Chapter 88 Go to Romania (Bug Fix): Go away and avoid the limelight.
This isn't about whether Qiangqiang is obedient or not.
To be precise, from the moment the police identified Qiangqiang as their target for blackmail, he had already become the prey.
If he obediently pays money to buy peace of mind, then he will become a ready-made blood bag, and will have to be continuously drained of his blood.
Forget about resisting; if you're even a little slow in taking out your money, you might get a beating.
Power can distort and alienate people, causing them to stop seeing those to whom power can be exercised as human beings.
They feel that the dignity of the law they represent has been seriously challenged once the lambs in their eyes dare to resist.
They will be furious, and then retaliate a thousandfold, to make an example of them and deter all those they see as controllable from daring to resist.
Therefore, no matter what Qiangqiang does, he will not have a good ending.
His biggest mistake was that he was being targeted.
Like a victim of rape, being targeted by criminals.
Qiangqiang panicked. He didn't know what to do. He was just an ordinary small vendor.
His only wish now is for this matter to pass quickly so he can return to his normal life.
What kind of dream are you having?!
Tang Yicheng was completely overwhelmed. He had come with Wang Xiao today hoping to broaden his horizons, and now he had truly seen it all.
“It’s just like someone hitting you.” He explained the situation to the person in detail, “When they hit you, they don’t treat you like a human being. Do you still expect to get along with them peacefully? Fight back, beat them down, and only then will they look at you with respect.”
"Yes, yes, yes," everyone around agreed. "Have you forgotten how we fought the Caucasians?"
The Orient Railway Station in Moscow was originally a freight market monopolized by Caucasians.
Those bastards discriminate based on who they're dealing with. They charge four times the shipping fee just because someone is Chinese, and they won't let you refuse their help if you don't want them to transport your goods.
Finally, the Chinese black marketeers, having reached their limit, collectively took action and crushed him.
Those bastards finally quieted down.
If they don't take action, they won't know that Lord Ma has three eyes.
"How are we supposed to fight like this?" Qiangqiang was completely dumbfounded. "Those are police officers, cops!"
Fighting with Caucasians is a matter for the martial arts world to handle.
Since the government is involved, does that mean he can just go and put a sack on someone's head?
Isn't this utter nonsense?
“It’s different.” An older smuggler acted as an advisor, “The Russians have embraced capitalism, just like in Hong Kong. People can also file lawsuits against them.”
He emphasized solemnly, "Do you think this is in China? You need to have an international mindset."
Qiangqiang blinked repeatedly, still at a loss.
No one had the patience to explain to him slowly; they simply handed him over to lawyer Vinnitskaya.
What's the point? Just file a lawsuit.
Now they can even accuse you of drug possession; who knows what they'll do in the future?
Sue the police, sue the police station for defamation and framing.
Attorney Vinnitskaya is very proactive in this matter.
Besides feeling sympathy for Qiangqiang and anger at law enforcement officers' arbitrary trampling of the dignity of the law, her professional instincts also told her: this is a fantastic opportunity.
If she wins this case, she will undoubtedly rise to fame.
As an ordinary citizen, I sued the police station.
This was something that would have been unthinkable in the Soviet era.
Although they had already had enough of government corruption at the time.
Qiangqiang hesitated for a good ten minutes, but in the end, the youthful spirit and his defiance overcame his fear of the police station. He officially signed the documents, entrusting lawyer Vinnitskaya to help him sue the Moscow police station.
As for the reason—
When speaking to reporters, he explained that he absolutely could not tolerate being associated with drugs.
Because in China, drug trafficking is a very serious matter, punishable by execution.
This is different from the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation continues the anti-drug laws enacted by the Soviet legislature, and those who manufacture or sell drugs face a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Surprisingly, after Qiangqiang's interview was published, the most intense reaction from Moscow residents was: why doesn't the Russian Federation implement equally strict anti-drug laws?
Is it because if things are strictly controlled, the police will be unable to use drugs to frame innocent people?
Where do police officers get their heroin? Is it for their own personal enjoyment, or is it for sale and profiteering?
The government must provide a clear explanation and a reasonable account of this matter.
Listen to that, how shameful!
Why would this poor young man leave his fingerprints on that packet of heroin?
Because he never imagined that he would be framed by the police.
“This is Moscow, the great Moscow!” he emphasized excitedly to the reporter. “How could the Moscow police frame someone? There were two policemen, real policemen.”
Ivanov felt embarrassed to even look at the newspaper.
Good heavens, does anyone still trust the Moscow police? That's really strange.
As newspapers extensively reported on this unusual case, large crowds took to the streets of Moscow demanding action against corruption within the judiciary.
Tang Yicheng and Xiang Dong were both stunned. They realized they had underestimated Wang Xiao's influence in Moscow.
Good heavens, tens of thousands of people! Where did she get so many Russians to march in the streets?
Should we pay them? How much? There are so many of them.
Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "What am I supposed to organize? Where am I supposed to organize anything? You'll see when you've been here a while; there are protests every other day."
