Chapter 51 The Old Rules Win Hearts (Bug Fixes): There's No Reason Not to Approve the Flight Route
As Wang Xiao's list of international middlemen and speculators grew thicker, Tang Yicheng's worries deepened.
He seriously doubted whether flight routes were so easy to get approved.
To paraphrase what Wang Xiao often says, if it were that simple, why didn't people think of using this method to make money?
There are plenty of smart people in the world.
Now, Tang Yicheng also wants to use this phrase to advise Wang Xiao: Take it easy, or you'll end up in a situation you can't handle.
Wang Xiao has been talking so much these past two days that she has to keep pear syrup candy in her mouth, otherwise her throat will be too sore.
Looking at the worried Tang Yicheng, she didn't even bother to speak. She tapped the notebook in her hand and weakly uttered, "What will happen to so many people if we don't approve it?"
There are already more than 300 international middlemen. Their notebooks are filled with detailed notes on their product needs and preferences, which add up to an astonishing number.
Tang Yicheng blurted out, "That's why we can't bring so many people now."
Wang Xiao smiled, completely nonchalant: "I've already contacted them."
The deed is done, so what do you suggest we do now?
Tang Yicheng felt that ever since he met Wang Xiao, he was constantly forced to use his brain. After a while, he even had some flashes of inspiration.
This time, a thought suddenly struck him, and he realized, "You mean, we got the flight route approved through them?"
Yes, yes, that must be it.
Sometimes, instead of racking your brains to exert effort from the top down, it's better to work on things from the bottom up.
For example, their application for international air routes.
Look, so many foreign businessmen are already preparing to go to Jiangdong to buy goods. If there are no planes, how will this end?
Moreover, if the higher authorities refuse to approve the route, the most likely reason is that they are worried that there will be no passengers on the route, and the planes will fly empty, wasting so many resources.
With so many potential customers now, who can say there's no need to open this route?
Tang Yicheng became more and more excited as he spoke. If it weren't for the fact that the sleeper car was too small and the space to move around was limited, he would have jumped up.
How could she have come up with such a way to break the deadlock?
In an instant, Tang Yicheng felt that he no longer needed to feel inferior.
Since everyone's brains are from different worlds, there's no point in him feeling inferior.
After eating the pear syrup candy, Wang Xiao felt much better and was able to continue speaking slowly and deliberately: "A plane full of clothes is worth about $500,000. If 20 planes take off every day, that's $10 million. 30 planes, $15 million."
Her voice was soft and slow, but Tang Yicheng was startled.
$15 million! Every day, $15 million worth of goods are shipped out, which is $450 million a month.
If it's a year...
I can't keep up, I feel like I can't keep up with this string of zeros.
Wang Xiao is truly kind; he even proactively told the person whose CPU was about to burn out, "The total is 5.4 billion US dollars."
"Clang—"
Fortunately, although Tang Yicheng was sitting on his lower bunk, his body was slightly leaning forward, so when he suddenly stood up, it was his neck and back that were injured, not his crown chakra; otherwise, he would have definitely fallen straight down.
Even so, poor Comrade Tang was still as tender as a cooked shrimp.
But he felt that the pain was separate from himself; his mind was filled with only 5.4 billion, yes, the unit of 100 million, not a long string of zeros.
Because he really doesn't know how many zeros to add.
So after the intense pain subsided, he could only stammer, "Really...really that many?"
Wang Xiao didn't boast; he spoke the truth: "That's how it is from a theoretical perspective."
In reality, if things go well, the number could be even higher. If things don't go well, of course, it won't reach that number.
Is it a lot? Not really. Given the current economic climate, business should be fine, at least in the short term.
After all, considering all factors, China's light industrial products are currently a typical example of high quality and low price.
Merchants are inherently profit-driven and seek to maximize their gains. The international wholesale market in Jiangdong is now a very good option for them.
Whether or not one can handle this immense wealth depends on how they manage it in the future.
But no matter how things develop in the future, she believes that the data at hand is enough to impress the relevant authorities.
Fifteen million US dollars a day is a very attractive figure for countries that are in dire need of foreign exchange.
