Chapter 26: The Chinese Tycoon (1)

  Since 1986, the inflation in the Soviet Union has been increasing year by year. The inflation rate was 6.2% in 1986, rose to 7.3% in 1987, and rose to 8.4% in 1988, while it surged to 13% in 1989. The huge fiscal deficit of 120 billion rubles in 1989 (the exchange rate between the ruble and the US dollar was still 0.6:1 at that time) forced the Soviet State Bank to issue more currency to make up for this staggering number. However, even so, prices rose rapidly! Coupled with the poverty of Soviet materials, inflation led to a wave of emigration in the Soviet Union in the 1990s. It was under such circumstances that the transactions on the foreign exchange black market gradually became rampant! By the fall of 1989, one US dollar could be exchanged for about 15 rubles on the black market, which was an astonishing exchange rate in a Soviet Union where the ruble had not yet depreciated, and it was more than 20 times higher than the official exchange rate.

  Rio. Vanta will open at a rate of 1 dollar for 28 rubles based on this.

  The vodka here is not as good as Er Guo Tou, and the soap and beef need to be allocated. The special allocation system once made Yeltsin extremely angry! Due to the long history of rural resistance to feeding cities, the Bolsheviks showed thorough suspicion towards peasants, with no policies encouraging them, no government subsidies, even though Soviet agriculture was very developed, the Soviet people still couldn't eat good food!

  Tens of thousands of vegetables and fruits are simply piled up in warehouses to rot by the Bolshevik government, rotting again!

  When these rotten vegetables were delivered to the state-owned grocery stores, all Soviet people could do was curse the black carrots, rotting green vegetables and moldy potatoes!

  If you don't want to eat, then don't eat!

  That's the Soviet farmer's motto!

  Corruption has deeply penetrated all sorts of Soviet institutions, yet not a single Bolshevik in the party feels it necessary to conduct an investigation! The police are busy with trade, accountants and auditors simply write off lost items from accounts, and party officials see such chaos as another opportunity for their own theft!

  However, apart from material shortages, the standard of living of Soviet people was still very high! Because the Bolsheviks created a powerful national welfare system, they had 24-hour hot and cold water supply (water fee was 13 kopecks per month, which is equivalent to 1.3 cents). Their phone calls were unlimited (only 9 yuan per month). Their buses, trams, subways could be taken unlimitedly (only 5 cents per person per time), they had free medical care, free hospitalization food and medicine, free education, free lunch between classes...

  This is the current state of the Soviet Union!

  Andrei Bush went out for a day and didn't return to the hotel until nightfall, accompanied by a young Russian man.

  "Sergei Ivanovich Ivanov, you can call him Sergei or Seryozha! Bob Klemens. My boss!"

  "Hello, Mr. Clements!"

  "Hello! Zdravstvuyte! I heard from Andrei that you are now working in the Soviet Ministry of Industry and managing the collection of vegetables and fruits?"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Alright, Xiaoli! Actually, I have something on my mind and I was thinking of asking for your help!"

  "Mr. Clemens is referring to buying agricultural products from me?"

  "Thank you, Liao Sha. Buying farm products is just one of them! Now, although the peasants in the Soviet Union are no longer rioting, I think you should be clear about their attitude towards the government! There will be no end to the arms race with the United States, so the government's supportive policies for agriculture will not change much either! Our idea is to establish a chain brand of light industrial products in the Soviet Union, and farm products are just the beginning!"

  "Chain brands of light industry products? Klaymens, forgive me for being straightforward, I've spent many years in government departments and my understanding of the Soviet Union is definitely deeper than yours! The Soviet Union is a heavy industrial country, and light industry is our weakness! Those few things that can be called luxury goods will only be allocated to relevant personnel in state departments! The people will never get them. Without products, the light industry product brands you mentioned will become empty shells!"

  "Xie Lisha, I think you've misunderstood! I never told you that those light industrial products were to be obtained from within the Soviet Union! In a collective distribution environment like this, it's completely impossible!"

  "So, what you're saying is..."

  Bob smiled and said, "The Soviet Union doesn't have light industrial products, but that doesn't mean other countries don't! For example, China."

  "If Mr. Clemens can really get light industrial products from China, I can help you!"

  "Great! Andrei has indeed found the right person! This is the first batch of 1000 tons of vegetable and fruit procurement plan! What we need are fresh vegetables and fruits, not those rotten and moldy garbage that have been piled up in warehouses! I hope to inform your farmer brothers through you that Clemence United Products Company will provide relevant grain planting subsidies."

  "Your meaning is, while purchasing products from the agricultural department, you will also add agricultural subsidies?"

  "Yes, thank you, Seryozha! However, I need to remind you that these agricultural subsidies will be issued directly to the farmers through Clemens United Products Company, without going through the Ministry of Agriculture!"

  "This, I think, is no problem! If Mr. Klemmens can really do this, it will be a great help to Soviet agriculture!"

  "Of course, as a token of appreciation for your kindness, you will have shares in Clemens United Products Company!"

  "Hold on, Mr. Clemens, if we want things to go more smoothly, I think it's necessary for us to bring in Mr. Yuri Luzhkov!"

  "Yuri Luzhkov?"

  "Yes, Yuri Luzhkov, he is in charge of the Ministry of Industry!"

  "Not a problem at all! If you can set up a connection in between, I'll be more than happy!"

  Yuri Luzhkov had been bothered by the slow planting of 1.2 million Soviet farms for a long time, but the discrimination against peasants within the party had not been eliminated, and policy-oriented bias was impossible! Every time he inspected the farm product warehouse, he was worried! But now, an American company told him that they could provide subsidies to farmers, which is great news! Of course, Luzhkov also expressed some skepticism about the purpose of this American.

  "A spy? Mr. Luzhkov, you're joking! I'm a businessman, my only goal is to make more money! Rather than letting those vegetables rot in the warehouse, it's better to sell them all to Clemens United Products Company. The Soviets can eat better and cleaner food, Soviet farmers can continue their planting work with more passion, the Soviet government can get extra fiscal revenue to address the budget deficit, and the newly established Clemens United Products Company can provide more job opportunities for the Soviets, while we can also make a lot of money from it. This is a win-win cooperation, isn't it good? You say we have the eating problem of the Soviets in our hands? No, no, no, you're wrong, Mr. Luzhkov! Take Moscow as an example, every year, the agricultural output of Moscow reaches at least 1.5 million tons, while Clemens United Products Company's annual procurement of agricultural products in Moscow is only 150,000 tons, which is only one-tenth of the total product. So your hypothesis does not hold! We have nothing to do with politics, we only believe in profit above all else! Well, Mr. Luzhkov, welcome to join Clemens United Products Company!"