Chapter 390 A Despised Fool: Home is Where the Heart Is

Since we're already here...

Unable to contain their curiosity, Wang Xiao and Ivanov sneaked into the small auditorium where the party meeting was being held; this was the party branch for the Russian employees.

The reason they didn't go to the Ukrainian party branch in the meeting room was simply because Wang Xiao and the others were afraid that if the Ukrainian Communist Party's emotions flared up, they would directly kill Ivanov, the Russian capitalist.

But once he arrived at the small auditorium, Wang Xiao suddenly realized what was happening.

That's not right. If class contradictions are greater than national contradictions, wouldn't the Communist Party of the Russian Federation be even more eager to get rid of Ivanov?

Ivanov also came to his senses and instantly became as docile as a quail, huddled in the last row of the small auditorium, not daring to utter a sound.

Fortunately, the party members at the conference were too busy to attend the election and had to reaffirm their oath of joining the party afterward, so they didn't have time to deal with the uninvited guests.

Just as Ivanov was preparing to come and go quietly, the newly elected Party branch secretary, Korotchenko—an old man with graying temples—took the initiative to call out Ivanov's name: "Mr. Ivanov, are you a Communist Party member?"

Ivanov's face instantly turned bright red, as if many years later, he was walking down the street covered in grease and bumped into his childhood sweetheart.

But the white moonlight remains unchanged, just as it was in the boy's memories.

This only served to highlight his own vulgarity and pathetic state.

Ivanov hesitated, stammering, "No, it's not."

Korotchenko asked gently, "When did you leave the party? And what were the reasons for your resignation?"

Ivanov stammered, "I...I...I've never been a party member."

The newly elected Party branch secretary was quite persistent, looking at him earnestly with his gray-blue eyes: "Why?"

"My grades are bad." The underachiever finally couldn't hold back and almost burst into tears on the spot. "To join the Party, you need to be in the top half of the class, and I don't meet the standard."

It's so embarrassing; this is his dark history.

Unexpectedly, Korotchenko sighed and said, "Mr. Ivanov, you and your family are truly upright, kind, and principled people."

Given Ivanov's family background, if he wanted to join the Party while still in university, he could easily pull off a backroom deal even with poor grades.

This is how the Soviet Communist Party was corrupted: joining the party was not for faith, but to gild one's own image.

Ivanov was deeply ashamed.

Actually, his family wanted to use connections to help him join the Party, because becoming a Party cadre while in university was still considered by mainstream society to be the most promising future.

However, by then he had already started doing business in private and did not want to be a party cadre trapped in an office, so he refused his family's arrangements.

If it weren't for this reason, he would have been wearing the Party emblem long ago.

There's nothing strange about it; for someone who grew up enjoying privileges, it's perfectly normal.

Privilege cannot cultivate truly upright individuals.

The factory manager stood far behind, not going forward to interrupt the conversation.

He simply sighed to his female boss, "Oh my, these Russians' love for the Party is so strong, it makes us feel ashamed."

He shook his head as he spoke, "It's not as good as it is, it's really not as good as it is."

Wang Xiao's lips curled up slightly: "What is lost and then regained is always more precious."

The factory director seemed deeply moved and added, "I now feel that our Party spirit education is weak and needs to be strengthened, and strengthened nationwide."

In the past few years, things were alright, especially when the Soviet Union had just collapsed, the emphasis on Party spirit education was particularly strict.

These past two years haven't been good; things have clearly relaxed. The clash of various ideologies in society has been particularly intense. It feels like education has become merely a formality.

The veteran Party member's heartfelt words were met with the boss's shake of his head: "Personally, I think it's unlikely we'll do this at this point in time."

The factory manager was taken aback: "Why?"

Although the government has started to focus on large enterprises and let go of small ones, abandoning those that cannot survive, either going bankrupt or being privatized, it shouldn't mean that the red flag has fallen.

That sounds a bit scary!

Seeing the factory director's momentarily terrified expression, Wang Xiao immediately explained, "Because we are actively integrating into the world economy. This year (Lunar New Year), we have officially started negotiations to join the WTO. The current world economy is dominated by capitalism. If you want to get a piece of the pie, you can't emphasize ideological differences; at least on the surface, you have to downplay that."

