Chapter 449 Of course, we should wait for it to come to us: You're so smart!

The atmosphere instantly became tense, and the bodyguards were on high alert, keeping a close eye on the military water bottle in the old Communist Party member's hand.

Just kidding, whatever's in that kettle, even if it's just water, it absolutely must not be spilled on Mr. Ivanov.

Otherwise, what if their boss reacts so strongly that he strips them naked and throws them into the river for a bath?

Mr. Ivanov is now the Deputy Prime Minister, so he has to be mindful of his image.

In contrast, Ivanov was the most relaxed person.

He even reached out to shake hands with the old Russian Communist Party member, but the latter glanced at him and made no attempt to take his hand.

Ivanov didn't retract his hand, but looked at the other person with a sincere expression: "Sir, last autumn I visited Mr. Zyuganov to ask him how to solve the predicament of rural Russia. I strongly agree with some of his views, such as implementing a comprehensive agricultural development program, rebuilding rural production and social infrastructure, and promoting rural development."

He mentioned Zyuganov, and the old Communist Party member opposite him became even more wary, scoffing, "You people are all talk and no action."

Ivanov, still holding his hand up and not turning his head, continued as if he didn't feel the soreness in his arm: "I also asked Mr. Zyuganov to share the findings of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation's research on why people are unwilling to cultivate farmland and start family farms to increase their family income."

“Mr. Zyuganov told me that the human and material resources required for family farms, such as agricultural machinery, are generally unaffordable for ordinary families. That’s why he wanted to restore large-scale agricultural production and the collective economy, and restore crop rotation to all agricultural land.”

"Although I do not agree with large-scale agricultural production and the collective economy, because it has been proven that it is inefficient. During the Soviet era, we had such vast farmlands and such fertile black soil, but we still had to import grain because of low production efficiency. The yield per unit area of ​​Dacha was much higher than that of the collective farms."

"But I agree with the Communist Party members, sir. Like you, they are pragmatic and hardworking people. They went door-to-door and conducted detailed investigations. I believe that the results of their investigations are consistent with the reality of rural Russia."

"Therefore, the government must tackle the toughest challenges, eliminate everyone's concerns, and encourage people to turn land into wealth for themselves and their families. Achieving this requires the joint efforts of all of us."

“When I asked Mr. Zyuganov to share the findings of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation with me, I told him that Russia and the Russian people do not have time. We cannot wait five years until another presidential election is held and he comes to power again before the results of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation’s work are revealed. We must act immediately.”

“Sir,” Ivanov stretched his hand forward again, “I want to say the same thing to you now. Rural development requires the efforts of all of us; everyone must contribute their share. Although we have different political views, we can find common ground despite our differences. Because we share the same goal: to ensure that Russians can live better and better lives.”

He sighed. "The Soviet Union has collapsed. Russia must not become another Yugoslavia, splitting up again. Let us put aside our differences and get things done. The people of this country should not suffer from turmoil."

In the end, the unshaven old Soviet Communist Party member shook Ivanov's hand, but his attitude was not very warm, and his voice seemed to still be in the Siberian winter, completely untouched by the bright sunshine, and was stiff: "Sir, I hope you are not just spouting slogans."

Then, ignoring the reactions of Ivanov and the local officials, he continued walking away, swaying slightly, with his military water bottle.

The local official felt embarrassed and had lost face in front of his superiors, so he quickly changed the subject: "Ladies and gentlemen, our agricultural machinery repair station is just ahead, and it's open for business now."

The Siberian region has the advantage of abundant natural resources, including forests, minerals, and wildlife. However, it also has significant disadvantages: a sparse population, harsh climate, and extremely high transportation costs.

Objective conditions dictate that farm enterprises must adhere to the core principle of "using local resources, consuming locally, and minimizing reliance on transportation."

This agricultural machinery repair shop follows this route, and its daily business scope includes repairing tractors, trucks, and sawing equipment.

Wang Xiao asked with curiosity, "How did you attract these skilled workers?"

