Chapter 113 Heavy transport aircraft must have: ducks everywhere, don't even think about flying.
That's why they say the bolder the person, the greater the harvest.
Businessmen will do anything for profit.
After Wang Xiao's enthusiastic and persistent persuasion, Ivanov on the other end of the phone was immediately tempted.
He held the telephone and made one call after another, and actually found a suitable business partner.
Who is it?
Flight 224.
Why was it selected?
Because it has a lot of aircraft, and they are all large cargo planes, a bunch of Il-76s and An-124s.
Because its job is singular: either transporting heavy equipment, such as cars, for senior government officials when they travel; or transporting goods, such as weapons and equipment, for government clients.
Because it is the leader, it has a group of subordinates. It can use all the transport aircraft of the Russian military transport aviation force as a reserve force.
With both the hardware and software in place, this is it.
When it comes to making money, Ivanov completely abandons his usual gentlemanly demeanor.
Regardless of time difference or sunrise and sunset, every time he received a message, he would call Wang Xiao directly to discuss and adjust their attack plan together.
Chen Yanqiu watched as her daughter answered the phone during dinner, continued answering the phone after dinner, and even late at night, as she passed by her daughter's room and listened through the door, she could still hear her daughter on the phone.
Oh dear, what a mother's heart aches! Why am I so conflicted when I have such a blessed child?
Parents are always afraid that their children won't work hard or make any progress, and will just waste their days.
As parents, they rarely see their daughter. Even when she finally comes back to China and they manage to meet her, she's on the phone late at night discussing work.
How can anyone endure going through night after night like this?
Oh my, with such a huge family fortune, she doesn't even dare to imagine how much wealth her daughter has.
She's definitely not just the kind of millionaires you see on TV. Even the richest people currently making headlines in the newspapers might not be as wealthy as Xiaoxiao.
He only acquired a few planes, and those planes weren't even his. Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, owns dozens of planes in such a large commercial city.
Wang Tiejun also pricked up his ears and whispered to his wife, "Why don't we let Xiaoxiao rest for a bit?"
Chen Yanqiu's tiger mom instincts kicked in again, and she said decisively, "Don't bother her."
What's wrong with young people working hard? When she was young, she attended continuing education classes, juggling work, breastfeeding her daughter, and classes, and she still managed to get through it all.
Dr. Chen's logic was simple and blunt: if she could handle it, why couldn't her daughter?
So what if she's richer than the richest man in China? The world is so big, she's been to several foreign countries, there are plenty of rich people there, why can't Xiaoxiao be richer than them?
Wang Tiejun was dumbfounded; his wife really had some wild ideas.
However, he never imagined he would actually become the deputy director of the steel plant at this time last year. The year before last, he never even thought he could become a cadre.
It's clear that there's nothing in this world you can't think about, since thinking about it isn't illegal.
The elderly couple quietly slipped away, comforting themselves that since they would be on a plane for several hours tomorrow, they could let Xiaoxiao sleep on the plane.
Wang Xiao had been on the phone from dusk till dawn. When she was stretching in the morning, Wu Haoyu called. Hearing her yawn, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Still not awake? Sleep a little longer on the plane."
Wang Xiao chuckled inwardly. She hadn't slept all night. But catching up on sleep on the road was an option.
So she simply agreed, saying, "Yes, I'll sleep as soon as I get on the plane after I've had breakfast."
However, after she finished the red date and millet porridge that her mother had specially prepared for her, she was not put on an airplane, but in a car.
She had to rush to Jiangzhimen and then fly directly to Moscow.
After discussing it with Ivanov, she decided that it was better to cooperate with Flight 224 and rent their cargo transport services sooner rather than later.
On the one hand, the demand for charter flights for foreign trade is becoming increasingly strong, and all the well-known Russian civil aviation companies are in contact with aviation agencies, and most of them have already officially started cooperation.
On the other hand, they need the military's power to pressure the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, so that the other side won't keep an eye on them.
In Ivanov's words, those scoundrels just wanted to treat them like pushovers so they could be easily manipulated.
If we really investigate the arms theft and sale, their own internal affairs department isn't clean either. Why don't they investigate how many guns and ammunition they've lost in the past year or so?
So, Wuzhou Company has no reason to feel guilty; they've already been very principled.
Now that the plan was finalized, Wang Xiao explained his arrangements at the breakfast table: "Mom, why don't you and Dad take Jingjing to Bucharest? Ruan Xiaomei will pick you up at the airport. I have to go to Moscow today."
Chen Yanqiu was taken aback for a moment before hurriedly replying, "It's alright, it's alright, you go about your business, Xiao Cao and the others are here."
Xiao Cao and the others refer to the guards that the steel factory arranged for the elderly couple.
Don't be surprised. Just like high-ranking military and government officials have bodyguards, leaders of large state-owned factories of a certain size also have guards here.
However, Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu had more guards than the factory director.
The factory explained that Wang Tiejun frequently travels abroad for business, and his safety must be guaranteed.
In fact, all the extra manpower was arranged by Wang Xiao, but he just used the factory's name as a middleman.
In today's mainstream society, no one shies away from the idea that everything is about money. If she doesn't arrange more security for her parents, what if they get kidnapped and killed before she can even pay the ransom?
Let's find a few more people; at least it'll give us peace of mind.
Although Chen Jingjing was disappointed that she couldn't go with her cousin, the child's curiosity about Europe far outweighed that regret. She quickly started chattering and asking her aunt, "What is Europe like?"
"Quite clean and pretty, smiles a lot, talks little."
Chen Yanqiu led a group to Budapest in June, and Mr. Fang and Sister Fang helped with the reception. Oh my, lying on a beach chair sunbathing, it felt pretty good!
Anyway, if you have money in your pocket, you can have a great time wherever you are.
What makes her most proud is that, according to Fang Jie, at least eight out of ten new swimsuits worn by people traveling to Budapest and even the whole of Hungary are produced by Yiyou Garment Factory.
Haha, it looks glamorous and beautiful.
Wang Xiao didn't see them off at the airport; she took a car to Jiangzhimen to catch her flight first.
As soon as she got on the bus, she put on her neck brace and leaned back in the seat to start sleeping without saying a word.
She even designed and had the neck brace made herself, and it's quite popular among middlemen and traders. After all, a flight can last at least seven or eight hours; what else can people do if they don't sleep to conserve their energy?
Unfortunately, Wang Xiao was unlucky; his car stopped halfway down the road.
They weren't robbed on the road. If there really was a robbery, the driver would have just driven right through it.
The car was stopped by road construction.
Unlike decades ago when road construction would be announced in advance and warnings would be set up far away, now information flow is poor. It's normal for drivers to encounter bad road conditions halfway through their journey and have to turn around.
Especially now, with everyone putting their full effort into economic development, the saying goes, "To get rich, build roads first." Provinces and cities that reacted quickly have already tried every means to obtain bank loans and ask higher authorities for funding to carry out large-scale road construction. Naturally, the number of impassable roads has also increased.
Fortunately, Xiao Gao, who was in charge of driving, had been a freight driver for a long time before becoming Wang Xiao's bodyguard, so he immediately turned around and changed routes.
Meanwhile, the other bodyguard, Xiao Zhao, wasn't idle either. Under the shocked gazes of Sergei and Nikolai, he immediately took out his wireless device and began to report: "The road from Yangzhuang and Beidinghe, east of Ningxiao Road, to Xiangyang Village, between Guangzhen and Xiangyang Village, is under construction. It is expected to be completed by next month. Please be aware of the need to take an alternate route..."
Nikolai stared at the radio equipment in disbelief. "No, buddy, what are you doing?"
Wang Xiao yawned and explained listlessly, "Real-time traffic updates."
Without navigation, drivers only learn about road changes, such as road repairs, when they encounter them.
They couldn't wait for map updates to get information, so they had to rely on word of mouth.
The trade city has its own transportation fleet and taxi company. With many vehicles on the road and covering many areas, it has a lot of information to collect and update internally, preventing people from wasting time by finding that the road is impassable halfway through their journey.
Now the transportation team has a whole crew doing this, and they've made a name for themselves. Even government agencies in Jiangdong and Jiangbei call them to inquire about real-time road conditions when they need help.
Nikolai seemed thoughtful, then asked Wang Xiao, "Is this the difference between a planned economy and a market economy?"
If this were a planned economy, the government should have set up a department with dedicated government funding to maintain its operation, rather than having businessmen collect relevant information for profit.
Wang Xiao was so sleepy that she had no energy to answer his questions. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Sergei and Nikolai both wondered if she had received some special training, otherwise how did she develop the ability to fall asleep and wake up at will?
Insomnia is a global problem, as we all know.
Little did they know that squeezing in sleep whenever possible is a fundamental skill that an online celebrity, who needs to balance her studies and career, has developed through the trials of life.
Unfortunately, although Xiao Gao changed his route in time, the delay on the way meant that Wang Xiao still missed the flight that arrived at Jiangzhimen and had to take the next flight two hours later.
Wang Xiao stopped worrying about it and decided to take the opportunity to check on the situation at the commercial city.
It was a bustling place with cars and people coming and going.
It's almost the hottest time of the day, and the construction site has to stop work at nine o'clock in the morning. But the market vendors are all wearing hats with small ceiling fans and dragging huge suitcases around in the blazing sun.
How much of an effect can that breeze have? Probably only a psychological effect.
Almost every reseller would gulp down a large cup of free mung bean soup, plum juice, and barley tea when passing by the stalls, to replenish their fluids and cool themselves down.
