My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 155 Earth-shattering
Rimonov really didn't know what to say.

The Soviet Union, as a major industrial power, was one of only two superpowers in the world today.

Even their most prized industrial capabilities are rendered ineffective when applied to their own nation's beverages.

Lack of modern production technology.
What an ironic yet resounding slap in the face.

Rimonov felt his face burning.

Can he refute it? He cannot refute it.

The refreshing and sweet taste of Far Eastern kvass, with its unique malty aroma and slightly carbonated kick, is completely different from the sour and sometimes slightly musty homemade kvass of his childhood memories.

The results of people voting with their wallets have already said it all.

This is not an isolated phenomenon at all, but a microcosm of the state of Soviet industry.

The nation poured its resources into heavy and military industries, while light industries, which are essential to people's daily lives, were severely neglected.

They even completely disregarded it, reduced to needing to "import" modern production technology for their traditional beverages from a foreign private company.

Nowadays, the massive amounts of goods transported from China to the Far East are all kinds of high-quality and inexpensive light industrial products.

What it filled was precisely the huge and empty supply gap within the Soviet Union itself.
He sighed inwardly, downed his coffee in one gulp, as if to suppress the bitterness, before continuing, "Mr. Qin, as far as I know, Far Eastern kvass has become the national beverage of the Soviet Union. According to incomplete statistics, over five million bottles were consumed in Moscow and the surrounding area last month alone. Can current production capacity keep up with demand?"

"And Jeanswest, the Pushkin Square is packed with people, I heard many styles are already sold out. What are your expectations for it?"

Qin Yuan smiled, neither confirming nor denying the specific sales figures, but simply said, "Production capacity is indeed one of the biggest challenges we are currently facing."

"The Ochakov plant's production lines are operating at full capacity, and we are also looking for new plant sites and cooperation opportunities, hoping to expand production as soon as possible so that people in more cities can more easily buy our products."

"As for Jeanswest... yes, the market enthusiasm has exceeded our expectations."

"Our expectation for it is to become a clothing brand that can be trusted not only in the Soviet Union, but also throughout Eastern Europe and even the wider market."

Eastern European market?

Rimonov's heart skipped a beat.

Qin Yuan is really ambitious!

He knew, of course, that Qin Yuan's words were not unfounded.

What intrigued Rimonov the most was undoubtedly the legendary "canned goods for airplanes" story.

“Mr. Qin, I’m very curious. I heard that you bought seven airplanes in Kuibyshev and now three hundred truckloads of supplies are ready.”

"China is currently undergoing a vigorous reform. With your background and connections, you could have had much better opportunities for development in China. Why did you choose to come to the Soviet Union, where the situation is so delicate?"

He cautiously inquired, and in his understanding, the person who had the ability to buy so many airplanes and quickly send hundreds of truckloads of supplies to the Soviet Union must have a strong background and connections.

And these are the things readers like to see most.

But Qin Yuan's answer gave him a completely different perspective.

"Background? Connections?" Qin Yuan shook his head with a smile, his tone carrying a candid self-deprecation. "Reporter Rimonov, to be honest, back in Beijing, in our local parlance, I was just a 'hutong guy,' I didn't have a proper job, and I was always thinking about how to make some money."

"My family has no background, let alone any connections."

"Yes, China is developing rapidly across the country. Goods produced in the south are sold to the north, and overseas investments are being made to build factories. Various trade, real estate, home appliance, and retail industries are booming and full of opportunities."

He then changed the subject, saying, "But for an ordinary person like me with no status or background, the threshold for making a name for myself in that red ocean is too high, too difficult."

"At the time, I thought, since it's not easy to make a name for myself in China, why not try my luck abroad? There's so much to be done in this vast world!"

"And I happened to find out that the K3 international train can run directly from Yanjing to Moscow."

"I thought, the Soviet Union is the big brother, with a vast territory and abundant resources, there must be many opportunities. So I got a visa, scraped together some capital, and came to Moscow with the mentality of taking a gamble."

Qin Yuan spoke with a mix of truth and falsehood, knowing full well what these reporters and newspapers wanted.

It's just a story, isn't it?
The more suspenseful and dramatic a legendary story is, the more readers will love it.

And he was happy to provide such a story.

Let's add fuel to the fire for Far East Kvass, Jeanswest.

"Take a gamble?" Rimonov showed a hint of interest.

"Yes." Qin Yuan said without hesitation, "In order to raise the money for the first batch of goods, I almost emptied my savings. I also borrowed a loan with a high interest rate. A few brothers and I carried five big bags of goods, which were stuffed full and extremely heavy, all the way from Yanjing to Moscow in hard seats."

"As soon as I got off the train, I discovered that the Soviet market... was like a parched land that had been dry for too long, finally receiving rain."

Qin Yuan gestured, "My goods, even if they are just ordinary leather jackets and jeans, are almost instantly sold out as soon as they are put out."

"In the Cheka market, there are merchants from all the Soviet republics, as well as Poland, Czechoslovakia, and even further afield, but why is my business the best?"

"Because I do business with integrity, my goods are made of genuine materials, I never cheat or falsify, and my prices are fair."

Qin Yuan pointed to his mouth, "Of course, it might also be because my Russian is quite fluent, which allows me to communicate smoothly with them and understand their needs. Plus a little bit of luck, so I quickly made progress."

"And it was precisely in this process,"

He returned to the original topic, "I drank the kvass you sell on the street and discovered the problems and saw a huge market gap. You can probably guess what happened next."

