Chapter 80 The Ruble Consumption Method: Why is it so hard to spend money?

Tang Yicheng was unable to attend all three days of the grand opening promotion.

On the morning of December 26, after having breakfast of milk and bread, the group of more than 300 people set off in a grand procession.

The former propaganda officer from the military, who had taken a photo with me at the airport, was reluctant to leave, turning back every few steps. Even after boarding the train, he was still muttering, "I wonder how many guests there will be today."

When they came out just now, for example, by the time they closed for business at night, more than a million people had come to the street to buy things yesterday.

His intuition told him that there would definitely be more today.

Because reporters came, reporters from several countries, carrying long lenses and microphones, and the interviews lasted for several hours.

At 1 a.m., when the store was closing, reporters still wanted to conduct interviews.

However, everyone was exhausted by then, and no one wanted to pay attention to them anymore.

Even so, Sun Yu still believes that these two Chinese commercial streets next to Red Square will definitely be written about extensively by reporters and spread all over the world.

His companion disagreed: "It's hard to say, the boss hasn't given any interviews."

It is said that because the business hours were extended last night, both owners were busy making phone calls to restock and had no time to deal with reporters.

He felt that the boss's actions were putting the cart before the horse and missing the point.

Anyone can arrange for goods; just ask one of your subordinates to do it.

Those are journalists, foreign journalists, journalists from many countries. This is a great opportunity to appear in front of people all over the world. How can we avoid seeing them?

This is really inappropriate for a leader.

Sun Yu slapped her friend: "You want me to teach the boss how to be a boss? How could you even think of that? He's the boss himself, he doesn't need to learn how to be a boss from others."

Tang Yicheng rolled his eyes at him: "President Wang and Mr. Ivanov certainly have their own methods. Besides, do you think arranging goods is easy? It's very difficult, involving many aspects. If any link goes wrong, it will be a major blunder. What time was it last night? How many people can arrange goods at the last minute?"

"Hey, hey, hey, newspaper, newspaper, let's see if there's any news in the newspaper."

However, they were disappointed, probably because it was too early. The newspapers that could be sold at this time had already been printed in the early hours of the morning, and the reporters didn't even have time to write their articles.

The newspapers were mostly talking about the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But this time, probably because it was inconvenient to drag the dead out and desecrate their corpses again, the newspapers, which usually mocked the Soviet government, surprisingly did not publish any related comments.

The newspapers were filled with lengthy articles about the new government's various future plans and rosy visions.

Ivan scoffed, "All you do is brag."

Tang Yicheng could speak Russian fluently, but his reading and writing were quite poor, leaving him in a semi-literate state. Therefore, he could only vaguely understand the contents of the newspaper and wondered, "How do you know they're bragging?"

Ivan sneered, pointing to a report next to the news article: "Starting January 2, 1992, free market prices were implemented for energy, food, daily consumer goods, and services. Among these, the prices of coal, oil, and gas increased fourfold, gasoline prices doubled, and diesel prices increased 1.8 times..."

He continued reading, "The prices of bread, milk, and vegetable oil have doubled; the price of sugar has increased 2.5 times; the price of vodka has increased 3.5 times; and the prices of medicines and medical supplies have increased by an average of 3 times. Railway passenger and baggage freight rates have doubled; air freight rates have doubled; and river freight rates have doubled..."

Good heavens, it sounds like everything is going up in price.

Tang Yicheng instinctively wanted to touch his nose, unsure how to react.

Price increases are definitely something that makes people unhappy.

But honestly, rather than state-run stores having cheap but out-of-stock items, it would be better to deregulate prices so that at least everyone can buy things.

Raising prices openly and honestly is much better than engaging in black markets, reselling, and trying every means to arbitrage foreign exchange.

He tried to persuade Ivan by using the example of China: "Back when we used meat coupons, the price was cheap, but the supply was limited, and we often couldn't buy any. After the liberalization, it's more expensive, but if you want to eat meat, you can buy it anytime."

Ivan sighed. He usually had a baby face and was always carefree, but now he was worried: "But we don't have that much stuff. Our food production is decreasing, and we don't have enough milk, eggs, or meat."

The veterans couldn't understand Russian, so they asked Tang Yicheng curiously, but everyone looked indifferent.

There's just not enough milk, eggs, and meat. It's not a big deal. It's not like we're really starving.

When they were little, they dreamed of eating milk, eggs, and meat every day! They could only enjoy meat on special occasions like holidays.

There wasn't enough food; rice soaked in soy sauce soup was considered good, and there were times when we ate rice with salt water.

Try to think more positively; life will always go on.

Tang Yicheng stammered as he translated everyone's meaning to Ivan.

The latter remained silent, and it was unclear whether he had listened or not.

