Chapter 92 Cheap Land is Good: Actually, containers can also be used to sell goods.

As the next day dawned, Wang Xiao resumed his work via telephone.

Director Zhang, how's the matter with the Chinese TV series going? I've already made arrangements with the Romanian national television station, and we're just waiting for your production.

By the way, is there a show called "The Outsider Girl"? The director of a TV station is interested in it now.

Director Zhang was dumbfounded.

No, girl, it seems like you just told me about this yesterday, and you're already pushing for progress today? Even the donkeys in the production team aren't used like this.

Wang Xiao spoke with great seriousness, directly elevating the political significance of the matter.

Is exporting TV dramas overseas simply a matter of gaining prestige and making some money? No, it's a matter of cultural influence.

Why is the Tang Dynasty still talked about today, and why are there so many Chinatowns abroad instead of Song or Ming Dynasty Chinatowns?

The key is culture. Tang culture had a wide influence, which is why people still appreciate it today.

If Romania were in this situation today, and the red flag changed colors, would the friendship between the two countries still be maintained?

If so, how should we proceed?

The premise of a socialist family is gone. Now is a crucial time for the Western world to work with us to win over Romania and even the whole of Eastern Europe.

At this juncture, relying on official propaganda is unrealistic, so we need to adjust our approach and start from the grassroots level.

The influence of TV dramas is immense. Look at China; in the past, people would talk about Japanese devils with every word, hating them to the core. But after a decade or so of Japanese dramas airing, now when people want to travel abroad, Japan is definitely in the top 3 of the first countries they consider.

This is the power of television in spreading culture.

Wang Xiao further emphasized, "Moreover, Eastern European countries are closely connected. Romania can receive television broadcasts from Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. Conversely, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia can too. In other words, if Chinese dramas are broadcast in Romania, their reach extends far beyond just Romania. Director Zhang, you must have attended many meetings and understand the influence of culture much better than I do. To give you just one example, whether in Moscow or Bucharest, Coca-Cola is the most popular drink among the locals. Even though it's not cheap, it doesn't stop people from loving it."

Although Director Zhang only works at the provincial television station, he is still able to represent the national television delegation on overseas visits, so his political awareness is top-notch.

He immediately assured him, "No problem, I'll keep a close eye on this."

Wang Xiao thought about it for a moment, but still felt it wasn't safe enough, so he added, "Then do you think we could send out an invitation letter or something, inviting the leaders of that TV station to visit China for a joint exchange and learning? Don't worry, I can cover all the airfare, and if it's really inconvenient for you to get reimbursed, I can also sponsor some of the other expenses."

Director Zhang was instantly filled with respect, showering her with compliments like they were free: "Oh, Wang Xiao, you're practically a cultural ambassador between China and Romania! Someone like you is a true entrepreneur. Don't worry, I guarantee you'll succeed."

Having money makes things much easier. Once you solve the money problem, over 99.99% of the world's problems will be solved.

Wang Xiao checked the time and went out of his room to have breakfast.

The hotel owner's wife once again launched into a sycophantic chorus, enthusiastically praising the diligence of the Chinese people.

Look, they've already started working so early.

Alas, Romanians were once just as hardworking.

Some young people these days are no longer capable; they just want more money to do less work.

Can you believe it? Romanians now only work 35 hours a week.

Oh no, this is terrible! This country needs everyone to work harder to get better.

Wang Xiao comforted the worried landlady: "It will be alright, everything will be alright."

The hotel owner cheered up again and gave Wang Xiao homemade jam to spread on his bread. Behind the backs of the Soviets (even though the Soviet Union had collapsed, in the old lady's eyes, Ivanov and his two bodyguards were still Soviets), she urged Wang Xiao to eat more.

What could Ivanov's reaction be? Hmph! He's determined to earn a billion dollars and buy the People's Palace in Romania!

So after finishing his buttered bread and drinking his milk, he went back to his room in a huff to make a phone call.

Who doesn't know how to work over the phone? He just didn't perform well earlier.

After having breakfast, Wang Xiao saw that it was almost time, so he took out the business card he had received the night before and called the director of the Romanian television station.

Mr. Director, we at Huaxia would like to invite you and your colleagues to visit Huaxia. When would be a convenient time for you to visit?

We need to develop a general plan so we can then discuss the specifics with you.

The expenses will be handled entirely by our Huaxia side.

Oh dear, yes, there are no direct flights from Bucharest to Beijing; you have to transfer in Moscow. It's such a hassle.

It is believed that as exchanges between the two countries deepen further, there will definitely be direct flights between them.

Director, I'm waiting for your news.

After she hung up the phone, Wang Tiejun became the busy one.

However, Old Wang didn't need the phone. He received the director of the Galatz Steel Plant and the plant's sales manager, who was also Ruan Xiaomei's landlord, Mr. Tosloan, at the hotel.

They came to discuss the specifics of barter trade.

Perhaps fearing that the negotiations might fall apart and look bad, Mr. Toslowan specially invited Ms. Ruan to act as a middleman, in addition to the translator.

Ruan Xiaomei was both amused and exasperated: "How can I possibly help?"

But the Romanians were simple and warm-hearted. She saw that they were just like Chen Huansheng going to town, completely ignorant of the market economy, which was really difficult for her. So she left the stall in her husband's care and went with him.

Bartering? Sigh, are the Romanians so scared that they don't even believe in money anymore?

