Chapter 219 You wouldn't happen to have a crush on me, would you?: Ha, men.
The No. 2 oil and gas field project will have to wait a little longer.
The winters on Sakhalin Island are just too cold; any plans to take action will have to wait until it gets warmer.
They always need to find a solid, appropriate, and impeccable reason; otherwise, if the Americans argue with them, they will most likely have a hard time winning.
What do you mean by that?
After reaping the wealth of the Soviet Union through the ruble's collapse, the only resources that could interest the United States in Russia were its oil and gas fields.
Regarding the shelling of the White House, many in Russia now believe that their president consulted the Americans before taking action.
Moreover, Wang Xiao, the transmigrator, happened to have a cheat code, knowing that even though this president was utterly disrespectful, he had always pursued a pro-American policy, and even consulted with the US president on the selection of his successor.
In this context, and under this government background, they can only seize opportunities to acquire more oil and gas field projects.
After Christmas, Wang Xiao and Ivanov set off for Novokuznetsk, which means "new blacksmith city" in Russian.
Needless to say, this place has a large steel mill.
And it's not just one company.
These are the West Siberian Steel Plant and the Kuznetsk Steel Company, both well-known large steel plants in Russia.
Kuznetsk Steel Company, one of the three major steel plants in the Soviet Union, was built in 1929 with American aid.
Before Wang Xiao traveled through time, he had seen some old railways in China that used steel rails produced by the Kuznetsk Steel Plant in the early days of the People's Republic of China.
Siberia in December is bitterly cold; as far as the eye can see, everything is a vast expanse of white. Winters here are a world of ice and snow.
However, when the train reached the Novokuznetsk region, the color of the snow outside changed, turning gray.
At first, looking through the car window, Wang Xiao thought it was just cement exposed after the snow had been cleared, hence the grayish color.
As a result, when they got off the train, or more specifically, when the train doors opened, she felt like she was suffocating.
Oh my god, the air is poisonous!
Without saying a word, Lyuba quickly made her put on her mask and then pulled her hat down even further.
After Wang Xiao got out of the car, she realized why her assistants had prepared sunglasses for her.
She originally thought they were worried about her snow blindness, but it turns out they were just trying to keep the dust out.
Yes, literally, to block cigarette ash.
It was all gray and covered in white ash. The ground, the rooftops, and the snow that hadn't been swept away were all covered in white ash.
As they got into the car and headed towards the steel plant, the dust on the road grew thicker and thicker, leaving clear footprints wherever they went.
Wang Xiao couldn't believe his eyes: "How do people live here?"
After she transmigrated, she spent a lot of time living in a steel factory.
Compared to Shougang and Baosteel, Jinning Steel Plant can no longer stand tall. And to be fair, it does have pollution issues, but it's not quite at that level. While they can't guarantee the quality of their plants, lush greenery is a basic requirement.
But what about the Kuznetsk Steel Plant? She looked around and couldn't see any trees.
You know, Russia is famous for its abundant forests.
In Wang Xiao's opinion, this place is not suitable for people to live or work in.
The assistant explained awkwardly, "This factory was built too early, the equipment is outdated, and the technology is backward, so the situation is rather poor. The West Siberian Steel Plant is much better; it was built in the 1960s."
But Wang Xiao was still puzzled: "I've been to the Azov steel plant in Ukraine, and it's not like that."
“They burn natural gas there,” Ivanov explained. “But here, it’s close to the coalfield, so they burn coal.”
Oh, that's a big difference indeed.
The gray sky was quiet. The car drove forward, passing through the tram station, and happened to run into the workers getting off work.
Looking at the faces approaching outside the car window, Wang Xiao felt an indescribable sadness.
How to describe it? She felt like she was watching "The Volga Boatmen".
Yes, none of the steelworkers leaving the factory were dressed in rags. In the Siberian winter, who would dare not be dressed warmly?
But their dusty bodies, ashen faces, and silent demeanor inexplicably overlapped with the sorrowful faces of the boatmen.
Wang Xiao had never seen steelworkers like this before; the workers at Jinning Steel Plant would never act like this. No matter the time, as soon as they finished work, they would always leave their posts chatting and laughing.
