Chapter 560
Long Live Friendship
Chapter 560 Long Live Friendship (4000 words)
The gray clouds hung low, and the water of the Neva River was also gray, mixed with floating ice, flowing slowly towards the Gulf of Finland.
At the Port of St. Petersburg, containers were piled up on the docks without anyone loading or unloading them. The cranes looked like huge steel monsters, their booms hanging limply, but the crowds looked like a dense swarm of ants.
More than 6,000 people blocked the entrance to the port, making the main road leading to the dock completely impassable.
The men wore worn-out military overcoats and work clothes, while the women wore headscarves and held children.
People were holding signs with the words "Give me back my wages!", "We need to eat!", and "The government is a liar!" written in red paint.
The shouts grew louder and louder.
"It's been three months! We haven't been paid in three months!"
"My child is starving to death!"
"Get them out here! Get the mayor out here!"
At the front of the crowd, several young workers were smashing the window of a truck with wooden sticks. The glass shattered, shards flying everywhere. The driver had long since fled; the truck was overturned, its tires still spinning.
Further away, the door to a port office was kicked open, and several people rushed in, overturning filing cabinets and smashing windows. Someone lit a fire, and flames leaped out of the window, billowing black smoke.
The police car was parked fifty meters away, and a dozen or so police officers were lined up with shields, but they did not move.
They dared not move; there were six thousand men on the other side, and any movement would mean bloodshed.
Mayor Sobchak stood behind the police car, his face ashen. He was in his fifties, with gray hair, and wearing a dark overcoat, but the overcoat offered no protection from the sea breeze or the shouts.
"Sobchak! Come out!"
"Liar! Come out here!"
Two people stood beside him. One was the deputy mayor, sweating profusely and constantly on the phone. The other was a thin young man with gray eyes and sharply defined cheekbones.
Putin didn't make a phone call; he just looked at the crowd with a flat gaze, as if checking if the ice was thick enough.
"We can't wait any longer," he said.
Sobchak turned his head: "What do you want to do?"
"I'll go talk to them."
"Are you crazy?" The deputy mayor hung up the phone. "They're attacking anyone they see now! That office was just smashed up, and the people inside almost couldn't escape!"
Putin ignored him and just looked at Sobchak.
Sobchak stared at him for a few seconds: "Are you sure?"
"No."
Sobchak's face showed a struggle. Putin was his most outstanding student and his most valued right-hand man.
Sobchak did not want Putin to perish here.
“But we can’t let them keep burning like this,” Putin said. “After the port is burned down, the city government will be next.”
That's just the nature of the Russian people; once they get angry, they're capable of anything.
Sobchak closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Go."
Putin straightened his coat and strode forward.
The deputy mayor shouted from behind, "Are you crazy! They'll beat you to death!"
Putin did not turn back.
The crowd shouted even louder when they saw him approaching.
"Another one! A government lackey!"
"kill him!"
The people in the front row began to surge forward. Putin didn't stop or run; he just walked, step by step, steadily.
The distance is getting closer and closer. Twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters.
A beer bottle flew over, grazed his ear, and smashed on the ground.
He continued walking.
Another bottle hit him on the shoulder this time, splashing liquid all over his face.
He wiped his hand and continued walking.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Then a middle-aged worker with a full beard rushed out and punched him in the chest.
Putin took a step back and regained his footing.
The man was about to hit him again, but was pulled back by the people behind him.
Putin looked him in the eyes: "Are you done?"
The man froze.
"It's over. Let me say a few words." His voice wasn't loud, but it was very steady.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Don't listen! It's a scam!"
"I haven't been paid in three months, why should I listen to you!"
Putin didn't argue, he just stood there: "I'm from the Leningrad City Government, my name is Putin. If you want to fight, go ahead and fight. Even after you're done fighting, the problem will still be there. Your children still won't have anything to eat."
The crowd quieted down a bit.
The bearded worker stared at him: "Then what are you doing here? Did you come to tell us to wait a little longer?"
Putin looked at him and said, "I'll tell you who's holding your money hostage."
A commotion broke out in the crowd.
"Moscow!" someone shouted.
“Yes.” Putin nodded. “Moscow. The Ministry of Finance is holding the money, and the city government can’t get it. I’ve gone to ask five times, and each time they say they’re studying it. They’ve been studying it for three months, and your salaries are still under study.”
"What do we do then?" someone shouted. "Are we just going to wait to die?"
Putin remained silent.
He didn't know how to answer. He had asked himself this question countless times, but had no answer.