Wang Xiao pulled her aside to talk, and said with a smile, "You can be a great help. How about it? I'm planning to get a piece of land in Bucharest to set up a warehouse and shops. Would you be interested in being the general manager?"

Ruan Xiaomei was taken aback and pointed at herself: "Me?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "Yes, it's you. This little kiosk is too small a stage for you to perform on. You need a bigger platform."

From the moment she began planning her operations in Bucharest, her first choice for general manager was Ruan Xiaomei.

Simply put, he is someone who is willing to endure hardship and seize every opportunity to strive for advancement.

Although many Romanians can speak foreign languages ​​such as English and German, theoretically speaking, the foreign language skills that Nguyen Xiao-mei brought with her when she left Hungary should be sufficient.

However, they didn't slack off on learning Romanian after arriving. Why? Because many older Romanians don't speak foreign languages.

Ruan Xiaomei worked hard to learn Romanian, and even though she can only speak the simplest conversations now, she does business more smoothly than other middlemen.

"In addition to the warehouse, I plan to set up 1,000 shops for rent."

Ruan Xiaomei was taken aback: "So many shops? Are there that many people willing to rent them?"

Wang Xiao laughed: "You underestimate the speed of Chinese migration. Look, last year the first few dozen people to arrive in Bucharest were only a handful, and in just a few months, that number has increased almost tenfold. Now, the country is saying it should focus on economic development, so making money is justified. And getting a grey card in Romania is easy, so even more people will come. The distribution of kiosks in this city will soon be saturated. If we want to expand our sales reach further, we'll have to rely on warehousing and wholesale. What do you think—"

Wang Xiao advised her, "Think it over carefully, Ms. Ruan. Your task mainly involves two aspects: overseeing the construction of the warehousing market in the early stages, and managing investment attraction and daily operations in the later stages. Let me be frank, this is a very demanding job. There are many aspects to coordinate. As for your salary, you can name your own."

Ruan Xiaomei was led inside by her, and subconsciously began to think about how much salary she should pay.

Honestly, running a kiosk business is indeed profitable. To put it bluntly, it's more profitable than running a black market in China in the 1970s, and nobody gets arrested; even the police treat them politely.

But Wang Xiao's point is indeed valid. Once a large number of Chinese people flood into Romania, everyone's sources of goods will be roughly the same, and competition will naturally intensify.

By then, at least half of the Chinese businessmen will have to leave the retail industry and switch to the wholesale market route.

Ruan Xiaomei's resolve wavered slightly, and she urged Wang Xiao, "Why don't you move the commercial city here? Business will definitely be good if you just move it here."

Wang Xiao shook his head, quite regretfully: "First of all, we don't have that many manpower. Secondly, sending people from domestic manufacturers to oversee sales abroad is very troublesome in terms of all aspects. In addition, there's the issue of the Chinese merchants who will be entering the market soon. In China, manufacturers and customers are the main entities dealing with the trade city. In Bucharest, this entity becomes the customers and the Chinese merchants operating shops. If we take away the livelihoods of these Chinese merchants who want to enter the market, we will definitely become the target of everyone's criticism and be ostracized everywhere."

After thinking carefully for a while, Ruan Xiaomei frowned and said, "But if we do that, we can't guarantee the quality of the products."

The good reputation of Chinese goods in Bucharest and throughout Romania is entirely due to the solid foundation laid in the past, coupled with the fact that these people are afraid of making a mistake and have always paid close attention to quality control.

Some people even acquired a batch of substandard winter clothing, preferring to suffer the loss in silence rather than dare to sell it, for fear of ruining their reputation.

But as more people joined later, the veteran Chinese businessmen were simply unable to control the newcomers. Wouldn't that lead to one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch?

Wang Xiao nodded: "So we still need to focus on quality control. Each merchant renting a shop from us has to pay a deposit of $3,000. If a product has a quality problem and the merchant who came to buy the goods discovers it, the shop must return or replace it. If they refuse to return or replace it, the $3,000 will be deducted from the deposit. All the results of the handling will be publicly announced in Romanian, English and Chinese."

She really wanted to implement a rating system like online shopping platforms. However, the problem is that offline operations have too much room for human control, making it easy for rent-seeking to occur.

Therefore, she can only continue operating by the most primitive and opportunistic methods.

After thinking for a moment, Ruan Xiaomei worried, "What if people think the conditions are too harsh and are unwilling to come and take the shop? They'll think we're all siding with foreigners."

"The customer is king," Wang Xiao laughed. "What's wrong with us standing up for the customers? Besides, businesses chase after customers. Wherever the customers go, the market will follow. Everyone knows that. As long as a large number of customers enter the market, we won't have to worry about a lack of businesses. How about it? Want to show off your skills?"

Ruan Xiaomei hesitated for several minutes, during which Wang Xiao finished a small cake baked by the hotel owner; she then cautiously said, "I'll go back and write a proposal for you to see. If you think it's okay, we can talk about the next step."

Wang Xiao smiled: "Okay, I'll wait for your proposal."

If Ruan Xiaomei doesn't take this job, the person she plans to find is Xiang Dong. President Xiang has been training at Jiangzhimen for so long, it's time for him to try a different track.

As for Xiang Dong's poor foreign language skills, and the fact that he can only speak simple Russian so far, we can provide him with a translator.