There was a heavy truck blocking the way, and the truck was empty.
The driver had no choice but to stop the car early and let the bosses walk to the steel plant.
Wang Xiao didn't care.
Although she really disliked the polluted air of this steel city, she also felt tired from sitting in the car for so long.
But the tragedy occurred the moment she got off the bus.
She looked up and saw thick black smoke billowing into the sky above the factory, wave after wave, like a volcanic eruption; the next second, the black smoke loomed over their heads like dark clouds pressing down on the city.
These black chimneys also exist in the suburbs of Moscow, but probably because of the abundance of forests, they don't reach such a massive, sky-blocking effect.
Then, something incredible happened.
The dark clouds really did bring rain!
The black ash fell like raindrops, densely covering her head and face.
Even with sunglasses perched on her nose, Wang Xiao was so frightened that she closed her eyes and lowered her head, waiting for the black and gray rain to pass.
When she finally waited until the "rain" subsided a little, she opened her eyes again, looked down, and felt everything go black.
It's so dark, really dark!
Her light gray coat was covered in black ash.
It wasn't the kind of ash that you could just blow away; it was a glossy black putty.
Wang Xiao let out a wail; her coat was completely ruined.
Upon seeing this, Ivanov burst into laughter: "Your Majesty, haha, we've become a masked mess!"
He laughed too soon; the black ash drifted into his mouth, making him angrily spit out a string of "Pui pui pui!"
The bodyguards and assistants around them all stifled their laughter.
Wang Xiao doesn't need it.
She couldn't smile.
Because she saw the workers, those who had finished get off work and were standing by the station waiting for the tram, each of them covered in black ash from head to toe.
But none of them hid or evaded; they simply stood there indifferently, continuing to wait for the tram without moving.
Even when faced with the disheveled state of this group of glamorous, clearly outsider visitors, they didn't laugh.
There was neither mocking ridicule nor good-natured laughter.
All that remained on their faces was the same indifference as the smoky gray sky. They, along with this weary and desolate land, silently waited for the black ash to continue falling.
Wang Xiao didn't know how to describe her feelings.
If she were a sensitive person, she would surely feel that the city was dead, and those wandering in its corners were all homeless souls.
But she wasn't, so her heart felt even heavier.
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Ivanov cursed. "My God, are we really about to enter the 21st century? We are still living in the early 20th century."
Wang Xiao thought so too.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was the world's second largest economy. How could it have allowed environmental pollution to reach this level?
The group hurried back to the factory in a disheveled state.
Then their shoes were ruined too, because the ground was covered in a thick layer of black ash.
Finally, the dust seemed to have lessened a bit, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After catching her breath, Wang Xiao felt that it would have been better if she hadn't caught her breath at all, because she was worried that if she stayed there for another hour, she would develop more nodules in her lungs.
The air was extremely polluted.
I wonder if the air purifier can continue to work in this environment.
The assistant led the way so they could meet up with the people they had arranged to meet.
Before he could even connect to the line, someone came out of the factory building ahead.
Upon seeing Wang Xiao and Ivanov, the man with red hair peeking out from under his hat became excited. He pointed in their direction and turned to the man next to him to complain, "Look, Vladimir, I wasn't wrong. Our Ivanov has completely become this Chinese woman's puppet. See? They rushed over immediately, wanting to get the steel that China needs most cheaply."
Wang Xiao squinted at the man in his early thirties; she knew his age, it wasn't just a guess.
In fact, she had no idea how old the Slavs were. Just as they often misunderstood the ages of East Asians.
She knew because she knew him; he was Ivanov's friend.
What was her name again? Oh, Yura Levitan.
They were fairly familiar with each other, after all, they had argued over the phone.
“Mr. Levitan,” Wang Xiao said preemptively, his words catching everyone off guard, “Are you secretly in love with me?”
Yura was engrossed in chirping when she heard the sound and almost choked on her own saliva. She retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't think your spells can bewitch everyone. How could I possibly be interested in you!"
As he spoke, he looked Wang Xiao up and down with disdain, implying that she should take a good look at herself in the mirror.
In Russian culture, this is considered extremely disliked.