A daily turnover of 15 million US dollars means that there are tens of thousands of light industrial enterprises that can clear the corresponding value of inventory.
Due to its geographical advantages, Jiangdong Province, which already has a well-developed light industry, is naturally the first choice for relevant enterprises.
If the air route doesn't open, the provincial government will be furious.
Such a large volume of goods requires a large number of personnel to ensure its operation, which in turn creates numerous job opportunities. In the current climate of difficult employment, this is a major positive development.
With all three measures in place, if this route doesn't open, she might not be the most anxious person.
Some things may seem like a pipe dream, but as long as you offer enough benefits, someone will take precautions to prevent potential problems from arising.
Even the most absurd things can be accomplished smoothly.
Wang Xiao thought about it more and more deeply, and then pulled out another notebook to start writing his plan for the International Trade City.
She had initially envisioned a typical small commodity wholesale market model, where she would only provide a stall, while the merchant would operate with a front shop and a back factory. Whether business was good or bad, everyone employed their own unique methods.
This model has proven successful in Huacheng North in Shenzhen and Xiushui Street and Yabao Road in Beijing.
However, at the same time, the reasons for the decline of these three categories are quite similar: rampant counterfeiting. Eventually, they became synonymous with counterfeit and substandard products.
Since Wang Xiao has invested a large sum of money to get a share of the pie, he naturally hopes to reap as much benefit as possible.
Therefore, she wanted to take back control of the business and take control of quality herself.
Simply put, she plans to turn the International Trade City into her own live-streaming studio, acting as a middleman, connecting manufacturers on one hand and buyers on the other.
Or, to put it another way, it means turning the small commodity market into a supermarket, where all products entering the market must undergo quality control to ensure product quality.
Obviously, this is a lot of trouble. But from a long-term perspective, Wang Xiao thinks it's worth a try.
Moreover, this is the most familiar way of doing business for her.
In this way, the slot fee, cough cough, it's the entry fee plus sales commission, is also an astonishing figure.
Wang Xiao was quite satisfied with this way of making money.
She quickly wrote down her plans on the paper.
There should be a dedicated quality control team.
She compared the product requirements written by potential customers with the list of manufacturers she had worked with, and began to compare them one by one to select suitable suppliers.
After finalizing the general supply channels, Wang Xiao began to plan the internal layout of this large warehouse supermarket.
First, you need a catalog-style advertising brochure, divided into categories such as clothing, shoes, socks, scarves, silk scarves, hats, bedding, toys, bags, cosmetic boxes, electronic products, etc.
Each item must be photographed, and its price, raw materials, and supermarket placement information must be clearly labeled so that customers can easily find brochures and locate the items they want immediately.
Yes, we need to label it in Chinese, English, and Russian so that everyone can choose what they need.
After selecting the samples, go directly to the cashier to indicate how many of each item you need. Then, compile the list, and the logistics company will transfer the goods from the warehouse, pack them, and ship them to the airport for delivery.
Then she couldn't help but feel regretful again; why didn't she have a laptop? If she did, it would save her a lot of trouble.
Thinking of laptops, her thoughts drifted to computer-based point-of-sale systems.
We have to buy another set, otherwise we won't be able to meet our sales needs.
If we're going to run a supermarket, then we need to start recruiting staff.
This time, both men and women are welcome, and appearance is not a factor; the focus is on language ability, with those fluent in Russian being preferred.
Don't say she didn't give preferential treatment to the children of employees from big factories; she even opened a Russian language class at the night school in advance, and she paid for the teachers' salaries herself.
The factory also issued a notice calling on the children of factory workers who were unemployed to learn Russian so that they could be recommended for jobs after they finished learning it.
If they remain unmoved by all this, then it can only be said that they have no imperial heir but are still plagued by ancestral ills.
People like that should be kept as far away as possible.
She doesn't owe them anything, so she won't go out of her way to spoil them.
Wang Xiao wrote down the numbers one by one in her notebook. After getting off the bus, she would have to call back to arrange things, especially personnel recruitment and training.
We can't wait until she returns to the provincial capital to do it, otherwise it would be too much of a waste of time.