Compared to Ruan Xiaomei, Xiang Dong is bolder and more decisive, making him quite suitable for expanding territory.

However, Wang Xiao admired Ruan Xiaomei's resilience and fighting spirit, so he preferred to ask for her opinion first.

Ruan Xiaomei's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she remembered to ask the important question: "Boss, where is the land? I want to go take a look. Also, which company did you hire to build the house?"

Wang Xiao stretched out his hand and said honestly, "I'm still waiting for the Bucharest municipal government's approval. As for the builder, I'll have to ask them again."

Judging from the housing conditions she observed in Bucharest and Galatsk, Romanians are quite capable of infrastructure development. If possible, she would naturally prefer to resolve the conflict locally, adhering to the principle of proximity.

Ruan Xiaomei fell silent instantly.

So, all that Boss Wang rambled on about, and the pancake was still just floating in the air.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "It will be quick. Once it's settled, we'll get started very soon."

As she spoke, she simply called the municipal government leaders and directly urged them to approve the land, and also asked someone to recommend a suitable construction company.

“I want to make it a benchmark for friends from all over the world to visit. In the future, if they come to Bucharest and other parts of Romania to invest, I will recommend the construction company to them.”

Wang Xiao's unspoken implication was that if you cut corners or do a sloppy job, don't blame me for my scathing criticism and cutting off your path to ascension.

So let's treat it as a project that will earn us a good reputation, and strive for a win-win situation for everyone, instead of creating unnecessary drama.

Even close brothers keep clear accounts, let alone just friends.

Wang Xiao thought about it for a moment and decided that he still needed to go through the embassy to get things clear.

If anything happens in the future, at least we can find someone to help us.

Ruan Xiaomei nodded in agreement and praised, "The embassy here is quite nice. During the Chinese New Year, they even organized a trip for us to celebrate together."

At that time, both the traders and the women were a bit confused.

Why? Because people think this is a privilege only international students can enjoy.

It's unexpected that these people, who are looked down upon in China, actually felt the warmth of their motherland when they went abroad.

It's quite subtle.

There was a knock on the door, and Wang Tiejun called out to his daughter from outside, "Xiaoxiao, come and see the goods we discussed."

Ruan Xiaomei glanced at Wang Xiao and then left the room.

She suspected that Wang Xiao's avoidance and non-participation in the negotiations with Galatz Steel Plant was intentional.

She wanted to take this opportunity to see if the steel mill was honest and whether it was overcharging.

When the results of the discussion were presented, Ruan Xiaomei was speechless.

The good news is that the Galatsk steel plant didn't take advantage of its customers; it didn't try to cheat its counterparts in other countries and offered a normal price.

They sell lighters for $1, but they want a wholesale price of $0.50, making a 50% profit, which is normal in the retail industry.

In China, lighters retail for only 80 cents or 1 yuan, and can be bought wholesale for 50 cents. Even with shipping costs added, Huaxia Fang still has a large profit margin.

Don't assume that the sale of lighters for $1 in Romania is a Chinese attempt to extort money from their former socialist brothers.

This is the normal market price, and it's actually a very cheap price.

If you were to use a lighter from Japan or South Korea, it would cost at least four dollars.

Compared to these, Chinese goods are absolutely superior in quality and price.

But what's with your steel mill using $2.2 million worth of rebar to exchange for lighters?

4.4 million lighters flooding the market all at once would be an absolute disaster!

Keep in mind that Romania's entire population is only 20 million, and Bucharest has only 2 million residents. Lagac is just a small city with a population of no more than 300,000.

How are you going to sell all these lighters? Are you having a clearance sale?

Oh dear, did you even consider the market's capacity to absorb it?

Wang Xiao directly refused: "That won't work. If everyone wants lighters, the market can't handle it, and prices will plummet. You won't just fail to make money, you'll actually lose money."

I just couldn't stand it anymore.

She picked up a pen and quickly wrote down a list: "Do it this way, sell in bundles, stock a little of everything, and sell directly in Lagats. This way, you'll get paid quickly and it will also meet the needs of the local people. Don't worry, the gross profit is 50%."

Wang Tiejun immediately advised his colleagues at the Lagac Steel Plant: "You should listen to my daughter. When it comes to doing business, we're not good at it; we have to rely on these young people."

Since Toslowan rented out two rooms in his house to middlemen, he naturally knew the prices of in-demand goods.

After a careful inspection, he nodded earnestly to the factory manager. The Chinese customer had indeed not lied; at this wholesale price, their steel mill did indeed have a 50% profit margin.

The two sides finally settled on the details of the transaction.

At the insistence of the Wang family father and daughter, they went to great lengths to find the lawyer who had previously helped them obtain the grey cards, so that he could help review the contract details and then fax them back to China.

After finalizing the matter, Wang Tiejun, at his daughter's suggestion, invited his colleagues from the Lagati Steel Plant to go to the Chinese Embassy to report the good news to the authorities.

Although Romania is currently experiencing economic difficulties, it does not affect their friendship with China.

Through barter trade, the participants successfully completed their business, which greatly promoted the economic development of both sides.

It is believed that after a good start, both sides will be able to further strengthen their ties and elevate their economic and trade exchanges to a new level, thus becoming important trading partners.

Most of the staff at the Chinese embassy were bewildered, but they readily accepted the good advice and immediately expressed their congratulations to both sides.

