My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 12 The Potential Vast Market

Gangzi stayed by Qin Yuan's side the whole time, watching him go from one department store to another.

My mind was full of questions; I had no idea what Qin Yuan was looking for.

"Brother Yuan, what are we looking for? Tell me, and I'll look for it with you."

Qin Yuan did not answer immediately, but walked straight to a middle-aged female sales clerk behind the counter who was wearing a blue uniform and had a somewhat rigid face.

"Excuse me, comrade," Qin Yuan said fluently in his recently learned Russian, "Do you have kvass here?"

The saleswoman was sorting through receipts when she heard this. She looked up, adjusted her glasses, and a look of obvious confusion crossed her face.

“Kvas?” she repeated, clearly trying to recall something. “No. Stores don’t sell kvas anymore. Maybe some old ladies in the countryside still make their own.”

Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed for an answer: "Why? Wasn't it like this before?"

The saleswoman curled her lip: "Before? Yes, there was, but the taste was never guaranteed! Sometimes it was sour, sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet. There was far too little good kvass."

"Who drinks that stuff nowadays, except for those drunkards?"

now it's right!

Without industrialized production, quality cannot be guaranteed!

This is the fundamental reason why kvass disappeared under the planned economy!

The failure to promote Corn Emperor was not only due to issues with taste improvement, but also due to the lack of a stable, standardized, and large-scale production system.

Qin Yuan's heart was instantly ignited, and his guess was completely confirmed!

"Thank you." Qin Yuan suppressed his surging emotions, nodded to the saleswoman, turned around and quickly left the store with Gangzi, who was still in a daze.

"Brother Yuan, what... what is kvass? Why are you looking for it?" Gangzi finally couldn't help but ask.

“A beverage,” Qin Yuan said, his steps unwavering, “a treasure that will allow us to gain a foothold in Moscow and even unlock bigger business opportunities!”

"Let's go back and talk about it!"

Judging by the time, Old Zhang should be back by now.

The two hurried back to the hotel.

As soon as I pushed open the door, I saw Old Zhang and Da Binzi.

Besides the two of them, there was another stranger in the room.

This was a typical Slavic youth, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall but somewhat thin, wearing a slightly worn gray work jacket, with slightly curly blond hair and a hint of caution in his blue-gray eyes.

He sat stiffly on the only chair in the room. When he saw Qin Yuan come in, he immediately stood up and looked Qin Yuan up and down with his eyes.

"Yuanzi, you're back?"

Old Zhang, with a hint of relief after his journey, pointed to the young man and introduced him, "This is my old friend's nephew, Vasily Ivanovich. He manages a few warehouses in the warehouse district over at the Cheka market; he's a minor boss."

He then introduced Vasily in broken Russian, mixed with gestures: "Vasily, this is Qin Yuan, the man I mentioned to you before, our leader."

"Hello, Qin Yuan." Vasily pronounced Qin Yuan's name somewhat awkwardly in Chinese and extended his hand.

His hands were large and strong, but the skin was rough, bearing the marks of years of manual labor.

"Hello, Vasily Ivanov."

Qin Yuan smiled and responded in clear Russian, giving the other person a firm shake of his hand.

Vasily was clearly taken aback by the fluent Russian, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

I was clearly surprised by Qin Yuan's Russian proficiency as a "foreign businessman".

The initial awkwardness eased somewhat.

“He speaks Russian very well!” Vasily couldn’t help but whisper to Old Zhang.

Old Zhang stroked his sparse beard and said with a faint smile, "This kid is quite capable!" After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

Qin Yuan gestured to Da Binzi to pour Vasily a cup of hot water.

"Comrade Vasily," Qin Yuan asked, "we brought some goods with us this time, mainly jeans and wool coats. We'd like to ask what's the easiest way to sell them in the Cheka market?"

"Should we rent a stall or just set up a stall on the street?"

Vasily had heard Old Zhang mention this issue before, and cautiously replied, "The Cheka market is very crowded now, with lots of goods and a diverse mix of people."

"Renting a fixed stall is not cheap, and you need a license, which is very difficult to obtain now."

He shook his head and continued, "Setting up a stall on the street is possible, but you have to be careful."

“The police often conduct checks, especially on foreigners. They…like money.”

As he said this, he rubbed his fingers together.

Qin Yuan nodded; this was roughly what he had expected.

In the early 1990s, market management in Moscow was chaotic, and local bullies and the police were unavoidable obstacles.

He needed Vasily's network of connections to provide him with some protection and convenience.

"Understood, thank you for the reminder, Comrade Vasily. Have you looked at the samples we brought? What do you think of them in the market?" Qin Yuan pointed to the sample package that Da Binzi had brought back.

Vasily picked up a pair of jeans and carefully felt the thickness of the fabric. He then looked at the workmanship of a sheepskin coat, his eyes revealing approval and a hint of eagerness: "The quality... is excellent! The jeans are sturdy and the coat is very warm."

"Such things are desperately needed in Moscow right now! Although they are expensive, people will buy them!"

He gave a very positive evaluation.

Gangzi and Dabinzi both showed joy upon hearing this.

Old Zhang stroked his sparse beard, his eyes gleaming.

Qin Yuan felt confident; the clothing business was his core business, and he was confident in its stability.

"Okay, Vasily."

He shoved the jeans and coat he had on hand into Vasily's hands and addressed him in a more intimate way, saying, "We'll discuss these things in detail when we get there tomorrow."

Qin Yuan ended the conversation about jeans and leather jackets, then suddenly changed the subject: "So tell me, Vasily, do you drink kvass here?"

"Gvas?" Vasily was taken aback, clearly not expecting the topic to jump to this point.

"Yes, kvass." Qin Yuan said with certainty, "We've looked all over the streets and in the shops, but we can't find a single bottle. I heard that only old ladies in the countryside brew their own?"

Vasily seemed to be thinking, then confirmed, "Gvas... yes, not in the store, not at all."

“There used to be dedicated factories, but after decades of planned economy, the equipment and production technology have been almost completely lost.”

“I remember when I was a child in the countryside, my grandma used to brew it. The taste was sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Later, I also tried to make it into a beverage, but I didn’t succeed.”

"Now, perhaps only old ladies in the countryside still remember the recipe!"

What do you need kvass for?

He looked at Qin Yuan with curiosity.

Qin Yuan did not answer directly, but instead gave a meaningful smile, his gaze sweeping over Vasily, Old Zhang, Gangzi, and Da Binzi.

A failure of the planned economy?
Unstable quality?
Do they only exist sporadically in the countryside?

Very good!
This is exactly the answer he wanted!
A huge, untapped market that has not yet been industrialized!

“Vasily,” Qin Yuan stood up, shook his hand again, and smiled, “Perhaps next time I can treat you to some… real drinks.”

A real beverage?
Vasily looked puzzled.

(End of this chapter)