Taxis are becoming increasingly popular, and the number of taxis coming from the city center to the commercial city is far beyond Wang Xiao's imagination.
Nikola joked, "The Lada cars are going to be emptied out."
Seriously, all of these taxis are Lada cars; at first glance, you'd think you were on the streets of Moscow.
"8,000 vehicles. The taxi company currently has 8,000 cars in the provincial capital." Xiang Dong, after seeing off his client, noticed Wang Xiao and asked curiously, "Why haven't you left yet?"
"We're a step too late, let's wait for the next one." Wang Xiao pointed ahead curiously, "Tang Meiren, what's this?"
"It's for wholesale plus-size clothing," Xiang Dong explained. "It's used to clear out leftover stock."
The best-selling items on Yabao Road can only be sold for 20 days, and the situation here in their commercial city isn't much better.
Xiang Dong realized that, compared to the Chinese, the Russians paid more attention to their clothing and appearance.
Take Moscow for example. When he went out to see people during the New Year, he saw that everyone was dressed smartly. Even if they could only buy meat in small quantities, it didn't stop them from pursuing beauty.
Once this pursuit begins, won't the speed of fashion updates and replacements also increase?
The model of the trade city dictates that it is impossible for merchants to come and place orders and for factories to organize production on a temporary basis. Therefore, even the most responsive factories will have unsold surplus orders, and the same applies to the warehouses of the trade city.
What to do with these styles that have already lost their popularity?
He couldn't bear to sell it at a discount to Xiang Dong.
However, not being able to sell the goods and having unpaid inventory is a major taboo in the clothing and footwear sales industry.
Xiang Dong stared at the inventory for a long time, and in a moment of inspiration, he actually found a solution: to shift the sales targets.
They shifted their target sales demographic from Russians abroad to plus-size individuals in China.
Decades ago in China, praising someone for being fat was the highest form of compliment. Skinny people everywhere were considered thin and hairy, and were therefore unpopular.
But fortunes change every ten years, and now that I'm a bit heavier, selling clothes is going to be tough.
The trendy items all came from the south, where people are generally slim, so naturally, the sizes of the pretty clothes wouldn't be extra large.
Therefore, it's common for people who have gained weight to only be able to wear basic styles and not be able to find glamorous clothes.
When I went to the clothing self-service supermarket in Dachang, I heard a mother complaining that her daughter ate without restraint and couldn't even buy a nice piece of clothing; that's when my Ren and Du meridians were opened.
We could take out the surplus stock from export and sell it specifically to plus-size people.
Because of the lag in fashion trends, the clothes that the Russians, who prefer European styles, have left over are still fashionable items for ordinary people in inland China.
The claim that Yabao Road in Beijing controls the fashion code of the whole country is not entirely an exaggeration.
Xiang Dong first set up a section in the clothing self-service supermarket specifically for selling export overstock, to see the market reaction.
Seeing that the response was good, he simply opened Tang Meiren near the Zhimen gate, still doing wholesale business, targeting domestic merchants.
They routinely acquire watches, binoculars, and other items from international middlemen and resell them throughout the country. Now, they also sell clothes and shoes using the same methods, and business is quite good.
Wang Xiao laughed and gave Xiang Dong a thumbs up: "President Xiang, you're the smartest one."
Xiang Dong was a little embarrassed: "It's nothing."
He was too embarrassed to say it in front of his boss, but he was actually under tremendous psychological pressure.
He and Tang Yicheng started doing business around the same time as Wang Xiao, but Tang Yicheng had never done business before.
As it turned out, after that guy went to Suifenhe, he suddenly made rapid progress, just like in martial arts novels where someone's meridians are opened.
Tang Yicheng is now involved in both reselling cars and selling king crabs, and his business is booming, with daily revenue that is staggering.
If Tang Yicheng were content with his lot and continued to manage only the transport team and taxi company with a "small fortune is enough" mentality—
Okay, the daily sales figures won't be low either.
After all, regardless of other factors, a taxi driver has to pay 120 yuan a day in franchise fees.
Taxi companies don't have to do anything; they can just sit back and collect fees. With 16,000 taxis, they can make nearly two million a day.
but--
Anyone can do this job.
What's the point of setting up rules and regulations, sitting behind a desk, and just collecting money?
Anyway, Xiang Dong didn't like it; he felt that such a life had no value.
The only life he wanted was to go out and make his own way in the world like Tang Yicheng.
Sigh, compared to others, this Boss Xiang really doesn't have much to offer. He just manages the commercial city step by step every day, and he's made more than one mistake.
A strong sense of crisis forced him to find ways to break through.
Especially after hiring more than 30 college graduates into the company this year, he felt that he could be replaced at any time if he relaxed even slightly.
He really doesn't have the ambition to go out and work independently now, because he feels there's just too much for him to learn.
