Chapter 61 Forced Promotion (Completed)...
The thief escaped.
They scrambled onto the truck like a swarm of rats with their tails spitting fire, burying themselves under the tarpaulin in the back, hoping the thin fabric would stop the bullets.
The panicked truck driver swerved erratically, drawing S-shaped lines on the road, the tires screeching against the pavement.
At the same time, the entire street was awakened by the gunfire.
From one end of the street to the other, lights came on in every window, and anxious figures flashed past them.
He Changyi watched the truck disappear at the end of the street before putting away his pistol and patting the tense little black dog.
There was a loud knocking on the door, and the security captain shouted:
"Ms. He, are you still safe?"
He Changyi opened the door a crack, keeping the barking little black dog inside.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern. But I just saw someone climbing up the iron stairs outside the building. Shouldn't you send someone out to check?"
The security captain shrugged.
"I'm only responsible for security inside the building; the area outside isn't my responsibility. Since you're alright, we'll continue our patrol."
That's what they said, but the entire team of security guards seemed rooted to the spot, staring intently at He Changyi.
So He Changyi handed out a pack of the cheapest Zhongguo cigarettes, and the group of security guards left happily, saying before they left:
"Miss He, you can get a good night's sleep tonight. We will stay on the third floor and will absolutely not let a single thief in."
He Changyi: ...
Yes, we won't let it in through the door, but we can let it in through the window.
Security guards were unreliable, and she couldn't stay up all night watching the warehouse every day. Geng Zhi and Zheng Xiaowei were even less useful; they would just be easy targets for the thieves.
After thinking about it, He Changyi decided to hire a local police officer from the police station.
It's not unusual; some Oregon shops hire police officers to stand guard.
A similar situation exists in America, across the Pacific. Some upscale communities pay hefty sums (protection fees) to the police and become key targets for police protection. Compared to the slums just across the street, the security environment is worlds apart.
Russian police officers are just as adept at making extra money.
You can easily earn part-time wages by simply standing in a store, and you don't have to pay taxes.
He Changyi contacted a burly, oversized policeman and offered him 1,000 rubles per hour, which the man agreed to without hesitation.
He earned more money that night than he would have earned in a month, and there was no reason for him to refuse.
After getting off work, the police officers came directly from the police station to the warehouse in full gear, and boldly told He Changyi to go back to sleep without worry. They said that as long as they were there, not even a mouse could get in, let alone a thief.
He Changyi has reservations about this.
However, the police have the right to legally carry guns, legally arrest people, and legally kill people, so they don't need to consider the consequences even if they kill a few thieves.
Unlike ordinary people like her, who have to hide their handguns for self-defense, fearing that someone might use them against them.
Although she didn't expect the policeman to actually shoot and kill the thief, scaring him away would be good enough, since she ran a business and couldn't afford to see blood all the time.
Before going on duty, the policeman flashed the holster on his waist at He Changyi and said with great confidence:
"One thousand rubles an hour. I'm going to work here until I retire. Then I'll have a big villa and an imported car. Boss Zhong Guo, I hope you won't regret it."
He Changyi raised an eyebrow: "If you can completely drive away the thief, I'll give you a Zhongguo car."
The policeman laughed: "Then I'll pick the most expensive one!"
The next morning, He Changyi went to the store to see how effective the police patrol had been on the first night.
However, when she entered, she found the warehouse in complete disarray, the thick iron bars outside the window twisted and deformed, and the policeman who had insisted on working until retirement was ashen-faced, trembling and huddled in a corner, his uniform in a disheveled state.
He Changyi asked, "What happened?!"
The police officer paused for a moment before saying, "This is not what I expected!"
Without explaining what had happened, he first asked He Changyi for his 9,000 rubles salary, then put the money in his pocket and immediately wanted to resign.
"I quit, it's too dangerous. You should find someone else!"
He Changyi stopped the person: "What exactly happened?"
The police officer said, "They have guns, lots of guns! I almost got shot!"
He Changyi asked him, "Where's your gun?"
The policeman was in a hurry to leave, so he yanked open his holster, only to find it completely empty, even more so than his bald head.
He Changyi: ...
These days, even part-time police officers fabricate their resumes.
The police officer retorted confidently, "You didn't hire me to catch a thief!"