Then, under the leadership of Comrade Wang Tiejun, everyone reminisced about old Romanian movies. When they got excited, the embassy staff even brought out records and started playing music.

Then a group of older babies started singing and dancing.

Ivanov, who had been a mere accessory from beginning to end, felt that he was about to have his perception of Comrade Wang Tiejun refreshed once again.

How did he manage to do that? Despite the language barrier, it didn't hinder his communication with the Romanians at all.

Is this what they call socialist brotherhood?

Ha, Romania changed its color even faster than the Soviet Union.

Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, Wang Xiao took the opportunity to mention his predicament to the embassy staff.

Although she had asked the leaders of the Bucharest municipal government to help recommend a suitable construction company.

However, considering the different cultural backgrounds and work habits of the two countries, she hoped that the embassy could help her make an assessment.

After all, long live friendship.

If disagreements arise due to differences in work habits, it could be detrimental to relations between the two countries.

That would be terrible.

What Wang Xiao really wanted to say was that the Bucharest municipal government should not treat her like a fat sheep and bring in a scoundrel who only wants to line his own pocket and create a shoddy project even worse than the Deborah liner.

But it is now the end of February 1992. The Southern Tour has just ended, and even the explicit proposal to establish a socialist market economy system will not be made until the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of China this autumn.

Wang Xiao surmised that emphasizing international influence might be more effective when speaking to official institutions like embassies.

Fortunately, the embassy staff did not disappoint Ms. Ruan's evaluation—they were warm-hearted and sincere.

They were surprised that a Chinese joint venture had come to invest in Romania, not counting the commercial streets in Moscow, which were originally a Sino-Russian joint venture.

But they still listened carefully to Wang Xiao's concerns.

Finally, the counselor stated, "We also look forward to this large-scale warehousing market being established as soon as possible, providing an important medium for economic exchanges between the two countries."

Then, presumably to express the embassy's concern about the matter, he also called the Bucharest municipal government in front of Wang Xiao to express his expectations for the project.

I don't know if it was the urging effect of the phone call, or if the person was a government official who was naturally quick to act.

Anyway, over the phone, the city leaders invited the comrades from the embassy to come and take a look at the land to be allocated.

Ruan Xiaomei was stunned by the speed.

Although she didn't know the exact time of Wang Xiao's discussions with the Bucharest city government, she knew perfectly well that she had just picked him up from the train station the day before yesterday.

She quickly lifted her foot and ran after him to see the allocated land.

Before leaving, Wang Xiao asked his father if he wanted to go too.

As Wang Tiejun was engrossed in conversation, he waved his hand and started discussing the details of the detective movie with someone else.

Well, Wang Xiao can't control it anymore.

Fortunately, she was at the embassy, ​​so her personal safety was at least guaranteed. She went to see her place first.

The Bucharest municipal government was quite generous, directly leading Wang Xiao and his embassy colleagues to see the land, pointing to a large area by the river and saying, "You can take as much of this land as you want; it can be developed. You can build warehouses, markets, and factories, whatever you like."

Taking the opportunity, Wang Xiao asked, "Can we build houses there?"

She explained, "I looked at Romania's foreign investment law, and foreigners cannot buy residential properties in Romania. But if my friends come to invest, they will definitely need a place to live."

That's half true and half false.

She wants to hold onto the land because she sees potential for price appreciation.

Once Romania joins the EU, land prices will inevitably skyrocket. Why would she let go of an opportunity to make money effortlessly?

Ivanov started to complain again, "Sigh, Wang never even thought about building a house in Moscow."

She also said she was pessimistic about the development of the real estate market in the Russian Federation, which shows just how bad she thinks Russia must be.

Bucharest's city leaders are stuck again.

He had to turn to his secretary again to discuss it, and finally gave a cautious reply: "Office building, you can build office building, um, you can build apartments for your friends to use."

He joked, "Of course, if your friends don't mind that the land can only be used for 99 years, then they should have no problem buying the house you built."

The comrade from the Chinese embassy opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then thought back to China, where residential property rights are supposedly for 70 years.

Well, it's not even as long as their 99 years, so let's not say anything more.

Although Wang Xiao was a little disappointed, she nodded to show that she understood, and then asked about the price.

She wants to buy the 99-year usage rights to this land, so how much should she pay?

"Three US dollars, three US dollars per square meter."

Ruan Xiaomei did the math in her head: this piece of land was about 100,000 square meters. So just acquiring the land would require an investment of 300,000 US dollars.

Ivanov chuckled again.

$300,000 is enough for them to buy more than 60 shops in Moscow, totaling more than 12,000 square meters.

As an investor, Ivanov didn't hesitate to criticize.

No matter how much Romanians look down on the Soviet Union, the facts are undeniable: in terms of both population size and global influence, Moscow far surpasses Bucharest.

He simply couldn't find a reason why land prices in Bucharest could be higher than in Moscow.

Who gave them the courage?

What makes Romanians think they can attract more investors?

It must be said that Ivanov's rant was quite effective.

The main problem is that these days, people who come from socialist countries generally don't have the concept of real estate brokers.

Both Romania and the former Soviet Union took on a lot of responsibility back then, considering housing, healthcare, and education to be the government's responsibility.

As a result, Romanians don't really think their land is very valuable.

Especially after experiencing the fact that they had attracted less than $200 million in foreign investment over two years, which had left them feeling isolated for so long, they were already engaging in self-deception and seriously doubting their own worth.

