Chapter 94 Contracting the Route of the Russian Airlines (Bug Fix): We are really not arms dealers.

After discussing for a long time, Wang Xiao and Ivanov sadly discovered that, looking at the whole world, the most suitable place for them to farm was still Russia.

Firstly, although the Russian Federation has begun to promote privatization, it started the latest, and large areas of farmland still exist and have not been divided into small pieces.

The vast fields made large-scale mechanized production possible.

Secondly, although the Soviet Union has collapsed and agricultural production has declined severely in recent years, the original infrastructure still exists. As long as personnel management keeps up, it can be reclaimed at any time.

Thirdly, there were numerous agricultural cities in the Siberian region, reaching as many as 150 at its peak.

However, those who went there to reclaim wasteland and farm were initially mostly mobilized by the government.

The area is freezing cold, and its infrastructure is far worse than that of the European part of Russia.

Therefore, everyone took every opportunity to flee and try to return to the western Ural Mountains.

Now that the Soviet Union has collapsed, people are no longer afraid of being arrested, so naturally more people are fleeing.

Once people leave, the land is naturally left uncultivated.

The Russian federal government is well aware of this and is determined to develop it.

However, modern agriculture relies on two things: people and capital.

You need enough people to manage it, and you also need plenty of money to buy machinery, fertilizer, and pesticides.

But the reality is harsh. In the words of ordinary Russians, the only enterprise in the country that is not shut down is the printing press.

The government is dirt poor and has a huge amount of foreign debt. With oil prices not going up, where will they get the money to promote modern agricultural production?

This gave the newly rich the opportunity to invest in agriculture.

As is well known, the privatization of the Russian Federation has just begun, and there are still a lot of assets, such as oil, waiting to be divided up by the new elites.

However, the economic benefits of agriculture have never been as great as those of industry.

Therefore, even if Ivanov wanted to contract all the abandoned land in Siberia, it is estimated that no one would compete with him.

Most people would just chuckle to themselves, thinking, "A nouveau riche is a nouveau riche; even if they have money, they're not smart enough. They've actually gone to farm."

Fourthly, well, Russia is at least part of Ivanov's territory.

He has a greater chance of smearing others than being smeared by others on his own turf.

Wang Xiao earnestly advised him, "If it were anywhere else, like Africa, suddenly, war breaks out, and a shell comes down and blows up all your crops that you're about to harvest. Who would you complain to then?"

Ivanov, envious of the tropical and subtropical regions where crops can be harvested two or three times a year, tried to emphasize: "We can find a peaceful country, a tropical country where there is no war."

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him, coldly shattering his dream: "Excuse me, if there were no wars in this world, how would arms dealers make a living?"

Let's not forget that the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the arms race were a huge blow to arms dealers.

As long as they want to make money, the war will never stop.

Ethnic conflicts, geopolitical clashes, religious conflicts—war is bound to break out at least once.

Ivanov’s voice was dry and he sounded unsure of himself: “But arms wars are also a huge drain on the United States. Everyone needs a peaceful environment to develop their economy.”

Wang Xiao gave him no room for fantasy.

"I feel like you've really been fooled. You don't actually think that only socialist countries have corruption, and that capitalist countries are all democratic and clean, do you?"

When it comes to corruption, Americans can easily call themselves the big brother in front of you.

The US military dared to spend six million dollars just to airlift nine Italian goats to Afghanistan.

As for how magical this sheep is, no one can say for sure.

Because no one knows where the sheep went in the end, or whether they ever really existed.

Of course, she couldn't say that to Ivanov; she could only use the Vietnam War as an example.

"How much money did the US military actually spend in Vietnam during this process? Who knows! Who paid for it? Vietnam's economic conditions were what they were. The real bulk of the money came from the American people themselves."

Wang Xiao couldn't help but get excited as he spoke, "So, the proletariat of the whole world should unite, that's absolutely right. Those who bully ordinary people the most are always the powerful and wealthy in their own country!"

oh!

Let's forget about it. She's a property owner now, and she doesn't want to be destroyed by the revolution.

Wang Xiao added another strong dose of advice: "Don't forget, the Soviet Union has kept so many weapons. If weapons aren't used, they're just scrap metal and worthless. Only by using them can they have a higher value."

Ivanov cursed viciously, "These bastards!"

These weapons were originally created by the great Soviet Union to maintain world peace and to protect its homeland.

But it turned into a killing machine.

Wang Xiao rolled his eyes dramatically towards the sky. "Heh, as if the Afghan War wasn't started by the Soviet Union."

Fortunately, after Ivanov finished his tirade, he accepted Wang Xiao's perspective.

He genuinely believed that the military would find ways to sell weapons abroad.

They've also been marketed with tanks and armored vehicles.

But Ivanov had a desire to expand outwards, and he set his sights on Romania: "I can also contract land here. Really, at most they'll just go on strike."

Wang Xiaozhen admired his courage; he wasn't afraid of being beaten by the Romanians when he transported the harvested grain out.

She immediately dismissed his idea by pointing out the limitations of the land: "Look at this land, it's divided into small plots. How can you implement mechanized production? It'll just be too much trouble."

