Chapter 557
Making Friends with Putin
Chapter 557 Making Friends with Putin (4000 words)
Of course, there was no sexual transaction involved.
Lin Xiaohe looked at the man in front of her and was momentarily dazed.
He was thinner than he appeared in the video. His cheekbones were sharply defined, making his grey eyes appear even deeper. He wore a well-tailored suit that accentuated the strong lines of his shoulders.
His gaze was as sharp as a searchlight, not missing a single expression on the other person's face. His lips were thin, pursed into a thin line, and he stood there like a sword sheathed in its sheath; only Lin Xiaohe knew how sharp this sword would be once drawn.
Putin looks exactly like that person on Earth.
Lin Xiaohe's thoughts were racing.
If many coincidences come together, are they really just coincidences?
Earth, Blue Star, Guixu Star, and this node world are like twin sisters, so similar.
In particular, the people and events that appear in this node world, including the historical development, are almost a 1:1 replica of Earth.
This often made Lin Xiaohe feel like she had traveled back to Earth in the 1990s.
From a scientific perspective, when the sample size of the universe approaches infinity, there must exist two identical planets, or even organisms.
But is it really possible for four identical ones to appear at once?
"Ms. Lin?" Putin called out softly when he saw the young woman in front of him staring blankly.
He was very curious about Lin Xiaohe.
Just as he was facing impeachment, Andrei suddenly appeared. Although he was a fellow alumnus, the timing of his appearance was too coincidental.
After meeting Andrei for the first time, Putin sent people to investigate his background. They learned that Andrei had been a black glove for Colonel Ivanov in the Far East, which led to conspiracy theories. Could Andrei be an undercover agent sent by the military?
Andrei, clearly aware of Putin's concerns, stated directly that a state-owned factory manager from the East had recommended him to Putin.
Putin was completely bewildered; he was certain that he had no acquaintances or friends from the East.
With these questions in mind, and after Andrei perfectly helped him resolve his crisis, Putin asked Andrei to help him make an introduction.
That's why we had this meeting tonight.
Lin Xiaohe regained her composure, reached out and shook the pair of strong, powerful hands with distinct knuckles: "Hello, Mr. Putin."
"Why don't we sit down and talk?"
The room was small, about twenty square meters, with a wooden table, two chairs, and a print of the Neva River hanging on the wall. The stove was burning, so the room wasn't much warmer than the outside.
Lin Xiaohe didn't know why the other party chose such a... dilapidated little hotel.
To be honest, this environment is very incongruous with the identity of the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.
Lin Xiaohe thought for a moment and realized that Putin had only been in politics for two or three years. Before that, he had been so poor that he had to drive a taxi.
Given the pitiful state of the Russian economy, Putin would indeed be quite strapped for cash if he didn't make a big profit.
Lin Xiaohe thought of a lot of things, but her face remained expressionless.
She sat down at the wooden table.
On the table were a bottle of vodka, two glasses, a plate of black bread, and a few slices of cured fatty meat.
Putin walked over, poured wine, pushed one glass towards him, and picked up another for himself. There was no clinking of glasses, no formalities, he simply raised his glass briefly, and then drank it all in one gulp.
Lin Xiaohe did it too.
Putin sat down, looked at Lin Xiaohe, and his first question was direct: "You know me? Why did you send Andrei to find me?"
Lin Xiaohe met his gaze: "Because you're about to be sent in."
The gray-eyed man narrowed his eyes: "You're very interested in the politics of our Russian country?"
"Of course. A fallen bear will attract jackals, and greedy capital will tear the bear apart. But I'm different. What I want is a stable market and a steady stream of韭菜 (a metaphor for easily exploited investors)."
"Chives?" The gray-eyed man didn't speak, but just looked at Lin Xiaohe, his wariness growing even stronger.
Lin Xiaohe thought for a moment and organized her thoughts: "Well, a plant with extremely strong vitality and reproductive ability."
Putin: "So you sent Andrei to find me?" His voice was flat, but every word was like a nail. "Do you know who I am? Do you know what the consequences will be in Moscow if you get involved with me?"
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the political scene in Russia could be described in one word: jungle warfare.
The collapse of the old order and the lack of a new one has created a power vacuum.
The struggle between the administration led by Yeltsin and the State Duma (lower house of parliament) represented by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation was intense.
Just last year, in 1993, due to political differences, Yeltsin even launched an army to bombard the White House, the seat of parliament, causing serious bloodshed and ultimately establishing the presidential system as a superpower through a new constitution.
Even so, the opposition in the Duma never stopped impeaching Yeltsin.
