Chapter 306 Whoever Makes Trouble Will Have Food to Eat
The taxi driver's name was Tang Xinsen, and he told Xiao Peng some not-so-good news.
The protests in Minsk were far more serious than Xiao Peng had imagined. They had already spread to Belarusian State University. Students at the university had split into two factions, initially arguing, and ultimately resorting to fighting. The university was in chaos, and the military and police had intervened.
The Belarusian State University was one of the four most famous universities in the former Soviet Union! It is now one of the top universities in the CIS countries. It is really sad that it has become like this.
That’s right, the ‘CIS’, a bizarre organization led by Russia, actually still exists.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the former Soviet countries formed the "CIS" and participated in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics under the name of "CIS" and won the first place in gold medals, making people feel that the former Soviet Union has become stronger after its disintegration!
But that was short-lived. An organization wants to unite together based on the word "interest", but it is really difficult for these former Soviet Union countries to find common interests!
The Commonwealth of Independent States, once composed of twelve nations, now consists of only nine, with Minsk as its headquarters. The chaos in Minsk has even affected the city's best schools. The CIS, already somewhat ostensibly dead in name only, is likely to face a difficult time.
Xiao Peng asked, "Brother Tang, why did this incident even reach the school? Are these students crazy?"
Tang Xinsen shook his head. "Who knows? You think you're right, and I think I'm right. If we can't agree, what can we do? Just fight! Which of these intellectuals is a pushover? Go ahead and make a fuss. They're all just throwing their lives away! Having lived this long, I've finally seen enough to see large groups of people protesting and marching on the streets every day."
Xiao Peng frowned and asked, "What do those students mean?"
After hearing this, Tang Xinsen laughed as he drove, "It's quite convincing. The older people who've experienced hard times are the more they support Lukashenko, while the younger and more inexperienced people are the more they support the opposition. In my opinion, they're just too full! The other day I pulled a few students over, and they actually said that Belarus only has hope if it joins Russia and becomes one of their provinces. Are they selling out their country? And these rioting students themselves don't know where to turn. Some even say they hope Western countries will send troops to intervene. They're not even sure who should be the boss!"
Xiao Peng laughed: "Why do you say that just like in Lebanon?"
Over a year ago, a massive explosion rocked a warehouse at the Beirut port in Lebanon. Following the blast, tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens took to the streets to protest the government's inaction. Among them, a group of Lebanese intellectuals proposed a brilliant idea: Lebanon should join France and become a French province—it's not something that hasn't been done before.
For such a person, Xiao Peng can only give a thumbs up: Awesome!
Even the "public intellectuals" in China wouldn't dare say that! There's always someone stronger than the strongest!
Tang Xinsen laughed and said, "These young people are easily impulsive and always think they are right. Only after experiencing more things do they realize how ignorant they are."
Xiao Peng asked, "Brother Tang, what do you think will happen here in the end?"
Tang Xinsen spread his hands. "Who cares? I can eat no matter who's in charge here. You say these so-called 'opposition' protesters are really stupid. The 'opposition governments' are all in Lithuania and Poland, and they just remotely control these young people from foreign countries to rush up. A good country has been turned into this! No one will believe that there are no other countries involved. Hey, if Lu really steps down, well, a new Ukraine will be born! Where are you staying? I'll take you to the hotel first."
Xiao Peng said, "We booked a room at the Beijing Hotel."
After hearing this, Tang Xinsen whistled: "People who come from China are rich!"
The Beijing Hotel Minsk is located right next to the Minsk railway station and about 40 kilometers from the airport. It is one of the best hotels in Minsk.
In fact, the environment of Minsk European Hotel is better, but Xiao Peng and his friends will stay here just because of the name.
Tang Xinsen asked curiously while driving, "What are you doing here? You don't look like you're here to study abroad!"
Xiao Peng smiled and said, "We came to Minsk State University to find an old professor for some business, but we listened to his advice and had a full meal. Let's first understand what the market is like here."
"That's right!" Tang Xinsen nodded and said, "Safety is the first priority when you're out! You can tell you're not a recent traveler. People who've just gone abroad usually go wherever there's a crowd. But there are so many people who end up missing out on the fun!"
Xiao Peng laughed heartily: "How are the Chinese doing now if there's such a commotion? Are they safe?"
Tang Xinsen said, "Belarus is nicknamed 'Little Soviet Union'. With that name, the security must be good. Old Lu has been maintaining high internal security since taking office. It's no wonder that this is just a petty theft. Otherwise, how could Chinese people be the largest number of foreign immigrants in Belarus? And Belarusians really like Chinese people!"
Xiao Peng asked: "Why do Belarusians like Chinese people?"
Tang Xinsen shrugged and said, "It's all about money! When I first came here more than ten years ago, although the people here were generally friendly towards China, they were more curious. At that time, the question I was asked most was: Do ordinary Chinese families have TVs? ... But then our country became rich. In fact, every country in the world is the same. Only when you are strong will others look up to you. In 2010, our country's GDP surpassed Japan. In 2014, it was twice that of Japan. In 2017, it expanded even more. Since then, the mainstream media here have reported on China's economic take-off. There have been basically no negative reports in recent years. In addition, almost all of our new international students are rich and powerful. Buying cars here is cheap, so many children come here to buy cars and rent houses directly. They live a life that makes people here jealous. How can they not like Chinese people?"
Xiao Peng smiled: "Does their commotion have any impact on the Chinese people?"
"Why isn't there an impact?" Tang Xinsen complained. "There are fewer people coming now because of this commotion. I'm also making less money driving a taxi! Isn't it better to live a peaceful life?"
After hearing this, Xiao Peng turned around and translated Tang Xinsen's words to Kashin: "Kashin, what do you think about this? I want to hear your opinion as a Russian."
Kashin was silent for a moment before saying, "It's hard to say right now, but I can be sure of one thing: Belarus is following the path of the former Soviet Union. I mean, the path of the disintegration of the former Soviet Union."
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