The people in front of him were not oligarchs or nouveau riche, but ordinary workers like his father.
They have no ambitions; they just want to support their family.
Putin couldn't point his gun at them, yet he was powerless to do anything. Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from behind the crowd.
Someone shouted, "Make way! Make way!"
His accent was strange, with a strong oriental flavor.
Putin turned his head and saw the crowd parting like a tide, and a black Volga slowly drove in.
The car stopped and the door opened.
It's Lin Xiaohe!
She was carrying a heavy canvas bag, bulging and full, its contents unknown.
Putin was stunned.
Lin Xiaohe walked to his side, put the canvas bag on the ground, squatted down, and unzipped it.
A whole bag of black bread, freshly baked from the oven, still steaming.
The aroma of wheat wafted through the air, which was mixed with the smell of coal smoke and blood, like an oasis in the desert, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
The crowd fell silent.
Lin Xiaohe stood up and looked at the bearded worker in front of her: "Are you hungry?" The man was stunned.
Lin Xiaohe took a bread out of the bag and handed it to him: "Food is the most important thing for people, eat first."
The person didn't answer.
Lin Xiaohe stuffed the bread into his hand.
The bread was still warm, but through the thick gloves, it felt like poison coated in honey.
He looked down at the bread in his hand and didn't say anything.
Lin Xiaohe took another one out of the bag and handed it to a woman holding a child next to her: "Give this to the child."
The woman took it blankly. The child in her arms was crying loudly from hunger, but she didn't dare break off a piece for the child to taste: "Eastern people?"
She dared not touch anything belonging to a stranger from the East.
Lin Xiaohe handed out the bread one by one. One loaf after another disappeared into the crowd. No one grabbed or pushed; they simply accepted it, watching to see what this young Dongguo girl was up to.
She looks so young, is she an adult yet?
Why did she appear at the port? Why was she handing out bread?
Lin Xiaohe stood up and clapped her hands.
The bearded worker looked up at her and asked, "What do you want?"
Lin Xiaohe pointed to herself, then to Putin: "We are partners."
The bearded worker sneered: "A partner like Western companies, sucking our blood and eating our flesh?"
"No, we are different. St. Petersburg is a very special city for our Eastern country. Our friendship is a friendship between cities."
The bearded worker's eyes were full of sarcasm; he had heard far too many nice words.
Lin Xiaohe noticed that the workers were only holding bread and not eating it, so she reached out her hand: "Can I have a small piece? The bread smells so good, it's making me so hungry."
The other party broke it in half.
Lin Xiaohe took it and started eating without hesitation. To be honest, even freshly baked rye bread doesn't taste that great.
Lin Xiaohe prefers steamed buns and mantou, but now she's eating with great relish, even finishing off the bread crumbs on her fingers.
Seeing that she was alright, the woman holding the baby quickly broke off a small piece and fed it to the crying baby.
The atmosphere at the scene eased slightly, but tensions remained high.
Lin Xiaohe took out a piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it.
It was a standard agreement: [Bread: 3,000 boxes, Canned food: 2,000 boxes, Down jackets: 1000 pieces, Thermos flasks: 500, Color TVs: 1,000 units...]
Below that, circled in red, is another line of text: "[First batch arriving within seven days]"
The bearded worker stared at the piece of paper for a long time: "What is this?"
Lin Xiaohe: "We had a letter of intent with the St. Petersburg authorities for the transaction. If it weren't for this riot, both sides would have already signed it."
The workers fell silent.
The woman holding the child next to them suddenly spoke up, her voice soft but clear: "But the city government has no money, and neither do we."
Lin Xiaohe carefully put away the letter of intent and said confidently, "We have discussed this issue with the municipal government. Based on our great friendship, we have decided to price the goods in foreign currency and barter with goods. The government has no money, but it has goods. We can each get what we need, and the port can also receive our fees. We are not as shameless as the West and Japan and South Korea, delaying the payment. If you don't want currency, you can also exchange it for goods."
She glanced at the crowd, her eyes filled with sympathy, and said with a softened heart, "I've heard about the reason for your strike. Our Eastern country is also a people's country, a worker's country. How about this, you take stock now: do you want to exchange for supplies or do you want money? If you want supplies, this payment will arrive at the port of St. Petersburg along with the first batch of goods within seven days."
The workers looked at each other, unsure whether to take the money or the supplies. They decided to take the supplies, since they figured they'd use the money to buy supplies anyway.
But, given the notorious reputation of Dongguo goods, are they reliable?
