejun, who had been cheerful for many years, finally became alert, his sense of alertness cultivated during his family life coming online.

He realized something was wrong at least half a second earlier than his wife.

"Xiaoxiao—"

Wang Xiao raised her hand to stop him from continuing: "OK, Dad, Mom, let's talk about how to do business, or rather, how to move the business project forward."

"As you just saw, even in the smallest business, like setting up a street stall, the owner has to analyze the customers and then launch products that cater to their psychological needs."

"Dad, have you analyzed your customers? Have you done any research?"

Wang Tiejun was speechless for a moment. The feeling of being called on by the teacher to answer a question in Chinese class when he was a child came back to him, and his back was covered in cold sweat.

He stammered, "Our, our customers are all from rural areas, and their needs, well, are cheap."

Wang Xiao felt utterly powerless.

Wang Tiejun actually comes from a rural background.

But after working as a laborer for so long and living in the city for so long, he seemed to have completely forgotten about it.

"So, what are the family structures of your clients? What kind of apartment layouts do they need? Do they raise chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, or sheep? Where will the livestock pens be located? Where will the firewood be stored in the apartment building, and where will the grain be stored? Have you planned all of this?"

"For a three-generation family that hasn't separated, and where the elderly couple and their children and grandchildren don't want to eat from the same pot, how should the kitchen be arranged?"

"We've installed a flush toilet at home, but we still need farmyard manure, and we even want to use biogas. How should we set it up?"

"In rural areas where houses are built, grain is usually stored upstairs. Shouldn't we provide a simple transportation tool to make it easier for farmers and save them the trouble of carrying bags of grain upstairs?"

What is the local wind direction and climate? What precautions should be taken when building a house there?

Wang Xiao was exasperated: "I'm a native city dweller. The total time I've spent living in the countryside from childhood to adulthood probably doesn't exceed a year. Yet I can still think of so many things that require prior investigation, understanding, and preparation. I don't understand, Dad, how do you and your colleagues, all these leaders, think, 'OK, no problems at all, we can start building the house now'?"

"I really don't understand you guys. Why are you so weak-willed towards other companies that should be begging you for business? But you're so assertive towards customers who should be your gods, whom you should be chasing after for orders?"

"With your condescending and charity-like attitude, why should I, a farmer, pay you to build my house?"

"Is it because there are no bricklayers in the village, and you, Butcher Wang, are no longer here, that I have to eat pigs with hair on?"

"You guys need to get this straight! Township and village enterprises are not the same as state-owned enterprises! In state-owned enterprises, if you want to secure a housing project through collective fundraising, you need to get the top leader on your side and get their cooperation, then everything will be fine. But farmers are independent individuals. Township and village enterprises don't take care of their basic needs like food, drink, shelter, and housing. They spend their own money and don't need to listen to the factory manager! They generally have parents-in-law and grandparents above them."

"In the current rural family structure, the opinions of the elderly are also very important!"

“Have you considered this? You don’t consider anything at all. What’s the difference between you and the sales clerks at the old National Bank store? You have such arrogant faces, the goods are right here, take it or leave it. It’s like customers come here to spend money not to buy things, but to be treated badly.”

“Even the most respectable cadres who go to the countryside to help the poor, and who bring money and gifts, don’t dare to be as arrogant as you.”

"You're still out there making money off other people! What gives you the right to be so arrogant?"

“I’m asking you, what if the farmers ignore you and prefer to hire the bricklayers from their own village to build their houses? They can do that all they want, since they’re acquaintances of theirs.”

"What absolute advantage do you have that allows you to compete with them? Have you even thought about this question?"

Wang Tiejun was so angry he felt like his head was practically touching his belly button.

What is he thinking? His mind is completely blank right now.

Chen Yanqiu felt sorry for her honest husband and said cautiously, "Xiao... Xiao Xiao, the construction company is the one that actually builds the house. These things should be considered by the construction company."

Wang Xiao was extremely disappointed: "I already said yesterday that the steel plant is the one in charge. If you, as the initiators, don't even consider this, how can the construction company possibly? Who is really in charge here? As the project leaders, you are the ones who decide the project's direction! Alright—I won't waste any more words."

She rolled down the car window and beckoned to Ivanov, "Get in the car."

Ivanov was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe. He had initially been secretly gloating, thinking, "Ah, you're so powerful, but you still got what you deserved."

But seeing Wang Xiao's calm and even silent expression, he felt a pang of heartache.

Oh, poor Wang, without her parents to protect her, she has to brave the winds and waves on her own, and she still has to turn back and grab her parents to keep them from falling.

Wang Xiao instructed the driver, "Go to Jiangzhimen."

Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu exchanged a glance, both wondering if they should get off the bus.

Oh dear, everyone says you should be perceptive, but these two really don't know whether their daughter didn't tell them to get off the bus because she was too angry to speak or if she meant for them to keep following.

Ivanov reached out and gently pressed Wang Tiejun's shoulder, cautiously revealing a slight smile, and gently shook his head, signaling him not to get up.

Sure enough, the car started moving, and Wang Xiao didn't say anything else.