But Ivanov was worried. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Russia can't feed itself. In the past, it had to transfer food from Ukraine."

That's why Ukrainians hate them so much.

Wang Xiao encouraged him: "Don't worry, Russia has so much arable land, there will definitely be enough food to eat."

In her memory, before she transmigrated into the book, Russia exported more wheat than the United States.

Ivanov became anxious: "There really isn't enough to eat! That's how the Soviet Union allocates food. The country even goes to Central Asia to reclaim wasteland, precisely because there isn't enough to eat."

Alas, this has become a reason for Central Asians to hate them, saying that they treat the area as a granary.

Wang Xiao patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "It's alright. As long as it's managed properly, doubling the grain yield is not a problem at all. If you don't believe me, look at China. After the land was distributed to individual households, the grain yield immediately increased."

Although many people believe that the use of pesticides and fertilizers led to the bumper harvest.

Some people even confidently asserted that the distribution of land to individual households destroyed the rural collective, and instead of promoting agricultural production, it caused a decline in grain output.

However, Wang Xiao believes that the distribution of land to individual households was, at least in China at that time, absolutely positive and effective.

Chen Yidong also mentioned that before the land was distributed to individual households in Zhouzhen, the county already had a fertilizer factory, so they had already started using chemical fertilizers. Pesticides were also used extensively.

Even so, in the first year after the land was divided, their family's grain production doubled.

Because when it comes to farming, whether you put your heart into it or not makes a huge difference.

The same fertilizer application might not promote seedling growth; instead, it could burn the seedlings.

But if you switch to intensive farming, fertilizing when the crops need fertilization and applying pesticides when necessary, the yield can immediately skyrocket.

Anyone who has ever farmed understands this principle.

Why did agricultural output remain low during the era of large collectives?

Because the distribution system is flawed.

Even if a production team has a bumper harvest, they won't be happy.

According to regulations, they had to deliver the public grain before delivering the surplus grain.

Even if all the tasks are completed, as long as the higher-ups say one more word, a new procurement task will be assigned.

Since you've had a bumper harvest, you should support national development more.

In this situation, no matter how much grain farmers harvest, it doesn't significantly improve their lives.

Who would dare to hope that gold would grow in the ground?

During the commune era, none of the truly wealthy rural areas got rich from farming; they were mostly involved in small businesses.

Within the production team, people also lacked enthusiasm for work.

Don't say things like the assessment system is very strict, or that you won't get good work points if you just slack off.

In fact, the characteristics of a large collective dictate that people will eat from the same pot.

This is similar to an organization conducting year-end performance reviews. Apart from a limited number of outstanding individuals, everyone else is rated as competent.

If a leader labels someone as basically competent or incompetent, it's purely because they find their own life too monotonous and are afraid of being stabbed in the chest.

The same principle applies to production teams and factories.

The land distribution to individual households was extremely useful.

In practice, it freed farmers from the shackles of the land, allowing them to move freely into cities and compete with urban dwellers.

Along with the restoration of the college entrance examination system, it can be called one of the two great blessings for Chinese farmers.

Ivanov listened with great interest, then became puzzled: "Then why did agricultural output decline after land privatization in Romania?"

Based on what he had seen, he believed that rural development in Romania was superior to that in China.

Wang Xiao laughed: "It's because they've won by so many."

Before the political change, Romanian agriculture had already achieved large-scale mechanized production. Even vegetable cultivation was largely done by machine.

As a result, with a single order from the state, vast tracts of land were divided into countless small pieces and distributed to individuals.

The entire agricultural sector was completely destroyed.

Large-scale mechanized production is the foundation of Romanian agriculture.

The saying goes that good order is better than bad order, and bad order is better than no order.

It's unfair to say that the Romanian government is just making trouble for no reason.

Their privatization of rural land was also an attempt to address the serious lack of enthusiasm among farmers for production that had emerged since the 1980s.

However, it destroyed the foundation of Romanian agriculture, broke the bad order, and turned it into chaos.

Therefore, agricultural production has not only failed to improve, but has actually gotten worse.

It would be different if it were China.

The level of mechanization in Chinese agriculture is very low. Apart from large-scale state-owned farms, farmers basically never used machinery during the commune era.

Tractors, for example, are not used for plowing or harvesting in rural areas; they are used for transportation.

In better-off rural areas, there might be something like a diesel water pump, which could barely be called a modern water conservancy facility.

In areas with poor conditions, when farmland is dry, farmers in the production team take turns pedaling waterwheels, a process that can literally risk a person's life.

Therefore, under these circumstances, even though farmland was concentrated in one place, Chinese farmers did not feel the benefits of collective production.

However, once they returned to the small-scale farming model, agricultural output actually increased rapidly due to the meticulous cultivation by their own families.

After listening for a while, Ivanov suddenly realized: "So, being backward is actually a good thing?"

Do people say that?

Friendship over!

Wang Xiao glared at him fiercely: "This is called adapting to local conditions and proceeding from reality. The distribution of land to individual households was actually something that Chinese farmers came up with themselves, and it was only later that it was promoted nationwide."