Why? Because people are dissatisfied with the status quo.
When prices were deregulated in early January, the Russian Federation leadership confidently predicted that prices would only triple at most.
As a result, it broke through the barrier just one week after it was opened up, and a seven- or eight-fold increase was common.
By February, the prices of major food items in state-run stores had increased by another 30 percent, not to mention places like vegetable markets where prices could be set freely.
If the people are dissatisfied, they certainly have to express their attitude.
The Russian Federation is already a democratic and free country, so it must listen to the voice of the people.
wrong.
Do they not go to work, since they hold these protests every few days?
That's right, you really don't need to go to work.
There are far too many businesses that have suspended operations in the Russian Federation right now.
On the one hand, there was a lack of money to buy raw materials (during the Soviet era, raw materials for production mainly relied on state allocation), and on the other hand, the products of factories in the Russian Federation lacked market competitiveness.
This sounds a bit unbelievable, considering that the Soviet Union was a superpower that rivaled the United States.
Unfortunately, this major power is a military power, not a civilian industrial power.
The former, driven by national strategic needs, brought together the smartest and most exploratory group of people in this red mega-country, constantly innovating in technology.
The latter case is the opposite.
During the era of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) and the Soviet Union, the participating countries formed a stable internal cycle.
Because everyone performs their own duties and production is basically carried out through allocation, each link in this production system is characterized by a high degree of monopoly and outdated production technology.
Simply put, if a factory's products have no trouble selling, the factory has no incentive to innovate technologically.
It can live quite well by maintaining the status quo.
However, it carries enormous risks if it wants to innovate technologically.
Moreover, even if technological innovation succeeds, it won't gain much benefit.
The products are still sold the same way, and the prices are fixed at the same amount.
What kind of crazy thing must the factory be to do something so thankless and exhausting?
But given the current global landscape, engaging in production is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind.
When the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) dissolved and the Soviet Union collapsed, the waves receded, and those left on the beach to swim naked were horrified to discover that they had no market economy power at all.
Looking at the international market, the only things that Russia has a fighting chance with are raw materials and fuel.
Most of these products are currently on Russia's list of restricted exports.
This has resulted in most factories in the Russian Federation being essentially shut down.
Moreover, even if they receive government funding, their first reaction will definitely not be to buy raw materials and expand production, but to quickly distribute the money to the workers so that, in today's soaring prices, the workers can turn the money into goods as soon as possible and improve their living conditions.
However, this resulted in a buyer's market outweighing a seller's market, which further drove up prices, causing people's lives to deteriorate.
Since the factory has stopped operating and everyone doesn't need to go to work, why not just take to the streets and express our dissatisfaction to the government?
As for why their slogan has changed from opposing rising prices to cracking down on judicial corruption?
Because these topics are being reported in the newspapers right now, everyone will definitely choose the hottest topics.
Moreover, with the economic downturn, the phenomenon of administrative and judicial organs converting their power into monetary benefits does exist, and it seems to be getting worse.
The public's demand to crack down on judicial corruption is also an expression of their dissatisfaction with the increasingly deteriorating public security environment.
Of course, the march also included speculators and local Moscow business owners.
The latter are staunch supporters of privatization in the Russian Federation, demanding that the government guarantee the safety of citizens' property and ensure its inviolability.
The procession grew longer and longer, and the participants were a diverse group, encompassing almost the entire social class.
In the end, even the head of the Moscow city government had to come forward and guarantee that the government would conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and give everyone a satisfactory answer.
Less than a day later, the municipal government's investigation report was hastily released.
The Moscow police department acknowledged serious errors in the officers' work and therefore suspended the officers involved.
As a result, their dismissive attitude towards the issue provoked a strong backlash from the public.
The public felt deeply humiliated, and the police didn't even bother to give them a perfunctory response.
Tang Yicheng questioned their intelligence. Were they releasing this response to put out the fire? It was clearly because they were afraid the fire wasn't big enough.
Wang Xiao wasn't surprised at all.
The arrogance of those in power has always existed and has never disappeared.
Thirty years later, didn't China also witness the same phenomenon of calling a mouse a duck?
The arrogant Moscow police underestimated the intensity of the public reaction.
The number of people holding strikes and demonstrations is increasing.
Later, strikes broke out not only in Moscow, but also throughout the Moscow region and other regions.
Having reached this point, the Moscow city government was forced to make further concessions. The police department announced the dismissal of the officers involved.
But the public remains dissatisfied; what they need is a fair trial and a public hearing for this heinous act.
If law enforcement officers commit wrongdoings without facing severe punishment, then all law enforcement officers will act with impunity.
Anyway, they don't have to pay a price.
Amidst the commotion, police officers joined the protest. They were demanding a pay rise.
Ever since companies were required to be self-sufficient, everyone has been racking their brains to find ways to raise wages. Whether it's news media like TASS or factories, they've raised wages far more often than the police station.
Police officers are now complaining about low wages, high stress, severe staff shortages, and a sharp decline in their social status; they can no longer continue in their jobs.