In the seat in front, a drunken man with a bulbous nose was eating half a loaf of bread with salt while drinking and boasting: "Over here, over here, and over here. This whole forest and land belongs to us. Damn Soviets, robbers and thieves, our property is finally going to be returned to its rightful owner."

But he was still not satisfied, repeatedly muttering his complaints, "We should go back to the Tsarist era, that was the best era."

Ivan's face was frosty as he muttered viciously, "Dream on, why should we give it back to them?"

Tang Yicheng looked out the window at the vast rural area. It was so beautiful. Even in the dead of winter, when the green of the fields was nowhere to be seen, he still thought it was beautiful.

The houses in the rural areas here are neat and orderly, one house per household, and quite spacious. They look very comfortable.

He instinctively hated the word "landlord." Why should such a beautiful countryside belong to landlords?

The train arrived at the next station, and it was nearly evening.

Before the car even stopped, they saw a huge crowd of people.

Sun Yu and the others were startled and turned to look at Tang Yicheng in bewilderment. Weren't they supposed to be a vast and sparsely populated country? Why were so many people on the train?

Tang Yicheng was also surprised, and Ivan asked in disbelief, "Who are they?"

Ivan nodded, his face full of despair: "Yes, you came to find us, no, you came to buy things."

Since the summer of 1989, there has been an increasing number of Chinese speculators in Moscow, and this trend has been particularly pronounced this year.

Some traders felt that the competition in Moscow was too intense and they couldn't get good prices for their goods, so they took the train towards Siberia.

Their goods are very popular.

As a result, many residents along the railway lines now wait here to buy goods from Chinese people.

Looking at the hands raised high outside the car window, Tang Yicheng even felt guilty, as he hadn't brought anything to sell.

In the summer, he took the train to escort large trucks back to China, and he had never seen such a scene before. He never imagined that things would develop to this point.

The train conductor pushed a cart over to sell goods, and Sun Yu immediately took out a ruble to buy a newspaper.

It turned out that, probably because the price of newspapers hadn't gone up and one ruble was too much, and the train conductor didn't want to give change, he simply gave him a copy of all the newspapers, including tabloids with explicit images.

Sun Yu blushed deeply, unsure of which way to look.

Fortunately, no one paid attention to him; everyone was curious about whether there was any news about Huaxia Commercial Street in the latest newspaper.

Hey! This time, you don't even need to understand Russian. Just by looking at the photos printed in the newspaper, you can tell it's about a commercial street.

Oh dear, how come there's still a photo of Ms. Wang? Didn't she refuse to give an interview last night? She hasn't come down since she went upstairs.

Ivan grabbed the newspaper, skimmed through it, and then said indignantly, "They have such big faces, they could hold mountains and rivers in them."

This was a joke Wang Xiao once made, which he remembered and is now using.

Tang Yicheng leaned closer to look: "What? Which one?"

Who else could it be but officials from the Moscow city government?

The young and balding Director Sobyanin made outrageous remarks, saying that the reason why Huaxia Commercial Street stayed open past midnight yesterday was to celebrate the birth of the new Russian Federation.

This guy is doing it on purpose; he's practically putting Huaxia Commercial Street on the fire.

The veterans were also indignant upon hearing this; the officials of capitalist countries were indeed insidious.

Fortunately, Wang Xiao didn't indulge him at all and directly denied it.

Ivan's words in the newspaper: "Celebrate? How do we celebrate? Isn't Christmas on January 7th for the Orthodox Church? If we're talking about Catholicism and Protestantism, then Christmas Eve should be the night for celebrations..."

Celebrating the collapse of the Soviet Union? No, no, no, I have no right to celebrate. This is a matter for all the people of the former Soviet Union, and our principle as Chinese people is to never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Whether it's celebration, mourning, or tranquility, only the people of the former Soviet countries who actually experienced this know. No one can truly understand another's feelings. As a friend, all I can do is respect and offer my blessings, hoping for a better future.

The following content is about Wang Xiao and the children of factory workers in the store reminiscing about their feelings for China and this land.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, when the factory was being built, Soviet experts, as well as experts from Russia, Ukraine, and several other countries, came to the factory.

The factory workers were always grateful for their selfless help. Later, when the experts were forced to leave due to the deterioration of relations between the two countries, everyone was very regretful and promised to reunite in the future if they had the opportunity.

Upon hearing this, Tang Yicheng was certain that Wang Xiao was taking the opportunity to recruit talent. Even if she couldn't use them herself, it would be good for a large company to employ them.

While in Budapest, he heard that many Eastern European experts had been poached by Western countries.

China is poor, so it definitely can't compete with the other side in terms of salary. But if it plays the emotional card, it's not without hope.

He still believes to this day that there were many genuine communists in the Soviet Union. The Red Square march on November 7th was their protest.

People feel at ease when they share the same ideology, and the word "at ease" itself is a rare treasure.