—Great, she paid police officers to act as mascots in a robbed warehouse.
He Changyi tried his best to remain calm and said, "I'll pay more."
After hesitating for a moment, the police officer reluctantly refused.
"No, I don't want to die now."
The hired police officers ran off with the money, and He Changyi began to seriously consider whether he should just sell all the color TVs on the spot instead of waiting for the new store to open, so that the thieves wouldn't bother with it.
But she knew in her heart that even if she sold the color TV, it wouldn't make a difference, as the gang of thieves had already set their sights on the store and warehouse.
Even if they can't steal the most valuable color TV, stealing some canned goods or clothes will do; in short, a thief won't leave empty-handed.
He Changyi angrily cursed the unknown guy who leaked the information to the thief. The guy must be hiding in the shadows, gloating that he had successfully caused her a lot of trouble.
Geng Zhi found a few axes from somewhere and aggressively insisted on staying to keep watch at night, while Zheng Xiaowei hesitated and cautiously advised He Changyi, "Where there's life, there's hope."
He Changyi remained silent, his face grim.
If local criminal gangs find out she's an easy target, they shouldn't open the new store, otherwise all the customers coming in will be there to buy things for free.
She called Alexei and asked if he had any retired comrades looking for work. Education, appearance, and gender didn't matter; he just wanted someone reliable and loyal, with a monthly salary of three thousand US dollars plus bonuses.
Alexei didn't answer; instead, he asked her if something had happened and why she suddenly needed to find security.
He Changyi didn't tell him, otherwise the bear would have driven that beat-up car all the way from Moscow overnight, and the car might have been packed with weapons.
Alexei, however, seemed to have guessed what was going on. After a moment of silence, he suddenly told He Changyi to return to Moscow.
"Grandma is sick."
He Changyi's hand gripping the microphone tightened instantly. Ignoring the thief and the warehouse, she pressed him repeatedly for answers:
"What illness is she? How is she now? Has she seen a doctor?"
Alexei said succinctly, "She's alright, but I think it would be better if you could be with her."
He Changyi was unsure whether Grandma Vitaly was truly ill or if Alexei was using this as an excuse to send her back to Moscow.
After thinking it over, she decided to settle things here first before going to Mosk to visit Grandma Vitalie.
"I'm going back tomorrow. Please take good care of Grandma Vitalie. I know a few doctors who might be able to help."
Alexei's voice sounded somewhat muffled through the telephone line.
"No need to ask, she's my grandmother. I'll take her to the hospital if needed."
After hanging up the phone, He Changyi instructed Geng Zhi and Zheng Xiaowei to hang a banner in Emei language outside the store and another outside the building, which read "Zhongguo Store Big Sale, All Items 40% Off and Up".
Before Geng Zhi could even speak, Zheng Xiaowei became displeased.
"Why would you suddenly offer a discount? Doesn't that mean you'll make less money?"
He Changyi said, "Earning less is better than earning nothing. We'll sell as much as we can today and try not to keep any goods in the warehouse."
She refused to believe it. Even if the thieves were a bunch of armed rats, what could they possibly steal from an empty warehouse? Air?
Geng Zhi was more concerned about, "It's almost noon, and we weren't notified beforehand. Are there really that many customers coming to buy?"
He Changyi said, "I'll write a promotional leaflet later. Go downstairs and find the administrator. He has a photocopier. Make a thousand copies and take them to the nearby residential areas and factories to distribute."
Geng Zhi responded loudly and, while waiting for the flyers to be made, he picked up a broom to clean the store and called Zheng Xiaowei to get a rag to wipe the shelves and counters.
Zheng Xiaowei dawdled, constantly expressing his heartache over the color TV.
"Sigh, this perfectly good new TV is going to be sold cheaply... Do those Russians even understand color TVs? In this crappy place, they're lucky to even have a black and white TV. Giving them a color TV is giving them too much credit."
He Changyi raised her leg and kicked him lightly.
"Stop slacking off, go now!"
Zheng Xiaowei nearly stumbled and fell, and dared not dawdle any longer. He jogged to catch up with Geng Zhi, who was cleaning, and muttered to himself, "You're just being overly enthusiastic!"