According to Soviet tradition, Soviet men were generally extremely gentlemanly towards women.
For example, if the director of a research institute takes his secretary to a meeting, even if he is of high rank and older, he will still carry the secretary's luggage. There is no special reason; that's just how society works.
Of course, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the deterioration of the socio-economic situation, this gentlemanly demeanor gradually began to disappear.
Nevertheless, it must be extremely shameful for a young woman to be so disdainful to a man in person.
But who is Wang Xiao? Despite her face being covered in shiny black grease, she considers herself radiant.
How could she possibly be discouraged by a poor man who couldn't even win an argument with her?
She continued walking, step by step approaching Yura, raising her eyebrows with a half-smile: "Oh, if you don't have a crush on me, why do you always resort to these clumsy little tricks to try and get my attention?"
Yura was still traumatized by her last confrontation, so she couldn't help but bluster and say, "Are you crazy! You treacherous witch, why would I be interested in you?"
“Because I’m smart, you know, intellectual homosexuality?” Wang Xiao was more than a head shorter than him, but that didn’t stop her from standing on the steps and looking down at him. “I possess the wisdom you dream of, and at least I would never utter such absurd and stupid words as the steel that China dreams of!”
Yura's face turned pale with anger: "Don't think you can fool people with your sweet talk. You just want to swindle Russian steel at a price!"
Ivanov covered his face with his hands, letting out a painful groan: "God, Yura, shut up! Now I finally know why our Russian economic reforms have always failed!"
While he was at the China Export Commodities Fair, he was secretly mocking those Chinese manufacturers who lived in the Soviet era and had no idea how fast the Moscow market changed.
Now, their Russian officials are even more outrageous, actually saying such stupid things as at the end of 1993 that China urgently needed Russian steel!
“Go to the port and see how much steel is piled up there that no one is picking up. China tightened its policies this summer, and the real estate and infrastructure boom is over. Our products, all steel, construction machinery, transportation machinery and steel raw materials related to construction, have no market. If you want to get cheap goods, I’ll go to the port and get them directly at half or even a third of the price, without having to go through such a long transportation process.”
Ivanov complained, "Haven't you all noticed that barter trade between the two countries has plummeted in the past six months?"
He couldn't help but sneer, "Oh, you really don't have time for that, you're too busy fighting with Congress. In our country, the high-ranking people are busy exchanging large amounts of oil for US dollars and depositing them into foreign bank accounts."
He shook his head. "Only those unfortunate souls whose income is even lower than during the Soviet era, the lower classes who are invisible to the upper class, need cheap Chinese goods. But what does it matter how many of them there are? The upper class never hears their voices."
“Ivanov!” Yura blushed, instinctively defending herself, “My work has nothing to do with border trade, I’m not even in charge of the economy. Don’t just label me like that.”
Ivanov showed no sign of letting him off the hook: "So what? So you, a high-ranking government official, know nothing about the country's economic situation? Then, may I ask, what did you base your decisions on? An economic report from a year ago, or decisions made on a whim?"
Yura was losing ground, and it seemed that spending too much time with Chinese women had made him speak more harshly.
"Alright, my friend!" he made a gesture that was almost pleading. "If you don't want steel, what are you doing at the Kuznetsk Steel Plant?"
Ivanov was baffled: "I'm a businessman, of course I'm here to discuss business. But what are you all doing here?"
Yura refused to answer his question and instead pressed him, "Ha! Didn't you look down on steel? Then what business are you doing at the steel mill?"
"Special steel! Our oil and gas fields need to build oil and gas pipelines, and we need special steel." If it weren't for the fact that rolling his eyes seemed beneath Ivanov's masculinity, he really would have rolled his eyes. "This was Wang's suggestion. Otherwise, we would have just imported from Japan. Japan currently holds more than 90% of the world's share in oil pipelines."
Wang Xiao smoothly picked up the conversation: "But now I've changed my mind. I think it's more appropriate for us to directly import special steel from Japan. The Kuznetsk Steel Plant is outdated and there's probably no way to restart its production line."
She couldn't hide her furrowed brows when she spoke.
Here, as Ivanov said, it seems as if we are still in the period before the full-scale outbreak of World War II.
