Chapter 89: Impressions Reversed (Revised)
In Vladimir today, anyone who hasn't heard of the Friendship Store must be an outdated and antisocial individual.
If someone were to witness the burning of counterfeit goods, they would become a prominent figure in their social circle, with everyone eager to obtain the latest firsthand information from them.
First, let's talk about the overwhelming flames, then the dejected criminals, and of course, most importantly, the charming female boss. I heard she's cold and dignified, yet so beautiful that she's both frightening and lovable.
Even the local newspaper sent reporters, and the incident took up an entire page of the newspaper. For three consecutive days, the front page headline was about this Jong-guk store and its owner.
In the large black-and-white photograph in the newspaper, the woman stood tall and straight, with black hair, red lips, a white shirt, and cigarette pants, looking capable and efficient.
She looked at the camera with a half-smile, her features exquisite, yet her menacing aggression was undeniable, sending chills down the spine while drawing the viewer in again and again.
This issue of the newspaper with photos sold out immediately, and the printing plant worked overnight to reprint it. The newspaper's leaders were overjoyed. Who would have thought that a local newspaper with dismal sales could sell more newspapers than the entire local population?
The newsstand owner placed this issue of the newspaper in the most conspicuous place, and passersby stopped one after another, reaching out to pay in unison. The local newspaper had taken on the style of a fashion magazine.
Many people bought the newspaper and cut out the page with the photo, framing it separately. The face was so pleasing to the eye that it was even more eye-catching than the scantily clad American poster girls; it was breathtakingly beautiful.
In the staff dormitory, Geng Zhi was furtively hiding something in his closet when Zheng Xiaowei pushed open the door. Seeing this, he immediately pounced on Geng Zhi, grabbed his arm, and pulled him out, saying gleefully, "Caught red-handed! Confess, what shady stuff were you trying to hide behind my back?!"
Geng Zhi couldn't shake him off, and his face turned red with anxiety. He stubbornly shouted, "What's it to you? Let go!"
Zheng Xiaowei refused to let go, and the two struggled for the object. During the struggle, Geng Zhi was unable to shake off Zheng Xiaowei's hand and instead flung the object he was holding away. A newspaper with He Changyi's photo on it fluttered down from mid-air.
upright:……
Zheng Xiaowei: "...So this is what you were hiding."
Geng Zhi was furious and picked up the newspapers all over the ground. Even though he was so angry he was about to turn into a pufferfish, he still made sure to fold each newspaper neatly.
Zheng Xiaowei looked embarrassed and, trying to make conversation, asked him, "Why did you buy so many newspapers?"
He said in a sullen voice, "I took it back to China to show my mother, but she had never met the boss."
Zheng Xiaowei scratched his head, "Ah, well, it's fine, it's fine..."
He squatted down to help Geng Zhi pick up the newspapers. As he was picking them up, he suddenly bumped Geng Zhi with his shoulder, which Geng Zhi avoided in disgust.
"I said, 'You bought so many newspapers, can you give me two? I went to several newsstands, and they all said they were sold out. I never expected that this old Russian would have such good taste...'"
Geng Zhi suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at Zheng Xiaowei with a look that was hard to describe.
Zheng Xiaowei: "...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Geng Zhi averted his gaze and bluntly stated, "No way!"
After saying that, he gathered all the newspapers into his arms, put them into his trunk in front of Zheng Xiaowei, and locked them from the inside with the key.
Zheng Xiaowei jumped up and down: "What do you mean? You bought so many, what's wrong with giving me two tickets... Or I can pay for them, double? Triple? Wait, don't go, the price is negotiable!"
In the bodyguards' dormitory next door, newspapers were scattered everywhere, and someone was sitting at a desk writing something on an envelope.
Another bodyguard, Lev, asked him, "Hey, Lermontov, who are you writing to? If you're sending money, you should go to the bank. Those damned postmen have stolen money from my letters more than once!"
Without looking up, Lermontov said, "I'm not writing a letter; I'm sending Alyosha a small gift."