Geng Zhi didn't tolerate him and casually shoved the mop into Zheng Xiaowei's hand as well.
"Hurry up, mop the floor twice later too!"
In front of He Changyi, Zheng Xiaowei reluctantly accepted the mop, inwardly cursing the Russians for their bad luck and how their blockhead had finally come to their senses and learned to try and impress the boss.
He Changyi quickly wrote the banner and promotional leaflet. Although they were somewhat simple and rough, the words "price reduction" were bolded and enlarged to attract attention.
Geng Zhi took the template flyer to the administrator, who, while taking out his key to unlock the printer, marveled at the sight.
"Your boss has come up with another way to make money. She's such a cunning woman. Let me guess how much money she'll make this time... What?! A color TV for only 200,000 rubles?! Really a color TV? For only 200,000 rubles? You're not kidding, are you?!"
Geng Zhi hurriedly grabbed the printed flyers and tried to leave, but the administrator grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go. Helplessly, he said in his broken Emei language:
"It's true, but there are only a thousand units available. If you want to buy one, hurry up, or it will be too late."
The administrator let go, and Geng Zhi darted away in a flash.
Time was limited, so he had to hurry up and distribute all the flyers!
The administrator stood there for a moment, pondered, and then decisively turned and left.
A thousand color TVs weren't enough for the local factory leaders to fight over; he had to hurry home to get the money.
Even if you wouldn't be willing to use an expensive color TV at home, giving it to your superior is a very respectable gift.
While Geng Zhi and Zheng Xiaowei went out to distribute flyers, He Changyi put the goods in the warehouse on the shelves, placing the color TV in the most conspicuous position so that it could be seen as soon as one entered the door.
While she was busy inside the store, the citizens of Vladimir outside were already falling into self-doubt.
What? Jongkook Store is having a big sale?
Everything is 40% off or more, and the product list even includes Jong-guk TVs?!
Some people couldn't resist checking the calendar.
Is this really just an ordinary workday, or is it Victory Day, Independence Day, or Maslenitsa?
After the flyers were handed out, the first group of customers eagerly arrived at the store, holding up the flyers and repeatedly asking He Changyi to confirm their identities.
"Is this for real? 40% off everything? You're not kidding, are you?!"
He Changyi said with certainty, "Of course it's true. No matter what you want to buy, the price will be 40% off."
"No matter what? Even the most expensive down jacket?"
He Changyi nodded: "Even down jackets."
The customers were in an uproar, rushing towards the shelves full of goods like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.
"Even if I spend all my savings, I'm going to buy everything I can!"
"Savings will depreciate, but sugar won't. It will only get more and more expensive, until it's more expensive than my salary!"
Everyone frantically rummaged through their bags for goods, not even bothering to look closely at the price tags, as if this wasn't a big sale, but a free giveaway.
When Zheng Xiaowei returned after handing out the flyers, he was dumbfounded. Were these the same Russians who used to be so stingy and compare prices even when buying a rope?
This is just like the pre-Chinese New Year shopping spree in China. Money is no object; people buy whatever they can get their hands on, as if they'd be losing out if they didn't buy enough.
While he was still in a daze, he was slapped hard on the shoulder.
Zheng Xiaowei cried out "Ouch!" and turned around, clutching his shoulder. He said bluntly and irritably:
"A good dog doesn't block the way! What are you dawdling for? Get to work!"
Zheng Xiaowei jumped up and down, cursing, "Hey, who are you calling a dog?"
He Changyi passed by and slapped him on the back of the head.
"Still dawdling? Hurry up and get to the cashier. I remember you've never made a mistake counting money with one hand, and you can even tell if a ruble is real or fake. Use your skills to your advantage. If you dare to take the wrong money, I'll throw you into the Mosk River to feed the fish."
Zheng Xiaowei wiped his face, his face beaming with a smile: "Hey, hey, I'm going right now!"
The manager rushed to Zhongguo Store with the money he had finally managed to withdraw from the bank, but to his surprise, the store was so crowded that it was impossible to squeeze in within a short time.
He shouted anxiously inside, "Color TV, color TV, please leave me a color TV!"
Upon hearing that there were color TVs, such a rare item, the customers on the periphery immediately shouted:
"How much? I want a color TV too!"
