Chapter 39 Old Friends and New Map (Revised)...
He Changyi did not give an answer to Xie Xun's suggestion at the time, saying that she would go back and think about it.
Xie Xun's words sounded very tempting, especially at this difficult time.
However, choosing to go to Eastern Europe would mean completely giving up the Russian market and the people you know.
Moreover, once in Eastern Europe, facing a completely unfamiliar environment, He Changyi might not be able to take over the reins from Xie Xun, who is the local bigwig.
However, she was not one to submit to others.
Previously, He Changyi and Xie Xun contributed money and effort respectively. In addition, they were located in the east and west of the country, and the distance made them get along well. Many conflicts were hidden under the rapidly rising profits.
Now that her financial advantage has been suddenly reduced to nothing, although they still maintain their previous way of getting along, the balance between them will be broken sooner or later, or rather, there is already a trend of imbalance.
Xie Xun... has never been so proactive and confident.
In the past, he would not have invited He Changyi to dinner at a fancy restaurant, much less have he directly suggested that she come to Eastern Europe.
Like a peacock with its wings just fully grown, it can't wait to show off its magnificent tail feathers to the opposite sex, circling around and shaking its tail wildly, its desire to mate is obvious.
In the proverb "Two tigers cannot share one mountain," Xie Xun was interested in the latter part, "unless one is male and the other female," while He Changyi saw "two tigers on one mountain."
When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured.
Either Xie Xun discovers that He Changyi is not someone he can control, and the two completely break up; or He Changyi preserves their friendship and voluntarily withdraws, starting a new business on her own.
But if He Changyi were to start over in Eastern Europe, why wouldn't he choose to stay in the more familiar Mosk?
After all, there are clients I've worked with here, trustworthy friends, and Grandma Vitalie, who is more than family to me.
He Changyi could only apologize to Xie Xun.
Xie Xun only stayed in Moscow for one night; his business in Eastern Europe couldn't do without him.
After meeting with He Changyi, Xie Xun hurriedly took a train back to Yugoslavia early the next morning.
He Changyi took him to the train station. Before they parted, Xie Xun suddenly grabbed He Changyi's wrist and looked directly into her eyes.
“I’m serious… If you ever can’t stay in Mosk anymore, you’re always welcome here.”
He Changyi gently withdrew her hand, not responding to his hidden longing, but instead half-jokingly said:
"Let's talk about it when you're no longer dressed like a nouveau riche."
Xie Xun: ?
"Wait, what does 'nouveau riche' mean?"
He Changyi hesitated, looking at his mink coat again and again.
Xie Xun felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze.
Is there something wrong with the clothes?
He Changyi sighed softly.
"Well, it's a bit impolite to say it like that, but..."
Xie Xun pressed on urgently, "But what?"
He Changyi: "You look like a bear in this outfit."
Xie Xun: ...
He Changyi added a sentence.
"It's the kind of question you ask a white rabbit if it sheds fur."
Xie Xun heard this joke from He Changyi on the train: A bear asked a rabbit if it sheds fur, and the rabbit said no, so the bear happily picked up the rabbit to wipe its butt.
Now he's that bear.
Xie Xun managed to say with difficulty, "...Okay, I understand."
He Changyi comforted her considerately, "Don't overthink it. You're actually quite good-looking, not at all like a bear."
Xie Xun: ...
There's really no need to comfort him; he'll just go back and sell that mink coat!
Since it was a rare occasion for He Changyi to come to the train station, after seeing the person off, he went to visit the old lady who was the doorman of the apartment building.
Here, she unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Peshkov? What are you doing here? Did you come looking for me?"
Peshkov was a burly man whom He Changyi had rescued during the Baikal Hotel shooting. Afterwards, he not only actively cooperated with He Changyi, but also introduced her to many Eurasian clients.
After the unrest broke out, Peshkov suddenly disappeared. No one answered the phone at either his company or his home. Even when He Changyi visited in person, the house was still empty.
The social environment was extremely chaotic at the time, and there was no response after the police were called. He Changyi could only pray that the Peshkov family was still alive and well.
Upon seeing Peshkov unharmed again, He Changyi was overjoyed. He went up to him and slapped him hard on the shoulder, feigning anger, and said:
"I thought you'd already been thrown into the Mosk River!"
Peshkov was also pleased, and awkwardly smiled, but to be honest, it really did look a bit like a puppy baring its teeth.
"I'm still alive! You're still alive too! How lucky we are, we've both escaped death! So you're still here. I thought after October you would return to Zhongguo and swear you would never step across the border again!"
He Changyi said, "That won't do. Even the Grim Reaper with his scythe can't stop me from making money."
