"That's true," Li Qiang nodded, but the uneasiness on his face didn't fade at all. After a moment's hesitation, he said cautiously, "But brother, aren't we taking too big a risk this time? Hundreds of thousands of cigarettes is a lot of money. If we get caught by those 'gray skins' (Soviet police), we'll have to serve at least ten years of hard labor in Siberia."
"Oh," Zhao Xiaohai walked to the sofa in the room and sat down, lazily lighting a cigarette for himself, and then asked nonchalantly, "Why, Qiangzi, do you have any other ideas?"
"I just think we don't need to take this risk right now," Li Qiang said, frowning as he walked over to Zhao Xiaohai and sat down. "Brother, think about it. We've earned enough in the past few years. The money we've saved now is enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. So, why should we take this risk?"
"Haha, Qiangzi," Zhao Xiaohai said, shaking his head as he blew out a light smoke ring. "You're still too young. Your understanding of the world is still stuck in the days when we couldn't even get enough to eat. That's why you value everything we have now so highly."
Zhao Xiaohai stood up from his seat and sat down next to Li Qiang. He patted his shoulder and continued, "Indeed, compared with a few years ago, what we have now is something we would never have dared to dream of. But this society is constantly developing, and money is also depreciating invisibly. Think about it, two years ago, I worked day and night, with a salary of 37 yuan a month. Although I was not rich, I could still have enough to eat and drink. But what about now? What can you do with more than 30 yuan now? The same reasoning applies. Now we have a fortune of millions, but in a few years, With the continuous development of this society and the continuous improvement of the domestic economy, how long can our family assets worth millions last? As an older brother, I am tired of poverty. I no longer want to live the life I used to live, worrying about a few dollars all day long. Of course, I don’t want my brothers to suffer with me. You are not young anymore. I am thinking that in a few years, you will get married and start a family. As the eldest brother, I will do everything I can to give you a grand wedding and prepare a family that will ensure you a lifetime of food and clothing. How do we get these things? They all cost money. Think about it, can we not work hard for a few more years?"
"Brother, I understand everything you're saying," Li Qiang said, his heart filled with gratitude towards his elder brother. "But I feel, I feel we don't need to take the risks we're taking now. It would be much better if we just kept selling domestically, wouldn't we still be able to make money? I think if we stick to our old ways for another four or five years, we could multiply our money several times over..."
"A few more years? Hey, you silly boy," Zhao Xiaohai said, scratching his brother's head and pointing to the large French window on the right. "How many more years do you think a business as good as ours can last? You saw it when you entered the hotel just now. What's that crowded place across from the hotel for?"
"Oh, it should be a bank, right?" Li Qiang subconsciously glanced towards the window. From his position, he could see the neon sign on the roof of the building opposite. Unfortunately, the Russian text on the sign only read "Bank". "What does it have to do with how long our business can last?"
"Hey, it's more than just a connection, it's a huge connection," Zhao Xiaohai said thoughtfully, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Let me tell you, that bank across the street is the French Société Générale. Do you know what its presence here means?"
"What does it mean?" Li Qiang asked in confusion.
"This means the Soviets have begun implementing comprehensive reforms," Zhao Xiaohai said. "This reform is just like our reform and opening up in China, except that their steps are even bigger than ours."
"Brother, what you mean is..." Although Li Qiang didn't have much knowledge, he was very smart. His brother's simple hint made him understand the key.
"That's right," Zhao Xiaohai said with a smile. "The fundamental reason why our business is easy to do and profitable is that the Russians have always implemented a semi-closed-door policy. They focus on the development of heavy industry, but ignore investment in consumer goods. Not only that, they also restrict imports in this area. In this situation, their people have money but can't buy the things they urgently need, which creates a great opportunity for people like us to make money. But now, the Russians can't make ends meet. They plan to follow our example and implement reform and opening up. Once this policy is truly implemented, a large number of foreign consumer goods will flood in very quickly, shattering our long-held rice bowl. Qiangzi, think about it, by then, how can we still make money from the Russians?"
"I understand what you mean, brother. You want to take advantage of these last few years to make a fortune from him." Li Qiang said sincerely.
"You're half right," Zhao Xiaohai smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "I want to make a lot of money from him during this period of time, but for us, these are not the last few years, but, hehe, a brand new starting point is about to arrive."
"A brand new starting point?!" Li Qiang was confused again. He said with a bitter face, "Brother, don't play dumb with me. You've got me completely confused. Just now you said the Russians would soon reform, and now, how come it's a new starting point? You're talking so confusingly that I really don't understand."
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