Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The minibus drove into the gate of Hongxing General Factory, and after strict registration and inspection by the security department, it smoothly passed through the orderly and impressive main road of the factory area and finally stopped steadily in front of the main gate of the factory office building.

The carriage remained completely silent. The scene they had just witnessed, coupled with the translator Xiao Luo's detailed explanation, continued to profoundly impact the understanding of every Soviet expert. The sheer shock and disbelief lingered in everyone's hearts for a long time.

They were acutely aware of the true state of people's lives in the Soviet Union in 1958. Although Soviet law did not prohibit private ownership of cars, and civilian models such as the Moskvich 402 and Volga GAZ-21 existed, it was simply a pipe dream for ordinary people to own a car.

The economic threshold was precipitously high. The cheapest civilian car in the Soviet Union cost between 5,600 and 9,000 rubles, while the average monthly wage of an ordinary worker was only 400 to 500 rubles. This meant that an ordinary worker would need to save for ten to twenty years without eating, drinking, or spending a single penny to buy even the most basic civilian car outright.

Even more disheartening than the exorbitant car prices was the supply constraint. The Soviet Union prioritized heavy industry production and government vehicle allocation, drastically reducing private car production capacity. Ordinary people had to wait six to ten years to apply for a car, potentially spending half their lives without securing a single vehicle. Due to this severe supply-demand imbalance, the total number of private cars per thousand people in the entire Soviet Union was less than five.

Moreover, high-end cars like the ZIS and ZIM are explicitly prohibited from being sold to private individuals and are exclusively for use by high-ranking party and government officials. Ordinary citizens and even senior technical experts are not even qualified to have access to them.

In contrast, the situation at Hongxing Factory is a completely unexpected and surprising contrast.

Ordinary workers who have worked at the factory for five years can permanently own a self-developed four-door family car for just 500 yuan. The factory will cover all subsequent maintenance and repairs, without having to wait in line or overdraft half a lifetime's savings.

On one hand, it took ordinary Soviet citizens twenty years to save up for a car and ten years to wait in line, making it an unattainable dream; on the other hand, the Red Star Factory offered low entry barriers, stable benefits, and accessibility for everyone. This enormous gap completely shattered the preconceived notions of the Soviet experts, and their envy and shock were overwhelming.

The car door slowly opened, and a group of Soviet experts got off.

In front of the office building, factory party secretary Yao Jianghe, factory director Yang Weimin, deputy factory director Li Huaide, chief engineer Wang Huanbo who also serves as deputy factory director, along with Wang Huanbo's administrative assistant Zheng Yunfeng, and a group of middle-level factory leaders were already lined up to wait, with upright posture and composed demeanor, to give a grand welcome to the Soviet technical expert team that had come from afar.

Upon seeing this, team leader Petrov immediately composed himself, quickly stepped forward, and proactively shook hands with each of the leaders of the Red Star Factory, displaying a humble and sincere attitude. His professional translator, Xiao Luo, followed closely behind, accurately translating Petrov's greetings, creating a harmonious and dignified atmosphere between host and guest.

After a routine handshake and pleasantries, Petrov's gaze was fixed on Wang Huanbo, the youngest member of the group, his eyes filled with inquiry and curiosity. He stepped forward, disregarding the translator, and began a deep conversation with Wang Huanbo in fluent and authentic Russian.

Leaders around them, such as Yao Jianghe and Yang Weimin, could not understand Russian and could only watch the two talking in hushed tones and interacting frequently, completely baffled.

The core of their conversation remained the Red Star brand car that had just stunned everyone. Petrov was filled with doubt, utterly unable to comprehend how a large, locally-upgraded heavy industrial factory in China could produce a family car affordable to ordinary workers, with a ride quality far exceeding that of mainstream Soviet civilian vehicles. He was eager to test drive it himself, to personally experience this car exclusively for the Red Star factory workers, and to verify its true quality and craftsmanship.

After a brief exchange, Xiao Luo immediately stepped forward and fully translated Petrov's request to test drive the Red Star brand car to the factory leaders present.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood. Wang Huanbo calmly nodded and agreed, readily granting the other party's request for a test drive.

Seeing this, factory manager Yang Weimin acted decisively and immediately turned to his secretary, Xiao Liu, and instructed, "Go to the garage immediately and get a brand new, unopened Red Star sedan that has just rolled off the production line."

Secretary Xiao Liu is highly efficient and didn't dare to delay, so she quickly accepted the order and left.

In less than ten minutes, a brand new, bright blue Hongxing brand car with a gleaming finish and a refreshing color steadily drove into the square in front of the office building and came to a stop in front of everyone.

The vehicle boasts sleek lines, a stylish design, and a flawless paint finish. It is a brand-new mass-produced model that has just completed final assembly and passed quality inspection. Since Wang Huanbo seized a complete set of modern automobile production lines from the Japanese during his campaign in Japan, and subsequently implemented them at the Hongxing Automobile Factory through Li Huaide, the factory's manufacturing processes and production efficiency have achieved a leapfrog improvement. The overall quality control, sheet metal craftsmanship, and engine stability have all reached top domestic standards and are comparable to international standards, completely shedding the roughness and shortcomings of early automobile manufacturing.

The brand-new car immediately attracted the attention of all the Soviet experts. They gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation, carefully examining this Chinese-developed sedan that had overturned their understanding.

With everyone's attention focused on her, Secretary Liu got out of the car briskly and stepped aside to make way for the driver's seat.

Without the slightest hesitation, Petrov stepped forward and sat in the driver's seat, skillfully adjusting the seat and examining the center console and control structure.

In that instant, KGB agent Vasily, who was mingling in the crowd, narrowed his eyes and seized the opportunity. While the other experts were still looking around and had not yet reacted, he took the lead, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat, occupying the core position for best observation, experience, and recording of vehicle data.

The other Soviet experts, not wanting to be left behind, rushed towards the rear door. Three tall, robust Soviet experts instantly flooded into the narrow rear entrance.

Everyone knows that the Hongxing brand car was developed based on the East German Satellite compact car. The original prototype was just a two-door, four-seat microcar with extremely cramped space. Later, after Wang Huanbo's extensive modifications, the wheelbase was lengthened and a rear door was added, transforming the two-door, four-seat model into a four-door, four-seat family car, greatly improving its practicality.

The improved model was designed to accommodate two people in the back, only suitable for passengers of average build. However, the three Soviet experts who squeezed into the back were all tall, broad-shouldered, and strong. The three of them were crammed side by side in the cramped space, their arms pressed against each other and their knees against the front seats. Their bodies were squeezed together, the space was extremely cramped, and they could not move at all. The scene was somewhat comical.

The cramped and crowded carriage did not dampen Petrov's enthusiasm in the slightest. He had planned to test the performance of this Chinese-developed sedan from all angles, experiencing its chassis tuning, power output, and handling.

He took a deep breath, gripped the steering wheel, pressed the clutch, focused his gaze, and prepared to start the vehicle and begin the test drive.

A cross-border test of the capabilities of car manufacturers has officially begun.