Peshkov laughed awkwardly, like a robot whose program had malfunctioned.
"Yes, you're right. As long as you can breathe, you have to keep fighting for survival!"
He Changyi hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Well, it's not just about survival...
He Changyi gave the canned yellow peaches she brought to the old lady at the gatehouse. Fresh fruit is scarce in Oslo during the winter, so she specially brought a lot from China. She would give a few cans to people she was on good terms with, and everyone has been very satisfied with them so far.
The old lady at the gate happily accepted the canned peaches, carefully placing them in a locked cabinet. Turning her back, she quietly said to He Changyi:
“This gentleman has come three times already, He. He seems to need to see you urgently. There’s a safe coffee shop nearby…”
She winked at He Changyi, meaning that he shouldn't let go of a customer who came to his door.
He Changyi nodded knowingly, then turned to Peshkov and said:
"Come on, let's find a place to have a drink and talk about what's been going on lately."
Peshkov happily followed He Changyi, but upon seeing that their destination was a coffee shop, he expressed some regret:
"This is the perfect time for a glass of vodka."
He Changyi said, half-jokingly and half-seriously:
"I'm not confident I can safely get a drunk guy home in winter."
The two sat down in a cozy cafe. The decor was a bit dated. The plump proprietress in an apron served two cups of coffee and a plate of gingerbread that didn't look very appealing but tasted quite good.
He Changyi and Peshkov were already quite familiar with each other, so they skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
He Changyi asked him why he had disappeared for so long, and whether he had been secretly digging for gold somewhere.
Peshkov frankly stated that he had not found any gold mines, but had instead fled to another region.
It turned out that at the end of September, Peshkov, an old Mosk man with plenty of experience in both fighting and being fought, saw that things were not going well. Without saying a word, he gave the whole company a holiday and drove back to his hometown, 200 kilometers away from Mosk, with his wife, children, and cats and dogs.
After all, several of their ancestors were prominent figures with Gulag citizenship, and their families were almost exiled to Siberia to dig potatoes. Therefore, although Peshkov's generation stayed away from politics, they were among the first to flee at the slightest sign of trouble in Moscow.
Peshkov successfully led his family out of the October turmoil, and heard that his neighbor's son had died from stray bullets from the barricades, while another friend had been seriously wounded in the square.
As a third-generation frightened bird, Peshkov kept up with current events in his hometown by watching TV, radio, and reading newspapers. Only after confirming that everything had completely settled did he return to Moscow with his wife, children, cats, and dogs, carrying his belongings.
He Changyi couldn't help but feel envious:
"You run so fast! I think you're the long-distance running champion for the next Olympics."
Peshkov expressed his views subtly and smugly:
"This is thanks to our family history; after all, we have learned too many lessons from our family's lack of political awareness."
He expressed deep sympathy after learning of He Changyi's devastating losses and offered to order goods from her in full, with no delivery deadline, clearly intending to help her recover her losses.
He Changyi, however, offered a 50% discount on the quantity of goods he wanted to purchase, stating bluntly:
"Business is tough right now in Mosk. People are probably still reeling from this man-made disaster and can't immediately return to their normal routines. If you can't sell your goods quickly, they'll not only take up most of your warehouse space, but they'll also tie up your working capital."
“We’re friends, so you’d want to help me. But it’s precisely because we’re friends that I can’t accept it all.”
Peshkov winked mysteriously at He Changyi, a cute expression that looked quite contrasting against his large, hairy face.
“My friend, you are a truly respectable friend, and I completely understand your concerns. In fact, only a trustworthy friend would say such a thing. However, if I hadn’t discovered the business opportunity in my hometown, I wouldn’t have been able to purchase so many goods. After all, you’re right, unsold goods are a liability.”
Hearing Peshkov's words, He Changyi raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Any new discoveries you can share?"
Peshkov chuckled and said:
Have you heard of Vladimir?
The city of Vladimir he mentioned is a medium-sized city located 200 kilometers southeast of Mosk. It has a developed industrial sector with a complete heavy industrial system, capable of manufacturing mechanical products such as tractors, internal combustion engines, excavators, and motorcycles, as well as more sophisticated electronic instruments.
As a heavy industrial city in the Union, Vladimir's light industry development is undoubtedly like that of a middle-aged man going bald; even if he carefully counts his hair every day, there is only less and no more.
If the shortage of supplies in Moscow was still in the early stages of socialism, then Vladimir was like going back to the era of serfdom, where even a mother who had lost her son would drink the salted cabbage soup first.
Even those who make money by trading mostly sell their goods in Mosk, rather than in some obscure little town.