She pointed at Vice Mayor Huang and said with a smile, "If you don't believe me, ask the leaders. Doesn't the government place particular emphasis on united front work now?"

Vice Mayor Huang laughed and said, "Our General Manager Wang truly lives up to his reputation as a great entrepreneur; his qualities as an entrepreneur are beyond reproach."

He said this because at the Davos Forum, which just concluded in February, the CEO of Nestlé listed seven criteria for future business leaders: courage and vision; a willingness to continuously learn; the ability to manage public relations both inside and outside the company; creativity and the ability to encourage employee creativity; a holistic perspective; an understanding of cultures different from one's own; and political acumen.

Because Nestlé was one of the earliest foreign companies to enter China and is a world-renowned large enterprise, the president's speech was widely publicized and reported by Chinese media.

This was an inadvertent slap in the face to certain comments.

Because some people are very strange. They make solemn vows all day long, saying that foreigners do business by focusing solely on business and don't care about interpersonal relationships or politics.

In reality, such businessmen have no chance of growing their businesses, and their companies don't last long.

Just because you don't possess such abilities doesn't mean you can start spouting nonsense about these abilities being worthless and shouldn't exist.

Look at President Wang, isn't he a typical politically astute individual?

The ability to see through the logic behind national policy adjustments is a rare and valuable skill.

Vice Mayor Huang just smiled and said vaguely, "Focus on the big and let go of the small. With economic development as the center and a market economy in place, we must focus on the principal contradiction."

As for what the main contradiction is? Go read the government work report yourself.

He abruptly changed the subject, asking Wang Xiao in a low voice, "Perfect timing, since we've come this far. Mr. Wang, may I ask, what's the situation with the election in Russia?"

Many countries are holding elections for heads of state this year, with the US and Russian presidential elections attracting the most global attention.

The United States, needless to say, is now the de facto global leader.

As for Russia, its geopolitical situation and the typical ideological struggles among its candidates make it difficult for people not to pay attention.

He had initially thought that the Russian president would withdraw from the election or postpone it.

Because public opinion doesn't seem to be working well for him.

Moreover, his former ally in independence, Kravchuk of Ukraine, lost the presidential election in the Ukrainian general election in June 1994.

That should be a huge warning to the president of the Kremlin.

Unexpectedly, just two days ago, on February 15th, news came from Moscow that the president gave a speech in public and announced that he would participate in this year's election.

This makes the election situation in Russia even more unpredictable.

Vice Mayor Huang racked his brains to collect information and even obtained a lot of Russian newspapers, but because there were all sorts of conflicting opinions, he couldn't make a judgment about what would happen to his northern neighbor.

Wang Xiao shook his head, quite frankly: "I don't know! Even the Kremlin and the White House in Moscow can't say for sure, let alone us outsiders."

In fact, she knew more than Vice Mayor Huang; at least she knew that many people cried when the president delivered his campaign manifesto in public.

Because they were his supporters, his team members, and he was so weak, breathless and powerless, as if he would collapse at any moment.

To be fair, persuading such a frail and sickly elderly person to participate in the election is a cruel thing to do.

But capitalists are made of steel; they need him to stay in the Kremlin to ensure the safety of their assets. So even if he has only one breath left, he must remain firmly in the presidential seat.

If he were to die suddenly, Punonin, who controls the tax police and can mobilize the Ministry of the Interior's troops, could then rightfully take over the Kremlin.

Wang Xiao, of course, wouldn't mention such things here. She simply sighed and half-jokingly said, "The casinos have already started placing bets. Whoever wins, someone will profit, and someone will lose."

The factory manager, having recovered from his daze, eagerly pressed on, "So what are the poll results? Which poll is actually true?"

The voice he heard made it sound as if the next president would be Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

Wang Xiao shook his head again: "You can't trust polls 100% either. Different sample selections will yield vastly different results."

She sighed, "Now the regional differences in Russia are getting bigger and bigger. The European part, the Siberian part, and the Far East are like three different worlds."

The factory manager stopped worrying about it, waved his hand, and whispered, "Actually, things are fine as they are now."