Putin would not normally have been involved in power struggles, but with the help of his mentor Sobchak, he successfully became the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, during a hunting trip in St. Petersburg this year, Yeltsin was suddenly attacked by a wild boar. The officials present panicked, but Putin calmly fired two shots, killing the wild boar, leaving a deep impression on Yeltsin.
Yeltsin's attention to Putin has drawn the attention of the Duma opposition.
Putin was forced to get involved in this vortex.
Lin Xiaohe looked at him and said, "I know."
"Then you still dare to come?"
Lin Xiaohe pointed to the wine bottle on the table: "How much does this bottle of wine cost in a Moscow store?"
Putin frowned: "Five hundred rubles?"
"Five hundred rubles," Lin Xiaohe nodded. "Enough for a retired worker to live on for half a month. But the people here drink without batting an eye. Why?"
Putin didn't answer, he just looked at her.
"Because you're not afraid of the cold," Lin Xiaohe continued, "Even at minus thirty degrees Celsius, you still drink it. After you finish drinking, you go about your business the next day."
She paused: "Someone like me can't survive here. I'm afraid of the cold. But I know a type of person who isn't afraid, the kind of person who can stand by the window looking at Neva River prints even after being accused of thirty-two crimes."
Pukin stared at Lin Xiaohe for a long time, then his lips twitched slightly—it was a very brief movement, and it was unclear whether it could be considered a smile.
"You're a factory manager in Dongguo? Selling color TVs? To be honest, I find it a bit hard to believe. You look very young, which doesn't seem to fit Dongguo's work style."
Lin Xiaohe shrugged: "When I took over, it was a factory with only 300 old, weak, sick and disabled workers left. It only had debt on the books and no funds. If the workers hadn't blocked the door, even the few remaining production lines would have been taken away by the former management. Actually, the factory wasn't that bad, but you know, it's enterprise reform."
Putin felt a deep sense of sympathy.
The situation in Russia was much worse than in the East. The widespread privatization was essentially a transfer of state-owned wealth, a forced division and auction of the assets of all citizens led by the state.
His eyes flickered, he rubbed his temples, and a barely perceptible worry flashed across his face: "The process of privatization must be approached with extreme caution." In 92, in order to quickly break with the Soviet system, the Soviet government chose radical shock therapy. In order to win popular support for the reforms, they designed a seemingly fair populist plan.
This means issuing a privatization certificate worth 1 rubles to every citizen of the Russian bear country, including newborn babies, claiming it as the wealth accumulated by the country over 70 years, and that everyone has a share.
The government is giving out money, doesn't that seem great?
But here's the dark humor: due to hyperinflation, by the end of this year, the real value of this security will only be enough to buy two kilograms of sausages.
Thinking of this, Putin downed a glass of vodka in one gulp. His chest felt tight, and there were some things he didn't want to say to this East Asian man in front of him; he could only digest them alone.
But this woman from the East was exceptionally straightforward, piercing people's hearts: "Our situations are very similar. There's constant arguing in the East. Some advocate for a one-step approach, complete privatization, letting the market decide. Others advocate for a gradual approach, starting with contracting out and then restructuring. Still others advocate for not doing anything and waiting for funding from above."
"After arguing for three years, we finally realized that neither side was useful. The only ones who were useful were those who didn't want to die."
Putin's eyes widened. So, the Eastern Kingdom had already outpaced the Russian Bear Kingdom?!
Lin Xiaohe continued, "It's the same here. The shockists, Gaidar and his gang, wanted to deregulate prices all at once, privatize state-owned enterprises all at once, and make the ruble freely convertible all at once. And what was the result? The ruble became worthless, factories became empty shells, and workers became beggars."
"The moderates, like Chernomyrdin and his group, wanted to take it slow, protecting the big factories first and then letting go of the small ones. But what happened? They couldn't protect the big factories, and they couldn't let go of the small ones, ending up losing on both fronts."
"The 'wait-to-die' faction goes without saying; they're just hoping Moscow will give them money every day. Does Moscow have money? No."
Putin remained silent for a long time, and finally said with a wry smile, "You really don't seem like a traditional Easterner. You could have said it more tactfully."
Lin Xiaohe shrugged: "I'm sorry, I made you sad."
"...Aren't you afraid of offending me?"
Lin Xiaohe laughed heartily: "I've offended far too many people, you probably don't even make the list."
Pu Jin smiled slightly and clinked glasses with Lin Xiaohe.
Everything is left unsaid; some things are best left unsaid.
The two were like old friends, drinking together in a run-down little hotel, listening to the howling wind outside the window.