She patted Ivanov on the shoulder and encouraged him, saying, "With such fertile black soil, Russia will definitely become a grain exporter in the future."

The pie she drew was so big and so fragrant.

Unfortunately, Ivanov had little confidence in the government, and he began to worry: "What if they forcibly requisition grain and take away all the crops we've grown?"

His capitalist tendencies have kicked in again.

His grain was meant to be exchanged for natural gas, and it absolutely could not be forcibly confiscated for nothing.

Wang Xiao was full of confidence: "It's okay, we'll sign a contract. One-third of the harvested grain will stay in Russia, and two-thirds will be mine to be shipped to China for export. We'll register this with the Chinese embassy when we get back to Moscow. If there's any trouble in the future, it will be an international dispute. We're determined not to let the government take advantage of us."

Ivanov was deeply moved. He looked at her with tender eyes and said, “Your Majesty, you are truly my most loyal friend. You are so good to me. Even though you have no interest in agriculture, you still went out of your way to acquire so much knowledge for my sake.”

This is a huge misunderstanding.

Wang Xiao blinked; she really hadn't specifically looked into these things.

Because from beginning to end, she never expected Ivanov to achieve anything in agriculture.

In her view, contracting land for farming was merely a farm dream in Ivanov's heart, like that of a little boy.

It's just a few hundred or tens of millions of US dollars, it's not like we can't afford it.

Nouveau riche like them always have some hobbies.

Farming is at least better than drugs and gambling.

Like her, doesn't she still love mansions and fancy clothes?

As for her analyses—

It's common sense, what's so strange about it?

She didn't think it had anything to do with insightful observations.

Similarly, why did China's state-owned enterprise reform, despite the pain of millions of layoffs, ultimately weather the storm smoothly?

The root cause is that China's industrialization level was low.

When state-owned enterprises were being reformed, the agricultural population made up the vast majority of the country's population.

Moreover, by 1998, private enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises, and joint ventures in China had already emerged.

Unlike countries like Russia, which have only just begun privatization, they have already shut down all state-owned enterprises, and the country is practically on the verge of collapse.

However, the most hurtful thing is often the truth.

Wang Xiao still needs to consider Ivanov's feelings.

So she sighed deeply and looked at her brother with a sincere expression: "Ivanov, I always hope you're doing well."

At least for now, you are my most important business partner, and I don't want anything to happen to you.

Ivanov was increasingly moved: "I know, I've always known."

Wang Xiao is about to give up.

Whether before or after transmigrating into the book, she was just a young woman in her early twenties and really didn't want to become a mother so painlessly.

Alright, stop acting crazy every other day.

My head hurts so much.

Thank goodness, Brother Ren and Sister Ruan are back.

A local farmer standing next to them complained in heavily accented English, "We've been too good to them. We should have done what xxx did and just burned down their houses and driven them away. They're just thieves and robbers."

Wang Xiao was startled, not expecting that ethnic relations here had become so tense.

The farmer grew angrier and angrier, until it was Ruan Xiaomei who finally persuaded him: "That's enough, don't be angry."

He then stormed off in a huff.

After everyone left, Brother Ren curled his lip and said, "It's like they didn't steal anything."

Actually, the farmers here all steal vegetables.

This is probably a consequence of collective farms, where everyone feels it's perfectly acceptable to steal from the public.

If they didn't steal, they would have suffered a great loss.

Because if they sell it on the market, they can get a much higher price than the government's purchase price.

Wang Xiao asked him with a smile, "So what are you going to do? There's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days, only being able to steal for a thousand days."

Brother Ren gritted his teeth: "I'll call everyone from my hometown village over. When the time comes, the whole village will be watching, and we'll see who dares to cause trouble again."

Ivanov, who was standing nearby, suddenly blurted out in Russian: "Your Majesty, then we need more people to farm."

Wang Xiao simply gave him an OK sign and replied in Russian, "I'll take care of finding people. By the way, get more land, and let's try to deplete the rubles."

As long as Ivanov doesn't have his intermittent bouts of patriotism, he's a fairly reliable comrade.

He took the initiative to ask, "Should we open a shipping route to Bucharest as well?"

Although Romania has only 20 million people, it is not a small population in Eastern Europe.

The Hungarian population is less than ten million.

Wang Xiao nodded in agreement: "Okay, then let's try to get some more airplanes."

Currently, there are no direct flights between China and Romania; passengers must transfer in Moscow.

Given the current hostile attitude towards Chinese people in Hungary, Chinese businessmen rarely pick up goods at Hungarian airports anymore.

However, traveling from Kyiv would take even longer.

They simply set up a flight route to fly over, which would also ensure the supply to the wholesale market.

Even if the market opens up its supply channels for vendors, everyone will still prioritize getting their goods from the trade city in order to facilitate and speed up the delivery of their goods.

After all, they can earn more money with each additional shipment.

But setting up flight routes means finding airplanes.

Right now, the demand for cargo on all routes is quite high, and we simply can't spare any extra planes to fly this route.

Moreover, Wang Xiao's ambitions are enormous; Bucharest and Budapest combined are just the beginning of the European market.

