Chapter 324 Priorities Reversed (Bug Fix): You should be playing support.
On an August afternoon in Moscow, the sunlight, like melted butter, spread across the undulating corrugated iron roofs of the container market.
Rows of shipping containers were painted in vibrant colors such as blue, orange, and green, resembling a fairytale kingdom made of giant Lego bricks stacked together.
It is said that Muscovites like to visit the container market when they have nothing to do, not only to buy cheap goods, but also because they feel lonely and depressed and want to see bright colors and lively crowds.
It's so lively!
The alleyway was teeming with people, with shouts and bargaining in Russian, Chinese, and Armenian rising and falling. The aroma of steamed buns and pancakes, cheap perfume, and the scorching heat of shipping containers filled the air, creating a rich and intoxicating atmosphere that made one feel as tipsy as if they had been drinking.
It's the time of year when the seasons change, and all the shops are busy launching new products and shipping out boxes and boxes of goods.
Merchants from various CIS countries and even the Middle East and Europe travel between the two countries, some pulling carts and others sitting on the edge of three-wheeled vehicles, carrying large and small bags of purchases to catch their rides.
The second sister was promoting the bag to a customer from Estonia: "Look at this bag, the patterns on the outside aren't machine-embroidered, they're stitched on by a skilled embroiderer, stitch by stitch. If you want the craftsmanship of a master, that's not the price you'd find here. You'd have to go to the shopping district, where those bags are embroidered by masters who have been doing it for twenty or thirty years."
The customer found it troublesome, but was more likely looking for cheap goods. After muttering a few words in English, he decided to get the goods directly from his second sister's stall.
Second sister said excitedly, "OK! I guarantee I'll install it perfectly, and it won't deform at all."
She's proud.
Where did the embroidery on these bags from her stall come from?
An embroidery factory, which mainly traded with Japan, suddenly stopped receiving orders this year. The entire factory was at a loss, not knowing where to start.
It was a friend who asked another friend to find her and ask for help in finding a solution.
What could she do? The things the Japanese like were completely different from what the Russians liked.
She took advantage of the opportunity to have dinner together, found Wang Xiao, and that's how she got this embroidered bag.
Wow, I didn't expect the Russians to like it so much; they're shipping it out really fast.
Now every factory has the money to buy equipment, and they're preparing for computerized embroidery to increase production.
If Second Sister isn't proud, who is?
People used to say that those who traded goods were nouveau riche, and that dog meat was not fit for a banquet.
And now? Now she controls the lifeline of several factories all by herself, and tens of thousands of people depend on her for their livelihood.
She smiled and waved to the customers, preparing to welcome the next wave of guests.
But her enthusiastic smile froze on her face, her waving hand stopped in mid-air, and her eyes widened: "What are they doing here?"
Her nephew, who was helping her, turned his head and immediately began to tremble.
That night's trip to the concentration camp had already caused severe psychological trauma to this unfortunate child.
The most obvious sign is that he is afraid of the police and trembles when he sees them.
He could even avoid the paratroopers who frequently patrolled the container market.
Not to mention the huge mass of military and police personnel in front of them.
Oh my god! It's tax police!
Even before the second sister and the others sensed the danger, it was the stalls at the container door that were hit by a swarm of black cars, like black beetles, rushing towards them.
Shouts were already coming from outside, in all sorts of languages.
The second sister pushed her nephew back and emphasized to the police who came to the door, "We are shareholders, shareholders of the ZIL Truck Factory and the Stalin Automobile Factory. Mayor Luzhkov gave us special permission to do business in Moscow! We are building Moscow!"
The Russian and Armenian speakers nearby chimed in, "That's right, we're not illegally staying!"
Unfortunately, the tax police officer leading the team remained expressionless: "We don't care about outsiders; we're here to check taxes."
His gaze was like that of a cold gun barrel. "The Moscow market has no right to protect tax evaders."
At first, everyone panicked, but then someone realized what was happening and shouted, "We paid the taxes! All our goods were chartered flights with taxes included!"
