Chapter 61 Sixty Airplanes: Do You Want Them?

Jiangbei Province is indeed very bold, and the bait they've thrown out is very tempting.

Do you know how low the land price they offered was? One hundred yuan per square meter.

This means that Wang Xiao doesn't have to do anything. As long as she learns the breathing technique of a certain richest man and quietly covers the ground, she can increase her net worth by ten figures with a simple transaction.

Without saying a word, Tang Yicheng ran back into the house, grabbed a calculator, and pressed a button—

Good heavens, they haven't even done anything yet, and they've already spent ten million on 150 acres of land.

What kind of preferential policy is this?

Xiang Dong blinked, unsure whether the deal was a loss or a gain.

The main point is that in 1991, there was no such thing as land-based finance.

Even in Beijing, land was not publicly auctioned for the first time until 2000.

As for your question about land auctions in Shenzhen, well, that's a special economic zone.

What is a special economic zone? It means that everything is special.

While the two of them were still arguing amongst themselves, little did they know that Wang Xiao's mind was already racing with a thousand thoughts.

My goodness, such immense wealth!

This is true, overwhelming wealth.

She had never thought making money was so easy.

But as a glamorous and wealthy woman with a net worth of over 100 million, Wang Xiao is still very capable of handling it.

She frowned, her face full of difficulty: "I can feel your sincerity and that of Xiaozhou. But our Zhimen International Trade City is only just starting out. Running back and forth between the two places will be very difficult, both in terms of personnel and business."

The city leaders of Xiaozhou maintained their smiles: "You can reconsider, Mr. Wang. There is great potential in the Jiangbei market."

Tang Yicheng thought to himself, "You think the International Trade City has great potential, don't you?"

After all, due to the floods, they had to transfer goods worth a full 30 million US dollars from Jiangbei Province in just half a month.

Based on this alone, it is perfectly reasonable for Jiangbei Province to spare no effort in tempting Wang Xiao.

If he were in charge of an official position, he would definitely want to keep this golden goose that lays the most golden eggs.

Wang Xiao and the city leaders of Xiaozhou played a game of cat and mouse for a long time, but in the end, neither gave a definite answer.

Despite repeated persuasion from the other party, she reluctantly agreed that she would discuss the matter with her business partner, but she couldn't guarantee the outcome.

"The route itself is the problem. This is the only route we have been approved for. When we transported goods from Jiangbei before, we would first ship them to Jiangzhimen and then fly them to Moscow. To put it bluntly, isn't that redundant?"

The city leaders were stunned.

It wasn't that he was ignorant, but rather that in 1991, China had very few airplanes, and few people had ever flown.

Therefore, people tend to take things for granted when it comes to air transport.

Do air routes still need approval? Shouldn't they be like cars—if there's a road, you can go on it?

Who needs to apply for permission before going out to drive?

Hey, when he showed his weakness, everyone in Jiangdong just chuckled.

Brother, you must be joking.

To get this air route approved, countless meetings were held, and hundreds of official stamps were put on the documents.

Wang Xiao gave a helpless smile: "That's why this matter is very troublesome. It's not something we can accomplish just because we make a decision to do it."

A city leader is a city leader after all; even in areas he knows nothing about, he shows absolutely no fear.

So what if it's a flight route?

If Jiangdong can get approvals, why can't Jiangbei?

Who's afraid of whom?

The leader demonstrated his responsibility as a local official, directly guaranteeing: "We will take care of this. As long as the commercial city is built and the planes arrive, we won't let them sit idle at the airport collecting dust."

Wang Xiao maintained her smile: "Then let me discuss it with my partner."

After seeing the people off, Tang Yicheng shook his head: "If they want to seize the flight path, Jiangdong will probably fight them to the death."

This is similar to a situation during wartime where troops are fighting over weapons, and neither side is willing to back down.

Feng Zhonglin also shook his head, feeling that the leader was really impatient, rushing over to pull people in before even understanding the situation.

They didn't even realize how difficult it was to secure flight routes.

But thinking about it, it makes sense.

After all, the real crux of the problem lies in the expensive aircraft.

Tang Yicheng asked Wang Xiao curiously, "Are you really going to build a building in Xiaozhou?"

Take ten million.

Building another building would probably cost 100 million.

Okay, none of that matters.

The key issue is that a commercial city was built there, so what will happen to the Zhimen area?

Wang Xiao didn't care: "Let's get the land first, and then build the house."

Want to build a skyscraper with 100 million? What are you thinking?