It may even be more dilapidated than it was then.
After all, the Kuznetsk Steel Plant, which was newly built back then, could never have looked so desolate and dilapidated now.
Wang Xiao is a man who knows how to stab someone in the back: "I really didn't expect it to turn out like this. In the 1930s, it was one of the best steel mills in the world. I believe that even if it hadn't updated its equipment for 60 years, it shouldn't be like this."
Before the other person could defend themselves, she sighed heavily again, "Now I believe what the Americans say: the Soviet management system was inherently flawed."
“You are willing to spend a lot of time and money to import advanced equipment from the West, but you are unwilling to spend a little money on equipment maintenance.”
"Once anything good belongs to you, it becomes worthless, and you can waste it however you want."
Perhaps it was a case of suspicion breeding malice, but Ivanov always felt that Wang Xiao's words had a hidden meaning.
It's like a story about Slavic men who are passionate when pursuing women, but once they've caught up, they abandon them.
But Wang Xiao hadn't thought of this at all.
How Slavic men pursue women is none of her business; she was talking about Russian factories.
"It is said that Hoffman, the engineer from Miller Company who supervised the construction of the lubricant factory, once said after returning to his country that the Soviet factory he supervised cost 5 million, but only had maintenance tools worth 25 yuan. The investment in one piece of equipment in a workshop could reach 500,000, but there wasn't even a cloth to wipe oil stains. Hoffman went to a foreign guest store to buy cloth to use as a rag. As a result, the factory workers took the cloth and used it to make clothes for their own children."
Yura couldn't help but argue, "That's the Soviet Union's fault, not the workers'. The workers took the cloth because all the good stuff in the Soviet Union went to privileged individuals and foreign dignitaries. Ordinary workers and peasants were severely exploited; they simply couldn't get enough cloth to make clothes for their children. He was doing it so his children could survive, not because he was greedy or selfish!"
Wang Xiao nodded: "I understand, so I don't think your liking is offensive to me. At least you know that hard-working people shouldn't have to bear all the blame."
The Soviet Union's system of special supplies began in the 1920s and can be said to have accompanied the entire history of the Soviet regime from its birth to its demise. The blatant existence of privileges turned the Soviet Union's emphasis on fairness into an ironic joke.
There are always some people who are fairer than others.
This is not the fault of socialism.
Even the best systems can become distorted and deformed, and even the most well-intentioned efforts can go astray and fail.
Because it is always people who implement policies.
However, Yura did not find the joy of discovering like-minded people; instead, she was deeply angry: "Hey! I'll say it again, I don't like you!"
"That's because you have such low taste, you don't know how to appreciate things," Ivanov scoffed. "Alright, let's not waste each other's time. As you wish, we won't bother with the Kuznetsk Steel Plant, we'll just buy special steel from Japan."
As he spoke, he turned around, lifted his foot, and strode forward without even saying goodbye.
“Ivanov.” Major General Punonin, who had been silently standing by in the background and was the one Yura had just complained about—Vlamikil—called out to his friend, “Don’t be angry with Yura. He came here specifically for you.”
Unfortunately, Ivanov was not moved at all; instead, he became even angrier: "You're spying on me? Ha, God, you're still playing the secret police game!"
Yura was truly enraged this time: "Ivanov, is this something you should be saying? We're concerned about you! Do you know how dangerous you are right now? You're hanging out with communists, what kind of people are you surrounded by?"
Ivanov retorted, "I should be asking you that! Look at the idiots around you, what kind of information they're giving you, and what kind of stupid things they're saying! At least I don't hang out with morons!"
"Alright, alright." Now that Major General Punonin had spoken, he couldn't remain a bystander any longer and could only try to persuade both sides. "Ivanov, don't misinterpret Yura's goodwill. He recommended you. He said that if there's anyone in Russia who wants to improve industry, it's you."
He said this because of the prevailing trend in the Western world.
Western countries are undergoing deindustrialization; this is the current social trend. In almost all developed countries, the proportion of manufacturing workers in the total workforce is declining, while the proportion of service sector workers is rising rapidly.
It is considered one of the hallmarks of developed countries.