Wang Xiao and the others were dumbfounded.
What is this? Black magic defeating black magic?
The Moscow government's intervention had no effect, and in the end, it was an Orthodox bishop who stepped in to mediate.
Surprised? Unexpected? Amazing?
But everyone collectively agreed.
Perhaps in the current economic downturn, religion can offer people more comfort.
The bishop called on all parties to remain calm, refrain from further escalating the conflict, and rationally resolve the current issues.
The trigger for this incident was the police's false accusation that a foreign citizen was involved in drug trafficking, so it should be handled as appropriate.
As for the demands from all sides for price stability and wage increases, if the government had a solution, it wouldn't have dragged on until today.
So everyone, stop pretending to be dead and hurry up and do what you can, at least give us an explanation.
Then the police station felt the power of the people.
Originally, simply handing over those two policemen would have been enough.
But now that things have escalated to this point, those responsible must be held accountable.
For example, how do drugs end up in the hands of the police?
Does no one care whether the police station has too much or too little drugs?
Can the police just take away drugs? Are they for their own consumption, or to sell?
Is the increasing severity of drug-related crimes in our country due to police involvement?
In the end, even the top police officers had to resign to take responsibility.
The middlemen and women were stunned; they never expected things to escalate to this point.
It seems that capitalism is capitalism, and it's not the same as socialism.
Hehehe.
But before everyone could even start planning a celebration, the police station launched a counterattack.
Strictly speaking, they didn't actually frame anyone this time; they were just strictly enforcing the law.
What did they do? They checked passports, I guess.
Russia has never been an immigrant country, neither during the Soviet era nor the CIS era.
In the past, when the Soviet government encountered foreigners who overstayed their visas, it would deport them without hesitation.
However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, probably because there was indeed a need for foreign merchants to supply the people with urgently needed goods, the government's attitude softened.
Specifically, if the police find that a passport has expired, they will not leave immediately.
Instead, he will raise his hand to you in greeting, not lowering it completely but keeping it as a palm, and smile at you: "Suffenil (gift)."
If you give him a ballpoint pen, a small digital watch, or some chewing gum, he will return your passport to you.
In short, in Moscow right now, a routine passport check won't result in a black stamp or kick you out.
However, if the relevant national regulations are strictly enforced, those who exceed the deadline must indeed leave.
That's exactly what the Moscow police are targeting.
But to their embarrassment, Qiangqiang hadn't actually defaulted.
Huh? How is that possible? He's using a private passport; he has no right to stay in Moscow for such a long time.
Haha, that's all thanks to the Moscow police themselves; they're the ones who granted him the extension.
Why would the police station do something like this? They're clearly digging their own grave.
Ahem, we were never meant to be, it's all thanks to me throwing money at it.
In Moscow's black market trading circles, there are incredibly resourceful traders who are not only unafraid of the police, but also dare to approach people to partner in business.
He charged other middlemen fifty dollars each to help Chinese immigrants illegally residing in Moscow obtain extensions. For each extension he successfully processed, he would slip five dollars to the police.
With this unique skill, he could earn several thousand US dollars a month without being exposed to wind or rain.
Qiangqiang is his loyal customer.
But Qiangqiang is an exceptionally honest person and never dares to be late. When the time comes, he would rather pay fifty US dollars.
Therefore, when the Moscow police looked at his passport, they didn't know what to say.
Damn it, these bastards will take any bribe.
But the police officers below felt wronged. They hadn't taken any money from the gangsters or acted as protectors for the Mafia; they were already incredibly virtuous.
Since the Moscow police couldn't get anywhere with the passports, did they just swallow their anger and accept their bad luck?
Are you kidding me? This is their territory.
The police quickly found another reason: regardless of what passport one holds, unless one is an employee of a Chinese official company's Moscow office or subsidiary, they are not allowed to engage in production or business activities on this land.
Qiangqiang's act of setting up a stall in the free market is illegal.
All his income was obtained illegally.
Police are going to confiscate all his property, including the store he just bought for $6,000.
As soon as this decision was made, Wang Xiao knew it was going to cause an uproar.
The itinerant merchants in Moscow, especially those who had just bought shops, immediately rushed to the city government to demand an explanation.
Ten days ago, if they had ten times the courage, they would have definitely gone out of their way to avoid government employees.
But after such a long period of protests and demonstrations, everyone's courage has increased dramatically. They feel that the Russian government is quite weak and there's nothing to be afraid of.
After all, foreign governments don't run training courses, and their top leaders are treated like employees, even resigning to take responsibility.
Now that we've bought your store, what exactly do you mean by this? What happened to the sanctity of private property?
The Moscow city government was in a state of chaos and had no choice but to step in and ask the police department for help.
Because the city government's top priority right now is to promote privatization.
These foreign speculators were key participants in privatization.
Many of them are already interested in small businesses and are willing to take over factories, invest capital, and start production again.
Now that this has happened again, how can the government guarantee the safety of foreign investors' assets in Russia?
But now that we're in the CIS, the police station doesn't listen to the city government as much anymore.