Lev walked over to him and saw Lermontov carefully folding a newspaper into an envelope size with a delicacy completely disproportionate to his size, thoughtfully revealing the photo on the front page.
He suddenly realized!
"I understand! Hahaha, this is indeed the best gift for Alyosha! He will definitely love it!"
Lermontov said gleefully, "Or he might want to kill us! I bet he'd like to switch places with us!"
Others came over to see what was happening, and burst into laughter after seeing the photo in the newspaper.
"Alyosha will be furious! His Sleeping Beauty has been seen by the whole world!"
"Perhaps he's gone mad by now; I sent him the newspaper this morning."
"I sent it yesterday!"
"I mailed it on the day the newspaper was released!"
The five bodyguards checked the accounts and discovered that, in addition to Lermontov, three other people had also sent newspapers to Alexei. The last one who hadn't sent a newspaper immediately asked for an empty envelope and stuffed a newspaper into it as well.
"I can't wait to see his face when he receives the letter!"
Lermontov sealed the envelope, affixed the stamp, and said cheerfully, "Alyosha will thank us."
Lev shook his head. "He'll bring an AK-47 to thank us."
That being said, he was quite fast at affixing stamps, and after finishing, he would examine his work.
"I'll hide behind Miss He then, she'll protect me."
Lev spoke with complete confidence, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was hiding behind a young woman who was only half his size.
The group exchanged a knowing glance, and their voices grew softer and softer.
"Perhaps Miss He could go first?"
“He’ll forget about us as soon as he sees Miss He; I have experience with that.”
"Perhaps we can devise a battle plan?"
...Brothers are meant to be tricked.
News reports have changed some people's views, but others still cling to their old beliefs.
It's unbelievable that Chinese products are associated with high quality.
Some people were eager to try it out, some were skeptical, and some scoffed at it.
"Forget it! Who knows how much that pretty girl paid the reporter? If you want me to believe that there are high-quality, low-priced Chinese goods in this world, I'd rather go check out my faded leather jacket!"
"Zhong Guoren must have bribed the newspaper and the police!"
"I'd rather buy an antique made by the Alliance than buy a piece of Chinese goods!"
Similar comments are not uncommon in the community, but even the most stubborn ice will slowly melt in the sunlight.
However, the process of waiting for the melting process was too long, so He Changyi added fuel to the fire.
After she announced the three-day promotion, some of the first customers to rush in have already won big prizes.
Although it wasn't the grand prize car, the sight of someone carrying a brand-new color TV home still attracted the attention of everyone along the way.
"Is it a genuine color TV? Brand new? Without any defects? And not a refurbished secondhand item?"
"I thought that handsome boss Jong-kook was just saying it casually..."
"She actually decided to give away a brand new color TV in a raffle? You guys aren't in cahoots, are you?"
The winner was furious. "You're slandering me! My character is far superior to that of a television, even if it's a 21-inch imported color TV worth three hundred dollars!"
Onlookers: ...Just refute it if you want, why bring up the price of the color TV? Does anyone not know that this lucky guy won a [worth three hundred US dollars] [21-inch] [imported] [color TV]???
But color TVs were just the beginning.
Over the next few days, people kept walking out of the store with beaming faces, carrying prizes of varying quality, but the minimum was a basket of daily necessities, enough to satisfy the needs of a family of five, saving them a lot of money.
Reporters stood guard at the store entrance, enthusiastically interviewing each winner.
The burly man carrying the imported tape recorder smiled at the camera like a great white shark.
"I only bought one bottle of Jong-guk vodka!" he shouted. "One bottle of liquor for a tape recorder! I'm coming back tomorrow until I win that car!"
More and more people are getting restless, especially since the grand prize hasn't been drawn yet.
Even if I don't drive it myself, selling it would still be a lot of money!
The brand-new Regalia car was displayed at the entrance of the Friendship Store, its shiny paint, smooth body lines, and luxurious interior... like a mechanical succubus, recklessly releasing its allure to everyone.
Why don't you go take a look? Even if you only buy a pair of socks, maybe they'll get lucky and win the grand prize!