A wider world awaits them to explore.

For example, the African market.

Before she transmigrated into the book, the Black international students at her school made their fortunes by working as middlemen during winter and summer vacations.

The African market has enormous potential for growth.

Oh, she really wants to sell wigs in Africa.

Ivanov beamed with confidence: "Just wait, I'll take care of the plane."

Coincidentally, the city leaders of Bucharest also came to participate in the pork festival celebration.

After Wang Xiao expressed his hope to establish direct flights between Bucharest and China, he immediately showed great interest.

Although Romania is not a large country, its overall transportation system is relatively well-developed.

In addition to subways, buses, and international railways, it has more than a dozen domestic air routes, extending nearly 10,000 kilometers.

There are even more international routes, numbering as many as twenty or thirty, which have increased to fifty or sixty thousand kilometers.

Moreover, at the beginning of last year, Air Luo added a flight to Beijing every two weeks.

It is obvious that Luo Hang has a need to expand his ties with China.

The Bucharest city government also hopes to increase flights.

So even though it's Saturday, the traditional weekend, Romanians don't have the habit of working overtime on weekends.

However, the city leaders still made a phone call to inquire about the situation.

As expected, Air Romania did indeed hope to delay the route, with Shanghai as the destination and Xi'an as a stop along the way, or simply place the final destination in Japan.

Since last year, they have been contacting relevant departments at home and abroad, eager to increase their customer base, demonstrating a strong desire to expand and develop.

Unfortunately, halfway through the process, a major miners' strike occurred in Romania last September, which directly led to the resignation of high-ranking government officials, bringing the project to a standstill.

They restarted the program at the end of last year, but so far, progress has not been particularly smooth.

The biggest problem remains the aging of the aircraft.

The aircraft of the Russian Airlines were mostly Ilyushin Il-7 and Tu-7 models, which were previously imported from the Soviet Union.

Because of their cramped cabins, Soviet aircraft were significantly less comfortable than Boeing, Airbus, and McDonnell Douglas aircraft.

Because of this, Romanian Airlines has long been criticized by passengers.

It's not that they're complacent or unwilling to buy better aircraft.

The problem is that Romania is short of foreign exchange right now, so if you want to buy a plane, you have to open your wallet.

However, the country still has a huge amount of foreign debt, and people all over the country are reaching out for government funding and subsidies, each thinking that their own affairs are the most important.

With too many monks and too little porridge, it's hard to say when the government will allocate funds to buy planes for Luo Hang.

Moreover, following the general trend of privatization, the government is currently inclined to privatize airlines as well.

Now, the government is naturally even less willing to spend money to buy its assets.

After all, everyone understands that although fairness and respect for value are emphasized during the privatization process, in practice, no state-owned assets are immune to being sold off cheaply.

After hearing the introduction, Wang Xiao immediately stated, "We can provide direct flights."

It's hard to explain over the phone; it's better to talk about these things in person.

Wang Xiao glanced at his watch and asked directly, "Is it convenient for us to come over now and discuss this matter in detail?"

The relevant person in charge at Luohang was clearly a bit confused.

Today is the weekend, a precious weekend, a weekend when citizens' right to rest is sacred and inviolable.

If he hadn't had to work overtime, we wouldn't have been able to reach him at all during today's phone call.

"I'm so sorry," Wang Xiao lied through his teeth. "We're in a bit of a rush, so please forgive us for being so presumptuous."

The person in charge then reluctantly agreed, saying he also wanted to know the specifics.

Since both parties have made an agreement, they should hurry up and leave.

We need to sit down and talk about this slowly.

Ivanov, beaming with excitement, exclaimed, "OK, let's go now!"

He looked around, searching for Comrade Wang Tiejun.

This old baby had a really fun time today.

Even though he couldn't speak a single foreign language, he could still chat enthusiastically with an old man from rural Romania, despite their incomprehensible conversation.

When things got lively, the old man pulled Comrade Wang to his cellar to taste his homemade wine.

Comrade Wang Tiejun's face was flushed from drinking, and he excitedly emphasized to his daughter, "It's so delicious, pure and sweet, completely different from the wine sold in stores."

What could Wang Xiao say? She could only ask the old man what he meant: "Do you want to stay here and have fun, or do you want to come with me to the airline?"

Wang Tiejun hesitated a bit; in fact, he was quite reluctant to leave.

He mainly went to the airline, but he didn't really have any involvement; he was just an accessory.

Seeing this, the staff from the Chinese Embassy next to them smiled and said, "It's alright, you go ahead with your work, we'll go back to the embassy together later. You can pick up your father from the embassy after you're done."

Wang Xiao quickly thanked them, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

She was in a hurry.

Although she left in a hurry, she still remembered to buy two bags of vegetables before leaving, intending to give them as gifts later.

Even the embassy staff couldn't help but laugh; this really shows how well one adapts to local customs.

In the future, when Romanians talk about Chinese people, they will probably think that they are born with the ability to grow vegetables.

The car got onto the main road and drove towards the airport.

As they passed the Arc de Triomphe, Ruan Xiaomei specifically reminded them, "Look, this is the Arc de Triomphe in Bucharest."