Wang Xiao never expected that he had unintentionally dampened the spirits of a business tycoon. He just laughed and said, "Going from 0 to 60 is easy, going from 60 to 90 is difficult, and going from 90 to 100 is extremely difficult. Keep it up, we'll see how you perform from here on out."
Xiang Dong took the opportunity to share his thoughts: "I think we should make full use of our advantages. I've observed that in the past few months, more and more manufacturers are advertising, and everyone wants to attract the public's attention. We have resources of foreign models, and I think we should make good use of them."
Wang Xiao became interested: "What's wrong with the method?"
Xiang Dong mustered his courage: "They can't just shoot ads for the commercial city, the shopping street, and the clothing self-service supermarket. They can shoot more ads, they can go out and walk the runway as models, and they can make money from all of that. We can develop this as a separate industry."
This idea had been vaguely present in his mind for a long time.
From the winter of 1990, when Wang Xiao first partnered with him to sell Russian coats and hired Moscow university students to model for the counter, he wondered if he could hire young Russian men and women to work for him in the future.
At the time, it felt like a fantasy, and Wang Xiao said they would have to wait for the right opportunity.
Now, he believes the time has come.
They have ample resources and can definitely make this business a legitimate one.
Wang Xiao stared at him intently and said seriously, "If you want to do this, you definitely won't be able to take care of the trade city."
Routine management is a very demanding and exhausting task, involving managing everything from the smallest to the largest tasks. Therefore, even though Xiang Dong had made mistakes at work, Wang Xiao never harbored any resentment towards him.
Because she knows firsthand how difficult this job is, and how much it can make you go bald.
Xiang Dong gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "I want to give it a try."
From the very beginning, Wang Xiao set up the framework for the commercial city; he just had to follow the steps. Basically, Wang Xiao made all the major decisions, leaving him little room to maneuver.
Now, the commercial city has a complete operating model, so whether he is there or not makes little difference.
Wang Xiao nodded: "See who can take over your work, and write me a recommendation. Also, for the handover, you should first figure out a plan. Don't rush it; a smooth transition is the most important thing. Hmm—"
After a moment's hesitation, she still left Xiang Dong a way out, "Going out now is like exploring new markets. If it doesn't go well, or if you want to return to the commercial city later, that's fine too."
They are veterans after all; we can't just kick them out all at once. That would have a bad influence and cause instability within the team.
She then comforted Xiang Dong, saying, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You've done a great job. Doing business is often a matter of luck."
Xiang Dong smiled wryly: "Boss, that's just modesty. Did you get lucky?"
Wang Xiao got stuck. Can she say that she just got lucky?
She knew about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the lack of light industry in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries, which is why she was able to plan ahead and achieve what she has today.
Without the crucial advantage of being a transmigrator, who knows how long it would take her to accumulate her first pot of gold.
Based on her life experience across two lifetimes, she believes that life is seven parts destiny and three parts hard work.
Choices are far more important than effort.
Just as Wang Xiao was racking her brains to find the right words, her pager went off. It was Tang Yicheng calling.
He has work to report to his boss.
In Beijing, where land is extremely valuable, the office space for Jiangdong's Beijing office is in very short supply, and there is currently not enough space available to serve as a warehouse.
“My idea was to rent a warehouse, but the Beijing Liaison Office wants us to buy a courtyard house to use as a warehouse.”
Tang Yicheng was afraid that his boss hadn't grasped the implication, so he quickly emphasized, "It seems they want to occupy a few rooms in the courtyard house so they can use them for offices."
Honestly, the more he deals with officials now, the more he finds them to be truly unseemly.
They act as if it would cost them their lives if they didn't take a piece of flesh from the merchants and the common people.
They rack their brains and use all sorts of indirect methods to gain an advantage.
Take the matter of courtyard houses for example. The money that the Beijing liaison office makes from seafood such as king crabs, plus the management fees for receiving goods, could buy ten courtyard houses.
But they just can't get enough of it and always have to ask for more.
Wang Xiao tapped the table lightly with his left hand and instructed Tang Yicheng: "Buy two courtyard houses, one for us to use as a warehouse, and one for them to use as offices."
Honestly, she wasn't as virtuous and upright as some people think.
If you're in business, unless you're a high-ranking official and people are constantly asking you for favors, you can't claim to be completely innocent and have never given gifts to officials.
Then I can only offer a chuckle in respect.
As I said before, being able to present a gift beautifully is a skill.
"We lent them that courtyard house because we were fellow villagers and couldn't bear to see the comrades from the Beijing Liaison Office working in such difficult conditions for the sake of the people of our province. We didn't charge rent, but they had to pay for their own water and electricity."
Tang Yicheng quickly chimed in, "That's right, otherwise they could have made us tens of thousands of yuan in phone bills every month."
He realized how expensive international calls were when he was managing affairs in Suifenhe, and his hands trembled every time he paid the phone bill.