The agricultural machinery repair station, which is about 100 square meters in size, had six or seven workers busy at work.

Considering that rural Siberia is sparsely populated and skilled workers have a real skill ceiling, having so many people to do the work is indeed quite a lot.

The local official shook his head: "Normally there's only one retired worker here, but today is Saturday, so there are so many people."

Wang Xiao subconsciously turned to look at Nemtsov, who smiled and nodded: "Yes, the Sunday Engineer."

During his inspection of township enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta, he heard countless stories about the "Sunday Engineers".

If every story of an ordinary person's growth inevitably involves a mentor who guides them through life, then the Sunday engineer is that mentor for the township enterprise.

It is no exaggeration to say that without them, in that era of severe urban-rural polarization, there would have been absolutely no rise of township enterprises.

Nemtsov had initially only listened to "The Sunday Engineers" as a story, offering a few words of praise.

But when he returned to Russia and started a farm business in Siberia, he was overwhelmed by a lack of skilled workers. Suddenly, he thought of the Sunday engineer and had a sudden epiphany.

Yes!

These reclaimed and newly established farms are mostly inhabited by migratory residents who only come to the countryside on weekends to tend to their farmland, vegetable gardens, and country houses.

Their lifestyle dictates that they only have time to come and repair their farm tools on weekends.

On weekends, when factories in the city are off work, these engineers and experienced technicians can take advantage of this time to go to the countryside to do a second job, filling the gap in the shortage of technical personnel in rural areas.

Wang Xiao was amazed and gave Nemtsov a thumbs up, sincerely praising him: "You're really amazing, you even thought of this."

What does it mean to adapt to local conditions? This is a perfect example of adapting to local conditions!

Her eyes were so bright, her smile so radiant, as if the Siberian sun were shining upon her.

Nemtsov was so embarrassed by her praise that he blurted out, "Our next plan is to attract more retired engineers and workers."

If you were to ask who is having the hardest time in Russia right now, without a doubt, it would be the retired elderly. Their meager pensions are simply not enough to support them.

But because of their age, it's not easy for them to find a job in the city—there are countless young college graduates and healthy young people competing with them for jobs.

Bringing these elderly people to the countryside can, on the one hand, allow them to farm and grow vegetables, reducing their living costs; on the other hand, it can help fill the labor shortage caused by the large-scale loss of rural population.

For example, the idea that people should rest and enjoy life after retirement is completely abandoned by Nemtsov after seeing elderly people in the Yangtze River Delta region, many of whom are in their seventies and eighties and still busy working.

People need to have something to do; only when they have something to do can their lives be fulfilling, and they won't just wander around drinking all day long.

That being said, this massive farm still has its own winery, and what's more, it also makes its own vinegar—well, that's not surprising.

There's a saying that goes, "If it's brewed well, it's called 'wine brewing'; if it's brewed poorly, it's called 'cellar vinegar'."

Have you heard of Hengshun Vinegar? Its founder was originally a distillery owner who made a liquor called Baihua Wine. The leftover materials from brewing were thrown away, but they were used to make vinegar. As a result, the vinegar sold even better than the liquor.

Vinegar is also a very common condiment in the traditional Russian diet, often used to make vinaigrette, pickle cucumbers, or eaten directly with fish or meat.

In this respect, they are typical of European practices.

What truly surprised Wang Xiao was that this brewery was still drying soybean paste, and they were also brewing soy sauce.

In traditional Russian cuisine, there is no place for soybean paste or soy sauce. They typically use tomato sauce for seasoning.

Nemtsov said with pride, "Egg sauce, now everyone likes to use egg sauce as a dipping sauce."

This is a typical Northeastern Chinese eating habit; people in the Yangtze River Delta region don't eat like this, and he didn't learn this trick during a research trip.

Instead, when he was reporting to Moscow, Ivanov treated him to Chinese food, which he immediately loved. The fresh vegetables dipped in egg sauce were simply irresistible.

Then he tasted fish cooked with soybean paste, braised pork belly and potatoes, as well as braised cabbage and tofu.