The newspaper reporter asked quite a few questions, such as whether the Moscow government was lying about celebrating.

Wow, Mr. Wang's answer was absolutely flawless.

She thought it might just be a misunderstanding.

Because it was snowing and the queue was very long, Moscow city officials were worried that people at the back would not be able to buy anything and had waited in vain, so they suggested that they extend their business hours.

The store considered that the customer is king, so they extended the service by more than two hours.

Both shopping streets are very grateful for the help from the Moscow city government. From the initial procedures to the later organization of volunteers to maintain order, the city government has been a great help to them.

Everyone shares the same goal: to ensure that there are enough supplies in Moscow to meet the daily needs of the people of Moscow.

Ms. Wang then went on to praise Moscow extensively, saying that Moscow's urban construction was excellent, its transportation was convenient, and its people were warm, friendly, polite, and of high quality.

The Moscow shop assistants were proactive, energetic, and selfless. When it was announced last night that opening hours would be extended, no one hesitated; their enthusiasm for work was extremely high.

After listening to Tang Yicheng's translation, Sun Yu couldn't help but exclaim, "Give me five hundred yuan a month, bonuses aside, and an extra hundred yuan for every hour of overtime, and my work enthusiasm will definitely be ignited."

His companions laughed and said, "Five hundred rubles isn't much. Look at the president, he still has a retirement pension of four thousand rubles."

Some people laughed even harder: "Hmm, that's enough to buy a leather jacket."

The volunteers, who were organized with the help of the Moscow city government, received a faux leather jacket as a return gift, with the name of the shopping street printed on it.

These are the spring work uniforms for shop assistants.

Tang Yicheng glanced at them, and the people who were laughing stopped.

Ivan continued reading the newspaper; the reporter had so many questions.

For example, what are her thoughts on seeing Moscow residents rushing to buy things?

Everyone thought there was nothing to think about, but secretly they all said the truth: the Russians are really poor and lack everything.

Unexpectedly, Wang Xiao's answer was that it felt like she had returned to her childhood.

She was still in elementary school then, and her whole family lined up to buy a sewing machine. There was a very long queue at the store.

When it was their turn, the shop assistant brought out the sewing machine, and they felt especially happy and joyful.

She is now happy to be the kind of salesperson who makes customers happy.

The Huaxia store clerk next to her echoed her words, reminiscing about their childhood experiences of queuing to buy things at the supply and marketing cooperative, grain and oil store, and shopping mall.

These memories are from less than ten years ago.

Ivan felt particularly comfortable while reading it.

Yes, that's right. China has only been reforming and opening up for a little over ten years, and now there's no longer any shortage of food, drink, clothing, or daily necessities on the market.

Then Russia certainly can too.

The reporter then asked Wang Xiao about his views on the reforms in the Russian Federation and whether these reforms would be successful.

Tang Yicheng was about to curse. Why did he have to ask Wang Xiao such a stupid question? Did he have to force someone to flatter the new government?

Fortunately, Wang Xiao was good at Tai Chi.

"Our Chinese saying is that reform requires feeling your way across the river; the depth of the water is still unclear, so we must proceed step by step, keeping our balance on both feet. If we take a wrong step, we must turn back and start over, lest we fall into the water."①

The outcome of the reforms remains to be seen, and no one can predict it.

But I believe that the initial purpose of those who proposed the reforms was certainly to enable the people of this country to live better lives.

Just as no two leaves in the world are exactly alike, so too are countries. What works in one country may not work in another.

So, I don't know either. I just hope everything gets better and better.

Ivan curled his lip, looking down on them: "Do you think they can really make their boasts go to heaven just by getting a few more people to help them brag? Too bad they have some self-respect and won't flatter them."

Tang Yicheng truly didn't know what to say.

Ivanov and Ivan, back when the Soviet Union existed, they were always criticizing the Soviet government. Now that it's the Russian Federation, they've started to dislike it.

I'm not satisfied with just one thing, no matter what.

He had no choice but to change the subject: "Hey, hey, keep reading, I don't know many Russian words either."

Ivan reluctantly continued reading: "He asked her if she would run a factory in the Russian Federation besides her shop."

Haha, even if Tang Yicheng didn't know many Russian words, he would know the answer to this question.

Absolutely impossible.

Wang Xiao had said long ago that most of the Federation was at a high latitude and extremely cold, making it completely unsuitable for investment. Unless she was allowed to extract oil or natural gas or build transportation pipelines, the return on investment would not even cover the costs.

Sure enough, Wang Xiao spoke very eloquently to the reporter.

She lacked experience in running a factory and dared not open one rashly.

What if the factory goes badly? What will happen to the workers who joined out of trust? Neither she nor her business partner are good at this; their current focus is mainly on retail.

Suddenly, a jarring voice rang out from the side: "Heh, it's just about taking our money."