They also need to uphold their dignity.
Venitskaya's lawyer argued forcefully, based on the Russian Federation's Foreign Investment Law.
According to a decree signed by the president, foreign investors have the right to reinvest their profits in production and operations in order to obtain even greater profits.
Although Qiangqiang did not register a large amount of US dollars when he entered the country, this does not mean that he could not exchange the goods he originally used for living expenses for rubles.
If this is not allowed, does it mean that free markets should be banned? Ordinary Moscow residents shouldn't be allowed to set up stalls or buy things at free markets either?
If that's really the case, has the Russian Federation returned to what it was ten years ago, with the country cracking down on speculation and profiteering?
The two sides engaged in a heated debate, arguing back and forth several times. Finally, under intense public pressure and repeated mediation from the municipal government, the police station reluctantly backed down.
They can refrain from confiscating the store, but Qiangqiang must be deported because he violated the Russian Federation's immigration policy.
Lawyer Vinnitskaya wanted to help Qiangqiang obtain a two-year residence permit and immigration certificate, arguing that he had already purchased a shop in Moscow and was the owner of a small business, thus he should have legal status.
However, the police station took a very firm stance on this matter and resolutely refused to process the application.
As the two sides resumed their tug-of-war, Wu Haoyu came over to advise Wang Xiao: "Let's back down a bit. The Russian Federation government is very vigilant about the activities of foreigners. In this respect, they have inherited the Soviet model. They also have a lot of secret police now, do you understand what I mean? Even if you win on the surface, you will still suffer in the end on their turf."
I understand.
Wang Xiao isn't an innocent child; there's absolutely no way he would say something like, "I do business honestly, what do I have to be afraid of?"
As for Russia's business environment, well, let's not talk about it.
There are no rules to follow when doing business in this magical land.
Wang Xiao comforted him, "It's okay, I know what I'm doing."
Her demands are completely different from those of the Russian people.
The latter hopes for a clean and honest government that can lead the people through the difficulties as soon as possible.
But she never fantasized about reforming the government; this was their territory.
As a Chinese, she adheres to the principle of peaceful coexistence and non-interference.
The only requirement is that next time you want to pick on someone weak, keep your eyes open and don't bully Chinese people just because you see them.
She also hopes to use this opportunity to remind her fellow Chinese people not to be so timid, and that they must stand up for themselves when necessary.
All rights must be earned; no one will hand them to you willingly.
She winked at Wu Haoyu: "Let's not talk about anything unpleasant. Are you going back?"
Wu Haoyu nodded, his voice low: "Tomorrow's flight."
Wang Xiao completely understood his heart.
Going to work is like going to a funeral; you might as well go burn incense instead.
She patted his shoulder and grinned mischievously, "I'll give you a present tonight."
What gift? A brocade tie, I suppose.
Actually, she had never understood why humans invented ties, and what the purpose of ties was.
Until she discovered that ties had a kind of ascetic allure.
Just imagine, the young man is only wearing a tie, leaning there lazily.
Sigh, how delicious!
Since it's the last night, it has to be a wonderful night.
Wang Xiao felt even more excited as his body had adapted.
She thought that if this were in ancient times, how many times would it have taken to fetch water?
Wu Haoyu held her, panting, "What are you thinking about?"
The night outside Moscow was quiet. In the dead of winter, not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
He supported himself on either side of her body with his hands, his tie hanging down, making Wang Xiao's heart itch.
She reached out and loosened her tie, then breathed into his ear, "I'm thinking about you, little brother. Do you miss me?"
Hehehe, I'll have to rely on toys again for a while.
It's the last night, she has to eat her fill.
Hmm, I'm a little full.
Even when Wang Xiao woke up late in the morning, she hadn't counted the days and compared her number with her mother's when she opened the door.
When Dr. Chen saw Wu Haoyu, he was dumbfounded.
If any parents saw a young man walking out of their unmarried daughter's room early in the morning, they would be quite surprised.
"Xiaoxiao, what's this?"
Wang Xiao is known for lying without batting an eye and readily agrees with others: "Mr. Wu is going back to Tokyo, and I asked him about the scrap steel market in Japan."
“Oh, oh, oh—” Dr. Chen quickly accepted this explanation.
The main problem is that parents in this era aren't very resourceful. Their approach to winning a girl's heart is still limited to getting her to date a young man and live happily ever after.
Ms. Chen Yanqiu, who had always been an honest person, never imagined that some of her female classmates only had lustful desires and only wanted to eat meat.
She's in the same camp as those scumbags; they're the type who deny everything once they've done their job.
Dr. Chen called out to them, "Hurry up and go eat. Didn't you say you had something to do today?"
Wang Xiao really does have work to do.
She quickly devoured the high-sugar, high-fat, and high-calorie Russian breakfast, and then hurriedly delivered the gift to Wu Haoyu.
A complete set of Yun brocade gift boxes.
There were scarves, ties, shawls, and notebooks made of brocade.
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "You can decide how to give it to your friend."