He felt as if a whole new world had been opened to him, and he immediately decided that he must promote the production of soybean paste in rural Siberia—it could enrich the taste buds of the desolate inhabitants of Siberia.

Fortunately, this area is a major producer of soybeans.

Of course, the key process in making soybean paste is fermentation, which requires high temperature and humidity control. Theoretically speaking, the natural conditions in Siberia are not suitable for this.

However, the Chinese farmers on the outskirts of Moscow had long since adapted to local conditions and developed a method for brewing soybean paste that was suitable for the cool climate.

They came over as technical advisors and stayed for a few days before starting to make Siberian soybean paste using makeshift methods.

Nemtsov's method of promotion was very simple: on the day the new residents arrived, during the group meal, he provided everyone with dipping sauces and stewed pork belly with potatoes and soybean paste. Immediately, some people became curious and were willing to buy soybean paste from the brewery to take home.

As for soy sauce, that's another story. Its production method comes from Watanabe Taketa, yes, the same Watanabe-kun from Mitsui & Co.

His hometown is in Hokkaido, which is separated from Sakhalin Island by the sea and is extremely cold. But the local soy sauce is quite famous. How is it made?

Annoyed by Ivanov's constant phone calls, and hoping that Japanese eating habits could influence Russia as a form of cultural transmission, Watanabe finally provided his hometown's secret recipe, and soy sauce was brewed in Siberia.

It was accepted by local residents more quickly because Siberians are very accepting of Asian-style dumplings, and soy sauce became their dipping sauce for dumplings.

Nemtsov is ambitious: "MTV has a program that teaches cooking, and these ingredients are used. If we expand our business, we can sell them to other regions."

Because of MTV's programming focus, it is more popular in Siberia and the Far East, far from the political, economic, and cultural centers, than Channel 1 or even NTV, which have a wider reach.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Then I'll wait until next time I come to have a big meal here."

Nemtsov was not a star governor who had achieved success in his local area. When he came to the rural areas of Siberia to start a farm enterprise, he was incredibly meticulous in his thinking.

Most residents here have to return to the city after the weather gets cold, so what happens to their poultry and livestock?

Nemtsov even set rules for this kind of thing, which is that the agricultural service center will raise the animals on behalf of the farmers.

For example, if you buy chicks, ducklings, and piglets from the agricultural service center in June and raise them at home for four months, but find it too cold here and have to return to the city, then you can directly transfer them to the agricultural service center for them to raise.

How should this substitution be performed? How should the expenses and benefits be calculated?

Simple!

If it were a pig, there's no doubt it couldn't be raised for several years. By the end of the year, a mature and sensible pig would know it's time to go to the dinner table.

When you hand over your pig to the service center, it weighs 70 jin (35 catties). Once the pig is processed into meat, you will receive 35 jin (17.5 catties) of meat.

Did the original farmers lose money? That depends on your perspective.

On this fertile black soil, plants can grow wildly as long as the techniques are right.

Beets for feed have an amazing yield, are sweet and juicy, and are especially loved by pigs. They pair exceptionally well with potatoes, making them excellent for fattening pigs.

Alfalfa and peas, along with soybean meal left over from soybean oil extraction and kale, constitute the main feed sources for summer farming.

In short, as long as you are diligent and cultivate a few more acres of land, you can raise fat pigs to your own consumption without buying feed.

As a result, some people naturally feel that they have raised pigs and eaten meat without incurring any costs, which is a great deal.

As for the chickens and ducks, they will spend the winter at the service center, and the residents who return to the farm will take them back when the weather warms up next year.

During this process, the eggs laid by the chickens and ducks belong to the service center, which is considered as payment from the farmers to the service center.

Wang Xiao listened with admiration, repeatedly giving Nemtsov a thumbs-up and praising his skill.

Nemtsov's cheeks ached from the praise, and even Ivanov felt a pang of jealousy.

When it was completely dark, the group, whose legs were about to give out from walking, ate dinner and returned to their lodgings.

As soon as the door closed, Ivanov was about to unleash the groans he had been building up all the way when Wang Xiao grabbed his neck.

