My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 273 A Small Gathering at Home

"Why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for ages." Hu Yi turned around and saw his grinning face, and felt a little relieved. "How did it go? All done?"

"You mean the goods? Not yet." Li Baoqing pulled him to a secluded spot: "I heard they're taking away the hundreds of boxes of goods that were seized tonight, and they'll be destroyed in the suburbs tomorrow."

"What?! Destroyed?!" Hu Yi exclaimed in shock. "So fast? Then, what about your goods?!"

"Well, of course we can't just sit here and wait to die." Li Baoqing sighed. "You know what, that guy named Yuri is pretty reliable. He arranged everything for us in just one day. But the price is a bit steep, 30,000 US dollars per box."

"Damn, he's trying to raise the price on the spot! How did he arrange this?"

"We can't make a big fuss about it, so we only contacted a few acquaintances, a total of about twenty boxes of goods. After we gather them all at the disposal site tonight, Yuri will find a vehicle to help us transport the goods to another warehouse nearby for temporary storage. Once things have calmed down, we'll figure out how to transport them back to the market ourselves."

"Oh, that's one way." Hu Yi pondered for a moment. "So, we'd have to leave it outside for a few days? And what about the warehouse...? Is that reliable?"

"My boss asked someone to find it, so there shouldn't be any problem." Li Baoqing rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Yuri helped arrange the truck, so it's understandable that he asked for more money. That kid is really capable. After things are settled, I should make more friends with him; I might need him in the future."

"Sigh, he's just a guy who takes money to do things, it doesn't make any difference whether you befriend him or not." Hu Yi vaguely remembered that Yuri looked poor but was quite arrogant, and he didn't have a very good impression of him.

Just as he was about to say a few more words, he heard Fu Jiahui shout from afar, "Old Hu! It's almost time! Come quick!"

"Hey! You're here!" Hu Yi hurried back to his stall, where he saw everyone already gathered in a small semi-circle around the boxes. Regardless of age, gender, height, or appearance, everyone was smiling and looking at him in unison: "Boss Hu! We've been waiting for you!"

"Thank you, thank you everyone!" Hu Yi straightened his clothes and stepped forward with his head held high. The crowd parted to both sides in a flash, revealing Natasha standing gracefully in the middle.

Amidst applause and admiring glances, Hu Yi took a few steps, suddenly feeling light as if he had stepped into a celestial realm. Before him stood Natasha, her beauty breathtaking, her figure graceful and elegant, like a fairy from the moon palace. Behind her, four plastic mannequins, like delicate and frail versions of the Four Heavenly Kings, stood motionless on either side of the box door.

Looking at them, Little Ma and Big Liu stood on opposite sides. At first glance, they were somewhat similar in stature, face and hairstyle, except that one was Chinese and the other was Russian. One couldn't bend his left leg and the other couldn't extend his right leg properly. They were like disabled versions of the two generals.

Hu Yi approached Natasha with a smile, then turned to face the crowd. Everyone's expressions varied: Li Baoqing was excited, Xiang Nan was thrilled, Anna was joyful, Fu Jiahui was happy, and Uncle Yu was kind, but all eyes turned to him were filled with care and expectation.

The most active were the neighbors who came with Liu to offer their congratulations. They spoke in various accents and came from all walks of life: some sold banned drugs, some made fake documents, some ran hair salons, some provided massages, and there was even a Korean woman who worked in the sex trade.

These people usually spend most of their time cooped up in the Yellow Building, so it's rare for them to get together and come out for some fresh air. Standing on the outermost circle of guests, they chattered excitedly, introducing the newly appointed young boss to the onlookers nearby.

At the next stall was a middle-aged woman from Northeast China selling underwear and socks. Several Chinese people gathered around her, talking amongst themselves: "Do you know who this is? She's the manager of New Sunshine."

"Really? You look quite young!"

"Absolutely! He's a real Boss An now. Look at his foreign wife, isn't she gorgeous!"

"Oh my god, stop it!" The woman from Northeast China nudged the person next to her who had spoken, "His surname is Hu, so don't call him that next time you see him!"

The opening ceremony was simple, and no one paid much attention to the formalities. Just as 10 o'clock arrived, Xia Yan, Xiao Linzi, and others set off confetti and fireworks, and people cheered in celebration. Hu Yi and Natasha, radiant with joy, thanked the guests in Chinese and Russian respectively.

"Today is a very important day for Natasha and me. With everyone's tremendous help, my... my little shop has finally opened successfully!" Hu Yi had practiced these lines repeatedly at home yesterday, but at this moment, his heart was pounding and his voice still trembled slightly: "Those standing here today are all my old friends. Over the years I, Hu... Hu Yi, have been in Moscow and at the container market, everyone has given me so much care and help. I sincerely thank you all!"

"You've helped us a lot too!" Fu Jiahui said loudly, standing in the center of the guests. "Really, Lao Hu, we remember everything you've done for us."