Tang Yicheng turned his head and looked at the middle-aged man with a serious expression sitting in the seat opposite him in the aisle.

He really wanted to retort: ​​"Well, then keep your rubles safe. When they become worthless, you'll have nowhere to cry."

Ivan retorted without hesitation: "Do you think anyone still cares about our rubles? Besides, they're planning to buy our goods and are still studying import and export restrictions on various commodities. Who knows how many rules there are right now?"

He put down the newspaper, snorted heavily, and began to fall back into that "I find the whole world annoying" state.

Tang Yicheng touched his nose and picked up the newspaper, trying to continue reading.

Finally, the middle-aged man, perhaps finding the newspaper too offensive or perhaps wanting to read it himself, reached out and took it, continuing to read.

It turns out that Wang Xiao and Ivanov had quite a few ideas. Seeing the popularity of down jackets, they also planned to raise ducks and geese on the farm they contracted, so that they could produce down jackets in Russia.

However, they also said they had never been involved in animal husbandry before, so they didn't know how to raise animals or how to make down jackets.

Their plan is to find livestock technicians in Russia to see if they can successfully raise ducks and geese. Then they will hire professional down jacket makers from China to teach everyone how to make clothes.

Just how large is this down jacket factory?

have no idea.

Because they didn't know exactly how many ducks and geese they could support.

Tang Yicheng laughed when he heard this.

He translated it for his other partners, and they were all overjoyed, jokingly saying that they could open a roast duck restaurant in Moscow.

It also promotes Chinese cuisine.

If Tang Yicheng strongly suspected they were just being perfunctory, after all, Russia's frost-free period is too short; ducks and geese probably wouldn't even live for six months.

By the way, is it possible to fatten up ducks and geese in six months?

Some of the veterans in the carriage said it was okay, since ducks aren't pigs. Others said it wouldn't work, since their own ducks were raised for a year.

In the end, it was someone from his hometown who had a duck farm who confidently assured him that it would work, absolutely. He said that those ducks, which were raised specifically for meat, could be ready for market in just two or three months.

Well, if that's the case, maybe there really will be a roast duck restaurant on the commercial street in the future.

If there were enough ducks, there might be a roast duck restaurant on every street in Moscow.

The middle-aged man who was reading the newspaper to them seemed quite dissatisfied with not being able to participate in the discussion, and he raised his voice as he read the newspaper.

Tang Yicheng quickly gestured for everyone to be quiet, as he wanted to continue listening.

Hey! The reporter's questions just won't stop.

He/She also asked the customers in line what kind of service they hoped to receive.

Unsurprisingly, everyone wants things to be cheaper, ideally as cheap as those in state-run stores.

Of course, the customers who answered the question also knew that this was impossible. The Russian Federation was about to deregulate commodity prices, so it was impossible for them to subsidize foreign goods.

The store responded that their most important task right now is to maintain market stability, rather than arbitrarily lowering prices and making the market more chaotic.

Moreover, the devaluation of the ruble is causing headaches for shops, since they don't purchase goods in rubles.

In addition, the low price could be considered dumping. Their color TVs, which are currently selling well at low prices, are very popular and have been accused of dumping in Europe.

Now they hope to operate more cautiously in the Russian market.

Tang Yicheng was finally satisfied after reading the long report.

Hey! Wang Xiao specifically brought up the color TV, he must be advertising for it again.

This time, in order to transport the color TV from China, they specially used a train car.

Everyone was on tenterhooks, fearing that the train thieves would empty the container.

Thank goodness, color TVs are quite heavy and bulky, making them too difficult to steal. So, they were ignored by thieves and escaped unscathed.

However, they all agreed that it would be easier to transport the ice by water after it melts.

The middle-aged man wanted to read the rest of the newspaper, so Sun Yu generously gave it to him.

As he read, he read another article to Tang Yicheng, a commentary on why the Huaxia Commercial Street was so popular.

Wow, Moscow journalists are quick on their feet.

They've only been open for less than three days, yet they've already managed to summarize their experience.

First of all, the store's interior is warm and bright, making you feel very comfortable as soon as you walk in, and you'll want to stay there a little longer.

Yes, she had heard Wang Xiao mention this before, and decided to directly copy the McDonald's decor style from Pushkin Street.

People living in cold regions prefer the warmth of sunshine.

Most people who go on vacation to subtropical regions are from the north.

Of course, Tang Yicheng was more convinced that the reason so many customers came was because the store offered a wide variety of relatively inexpensive goods.

Moreover, the store implements a three-guarantee policy, so customers don't have to worry about shoes falling apart after a week of wear or down jackets being covered in feathers as soon as they put them on.

The reviews also praised the store's ingenuity, noting that each item not only indicated the production materials, manufacturer, and place of origin, but the brochures even introduced the basic information, scenery, and culture of the place of origin.