The latter kissed him passionately, full of praise: "Ivan, you are so smart, you are the wisest person I have ever met!"

Ivanov was dizzy from the kisses. Although his first emotional reaction was to involuntarily curl his lips upward, his remaining rationality left him completely bewildered—where was his intelligence and wisdom? How come he couldn't see it?

Wang Xiao's hand was around his neck, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "How did you come up with the idea of ​​asking Zyuganov for reference materials?"

Ivanov then came to his senses, but with a touch of smugness: "Because he treats the countryside as a vote bank."

If you were to ask people in Russia who most wish to return to the Soviet era, without a doubt, the highest percentage would be farmers.

In the Soviet era, collective farms paid farmers wages, which were up to 80% of what workers earned. Farmers preferred to live a collectivist lifestyle.

This social reality meant that if Zyuganov wanted to be elected president, the first people he needed to win over were the farmers.

Whether he can address the urgent needs of farmers is debatable, but he certainly thinks about what farmers think.

"I estimate that no one in Russia understands the actual situation in rural areas better than the Communist Party, and they are willing to do voluntary labor to conduct door-to-door surveys."

Ivanov sighed, "If I don't ask them for help, I can't count on anyone else. There's no funding; the White House can't afford this research."

Despite the enthusiasm of foreign investors for the Russian financial market, the government's finances are actually a cycle of borrowing new money to repay old debts, and it is constantly facing financial difficulties. Otherwise, they wouldn't have turned to Soros for personal short-term loans to solve their urgent problems.

Seeing him become melancholy again, Wang Xiao cupped his face and emphasized, "Spend money where it's necessary, and save money where it's possible. God, how clever you are! Even if you tied the entire White House and the Kremlin together, they still wouldn't be as clever and wise as you! Only you can gather all the forces together to get things done."

Ivanov couldn't help but smile again at her praise, but he still pretended to be modest: "We were forced into this situation. You have no idea how bad this mess is."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "This is just a matter of overcoming one obstacle after another. Who doesn't have a mess to deal with? It's just a matter of who can hold on until the end."

They traveled non-stop, visiting 12 demonstration sites from Siberia to the Far East.

What impressed Wang Xiao was that these farm enterprises were indeed quite honest, and their primary concern was that their products and services could be sold locally.

They even built their own bakeries to produce bread, sausages, cheese, pastries, and other everyday foods, saving them the expense of shipping them locally, where they still couldn't get fresh produce.

In addition, almost every location has brick kilns and precast concrete panel plants, resulting in localized building material production. Frankly speaking, due to limitations in production scale and technology, their production costs are certainly higher than those of large enterprises.

But their low transportation costs are undeniable, and although locally produced goods are less efficient, they still possess a strong competitive advantage.

Wang Xiao looked around and kept praising what he saw.

Whether it's a small timber processing plant (the kind that produces local building materials and furniture), a wild berry, mushroom, and nut processing workshop (making dried fruit and preserves), a small fish processing point (smoking, pickling, and making dried or canned fish from the fish caught), or a fur processing workshop (cleaning, tanning, and pre-processing the fur collected by hunters); in his mouth, they all become incredibly eloquent, almost like they're the best in the world.

Nemtsov felt like the smile on his face never left.

He couldn't help but feel envious, jealous, and even hateful towards Ivanov.

Good heavens, what kind of life does this guy live every day?

If someone is always by your side, affirming and praising you, looking at you with amazement, you feel like you can fly to the heavens, and the sun is practically shoulder to shoulder with you!

But Nemtsov was, after all, a seasoned politician, and he forced himself to stand firm: "Oh, Miss Wang, you have to give us your opinions. I know very well that we are just getting started, and we have many problems."

"But you're also constantly solving problems," Wang Xiao said with a smile, pointing to the distant railway tracks where a train was rattling past.

Okay, it wasn't fast; describing it as whizzing by would be an exaggeration, but it still steadily moved towards its destination.

"While you are organizing production and meeting the needs of local residents, you are also saving valuable transportation capacity so that trains can be used to transport more important supplies."