If Ivanov continued with his subtle sarcasm, the city leaders would start to doubt themselves: was three dollars per square meter too high?

This is just the right to use, not permanent ownership.

Before Wang Xiao could even say anything, the other party had already proactively lowered the price to two dollars.

Wow, this is such a pleasant surprise!

Unexpectedly, Ivanov's period attack had this effect.

Keep it up, bro.

Whether we can handle this immense wealth depends on you.

Wang Xiao pointed forward again: "What about over there? Are they for sale over there?"

The embassy staff were taken aback.

Because the place she was pointing to was clearly a large garbage dump.

Because it's cold now, I'm standing far away, so the strange smell of the garbage isn't too bad.

You can imagine what the situation will be like here when spring arrives and flowers bloom.

Is she going to build a skyscraper on a garbage dump?

Wang Xiao continued, "Can I hire someone to haul away the trash here? Where can it be hauled to? Also, is there any open space on the other side of the river? If so, I'd like to take it down as well."

Are you kidding me? $2 per square meter for a 99-year lease. If she doesn't seize the opportunity and buy more land, what will happen to her when people realize she sold her property for a pittance?

The city leaders were taken aback, but not surprised, but rather delighted.

In his view, this financially powerful company was willing to acquire so much land because it wanted to cultivate a deep presence in Bucharest.

Although he still has a vague understanding of market economics, he does understand the concept of sunk costs.

The more you invest, the more you care.

Even if they don't see profits for a while, they'll have to keep throwing money in, even if they have to hold their noses, because they've already invested so much money upfront.

The city leader readily nodded: "No problem, the garbage here can be hauled away."

In fact, the garbage here was disposed of just a few years ago.

On the one hand, agricultural production requires a lot of compost, which can just consume some of the household waste.

On the other hand, waste incineration plants also require a large amount of waste, and it is recommended that the heat generated from incineration be supplied to industrial production.

The remaining garbage was then hauled away to be landfilled.

However, industrial production has stalled, agriculture is in dire straits, and what's worse, hauling away this garbage requires a lot of gasoline.

Bucharest is currently facing an energy crisis, and the government is exhausted from trying to find money to subsidize food, leaving them with little energy to manage other matters.

Since foreign businesses are willing to pay to haul away the garbage, there's definitely no problem; they'd absolutely welcome it.

In just one afternoon, Wang Xiao and Ivanov successfully harvested 20 hectares of land, which is 200,000 square meters or 300 mu.

400,000 US dollars, which is about 2.8 million Chinese yuan, is roughly equivalent to 10,000 yuan per mu.

The prices are similar to those Wang Xiao paid for land in the country.

With both parties agreeing, the next step is naturally to sign the contract.

Wang Xiao went to a law firm again, but the lawyer was already exhausted.

Is this the terrifying speed of China? They just finished a $2.2 million trade deal this morning, and this afternoon it turned into a land transaction worth over $400,000.

Even by tomorrow, the lawyer has no idea what surprises await him.

Perhaps in the future, the entire law firm will be able to survive on just one big client.

After signing the contract, Wang Xiao went back to the embassy to pick up her father, just like picking up a senior citizen from school.

Luckily, she had been running around all afternoon and didn't return to the embassy until dinner time; otherwise, she would have been disappointed.

Why?

Because Comrade Wang Tiejun truly loved Romanian films; they permeated half his life.

So when he got excited talking to the people at the steel mill, he actually went to see a movie with them.

The embassy staff had to accompany him, fearing that this typical "baby who doesn't understand ABCs but still makes revolutions" would simply vanish into thin air in Bucharest, a place he was unfamiliar with and couldn't speak the language of.

Comrade Lao Wang seemed quite happy.

Although he couldn't understand what the people in the movie were saying at all, the screen was filled with people, fighting each other, with spears and swords clanging and clashing, creating quite a lively scene.

He watched with great interest.

On the contrary, the people at the Lagats steel plant felt quite embarrassed, thinking the movie theater was too cold.

Alas, since 1989, people's lives have not only not improved, but have actually gotten worse.

Especially the cinemas, which are still state-owned. Because the government doesn't have the money, the heating system is inadequate.

They went to the movie theater in the afternoon, but the temperature inside was probably no more than five degrees Celsius, and they were shivering from the cold.

No wonder there were hardly any other people inside besides them.

"No," Wang Tiejun said, looking bewildered. He quickly emphasized, "It's great, really great. As long as the movie is good, that's all that matters. There aren't many people, so it's like we have the whole theater to ourselves."

As for the viewing conditions, well, at least it's a movie in a theater.

Back when their factory's movie theater hadn't been built yet, if people wanted to watch movies, the auditorium couldn't hold all the people, so they would show them outdoors.

On windy days, the screen not only rattles and creaks, but the faces of the movie characters also become distorted and deformed on it.

Didn't it still manage to keep everyone's eyes glued to the screen?

There's no such thing as heating in southern China.

The weather in Jiangdong is no warmer than in Bucharest, and there is still no heating.

The people at the Lagats steel plant were incredibly curious: "How do you withstand the cold?"

Wang Xiao said in a serious tone: "We Southerners rely entirely on our upright character to get through the winter."

The laughter was so loud it could have put the roof off the embassy.

Ivanov was baffled; what was so funny about that statement?

Wow, Romanians are so easygoing.