Putin spoke slowly: “I’m getting something in St. Petersburg called a license.” He said, “Restaurant owners, auto repair shop owners, small factory owners—all they need to do is pay a fee, get a license, and they can operate legally. No need to wait for approval from above, no need to wait for bank loans, no need to wait for policies to be implemented.”
He examined his wine glass: "Some people criticize me, saying that I'm paving the way for capitalists and betraying socialism. Some people laugh at me, saying that this little bit of tinkering is useless. Eighteen thousand people are waiting to be fed, what can a few small restaurants solve?"
He took a sip: "I don't know what this can solve. But I know that if I dare not do anything, I definitely won't solve anything."
Lin Xiaohe looked at him and said, "That's normal. When I first arrived at Changhong Factory, no one believed in me either. Even now, many people still question the proposals I put forward."
Putin raised his glass: "Cheers to us!"
The clinking of wine glasses was crystal clear.
Putin looked at the painting on the wall and slowly began to speak: "My father worked as a fitter at the Kirov factory for forty years. The year he retired, the factory held a farewell party for him and gave him a watch engraved with 'Labor Hero.' He wore it every day, and he was still wearing it when he died."
"When he died, the factory was gone. The workers had left, the workshop was empty, and the machines had been dismantled and sold for scrap metal. He never understood how the place he had worked his whole life could just disappear like that."
Lin Xiaohe: "In our area, there was a worker who also jumped off a building. He had worked in the factory for decades, and when the factory was being dismantled, he jumped out of his home window."
Lin Xiaohe paused for a moment: "His son later told me that my dad didn't want to die, he just couldn't understand it."
The fire in the stove crackled and popped.
Gray Eyes picked up the bottle and filled both glasses.
He picked up his glass and raised it towards Lin Xiaohe.
"For those who can't understand."
Lin Xiaohe picked up her glass and clinked it with hers.
The two drank it all in one gulp.
Putin put down his cup and looked at Lin Xiaohe: "What is your position?"
"In line with the trend of enterprise reform, we should strengthen supervision, provide a safety net and protection for enterprise employees, and avoid barbaric and one-size-fits-all reforms."
Putin neither confirmed nor denied: "A very good idea."
Simply strengthening regulation can unleash a massive wave.
Lin Xiaohe smiled, her eyes like crescent moons: "I've succeeded in the first step. I used the power of the masses to drive away the parasites in our county. Those that couldn't be driven away only dared to cower obediently."
Pukin was surprised; he was truly impressed by Lin Xiaohe: "I respect you."
"No, it's a tribute to us."
Putin chuckled: "You think so highly of me?"
"Of course." This is a man who rose to the top in just three years!
Killing an oligarch is as easy as killing a chicken.
Putin didn't know where the other party's confidence in him came from, but he had to admit that this trust made him very happy.
"Okay, toast us."
The two then launched a scathing attack on the corruption that occurred during the privatization process.
Putin's face was flushed red, like Guan Yu, and he spoke at an astonishing speed: "It's all a fucking transaction! According to regulations, company employees and management can choose three options to acquire company shares. As a result, more than 70% of companies choose the option where insiders, mainly managers, hold the majority of shares. These people use their information advantage and authority to acquire controlling stakes in a large number of companies through securities auctions!"
Seeing Putin's indignation, Lin Xiaohe nodded repeatedly: "Same here, same here!"
Putin slammed his fist on the table: "They all deserve to die!"
Lin Xiaohe realized she might really be drunk, and chimed in, "My dear friend, once you're in power, you can use your experience as a secret agent to make an example of them. No matter how rich they are, first take them under control, then issue an investigation order. I guarantee 100% that the evidence will only be delayed, not absent! Let's crush these oligarchs!"
Putin, his heart pounding with excitement, roared, "Kill them!"
Andrei's calm expression was about to crack.
Oh, his mysterious, elegant, and powerful female factory manager from the East.
Oh, his decisive and ruthless deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, like a lurking beast.
You guys are really like this!
My God, after seeing all this, will he even make it home alive?
Lin Xiaohe picked up a piece of cured fatty meat, her pupils suddenly contracted, she dared not chew anymore, and swallowed it whole, her stomach churning violently.
This is terrible! Even the worst nutrient solution from the Interstellar Federation doesn't taste as bad as this stuff!
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and vomited, which made Putin burst into laughter.
"Dear Lin, this is a traditional dish from our Bear Country, salsa. If you want to make money from us, you should learn more about us. Friend, would you like to come to St. Petersburg? I will treat you to a good meal."