Many cities in Eastern Europe claim to be "Little Paris," but the people of Bucharest have always emphasized that their city is the true "Little Paris."

Even this Arc de Triomphe was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, only on a slightly smaller scale.

Looking at the building, which was over twenty meters tall, Wang Xiao couldn't help but sigh, "When it comes to publicity, the French are the best at it."

Ruan Xiaomei asked curiously, "What does that mean?"

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Look, all over the world likes to call themselves 'Little Paris.' In China alone, Shanghai and Harbin have both been called the Paris of the East. Budapest is also known as the Paris of Eastern Europe. Add Bucharest and Brussels, and I know so many 'Little Paris's' that I can't even count them on my fingers."

The real Paris, however, is actually dirtier and more chaotic than one can imagine.

Walking the streets of Paris, you have to be careful not to step on a "bomb" at any time.

Anyway, just thinking about it made Wang Xiao feel all shivering.

But when people talk about Paris, it's always synonymous with romance and elegance. It's as if the sunset in Paris is more poetic and picturesque than anywhere else.

Wang Xiao exclaimed with admiration, "This is the power of cultural transmission!"

Paris is always seen as the most fashionable and elegant city.

Compared to it, New York and the like are just typical nouveau riche.

Ruan Xiaomei couldn't stop laughing.

Ivanov couldn't help but ask, "What are you talking about?"

After Wang Xiao finished translating, he suddenly asked, "So what about Moscow? What are your views on Moscow?"

Ruan Xiaomei laughed even harder: "Romanians think you're country bumpkins."

Actually, she thought Moscow was quite fashionable. No matter when she went there, the people she saw on the street, especially the women, were all dressed exquisitely and elegantly.

Compared to Moscow, people in Bucharest today actually dress more rustically.

Ivanov was then pleased.

He said, how could Russia be worse than Romania?

The car drove another twenty kilometers, and Ottobeni International Airport came into view.

The city leaders' domestically produced cars also stopped, and they personally led the way, guiding them towards the airport.

The relevant person in charge of Luohang Airlines attached great importance to the visit of the Chinese guests. He was already standing at the entrance of the waiting hall, waiting for their arrival.

After picking up the guests, he personally led them on a tour of Ottobeni International Airport.

If you ask Wang Xiao what she felt, she didn't seem to feel much.

First of all, this airport must have a long history; the terminal building alone looks old and outdated.

The space is small and the lighting is dim.

Whether it's an international or domestic flight, all departures take place in the second-floor corridor-style hall.

Embarrassingly, there were no prominent signs or computer monitors in the lobby.

If passengers have any questions, they can go to the information desk to ask.

The problem was that the staff at the information desk were clearly elderly and couldn't speak English.

The customer had been asking questions for ages, but they were still talking at cross purposes and were on the verge of a breakdown.

The person in charge of Luohang felt embarrassed and quickly apologized to their guests, then went over to help with the translation.

Even when facing my supervisor, the older lady at the information desk wasn't very enthusiastic; she remained indifferent from beginning to end.

City leaders tried their best to save face: "The flight attendants on Luohang Airlines are quite good. Although they are a bit older, they can speak English and have a good attitude. Passengers are very satisfied."

Wang Xiao observed the entire process without uttering a single comment.

After finishing his translation work, the person in charge from Luohang forcibly changed the subject: "Our passenger volume is quite large now, and more and more people are taking flights."

He emphasized this because Air Romania's previous operations were very poor, with extremely low flight occupancy rates.

Sometimes, they even have to cancel flights because there are simply no passengers.

“Things are different now,” he emphasized again. “Our flights from Bucharest to Beijing are always fully booked. Many Western European passengers also choose our flights.”

Wang Xiao believed him.

There were at least a hundred passengers waiting for their luggage in the baggage claim area.

Unfortunately, the luggage has yet to arrive.

Because there is only one conveyor belt in the entire baggage claim area.

What does this mean? It means Luo Hang is poor.

This is not surprising at all.

There are countless poor former Soviet and Eastern European countries right now.

Romania isn't the poorest of them all.

After touring the airport, everyone went into the manager's office to discuss flight routes.

But the start was awkward.

Because the person in charge at Luohang mistook Wang Xiao and his group for Chinese government officials.

Upon learning that they were just businessmen, the person in charge clearly didn't know how to proceed with the matter.

He asked, puzzled, "Are you agents of China Southern Airlines?"

Wang Xiao explained, "Let's talk about it today first, and then we'll tell the people in China after we've reached an agreement."

She went straight to the point, "Don't worry, we're already very familiar with the situation in China. To date, we've been operating direct flights to Budapest, Almaty, Kyiv, Moscow, and the Baltic Sea. Every flight is in good condition."

The person in charge looked at the business card of Wuzhou Company that she handed over, and only then was he reluctant to continue the conversation.

As someone in the aviation industry, he had heard of Five States Air Cargo, but that was all he knew.

Where is this Xiaozhou? He had never heard of this city before.

He preferred Shanghai, with a stopover in Xi'an, both renowned cities, so that once the route was established, there would be no need to worry about passengers.