The others chimed in, "Yes, yes, we paid the taxes. The boss has the tax payment receipts."
The tax police officer remained expressionless: "Then, please produce your tax payment receipts."
Wang Xiao was urgently called out from the hospital construction site in this way.
She didn't even notice when the tax police raided the container market.
The entire market has nearly 50,000 employees, including merchants and service personnel, plus a constant flow of customers, bringing the total foot traffic to over a million.
With so many people and vehicles, even if the tax police are aggressive, it's like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
If it weren't for their special status, they wouldn't have attracted any attention at all.
But with a tax police major general personally leading the team, how could it be a trivial matter?
Major General Punonin looked at Wang Xiao, who had been brought in, with the same poker face as his subordinates: "Madam, if you can't produce complete tax payment receipts, then we'll have to take all these goods away."
Wang Xiao looked at him and nodded.
The market manager quickly came over, handed over the tax payment certificate, and emphasized, "We are a compliant customs clearance company, and we went through customs through the proper channels."
Punoning didn't look at the supervisor or the tax payment receipt handed to him, but stared intently at Wang Xiao: "Is that so, ma'am? I'm not in a hurry right now. We can wait for the new goods to arrive from the airport and see if they also have this tax payment receipt."
He knew all too well the methods of gray customs clearance; it was a miracle if half of ten goods could be taxed. Normally, less than one in three could be.
Wang Xiao met his gaze and looked at him calmly: "Major General, I never try to guess what other men are thinking. Could you please tell me directly what you want to do?"
Punonin's gaze swept over her like a knife, then he stepped forward, leaving her with the words, "Get in the car, I have something to tell you."
Wang Xiao refused: "Sir, we should avoid suspicion. If word gets out that I was alone with you in the car, who knows what will happen? I don't care if I'm single, but if the rumors reach your wife and children, it will cause them great harm."
The afternoon sunlight cast shadows on the corridor, the interplay of light and shadow dividing two worlds.
Punoning stepped out of the shadows, his face grim. "Madam, I don't want anyone eavesdropping on what I'm about to tell you. Get in the car!"
He had already opened the car door.
Wang Xiao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
She had to admit that she didn't have the confidence to flip the table.
The value of the goods in the container market alone exceeds US$1 billion.
If Punoning turns its back and forcibly seizes these goods, the merchants will suffer heavy losses, and the container market will also be severely impacted.
Moreover, it is very likely that Mayor Luzhkov will not intervene.
He merely tacitly allowed the merchants to do business in the market and didn't expel them, but that didn't guarantee that the tax police wouldn't come looking for trouble.
Punonin was wielding legal provisions, which carried a high-sounding official stance, and he had also suffered losses in the previous Moscow technology transfer issue; why should Luzhkov stop him from venting his anger on the container market?
The car door closed, and Wang Xiao said expressionlessly, "Sir, please say what you want to say."
"Stop, make Ivanov stop, stop touching politics." Punonin didn't turn his head, only looked at Wang Xiao in the rearview mirror, almost gritting his teeth, "I know you can do it."
Wang Xiao felt a sense of absurdity, as a mistress being approached by a domineering CEO.
Because the domineering CEO couldn't handle the awakened innocent girl, he had no choice but to endure humiliation and beg the blond mistress for help.
What a deeply moving love!
But, brother, you've got your identity mixed up.
First, you are not Ivanov's parents.
Second, Ivanov is an adult with independent civil capacity. Even his parents cannot control his choices, let alone you.
Wang Xiao shook his head, taking the initiative: "Don't you think it's going too far, sir? I won't stop Ivan from doing anything he wants to do; I will only do my best to help him achieve his goals."
“That’s why I’m begging you!” Punonin repeated emphatically, “I’m begging you to stop him from getting involved in politics. It’s a den of dragons and tigers, and countless guns will be pointed at him.”
Wang Xiao wasn't afraid at all: "Aren't there enough guns pointed at him these days? We don't even dare to open the windows for fresh air when we're in the car. Do we not like breathing fresh air?"