Seeing Wang Xiao busy, Tang Yicheng felt embarrassed to bother him any longer, so he honestly pulled out a quick Russian language handbook.
This manual was compiled by Wang Xiao himself, and it's the kind of manual that would make any Russian language teacher want to kill him.
It's not because every sentence above is for business purposes, but because it uses the Chinese character phonetic transcription method that teachers hate the most.
If you study like this, you'll never improve your Russian.
But Wang Xiao felt that this was the most practical learning method at present.
The most important function of language is communication.
Even if the grammar is terrible and the words are awkwardly spelled out, as long as everyone understands each other's meaning, it's okay.
Anyway, it's not like I'm learning it to take an exam or to become a proper translator.
Yes, she needs to keep improving this booklet and release it for sale when the time is right, so as to enhance her image and showcase her persona as a Confucian businesswoman.
Tang Yicheng hadn't even memorized a few lines when the door to the private room suddenly opened from the outside.
Dr. Chen was already furious, and seeing his daughter still scribbling on the paper only fueled his anger. He reached out and poked her forehead: "You silly girl, don't you know you can't study abroad right now!"
During her two days on the K3 train, she was initially in high spirits and extremely happy.
Wow, it's so beautiful! May is a riot of color, and the scenery outside the car window is breathtaking.
As expected of an international train, it even has to change tracks when it goes abroad. In Erenhot, she watched as a crane lifted the entire train and then laid it flat on another track.
Good heavens, even riding a train has become an experience of soaring through the clouds.
Once we reached Mongolia, the vast expanse of grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see, a sight that truly captured the essence of nature: boundless skies, endless plains, and grazing cattle and sheep. The sheer scale of the grasslands made one feel as if their heart was soaring freely.
The carriage was filled with passengers from more than a dozen countries. They were having a lively party, playing music and singing.
Those passengers were quite interesting; at almost every stop, someone would be trading with the outside world through the window. They were exchanging money or goods.
That Gao Weimin, the guy who stole Xiaoxiao's research group spot, haha, someone even stole his towel, and the train had already started moving, but he was still craning his neck and shouting outside, and the train conductor scolded him: Doesn't he know how dangerous it is?
She found it incredibly satisfying to watch.
She only found out from chatting with Sister Miao and the others that the current national regulations stipulate that undergraduate students must complete at least five years of study before they can study abroad.
By the time she returns from her studies abroad, how old will she be? How difficult will it be for her to establish herself in the chemical engineering institute then!
Dr. Chen's heart, which had been filled with joy, plummeted to rock bottom upon hearing the news.
She had planned it all out long ago: this trip to Moscow would scout out the route, and after the summer vacation, her daughter Xiaoxiao would be able to study in the Soviet Union.
Xiaoxiao speaks Russian so well, she can talk to Russians so fluently, studying abroad will definitely not be a problem for her.
Now, everything is gone.
Wang Xiao feigned surprise, quite cooperatively: "Huh? You're not allowed to study abroad? I heard there are quite a few students studying in the Soviet Union. Let me ask if there's any leeway."
"Don't even mention it!" Dr. Chen plopped down on the lower bunk, huffing and puffing. "No way, they're adamant, they won't let anyone out."
Now, a wicked thought crossed her mind. She turned to look at Tang Yicheng and said, "Little Tang, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? Want to go get something to eat?"
Tang Yicheng almost blurted out, "I ate it! It was a huge piece of bread I bought at the station up ahead, and it was incredibly cheap."
But having served in the military, he had a natural instinct for danger and immediately agreed, saying, "Auntie, I'll go get something to eat."
After the door to the private room closed again, Dr. Chen grabbed Wang Xiao's arm, his eyes burning: "If the study abroad thing is settled, why don't you just stay in Moscow this time and not go back?"
Wang Xiao was stunned; she wondered if her ears were damaged.
Is this something Ms. Chen Yanqiu should say?
What's this behavior called again? Does it count as defection?
"Defection my ass!" Chen Yanqiu glared, speaking with righteous indignation. "You're here to learn for the country, to graduate and return home to contribute to its development."