Wang Xiao laughed: "You don't need to worry. As long as the route is open, there will be no shortage of plane tickets, only a shortage of tickets to sell."

My dear, please don't underestimate yourself. Romania has a population of 20 million.

The influence can reach neighboring countries and even the whole of Europe; that's a huge undertaking.

But the person in charge was still very worried: "What if the tickets don't sell?"

Opening air routes requires capital; every flight a flight costs a fortune.

Without hesitation, Wang Xiao replied, "If there are any losses, we'll bear them ourselves."

The person in charge looked bewildered: "How can you bear the loss of our Luohang plane?"

Wouldn't this create chaos? Even if Romania were extremely poor, it wouldn't do something like this. There's no such rule.

Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance, then suddenly came to their senses.

After all that talk, we're just talking past each other.

They were talking about Air Luo's planes from beginning to end, not their Five Continents Company's planes.

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "It's okay, we can also buy all your tickets, we guarantee they'll sell."

She suddenly had a brilliant idea, "How about this, we'll charter this entire route. No matter how things go, we'll guarantee that you'll always pay the full amount for the tickets."

The person in charge of Luohang was dumbfounded, clearly at a loss for what to do.

Contracting flight routes? This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.

Wang Xiao said seriously, "That's normal. When we go out to play, we can also charter a car. Airplanes and cars are just means of transportation."

She dropped another bombshell: "In our country, this is nothing new. We have farmers who work in the city who have contracted domestic air routes to make it easier for them to return to their hometowns, and the operations are going well."

She was quite surprised when she heard about this last year. A migrant worker with no connections had actually managed to contract an airline route.

This shows that the bolder the people, the greater the yield.

This is the benefit that this era offers to everyone; it just depends on whether you have the courage and skill to seize it.

The person in charge was still hesitating, but the city leaders of Bucharest couldn't stand it any longer and spoke to him in Romanian.

The former then relented: "Okay, we'll have a meeting on Monday to discuss and make a decision."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Then we'll wait for your good news. I wonder how many planes you have ready to fly this route?"

Upon receiving the answer, she immediately expressed her dissatisfaction: "Two planes are far too few, not nearly enough."

Luo Hang was in a dilemma, not because they were unwilling to invest, but because, as the city leaders of Bucharest said, it was a sure-fire way to make money.

Even if the business is poorly managed after being contracted out, Luo Hang still has to pay a contract fee.

The problem is that Romanian Airlines is indeed short of aircraft. They want to make some easy money, but they don't have the capital to invest right now.

“How about this,” Wang Xiao said seriously, “we will make up for the missing planes, and Wuzhou Company will provide the remaining planes needed for this route.”

However, this is not something that airlines can decide on their own; they also need to report it to their superiors, that is, submit an application, and then wait for approval.

Today is Saturday, so the earliest we'll have a result is Monday.

If the speed is slow, it could drag on for who knows how long.

However, both the head of the Luohang company and the city leaders of Bucharest assured that they would do their best to push this matter forward.

Because those who are willing to pay high prices for plane tickets when trains are available generally have considerable financial resources.

These people are welcome to fly to Romania, whether for investment or consumption.

As the person in charge was seeing them out, they happened to run into a group of elementary school students chattering as they walked inside.

Wang Xiao asked curiously, "Why are you going to take a plane now?"

If you're going out to play, shouldn't you leave early in the morning?

Surprisingly, the child at the back of the line understood English and turned around, proudly emphasizing, "Paris, we're going to Paris. You've definitely never been to Paris."

His classmate chimed in, "Kina (Chinese)? Ha, yes yes."

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "I've been there. I've been to France and Italy, as well as England, the United States, and Japan."

Wow!

The child who understood the English immediately looked at him with the same expression he had when he saw a hero.

Wow, that's amazing! This Chinese woman has been to so many places.

The child asked eagerly, "How is Paris? Isn't it incredibly beautiful? Does the air smell so wonderful?"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "It's not that great. It's not as clean as Bucharest. I prefer Bucharest."

ha!

The children immediately gave them a "you're lying" look.

Paris is so wonderful, how could it possibly be inferior to the city they live in?

Wang Xiao smiled and pressed them, "Then why do you want to go to Paris?"

"Because it's fashionable and beautiful there."

"That's the best place."

“My mother only wants to use Parisian perfumes and wear Parisian clothes. They're different from clothes in China. No, and Italian clothes too, she likes Italian clothing.”

The teacher in charge came over and urged them to leave.

Wang Xiao then waved goodbye to the little ones and left.

She turned to the person in charge of Luohang and asked, "Are there more and more people going to Western Europe now?"

The person in charge nodded and smiled, "Yes, in the past we could only go to socialist countries, but now it's open. Adults can get their passports in twenty days. So now everyone is willing to go out and see the world whenever they have the chance."

This is also the social foundation for their airline's increasingly successful business.

Wang Xiao then asked around, "How do I get to the French embassy? When do they process visas?"

The people present really didn't understand this question.

However, one thing is certain: everyone is on holiday on the weekend, so no one will care about this.

After they got in the car, Ivanov asked her with a puzzled look, "What are you going to France for?"