It's just that they're afraid of being assassinated.
“What you were dealing with before was just child’s play!” Punonin’s forehead veins throbbed. “If he continues down this path, he’ll be touching other people’s interests. He’ll be facing far more serious trouble than this!”
He became agitated, his eyes blazing with fury. "I admit, you are indeed shrewd in business. But like other businessmen, you oversimplify politics. No true businessman can survive in politics! So, for Ivanov's sake, please stop him and don't let him do such dangerous things again."
Wang Xiao stood firm: "If he's in danger, are you just going to stand by and do nothing? Why does he want to realize his political ideals himself? Don't you know why, Mr. Punonin!"
She stared at the tax police major general's face in the rearview mirror. "When I first met you, Ivanov specifically reminded me to keep any complaints to myself. Before and after that, he never said anything like that to me for anyone. Don't look at me like that."
She emphasized, "I was already very restrained at that time. Because Ivanov told me that I was an upright patriot, and despite our different beliefs, he still respected me and considered me someone he had admired since childhood. Whose responsibility is it that things have come to this?"
The large clock outside the container market rang precisely on time, reminding everyone that it was now four o'clock in the afternoon.
At this time of year, customers shopping at the market usually speed up to make sure they can catch a bus home before dark.
At this moment, everyone was at a loss and could only wait anxiously for the tax police major general in the car to give them a definite answer.
Wang Xiao was also waiting for his reply.
Punonin tightened his jaw, not answering the question directly, but instead trying to persuade Wang Xiao: "Miss Wang, you are a smart person. You don't need Ivanov to be involved in politics to make money. Besides, you also said that Ivanov is humane and not suitable for politics."
"Whether it's suitable or not, you'll only know after you try it."
Wang Xiao emphasized earnestly, "You seem to have never treated Ivanov as a normal adult. All his decisions are his own thoughts, and as his closest partner, the only thing I can do and will do is to support him to the best of my ability."
She opened the car door and said her last words, "Just like he wholeheartedly supported me."
Before Punoning could respond, someone suddenly rushed out of the car.
A middle-aged man with a messy beard and hair waved his arms at Wang Xiao: "Hey! Madam, I know you're a good person, but you know nothing about MMM Company's stock. We're sure to make a lot of money. Please don't put up signs in the cafeteria telling people not to buy the stock."
He was one of the earliest merchants in the container market and made a lot of money.
However, as soon as MMM Company's advertisement came out, he transferred his large stall to someone else in order to get more money to buy stocks. As a result, the stocks collapsed at the end of last month, and he lost a lot of money and never woke up.
Punoning was already furious. Seeing his compatriot acting crazy and still clinging to some MMM stock, he immediately roared, "Don't you understand? They're all liars!"
The disheveled merchant cried out, "Sergei Mavrodi wouldn't lie to us. On the contrary, it's you, the government, and the president who have been lying to us all along. You're nothing compared to Sergei!"
You're wrong.
Wang Xiao spoke before Punonin could get angry, pointing to the image of Sergei Mavrodi printed on the MMM stock certificates in the merchant's hand.
“He can never be as good as the government unless he is elected president. Because the government can print more rubles, which he does not have.”
The merchants laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, we should elect Sergei as president. Sergei has a political platform, and we will all elect him as president."
He recited the classic advertising slogan for MMM stock: "Like a giant pool, always full of water."
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Punoning roared at Wang Xiao, "Are you crazy? Don't you think they're miserable enough? Do you want them to keep going crazy? This is just a simple Ponzi scheme. It's been reported in the newspapers and news countless times. It's just a Ponzi scheme!"
"Is it the only Ponzi scheme? Isn't US Treasury bonds a Ponzi scheme too?"
Wang Xiao countered, "The essence of a pyramid scheme is universal participation. From this perspective, what's the difference between MMM company stock and US bonds?"
The disheveled merchant was even happier: "Yes, yes, it's the same."
He didn't actually understand what US debt was, but Muscovites nowadays envy everything about the United States, and US bonds must be the best.