Wang Xiao directly dispelled her wishful thinking and stated the objective facts: "But if I stay and don't leave, even if I get a doctorate in the Soviet Union, the chemical institute will still fire me when I return to China."
After a moment of hot-bloodedness, Chen Yanqiu finally regained his senses and started poking her forehead again: "I told you to work properly at the institute, but you wouldn't listen. You're always making a mess of things."
Wang Xiao denied it: "How am I messing things up? I'm just helping the steel mill solve its debt problems."
Dr. Chen remembered that this time she and Lao Wang were on official business under the guise of going abroad to investigate and resolve the triangular debt; she could only say resentfully, "Did you think we couldn't do without you? This factory is so big, you could live off us for three years with just a little effort."
Wang Xiao said seriously, "Mom, you can't think like that. If everyone does it this way, wouldn't it be chaos? Take the steel industry in Northeast China, for example. They have such good geographical conditions, yet they still rushed to the Premier to send a telegram asking for help, hoping the state would give them money. They're so close to the Soviet Union, and their bilateral trade in Heihe is going very well. Can't they be a little quicker and get their barter trade going too?"
"What can he do?" Dr. Chen stared wide-eyed. "When it comes to steel, the Russians have far more. We don't need to trade with them."
"I didn't say we'd exchange it for steel, but coal will do. A boatload of canvas shoes for a boatload of coal, anyway, Russian coal is cheap. Wouldn't that save on steelmaking costs?"
She had barely finished speaking when a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
The train conductors came and knocked on each door, reminding passengers that they were entering Soviet territory and would have to go through customs.
Anyway, it wasn't the first time this bus had gone through customs, so everyone thought it was no big deal.
When they actually passed the test, everyone was stunned.
Why?
For some unknown reason, the entire city on the Soviet border experienced a power outage.
What should we do then? Wait for the call to come back?
Of course not, Soviet customs officials actually worked by candlelight.
Wang Xiao and her friends were all stunned.
No, doesn't the customs office have its own generator? It uses diesel generators.
The Soviet Union had no shortage of coal, so the power outage in May was already strange enough; now they didn't even have diesel?
Everyone looked at each other, realizing that it was best to say less on someone else's turf.
Fortunately, the officer who led them through the customs process wasn't particularly difficult, and the whole process was quite quick.
At the end, Chen Yanqiu gave the officer a bag of pear syrup candy, because the officer had been staring at the candy in her hand the whole time.
She thought the other person had a hoarse voice and also wanted to eat pear syrup candy.
After receiving the gift, the man was overjoyed and expressed his gratitude, saying that he hadn't given his wife and daughter a gift in a long time.
Well, anyway, the rumored situation of customs officials soliciting bribes didn't occur.
It's probably because the Soviet Union is still in power.
As the train continued moving forward, Chen Yanqiu suddenly blurted out, "If we don't want to study abroad, then we don't. I don't think things are very good here anyway."
Even a bag of pear syrup candy is treasured, and it's carefully placed in my pocket.
This is someone with a secure job.
It's easy to imagine that life is really tough for the Russians right now.
Wang Xiao deliberately contradicted her mother: "Decades ago, everyone treasured candy. Even now, in remote rural areas, children are overjoyed when they can eat candy during festivals."
“That’s not the same.” Chen Yanqiu was about to glare again. “This is the city. People with secure jobs can’t even get electricity. It’s terrible.”
Look how noisy the once quiet carriages have become once we've entered Soviet territory.
Those Soviet train conductors were just like street vendors, selling binoculars directly on the train and even buying Chinese goods.
Yes, yes, selling things on trains isn't unusual. But that's in China, where it's unremarkable behind closed doors.
This is an international train; it's so undignified to see it like this.
Alas, what a decline! The Soviet Union, once a big brother, can no longer even hide its shame.
Compared to this, those black market transactions of US dollars and rubles in the train carriages were nothing in Dr. Chen's eyes.
Wang Xiao laughed along, and without saying another word, went out to continue his research.
She even used fruit candies as a reward to ask the Soviets waiting outside the train station what they wanted most when the train stopped.
Dr. Chen was almost driven crazy by this girl.