If she doesn't plan and utilize this huge piece of land properly, even the God of Wealth will fight her to the death.

Haha, she's finally able to make money from real estate.

You should know that before she transmigrated into the book, she bought a large apartment during the peak of the housing market.

With housing prices plummeting, it's fortunate she can make money, otherwise she definitely would have been devastated.

Tang Yicheng really couldn't understand her feelings about the building; it seemed that her eyes would light up whenever the topic of building a house came up.

She had even asked him to buy a house in Beijing, saying that she would live there when they went there.

Thank goodness he didn't buy it.

See? He has no time to go to the capital now.

What's the point of buying a house if you just leave it there to collect dust?

A house is meaningless if you don't live in it.

Wang Xiao just chuckled and cursed inwardly once again: Just don't regret it in the future.

She was too lazy to talk about real estate appreciation anymore, and only mentioned one point: "We're in the Jiangzhimen area, and the land owned by the military is leased; we can't buy it. What if they stop leasing it in the future?"

It's likely that Xiaozhou City was aware of this, which is why they proactively offered the land.

Tang Yicheng's veteran instincts kicked in instantly, and he retorted subconsciously, "How could that be? The military keeps its word."

Wang Xiao countered, "Was the military allowed to rent out houses and land before?"

That's obviously not possible; it's only been happening in the last few years.

Tang Yicheng was speechless and had no choice but to change the subject: "Hey, I haven't told you yet. That Sifang Garment Factory really thinks they can eat your food anywhere. They even had the nerve to call us today and ask us to take back the clothes."

Wang Xiao didn't care at all: "Let them fight like dogs."

Why are you collecting anything? What's the rush to collect now?

Let's wait until neither the People's Department Store nor the Sifang Garment Factory is willing to admit the loss, and they argue fiercely until the world is in chaos.

Feng Zhonglin laughed, saying meaningfully, "That guy from the People's Department Store isn't one to suffer a loss easily. I reckon the Sifang Garment Factory will be the one to swallow this bitter pill."

Why? Because People's Department Store holds a superior position in the provincial capital's department store industry.

In terms of clothing, only the International Trade City and self-service clothing supermarkets can currently outperform it.

Now that Sifang Clothing has completely offended the Trade City and the self-service supermarket, does it still have the courage to break ties with People's Department Store?

I'm truly speechless at this brainless clothing factory. They don't even know their own limitations, yet they dare to act as pawns for others.

In the end, they'll stab themselves in the back and see if they can still laugh then.

Wang Xiao shook his head, not particularly concerned.

She picked up the phone and turned to contact Ivanov, mentioning the 150-acre plot of land in Xiaozhou.

The latter was even more excited than her, repeatedly emphasizing that they must acquire this land.

“Building villas is definitely profitable,” Ivanov said, beaming. “Your Majesty, believe me, real estate is sure to make a fortune. I’m trying to acquire land in Moscow specifically to build high-end villas. There’s huge market demand.”

Unfortunately, Wang Xiao was not optimistic at all and poured cold water on him directly: "My dear Comrade Ivanov, as your loyal friend, I earnestly suggest that you reconsider."

Investing in real estate in the 1990s could indeed make money, but not everywhere.

For a country's real estate market to boom, its economy must first develop rapidly, and residents' consumption capacity must increase significantly.

Secondly, the country's housing market is far from meeting the needs of its current inhabitants, as well as the needs of the large influx of immigrants.

Furthermore, the country's population will explode, especially the urban population.

Unfortunately, it seems that Russia is unable to satisfy any of these three demands.

Anyway, Wang Xiao wasn't very optimistic.

Of course, how Ivanov spends his money is his personal freedom.

As for real estate, it's really hard to say whether prices will rise or fall.

Sometimes we can't consider things from an economic perspective.

Ivanov sighed, "Well, well, maybe I should buy a villa in Hawaii."

Before Wang Xiao could wonder why he had this idea, she suddenly heard a sound like firecrackers coming from the microphone.

Wang Xiao couldn't help but wonder, "What, is there some kind of holiday being celebrated in the Soviet Union today?"

She thought firecrackers were only for Chinese people, and that Muscovites only knew how to set off fireworks.

Ivanov was also bewildered: "I haven't heard of that."

Then hurried footsteps came through the microphone, and another male voice shouted, "Close the door, close the door, close the door!"

Interspersed among the screams were women's screams and shouts from someone unknown.

"Wait a minute." Ivanov put down the microphone.

So Wang Xiao could only hear footsteps and snippets of shouting, interspersed with the sound of firecrackers.