This is just for serious business discussions; if it were those bastards, who knows how many personal calls they'd make.
Wang Xiao laughed and added, "We'll send our own people to the courtyard house where the warehouse is located; we don't want them to interfere."
She's okay with letting people take advantage of her, but she absolutely won't let anyone be taken advantage of.
Having watched many anti-corruption documentaries, she already knew that while the upper limit of officials' status was indeed higher than that of ordinary people, their lower limit was indeed much lower.
It seems that in the eyes of some of them, there are no laws or regulations in the world that can restrain them except their leaders.
There's nothing they can't do, only things you can't imagine.
For example, why did she insist on renting two courtyard houses? Wasn't it so that people and goods could be squeezed together?
Because she is now genuinely afraid that these officials, their wives and sons, will try to steal her goods.
For example, stealing and selling it, or secretly passing off inferior goods as superior ones.
Don't ever think they couldn't be that despicable.
Those who can profit from official corruption are none other than these kinds of people.
This is a fine tradition.
Tang Yicheng immediately agreed: "That's right, the leaders are too busy, we shouldn't bother them. We'll receive and ship the goods ourselves, so as not to trouble them."
Damn it, you think you're not getting enough to eat? Well, you're not getting a share of the management fees for this area.
Unfortunately, they simply don't have the resources to set up a dedicated team to distribute live seafood like king crabs; otherwise, they could make more money doing it themselves.
Wang Xiao retorted, "Let's not even think about that. Under the emperor's nose, you could kill a bunch of imperial relatives by throwing a brick. King crabs are so lucrative, do you really think we can monopolize them? Dream on."
The reason she sought cooperation with the Beijing Liaison Office in the first place was precisely because the other party had become practically a local and had connections in all aspects.
However, there are many people with connections in the world, and they are not the only ones with connections in Beijing alone.
The liaison office in Jiangdong can sell king crabs, so why can't the one in Jiangbei? Aren't we all liaison offices in Beijing?
Tang Yicheng was laughing so hard he almost died.
He spent a lot of time in Xiaozhou and had dealings with officials from Jiangbei.
He readily agreed: "No problem, I'll go find them."
That's hilarious! Fresh seafood like king crabs are selling like hotcakes in Beijing right now, and there's no worry about them not selling.
They'll find a competitor for the Jiangdong Liaison Office in Beijing; maybe then these officials will behave themselves.
Wang Xiao originally wanted to make a phone call to say hello to Deputy Secretary Cao, but after checking the time, she decisively left the office and went to the airport.
When she took the initiative to seek cooperation with the Jiangdong Liaison Office in Beijing, it was essentially a pretext to give money to the Jiangdong Provincial Government.
The fundamental purpose was to express gratitude to the provincial government leaders for their care and support for Wuzhou Company.
If it weren't for the provincial government leaders, represented by Deputy Secretary Cao, who had been working tirelessly to retain the flight route to Moscow for them...
Even if Wang Xiao later sought help from the Air Force to speak on their behalf, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
but--
Since the Jiangdong Liaison Office in Beijing is so pleased with itself, let it continue to be so.
She was never a very good-tempered person to begin with.
Wang Xiao rushed to the airport. While queuing for security, a familiar middleman complained to her, "Miss Wang, you should have loaded more cargo. The plane, the plane carries far too little cargo."
Wang Xiao explained with a smile, "They're all fully loaded. According to regulations, that's the maximum we can carry."
The scalper immediately shook his head, saying "No, no, no," and said seriously, "Miss Wang, our Russian planes are always overloaded."
The Pakistani trader next to him immediately contradicted him: "So you Soviets lost four generals and seventeen died from overloading during World War II."
The people around burst into laughter.
They were referring to the February 7th air disaster in 1981, one of the deadliest air disasters in human history.
People shouldn't be laughing at us, after all, it's a matter of life and death.
But the reason for this difficulty is that the high-ranking officials on this flight insisted on disregarding relevant regulations and using their privileges to forcibly bring in a large amount of goods they had purchased, including imported high-end modular furniture.
Therefore, their reckless actions are unlikely to evoke any sympathy from ordinary people who resent privilege.
The first Russian trader to speak could only shrug, spread his hands, and sigh, "Alright, alright, they brought it on themselves. But, Miss Wang, we need more planes."
He couldn't explain why, but the market was demanding more and more supplies.
He felt that Moscow had become a bottomless pit, and no matter how much stuff was brought in, it could never be filled.
Many people around nodded in agreement; it was indeed the case.
Wang Xiao estimated that there were probably two reasons for this.
First, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the CIS countries went their separate ways, and the drawbacks of the fragmented industrial chain became increasingly apparent, causing production that could be maintained during the Soviet era to come to a complete halt.
The resulting gap can only be filled by external supplies.
Secondly, in the CIS countries, represented by Russia, the creditworthiness of importers is declining, and barter trade is facing enormous difficulties.