Fortunately, as the train headed towards Moscow, the scenery outside the window was truly breathtaking. Even someone like Wang Xiao, who had no zest for life and whose eyes were only on money, couldn't help but look out the window.
After all, who can resist waking up early in the morning to see Lake Baikal in spring?
Good heavens, it's so beautiful! Wang Xiao felt ashamed of his ignorance for the first time.
She was a graduate student before she transmigrated into the book, but now she couldn't say a word. Only two words were in her mind: fairyland.
The sky was so blue and the water so clear, it was really beautiful. The train took a full three hours to cross Lake Baikal, and she never seemed bothered by looking out the window, no matter when.
For the rest of the journey, the car traveled through Siberia. Snow-capped mountains, birch forests, azure lakes, birds in the sky, and splashing waves were truly picturesque, prompting tourists with cameras to snap photos incessantly, not caring at all about wasting film.
But what truly improved Dr. Chen Yanqiu's complexion was the car passing Yekaterinburg station and entering the European section.
From here, the surrounding area is mostly cities. Unlike most cities in China, which are gray and still under construction, the urban systems here are already quite well-developed.
Even a glimpse through the car window can give you a sense of the city's development.
Dr. Chen learned from chatting with people that Moscow has a 24-hour hot water supply and electricity is free for every household.
It made her wonder if the Russians were scamming her for aid, since they seemed to be living a very comfortable life.
The answer to this question can only be found when she arrives in Moscow.
The bus stopped at the last stop around 2 p.m.
Ruan Xiaomei and her husband were transferring trains from Moscow to Budapest, and the rest of the journey was going to be done by themselves, which made them extremely nervous.
Wang Xiao comforted her, "It's okay, just put your things away properly, and don't sell them to anyone who tries to buy them on the way. You'll be able to get a good price when you get to Budapest."
Ruan Xiaomei's eyes reddened: "Wang Xiao, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have been doomed."
She was genuinely grateful to Wang Xiao; without his help, even if she had connections, she wouldn't have had the money to go abroad.
The smuggler Wang Xiao arranged for her was very special; he didn't charge money, he just wanted her to carry the goods.
Once you arrive in Budapest, you can sell him your goods to offset the expenses incurred on the way.
Furthermore, since Mr. Fang had already opened a company in Budapest, he directly sent work invitations to Ruan Xiaomei and her husband Zhang Dachun, without needing a "snakehead" to process their documents.
Therefore, upon arriving in Budapest, the couple only needed to hand over half of the goods to the smuggler as payment. They sold the rest on the free market, which became their first pot of gold in Hungary.
She never even dared to dream of such a wonderful thing.
Wang Xiao smiled and simply said, "Keep it up, do a good job. Once you've settled down, we'll come to Budapest to see you next time."
She was simply too busy; otherwise, she really wanted to go and investigate the market.
To show his respect for his partner, Ivanov personally went to the train station to pick him up.
With his help, Ruan Xiaomei and Zhang Dachun boarded the train to Budapest without any problems.
As everyone exited the station, lo and behold, they stumbled upon a solemn handover ceremony.
What handover ceremony?
Do you remember? Wang Xiao and his team had VIPs on their train; they were escorts of daily necessities provided by China to the Soviet Union.
To demonstrate the importance the Communist Party of the Soviet Union placed on this batch of aid supplies and its concern for the suffering of the people, the Second Secretary of the Moscow City Committee led party cadres to the train station to load and unload the goods.
When Wang Xiao and his group passed by, the Second Secretary was shaking hands with the Chinese personnel, solemnly guaranteeing that he would absolutely not allow these supplies to enter the free market.
Ivanov was very uncooperative; he burst into laughter as soon as he walked over.
They have the nerve to brag, but he's too embarrassed to listen.
If they really had that ability and determination, then he wouldn't have a chance.
Chen Yanqiu couldn't understand Russian and looked completely bewildered.
After listening to her daughter's translation, she still didn't understand what was so funny.
Aid supplies certainly can't be sold; they have to be distributed to the people.
Ivanov shrugged, but smiled without saying a word.
When the group of Wang Xiao and his companions saw them, some compatriots with black hair and yellow skin immediately came up to them and started selling tickets: "Want some train tickets? Tickets back to Beijing. 1,000 yuan each, US dollars or rubles are fine."