It's practically a travel guidebook.

I really don't know how much effort they put into making such a brochure.

The writer remarked that although it was clearly an advertisement, the effort put into its creation made him reluctant to throw it away after receiving it. He kept it at home as a treasure and would take it out to look at it from time to time.

Of course, another newspaper quipped about this meticulously crafted propaganda brochure: "Is China no longer planning to export revolution, but instead exporting culture?"

As night fell, the lights in the carriage dimmed, and everyone stopped discussing the newspapers. Instead, they ate the sandwiches and milk they had brought with them and whispered about what the two bosses would buy in Russia.

The train attendant pushed her cart back and forth in the carriage, calling out her wares in an attempt to pique everyone's interest in the food she was selling.

However, everyone has long seen through the fact that train meals are expensive and unpalatable, so basically no one buys them.

Sun Yu asked Tang Yicheng, "Hey, do you think it's possible that as soon as we got back, Boss Wang will ask us to come back and drive again?"

The people around them got excited; if that were the case, that would be wonderful.

Perhaps they can stay in Moscow for a couple more days and explore the city properly.

This time was too short; they haven't seen everything yet.

"Don't think about it." Tang Yicheng swallowed the sandwich in his mouth.

Muscovites don't usually eat raw vegetables, so the lettuce in this sandwich is quite expensive, as are fresh tomatoes.

Before taking another bite, he added an explanation, "It won't be that fast. We'll have to wait until the next batch of drivers is trained. I reckon it'll be close to the New Year by then."

However, Tang Yicheng was wrong; Wang Xiao acted much faster than he expected.

She made two days of international calls from her office upstairs in the store and secured an order for three thousand cars.

Where do the orders come from? From Beijing or Shanghai?

No, no, no, it's not any of them, it's the Jinning Grand Hotel.

Of course, although the hotel has its own fleet of vehicles, which is now also open to the public in addition to transporting guests, it doesn't need that many vehicles.

The people who wanted the car were attendees at a business conference at the Jinning Grand Hotel. They included representatives from various local governments and enterprises, as well as businessmen from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and foreign countries.

Wait a minute, why would they go to all this trouble to get cars from the former Soviet Union? And so many of them?

This is related to the fact that the current domestic automobile production capacity is insufficient to meet market demand.

In 1984, a shocking car smuggling incident occurred in Hainan. In order to raise construction funds, the leaders of the Hainan government took the lead in engaging in smuggling, which was due to the huge gap in the domestic automobile consumption market.

In an era when the concept of a market economy has not even been formally proposed, what procedures are involved in buying a car?

First, a car purchase application must be submitted, then approved by the unit leader, and then reviewed again by an agency called the "Control Office" (Wang Xiao didn't really understand its true purpose). After passing the review, a car purchase quota must be obtained from the local planning department.

After the shopping cart quota is centrally reviewed, it goes to the local materials bureau for formalities. Only after the formalities are completed can the purchase process begin.

Of course, the purchase location was not the Materials Bureau, but the Machinery and Electrical Products Distribution Department.

Moreover, it's not like you can get the car once you've completed all the procedures; you still need to go to the bank to process foreign exchange.

Once the bank transfer is complete, go back and check if there are any vehicles in the machinery and electronics sales department's warehouse. If not, go home and wait patiently.

As for when you'll get to see it, that depends on your luck; no one can guarantee it for you.

Because of this background, car permits are quite valuable nowadays, and a single permit can earn several thousand yuan.

Many organizations and individuals, although they have the money and the need to buy a car, cannot buy one because they lack connections, and can only find ways to do so from outside.

Due to historical reasons, cars made in the Soviet Union are quite well-known in mainland China and are a type of car that people are willing to buy.

As for the foreign businessmen staying at the Jinning Grand Hotel, it was purely for convenience.

They come here to do business, and no one is going to bring their own car. Besides, taxis are hard to find these days, so having a car would be very convenient.

Therefore, as soon as the hotel asked everyone what they wanted, many people immediately requested a car.

With current restrictions on car purchases, how will Wang Xiao sell the car to them? This involves skirting the law once again.

The car was imported under the name of the trade city and then resold.

This was possible because the trade city is a Sino-Russian joint venture.

Ivanov gave her a thumbs up, praising her for being awesome and for getting orders incredibly fast.

Three thousand cars? Okay, no problem. He'll contact them right now.

"No, five thousand vehicles." Wang Xiao did the math in his head, then changed his mind, "ten thousand vehicles."

Why so many cars? Because passenger cars are not currently included in the list of price increases mandated by the Russian Federation. The prices of most mainstream domestically produced cars on the streets of Moscow remain between 10,000 and 20,000 rubles.

The idea that a down jacket can be exchanged for a car is not a fantasy in this day and age, but rather a matter of course.