The rise of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation to power was probably good news that made the Russians in the factory very happy.

But for the factory, it might not be a cause for universal celebration.

They might just do what Khrushchev did back then, issuing a direct order to recall all the Russian experts.

How can their factory then carry out production maintenance and technological upgrades?

Therefore, the best scenario is to remain unchanged; stability is essential for development.

Of course, he couldn't say this openly, otherwise it would be too offensive to the Russian experts.

If he put himself in the other person's shoes, he would be completely bewildered if he were asked to withdraw from the Party now.

To put it dramatically, it's like we've lost our home; the home in our hearts is gone.

He became an orphan.

Wang Xiao said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "So, Factory Director, you'd better take good care of their new home."

Vice Mayor Huang laughed along, saying, "That's the resilience of Communist Party members. If you lose your home, you rebuild it yourself."

Ivanov finally finished his conversation with Secretary Korotchenko, and with a file folder in his hand, he turned back, nodded to Wang Xiao, and said, "Let's go."

With the foundation laid by the Russian party branch, the group was less worried about Ivanov getting beaten up when they went to the meeting room to watch the election of the Ukrainian party branch.

But they were too late; the Ukrainian party branch had already closed down, and the party members wearing their party badges—which were specially commissioned from a nearby small hardware factory—were already wearing them.

Because when they withdrew from the Party, they had already discarded all these symbols. Even if they didn't discard them, they didn't bring them with them when they came to China.

Now, the Party members wearing their badges are standing solemnly together, singing along with the music.

Wang Xiao had assumed they would sing the Soviet national anthem, "The Unbreakable Union," but to his surprise, as the music began, the newly re-adopted Party members sang: "Вставай, проклятьемзаклеймённый..."

It's "The Internationale".

Ivanov could hardly hide the disappointment on his face.

Vice Mayor Huang quietly comforted him, saying, "This is the Soviet national anthem from before 1944."

Wang Xiao genuinely didn't know this.

Ivanov had learned about this topic during his student days, but he hadn't thought of it at all just now.

Now that someone had reminded him, he immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Yes, that was the real Soviet Union."

How could real Soviet Red Army soldiers commit rape and plunder?

They were Pavel Korchagin, Soviet political commissars charging into battle with large loaves of bread; they were true communist fighters who would never humiliate those oppressed by imperialism.

As he spoke, he joined in the singing.

Wang Xiao isn't very good at singing "The Internationale." She can barely hum the melody, but she can't remember the lyrics at all.

However, she didn't leave; she mainly stayed by her side, humming along.

As the last note faded, Ivanov stepped forward and shook hands with the newly elected party secretary of the Ukrainian branch.

Wang Xiao suddenly remembered something and turned to ask the factory director, "What about the Belarusian experts? Didn't they establish a Party branch?"

The Belarusians were the fewest among the group of Russian experts, but three people could form a party group, so they shouldn't be short of people.

Then a Russian expert came up next to us and emphasized in slow, broken Chinese: "We have not withdrawn from the Party. We have always been Communist Party members."

He spoke with undisguised pride.

Wang Xiao suddenly realized that Sanmao's situation was quite different from that of Damao and Ermao.

But who is she? She's the boss, a boss who always has to maintain a respectable demeanor and can't easily show weakness.

So she readily agreed, smiling broadly, and said, "What I mean is, do you want to set up a temporary Party branch? Otherwise, you won't be able to regularly participate in the study activities organized by the original Party branch, which might be inconvenient."

The Belarusian expert thought about it carefully and nodded to Wang Xiao: "What you said makes sense. I need to talk to them."

The factory manager immediately stated, "If you want to establish a temporary Party organization, just say so anytime. The factory will support you in everything."

This is great! With Party members keeping an eye on them, it will be much easier to resolve any conflicts that arise in the future.

Why?

Because regardless of the country's party constitution, there is a common requirement: to endure hardship first and enjoy comforts later.

Once the conflict over the distribution of benefits is resolved, all other conflicts become easier to resolve.

Perhaps due to geographical and climatic influences, Ukrainians are generally more outgoing than Russians.