Wang Xiao glanced at the scalper and asked curiously, "Which university are you studying at?"
The man grinned: "School of International Relations. How many tickets do you need? I'll count them out for you. I'll give you a discount, one hundred US dollars per ticket."
Wang Xiao shook her head: "We don't want it."
Chen Yanqiu frowned: "It can't be that expensive, it's at most five dollars."
The international student's smile remained unchanged: "Go ask around, ma'am, this is the price right now. If you don't buy it, you won't get a ticket back. There won't be any tickets for the next two to four months."
"It's okay," Wang Xiao smiled. "We'll take a plane back."
The scalper is unhappy; he's playing a trick on people.
Chen Yanqiu was still confused, so Wang Xiao explained to everyone: "Soviet train tickets are valid for two to four months. The students here have monopolized the tickets to Beijing and are selling them at inflated prices. One hundred US dollars is indeed cheap. They basically make one hundred US dollars per ticket. If they can't sell it, they'd rather destroy it than give a discount."
The colleagues at the research institute were speechless with astonishment.
Sister Miao was even more exasperated: "Did the country send them here to study so they could become scalpers? How can they live up to the country's investment in them?"
She said this because the Soviet Union was not currently accepting self-funded students; those in Moscow were all government-sponsored students.
From this perspective, when it comes to money, top students are no more ethical than underachievers, and may even be more ruthless.
Tang Yicheng also felt it was too ruthless.
The middlemen work hard carrying goods back and forth, exhausted, and it's considered quite good if they can make several times their initial investment in a single transaction.
Unlike these international students, who aim to earn twenty times their initial investment.
Sister Miao, who speaks Russian, couldn't help but complain, "Didn't the Soviet police do anything about it?"
Ivanov burst into laughter.
He had previously lost face in front of the Chinese, but now that they had turned the tables on him, he was extremely pleased.
What's there to meddle with?
These international students didn't dare sell tickets at high prices to the Soviets; they sold them to their fellow Chinese compatriots.
When people within the same group are betraying each other, is it necessary for outsiders to get involved?
Sister Miao was speechless.
When you're traveling, it's true what they say: when you meet someone from your hometown, they might stab you in the back.
Ivanov did speak up for the Chinese traders, saying, "When they're united, they're very united."
When? For example, when there's a group fight.
That was incredibly fierce, quite imposing.
Ivanov even struck a classic Bruce Lee kung fu pose.
His Chinese guests all had expressions that were hard to describe.
Thank you for the compliment.
No need to praise me anymore.
Wang Xiao was overjoyed.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with gang fights. It's normal for people overseas to stick together.
Unfortunately, Ivanov's smugness didn't last long, because as soon as he stepped out of the train station, a group of his compatriots surrounded the Chinese tourists.
Each person was holding items such as cameras, matryoshka dolls, and wooden medals, gesturing incessantly, clearly trying to sell them.
Many employees at the chemical engineering institute knew a little Russian, and they were all taken aback by this display.
Even back home, they considered themselves poor and stingy; they never expected that one day when they came to the territory of their Soviet big brother, they would be treated like rich people, and everyone wanted them to spend money to buy things.
Ivanov had to loudly disperse the crowd because something even more embarrassing was about to happen: two little girls had even come up to beg.
Dr. Chen couldn't stand seeing others suffer, so he reached out and shoved a few kopeks into the bag.
Then she became the one who felt awkward.
The two little girls didn't even bother with the small denomination kopek coins; they just shrugged and threw them away.
Wang Tiejun squatted down again and picked up the coins one by one.
Kids are so ignorant; they've never really experienced hardship.
If you're so poor that you have to beg for food, even a piece of sweet potato peel or a corncob can be a lifesaver.
In Lao Wang's view, begging is a sign of losing one's conscience, and he doesn't even care about money.
Ivanov blushed and quickly raised his voice to call out to everyone, "Let's go, let's hurry back."
Originally, there were about a hundred people in the group, and everyone thought they would be taking the subway. They were also curious about what the subway running underground would be like.