Even with life like this, he can still laugh.

Ah, no matter how bad the situation is in Moscow, the heating has never stopped.

Ivanov felt a sense of superiority and instantly felt refreshed.

After leaving the embassy, ​​on the way back to the guesthouse, the car passed a movie theater.

Wang Xiao glanced over and was immediately puzzled: "Hey, there are quite a lot of people."

According to the people at the steel mill, Romanians don't watch movies much anymore.

But there are quite a few people at the entrance of the movie theater now, and audiences are coming in one after another.

To be honest, this scene is much more lively than movie theaters in China.

Ruan Xiaomei glanced over and immediately understood: "They're showing a Chinese martial arts film. They really like watching martial arts films."

Back in the 1980s, due to government control, few foreign films were released in Romania, but Chinese martial arts films were not restricted.

Therefore, Romania has accumulated a large number of fans of Chinese martial arts films, especially among teenagers, who genuinely believe that all Chinese people know martial arts.

When middlemen and women came to do business, some young men would insist on coming to their door, wanting to witness authentic Chinese kung fu.

No matter how they explained it, martial arts film enthusiasts didn't believe it.

Unfortunately, one of them actually knew kung fu, and after being forced to show off his skills once, the misunderstanding became even more difficult to explain.

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated. It seemed that the spread of Chinese culture abroad was a hot topic that the government couldn't avoid.

What's playing here? It looks like "The Yellow River Swordsman".

It's estimated that Romania is currently being sidelined by the Western world, and Hollywood blockbusters haven't entered the market yet.

Moreover, Romanian film studios are in an awkward transition period and lack the funds to produce new films.

In this transitional period, Chinese martial arts films, even old ones, face little competition when they are re-released.

If this great opportunity for promotion is missed, it won't be easy for Chinese-language dramas to enter the market in the future.

Ivanov watched them excitedly discussing the plot of "The Yellow River Swordsman," but felt only loneliness.

Because the excitement belongs to them, and has nothing to do with him.

However, less than twenty minutes later, he became overjoyed again.

When they returned to their guesthouse, Wang Tiejun called Jiangdong Steel Plant to report on his work and unexpectedly learned that the price of rebar had risen.

To be more precise, although the current increase is not high, the domestic steel market, especially in the southern region, is seeing steel prices rise.

Hey! They made the right bet.

Ivanov was so excited he wanted to throw a party right there on the spot.

Indeed, this time they successfully predicted market developments, marking a new era for their business empire.

It deserves a grand celebration.

Unfortunately, to his disappointment, although Romania has overthrown the previous dictatorship, there is still not much nightlife in Romania.

Even places like bars and cinemas close at 10 p.m., as people love to go to bed early and get up early.

Ivanov then went on to criticize Romania again without holding back, saying that Romania was really a country bumpkin.

Unlike in Moscow, where people can dance wildly until dawn anytime, having as much fun as they want.

He regained his national self-confidence and went back to his room humming a little tune.

Just before closing the door, Wang Xiao gave him one more small toy.

Hey bro, I think you need to let loose, or you'll get really frustrated.

This time, Ivanov didn't mince words. Given the Romanians' disdain for the Soviet Union, no matter how beautiful and sexy the girls were, he didn't dare to hope for a romantic encounter.

Even if those cold, simple toys are crude and don't have fish or shrimp, it's still better than him relying solely on his two hands.

The door closed, and Wang Xiao turned her head to see Ruan Xiaomei looking at her hesitantly. She immediately said generously, "I still have some here. Don't worry, the user experience shows that you will definitely be satisfied."

Ruan Xiaomei was both amused and exasperated: "That's not what I want. I meant I wanted to bring more lighters with your containers."

She's grabbing the lighter in such a hurry because she thinks that items like lighters, like gas cylinders, shouldn't be exposed to heat.

If we don't pack them in containers and ship them overseas while it's still cold, what if they explode from the high temperature when the weather gets hot and the sun shines on them later?

She wasn't like the Lagats Steel Plant, which was in a hurry to recoup its funds. Even if she stockpiled lighters, she could store them slowly, without shipping too many at once and disrupting the entire sales market.

Wang Xiao readily agreed, and even teased her with a smile: "Then Ms. Ruan, you'd better speed things up, otherwise when the containers arrive, you can't just use them to sell goods directly. They don't keep things warm, and when it gets hot, even a lighter will be dangerous."

Ms. Ruan was completely confused. Aren't shipping containers for loading goods? How can you sell goods directly from them? They're not the same thing at all.

Wang Xiao chuckled, opening the door to a new world for people: "Why can't we sell goods? Look at the container, can't it be transformed into a prefabricated house? In the morning, you open the container door, set up your stall, and it becomes a kiosk where you can directly do wholesale business. At night, you close the container door, and it becomes a small warehouse, which is very convenient."

In the history of private trade with Russia, Moscow's container market is renowned.

Those who have visited call it the World's Fair. The towering shipping containers inside resemble a dense forest; and the colorful array of goods is dazzling.

Many people have become millionaires directly through the container market.

Note that this million refers to US dollars.

Ruan Xiaomei was truly opened the door to a new world, her eyes sparkling with the light of money.

She said impatiently, "Let us start doing business as soon as we build our houses, using shipping containers as shops first."

Wang Xiao's smile deepened: "Okay, then you should first prepare a detailed proposal."