Of course, Wang Xiao now strongly suspects that those were gunshots.

"Ivanov, Ivanov—"

Oh my god.

Could he have been targeted by the underworld and robbed at home?

Where are the bodyguards he hired?

But no matter how Wang Xiao shouted, there was no response from the other end of the microphone.

Tang Yicheng reached out and patted her shoulder, advising, "I'll wait."

It's not good for her to keep holding the microphone.

Wang Xiao's mind was a mess.

This is terrible!

If something happens to Ivanov, it will be a huge problem.

What about Ivan? How is Ivan doing? Can he take over Ivanov's position?

That's obviously very difficult.

Ivan is too playful and lacks the ability to manage the overall situation.

He's a lovable little boy; he can be a kept man with a rich woman, but he can't control a kingdom.

Therefore, Ivanov cannot die.

If he really was robbed and kidnapped, is there anyone on his side who can come up with enough money to ransom him?

If she doesn't have enough money, she needs to raise the ransom quickly.

She turned to Chen Yu, wanting to ask how many US dollars they could currently access.

As soon as Wang Xiao stepped out, two Russian men walked towards him, complaining as they went: "They've even driven tanks into the streets. What are they trying to do? What a bunch of stupid guys."

Wang Xiao was taken aback and quickly stopped the man, asking, "Hey, Tank, what's going on?"

The two shook their heads, their faces filled with unspeakable frustration.

They walked through the streets of Moscow and saw troops driving tanks through the streets.

At that point, they didn't dare to watch the commotion anymore and quickly ran to the airport to fly to Jiangdong.

Their original plan was to load the goods today and return to Moscow as soon as possible to ship them out.

They would rather stay in Jiangdong and wait until peace is restored in Moscow.

Wang Xiao was completely bewildered.

Did she transmigrate into the book and change history? Wasn't it supposed to be a peaceful collapse of the Soviet Union?

In Chinese history, a soldier driving a tank through the streets would be considered a blatant attempt to force someone to abdicate.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the word "peace" no matter how you look at it.

Or is the history of this book just a mess?

That really killed her.

Where's the promised double cheat code: rebirth + time travel?

Bah! You're just fooling around.

But after these two middlemen said that, Wang Xiao really relaxed.

After all, for Ivanov, the risks of a coup were far less than the risks of being kidnapped.

The former is likely to lose money at most, while the latter is more likely to lose both money and people.

After all, what the leaders of any regime want is money.

Xiao Zhen, the secretary who had been in her position for less than half a month, ran out of the office and called to her, "Mr. Ivanov is on the phone."

However, Ivanov couldn't explain exactly what happened.

All he knows now is that the Soviet leaders have been detained, but the troops on the streets have no bullets in their guns.

The military claimed that their goal was to save the Soviet Union and its people.

Their mission is to maintain order in the capital, not to suppress the people.

There is currently a standoff on the street.

As for who was confronting whom, Wang Xiao lacked sufficient understanding of Soviet politics, so those names were truly unfamiliar to her.

Ivanov reassured her, "It's nothing. The upper echelons of this country are the same. It wouldn't change anything if someone were in charge."

Even now, the soldiers and civilians on the street seem to be at odds, but the civilians are still giving the soldiers water and food.

The latter didn't seem to worry about being poisoned and ate and drank it directly.

However, the traders remained hesitant and no one dared to take any risks. Even the Romanian traders, who had always looked down on the Soviet government, felt that they shouldn't risk their lives.

It's unusual that not a single plane took off today.

Wang Xiao offered them a place to stay overnight in the city, but they refused.

Everyone gathered near the airport, waiting for further news so they could act as soon as possible.

However, the news from Moscow was not good; on August 20th, Moscow began to implement a curfew.

The only thing that can comfort everyone is that neither side has fired a shot so far.

That night, the place was strangely lively, with many Russians walking around drinking.

They could drink from the first house in the village to the last, tasting every kind of wine brewed by each family.

The various homemade snacks set up in front of each household were equally popular. Everyone was busy and having a great time.

The moon was mostly visible in the sky, its light bright and clear.

Young employees of the trade city took the lead in breaking dance in the open space, which attracted many middle-aged and elderly people to join in singing and dancing. The singing, laughter, shouting and cursing were so loud that they seemed to pierce the sky.

If someone didn't know better, they might think this was some kind of wine festival.

As a result, on August 21st, before the Russians had even sobered up, news from Moscow arrived first.