Upon arriving at Jiangzhimen, Wang Xiao put on a mask before getting out of the car, gestured for her parents to follow, and led them directly to the reception area: "Take a look at how they work."

The reception area has been completely upgraded and expanded into a large hall.

Each workstation has a computer, and the two receptionists work together seamlessly.

One person is responsible for communicating with clients, while the other is responsible for showing the printed brochures to clients and making changes to the designs on the computer at any time.

"Look, that's the most basic one. We don't have a sample yet, but they've already designed a sample based on the customer's needs. This way, the customer can see a schematic diagram of the finished product."

"It's the same with building a house. Before construction begins, customers also want to know what the finished product will look like."

"That's the answer to what I just asked: where do your advantages lie?"

“You are a large-scale factory. You have humbled yourselves and truly gone deep into the countryside to build houses for farmers and provide door-to-door service. This has made the farmers feel that you are doing this in a serious manner, that you are serving them, and that you are genuinely respecting them. They will be touched by this.”

"This is an advantage that the urban-rural divide brings you. For example, when foreigners in China want to cut hair, there are many people willing to try it."

"Besides that, there's the advantage of a large company size. Rural bricklayers have limited resources; they can't have the specialized personnel to do this kind of design and modeling like a formal real estate company."

"You should have seen the schematic diagram and model before the property was launched; it's exactly like that. Bricklayers can't do it, but you can."

“Showing these things to clients makes them feel valued. It can even make them feel that even if they don’t fully understand how it works, it’s really impressive and they’re willing to try it.”

She pointed forward, "It's been two and a half years since we opened the door to do business. This is the most basic thing. I'm very confused. Why can so many of you ignore even the most basic work that we see every day? If you were building houses for foreign companies, would you dare to be so negligent?"

"Or do you still think that only foreign businessmen should be treated with such respect, while farmers don't deserve it?"

"Is it that farmers' money is cheaper than foreign money, or do you see farmers as inherently cheap, someone who pays to beg you?"

She spoke very softly and very quickly.

She was so afraid of swearing that she was fed up with these guys!

"After thinking about it, I realized that the reason you can be so high-handed is simply because you are fearless and always have someone to back you up. You don't have to worry about going hungry."

"It's that typical old lady's doting son mentality. He's useless and doesn't even think about working hard, he just wants to save up for his old lady's funeral. Anyway, when he runs out of money, he'll go to his old lady, beg and cry, and she'll feel sorry for him and try to find a way to give him some money."

"But the old lady doesn't work anymore, so where does she get the money? Isn't it the retirement money her other children give her?"

"By the same token, the government does not make money. No government in any country makes money. The government's money comes from the people."

"When you ask the government for money, you're taking money from the pockets of other ordinary people!"

"These other ordinary people include the farmers you don't take seriously at all, those you think don't need to pay any attention to, those you don't even need to look at as equals, those you look down on!"

After venting his anger, Wang Xiao casually tossed out a sentence, "You don't need to worry about the business in Xiaozhou. Just focus on doing a good job here. I've already arranged for people to handle things over there."

Well, this time she's finally seen the truth.

Her parents have reached a point where they're pretty much done; pushing them any higher would be unbecoming of their position and would only harm others.

We'll see if there's an opportunity to transfer them to government agencies so they can retire peacefully and collect their pensions.

Of course, the biggest problem still lies with the steel mills.

Not only do they not know how to find orders themselves, but when orders are delivered to them, the entire leadership team holds meetings and discusses things, but what do they come up with? They don't even think of doing the most basic things.

Wang Xiao held back for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Dad, you two need to go back and calm down and think about what the future of the steel plant should be. The way you are, to put it bluntly, you're basically uncompetitive in the market. If I need to choose partners, I'm not going to choose you. You can't rely on anyone; you're like beads on an abacus, only moving when you push them. You're making money off me, and I still have to worry about you and watch your faces? Am I crazy?"

"We really can't keep up with the old mindset of the planned economy! Not to mention comparing with foreign countries, just look at how many small and medium-sized steel plants have sprung up in China in the last two years."

"Yes, they are small in scale, not as big as established manufacturers like yours. But they are flexible in their operations; as long as there is a profit, they can lower prices."

"Is your technological advantage truly so far ahead? Are your flagship products truly powerful enough?"

"Without government policy support, can you compete with others? With foreign steel mills and private enterprises?"

"In 1992, the country talked about the market economy. Now it's 1994. If the steel mill is still living in the old dream, then when it goes bankrupt and liquidates its assets, remember to call me. I'll see if I can buy the land on the factory site. This is my last act of tenderness as a child of the steel mill."

Wang Xiao called out to the driver, who was keeping a safe distance, "Could you please take my parents back to the steel factory?"

As for her and Ivanov, they naturally flew directly from Jiangzhimen to Shanghai.

Actually, this route didn't exist before.

However, with the increasing number of resellers and dealers at Jiangzhimen, many people expressed a strong interest in Shanghai.

Why is this? Because Moscow's television station imported "Shanghai Bund." Although it wasn't on Channel 1 and its reach didn't extend to all CIS countries, it was still quite popular.