Now that the Russian federal government has begun to gradually liberalize the prices of various goods, Wang Xiao feels that the day when car prices rise is probably not far off, and the ruble is falling day by day. He might as well hurry up and buy a car to avoid losing a lot of money on the way in and out.

Ivanov was quite surprised: "What are you going to do with the remaining seven thousand vehicles?"

“It’s okay.” Wang Xiao gritted his teeth. “Anyway, we’re going to run a taxi company, so we need cars anyway.”

We can just stock up for now. Once the Southern Tour speeches are released and policies are further relaxed, the car market will definitely see a boom.

By then, cars will probably be more in demand than steel.

Ivanov thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay, ten thousand it is."

But after making a round of calls, he changed his mind: "How about 30,000 vehicles?"

He now feels that 30,000 cars are not a big deal. Even if they are luxury cars costing 20,000 rubles each, that's only 600 million rubles.

The turnover of the commercial street is simply not enough to show for it.

Well, he's starting to get a little scared of how fast the commercial street can make money.

With so many rubles and billions in revenue every day, he was particularly afraid that the Russian people's assets would become worthless in their hands.

Their commercial street still needs to source goods; they can't get waste paper from factories in China.

“OK, let’s go with 30,000 cars then.” Wang Xiao was quite nonchalant, and even joked, “If we had airplanes, let’s buy them right away.”

Unfortunately, those selling airplanes now are shrewd; they've long since abandoned the ruble and now demand either goods in exchange or simply pay in US dollars.

This is completely inconsistent with their requirement to consume large amounts of rubles.

Of the 30,000 cars, 10,000 were shipped directly to China by train and then transported by sea to Jiangdong.

Wang Xiao calculated the transportation costs and found that, based on the current ruble exchange rate, the transportation cost of the car itself, not to mention taxes, far exceeded its value.

Can you believe it? A luxury car made in the former Soviet Union now costs less than two hundred US dollars.

This gives a glimpse into the financial turmoil in the newly formed Russian Federation.

The remaining 20,000 cars need to be sourced, and some still need to undergo final assembly.

Wang Xiao and Ivanov discussed it and decided to go to the car factory for an on-site inspection to see what else they could buy.

That's terrifying, so many rubles is really alarming.

Even though Ivanov was unwilling to admit it, his intuition honestly told him that the Russian Federation's financial situation was on the verge of collapse.

It is estimated that the government will take more drastic measures next.

Tragically, he also lacked confidence in the Russian federal government's economic capabilities.

This is a bunch of drunkards; every decision they make sounds like they're acting when they're intoxicated.

But were they the only ones who got drunk? The entire nation must have been drunk, otherwise why would they have chosen this group?

The last Soviet leader, too, never displayed any leadership qualities from beginning to end. How was he able to govern the country for so many years?

Having come this far, each of them bears an unshirkable responsibility.

Indeed, people have to pay the price for their choices, and everyone has to be responsible for their own life.

Wang Xiao felt a headache coming on as soon as he saw Wang Xiao's blank stare.

Since the flag was lowered in Red Square on the evening of December 25th, he has occasionally fallen into this dazed state.

It seems like the snow that fell that night hasn't stopped falling yet.

She didn't disturb her unfortunate friend, and quietly went down to give instructions to the managers of the two commercial streets.

Remember, as long as the purchase quantity reaches a certain level, such as 10 down jackets, you will get a 10% discount.

Even if it's just 10 people temporarily getting together, and each of them pays out of their own pockets, if they say it's one order, then we'll acknowledge it as one order.

Because wholesale has the fastest turnover rate.

The person in charge muttered to himself, half-jokingly saying, "Won't this place turn into a wholesale market?"

Wang Xiao laughed: "That's possible. If that's the case, it would be a good thing."

Why?

Because the Chinese goods sold on the commercial street make it easier for her to control quality.

If small vendors want to source Chinese goods to sell outside of Moscow, their first thought is to go to their commercial streets, which means that the quality of the goods sold through them is guaranteed.

Over time, the reputation of Chinese goods will naturally spread.

This also means that in the future, they can have a steady stream of business on these two commercial streets, instead of just making a quick buck and running away.

To be honest, although she was very optimistic about the future appreciation potential of the properties on the two commercial streets, she didn't want to simply be a landlady here for at least the next 10 years.

Ivanov boarded the train in a daze.

Getting from Moscow to the car factory by plane requires a transfer to a bus, which is less convenient than taking the train directly.

Actually, if it's spring or summer, taking a boat trip is also a good option, as you can also take the opportunity to enjoy the scenery along both banks of the Volga River.

Now, outside the car window, there is either a vast expanse of white snow and ice or a gray wasteland; all that comes into view is the desolation of winter.

Wang Xiao casually thought that when he organized people to come again next year when the weather was warmer, he would definitely take everyone boating on the Volga River.