Before the tax police major general could get angry, Wang Xiao shook his head again: "There is a difference. Although everyone is actually in debt, Americans can print money continuously to pay off their debts, but MMM Company cannot."
Without hesitation, the merchant replied, "When Sergei becomes president, he can print rubles and send them to us."
Wang Xiao didn't laugh at his naivety, because people who came from a planned economy often didn't receive much financial education.
In the early 1980s, when a vice premier visited a watch factory in Shanghai, he heard that a watch cost several hundred yuan. He suggested that the factory produce more watches so that everyone in the country could wear one, thus giving everyone several hundred yuan in assets.
Their ideas were so simple and unpretentious.
Let alone businesses, not many officials in the Russian federal government understand economics, otherwise they wouldn't have made such a mess of economic reforms.
Wang Xiao shook his head again: "No way. The whole world is buying American bonds, which means the whole world is taking over American debt. But if it's ruble-denominated bonds, who would buy them besides the Russians themselves? The essence of finance is trust, and you yourself said you don't trust the government."
The shopkeeper was confused by her words and stood there dumbfounded on the roadside.
Since the MMM stock crashed at the end of July, his mind hasn't been working very well.
But even Punoning, who considered himself to be clear-headed, felt as if he had been hit on the head with a stick, and his mind went blank.
He instinctively pressed further, "What do you mean by the Ponzi scheme you mentioned, where the whole world pays off America's debts?"
This was the first time he had heard of anyone confusing U.S. bonds with a Ponzi scheme.
"It means exactly what you hear, the literal meaning."
Wang Xiao looked back at him and said, "The United States has moved from secondary to tertiary industries, and its main economy is the service sector, which includes Wall Street investment banks. The characteristic of the tertiary sector is that it can only absorb a limited number of employees. This has led to a large number of Americans relying on social welfare to make a living."
The sun was slowly moving, and Wang Xiao moved to a different spot to avoid the intense ultraviolet radiation. "So where will these fiscal expenditures come from? What if there isn't enough money? The United States issues national debt, issuing it to the world. That way, those who buy US debt assume the debt for the US government."
Pronin suspected that the Moscow sun in August was too intense, making him dizzy: "What nonsense are you talking about? Why should everyone pay off other people's debts?"
"Because now it's a unipolar hegemony, the United States is the only king."
Wang Xiao stared at him, saying each word clearly, "The Soviet Union is gone, and no force can check the United States. Besides the US government, who else can people trust? I've said it before, the essence of finance is trust. Whose debt you take on means whom you trust."
She pointed to the merchant who was still in a daze, "Just like he believes in MMM Company."
Upon hearing the familiar letters MMM, the merchant seemed to wake from a dream, shuddered, and muttered, "MMM stock will definitely rebound."
He walked away unsteadily.
The muscles on Punoning's cheeks seemed to be twitching, perhaps because he was angered by Wang Xiao's analogy.
But this person wouldn't let him off the hook, rubbing salt into his wounds: "You don't even understand the most basic principles of political economy. How can you expect Ivanov to believe in your political propositions and your financial reform plans?"
She shook her head, then added insult to injury, "Are you really sure your initial idea was correct? Should you and Ivanov be in a leadership role, with Yura and Ivanov playing supporting roles? I think it should be the other way around, with you and Yura helping Ivanov."
The tax police arrived in a large group, but after a brief inspection, they left as if nothing had happened.
The market seemed to be released from control, and people who dared not breathe loudly clutched their chests and gasped for air.
The second sister gasped dramatically, "Oh my god, how come he's being so easy to talk to?"
Tax police are notorious for their ruthless and intimidating nature; even the regular police dare not provoke them.
They just left like that?
Wang Xiao said meaningfully, "Otherwise, why would we agree to let Moscow's state-owned enterprises set up stalls here? Don't we want to make money? It's just that we have no other choice. I told the tax police, if you seal up the goods and arrest the people now, the market will be ruined. What will happen to the Moscow companies that set up stalls here? Look, when autumn comes, will they all starve?"