There's no other way. Although everyone knows that to get rich, you have to build roads first, Russia's current financial situation means the government simply doesn't have the capacity to invest in large-scale railway construction. Just maintaining the existing railway system is already a huge strain on the White House.

In this situation, what should we do? We should concentrate our efforts on accomplishing major tasks.

For supplies that can be obtained within a short, close-range area, use simple vehicles—well, like three-wheeled motorcycles and electric scooters.

Because they are cheap, they are now very popular in rural areas of Siberia and the Far East.

The question of how to get through the winter, which Wang Xiao and his group had been very worried about, was not an issue here. This is because rural production here is concentrated in the warmer period from May to September. After the snow and ice cover the land, everyone generally returns to the city, and these rural transportation tools are no longer needed.

In short, their existence alleviated the problem of strained train capacity in Siberia and the Far East.

What should we do with the spare capacity? We can't just let it go to waste.

Wang Xiao suggested, "Self-sufficiency is only the first step. Productivity will develop and production capacity will expand. The next step, or rather, starting now, Mr. Nemtsov, is to consider exporting products to the Asia-Pacific market."

Russia, or rather the Soviet Union, traditionally exported the vast majority of its products, including agricultural and sideline products, to Europe.

From a transportation perspective, the Asia-Pacific region is actually more suitable for exporting products from Siberia and the Far East.

"Items like timber and seafood were the main commodities in the previous barter trade between China and Russia. Later, due to the devaluation of the ruble, production stopped and the supply of goods could not be met, so the trade was interrupted. This does not mean that the commodities were eliminated by the market."

"Now that you're organizing production, as long as you have a stable supply of goods, you'll be able to find buyers."

"Besides timber and seafood, we can also export pre-processed furs. With increased agricultural production capacity, agricultural and livestock products can still be exported."

She sighed, "Russia needs to find ways to expand its export markets and increase the variety of its exports. It cannot rely entirely on energy. Otherwise, if international oil prices fall, the impact on the economy will be too great, which will be detrimental to the stability of the entire country."

Nemtsov listened attentively, nodding and frantically taking notes.

Russia's future definitely needs more detailed planning; it can't always be reacting to every problem as it arises, constantly scrambling and in disarray.

They chatted as they went to the restaurant to eat.

Good heavens, exhaustion really does increase appetite; everyone's appetite increased.

When Wang Xiao ate cornbread with stewed fish in soybean paste, she didn't know if this was a dietary habit brought by farmers from Northeast China when they came to reclaim wasteland—speaking of which, do people in Northeast China eat cornbread? She only knew that people in Xuzhou did.

Anyway, this is how everyone eats here now. Besides stewing fish, pheasant stewed with mushrooms, and even when making traditional borscht, everyone does it this way because it's convenient to cook everything in one pot. When the dishes are ready, the rice is ready too, and everyone can eat them together hot.

Wang Xiao ate two whole wheat pancakes and was about to eat the third when her assistant came over with a satellite phone.

She was a little surprised. Had the assistant actually asked for the wrong person? Was it Ivanov?

As the president's image advisor, it is perfectly normal for Ms. Tyachenko to have professional interactions with the deputy prime minister.

The assistant replied decisively, "Boss, it's you I'm looking for."

Wang Xiao said "Oh," wiped her hands and mouth, and then answered the phone.

Oh dear, she didn't even finish her meal. She's really unlucky.

On the other end, Dyachenko was too preoccupied to eat; she couldn't swallow anything.

Upon hearing Wang Xiao's voice, she urged impatiently, "My dear Wang, please come back quickly, I beg you. If you don't come back soon, Moscow will be in chaos."

Wang Xiao quickly called out, "My dear friend, what are you talking about? What do you mean by 'turning the world upside down'? Don't scare me. When did war start?"

Dyachenko was so anxious he almost stamped his feet: "It's almost like a war. Gusinsky and Potanin have already started making their move."

Why did they fight? Because the bidding process had already ended.