"The Volga Boatmen" is so famous in China that I'm sure the factory workers will be very happy.

Yes, the commercial street is doing well right now.

Once the production of erotic lingerie and sex toys is stable, the next step should be to set up dedicated counters here.

Oh right, she's been so busy these past few days that she forgot to ask Yun Jin about her delivery.

What stage is the kasaya (Buddhist robe) made of?

How are the brocade scarves and ties she requested coming along?

What happened to the Yun brocade Hanfu she ordered?

No, no, we have to urge them.

There's only about a month left until Chinese New Year, and she absolutely has to wear new clothes for the holiday.

She also needs to make time to visit Hungary and Romania soon to convert her currency into investable assets.

To be honest, the speed at which the ruble is falling is alarming, and she's really worried that currencies in Eastern Europe won't be able to withstand it either.

Wang Xiao was lost in thought and didn't even notice when the train stopped at the platform.

It was the commotion outside the car window that startled her. She turned her head to look outside and saw so many people, so many people.

Everyone raised their hands high, each clutching rolls of banknotes, shouting, "Give it to me, give it to me!"

Some people even stuffed banknotes through the car window.

The winter wind was bitterly cold, but none of the vendors in the carriage seemed to care. After picking up a roll of rubles, they unhesitatingly took off their down jackets and threw them out the window.

The person who had just slipped the money in immediately pounced on the down jacket like a hungry person shoving bread, then quickly put it on and left.

It felt as if if I hesitated even for a second, someone else would snatch the dress away.

The scene inside and outside the train became even more chaotic, with more and more people desperately pushing forward to squeeze their rubles into the carriage.

Then, one by one, the clothes (mostly down jackets) were thrown out of the car window, and the transaction was over.

Wang Xiao really suspected that no one was taking advantage of the situation, simply picking up the down jacket from the ground and running away.

There definitely is.

But the customers who were eager to buy seemed to care nothing for them; they were willing to risk losing both their money and their possessions, and would do everything they could to exchange their rubles for the goods they needed.

Perhaps because their eagerness to grab the down jackets was so intense, even a little comical, several Chinese people in the Che family laughed and shouted outside, "Slow down, slow down, there's more!"

Unfortunately, the train stopped at the platform for too short a time, and the people behind didn't have time to put their money in. The train whistled and slowly moved forward again.

Those who couldn't buy anything refused to give up and kept running after the train.

One of the women was wearing a coat with a fox fur collar and was particularly beautiful.

Honestly, as Wang Xiao watched her with the train, only one thought came to his mind: Anna Karenina, the chosen one.

This is the scene where she first appears in the novel; she is beautiful and noble, so captivating that one cannot look away.

She anxiously shouted to the people in the car, "Give it to me! Give it to me!"

He then forcefully stuffed the rubles into the carriage.

Then almost every Chinese person in the carriage threw down a down jacket.

She threw herself onto the down jacket and cried with emotion.

Wang Xiao felt sorry for her and was especially worried that if she cried in such cold weather, her face would get frostbite.

The Chinese passengers in the carriage were stunned for a moment. When the train had driven far away and could only be seen as a black dot, a man in his thirties smacked his lips and said somewhat awkwardly, "Why is she crying? We should be the ones crying. She only gave us the money for a piece of clothing."

The others suddenly realized what was happening and started chattering, "Hey, hey, hey, I gave them the clothes, so you have to give me a share of the money!"

The first person to pick up the money refused, repeatedly emphasizing, "Nobody told you to throw it away. Oh, you think you can get close to someone just because they're good-looking? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

The other middlemen wouldn't have it; they insisted on arguing with him about the rights and wrongs.

Wang Xiao found it a bit funny and turned to Ivanov, saying, "Hey, this lady is so beautiful, could we possibly find someone..."

She had to swallow the rest of the offer, "ask her to be a model."

Because Ivanov cried.

He was so terrified during the Red Square parade on November 7th, fearing the Red Army would come back and wipe him out, but he didn't cry.

On the evening of December 25th, when the Soviet flag disappeared forever, he stood beside Red Square, but he did not cry.

Now, on the swaying train, he looked out the window and silently shed tears.

The tall, imposing man, whom Wang Xiao couldn't recall ever seeing cry before, was now crying as if the whole world had collapsed.

Wang Xiao reached out, wanting to pat him and say a few words of comfort, but dared not disturb him.

She thought that perhaps at this moment, he just needed to be alone in peace.

Ivanov suddenly stood up, opened his briefcase, took out a wad of banknotes and threw them on the ground: "Here you go, all of it! Who would take advantage of you?"

Wang Xiao was afraid that he would get into a fight with the black marketeers.

The way these middlemen fight is the kind of fighting that's suicidal. They can pick up a trailer and smash it directly on someone's head. Even if they're vomiting blood, they'll still grab the other person's leg and fight to the death.