It's over. This dramatic coup has come to a chaotic end.

The Soviet president was granted personal freedom, and the Soviet cabinet issued a statement declaring that it would fully implement the president's instructions.

Wang Xiao was completely confused. Did it mean that the lifespan of the Soviet Union had been extended?

“It’s finished,” Ivanov cursed. “The Soviet Communist Party is a bunch of useless trash, utterly incompetent. And the troops, they had already reached Moscow, and then they defected. Completely useless.”

Wang Xiao pressed further, "Why did they defect?"

How long has this lasted? They turned against each other so easily, it's like a joke.

Ivanov said dejectedly, “Because the generals sympathized with the coup, but the lower-ranking officers and soldiers had their own ideas and did not carry out orders.”

Then he started cursing again, "So the Soviet Communist Party was an idiot."

Wang Xiao finally understood: Oh, they had abandoned the principle of the Party commanding the gun; no wonder they were so utterly defeated.

But that night, in the middle of the night in Jiangdong, when Ivanov impatiently called Wang Xiao, he excitedly changed his tone: "Thanks to these good-for-nothings, hey Wang, we're about to have thirty planes, thirty of them!"

Wang Xiao slept on a cot in the office.

Because of the coup in Moscow three days ago, the traders had too much stockpiled goods, so the trade center has been extremely busy these past two days, and she hasn't returned to the city center at night.

She had been half asleep, but now she was wide awake and eagerly asked, "What happened?"

"Because they know they're doomed, they're accelerating the division of assets. Cargo planes, two million dollars apiece, want one?"

This figure is equivalent to what would normally be a year's rent.

"We can have fifty cargo planes and ten passenger planes!" Ivanov exclaimed excitedly. "We will become the kings of aviation!"

Wang Xiao was completely sober.

Fifty shelves, ten passenger planes.

Good heavens, where did they get so many planes?

But how much money will that cost?

Seventy million US dollars, can they come up with seventy million US dollars right now?

“No, it’s 120 million US dollars,” Ivanov emphasized. “They want us to buy the planes we were originally leasing as well.”

Now Wang Xiaozhen was truly awake and subconsciously asked, "Are they preparing winter supplies? Bartering?"

We started preparing in August; we were indeed well-prepared.

Considering the weather in Moscow, it seems quite normal.

But Ivanov gave a negative answer: "No, no, no, they want US dollars."

Wang Xiao immediately became alert: "My dear Comrade Ivanov, don't you feel something is wrong? What do they need so many US dollars for? What they need more right now are supplies!"

Why cash?

The biggest difference between cash and goods is that cash is easy to carry and convenient to flee.

It wasn't that she was maliciously speculating about the Soviet troops, but rather that powerful and influential people in the Soviet Union, along with their families, had already emigrated in droves.

Wang Xiao didn't care at all how these bigwigs handled the money. In short, as Ivanov said, no matter who came to power, the money wouldn't end up in the hands of ordinary soldiers.

But the question is, if the person who sold the plane flees, could their plane purchase contract be revoked?

Such large-scale transactions, completed in a short period of time, must have followed an extremely streamlined process.

If you want to nitpick, you can find fault with everything without hesitation.

Once it gets to that point, and the authorities launch an investigation and the plane is seized, how will they transport goods?

If the plane they bought for 120 million US dollars just sits there collecting dust, they're doomed.

Besides, do they have 120 million US dollars?

The answer is obviously no.

Ivanov originally planned to buy some planes first, then use them as collateral to borrow money from the bank to buy back the rest of the planes.

Seriously, this business is incredibly profitable.

Now, every airplane is a treasure trove in his eyes, the kind that seems to spew gold out of everything.

During this time, he has been trying to find ways to get more planes.

Unfortunately, his overly enthusiastic attitude made the military suddenly realize that the old planes they thought were being disposed of were actually highly sought after, and they started to act arrogantly.

The turn of events put Ivanov in a rather passive, even embarrassing, position, to the point that she was too ashamed to mention it to Wang Xiao.

That's why he got so excited when the military offered to sell them planes, feeling like he had finally regained the face he had been trampled on.

But Wang Xiao, being a clear-headed observer, spoke up to remind him, which calmed his impulsive emotions and allowed him to think things through.

Indeed, the most troublesome aspect of dealing with officials is the relationship between the official and the official institution they represent.

Sometimes, the two are one.

Sometimes, they will cut it directly as needed.

Don't even mention rules and regulations, or even laws. If this country truly adhered to the law strictly, it wouldn't be in this situation today.