This is also a way to advertise, and it happens to help promote Nanjing brocade products.
Before Wu Haoyu could say anything more, Wang Xiao pressed her lips to his: "Wait for me. Wait until I've finished dealing with things here, then I'll come to Tokyo to find you."
She really did plan to go to Japan to buy scrap steel. According to the information she obtained, the Japanese scrap steel market was sluggish, domestic demand was declining, and prices continued to fall.
Moreover, Japan is close to China, so even by sea, the goods can arrive in three to five days.
But before that, she had to wrap up Qiangqiang's matter.
Stop arguing. Since the Russian federal government's attitude is not to welcome but to expel, then just walk away.
Wang Xiao didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "You can't take the shops and money out of Russia, but I can exchange them for you. In Bucharest, the capital of Romania, there are two kiosks for you. Each one is worth a thousand US dollars, and the rest of the money can be exchanged for goods, which will be sent directly to Kyiv, and you can take the train to Bucharest."
Why not go from Budapest?
Since January of this year, Hungary has canceled its visa-free policy for Chinese citizens and has begun expelling them.
How serious is the situation?
For example, Ruan Xiaomei and her husband were clearly hired by Mr. Fang and were qualified to receive yellow cards. They even had a Budapest local acting as a guarantor, but the police still drove them away.
Not long after the Chinese New Year this year, Ruan Xiaomei and her husband went to Bucharest.
Because Romania is now eager to attract foreign investment, it has implemented a relaxed visa policy, allowing companies to be registered with just $500 and with unlimited shareholding.
By registering a company, shareholders can obtain a Romanian residence permit, also known as a grey card.
According to Ruan Xiaomei, Romanians are really kind and polite to Chinese people.
When she arrived on the first day, she got lost and wandered around in circles, unable to find the person who was supposed to pick them up.
Even though the locals weren't on the same road as them, they still took a long detour to get them there.
In the past month, she has managed to establish herself in Bucharest, started a company, and obtained a grey card.
Her daily life now consists of opening her shop at a certain time to do business.
Bucharest is currently experiencing a severe shortage of daily necessities; almost everything that is put on the shelves sells out immediately.
Ruan Xiaomei can provide shares and help Qiangqiang get a grey card; she only charges one hundred US dollars.
She also has a place to live; the landlord can spare a room in the house she and her husband rent.
Moreover, they warmly welcome Chinese tenants, and they desperately need the rent to make a living.
After hearing this, Qiangqiang was attracted by the residence permit and nodded in agreement to go to Romania.
In fact, from the moment he decided to sue the Moscow police, he already knew that he could no longer stay there.
Since ancient times, when ordinary people sue officials, they are either killed or severely injured; how could the officials possibly let them stay?
Even if he stayed, the police would still find fault with him.
Since that's the case, if this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will. I don't care anymore.
Qiangqiang acted swiftly, taking immediate action once he made a decision.
He gave away the remaining unsold trinkets to the landlord's family and paid an extra month's rent. I was also grateful for their help in speaking up for him at that crucial moment.
The landlady was particularly saddened; she now truly felt that Qiangqiang was a good young man.
It's all those damn Moscow police's fault. If it weren't for them causing trouble, she could be working in the store now.
They agreed that they would pay her 900 rubles a month, which is more than twice her retirement pension.
Her daughter works part-time and can earn 500 rubles a month.
Because of those damn police, their family is now losing 2,100 rubles every month for nothing!
Wang Xiao also comforted the elderly man, saying that if the store found a suitable operator later, he would recommend their family to work there.
With things arranged on one side, the traders in Moscow also started preparing a farewell party for Qiangqiang.
The so-called farewell banquet is not just about eating and drinking; the key is giving money.
Why are people so generous?
They had each contributed 5,000 rubles to genuinely support Qiangqiang's lawsuit.
Now you want to generously donate again?
The fact that these middlemen and dealers are so generous is not unfounded; it's a genuine expression of gratitude for Qiangqiang's willingness to go all out.
Previously, it was very difficult for them to obtain a two-year residence permit and immigration certificate in Russia.
You need to find a middleman to pull strings, and each person has to pay between one thousand and fifteen hundred US dollars to get this done.
However, after Qiangqiang's incident, the Moscow government intervened and helped all the resellers who bought the shops to obtain residence permits and immigration certificates.
We saved the money, but Qiangqiang got kicked out. Everyone should definitely do something about it.
Once they got the license, the resellers would have to hand over either five hundred or a thousand dollars, in short, colorful US dollars.
Otherwise, if word gets out, they'll be laughed to death.
Don't underestimate this matter, because in addition to Chinese people, Vietnamese people and some people from CIS countries are also paying for it.
They are also afraid of being expelled from Russia.
Wang Xiao found it a bit funny, especially to people from other CIS countries.
They make a living in Moscow, but they are also afraid of becoming undocumented; yet when it comes to the collapse of the Soviet Union, they all emphasize national independence, believing that it would be a good thing for their country to become independent.
Wang Xiao didn't know how to evaluate their logic.