Vladimir is a new map that urgently needs to be illuminated.
The satellite city of Kovrov, a city of Vladimir, is even more noteworthy.
This was an important research base for the Allied forces after World War II. It is said that the father once regarded this city as the "last line of defense." It had numerous military factories and technical personnel, as well as a dedicated railway line that could connect with the railway that spanned Eurasia.
Before the alliance disintegrated, the city had no name, only a code name.
Kovrov has long been a semi-isolated city, its residents not even included in the Union's population statistics. For a long time, only a very few countries possessed basic information about the city's existence.
However, after the alliance disintegrated, the city of Kovrov gradually relaxed its controls and became less mysterious. Ordinary people could freely enter and exit the city and visit the former mysterious base.
Peshkov's hometown is Vladimir, and he had heard about Kovrov since he was a child. He even went in to take a look after it opened to the public out of curiosity.
"A modern city ahead of its time, with a rational plan, no outdated Khrushchev buildings, it looks very beautiful and very modern."
This is how Peshkov described this once-important military town.
"Moreover, most of them are researchers and senior technicians, with an average income higher than that of Moscow, and their purchasing power is quite considerable."
As Peshkov recounted the story, He Changyi's eyes gradually brightened.
Are Vladimir and Kovrov open to foreigners? As a Chinese citizen, can I enter these cities?
Peshkov said, "Vladimir is certainly an option; you can even sell the goods directly there! However, Kovrov is uncertain, given that it used to be a classified military base."
He Changyi put down his coffee cup and pulled Peshkov outside.
"This is the best news I've heard in a while! We must have a drink to celebrate!"
The two arrived at the nearest tavern, and before clinking glasses, Peshkov patted his chest and assured them:
"Don't worry, He, even if you're drunk, I'll still get you home safely!"
He Changyi also picked up his wine glass, revealing an innocent smile.
"Don't worry, as a friend, I won't let you turn into a drunken ice sculpture on the streets of Mosk."
Peshkov: ?
Why do I have this inexplicable sense of foreboding?
He Changyi slammed his glass against Peshkov's, spilling a little wine.
"Come on, let's drink to our friendship!"
Peshkov forgot his earlier worries and immediately began to drink heartily, downing a whole glass of vodka in one gulp.
"For friendship!"
A regular at the pub said to the bartender, "How long do you think he can last?"
The bartender asked curiously, "Why 'he' and not 'she'?"
He turned his head and carefully examined the difference in physique between He Changyi and Peshkov.
"It seems that young woman can't hold her liquor as well as men. I really hope she's an adult, otherwise I can only pray that the police won't come for a surprise inspection today."
A seasoned customer said with experience, "No, believe me, any woman who shows up at the tavern has an unfathomable capacity for alcohol, even if she's there to drag her drunken husband away."
The bartender looked He Changyi and Peshkov over again.
"No, I still stand by my point of view. Even if what you said is true, it must be something that only a woman from Eguo, who is as wide as a cabinet, could do."
The regular customer shook his head.
"You don't understand Zhongguo, and you don't understand the people of Zhongguo. Some of them have an extremely terrifying capacity for alcohol."
The bartender, curious, took the opportunity while delivering drinks to quietly observe the guests at this table.
The dark-haired woman slowly sipped her wine, her eyes clear, her complexion unchanged, and she even spoke in a very organized manner.
The burly man from Eguo sitting opposite her had his face flushed red and was speaking incoherently, like a gyroscope, feeding half of his cup of wine to his beard.
The bartender couldn't help but glance at the glass in the black-haired woman's hand.
He remembered that no one at this table had ordered ice water, so the glass must have contained real wine... right?
The dark-haired woman noticed his gaze and smiled as she raised her glass to him.
"Very good vodka, it tastes like swallowing a mouthful of fire, extremely stimulating."
Bartender: !!!
He returned to the table where his regular customers were with a heavy heart.
"you're right."
The bartender said, "The women of Zhongguo are indeed unfathomable."
A regular customer chuckled, "Young man, when you reach my age you'll realize that nothing is impossible in this world."
The bartender pondered for a moment.
"If I asked her if she knew Chinese Kung Fu, she probably would, right?"
Regular customer: ?
Wait, how did the conversation shift from drinking to Jong Kwok's Kung Fu?
The bartender looked eagerly at the dark-haired woman over there: "She'll be flying around in the air, just like in the movies!"
A regular customer cautiously asked, "So, what do you want to do?"
Bartender: "Could I ask her to give me a ride around in the air?"
Regular customer: ...
"Come on, you must have drunk too little. Finish this glass of wine and you'll sober up."
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