The old fogies grumbled as they walked to the store entrance, "I'm just going in to take a look... Even if they're the enemy, we still need to gather intelligence!"
But once inside the store, what greets the eye is a dazzling array of shelves, a bewildering array of goods, and prices that make one lose their mind—
Buy, buy, buy! Buy it all!
Only after emptying their last kopek did they reluctantly leave the store with their spoils, their faces beaming with happiness.
Although I didn't win the grand prize, I did win a VCR made by Jong-kook, which I can use to play movies!
When the Friendship Store was mentioned again, they said in a friendly tone, "That's a top-quality, affordable store in China, and all the goods inside are imported! Only a fool would refuse it!"
Capitalizing on this momentum, He Changyi held a Zhong Guori event over the weekend.
The shop was decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons. The red lanterns and colorful ribbons did not look tacky in the foreign environment, but instead had a unique oriental charm.
The melodious flute and the resonant zither music attracted countless passersby with high noses and deep-set eyes to stop and listen.
Nastya and Sasha, one on each side, pulled Sergei through the crowd with agility. Sergei stumbled along, apologizing to those he bumped into as he ran.
"Dad, hurry up, the show's about to start!"
Valentina and her grandmother Olexia strolled leisurely behind, occasionally glancing closer at the booths on either side.
"The history of Zhongguo is indeed as long as it is written in the book. It is incredible that this country has existed for five thousand years."
Olesia said, "If you've ever been to Zhongguo, you'll realize that not only have they existed for five thousand years, they will continue to exist for another five thousand years, and they will still be there."
Valentina shook her head regretfully, "My father had the opportunity to be sent to Zhongguo, but he didn't have a party membership card, so..."
She shrugged. "Maybe in the future I'll save enough money to travel to China."
Olesia smiled and said, "Maybe it won't be that long. Look, our Nastya and Sasha both want to study in Zhongguo."
A delicate fragrance wafted over, instantly invigorating the two. Following the scent, they found themselves surrounded by a crowd, where the tea ceremony booth staff were skillfully brewing a pot of fragrant tea.
The opposite stall was equally crowded. With a pair of scissors and a piece of red paper, a few snips later, when the staff unfolded the red paper, a lifelike little bear appeared on the paper.
Nastya and Sasha were dazzled by the sight and kept shaking Sergei's arm.
"Daddy, I want one too!"
"Dad, didn't you go to Zhongguo? Can you cut a little dog haircut for me?"
Sergei subtly changed the subject, "Children, the martial arts performance is about to begin, we need to hurry."
There were so many onlookers that by the time Nastya and Sasha finally managed to squeeze through the adults' legs to the front row, the opening performance had already ended, and the battle segment was about to begin.
The short-haired performer looked around and asked in broken Emei language if any audience members wanted to come up and fight him.
The audience members who had watched the performance fell silent, making Sasha's voice, the only one to speak, all the more loud.
"My dad! My dad is really good at fighting!"
Sergei: ? ? ?
Completely bewildered, he was pushed onto the dueling platform, feeling uneasy, and cautiously asked, "I think this is just a performance... right?"
The man with the crew cut didn't say anything, but struck a pose and waved for Sergei to attack first.
Sergei hesitated, but Sasha shouted excitedly from below the stage, "Dad, go for it!"
Nastya quickly covered Sasha's mouth and said considerately to Sergei, "Dad, it's okay even if you don't dare to fight!"
Sasha: "Ugh ugh ugh ugh!"
Sergei: ...
It would have been better not to say that at all!
He clenched his fists, steeled himself, and charged toward the man with the buzz cut, constantly encouraging himself: It's okay, he's shorter and thinner than me, we might not even win if we really fight!
For the honor of men, hurrah!
Sergei rushed over, and then flew back backwards.
The audience collectively exclaimed, "Wow..."
Sergei lay sprawled on the dueling platform, his mind filled with thoughts of "Who am I? Where am I?", while Sasha's clear voice rang in his ears.
"Mom, Grandma, Dad was killed by Zhong Guogong!"
...He certainly has a good son, doesn't he?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com