But to show his respect, Ivanov personally led a whole convoy to pick them up, making a grand entrance, with each person given a car.
Of course, it's more likely that they were each carrying two large bags of specific items. Taking the subway would be really inconvenient.
It has to be said that walking down the streets of Moscow, if you don't know the situation, it's really hard to tell that this country is in trouble.
Despite the fact that the Soviet Union had officially requested foreign aid, there were no demonstrations or large-scale rallies on the streets.
The roads are wide and bustling with traffic, and the cars on the streets are gleaming. It's no exaggeration to say that over 90% of Moscow families own a car.
This is a truly international metropolis.
Even the people lining up in long lines outside the stores showed no anger on their faces, only calm.
No wonder it is said that the Soviet Union disintegrated quietly and peacefully.
Wang Xiao now truly believes it.
She gestured for Tang Yicheng, who was sitting next to her, to look out the window: "What did you find?"
Tang Yicheng was engrossed in watching the spectacle, his eyes darting around, when he was suddenly called upon, leaving him completely bewildered.
What did you find?
Everything he saw was new to him.
But her intuition told her that Wang Xiao's concerns were definitely related to business, and it had to be something that could make money.
What do the people on the street have to do with their business?
He racked his brains for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence: "The clothes people wear on the street, well, they're quite decent."
Especially the ladies who seemed to be coming out of the theater, all of them were dressed in finery and looked very elegant.
This left him unsure how to assess the Soviet Union's economic situation.
Logically speaking, if they were receiving foreign aid for daily necessities, they should be in dire straits.
During his formative years, he also experienced similar shortages of food and clothing.
Back then, there were no men and women dressed in colorful clothes on the streets.
He even remembers clearly that the first time he saw news about Pierre Cardin in the newspaper was in a critical article that emphasized that China, which didn't even have enough clothes, didn't need any fashion at all.
But the Russians are completely different; they are really willing to spend money on clothes.
Wang Xiao touched his nose and nodded in affirmation.
In any case, he did manage to discover a key point.
but--
Shouldn't he have seen a more significant point?
My comrade, what happened to your excellent eyesight of 2.0 on both sides?
Don't you see many people on the street wearing clothes that don't fit?
That leather jacket, good heavens, couldn't even cover that guy's belly, but he wore it with great enthusiasm.
What does this mean? It means that the seller's market is now dominating the buyer's market.
What does that mean? It means that whatever goods are available in the Chinese market, international traders will bring those goods to the Moscow market.
Chinese clothing is made according to the body shape of Chinese people, and racial differences make it impossible for these clothes to fit well most of the time.
Tang Yicheng nodded blankly. Yes, that's right. But what does that mean?
Just as Wang Xiao was about to roll her eyes, she noticed that her parents in the same car were also completely bewildered, so she had no choice but to reveal the answer directly.
"First, the fact that these clothes can still be sold at high prices even when they don't fit shows that Chinese goods are indeed popular here. Just like during the nationwide shopping spree in the summer of 1988, refrigerators and washing machines had defects, but people still rushed to buy them."
Oh, now that you mention it, all three of them understand.
It's in high demand now, and I'm afraid if I don't buy it now, I won't be able to buy it later, or the price will go up.
"Secondly, we offer what others don't, and we excel at what others have. Since most clothes on the market don't fit properly, it means that if we provide clothes made according to their body shape, they will definitely be more popular."
Dr. Chen and Comrade Wang Tiejun both understood. That's right, who would want to wear ill-fitting clothes when they can afford to buy clothes that fit?
Wang Xiao didn't tell them that this was also a selling point of her international wholesale supermarket: providing customization according to customers' preferences, regardless of style, color, or size.
The current seller's market determines the buyer's market, mainly because buyers are scattered, and traders from any country are basically operating alone.
This means their product needs are scattered and fragmented, making it difficult to directly request customization from factories. After all, if you only need a few hundred pieces of a particular item, they're unlikely to set up a production line for you.
Another point is that both Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union came from the era of planned economies. Even the international traders in these countries, who are more economically savvy, are more accustomed to buying whatever is available and never imagined that they could make demands on factories.