Large quantities of goods are unable to enter the CIS markets through the channels of large state-owned enterprises.
However, market demand still exists, and it can only be supplemented by informal trade by middlemen.
Wang Xiao didn't say anything, only emphasizing: "We will try to get more planes. My trip to Moscow this time was to discuss cooperation."
The people around her perked up and kept encouraging her: "Then you should negotiate well and make sure to secure more planes."
Wang Xiao smiled and nodded, repeatedly assuring him, "Definitely, definitely, we'll have a good talk."
The long queue in front of him finally started moving, but Wang Xiao hadn't taken more than a few steps when someone came running up to him from the side.
A dark-skinned, thin man ran up to her, sweating profusely, and greeted her: "President Wang."
Wang Xiao turned to look at her. Oh, it's Xu Haiyan.
Last year, she took the initiative to say that she wanted to plant artemisia, and she did a very good job.
The artemisia argyi grown on the Zhimen side later yielded a bumper harvest and sold out completely.
Wang Xiao praised, "You did a great job."
Xu Haiyan asked anxiously, "President Wang, could I go to Russia to take charge of the vegetable planting?"
After the abundant harvest of reeds, she experienced a brief period of joy, followed by immense disappointment.
In the commercial city, she couldn't find her place; it seemed like everyone was better than her.
Even Zhao Yuru, who grew reeds with her, did a very good job after taking over the personnel work.
It seems like all she knows how to do is grow vegetables.
Especially after recruiting new college graduates this year, she sees even less of an advantage in herself.
She thought about it for a long time, and after hearing that her boss had contracted land in Russia to grow vegetables, she felt that this was an opportunity for her.
Managing a large farm sounds pretty good.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiao shook his head and refused her: "No, you're not suited to go to Siberia."
Xu Haiyan became anxious: "Boss, I'm not afraid of hardship."
“This isn’t about whether you can endure hardship or not,” Wang Xiao said in a low voice. “I have to consider your personal safety.”
Honestly, if Xu Haiyan were a boy, Wang Xiao wouldn't have to worry about this.
However, a girl alone in the desolate Siberia faces a significant risk to her safety.
That's right, the farmers who went there to farm were entire villages that relocated; it wasn't just the men who stayed.
But what does this prove?
Are the villages where wives are bought only men?
Wang Xiao didn't want to take that risk.
You can call her cold-hearted if you want, but she never assumes the worst about others.
Therefore, she would not send Xu Haiyan to Siberia.
As for the safer Moscow farm, sorry, she's late.
The farm already has a manager and is not short of manpower.
It's unfair to take away someone's perfectly good job just because her boss said one thing; that would be going too far.
Wang Xiao thought for a moment and gave her a suggestion: "How about Romania? I have a piece of land there to grow asparagus, and there's no one to manage it."
Chen Yidong and Qian Xuemei are both quite bad at foreign languages, so they definitely need someone fluent in English to go with them.
In addition, Xu Haiyan had experience in farming before, having managed asparagus cultivation in the past, which suited her well.
Wang Xiao painted a rosy picture for her: "Besides fresh asparagus, if the asparagus yield is high in the future, we will also make canned asparagus. I plan to turn it into an industry."
She genuinely felt it was a shame that so many greenhouses in Romania were unused; she even considered converting them into free markets for me.
However, because the greenhouses are mainly concentrated in suburban and rural areas with low foot traffic, which is not conducive to doing wholesale business, she gave up.
Xu Haiyan gritted her teeth and made up her mind: "I'll go."
She remembered that when her boss and General Manager Feng went to the school to recruit students last year, they told them that there would be opportunities to work in Europe in the future, and that they should be prepared.
At that time, she was full of hope, but now she feels a tragic sense of being forced into a corner.
Fortunately, she is still young, and fortunately, her boss is still willing to give her opportunities, so she dares to push forward with all her might.
The queue moved forward again.
Wang Xiao followed for a couple of steps, then instructed Xu Haiyan: "Then you should organize your work as soon as possible, and go to Bucharest after you have completely handed over the work. I will call General Manager Xiang again when I get to Moscow."
Ah, the spring breeze of reform has indeed swept across the land.
When summer came, everyone was restless and full of adventurous spirit.
Wang Xiao boarded the plane and slept soundly for days.
The bodyguards didn't dare to do what she did. They took turns sleeping for about three or four hours. When they opened their eyes, the plane had landed at the Moscow airport, and the sky was sunny.
Wang Xiao didn't know whether to thank the Earth's rotation or revolution, but in any case, he was grateful for the great time difference; it was still afternoon in Moscow.
This means they don't have to waste a whole night; they can go directly to someone to get things done.
This time, Ivanov wasn't holding an ice cream scoop, but a large bouquet of flowers, which made the bodyguards' eyes jump.