Thanks to this move, Qiangqiang instantly became a small-time millionaire, with his net worth rising to $100,000.
Adhering to the principle that it's better to do what you know than what you don't, he also asked Wang Xiao to help him ship the goods.
Wang Xiao readily agreed: "Sure, let's get ready to go. I'll go with you and show you the way."
That's just a polite way of putting it; she certainly doesn't have American time.
Her real purpose in going to Romania was to obtain a shipment of steel.
That's right, the goods shipped from Ukraine haven't even arrived at the ports in China yet, and Wang Xiao already has to go buy steel again.
Ruan Xiaomei helped to make the connection, or more accurately, her landlord acted as an intermediary, introducing tens of thousands of tons of steel, specifically rebar.
There's no reason not to accept business that comes knocking on your door.
Wang Xiao discussed it briefly with Ivanov, then asked Comrade Wang Tiejun for his opinion. Deputy Factory Director Wang immediately made the decision: "Yes!"
The news of the Southern Tour has already spread among the upper echelons of China, especially among large state-owned enterprises.
The steel plant focused on three key points.
The first sentence comes from an old man visiting a botanical garden who saw a money tree and said: "Let all the people of the country plant it, so that all the people of the country can get rich."
The second sentence is his definition of the essence of socialism: The essence of socialism is to liberate and develop productive forces, eliminate exploitation, eliminate polarization, and ultimately achieve common prosperity.
The key is to liberate and develop productive forces.
The third sentence is the most important one.
He told the Shanghai municipal leaders: This is Shanghai's last chance, and you must not let it slip by.
What's Shanghai's current focus? The Pudong development.
Key takeaway: large-scale development.
This is just construction work; it's no wonder steel prices are rising.
So the steel mill made the decision to continue producing steel, hoping to make a big profit.
Wang Xiao and Ivanov felt that this was an opportunity to open up the Eastern European market, and they couldn't afford to miss it.
Ivanov also complained, expressing his disdain for the Eastern European countries' self-righteousness.
They were very arrogant back then, thinking that Western countries would definitely give them benefits if they wanted to win them over.
Unfortunately, they don't seem to realize why the capitalist world wants to win them over. Isn't it just to use them to attack the Soviet Union?
As a result, the Soviet Union collapsed suddenly, leaving the whole world stunned, and the Eastern European countries were left speechless with bitterness.
They tried to profit from both sides, but ended up gaining nothing from either.
Just wait, they'll regret it later.
Wang Xiao could only touch his nose and ignore the people whose nationalist sentiments were swelling.
As far as she knows, none of the Eastern European countries have regretted it.
Locals believe that the end of World War II did not end their history of colonization; it simply meant a change of colonial power.
Now that they have broken free from the Soviet Union, whatever kind of life they lead, it is an independent and self-reliant life.
Whether it's good or bad, it's their own business; they no longer need to be told what to do by outsiders.
Oh well, let him comfort himself.
If this makes him feel better.
Chen Yidong's family is also going to fly back home. It's not that the couple is in a hurry to go home to do business, but that Chen Jingjing is about to start school and they can't afford to delay her.
Before leaving, Qian Xuemei secretly asked Wang Xiao, "Are foreign universities easy to get into?"
She saw that Russians were full of college students, while in the country, getting into university was incredibly difficult.
She was thinking that if it were easy to get into a university abroad, she and Chen Yidong would save up money and send Jingjing to university abroad, so that their child wouldn't have to work so hard.
Wang Xiao said half-jokingly, "Then I'll arrange an immigration for you. Jingjing can then go through the international student channel and it will be easy for her to attend university in China."
Her values can be summed up in two words: reality.
She would exploit any loophole that offered benefits, as long as it wasn't illegal.
Chen Yanqiu was stunned, unable to believe her ears: "You can't believe it?"
What... what's going on here?
Wang Xiao laughed: "Privileges won't disappear, they'll just be transferred."
Indeed, she never believed that preferential policies for international students were simply due to so-called worship of foreign things.
She is even more convinced that these policymakers are seeking privileges for themselves and the class they represent, openly trampling on educational fairness.
After all, even if ordinary people know that this is a ladder to heaven, they have neither the channels nor the ability to compete for it.
Chen Yanqiu clicked her tongue and finally made a decision: "Then you should find a way to get Jingjing an immigration visa as well."
If I go to a good university in the future, I can get a good job after graduation.
Wang Xiao readily agreed: "Sure, no problem."
She thought Romania was pretty good, and if possible, she would get Jingjing a Romanian visa.
Time was too tight, and there wasn't enough time to wait for the formalities; otherwise, Chen Yidong and his wife would have liked to go and check it out in person.
They repeatedly urged their brother-in-law, Wang Tiejun, to take a close look.
I won't count on Xiaoxiao. She's someone who's destined for great things, and I guess nothing matters to her.
Wang Tiejun immediately patted his chest and assured him that there would be no problem and that he would definitely conduct a thorough on-site investigation.
As a result, not long after boarding the train in Kyiv, Comrade Wang Tiejun was captured.