The law is often rendered ineffective. Many important decisions that should be strictly followed through the proper procedures are simply a matter of a high-ranking official saying something over a drink.

"Should we take the plane?" Ivanov reminded Wang Xiao. "This is a rare opportunity. If we miss it, we'll immediately face a lot of competitors."

Because this business is just too profitable.

They are now operating on a monopoly, not because they are so powerful or have such amazing backgrounds; but because the real big shots haven't caught on yet, and their competitors have already lost the opportunity.

Once the aircraft falls into the hands of others, their competitors are likely to be very powerful, even capable of overwhelming them.

Wang Xiao completely believed in this possibility.

In fact, it is very simple to achieve this; all you need to do is control the route operating rights and flight schedules.

Both of these are controlled by the government, or more specifically, by officials with approval authority.

And there is a huge opportunity for rent-seeking in this.

Others haven't made a move yet, and the Su side's resellers don't know which deity to pray to on the Chinese side.

Meanwhile, their counterparts in China are currently mainly relying on manpower to operate independently and occupy the K3 market. The real big players haven't entered the fray, so they don't know how to manage the system.

There's only a thin layer of paper separating them.

so--

"Yes, we absolutely need the plane, but at a different price."

Wang Xiao emphasized, "Eastern Europe is also selling airplanes. They charge the price of a brand-new transport plane for the equivalent of winter clothes and food for all 100,000 employees in the factory. And that's a brand-new transport plane! Old planes are subject to depreciation. If you calculate it based on depreciation, how much is it still worth? I remember the depreciation period is twenty years, and the residual value is only five percent."

Ivanov's mind started working.

That's right. Although he can only exert his influence in Moscow right now, it doesn't mean he can't use Moscow's influence to his advantage.

Once the direction was clear, Ivanov did indeed come to the negotiating table, and he was a silver-tongued and persuasive figure.

He grasped the three points firmly.

First, he emphasized that he had opened up access to China, so airplanes would be useful to him, and he did indeed want to buy one.

This gave the military confidence, preventing them from turning around and looking for other buyers.

He then revealed that his partner was conducting on-site research in Eastern Europe.

The partner's old friend runs a "waste recycling" business in Eastern Europe. His business scope includes military transport aircraft, transport planes and vehicles that are no longer needed after the national flag changes color, abandoned engineering equipment, discontinued military equipment, and so on.

They don't want money, just food and clothes; the transaction is simple and convenient.

They've already sold quite a few aircraft, and buyers from China are very interested in them.

This was a warning to Soviet officers not to arbitrarily raise prices; your home was not the only option.

Finally, Ivanov hinted that such a large deal, with an astonishing amount of money, was something few could afford.

Besides, why don't people who can really afford it go to Eastern Europe to buy new goods? They're still looking for buyers there at low prices.

Old airplanes depreciate significantly; it wouldn't be surprising if they were sold as scrap metal.

After these three moves, the military leadership indeed changed their attitude, indicating that they were open to discussion and that the price was negotiable.

By the early morning of August 24th, Ivanov was already asleep.

These past few days he's been busy with plane-related matters and hasn't even had the energy to indulge in any fun, so he's been going to bed early and waking up early, which is quite unusual for him.

As a result, the Air Force colonel who had been in contact with him suddenly woke him up with a phone call.

The other party immediately cut the price in half: "60 million US dollars, a package deal of 60 million US dollars. We can sign the contract tomorrow. I can only delay until now for you. My friends have many buyers who are willing to pay higher prices, but I believe in our friendship and that our cooperation will be easier."

Ivanov's heart was pounding, like he had a rabbit in his arms.

In the dead of night, the villa area on the outskirts of Moscow was quiet. He could only hear the thumping of his own heart and the faint hissing sound coming from the microphone.

Their presence made the silence of the night even more terrifying.

Thick velvet curtains blocked out the outside world, but he always suspected that evil spirits were lurking on the windowsill, watching him with ill intent.

The real reckoning has begun.

That was the only sentence on Ivanov's mind.

The chaotic farce of a few days ago was characterized as a coup d'état, and it's clear that the coup failed. The conservatives who hoped to maintain the existing Soviet structure were brutally purged by the reformists.

Today, no, to be more specific, yesterday, the 23rd, one of the Interior Ministers involved in the coup committed suicide.

God, what could possibly drive a high-ranking official like him to suicide?

This must be the first domino to fall.

Ivanov forced himself to calm down: "OK, I'll contact my partner as soon as possible. Sorry, my friend, you have to understand that China can't work in the middle of the night either."