Sales of coats and white scarves have also increased significantly.

The traders were interested, so they applied for a flight route in Zhimen and were approved to operate three flights a week.

Wang Xiao and his group took this flight to Shanghai.

Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu were deeply traumatized and passed away dejectedly.

Wang Xiao looked at Yu Xin with pity: "Alright, if you can't handle this, then don't. Let the people who should step up step up. The reason you two are in these positions is because of the real benefits you brought to the factory. No matter how those benefits came about, without you, the steel factory wouldn't have received those benefits. You don't owe anyone anything. Don't bully honest people like that. Your job responsibilities don't include finding orders for the steel factory."

Wang Tiejun, an eighth-grade fitter, became the deputy factory director, primarily responsible for the factory's production.

Not to mention Chen Yanqiu, a union chairman.

"Don't think you should shoulder everything, or that you're just a deadbeat if you can't consistently bring in orders and business. If that's how you do things, then a whole bunch of you should be hanging yourself."

She sneered, "But did they eat one less bite of food or drink one less drop of alcohol?"

After seeing the person off to the car, Wang Xiao turned around and called Feng Zhonglin.

There's no need for a mobile phone. With today's mobile communication signals, a mobile phone is just a pretty and expensive toy; its effect on showing off far outweighs its practical value.

Feng Zhonglin was just holding a meeting with his subordinates when he received a call from his boss.

The person on the other end said, "Mr. Feng, let's form a team. We'll build houses for the employees of township enterprises."

Feng Zhonglin chuckled: "Oh, is Jiangdong's business demand too high, and our Jinning Steel Plant can't handle it?"

Wang Xiao really wanted to sigh.

If she weren't worried about upsetting the elderly couple too much, she would have kept the person there to answer the phone.

Listen to this, this is the mindset of a normal businessman.

Everyone knows it's lucrative and profitable, but they assume it's already on your plate, which is why they don't touch it.

In front of outsiders, Wang Xiao had to save face for her parents and Jinning Steel Plant no matter what, so she readily agreed: "Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, but Jinning Steel Plant is no exception. We've already done more than enough by giving them the Jiangdong orders. We can't just not get a drop of soup, can we?"

Feng Zhonglin laughed out loud: "That's right, that's right. We also have a bunch of employees waiting for their year-end bonuses. Perfect timing. I'll ask them again. A lot of factory workers wanted to build those European-style villas, and some even wanted to build Hui-style houses. It's a pity the village bricklayers don't know how, otherwise they would have already built them. I wonder if they've changed their minds. If they have, I'll find someone to redesign and make a budget."

Wang Xiao immediately agreed: "Yes, ask around. It's not easy for people to build a house. We can't let them spend a lot of money and then feel unhappy."

After hanging up the phone, Ivanov asked curiously, "Do you need us to find him someone else?"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "President Feng has almost completed all the preliminary preparations. He's just waiting for Jinning Steel Plant to come to him so he can cooperate directly."

Ivanov raised his eyebrows in surprise, then exclaimed with elation, "Your Majesty, a treasure! We've truly struck gold! God, who wouldn't want to work with someone like that?"

Wang Xiao nodded in agreement.

If Feng Zhonglin hadn't been so ambitious and daring as to contract out the counter to a private individual, which resulted in him being ousted from the leadership of the People's Department Store, they wouldn't have had the chance to discover this treasure.

Therefore, state-owned enterprises are not lacking in talent; rather, if talented individuals do not have the opportunity to utilize their abilities, they will vote with their feet.

Ivanov was overjoyed.

Regardless of whether the Jinning subway project can be started, as long as they undertake rural housing projects in Jiangbei Province, they can support the Kuznetsk Steel Plant.

"Timber," Ivanov laughed. "The timber from the Romanian forests is also getting big orders."

In order to cope with Romania’s high inflation and the trouble of currency exchange, Wang Xiao instructed Ruan Xiaomei to establish joint ventures with several forest farms in Romania at the first opportunity when state-owned forest farms were privatized, through holding or equity participation, to produce timber for the European and Chinese markets.

Wang Xiao smiled and shook his head: "Then we might not necessarily lack this order. International timber prices have been rising from last year to this year, and the timber currently stockpiled in China is small-diameter, non-standard timber, while large-diameter, high-quality timber is still in short supply."

Ivanov spread his hands, a beaming expression on his face: "Then congratulations to us, we've made a wise investment."

Wang Xiao nodded: "Yes, Romania can be a long-term partner. Even if its own industry develops and resources are no longer scarce, it will still be very suitable as a bridge connecting Europe. In the future, when we conduct formal trade with Europe and the United States, we will have an advantage in terms of tariffs."

My God! How heartbreaking. After living in Moscow for so long, even the term "formal trade" sounds so distant.

Ivanov was momentarily stunned before nodding, "Yes, I hope that day comes soon."

He was thinking that if Romania had overcome its difficulties, then shouldn't his homeland, Russia, also be able to enjoy a period of abundant resources?

I really hope, I really hope that day will come soon.