How should I put it?
They met a Romanian engineer on the train.
The other party took the initiative to greet them, and was quite happy when they learned that they were Chinese.
Although he had never been to China, he had interacted with Chinese people.
"It's your chairman! The current president of the country."
Ivanov pursed his lips, finding the English difficult to understand. This guy clearly speaks Russian, yet he refuses to utter a single word.
Qiangqiang was very happy.
Although he was a typical "ninth-grade student" (someone who failed the college entrance exam), despite obtaining a junior high school graduation certificate, he had only actually completed the second year of junior high school.
But he felt more familiar with English; it sounded much better to him than Russian.
He was full of confidence and felt that he would definitely be able to learn English.
The Romanian engineer Violier encouraged him, saying, "English is easy to learn; you'll definitely learn it quickly. Once you know English, it won't be a big problem. Most Romanians speak English. You can learn Romanian later."
Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance, both skeptical of his words.
As far as they knew, at least the Romanian women's English was really not very good.
Wang Tiejun didn't care about that; she only asked the other person with great interest, "You worked with our chairman before?"
“Yes, yes.” Violier emphasized with a particularly proud tone, “Twenty years ago, you helped Romania build 11 factories, and the head of your expert team at that time is now the chairman of Huaxia.”
He also participated in the construction at that time, and what pleased him most was that even when the Chinese came to provide assistance, they treated the Romanians as equals.
According to international aid construction practices, the party providing the aid is responsible for the overall design of the construction, and then provides all the necessary equipment and related building materials.
Once the factory was built, the aid provider sent experts to guide the installation of equipment, and then provided production technology and instructions on how to produce the goods.
This has been the pattern of China's past aid to Asian and African countries, and it has become a stable routine.
But Romania is different from those Asian and African countries. By the 1970s, it already had many years of experience in large-scale construction, and its design capabilities and technical level were relatively high.
Romania does not want to completely copy China's technology and equipment.
But if we do that, the entire design has to be scrapped and started over, which is very troublesome.
If it were any other aid provider, they would probably roll their eyes.
Why are you being so picky when you have your palm facing up?
But the head of the Chinese technical team at the time was not that kind of person.
He listened carefully to their opinions, and upon returning home, he specifically reported to his superiors, managing to secure their support and adjust the aid plan to be more suitable for Romania's situation.
Violier particularly admired his courage and was especially moved by his respect for the Romanian people.
"This is the true spirit of internationalism!"
Ivanov really couldn't listen anymore.
What does that mean? It's a veiled insult.
The Soviet Union gave Romania a lot of good things back then, and at least half of Romania's defense capabilities are thanks to the Soviet Union!
Unfortunately, Violier didn't buy it at all: "You don't know what respect is at all. You just know how to be arrogant and bossy."
Ivanov was furious.
After all that, it turns out that all the aid recipients were ungrateful wretches, not a single one of them appreciating the Soviet Union's kindness.
Violler remained unmoved and retorted sarcastically, "If Moscow truly has a clear conscience, why do all your republics want to become independent? I only ask one question: how many of the Russians you send to various countries can speak the local language?"
Ivanov got stuck.
Life is generally difficult for Russians scattered across the various republics.
They were severely marginalized.
The methods of exclusion used by various countries are not violent; they mainly involve elevating and emphasizing their own national languages. For example, Kazakhstan requires everyone to take a Kazakh language exam.
The Russians who initially went to various countries to provide technical assistance and help with local development were basically self-contained little kingdoms. They had no interest in, nor did they feel the need to learn the local languages.
So now that they've pulled this stunt, they're left speechless and unable to complain.
Wang Xiao touched his nose, unsure how to comment on the matter.
Back when China was carrying out the Third Front construction, the factory workers didn't interact with the locals at all, relying on the privileges brought about by the urban-rural dual structure.
What gives the Russians the confidence to do this?
Of course, she wisely continued to rub salt in Ivanov's wounds.
Poor Ivanov, his face flushed, tried to defend his compatriot: "That's because it's unnecessary; Russian is fine."
"Only you think it's okay, since no one else matters to you anyway."
After Violier finished his cold laugh, he changed to an excited and admiring tone, "But the Chinese are different. When that chairman was helping us in Romania, he was already fluent in English and Russian, but in order to communicate with us better, he taught himself Romanian."
I ask you, have you done it? Because you are always self-centered and never care about other people's feelings.
You are tyrants; what you desire is the submission of others, not their genuine love and respect!
For the rest of the train journey, Ivanov became completely listless, lacking energy for anything he did.
As he was about to get off the train, he even asked Wang Xiao, "Was the Soviet Union really that annoying?"
Wang Xiao felt sorry for him when she saw his expression.
He's such a tall and strong guy, but he looks so listless. It's really upsetting to see him like this.
She thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, the Soviet Union will always be great and will never be forgotten. What people hate and despise are the Soviet revisionists, the traitors to the revolution!"
Ivanov felt a little better and started nagging Wang Xiao again, just like a little boy tattles.