After finally calming the colonel down, Ivanov did not hesitate to call Wang Xiao.

Damn it, get some rest! Now none of them will get any sleep.

"Wang... sixty million US dollars, they've agreed to sixty million US dollars."

Wang Xiao was practically jolted awake from his deathbed. "Damn it! They actually offered such a drastically reduced price? What are they trying to do?"

The answer to the question was soon found.

On August 24, a Saturday, the Chinese Ghost Festival, the Soviet leader unilaterally resigned from his position as the top leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and announced the self-dissolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

In fact, as early as last year, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union had already lost its crucial leadership position.

But at that time, the Soviet leader was still its General Secretary.

Even the old Russians from the Soviet Union are now muttering to themselves, "It's over, it's really over now."

The Polish trader next to him, who loved chatting about cats and dogs, teased him, "You said it was all over a long time ago, but it's still the same now?"

"It's different!" The old Russian, who was always drunk, had bloodshot eyes and was almost crying. "Only a shared faith can unite people from different countries and ethnic groups, and that's what made the Soviet Union! Without faith, the Soviet Union is finished!"

Why is this happening?

It was once the faith of the proletariat worldwide.

It was clear that everyone once had a genuine passion for it.

In the winter of 1949, when an elderly French woman wanted to knit gloves for Stalin as a gift for his seventieth birthday, the Parisian vendors refused to accept payment for the yarn.

Because this is a great thing.

Why did it turn out like this?

She has never liked to talk much with traders from other countries, especially Romanian traders who disregarded the existence of Soviet traders, and simply said coldly, "Serves them right!"

She was speaking Russian.

It was as if they were afraid the Soviets wouldn't understand.

Tang Yicheng had just returned with his transport team carrying goods.

He wasn't a driver, but according to his job responsibilities, as the supervisor in charge, he had to drive all the routes so that he could truly understand what the trucking fleet really needed.

Seeing this situation, Tang Yicheng was very worried, fearing that the two sides would start fighting.

Theoretically speaking, he should protect women and children.

But in this matter, Romania has clearly gone too far; everyone's patriotism should be respected.

However, the Soviet trader turned around, ordered another glass of newly brewed wine from the stall, downed it in one gulp, and then asked Tang Yicheng, "The box, has the box I asked for arrived?"

It was as if his breakdown and pain just now were people's illusion.

"Coming!" Tang Yicheng quickly responded, then shouted, "Don't rush, we'll start unloading and loading right away, it won't delay anyone's time."

A storm was averted without a trace.

The collapse of the Soviet Communist Party was inevitable.

On the 25th, five days after the August coup, the top finance minister of the CPSU Central Committee committed suicide in his apartment.

This is exactly the same tactic used when inspecting a grain depot and discovering it's on fire.

Undoubtedly, with his death, a large amount of party assets and funds disappeared without a trace.

Western media reports that the figure was $9 billion, which was secretly divided up among the top leaders of the Soviet Communist Party.

Whether it's true or not, only God knows.

After all, Western media have been sparing no effort in smearing the Soviet Union.

However, as is well known, the oligarchs of the two countries that later inherited the most Soviet assets were basically former Soviet high-ranking officials.

So, his innocence probably wasn't all that clear.

Ivanov quickly recovered from the grief of the collapse of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. As a beneficiary of the chaos, it was impossible for him to genuinely mourn the fall of the red giant.

What he misses most is its former power and the strong sense of pride it brought him during his adolescence.

Now, his only regret is that the contract was signed a day too early; if it were today, he is confident that he could have negotiated down another $10 million.

That's 10 million US dollars!

Wang Xiao was also heartbroken; the huge deal to buy sixty aircraft had cost her and Ivanov almost all of their working capital.

Before these planes continued to make money, she didn't have many coins in her pocket, and she couldn't even come up with the 10 million yuan to buy the 150 acres of land next to Xiaozhou Airport.

Not to mention the house she's building now, she needs money, she needs a constant stream of money.

But as long as I get the plane, that's fine.

Life is unpredictable; who knows how the sun will rise tomorrow?

If they don't take them on, the desperate military leaders might choose an even cheaper way to sell them off, simply packing them up and selling them off.

Wang Xiao comforted Ivanov, "It's alright, we can earn more money."

Ivanov's shrewdness resurfaced, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Our business will be even better!"

A chaotic economic order is the breeding ground for speculators to thrive.