As night deepened, Dachun came to pick up his wife and take her home.

Wang Xiao waved goodbye to the person, and the two parties agreed to meet again the next day to attend the pork festival together before closing the door.

Alas, it wasn't that she urgently called a halt or was unwilling to seize the time to quickly establish the market; rather, Romanians now strictly adhere to a two-day weekend system, and absolutely no overtime work on weekends.

Even if her foreign boss wanted to profit, she could only compete internally; no one else would compete with her.

Forget it, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. When you're on someone else's turf, you should follow their rules.

Moreover, if everyone is busy working and not spending, it would be a huge disaster for the entire market.

Early Saturday morning, Ivanov got up excitedly because he was going to the pork festival in the suburbs of Bucharest to eat authentic Chinese food.

This is also a major selling point of this pork festival: anyone who pays 200 lei can enjoy all the delicious food at the festival.

Given that pork prices in Romania have soared to 132 lei per kilogram and sausages to a staggering 235 lei per kilogram, this price is truly a loss-making attempt to attract customers, a grand promotion.

The reason for this is that the guests invited this time were basically customers of each shop.

Wang Xiao also invited the hotel owner's wife to come with them.

Since only the five of them were staying at the guesthouse, even if the hostess left, they didn't have to worry about not being able to meet the guests' needs.

The plump lady declined a few times, but then happily set off with them.

She was clearly in a great mood, and even greeted Ivanov, praising him for looking like a radiant young man.

This left Ivanov flattered and momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Wang Xiao was trembling from trying to suppress her laughter.

This can truly be considered one of Ivanov's most memorable moments.

This fellow used to be able to charm anyone, from eighty years old to eight years old.

This time, when faced with the plump hotel owner's wife, he actually turned into an innocent little boy, his face turning red.

Ruan Xiaomei laughed so hard she almost fell over, all the fatigue from staying up all night yesterday was swept away.

She came today with a business plan.

Wang Xiao started reading the contents in the car, and the two discussed the details for a few more minutes.

Wang Tiejun listened with great interest and even offered helpful suggestions: "Why don't you bring your big tent over? That's quick; you can just inflate it and it'll be ready to use."

Wang Xiao said with regret, "The terrain is no good, and the direction is wrong."

Ultimately, it's because she acquired too little land.

She needs to acquire more land to meet market demand.

Not long after the table was driven out of the city, everyone could see the commotion from afar.

The most eye-catching thing is the horse-drawn carriage, yes, a proper horse-drawn carriage.

The only difference was that the carriage wasn't transporting Cinderella, but rather piles of goods.

In rural Romania, horse-drawn carriages remain the most important means of transportation.

Those horses are really brave. When they see the car, they just move to the side of the road without being scared at all.

The drivers were also considerate; no one honked their horns to scare these adorable babies.

As the car drove further ahead, both sides of the road were lined with greenhouses.

Wang Xiao couldn't believe his eyes: "You've built so many greenhouses?"

My goodness, although greenhouses are a unified concept, the materials used can vary greatly.

For example, in China today, greenhouses are mainly plastic greenhouses, and glass greenhouses are nowhere to be seen except in major cities.

The latter's construction cost is significantly higher than the former's.

She really didn't realize that these middlemen and women were willing to invest so much for love and peace.

Ruan Xiaomei shook her head with a smile: "We didn't do it, these were all originally theirs."

Even Wang Tiejun was completely baffled.

"That's not right. I read in the newspaper that greenhouses produce a lot of food. With so many greenhouses, how could Romanians possibly lack vegetables? They should have more than they can eat."

Ruan Xiaomei sighed, "No one is growing crops in these greenhouses anymore."

Why?

Because heating costs are high.

Previously, these greenhouses utilized industrial waste heat, resulting in low heating costs and low production costs.

At that time, Romania's fruits and vegetables not only met the needs of the people, but were also important export products that generated foreign exchange.

However, with rising energy import prices and the need for foreign exchange, Romanian factories lost a large number of orders, and industrial output plummeted, so there was no point in talking about industrial waste heat.

It's like a domino effect; if one thing is pulled, the whole thing will be affected, and the greenhouses will suffer the consequences.

Coupled with the negative impacts of rural land reform, greenhouses are truly deteriorating day by day, with more and more being abandoned.

The Chinese are willing to take over the contract, but the problem is that the property rights are quite complicated, so everyone is naturally too lazy to step on any landmines and would rather build their own plastic greenhouses.

People couldn't help but sigh; the decline of a nation truly manifests itself in every aspect.

Beyond this greenhouse area, the scene ahead becomes increasingly lively, with barbecue stalls already in sight.

The car stopped at the end of the road, and when everyone got out, wow, it was a sea of ​​people!

Ivanov looked around, and suddenly, the expression on his face changed from cheerful to tense.

He reached out and grabbed Wang Xiao's arm: "Wang, is that your reporter?"

Wang Xiao looked in the direction he pointed, and a warning bell rang in his mind.

Oh no, a reporter from the People's Daily has arrived.

If they promote this, wouldn't millions of Chinese people suddenly flock to Romania?

That could really turn into a disaster.

————————

The following information is about lighters:

Lighters became widely popular in China during the early stages of China's reform and opening up in the last century.

At that time, the most popular lighters in the world were metal lighters made in Japan and South Korea, which were brought back by many overseas Chinese when they returned to China to visit relatives.