Everyone then realized what was going on.
Wow, the mayor of Moscow is really something.
The decision to have Russian state-owned enterprises set up stalls was made by Mayor Luzhkov.
If the tax police sabotage this matter, wouldn't they be going against the mayor?
Wow, the mayor is really something.
My second sister joked with the Russian man next to her, "If your mayor were running for president, you should vote for him."
The profiteers and speculators who were initially unwelcoming to these state-owned enterprise bosses have now changed their minds.
Alright, alright, let's just treat them as lucky charms and talismans, and move them to a better spot.
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao, who were listening nearby, were genuinely impressed.
Although the boss and Punoning said something in the car, they genuinely didn't hear it.
But after the boss opened the car door, he didn't mention a single word about Moscow's state-owned enterprises; he only talked about US Treasury bonds and MMM stocks.
As a result, the boss managed to take this opportunity to persuade the merchants to accept the fact that a Moscow state-owned enterprise had moved in, even if they had to grit their teeth.
As expected of the boss.
That evening, after playing tennis and attending a business banquet, Ivanov returned home and learned that Punonin had led a team to the container market that afternoon.
He took a sip of cold water, his brows furrowed deeply: "Will this guy ever stop? I already made myself clear enough to him last time, does he really have to turn on me completely? Does he have no dignity left?"
“No.” Wang Xiao shook his head. “Not only should you not fall out with him, but on the contrary, you, him, and Yura are brothers, friends who grew up together. All your disagreements have nothing to do with personal feelings; they are only from a business perspective.”
Ivanov, holding the cup, raised an eyebrow: "Why would you say that?"
"Because I heard a saying today that if Luzhkov were to run for president, the merchants would all vote for him."
Wang Xiao emphasized, "He has a good reputation among Moscow residents and is a rare, pragmatic official. This stands in stark contrast to the federal government, where policies are rarely implemented. Guess what the president would think if rumors circulated that he would run for president at this time?"
The glass in Ivanov's hand refracted colorful light under the lamp, and he looked at it thoughtfully.
As a typical second-generation rich kid, although he has not yet officially entered the political arena, his political acumen is not bad.
At the very least, he understood the principle that one's achievements can overshadow one's master.
Everyone says that Moscow is Luzhkov's private domain, and his way of doing things proves it.
If these words reached the president's ears, wouldn't he have some thoughts about them?
Modern Moscow is a fragmented country, with various republics busy fighting for independence and no one paying attention to the federal government.
Even the capital has become the territory of local warlords. Would the president be happy?
Unfortunately, this warlord was extremely capable and had already carried out several major actions with great speed, drawing everyone's attention.
Moreover, he discovered a rare pragmatic entrepreneur who saved a large state-owned enterprise, and another saw a glimmer of hope.
With his reputation and economic means, he is a qualified presidential candidate for Russia today.
Ivanov finished the rest of the water in his glass and nodded. "I'll have dinner with Vlamikil and Yura tomorrow."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Okay."
She didn't want Ivanov to be hunted down.
No matter how many private bodyguards you have, they can't compare to the power of a tax police major general who can mobilize the Ministry of the Interior's troops.
Let Punoning be a qualified security guard.
Ivanov put down his cup, pretended to be curious, and asked her, "If Luzhkov were to run for president, do you think he could win? Could he do a good job?"
Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him: "You know the answer yourself, why are you asking me?"
Ivanov laughed, as if talking to himself: "I don't know if he'll be elected or not, but if he becomes president, he certainly won't be able to manage the country the way he governs Moscow."
After all, Moscow relied on sucking Russia's blood to achieve its Soviet Union restoration.
Who would be willing to provide Russia with this blood transfusion?
It's not the United States.
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[I've already written this chapter] I still haven't figured out the outline, so I'll just write this one first. There definitely won't be a next chapter by 8 AM tomorrow. Because I haven't written it yet.
Yes, the relationship between Luzhkov and Yeltsin has been on and off throughout history, with each person having their own stance.
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