Chapter 6 The Exaggerated Buying Frenzy (Revised)...
With a hint of disbelief, He Changyi quickly spread out the other two sets of "Adidas".
Her face darkened after just one glance.
The other two sets of sweatshirts have different sleeves: one top has one blue and one black stripe, while the other pants don't have an elastic waistband.
Not to mention the dense loose threads and messy stitches on the clothes, which looked like a beginner's practice piece.
What kind of inferior products are these!
These are counterfeit brand-name clothes, and now they can't even guarantee the most basic quality. In China, these clothes would only be used to make diapers; they have no value for wearing.
Curses could also be heard outside the private room.
"What the hell?! Can I even wear these clothes?!"
"Have you no conscience? You have the nerve to charge me forty-five for this shabby clothes!"
"Isn't this outrageous? How can a public bus station do something like this?! Is no one going to do anything about it?!"
Xie Shirong listened to the noise outside the door and chuckled.
"Got tricked, huh? Serves them right. Everyone knows you can't buy anything from Hollejin. These guys asked for trouble, they walked right into their doorstep to be ripped off, now they're dumbfounded, hehehe..."
He Changyi looked at Xie Shirong with a sinister gaze.
Xie Shirong swallowed back the words he was about to say and tactically picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Xie Xun looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Ms. He, I didn't realize you didn't check the clothes before buying them. I thought you knew."
He Changyi glanced at him and said cryptically:
"Oh well, it's just my bad luck."
She suddenly brought up another topic:
"I heard you can bring RMB out of the country, but you can't bring more than 200 yuan—did you know that?"
Xie Xun looked completely bewildered.
"I don't know, I've never taken RMB abroad before."
He Changyi said unhurriedly:
"Now you know."
He Changyi borrowed a sewing kit from the train attendant, disassembled all three sets of "Adidas" clothes, and re-sewed them back together.
Only two of the last three outfits could be pieced together intact; the pants with the uneven leg length and the blue-black sleeved shirt were thrown aside and used as rags.
A rag worth forty-five yuan.
He Changyi gritted his teeth.
Xie Xun looked very guilty and took the initiative to take scissors to help cut the loose threads on the clothes.
Xie Shirong glanced at He Changyi, then at Xie Xun, and chuckled, though it was unclear what he was laughing at.
The train departed Khorzin, crossed the border between the two countries of Zoroastrianism and Ottomanism, and stopped at the Zabaikalsk station in Ottomanism.
This time, it was the border inspection and customs officers from Emei who boarded the vehicle to conduct an inspection.
Xie Xun said to He Changyi, "How much US dollars did you bring? You have to tell them everything later, and you absolutely cannot hide any money."
He Changyi asked, "Why this time?"
Previously, RMB could not be taken out of the country; now, USD must be declared in full. Being a middleman is really troublesome.
Xie Shirong quickly said, "It's alright, he's just a talkative guy. If you have any US dollars with you, you can put them in my name and I'll declare them for you."
He Changyi looked at him suspiciously.
This bald old fox doesn't seem like the type to offer kind help.
Xie Xun wanted to say something, but Xie Shirong stopped him. Their eyes met, and in the end, the younger one remained silent.
He Changyi sized up the uncle and nephew, a half-smile on his face.
"Thank you, but I don't have any US dollars with me, so I don't need to declare them."
Xie Shirong was unwilling to give up: "If you brought US dollars, your uncle can fill it out for you. Don't worry about it. Look, we've gotten along very well along the way. My nephew even helped you get hot water."
Customs officers from Oirat walked from one end of the carriage to the other, and the sounds of Oirat language could be heard outside.
He Changyi remained silent, only raising his eyebrows to scrutinize Xie Shirong until his voice grew softer and softer, until he finally shut up in a huff.
Xie Xun tried to smooth things over by saying:
"Alright, alright, customs is coming. Look for your passport... Ms. He, just declare whatever amount of US dollars you have. The Russians are strict and don't allow you to take US dollars out of the country. In the future, the amount of US dollars you take out of the country can only be less than the amount you brought in, not more, otherwise it will be confiscated. My uncle was just joking with you, don't take it to heart."
Xie Shirong exhaled through his nose, turned his head, and whispered something in his hometown dialect.
Xie Xun still wore a smiling face, but there was a hint of contemplation between his brows.
He Changyi, impatient with their cryptic exchanges, simply stated bluntly:
"You're overthinking it. I really didn't bring any US dollars."
This is the truth. He Changyi had used up all the US dollars she had exchanged with foreigners, and then spent all her RMB in Holejin. Now, apart from the leather jacket and Adidas shoes in her duffel bag, she doesn't even have any coins in her pocket.
Whether the Xie family uncle and nephew believed it or not, the Oros customs had already knocked on the door and come in to check everyone's passports and register the foreign exchange they were entering.
Xie Shirong and Xie Xun each took out a small stack of US dollars. The staff counted them very carefully, one by one, until they were all correct before signing the customs declaration.
He Changyi did not declare a single cent of foreign exchange, which surprised even the customs officers, who probably saw a trader in Russia with an empty wallet for the first time.
The Zhong'e Railway tracks vary in width, so when trains need to change wheels, all passengers must disembark and wait.
The large banner on the outer wall of the station had become dilapidated from being exposed to the wind and sun. People who understood the Emei language told everyone that the banner read "Glory to the Alliance".
The alliance has vanished.
There were many Russians on the platform; some were trying to exchange rubles for yuan, while others were trying to sell binoculars to Chinese passengers.
He Changyi was all alone, penniless, unable to exchange money or buy goods. He wandered around, looking here and there, finding the Emei-style architecture here quite fascinating.
"Miss He."
Suddenly, Xie Xun's voice rang out. He stood a step away from He Changyi, his naturally smiling face showing a frown.