Wang Xiao looked at the flowers in his hand with a puzzled expression: "Where did they come from?"
She asked that question because she had never seen a flower shop in Moscow.
She didn't know why she didn't have it.
“Flowers on the balcony, flowers planted on the balcony,” Ivanov said with great interest. “That lady grows flowers on her balcony and then sells them on the street. Look how beautiful the flowers in Moscow are.”
He was naturally pleased, because he discovered that hardworking people were finding ways to make a living.
Urban residents use their rural courtyards as dacha (дача, meaning "gift" or "land"), similar to a courtyard, while farmers use their private plots to raise chickens and cattle, grow potatoes and vegetables, and work hard to support themselves.
Look, now everyone is growing flowers on their balconies; things will only get better in the future.
Wang Xiao complimented, "The flowers are beautiful."
Let's go, let's get to work, that's the important thing.
Don't forget, your vast farms are still money-guzzling machines that require a constant influx of investment.
Ivanov was in high spirits and got into the military jeep, whistling as he went.
Wang Xiao carefully observed the crowd on the street. It was terrible; there were more and more beggars, and they were mostly elderly people.
They sat under the eaves or at the exit of the underpass, asking pedestrians for help.
In addition, there were many more street performers, including adults and children.
Wang Xiao listened as they played the violin, the accordion, and some sang and danced at the same time.
When she saw the latter, she couldn't believe her eyes.
Because Russians are relatively reserved, playing the violin is fine, but singing and dancing doesn't quite suit their personality.
Ivanov followed her gaze and explained, "They are from the choir."
Sergei sighed subconsciously: "They've taken to the streets to perform too."
As a result, Ivanov, perhaps due to his Marxist tendencies, suddenly became serious and emphasized: "Why can't they perform in the streets? They are supposed to perform for the people."
The people on the bus looked at each other, and none of them wisely refuted his words.
In fact, the current ticket prices for Moscow theaters are perfectly affordable for ordinary people.
However, this amount of money is probably not enough for the theater's daily maintenance.
But how could the street possibly be the most suitable performance venue?
The car drove through the crowd and headed northwest.
About an hour later, the jeep stopped in front of a warehouse.
When they got out of the car, Wang Xiao and her two Chinese bodyguards immediately revealed their ignorance.
Good heavens! There are so many tanks, all piled up outside the warehouse.
Xiao Gao even asked, somewhat naively, "Is this some kind of tank-showing-off display?"
Does Moscow also have a rainy season? Are they worried that the tanks will get damp and rusty?
Ivanov's friend came over, and everyone was speechless at the question.
Unfortunately, Ivanov was in a trance-like state, his sharp tongue taking over, and he deliberately teased his friend: "My dear Major Suvinokin, please answer the questions of our international friends."
Major Suvinokin remained silent, clearly unwilling to answer such a pointless question.
But Ivanov had no intention of letting him go, and continued to spew venom: "Seriously, I really don't understand why you do such stupid things."
Everyone knows that Russia simply doesn't have enough warehouses to store weapons and equipment. Nor does Russia have the money to build warehouses.
Why did you go through all that trouble to drag so many weapons back?
Just for your own good appearance?
Major Suvinokin, having reached his limit, exclaimed, "These are weapons and equipment. If we don't bring them back, are we supposed to leave them for others to use against us?"
Ivanov sneered: "So what if we drag it back? Are we just going to leave it for the mafia to harm the Russian people?"
Suvinokin really wanted to punch someone.
If it weren't for the fact that Ivanov was genuinely farming, he would have punched him until he shut up.
For now, just bear with it.
After all, among the wealthy people he knew, apart from Ivanov, that brainless idiot, not a single one cared whether the people of the Russian Federation could survive this winter.
Oh no, they care a lot.
Verbal concern.
Concern expressed through slogans.
Holding a glass of red wine, enjoying a premium steak at a party, while sighing and groaning with a condescending, compassionate concern.
Nobody actually did anything, including himself.
Wise people are always more tolerant of fools.
So Major Suvinokin wisely turned around and greeted Wang Xiao directly: "Miss Wang, it's nice to meet you. You really are farming with him?"
Ivanov said unhappily, "Don't the vegetables you eat come from my farm? Who else but me would provide you with so many delicious and cheap vegetables?"
Agriculture in Moscow, or even throughout Russia, still bears strong traces of the era of collective farms.
How to describe it? Simply put, it was a bit like the production teams in China back then, with very few varieties of vegetables.
Because of the quotas to be submitted, everyone generally grows vegetables that are easy to store, easy to manage, and easy to weigh.
Chinese cabbage in winter, and eggplant and winter melon in summer were the top choices at the time.
In Russia, the usual vegetables are potatoes, cabbage, onions, beets, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers.
Spinach and lettuce, which are leafy green vegetables, are also available in the market, but they are relatively expensive, probably because they are difficult to store.
