The officer sitting in front of the stage was obviously the protagonist Zhao Xiaohai was going to meet today. After entering the hall, the soldier leading the way walked over quickly, leaned over and said something in the officer's ear.
"Hello!" Waving his hand to signal the soldier to go out, the officer stood up, turned to face Zhao Xiaohai, and said loudly.
Although the neon lights were flashing in the hall, there was no music playing, so Zhao Xiaohai could hear what the other party said clearly - who else could this guy who spoke so arrogantly be but Vasily.
"Haha, my comrade Major, it's nice to meet you." Zhao Xiaohai, carrying his suitcase, walked quickly to Vasily and gave him a warm hug. Then he said, "You know, this is my first time in the Soviet Union. The transportation in Irkutsk is so inconvenient. It takes me some time to even find a taxi."
"Have a seat," Vasily said without further ado, pointing to the sofa across from him. "How about it, brother? You've come all the way from China this time. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Haha, Vasily, I just like your straightforward style," Zhao Xiaohai opened his suitcase, took out four packs of Marlboro, and placed them one by one on the coffee table in front of him. Then he smiled and said, "But we are friends now, so there is no need to discuss business matters right away. Come, take a look at the gift I brought you. Do you like it?"
"American stuff?" Vasily leaned over, picked up a cigarette, and looked at it. He said expressionlessly, "A gift for me? For free? No strings attached?"
"Of course," Zhao Xiaohai laughed. "Do old friends need to attach any conditions when exchanging gifts?"
"Well, if it's free, then I'll take it," Vasily's fleshy face finally broke into a smile. He grabbed all the Marlboros in front of him and said with a lingering fear, "You Chinese are too cunning, always mixing gifts with business. I don't want to suffer any loss in this regard, so let's just distinguish between gifts and business. It's better to make clear the differences before we discuss anything."
"My old friend, do you think I'm the kind of person who would set a trap for you?" Zhao Xiaohai took out a cigarette and lit it for himself, saying with a smile.
"Well, it's my first time meeting you, so it's always better to be cautious," Vasily said bluntly, though his bluntness might be too much for ordinary people to handle. "Well, now that we've finished our small talk and accepted the gift, let's talk about what we're interested in this time."
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. Let's talk business first." Zhao Xiaohai felt that the official opposite him was being a little too cautious. He smiled, put his suitcase on the coffee table, and then said, "All the business we want to discuss this time is inside. Take a look."
"Oh?" A hint of doubt flashed across Vasily's face. "They're all in here?"
"Yes, they are all in there." Zhao Xiaohai nodded and said affirmatively.
Vasily opened the suitcase and took a look inside. Wow, it was filled with good stuff. Besides four neatly arranged packs of Marlboro cigarettes, the rest was filled with bundles of cash. As an officer secretly involved in smuggling, Vasily had handled a lot of money, and his eyesight was quite accurate. A rough calculation showed that the suitcase contained nearly 200,000 rubles.
"Not bad, it seems you're brave enough to transport ten 'tugs' of cargo at once," Vasily smacked his lips, a smile playing on his face. The "tug" he was referring to was a unit of measure, equivalent to the cargo capacity of a Soviet KGB border guard truck. "Ten tugs" here meant that this batch of goods would require ten trucks to transport at once.
According to the rules of previous transactions, Vasily and his team only charged freight in the smuggling trade, that is, they charged money by "hauling", with one haul costing 20,000 rubles, which was a clearly marked price.
On the surface, this payment method seemed to benefit smugglers, but in reality, Vasily and his team made more money. In recent years, Sino-Soviet relations have improved, and military de-escalation has begun in the border region. Both Chinese and Soviet border guards have been much more relaxed in their patrol duties.
People like Vasily have long understood the hidden rules. They know when and where it's safest to move goods, and where they're least likely to be detected. In short, Vasily and his smuggling is essentially risk-free; they essentially collect a bribe from the smugglers and provide a little value-added service.
"Ten trailers of cargo? Hmm, that's easy," Vasily casually picked up a wad of bills from his suitcase, patted them on the table, and listened to the crisp rustling sound as he continued with satisfaction. "Ten trailers of cargo isn't a lot right now, and you're on a good schedule. Our convoy can go straight there. Okay, how about this? You set a time, and I'll arrange everything for you."
"What? You don't care what goods I'm transporting?" Zhao Xiaohai glanced at the four coquettish girls sitting next to the corrupt officer and said meaningfully.
"I don't care what kind of goods you're carrying. You should know our principles. Hehe, as long as you're not smuggling drugs and you pay enough, we'll..." Vasily smiled indifferently, speaking with contempt, while subconsciously glancing into the suitcase. However, he stopped talking before he finished, because he was surprised to find that in the suitcase, besides the banknotes, there were only four cartons of cigarettes. And according to what Zhao Xiaohai had just said... this...
"Oh...my God." Vasily's eyes were fixed on the four beautifully packaged cigarettes. All kinds of complex expressions in his eyes intertwined in an instant, including surprise, astonishment, fear, and of course, more surprises.
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