“Culture, the influence of culture,” Wang Xiao said seriously. “I think I’ve been oversimplifying things. For Eastern European countries and even former Soviet countries, what has truly had the greatest influence on them is Western culture. So what everyone is pursuing is what’s popular in the Western world.”

She should have thought of this much earlier.

In terms of governance, the previous Romanian government was actually quite similar to North Korea.

But why did the eternal sun continue to exist even though Ceaușescu was executed?

Ultimately, the main reason is probably still the influence of the region.

The geographical location of Romania and other Eastern European countries means that they simply cannot prevent the infiltration of Western culture.

Moreover, due to historical factors, the general public has a good acceptance of Western culture.

This cannot be prevented by simply closing it off.

Ivanov asked, puzzled, "You mean something similar to the influence of Hong Kong culture on the mainland?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "That's right. My initial idea was to find local buyers to select goods that they might like from the Chinese market, and then ship them over for wholesale."

But now that I think about it, the main target customers of Chinese goods are Chinese people, and their aesthetic preferences are also biased towards Chinese people.

In this situation, it is not easy to get people in Eastern Europe and former Soviet countries to choose the most suitable option.

Right now, due to the shortage of supplies, people are in a state of "it's okay even without fish and shrimp," so they're just making do with what they have. It's not actually what they really want.

Unless we specifically target their preferences from the beginning.

"I'm going to France to see what's trending on the streets of Paris right now, and then I'll copy those styles."

Ivanov asked doubtfully, "That's still too late. By the time you finish making the clothes, the French fashion will have already passed."

Wang Xiao laughed: "That's just right, trends are always lagging behind."

She explained, "For most people in Eastern Europe and former Soviet countries, they don't have the financial means to make a special trip to Western Europe."

Airfare is expensive, accommodation and food are expensive once you get there, and you have to use foreign currency.

So in reality, their references were those who went to Western Europe and came back looking very fashionable.

They started dressing like these people just as our goods were going on the shelves.

Ruan Xiaomei asked in confusion, "Then do we still need to bring TV dramas over to broadcast? If that's the case, no matter how well Chinese dramas are broadcast, they can't compare to the influence of Western European products."

“Of course we need it,” Wang Xiao said seriously. “For people below the middle class, TV dramas are the most cost-effective form of entertainment and an important way for them to obtain information from the outside world. They are our most important target customer group, and we must focus on both aspects and do both well when targeting them.”

Ruan Xiaomei pressed further: "What about the middle class and above? They are the ones who spend the most money. Are we not going to take that customer segment?"

“No thanks.” Wang Xiao coldly interrupted her expectations. “Their social class dictates that they will only go to Western Europe to spend money directly, and will not choose the domestic market. They have more ways to entertain themselves and will not stare at the TV to follow trends.”

Ivanov laughed out loud.

Indeed, when he called his friends to ask what TV shows he wanted to watch, they all complained that he was too old.

They've actually started using watching TV to kill time.

Is the party not fun enough, or are the girls not sexy enough?

Haha, he's living like an old man, relying on the TV to get by.

Wealthy people have their own channels for getting the latest fashion trends.

Ruan Xiaomei said regretfully, "Then we can only wait until Monday. The French embassy is definitely not open on Sundays."

Wang Xiao looked at her seriously: "If I have a grey card, can I travel to France without a visa?"

Thirty years from now, France will definitely offer visa-free access to Romania.

But right now, she really doesn't know.

If visa-free entry is possible, why wait for an embassy visa? Let's go!

Tomorrow is a precious Sunday.

Ruan Xiaomei was taken aback for a moment, then honestly told her, "I don't know."

Since arriving in Romania, she has been so busy that she hasn't even thought about taking a trip to Western Europe.

Okay, I'll go back and call my lawyer.

Professionals should be more aware of this.

They went to the embassy to pick someone up, and just then they ran into the embassy's car coming back.

Wang Xiao couldn't help but glance at the car a few more times, and subconsciously wanted to whistle.

Wow, this car is really impressive, all shiny and high-end.

On the streets of Bucharest, not many cars can match its grandeur.

Because the previous government explicitly stipulated that leading cadres were not allowed to ride in imported cars, and senior leaders were no exception.

Therefore, the cars on the streets of Bucharest are mostly domestically produced.

Even though the previous government has fallen, the situation hasn't changed much.

Given the current economic situation in Romania, it's estimated that even if officials in the new government buy imported cars for their own use, they wouldn't dare to drive them around easily, otherwise they would definitely become the target of public criticism.

The car door opened, and the embassy staff and Wang Tiejun got out.

Wang Tiejun also praised, "West German cars are indeed more comfortable and easier to ride in than Romanian cars! This car is very well maintained and looks brand new."

The embassy staff were both amused and exasperated: "It's brand new, we just bought it less than two months ago."

The local embassy staff laughed out loud and joked, "In Bucharest, besides the cars of the US embassy, ​​the cars of our Chinese embassy are the most impressive. They always drive new cars."

Wang Xiao and the others stared in surprise. "Wow, we didn't realize!"

It turns out the embassy was actually run by a hidden tycoon.