Wang Xiao urged Ivanov: "So you have to act quickly, go to Kiev, go to the Baltic states, and get the flight path cleared. Now with 22 planes, Moscow is already too big a target, it's easy, no, almost certain, to become a target. We have to keep a low profile and move away."

In fact, Ivanov felt this even more deeply than she did.

But Moscow is truly a fantastic international freight hub.

The Soviet Union had an extensive railway system that could reach all parts of the country from Moscow, and it even had two trains a day to Budapest.

Its unique position has made it the gathering center for international traders, a center that no other place can replace.

“My dear Comrade Ivanov, we can operate separately.”

Wang Xiao patiently explained, "The Soviet Union had so many republics. What would happen if they were to break free from their ties? They would be completely unable to achieve internal circulation. The Soviet Union's industrial system was fragmented."

Frankly speaking, she still believes that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the result of fanaticism and the result of the high-level officials deceiving the people. Ordinary people hate corruption and privilege, not the Soviet Union itself.

Because any normal person understands just how troublesome it would be if the raw materials, production sites, and sales sites were located in more than three different countries.

Tariffs and import/export quotas—these two alone can cripple an entire industry.

When the Soviet Union existed, these could be centrally managed by the state.

The Soviet Union is finished, and everyone is finished.

"Believe me, Ivanov, our business will expand dramatically beyond what we are now, beyond our wildest imagination."

Without any hesitation, she made grandiose claims: "Are the Ukrainian middlemen really willing to get goods from Moscow? Wouldn't it be more convenient for them to get goods directly from Kyiv?"

The real reason they had to take a roundabout route was because there were no flights available. There really weren't any.

Relations between China and the Soviet Union were tense for decades, only easing in recent years, with both sides shaking hands and making peace.

Currently, there are only three international flight routes between China and the Soviet Union: the well-known Beijing-Moscow route, then Urumqi-Almaty and Shenyang-Irkutsk, and oh, there's also the route to Jiangzhimen.

That's four.

It's not forty articles.

Wang Xiao assured him, "You'll get Kyiv negotiated, and you'll get the Baltic states negotiated too. Almaty is in Central Asia, go negotiate there as well, the more you negotiate, the better. I'll figure something out here."

She emphasized with unwavering enthusiasm, "Think about it, we have sixty planes. These planes cost us our entire fortune, and we must keep them full of passengers and cargo. Moscow alone is far from enough."

Although Ivanov believed Moscow could handle so much cargo, who would complain about having too much money?

If there are too many goods in a certain area, it is easy for prices to be driven down.

Opening more routes and distributing cargo can earn more money.

Both sides reached an agreement, and neither dared to waste time, so they immediately split up to take action.

Wang Xiao finished half a cup of plum juice in one gulp, then rushed to the public restroom to take care of his life's important business.

Having finally saved her bladder, she washed her hands while looking out the window, mentally organizing her thoughts and considering what to say to the leaders of Xiaozhou City.

Yes, you can't put all your eggs in one basket; she needs to be flexible and adaptable.

Oh, and I should also remind the Air Force: when will the pilot issue we discussed yesterday be finalized?

She needs to be ready to move at any time.

In the distance, the green mountains are lush and green, and the river outside the dam flows gently, its waters now clear enough to reflect the blue sky and white clouds.

A waterbird flew across the river, and when it landed, it had a fish in its beak.

Ha! She originally thought only cormorants could catch fish.

Boats were still floating on the river, and people on board were casting nets to catch fish.

Now that the water has receded, it's impossible to catch fish in the fields anymore; if we want to eat fish, we can only rely on the river.

Oh, by the way, I'd like some fish soup today, the kind with tofu simmered until it turns milky white, that's the best.

She shook the water off her hands and looked back.

It's already late August, and the fruit being sold at the stalls outside has changed from watermelons to white pears.

The grandma who sells autumn white pears is quite clever. She peels the pears, cuts them into small pieces, puts them in a plastic bowl, and sells them for one yuan a bowl. More than a few people buy them from resellers.

The kind topped with milk and condensed milk costs twice as much, but is much more popular.

It's true, Russians love dairy products.

It is said that the original recipe for Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork) was designed by people from Northeast China for Russians. Now, the version from Zhimen (a local area in Taiwan) is served with cream on top.

Wang Xiao didn't know how to describe the magical taste, but it sold exceptionally well and had become a new specialty of Jiangzhimen.

The grandmother, while watching her stall, urged her grandson, who was doing his homework beside her, "Write, hurry up and write. You've spent the whole summer either watching TV or playing. Now you realize you don't have time to finish your homework? What were you doing all this time?"