As a result, once the Chinese farmers arrived at the farms in Moscow, they planted vegetables at an astonishing speed, and by summer, the supply of vegetables in the Moscow market had suddenly become much more abundant.
Moreover, because of the large volume, the price has also decreased.
When reporters interviewed many citizens, they exclaimed: "We thought we would have to rely on pickled vegetables to get by in the future, but we didn't expect to be able to eat leafy green vegetables this year."
That's why Ivanov was so confident and arrogant.
Wang Xiao smiled and echoed him, "That's right, I agree with his opinion. Hardworking people should not go hungry, hardworking people should not be hungry or cold."
Ivanov proudly puffed out his chest.
See, comrades are always more reliable than compatriots.
It was a great and lofty ideal that brought them together to fight side by side.
Major Suvinokin was speechless for a moment. He simply skipped the topic and only asked about their purpose: "How many planes do you need?"
Wang Xiao's face was all smiles, but his tone was quite arrogant: "We need as much as you can provide."
Suvinokin and his men gasped in shock.
Wuzhou Company has quite the appetite.
Ivanov then emphasized from the side: "This is for the Russian people. The people need to eat, the people need to be clothed. Hey guys, look at the crowds marching in the streets. If people aren't fed and clothed, a violent revolution will break out."
Major Suvinokin pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, as long as you're not afraid of losing money."
The planes of the 224th Squadron are not so cheap to use.
The transportation cost of large cargo planes is inherently higher than that of small planes.
Yes, his boss has given preliminary approval to this crazy collaboration plan.
Due to military spending cuts, training funds for both the army, navy, and air force are now difficult to guarantee.
Their 224th Squadron went out to earn money, which allowed them to cover their own expenses and also help other transport aircraft units that were facing financial difficulties.
Besides, they were embarrassed to say it in front of others, that the air force didn't even have enough fuel to conduct flight training.
With commercial transport available, Flight 224 can also help these transport pilots ensure their minimum flight hours.
Yes, after Ivanov used his knowledge of the troops and his persuasive skills, Major Suvinodin agreed to report to his superiors.
Now all he needs to do is take his people to meet with his superiors, and everyone can sit down and discuss the details of the cooperation.
When Wang Xiao and Ivanov passed through the airport and saw the Il-76 and An-124 heavy transport planes, they couldn't help but swallow hard.
My goodness, these heavy transport aircraft equipped with freight ramps are simply stunning beauties in the eyes of international transport companies.
Do you know just how awesome the An-124 is?
It can transport subway trains.
I really want one!
Sigh, if I can't buy it, I'll just rent it for now. I'll use it anyway.
The two men tried hard to keep their composure, afraid that outsiders would see the greed in their eyes.
As a result, Major Suvinokin led them to knock on his superior's office door, but the superior did not see them, only letting Suvinokin in and leaving them outside.
Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance, and alarm bells instantly went off in their minds.
Their intuition told them that something was wrong.
The closer you get to the finish line, the bigger the problem will be.
As expected.
About fifteen minutes later, Suvinokin came out with a frown and gestured for them to go outside.
After going downstairs, he explained, "The flight team received a new mission and couldn't free up more planes."
Ivanov retorted irritably, "Are you going to war? You don't even have a single plane?"
“Chartered planes? Someone has already chartered a plane,” Suvinokin said helplessly. “Türkiye and South Korea are both chartering planes. They’re taking the high-level route, so they can catch up.”
Wang Xiao pressed further, "Are you sure it's Türkiye and South Korea? Could you please introduce us? We'd like to have a proper talk with your superiors."
What a joke! The 224th Flight Team has so many large transport planes; Wuzhou Company absolutely has to use them.
————————
The situation regarding taxi franchise fees in 1992 varied from city to city.
According to the information Ah Jin found, the monthly salary in Beijing was 5,000 yuan, and in Dalian it was 150 yuan per day. These were astronomical sums compared to the average national income at the time. However, being a taxi driver was a very lucrative profession back then. A driver could earn at least a year's salary in a month.
As for the claim that Wang Xiao couldn't find flower shops on the streets of Moscow in 1992, the reference is an online article titled "In Moscow's Vegetable Markets, 'Collective Farms' Became a Modern Microcosm of the Soviet Union." The article states that Gunara arrived in Dorogmilovsky in 1990. Before that, her identity was completely different—a graduate of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, a future engineer. "The Soviet Union collapsed, I couldn't find a job, but I still needed to eat, right?" In those years, university professors sweeping streets, washing dishes, selling vegetables, and even begging were commonplace. Gunara grew and sold flowers on her apartment balcony, managing to establish herself in Moscow at a time when even flower shops were scarce.
In other related materials, such as his observations of Moscow in 1992, Akin did not find any descriptions of flower shops. Let's assume that they may genuinely not exist, or that flower shops were extremely rare.
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