A Mercedes-Benz isn't cheap.

Come on, come on, what are your lucrative ways to make money? Everyone who sees this gets a share!

The embassy staff were even more helpless: "Don't even mention it, we're just doing all the work for others."

For whom?

Anyone capable of directing the embassy is certainly not a simple character.

According to China's regulations, importing luxury cars from abroad requires a strict process and is very difficult to obtain approval.

But as the saying goes, "where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure," and those with connections and influence will naturally find ways to make exceptions.

For example, embassy cars, after being driven for one or two years and still in about 70-80% new condition, can be shipped back to China under the guise of the embassy retiring old vehicles.

Then, the waste can be reused, which also reflects the new owner's spirit of diligence and thrift.

Wang Xiao was truly impressed; when it comes to exploiting loopholes, one's own people are always the most skilled.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wang Xiao thanked the embassy staff repeatedly before taking his father, whose face was flushed from drinking, back to the family hotel.

The hotel owner's wife had already returned in a friend's car.

Upon seeing Ivanov, the cheerful old lady greeted him with a smile: "You have a phone? Someone called and asked you to call him back."

Ivanov muttered curiously, "Who is it?"

Then he called back directly from the front desk, and when the call connected, he smiled broadly and said, "Hey, my old buddy, any good news?"

After he hung up the phone, he immediately told Wang Xiao to ask the lawyer about whether she could go to France without a visa.

Because no matter what, they won't be able to go to Paris tomorrow.

They have another mission; they need to go to Moldova, where there's an airplane that they might like.

Wang Xiao gasped. Comrade Ivanov was very energetic.

It seems he had already considered the matter of acquiring more aircraft, otherwise he wouldn't have received news today.

Compared to flying, the trip to France can naturally be postponed.

However, Wang Xiao was an impatient person, and before she set off, she still arranged for someone to go to Paris.

Who should we bring? Let Ruan Xiaomei lead the team, and bring Elena and all her friends with passports along.

Take a good look around and keep up with the latest trends.

If we sell a best-selling item, everyone will receive a big bonus.

Elena and her friends had passports because they had dreamed of traveling abroad on their graduation trip.

However, truly poor people can't even afford budget travel; they can only dream about it.

Now that the boss is paying for them to go out and have fun, everyone is absolutely thrilled.

Even Ivanov was envious, wondering why he didn't have such good things when he was in college.

When he first went to the capital, he was ridiculed because he couldn't produce any US dollars.

Ruan Xiaomei led the large group away by plane, while Wang Xiao and Ivanov, along with two bodyguards, boarded a bus directly.

The Republic of Moldova borders Romania and was originally part of Ukraine.

Moldovans and Romanian people share a common ancestor.

Therefore, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Moldovan Popular Front proposed to merge with Romania.

However, this is probably because the Republic of Moldova is currently inhabited by ethnic Russians and Ukrainians.

Anyway, this matter has dragged on and hasn't come to fruition yet.

Who knows what will happen next?

Wang Xiao couldn't help but complain, "Didn't you guys discuss this before you broke up?"

When it came to independence, they were all quick to act, displaying remarkable decisiveness.

Then the Soviet Union collapsed, and everyone started bickering again. Everyone wanted to do this, everyone wanted to do that, and the conflict went on and on.

Ivanov said with disdain, "I guess they didn't expect to succeed at first."

After the uprising succeeded, everyone suddenly realized how vulnerable the Soviet Union was.

If even the Soviet Union was so easily defeated, then it's only natural that ethnic groups within the various republics would seek independence.

It can only be said that Pandora's box has been opened, and no one can stop what will happen next.

Ivanov cursed fiercely, "Whose fault is it? Blame them! They all just followed suit."

It's a mess, everything is a mess.

When he arrived at the former Soviet army group's base in Moldova, he kept complaining to his friends who came to greet him: "Oh no, this is absolutely terrible."

His friend, however, didn't take it seriously and instead laughed out loud: "If it's not bad, where else am I supposed to find you something good? Don't worry, it's definitely the best stuff."

As they were talking, a soldier armed with live ammunition came over and said impatiently, "Why do you need more? You're going through this way too quickly."

Ivanov's friend scolded him, and he walked away grumbling unhappily.

Well, Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

They really weren't there to buy weapons.

Why do I always get misunderstood?

————————

It's so cold today.

Something interesting is that although many people online reminisce about the era of collective farming for farmers, none of the older farmers or people from rural families that A-Jin knows seem to miss that era. It's those from working-class families who seem to have the most nostalgia.

Furthermore, the farmer mentioned in the article who chartered the plane is named Wang Junyao. He is also a legendary Zhejiang businessman.

In July 1991, Wang Junyao contracted flights between Changsha and Wenzhou. The following year, he founded a private charter company and later entered the national civil aviation industry.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 03:50:38 on December 23, 2023 and 03:20:12 on December 24, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Seven-Colored Rainbow (20 bottles); SillyGuyING (15 bottles); aa (10 bottles); Little P (9 bottles); Affirmation (5 bottles); AutumnWaterNotWater, feng333, aurora, and 206558081 bottles;

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