"Don't be angry."
He Changyi said, "I'm not angry."
Xie Xun was about to laugh when he heard He Changyi say:
“You are you, and your uncle is your uncle. Why should I be angry with you? Besides, he didn't even manage to screw me over. In comparison, he's the one who needs your comfort more.”
Xie Xun frowned, unsure whether to laugh or be angry.
"Can we be friends?"
He Changyi smiled and asked in return, "Why not?"
Xie Xun finally smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth.
He Changyi thought to himself, having an experienced middleman as a guide along the way could help us avoid many pitfalls; only a fool would push us out.
However, she didn't declare a single penny of foreign currency when she entered Russia. How will she bring the income from selling clothes back to her country in the future?
Carrying a sack full of rubles?
Only a complete idiot in customs would let her in...
She needs to think about this carefully; it's a big problem.
The train started again, heading west along the tracks and speeding across the Siberian plain.
The world was covered in ice and snow, and the endless white outside the window was so intense that it stung my eyes if I looked at it for too long.
The windows were covered with a layer of ice, and thick ice had formed at the joints between the carriages. The cold wind was penetrating everywhere, and even the most fastidious person had to shiver under a dirty blanket.
He Changyi was so cold that his teeth were chattering, and he covered himself with all the leather jackets.
Xie Xun was quick and efficient, taking on the important task of fetching hot water, and every day he would compete with others for the boiling water that had just been boiled in the train car boiler.
When he handed the canned food filled with hot water to He Changyi, Xie Shirong would always mutter a few words.
Fortunately, when the train arrived at Irkutsk, the first major station in Oros, the carriage finally became lively.
Before the train had even come to a complete stop, the scalpers had already set up their stalls, strung a rope across the window and hanging their goods on it, like setting up a night market stall.
Some people even draped several leather jackets and down jackets over their arms, eagerly waiting for the train conductor to open the doors.
The buyers outside the train couldn't wait any longer. Before the train even came to a complete stop at the station, they started running after it, waving the rubles they were clutching in their hands.
The Xie family uncle and nephew had already secured advantageous positions by the car window. Xie Shirong rolled down the window, grabbed his clothes, and waved them vigorously outside.
Xie Xun rushed off the vehicle first and directly approached the Russians to sell his goods.
When the train came to a complete stop, the Oroqen people outside swarmed around it. Some even jumped off the platform, disregarding the danger, to reach for the clothes being waved in the hands of the scalpers.
He Changyi got out of the car with eight leather jackets, wearing three on his body and hanging five on his arm.
As soon as she got out of the car, before she could even stand up straight, countless hands reached out to her.
"Kuletka! Kuletka!"
Kuletka means leather jacket in the Ero language. Before boarding the train, He Changyi bought an Ero language textbook and, under Xie Xun's guidance, crammed for a few days, learning only the most practical phrases, enough to sell clothes to the Ero people.
He Changyi held out one hand, indicating that he wanted five thousand rubles.
The Rus' people showed no intention of bargaining, simply stuffing handfuls of rubles into He Changyi's hands, as if they were throwing away waste paper rather than buying something.
With cash on delivery, the five leather jackets hanging on He Changyi's arm were sold out in the blink of an eye, so fast that there was no time to react.
It took less than three minutes for him to go from having no money in his pocket to receiving 25,000 rubles.
At the current exchange rate, 1 RMB is equivalent to 20 rubles. In other words, in this short period of time, He Changyi's personal assets went from zero to 1,250 RMB.
And these are just five leather jackets!
She also has fifteen leather jackets and twelve Adidas outfits!
All things considered, she should be able to earn at least 5,000 yuan from this trip!
And this was only her first time testing the waters in Oros.
When this string of numbers went through He Changyi's mind, her eyes lit up.
Being a speculator is definitely profitable!
He Changyi warmly greeted the Russian buyers, even selling his leather jacket. With 40,000 rubles in his pocket, he hurriedly returned to the train carriage to restock.
The train was filled with an excited atmosphere; everyone was busy doing business, and even the Oros train conductor occupied a window to sell goods.
With one foot on the small table in the aisle and the other on the bunk, Xie Shirong pulled a down jacket out of his bag, his face flushed with excitement, and excitedly tried to sell it to the Russian customers outside the window.
"This Harasho, Harasho!"
He Changyi hurriedly pulled out a leather jacket, thought for a moment, and then grabbed a few more sets of "Adidas" shoes.
The fake Adidas jacket, priced at 1,400 rubles, was more popular than the leather jacket. Russian buyers rushed to buy it, throwing money at He Changyi, afraid that if they were too slow, someone else would buy it.
He Changyi was so busy that he wished he had three heads and six arms.
Just as she was counting the money, someone suddenly reached out from behind and pulled at the clothes hanging on her arm.
He Changyi reacted extremely quickly, swiftly grabbing the clothes and pulling hard—
An ordinary-looking Oroqen was pulled so hard he stumbled. He glanced at her, then, unconcerned, snorted and loosened his grip on her clothes.
He Changyi didn't bother to settle accounts with him because she noticed something was off about the money in her hand; it felt different from the rubles she had received before.
She pulled out the coin and threw it to its owner, the Oroqen, who was about to reach for the clothes.
He didn't seem very surprised when the money was returned. He muttered something and then took another bill out of his pocket.
This time the money is real cash.
He Changyi was busy trying to avoid being robbed of his clothes while also checking the banknotes.
Before the clothes were all sold out, the station was already blaring loudspeakers urging people to board the train.
He Changyi hurriedly returned to the train. As soon as she got near the compartment, she saw a long hook sticking out of the window on one side of the berth, hooking her leather jacket that she had placed on the upper berth.
Thief!
A note from the author:
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