Hu Yi smiled sheepishly at him, "Oh, not at all, I didn't do anything."

"Didn't he do anything?" Fu Jiahui turned to look at his fellow countrymen around him. "You all think Lao Hu has done a lot for us, haven't he?"

"Of course, Xiao Hu! Many of us have received your help! I've seen it all!"

"Brother Hu, I'll never forget how you rushed to that town in the middle of the night to save me two years ago!"

"Old Hu, if it weren't for you, I might have had to go home back in Maji preparatory school that year, and I wouldn't have made it this far!"

"Brother, all these years in Moscow, you've treated me better than a biological brother! You're my dearest brother!"

"Brother Hu, ever since you came to the market, you've always thought highly of me and even helped my father a great deal. My whole family will be forever grateful to you!"

"Brother Yi, don't you remember how you took care of me on my first day at Yu-Nan University after I got off the plane?"

Looking at the familiar and kind faces before him, and listening to the sincere and warm words in his ears, Hu Yi's mind flashed through all the past events they mentioned. His eyes unconsciously became warm, and then gradually blurred.

He forced his eyelids open, cleared his throat, and chuckled, "Alright! Having made friends with all of you makes all my years in Moscow worthwhile! I'd like to take this opportunity to express my wishes: may everyone be safe and happy, may those in school achieve academic success, and may those working have smooth careers. As for our brothers in the market… we'll weather the storm together, and when good times come—like now—let's happily make big money!"

"Great! Congratulations on your fortune! May everyone make a fortune together!" Everyone laughed and applauded enthusiastically, bringing the brief opening ceremony to a close. Everyone pitched in to clean up the surrounding area, carry out the shelves, and arrange the mannequins; the shop officially opened its doors to customers.

Although the ceremony was simple, it caused quite a stir, drawing crowds from several surrounding streets. Many shop owners also came specifically to support the event and purchase goods. Natasha offered special opening discounts, and in just half a day, she sold over 300,000 rubles, netting a profit of over 20,000 rubles – a resounding success.

Having made the rare trip all the way from the south, Xiang Nan and the others didn't ride back to school in Anna's car. Instead, they spent half the day playing in the market. After Hu Yi finished picking up his goods that evening, they followed him and Natasha back to their home.

Last night, Hu Yi treated the market owners to a celebratory dinner at a restaurant, and today he plans to invite his friends from school to a gathering at his home. Li Baoqing originally wanted to join them, but he had to oversee the delivery work tonight, so he had to reluctantly give up the opportunity to be with Yu Feifei.

I've been renting this apartment for a year now. With the addition of new items and careful decorations, the apartment now feels much more homely than before. Although the space is a bit cramped, it feels much more like home.

Their small gatherings didn't require delicacies or lavish meals. Hu Yi bought some cooked food and a few cans of beer nearby, and the five of them sat around the dining table in the living room, listening to soft music as they ate, drank, and chatted.

Having been away from school for a long time, Hu Yi was now somewhat out of touch with their conversation and could only listen with a smile most of the time. Xiang Nan and Yu Feifei, on the other hand, were very concerned about Natasha's feelings and kept explaining the conversation of the others at the table to her in Russian.

Xiang Nan excitedly recounted a long series of anecdotes from her school dormitory, then suddenly changed the subject, looking at Hu Yi with a grin: "Brother, when are you and your wife planning to get married?"

"Holding a wedding? There's no rush." ​​Hu Yi glanced at Natasha subconsciously. "Our small business is just starting out. Let's wait a couple of years... until we've made some more money and everything is on track."

"Two more years? Then we'll all go back to China." Xiang Nan winked. "You're not in a hurry, but Natasha is almost twenty-eight."

"Yeah..." Hu Yi paused, then casually asked, "So when are you and Xia Yan planning to get married?"

"Us? Wait...wait...oh dear!" Xiang Nan's face flushed slightly. "If you're not in a hurry, then we certainly aren't."

Hu Yi laughed and said, "That's right, there's no rush. Look at your sister Feifei, she's been in Moscow for so many years and is still single, but she's not worried."

"Hmm? How did this get involved with me?" Yu Feifei gently put down her fork and smiled at Xiang Nan, "I haven't found the right person yet, but your situation is different. I think you and Xia are a good match."

Xiang Nan chuckled, "Come on, Fei Fei. Wasn't that boy who came all the way from St. Petersburg to see you last time doing well? Didn't you two get engaged?"

"Oh?! There's such a thing?!" Hu Yi exclaimed in astonishment, "How come I knew nothing about such an important matter?"

Yu Feifei blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for her: "Ugh, this hasn't happened yet... not yet..."

"Hey, my brother's not an outsider." Xiang Nan made a face at her, then leaned closer to Hu Yi in a mysterious manner: "Sister Feifei, she already has someone she likes!"

(End of this chapter)