However, these metal lighters, with an average price of over 300 yuan, were rare luxury items for Chinese people whose annual income was less than 1,000 yuan at the time.

Faced with such an expensive and rare item, shrewd Wenzhou people discovered a business opportunity.

In the 1980s, Wenzhou people, with their keen sense of the market, created one entrepreneurial miracle after another, achieving remarkable success.

By disassembling and studying imported lighters, Wenzhou people quickly developed the first batch of domestically produced metal lighters.

"Not 298, not 198," relying on their superb imitation skills, Wenzhou people have managed to reduce the price of lighters, which cost hundreds of yuan, to less than 100 yuan, while still maintaining a profit margin of 50%.

When the blue and white flames were lit in simple workshops in Wenzhou, these "knock-off" lighters quickly became popular throughout China and even overseas due to their cheap and good quality.

The fact that lighters made in Wenzhou can be exported overseas is inseparable from the contributions of two local businessmen.

In the mid-1980s, a young man named Li Zhongjian accompanied his cousin, who had returned from Hong Kong to visit relatives, shopping.

My cousin discovered that the "knock-off" lighters made in Wenzhou, from Japan and South Korea, while still of some quality difference, are indistinguishable from the real thing in appearance, and most importantly, they cost less than half the price of the genuine products.

The cousin, who ran a trading business in Europe, had a bright idea and immediately asked Li Zhongjian to help him purchase 60,000 lighters of various kinds, intending to sell them in Europe.

Li Zhongjian was extremely busy preparing for this large order, setting up foreign trade companies in Hong Kong and Shanghai with his cousin while simultaneously arranging the order in Wenzhou.

After these cheap, knock-off lighters were exported to Europe, their prices increased several times over. Li Zhongjian and his cousin made a fortune and received follow-up orders.

The initial success made Li Zhongjian realize the huge business opportunities for Wenzhou lighters in overseas markets. He felt that instead of giving profits to those small factories, it would be better to open his own factory to sell them, which would not only guarantee quality and delivery time, but also earn more money.

In 1992, Li Zhongjian founded Wenzhou Dongfang Lighter Factory, specializing in the foreign trade market, and the net profit reached more than 30 million yuan that year.

Interestingly, this Wenzhou businessman is also a character actor, having starred in many historical and war dramas.

Around the same time, Wenzhou businessman Huang Fajing and his wife Chen Afen also set their sights on lighters and founded Wenzhou Rifeng Lighter Company.

Because Li Zhongjian became rich overnight by exporting lighters, many people were attracted to invest in factories and participate in the lighter trade.

By the late 1980s, Wenzhou had over 500 metal lighter factories, with even more related parts manufacturers numbering in the thousands. When it comes to making money, the people of Wenzhou are serious.

In the early 1990s, Japan invented a plastic lighter that was extremely inexpensive.

This lighter is a disposable product, which is convenient for smokers and also aims to boycott metal lighters from Wenzhou by offering a low price.

Because the electronic igniter and sealing ring, the main components of this plastic lighter, could only be imported, the manufacturing cost was far higher than that of Japan, given the production conditions in Wenzhou at the time.

The Japanese were very pleased, feeling that they had finally gained control over the Wenzhou lighter manufacturers in key technologies.

Unfortunately, the Japanese underestimated the clever people of Wenzhou. Before long, they discovered that plastic lighters were everywhere in China, all of them Made in China.

A group of Japanese lighter manufacturers, shocked by the situation, came to Wenzhou for an inspection, but the results left them speechless.

Electronic igniters, which originally cost at least 4 yuan to import, were initially made in Wenzhou for around 2 yuan. After mass production, the price dropped to below 0.3 yuan. Sealing rings, which cost around 0.2 yuan to import, were further reduced to 0.005 yuan by Wenzhou people.

Even more outrageous, some lighter manufacturers assemble and combine parts to reduce the price to nearly 1/30th.

At that time, disposable plastic lighters produced in Japan and South Korea, no matter how much they controlled costs, would not be priced below $4 (about 30 yuan).

However, the same plastic lighter is exported from China for less than $1.

The huge price difference completely devastated Japanese and South Korean lighter manufacturers, forcing them to announce their withdrawal from the plastic lighter market.

It's important to understand that Japan and South Korea are the world's most important producers of plastic lighters. By withdrawing from this sector, they are essentially handing over a large portion of the global market to the people of Wenzhou.

From 1992 to 1994, in just two years, China's sales of plastic lighters to the United States grew rapidly from an initial 50 million units to nearly 300 million units.

Faced with such an impressive achievement, Chinese and foreign media outlets rushed to report on it with headlines such as "Wenzhou lighters defeat Japan and South Korea".

Since then, Wenzhou lighters have been unparalleled in the world, not only constantly innovating the styles of metal lighters, but also achieving a global monopoly on disposable plastic lighters at a cost of less than 1 yuan.

This is what truly brings the price down! O(∩_∩)O Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-12-21 01:12:33 and 2023-12-22 07:04:03!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Half-Life Old_Smoke and Clouds Shattered 1;

Thank you to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Citrus Gardenia 50 bottles; Zheng Wuyang 20 bottles; Jinjiang is a little fairy, Yiya Yiyayo, Dada 10 bottles; Tantai Wuchu 6 bottles; Affirmation 5 bottles; Happiness Forever 2 bottles; Qiushui Feishui, 372964581 bottles;

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