"A Chinese-made color TV? I should be able to afford it too."
The administrator grew even more anxious. Looking at the high window beside him, he gritted his teeth, climbed up, and stood precariously on the narrow windowsill, shouting at Mr. Zhong Guo in the crowd:
"We're friends, you have to sell me the color TV first!"
After school, Nastya and Sasha held up leaflets and kept asking Sergei questions:
"Dad, what holiday is it in Zhongguo today? Why are the stores in Zhongguo having a promotion? Is it to celebrate their victory in the war?"
Sergei broke out in a cold sweat after being asked the question, and said with difficulty:
"Uh...why don't you go ask Grandma?"
Sasha said, "But Grandma said you lived in Zhongguo for a long time when you were a child, and you even attended Zhongguo Elementary School!"
Sergei was even more embarrassed.
"Why does Grandma tell you everything? That happened a long time ago..."
Sergei's mother was sent to China as an expert by the Alliance in the 1950s. According to regulations, experts who were dispatched for more than six months could bring their families.
Sergei's father decided to stay in the Union; he had a job there, and his homeland needed him.
Sergei followed his mother to Zhongguo, where he was enrolled in a Zhongguo primary school. Because he lived in the government compound, he often played with the neighboring Zhongguo children.
When the alliance withdrew all its experts, Sergei and his comrades exchanged contact addresses and frequently communicated across borders until relations between the two countries broke down, at which point their exchanges were completely severed.
Sergei was not as indifferent to his childhood experience in Zhongguo as he appeared.
In fact, he was deeply impressed by Zhong Guo, especially by the extremely high standards Zhong Guo had for the Alliance experts and their families. Everything they had to do was taken care of, with butter, milk and meat served at every meal, which was even better than their living conditions in China.
When young Sergei first returned to his country, he was very unaccustomed to it and naively asked his parents if they could send him back to China.
But later, as relations between the two countries soured and political infighting intensified, Sergei began to lie and say that he hated Zhong Guo in order to protect himself. After saying it so many times, he seemed to have even deceived himself.
If it weren't for this newly opened Jong-guk store and the canned goods so delicious they brought back so many memories, Sergei probably wouldn't have remembered his past fondness for Jong-guk.
"It's been too long, it's been so long, I was just a kid your age back then..."
Sergei was lost in his memories, while Nastya grabbed Sasha and tried to leave.
"I told you, Dad wouldn't know any of this. He's long forgotten about Zhong Guo. He knows Zhong Guo less than we do!"
Sasha argued, "If I had visited Zhongguo when I was a child, I wouldn't have forgotten it!"
Nastya deliberately lowered her voice, but Sergei did hear her.
"So Mom was right, Dad is an idiot!"
Sergei reached out his hand from behind.
"...Wait, I can explain!"
The two little ones had already walked away hand in hand.
"I brought all my allowance. What about you?"
“I brought even more! My mom asked me to buy Jong-kook face cream for her. She said her face looks younger.”
"Guess how much money Dad brought?"
"I bet he has enough money to buy a case of canned goods and a case of Jong-guk vodka, which is his favorite!"
"I really wish I had money, so I could buy a Chinese color TV and my grandmother wouldn't be so bored when she's home alone."
"I will take my grandmother to study in South Korea in the future, so she can watch TV there!"
Sergei finally caught up.
He grabbed the two little ones with one hand each, tucked them into his arms, and pulled them off the ground with a strong hug.
He scolded affectionately, "Are you two little rascals going to abandon me and go on a shopping spree at Zhongguo's store? Of the three of us, is there anyone who knows Zhongguo better than me?"
Nastya burst into loud laughter, while Sasha struggled to say, "But haven't you already forgotten Jong-kook?"
Sergei said, "Of course not, I have a very vivid memory of that time. Let me tell you a secret, I can actually speak the Chinese language. Your grandmother probably doesn't know as much about China as I do."
Sasha: "Wow!"
As Sergei was enjoying his son's adoration, Nastya astutely asked, "What holiday is it in Zhongguo today?"
Sergei hesitated: "Uh..."
Nastya struggled free and said bluntly, "Dad, it seems you don't know Jong-kook that well either."
Sergei: ...Why would Boss Zhong hold a promotional event when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?!
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