On July 25, the bidding process for the Russian Telecommunications Investment Company was held as scheduled. Gusinsky offered $1.71 billion, while Potanin offered $1.87 billion.

Without a doubt, the latter won.

Gusinskiy could not accept this result and immediately flew into a rage, threatening to teach them a lesson.

Even before the bidding began, the two had been engaged in various open and covert struggles, creating a tense atmosphere that was on the verge of exploding, which made the Kremlin feel uneasy.

The president even sent his presidential affairs committee director, Yumashev, to talk to the oligarchs beforehand, telling them not to make a fuss, to resolve business issues commercially, and not to turn it into a media war, otherwise, it would be creating problems for the government.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

Feeling that he hadn't gained a single ruble from the 1995 auction and had now been tricked again, Gusinsky was furious.

His NTV played a big role in the presidential election. He worked so hard and spent a lot of money, but in the end he got nothing?

No business is done this way.

Wang Xiao wanted to sigh when he heard this; greed really has no end.

In fact, Gusinsky got what he wanted.

Last year, shortly after his re-election, the president signed an executive order granting NTV the right to broadcast 24 hours a day.

This means that NTV can earn more money and exert greater influence.

However, she did not interrupt Diachenko's eloquent speech.

The latter was extremely anxious: "Miss Wang, you have to come back. Gusinsky and Berezovsky have joined forces and they're attacking us on television."

This embarrassed Dyachenko, because she had spoken well of Berezovsky to her father when he wanted to get a position in the Kremlin.

Wang Xiao was well aware that Berezovsky was Diachenko's investment advisor; it wasn't a big secret.

She wouldn't expose him at this time and embarrass the president's daughter.

She simply said with a sigh, "What can I do in Moscow? I promised long ago that I wouldn't interfere in the affairs of the telecommunications investment company."

"No, my dear, don't underestimate yourself. Only you can convince them now."

Dyachenko emphasized, "When you were in Moscow, no matter who they were, they didn't dare to go too far."

She clearly remembers that in last year's presidential election, the real mastermind was actually Wang.

Her forceful and skillful tactics not only routed Zyuganov's Communist Party team but also made the Kremlin feel uneasy.

So last August, after Wang Xiao got Ivanov into the White House, she volunteered to go to South Africa and later stayed away from Moscow for a long time. In fact, Tyachenko had to admit that she felt relieved.

It's a classic case of "when the cat's away, the mice will play."

With Wang Xiao gone, Ivanov was busy with White House political affairs again, and the seven oligarchs regrouped, becoming a powerful force with an increasingly significant influence on the country.

Especially given the current economic recovery in Russia and the influx of foreign investment, even the Kremlin cannot take a too hard stance against them.

At this moment, Dyachenko misses Wang Xiao dearly.

She knew, she knew perfectly well, that if the king were alive, these oligarchs would never dare to act so recklessly, because they could not afford the consequences of the king's wrath and retaliation.

Diachenko pleaded once more: "Your Majesty, please come back, I beg you, I need you, please help me."

July is the holiday season in Moscow, so even the biggest events can be minimized in terms of impact.

August is almost here, and vacationers are gradually returning to Moscow. The struggle between Gusinsky and Potanin will affect more and more people, and may even cause a tsunami-like disaster.

Dyachenko felt that Russia could not afford such a blow, and she had to stop it from happening.

Wang Xiao sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, my dear friend, it's your fault for calling me personally. Let me see when there's a flight, and I'll book a ticket to go back."

Without hesitation, Tyachenko replied, "No need to wait. I'll contact the military and send a military plane to bring you back directly."

Wang Xiao was taken aback. They were in such a hurry? It seemed the situation in Moscow was more tense than she had thought.

Then it's definitely time to go back.

$1.87 billion is significantly higher than her original estimate of $1.5 billion.

It is indeed a fortune that people envy.

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[Let me see] The bidding time and amount for the Russian Telecommunications Investment Company are accurate; these are the actual historical figures. Consider the bidding amount in 1995 and compare it to the data from 1997; you can get a sense of how hot the Russian financial market was at that time.