"Don't think Romania is so glorious. Don't laugh at a black pig when it's black; they're all birds of a feather."
Then he told Wang Xiao about the great achievements of Nicolae Ocescu, the last communist leader of Romania.
It is said that the couple has a huge fortune of one billion US dollars deposited in foreign banks.
According to rumors, one of the reasons the couple was executed was that the newly appointed leadership was eager to divide up their assets.
Wang Xiao became interested: "Did you get yours yet?"
“That’s hard to say,” Ivanov scoffed. “His assets abroad were mostly held in the names of other people. As a result, once he and his wife died, haha, those assets went to the nominees. In Canada alone, she owned several forests, and now they’ve all gone to someone else.”
Wang Xiao asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"
“Yes,” Ivanov nodded in affirmation. “Romania was hoping to recover these assets to pay off their foreign debts, but now they can’t count on anything.”
He laughed for a while, then suddenly asked, "Wang, Romania's violent revolution broke out because of a severe economic crisis. It has money, so why doesn't it use that money to pay off Romania's foreign debt?"
Wang Xiao thought he had asked a stupid question.
The answer is obvious.
Ivanov asked and answered himself: "Yes, the Soviet Union was also facing a severe foreign debt crisis back then. In fact, if all of us had taken out our dollars, the Soviet Union's foreign debt would have been resolved long ago. But I didn't take them, and neither did those high-ranking officials."
He stared out the window; although it was already late February, spring was still nowhere in sight.
“I think Marx was both right and wrong. It’s not just capitalists who will sell the rope that hangs them; everyone will. Even the privileged in socialist countries will.”
"That's normal."
Wang Xiao looked outside and saw traces of snow still visible through the window.
"There was a dynasty in China called the Ming Dynasty. The Donglin Party was the representative of the civil official group. They were full of lofty ideals, just like some leaders today. They always talked about loving the country and serving the people."
However, they were also the group most involved in land annexation, representing the interests of large landowners and merchants.
In the agricultural civilization era, land was the primary means of production for farmers, who comprised more than 90% of the national population.
Land consolidation has made it impossible for the national treasury to continue operating.
Feudal dynasties, in their final stages, were almost always destroyed by severe land annexation.
Don't the Donglin Party members understand this principle?
Even if they understand, they will continue to acquire land because they want to protect their family interests.
Ivanov listened with great interest and asked curiously, "And then, how did you manage to resolve the family problems?"
The Soviet Union definitely didn't solve it.
If nepotism were eliminated, it wouldn't have died out.
Wang Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Huaxia is mainly based on clans. Huaxia's feudal society has a long history and has developed quite completely. The clan power is very strong."
I think there are two solutions. One is the "Destroy the Four Olds" campaign of the 1960s and 70s. Anti-feudalism was one aspect, but the more important political significance was to strike at clan power.
Another factor is urbanization, or more specifically, increased migration. This forces people to leave their hometowns and work elsewhere. Over time, people from the same clan no longer live together permanently, naturally eliminating the conditions for the growth of clan power.
Ivanov sighed, looking worried: "But people's greed will never disappear. What will we Marxists do then?"
Wang Xiao really wanted to roll her eyes.
Wake up, that's enough, stop going on and on.
Can't you see the train has arrived at the station? We still have important things to do.
————————
The following information is from the March 1992 issue of the magazine "Today's Soviet Union and Eastern Europe".
On December 25, 1989, Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife were executed in a military camp in Tărgovíști. A military tribunal announced five major charges against Ceaușescu, one of which was holding over $100 million in foreign banks. The Provisional Government of the National Salvation Front stated its intention to recover Ceaușescu's secret overseas deposits and sent investigators abroad. The Swiss government also expressed its willingness to cooperate and return the dictator's secret funds. A nationwide "gold rush" ensued in Romania, with people hoping that Ceaușescu's enormous overseas deposits could reverse the severe economic difficulties and improve people's lives. Some even claimed that Ceaușescu had transported large quantities of gold to Iran by plane during a visit before his downfall, but the Iranian government categorically denied this, stating that it had never held any gold for Ceaușescu. The Romanian government also specifically hired several Canadian financial experts to locate Ceaușescu's secret overseas accounts. Canadian experts concluded that Ceaușescu's money might be held in a company nominally owned by foreigners, but actually controlled by Bucharest. Inspector Boși Koman of the National Financial Inspectorate carefully studied Ceaușescu's secret accounts and wrote a report in the latter half of 1990 for Deputy Secretary of State for Finance Eugenie Coca, but the report was withheld and its contents remain unknown. Two years later, the Romanian Prosecutor's Office announced that Ceaușescu had not established any secret accounts abroad, and the question of his enormous assets overseas seemed to have vanished, leaving the public with many unanswered questions.
When researching, you'll find that history sometimes has a dry humor.
For example, in 1989, under intense pressure and forbidden from discussing reform, many Romanians greatly admired Gorbachev and hoped that the reform winds of the Soviet Union would reach Romania. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-12-17 06:55:47 and 2023-12-17 22:54:33!
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