After Ivanov finished talking with the Party branch secretary, other Ukrainian experts, who had put their Party badges back on, came over to chat with him.

Even when it was mealtime and we went into the cafeteria to eat, people would come over to greet us from time to time, and everyone had a happy expression on their face.

But after Wang Xiao and the others left, got into the car, and closed the door, Ivanov, who had been all smiles, suddenly became gloomy.

He looked even more gloomy than the sky outside the window, and his voice was low: "They don't know what the future holds either."

He had assumed that after the re-establishment of the Party organization, these Party members had already planned for the future.

But that's not actually the case. They still haven't broken out of the Soviet Union's predicament; they're simply trying to prolong the Soviet Union's life.

He even felt that these party members were not starting the struggle anew; they were merely seeking solace.

It's as if everyone is gathered here, studying old texts, as if the Soviet Union still exists.

No, this is not what he wanted.

He had such high expectations before entering the venue that the overwhelming disappointment was almost crushing him.

Wang Xiao stretched out her left hand and covered the back of his right hand, then used her right hand to turn his face towards her, and said earnestly, "Even solace for the soul is good."

There are three eternal questions in Western philosophy: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

Also known as the Three Questions of Life.

See, once you become a Party member and have faith, the answers to these three questions become readily available.

People will no longer get caught up in internal conflicts and can devote more time and energy to work and life.

How can this not be a good thing?

Ivanov nodded reluctantly: "Yes, I shouldn't have asked for too much."

Take it slow! Plant a seed of hope, and maybe one day it will grow into a towering tree.

Wang Xiao smiled and patted his head, encouraging him, "Think optimistically, under these circumstances, perhaps the fourth master of communist theory can be born."

The world's recognized

Marx and Engels established the basic theories of scientific socialism, laying the ideological foundation for the communist movement.

Lenin combined the basic principles of Marxism with the realities of Russia, led the October Revolution to victory, established the world's first socialist state, and promoted the development of Marxism.

Mao Zedong combined the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the specific realities of China, leading the Chinese revolution and construction to victory. He provided important lessons for the liberation movements of oppressed nations around the world and can be considered a guide for action in the Third World's communist movement.

The world has now entered a new phase. How to carry out a communist movement in an era that now seems warm and amiable, where the lives of workers and peasants are no longer openly considered meaningless, is a new challenge facing communists in capitalist countries in the new era.

Growing up in battle is the destiny of communists.

Ivanov forced a smile: "I hope so."

What else can we do? Launch a violent revolution?

So they will really become the target of public criticism. Why should they shed the blood that wasn't shed when the Soviet Union collapsed?

Wouldn't the now-disintegrated Soviet Union become another Yugoslavia, making all hope seem increasingly elusive?

Wang Xiao was also an absolute genius. When the plane landed at Jiangzhimen Airport, it was already the afternoon of Lunar New Year's Eve.

When her mother, Ms. Chen Yanqiu, saw people, she didn't even have time to scold them; she quickly pulled them to kowtow and worship their ancestors and Bodhisattvas.

This wasn't a custom in their family before; Communist Party members never did this.

However, Ms. Chen has now turned from the limits of science to metaphysics. She believes that her daughter's rebelliousness and refusal to have children is due to the bad feng shui of the family's ancestral graves.

She even considered going to her husband's hometown and repairing the ancestral graves of the Wang family.

Wang Tiejun grabbed her and told her not to make a fuss.

If this really happens, wouldn't his family be connected to his hometown? With those heartless bastards from his hometown, what kind of good children could they possibly have?

If this group of people comes to Jinning with the intention of taking advantage of the family's wealth, how will my family deal with it?

Accept your fate and stop making a fuss.

She'll never have to suffer in her husband's family for half her life, but now she'll have to endure all of that hardship.

Helpless, Chen Yanqiu had no choice but to invite a highly respected monk from the temple. Well, the standard for being a respected monk is that he charges quite a lot; a single session costs 3,000 yuan.

Fortunately, the person who took the money did the job. He took a compass and walked around her parents' ancestral graves for a long time before finally settling on an auspicious burial site and letting her move the graves there.

Her younger brother, Chen Yidong, had no objections.