Russia's current reforms are mainly modeled after those of the United States.
However, some voices within the government also believe that deindustrialization cannot be as swift and decisive as in the United States, because the two countries have different foundations.
Large factories, and factories that can be saved, should still be saved through concerted efforts.
Otherwise, with so many workers losing their jobs, the country will descend into complete chaos.
According to the established plan, these factories must be privatized.
However, although the Moscow government's official slogan is to make the factory truly belong to all the workers.
But the government doesn't actually believe that worker self-governance can cure the factory.
The saying "Too many officials lead to chaos" and "Three monks have no water to drink" applies to many situations.
They prefer to select suitable leaders and let these qualified managers take office to save the factory.
It was against this backdrop that Ivanov came into their view.
Yura continued angrily, "I regret it too. I withdrew. He was completely surrounded by red. He wasn't using his brain at all."
Ivanov retorted without any hesitation: "Red? Are you saying I give them living allowances? Don't worry, when you white people go to jail, I'll bring you food and drink too!"
Their argument would surely leave outsiders completely bewildered.
But everyone present knew that Yura was accusing Ivanov of funding the families of members of parliament who opposed the government.
Before October 15th, these family members were ordered to move out of the government-owned housing where they lived.
On the surface, this seems to be the right thing to do.
You can't hold my bowl and then not listen to my orders.
The problem is that Russian government housing was inherited from the Soviet Union, and now, apart from a small number of private homeowners, the vast majority of Russians live in houses that were allocated to them by the government during the Soviet era.
This makes the government's act of forcibly reclaiming the housing of opposition lawmakers seem less reasonable.
But when power is at its peak, and the president is even firing cannons at Congress, who will care about the rights of the losers?
After these people were forced to evacuate, Ivanov did not follow the principle of "out of sight, out of mind," but instead provided them with assistance.
He arranged for people to help repair the clothes and bedding needed for winter, the food, vegetables, eggs, milk and meat needed for daily life, and even the damaged country villa in the suburbs.
From this perspective, Yura's criticism of Ivanov's alleged communist tendencies seems reasonable.
But that's just an appearance.
Anyone with a modicum of political and economic savvy wouldn't be so naive!
Wang Xiao once again felt deeply that the world really is a giant makeshift organization. And this current Russian Federation government is especially so!
Their rise to power was most likely due to the fact that others didn't.
Putting everything else aside, haven't you watched the US election? Tell me, how many super-rich people don't bet on both sides and make political donations to both?
Which side do they support? They don't support either side; they only support those who can make them money.
In Moscow, so what if the parliamentarians fall? As the saying goes, fortunes change every thirty years. How do you know he won't make a comeback someday?
Even if the parliamentary faction's propositions no longer win the hearts of the people, it won't stop them from changing their tune and making a comeback!
Any mature businessman or enterprise will not simply treat political relationships as cold and indifferent.
The client resigned today to start his own business. As a former service provider, I'll lend a hand whenever I can.
Is it because I believe in his/her ability to build a career on his/her own?
No, he/she is very likely to mess it up.
But so what? Even if he or she messes up, he or she can still go back to their original company and continue being my client!
So by then, my initial act of reaching out will be seen as a gesture of goodwill, a result of my extremely low-price buying, and its significance will be no less than that of purchasing a hot initial public offering (IPO) stock.
Ivanov's current funding of the families of disgraced politicians carries the same meaning.
Of course, Ivanov wouldn't say that; he acts more in accordance with his own conscience.
So now, when faced with criticism from his friends, he can genuinely shout out: "If that day ever comes, don't worry. I remember your grandfather, like mine, suffered a leg injury during the Great Patriotic War and can't be exposed to cold. I'll find him the best acupuncturist, and I'll make sure his room is warm and cozy!"
Yura was at a loss, instinctively spreading her arms wide and muttering, "Hey! Ivanov, you know, that's not what I meant, I..."
Major General Punonin was a step faster than him, or perhaps it was because he was taller and had longer arms.
Like a mother hen, he pulled them both into his arms and said, "Don't do this, we're the best of brothers."
Wang Xiao, watching from the side, was utterly speechless.
Here we go again, these guys, always causing trouble.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