Qin Yuan told a lot, his story a mix of truth and fiction, intertwined with the hardships of personal struggle, keen market insight, adventurous spirit, and a touch of opportune timing. The plot was intricate and exciting enough, perfectly fitting the narrative template of a "business legend."

Rimonov listened with awe.

A poor young man with no background or status in Yanjing risked everything and fled to a completely unfamiliar country.

With hard work, integrity, and a keen sense of the market, they gradually grew and eventually even influenced large-scale national trade.

This is simply a living, breathing business myth unfolding right before his eyes!

The weakness of the Soviet Union's internal light industry system and the extreme scarcity of market supply, as reflected in this story, were precisely the most solid foundation for the booming trade and food industry in the Far East.

As a seasoned journalist, Rimonov keenly realized that once this interview was published, it would inevitably provoke strong reactions and deep reflections from all levels of Soviet society.

Its impact may be no less than his previous revealing reports on the "Afghan War" and the "cotton case".

To verify the authenticity of Qin Yuan's story and to gain more perspectives, Rimonov specifically sought out Binzi and other company employees, as well as other Chinese "middlemen" waiting to ship their goods at the hotel after the interview.

Then they went to the Ochakov beverage factory, which had been acquired by Far East Foods, and conducted additional interviews with some workers.

The feedback was almost unanimous: employees admired the boss's boldness and wisdom, while the traders envied Qin Yuan's success, believing that he had seized the best opportunity.

The workers, on the other hand, are very satisfied with the current situation.

What they were saying could be summed up in just two sentences.

"Since the factory was acquired by Far East Foods, everyone has regained stable jobs and income."

"You get paid exactly what you do, it's clear and transparent, and everyone feels hopeful."

These words left a deep impression on Rimonov.

The most direct evidence of Qin Yuan's commercial success is undoubtedly the bustling and incredibly popular scene at the Jeanswest flagship store on Pushkin Square.

Even at noon, the long queue of people waiting to enter the store to shop had not dispersed.

Rimonov specifically chose several angles to capture this exciting scene, and he already had a clear outline in his mind on how to conceive, begin, and conclude the entire report.

Back at the newspaper office, he hurriedly ate a few bites of black bread and borscht for lunch, then eagerly sat down at his typewriter and began to concentrate on writing this report that was destined to cause a sensation.

It took him more than three hours to complete the first draft of the report.

He begins by describing the tremendous changes taking place in China, mentioning the booming development of its light industry and its marketization process. Against this backdrop, he introduces Qin Yuan, a "small man" from a hutong in Yanjing (old Beijing).

It describes how he boldly and meticulously boarded the K3 train to Moscow, taking a gamble, and how he found a golden opportunity in the "dried-up" Soviet market by taking advantage of China's excess light industrial capacity.

How his goods were snapped up, how he discovered the business opportunity in kvass, and how he cooperated with Qiulin Factory in China.

Upgrading Slavic traditional beverages using "modern production technology," acquiring the Ochakov plant to expand production capacity, and enabling all Soviet citizens to enjoy affordable and high-quality national beverages in order to counter the invasion of Coca-Cola.

Of course, he also gave a detailed account of the astonishing trade feat of exchanging 800 cans of food for four Tu-154 aircraft.

The entire piece combines data, details, quotes, and background analysis, written in a fluent and vivid style, flowing seamlessly from beginning to end.

With a mix of excitement and pride, he delivered the manuscript to the office of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Izvestia.

The editor-in-chief was talking to someone at the time, and only after he finished did he look at his "troublemaker" reporter, who was known for his outspokenness and keen insight.

Upon hearing Rimonov say that he had obtained an exclusive interview with Qin Yuan, a prominent figure in Moscow recently, the editor-in-chief's eyes lit up and he immediately asked him to bring the manuscript over.

The editor-in-chief took the thick stack of manuscript paper and began to quickly browse through it.

The more he looked, the more serious his expression became, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing.

Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table, startling Rimonov.

"Great! This is a good article!"

The editor-in-chief's voice was filled with excitement: "Unique perspective, solid materials, strong storytelling, and it hits the most important economic and social issues of our time. This is the voice that our newspaper, Izvestia, should be making!"

However, the editor-in-chief is the editor-in-chief after all. He calmed down and tapped the manuscript paper with his fingers: "Some of the content that is too direct in comparing the Chinese and Soviet systems and that implicitly criticizes our country's industrial policy for being too biased towards heavy industry needs to be polished a little, to reduce the political color and highlight the economic phenomena and the stories of personal struggles."

"The rest can basically be kept."

Immediately afterwards, the editor-in-chief made a promise that surprised Rimonov: "Tomorrow, on the front page, I'll give you the largest space for this story!"

Rimonov was shocked; the largest front page!
This is an extremely high level of treatment, usually reserved for the most important domestic and international political news.

The editor-in-chief's decision undoubtedly indicates that the newspaper's senior management also believes that this report is extremely valuable and enough to spark widespread discussion.

"Thank you, editor-in-chief!" Rimonov said, barely suppressing his excitement.

"Go and revise it quickly, then send it to the typesetting department!" The editor-in-chief waved his hand. "I'm really looking forward to the response this article will generate."

Rimonov took the manuscript and strode out of the editor-in-chief's office.

He knew that a report that could stir up public opinion in Moscow and even further was about to be born from his hands.

This is going to be earth-shattering!

(End of this chapter)