Because the highly virtuous monk said that the location of this new grave would guarantee the prosperity of their entire family and that all their descendants would be successful.

His daughter, Chen Jingjing, is taking the college entrance exam this year, and he's hoping that his ancestral graves will emit auspicious smoke once again.

After relocating the graves, Chen Yanqiu felt it wasn't enough, so she specially sought out someone to teach her the rules of ancestor worship and also paid respects to the Bodhisattva.

Ivanov was so curious about this scene that he instantly forgot about communism and God and followed Wang Xiao around, bowing and scraping.

In the words of Comrade Chen Yanqiu, Ivan's attitude was more devout than that of his own daughter.

Wang Xiao had to remind her mother: "Mom, you can't swear during the New Year, or our family won't have any peace this year!"

Chen Yanqiu choked on her words and could only glare at her fiercely: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and serve the dishes! I don't have time to serve you."

Well, this is quite a hassle.

After offering the dishes to the ancestors, they should be taken off the table and then brought back up to offer to the Bodhisattva.

After the Bodhisattva has finished enjoying the food, it must be taken away again and then placed back on the table before people can sit down and eat.

All that back and forth cooking, and the steaming hot dishes all went cold.

What's the point? Do ancestors and deities have to be so particular? It's enough that the living have the intention.

Unfortunately, Wang Xiao doesn't dare to provoke her mother now, and only dares to whisper among herself. She would never dare to openly express her opinion.

Ivanov secretly comforted her, saying, "It's alright, it'll taste just as good after you heat it up."

Seeing the two of them huddled together, whispering to each other, made Chen Yanqiu even more heartbroken.

She really didn't know what was going on in Xiaoxiao's head.

Old Mao may be a playboy, but he really has Xiaoxiao in his heart.

If someone is willing to give their life for you, what more could you want?

Because throughout the summer, as the union chairperson of the steel plant, she was busy with the resettlement of the steel plant's laid-off workers and hardly ever came to Jiangzhimen.

Because her daughter deliberately kept it from her, she didn't find out what happened at the Moscow container market until August.

At that moment, she thought, "Ivan is fine with it; I'll take the child."

Besides, it's not like he's asking Xiaoxiao to marry him and have a child, so why is she so adamant about not doing it?

This is driving me crazy! This disobedient brat!

Wang Xiao shuddered at her mother's gaze and quickly changed the subject: "Hey, hey, hey, watch the Spring Festival Gala. Our band is performing today."

She's a really generous boss; when it comes to supporting singers, she genuinely invests a lot of resources.

She had just selected a boy band through a talent show and recorded an album, and then she asked Xiang Dong to find a way to get them into the Spring Festival Gala.

This is the 1996 Spring Festival Gala, a proper Spring Festival Gala that at least two-thirds of the people in the country would watch. Its prestige goes without saying!

Wang Xiao blurted out, "You guys are just afraid of trouble. Otherwise, why don't we go to the live Spring Festival Gala and spend the New Year in Beijing? Wouldn't that be great?"

Tickets for the Spring Festival Gala are indeed hard to come by, but for a sponsor, getting a few tickets is no problem at all.

As a result, she stirred up a hornet's nest. Ms. Chen Yanqiu immediately raised her eyebrows and said, "How dare you talk about this whole litter of cats? Who cares?"

Last year during the Spring Festival, in order to avoid her mother's pressure to get married and have children, Wang Xiao simply brought her cats and dogs home and called them her grandmother.

Unexpectedly, the cat grew up so fast. Last year it was still a kitten, and this year it became a mother, giving birth to five kittens in one go, fully demonstrating what it means to have an "introduction of offspring".

Then Chen Yanqiu broke down. She couldn't possibly leave the new mother and kittens at home, so she could only do her best to be a nanny and help take care of them.

She gritted her teeth and said, "You've never done anything that pleases me."

Wang Xiao immediately wilted, not daring to utter a single word.

Ivanov immediately became obedient.

He's a man who's incapable of getting Wang to have a child with him, yet he's able to even pick up a bowl at Ms. Chen Yanqiu's dinner table. It's only because Ms. Chen is an international friend that he's allowed him to do so!

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Good morning! [Let me see]