It is said that the freight trucking business at the Eastern Railway Station was originally handled by Caucasians who charged Chinese traders exorbitant prices, demanding four times the freight rate.

This angered the Chinese traders. Despite being a head shorter than their opponents, they fought with a reckless style that terrified the Caucasians, who then offered to lower their freight rates by half.

The Russians don't seem to mind their fighting at all; in fact, some people believe that the reason China's reforms have been successful is because the Russians are not afraid of death.

The Soviet Union struggled for a long time but failed to make any real changes because it lacked this kind of fearless, all-or-nothing spirit.

When Wang Xiao heard this, he was completely bewildered and had no idea how to respond.

She jumped out and blocked Ivanov's path, explaining to her fellow Chinese compatriots, "He meant no harm, please don't misunderstand."

The middlemen just paused for a moment, showing no sign of anger. Some even laughed out loud: "What bad intentions could we have towards giving you money? Hey, do you have any US dollars? If you do, give us some US dollars."

Wang Xiao forcefully pulled Ivanov back to his seat.

The two bodyguards nodded and smiled at the black marketeers, indicating that they meant no harm.

A storm was averted without a trace.

Wang Xiao looked at Ivanov with concern, patted his arm, and comforted him, "It will be alright, everything will be alright."

Ivanov remained silent.

When the train stopped at the next station at lunchtime, and individual vendors pushed their prepared food onto sleds to sell, Wang Xiao, without saying anything, asked him, "Which one is the best?"

He did not answer.

The bodyguard went down and bought savory pies and roasted potatoes, plus some desserts that Wang Xiao didn't even know the specifics of.

Everyone made do with a meal.

When Wang Xiao started snacking on Siberian pine nuts, Ivanov finally spoke up: "Give me some."

The rest of the journey was spent with the two of them, like two squirrels, munching on pine nuts.

They were probably so engrossed in their meal that the Chinese reseller next to them couldn't resist and came over to chat, exchanging their instant noodles for a packet of pine nuts.

Ivanov ate another packet of instant noodles with gusto, and when he finally got off the bus, he even let out a burp.

Both bodyguards felt utterly humiliated, as if they couldn't bear to look.

Making such a fool of yourself in front of a lady is definitely a black mark on your past.

Ivanov, however, acted as if nothing had happened, flagged down a taxi, and had the driver take them directly to the car factory.

No, to be more specific, it's an arms factory.

Because, apart from the top leaders who gave the order twenty years ago, very few people know that there is a civilian car production line here.

They need to register when they enter.

Ivanov gestured for Wang Xiao to take out his passport, but the gatekeeper simply waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright, you can go in."

The bodyguard was stunned at first, then gave a wry smile.

When they came here two years ago, the security level here was very high, and it was impossible for ordinary people to get in.

Now, it's probably unnecessary.

The deputy director of the military factory in charge of sales came over and shook hands with Ivanov, then, as usual, complained about how difficult things were becoming.

Two years ago, military spending was already insufficient. As a military factory, their orders mainly came from the military. You can imagine how miserable their lives were.

Ivanov patted the other man on the back with a smile, his tone friendly: "My dear old buddy, I've come to deliver your order, haven't I? Cars, 20,000 cars. Do you want a bank transfer or cash?"

Unexpectedly, the deputy factory director wanted supplies.

"Give us clothes, give us food, or even a color TV and a refrigerator. In short, we need tangible things."

Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance and shook their heads without hesitation.

No, what a joke, their current task is to deplete the rubles.

"No, no, not now at all." Ivanov found a ready excuse. "At least wait until the Volga River thaws, otherwise how will you transport the goods? Are you going to ask the army to escort the trains for you? Everything will be stolen along the way."

The deputy factory director said irritably, "Go find them? They'll only steal more."

The two sides went back and forth, neither willing to give in.

In the end, the factory manager came and made the decision: rubles would be used.

Wang Xiao and Ivanov finally breathed a sigh of relief, thank goodness.

Unexpectedly, the factory director's next words were: "Comrade Pavlov, inform all employees to drive to Moscow. We don't need to trouble them to send the rubles over, nor do we need to trouble the bank to transfer funds. We will go directly to Huaxia Commercial Street to purchase supplies."

Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance. Good heavens, there's actually such a crazy tactic.

God! Why is it so difficult for them to spend their rubles?

————————

①Note: This is from the "Opinions on Several Issues Concerning the Implementation of the Economic Responsibility System for Industrial Production" issued in October 1981, which emphasizes:

"The implementation of the economic responsibility system is still in the exploratory stage. All regions and departments should strengthen leadership and proceed cautiously, as the depth of the water is not yet clear. We should proceed step by step, keep our balance, and if we make a mistake, we should turn back and start over, so as not to fall into the water."

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