Therefore, Wang Xiao believes that as long as she takes this step, she will have core competitiveness.
At least in the short term, it won't be easy for the average person to copy her model.
Ivanov drove himself and listened to their lively conversation, quite curious: "What are you discussing? Where do you want to go for fun after you settle in?"
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "We are discussing how we can provide you with goods that better meet the needs of the Moscow market, especially clothing and shoes."
Ivanov laughed out loud: "Then I am really looking forward to it."
What he was most satisfied with about working with Wang Xiao was that she shipped plus-size products, which resulted in excellent sales in the market.
Those who have obtained a Level 2 reseller status through him are mostly repeat customers, and he is always their first choice.
He said with great pleasure, "Actually, other sizes are also fine, but they can only be shipped from Mongolia."
Wang Xiao nodded. That's right, the Mongolian market was indeed her first choice for clearing out her clothing and footwear inventory. The two countries have similar races and body types.
Actually, the Hungarian market is okay too, as many locals have body types similar to Asians.
In short, we need to provide suitable products to meet different market demands.
This study tour abroad for the Chemical Engineering Institute was initiated by an invitation from a university in Moscow.
However, Ivanov, as the sponsor, did not arrange for everyone to stay at the university, but instead had the convoy take them to a villa area on the outskirts of Moscow.
Moscow is a forest city. As the car drove through the birch forest that made your neck ache from looking up, Wang Xiao sang the song "Birch Forest" twice in his head before the car finally stopped.
As soon as they got out of the car, good heavens, even the self-proclaimed knowledgeable director of the chemical engineering institute didn't dare to say a word.
What a beautiful villa! The main building is three stories high, and there are two auxiliary buildings on the left and right, forming a triangular shape.
They didn't know whether the huge sports field in front of the building was used for tennis, badminton, or volleyball; they guessed it could be used for any of them.
Is this Russian poor or rich?
Compared to the scale of the Russians' hospitality, their hospitality back then was really simple.
Look at this villa! It's simply magnificent. What high-ranking official must be qualified to live in a villa like this?
There was another villa behind that one, and they lived in the villa during their time in Moscow.
When everyone entered the villa, their eyes widened in astonishment, and their mouths gaped open in disbelief.
The reception room was huge, about the size of the conference room in the Chemical Engineering Institute. It could fit more than a hundred people in without feeling cramped at all.
In an instant, many people felt regret.
If I had known it would be like this, I should have been more shameless and brought my parents along. Thirty-eight kilograms of luggage—they're not seventy or eighty years old, how could they not carry it?
Look at these great conditions!
They were walking on a soft red carpet, with a huge pure marble table in front of them and a dazzling chandelier hanging overhead, the light refracted by the crystal pendant was simply bizarre and wonderful.
The marble table was laden with various tea sets, including gold and silver, ceramic, stainless steel, brass, copper, crystal, glass, and pewter, making it look like a tea set convention.
The fruits and snacks served with the tea are also plentiful and varied, each with its own unique flair.
For example, tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapples, and dragon fruit are all imported from Moscow.
Compared to these, a dozen kinds of milk and cheese are not surprising.
Even freshly baked cakes and cookies, exuding a rich, sweet aroma, pale in comparison.
Not to mention the chocolates and candies, which serve only as inconspicuous garnishes on this table.
Because the caviar was placed in the center, surrounded by other dishes, it looked very tempting under the lights.
Ivanov warmly invited his guests, who were also his porters, "Go back to your rooms and put down your luggage, then come and enjoy our Soviet afternoon tea. I guarantee it's the best caviar."
It's quite interesting, isn't it? Wang Xiao now believes that although the country had a lot of problems before it disintegrated, the general public did not want it to disintegrate.
However, she had to decline Ivanov's offer, because she urgently needed a phone call.
In fact, being as impatient as she is, she wanted to call home to arrange work when she entered the Soviet Union, but the whole border city was without power at the time, which was inconvenient everywhere, so she could only wait until now.
And it can't be delayed any longer, because Moscow time is five hours behind Beijing time.
They were enjoying the afternoon, while it was already evening in the provincial capital.
For her, anything that can be done today will absolutely not be left to linger overnight.
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