Oh, right, summer vacation is almost over.

It's time for a pen to create a miracle in one night.

Wang Xiao laughed so hard his teeth showed when he saw the little brat sniffling and doing his homework with a pitiful expression.

Ha ha ha ha--

She finally discovered the real benefit of transmigrating into a book: she no longer had to do homework or write papers.

The air itself seemed to have become more wonderful.

Wang Xiao left the bathroom in a good mood, ready to go back and continue making the call.

When she looked up, she saw Xu Haiyan standing by the roadside, greeting her.

When she walked over, Xu Haiyan felt awkward because the girl had nothing to say and was just saying hello.

Since Wang Xiao was already there, it wouldn't be right for him to leave immediately. So he asked the middle-aged man dressed as a farmer standing next to Xu Haiyan, "Is this... your newly hired master?"

The 100 mu of reeds have already been planted.

Actually, watercress, a vegetable domesticated from wild vegetables, is quite interesting. Perhaps because it has its own aroma, it is not easily affected by insects, so it is quite easy to manage. As long as there is enough fertilizer, it doesn't need much pesticide. It can definitely be called a green product.

However, this person was unfamiliar and didn't seem to resemble the farmer from Jiangxinzhou whom they had previously hired as a helper.

The other person laughed first: "No, no, no, I'm here to lease land to grow reeds."

Although it's already the end of August and theoretically the dry season should be starting, half of Jiangxinzhou is still submerged.

Previously, Xu Haiyan and her group went to Jiangxinzhou to ask the farmers to help them plant reeds. They found the villagers on the Zhimen side interesting, and in the course of conversation, they mentioned that if anyone on Jiangxinzhou wanted to plant them, they could rent the land to them.

Someone actually answered.

Currently, about 300 mu of the 1,000 mu of land in Zhimen area has been planted with Artemisia repens.

Wang Xiao hadn't really paid attention to this matter. He just found it amusing and asked again, "So, will you go back to planting after the floodwaters recede?"

"Of course we'll plant it," the farmer said confidently. "If we plant it later, we'll harvest it later, and we won't be competing with other farmers' schedules. Our artemisia is good; people have already placed orders with us."

Feng Zhonglin happened to stroll over and, seeing this, chuckled and said, "Oh my, our farmer brothers really have a knack for business."

Wang Xiao nodded in agreement.

That's right, she heard just a couple of days ago that some people in the village have started growing strawberries.

It is said to be a variety imported from Japan, grown in greenhouses, and ready to be sold around the Lunar New Year. It is large and sweet.

We can sell it for a good price during the Spring Festival.

But the local villagers didn't care about the Spring Festival; they simply wanted to sell to the Russians.

Russians are very generous when it comes to buying fruit.

The villagers who were the first to replant rice were particularly frustrated. After all that work, were they the fools who just honestly planted crops?

Is being diligent considered a mistake?

Bah! No way! Once the rice is harvested, they'll definitely use it all to brew wine and sell it for a good price.

So now the fields in the village are all 1:1:1, like blended oil, and everyone is putting in their best effort, believing they can definitely make money.

It's clear that making money is addictive. Once you open the door to a new world, you'll never turn back and will only try to make more money.

————————

Let me elaborate a bit. In the 1990s, the chartered foreign trade planes used by middlemen (or traders) were generally operated by Russian airlines because they were cheap, had large cargo capacity, and allowed for gray-area customs clearance. Chinese companies contracted these planes for the middlemen, charging them service fees. Russian airlines such as "Eastern Route," "Atruvira," and "Iravia" provided these aircraft contracts at the time.

In addition, the main location at that time was Tianjin Airport.

On October 26, 1992, guests from the CIS, hosted by Beijing Kanghui Travel Agency, took off from Lithuania on a CIS Yak-42 aircraft and landed safely at Tianjin Airport that same day, thus marking the beginning of charter flights from the CIS to Tianjin Airport.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-11-19 18:43:48 and 2023-11-20 19:36:44!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Fatty Bear (1 landmine);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: He Renliangciru 80 bottles; He Nian 32 bottles; Hanhanshangui, Jiejie 20 bottles; Tantai Wuchu 16 bottles; tiana 9 bottles; Xiaomei, watergong2009, and Kuaile Lueshangshang 5 bottles; Xiaoxiaomianziwangzi 2 bottles; aurora, lenfen123, Joy, Fangyi Naolanrenduo, Ahai, and Nie Ningning 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!