While most workers were struggling with their choice, the union leader stepped forward, staring intently at Putin and Sobchak, demanding a clear answer: "Is what this woman from the East is saying true?"
Sobchak...
Damn it, he doesn't even know who this woman from the East is, how can he know if she's real?
Putin looked at the workers and said firmly, "I swear on my life that what she said is true. This Dongguo lady is named Lin Xiaohe. She is a highly valued young cadre in Dongguo, the director of a state-owned factory, and the general manager of Dongguo's trade company with Russia. Just an hour ago, we were indeed discussing cooperation matters in the office."
Indeed, the full name of the trading company in Anning County is "Dongguo Trading Company with Russia," which is suspected of being abusive, but the Anning County Administration for Industry and Commerce approved it without hesitation.
The company name itself suggests that Lin Xiaohe has a very powerful background and is very likely a front man for Dongguo.
Government staff exchanged glances, realizing they had figured out the truth.
Sobchak...
Such a big thing, and Putin didn't even inform him? His eyes flickered, and he suddenly realized.
Putin wanted to position this cooperation as a purely commercial transaction to avoid interference from Moscow. In that case, it was indeed within Putin's authority, and he didn't need to inform me.
Sobchak thought for a moment, "What losses has this cooperation caused St. Petersburg? The goods are just sitting in the warehouse, nobody's even going to steal them."
It's worthwhile to exchange these unused items for much-needed food.
Sobchak endorsed Lin Xiaohe: "That's right, Ms. Lin Xiaohe is a very trustworthy partner. If this cooperation goes well, we will expand the scale of our cooperation. Please believe me, St. Petersburg will get better and better!"
A moment of silence fell over the crowd.
Lin Xiaohe shouted loudly, "Long live friendship!"
This isn't business; it's clearly friendship!
The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment. First, there were a few scattered shouts of "Long live friendship!", followed by a surging wave of cheers!
Anning County.
Zhang Dehou, the former director of Shuguang Machinery Factory, was wandering around the workshop when he suddenly heard someone shouting outside.
"Old Zhang! Old Zhang! Come out quickly!"
He put down the wrench and walked out of the workshop.
Old Zhou, the factory office director, ran out of breath, clutching a piece of paper in his hand: "An order! From Russia!"
Zhang Dehou took it and his hands began to tremble: "Water...water pumps? A thousand units?"
Old Zhou nodded, his face beaming with joy: "A thousand units! Haha, Director Lin really succeeded!"
Zhang Dehou stood there, speechless for a long time, then suddenly turned around and shouted into the workshop, "Stop! Get out here!"
The workers ran out, not knowing what had happened.
Zhang Dehou held up the paper, his hand still trembling.
"An order from Russia! A thousand units! We can export them too!"
The workers were stunned for a moment, and then, a deafening cheer erupted!
The county government compound.
County Chief Tian sat in his office with three faxes spread out in front of him.
One thousand water pumps, one thousand down jackets, three thousand cans of food...
This quantity isn't large. If this order had come before the enterprise reforms, he would have been overjoyed, because the state-owned factory would have been able to operate for a while longer!
County Magistrate Tian read it three times, his mouth stretched from the back of his head in a wide grin that he couldn't suppress.
Now, he is overjoyed, but not because of the quantity, but because of the trading partners!
St. Petersburg City Government!
"This Kobayashi is really something. How long has it been since he got in touch with St. Petersburg?"
County Chief Tian rubbed his hands together excitedly, chuckling to himself.
What kind of business is the easiest to do? Business with government officials, of course!
Hey Hey……
When Xiao Zhou pushed the door open, he saw County Chief Tian grinning foolishly and stood frozen in place.
County Chief Tian rubbed his face, his smile fading, and he put on a serious expression again: "What is it?"
"County Chief Tian! The news has spread, and everyone is asking how Factory Director Lin managed to get it done! Do you think we should publicize this great news?"
Oh dear, those damned Japanese devils! After they learned the bombardment marketing tactic from Director Lin, they started throwing money around advertising.
It is said that Panasonic also won the advertising slot for CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, spending more than 100 million yuan!
Changhong's factory was under immense pressure and unable to make a sound. If it weren't for its vast nationwide sales network, it probably would have gone bankrupt long ago.
Even so, he heard that Changhong's market share in first-tier cities had shrunk drastically, but it was able to hold on by continuing to exert efforts in the markets of fourth- and fifth-tier cities.
County Head Tian, full of energy and with an imposing air, declared: "Publicity! Give me a big push for publicity!"