My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 61 Two million rubles? Eat shit!
The morning of the sixth day.

After a long journey of nearly a week across the Siberian wilderness, train K645 finally pulled into Khabarovsk station, panting heavily.

The platform was bitterly cold, with fine snowflakes falling, far more frigid than Moscow.

Qin Yuan got off the car with the sparse crowd. He glanced at the sparse crowd around him, and the biting cold made him subconsciously tighten the collar of his coat.

"Boss! Over here!"

A familiar and loud voice pierced through the noise of the platform.

Qin Yuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Changhe waving vigorously, his face showing a travel-worn but excited smile.

Qin Yuan nodded and strode over.

"Boss, you've arrived much faster than I expected!" Liu Changhe took the not-so-light suitcase from Qin Yuan, his tone full of admiration.

He originally thought that it would take Qin Yuan at least ten days to half a month to clear out the goods and raise funds in Moscow, but he did not expect the efficiency to be so amazing.

"There's no time to lose," Qin Yuan said succinctly, his gaze sweeping across the platform of this important Far Eastern city.

The platform architecture has a distinctly Russian style, but it looks older than Moscow's, exuding a cold and austere atmosphere of vastness and sparse population. "Let's talk as we walk."

The two walked out of the station side by side, the cold air filling their lungs.

The plaza outside the station was rather empty, with the snow swept to both sides of the road.

"How's the search for the food factory going?" Qin Yuan went straight to the point, his breath condensing into a cloud of white mist in the cold air.

Liu Changhe's excitement was immediately replaced by a hint of hesitation: "We've found a factory. It used to be a state-owned bread factory in the city, called Baroev Bread Factory. The equipment and location are good. We can start producing our kvass as soon as we take it over."

"It's just..." he paused, lowering his voice, "...that the other party's asking price is a bit high."

Qin Yuan didn't stop walking; he understood.

Khabarovsk, a city originally named Boli, which was occupied by Tsarist Russia after 1860, is now a major city in the Soviet Far East.

Located in a grain-producing area, this region is rich in wheat, oats, and soybeans, and has a well-developed dairy industry.

Even if a state-owned bread factory is not doing well, it still has its own value under the planned economy system.

The factory manager has no direct authority to decide on the sale; the so-called "high price" is most likely a "lubrication fee" required to smooth things over at various levels.

After all, Moscow is 9,000 kilometers away from Khabarovsk, and the government here has a lot of freedom; whether or not to sell is just a matter of a single official's decision.

"How much do they want?" Qin Yuan asked calmly.

"Two million rubles!" Liu Changhe held up two fingers, his tone filled with resentment. "That factory director, Komirov, insisted on this number, saying that bribes had to be made at every level above, and not a penny less would get it done."

Two million rubles?
Qin Yuan sneered. This was indeed the sign of a doomed nation. Even the director of a state-owned bread factory dared to make such outrageous demands.

Komirov clearly mistook them for naive, impatient, and wealthy Eastern lambs.

They want to take advantage of information asymmetry and the ambiguity of the system to fleece people.

"Okay, I understand." Qin Yuan didn't say much. "Take me to my place first, and tomorrow you'll lead the way so we can go see this Baroev bakery."

Liu Changhe was somewhat surprised by Qin Yuanping's calm reaction, but seeing the strong confidence in his calm eyes, his unease inexplicably dissipated.

The next day.

The sky remained overcast, and the cold wind howled.

Led by Liu Changhe, Qin Yuan stood outside the gate of the Baroev Bakery.

Before me lay a sizable factory area. The red brick factory buildings looked old, but they occupied a considerable area, with several huge chimneys pointing towards the gloomy sky.

The paint on the signboard at the entrance, which reads "БАЛОЕВХлебозавод" (Baroev Bakery), is peeling off, bearing obvious marks of the state-owned era.

Through the iron gate, you can see the empty space inside and some idle equipment.

The location, space, and basic conditions all met Qin Yuan's initial requirements. It was more than enough to convert it into a kvass bottling plant.

The factory director, Komirov, was a Soviet man in his fifties, overweight, with thinning hair, a beer belly, and wearing a heavy woolen overcoat, waiting at the door.

When he saw Liu Changhe, his face immediately broke into the usual, formulaic, enthusiastic smile of a businessman.

"Oh! My dear friend Liu! You've finally brought your boss!" Komirov opened his arms wide, as if to embrace the air. "Welcome to the Baroev Bakery, we are here..."

Qin Yuan interrupted his pleasantries, his tone flat and direct: "Mr. Komirov, thank you for showing us around."

"I'd like to confirm again whether there's any room for negotiation regarding the price of this bakery?"

Komirov's smile froze for a moment.

His prepared boasts about the bakery's glorious history and delicious products were all shut down.

The other party was too direct!

This is nothing like Liu Changhe, who always tries to bargain.

"Um, as for the price, I already told Liu it was two million rubles."

He explained, “This price is really not expensive. We imported a new batch of machines last year, and they are all brand new. Moreover, the workers are all skilled workers. You can start production immediately after you take over.”

"Furthermore, as you know, the buying and selling of state-owned factories is always a very complicated matter, requiring the coordination of opinions from all parties."

He couldn't continue speaking because Qin Yuan's gaze was fixed intently on him.

To be honest, Qin Yuan originally wanted to bribe the factory manager.

What about the so-called factory valuation and actual value, what about complicated procedures and getting things done?

However, these are all just excuses used by this person to extort money from others.

Most of the money will definitely end up in his pocket, with only a small portion going up to him as a tribute.

For this mediocre bread factory, a million rubles would be the maximum they could earn.

Two million?
Go eat shit!

Now that he's here, the factory director still won't budge, stubbornly clinging to the two million rubles.

Qin Yuan knew he couldn't continue the conversation with this person.

He turned and left.

Although Liu Changhe was a little confused, he still followed closely behind.

Komirov was stunned. They're really going?
He immediately realized what was going on and hurriedly said, "Boss Qin, Boss Qin, two million, this price is really fair, it includes all the grease and haggling fees."

"Mr. Qin, how about we talk some more? The price is negotiable."

He chased after him for a few steps, but when he saw that Qin Yuan showed no sign of stopping, he was completely dumbfounded.

That's not how it works!

Shouldn't the other party sit down with me, have some tea, haggle, and then be slowly worn down by me with a price of two million rubles?
Why did you just leave?
Liu Changhe caught up, panting, and comforted him, "Boss, although this bread factory is in a good location, it's not a pity to give it up. There are several other candy factories and dairy factories in Khabarovsk that are not doing very well, and we can contact them."

Qin Yuan shook his head, turned to look at him and said, "Do you know which unit of the municipal government is directly in charge of this Baroev bakery?"

"Or rather, who is ultimately responsible for deciding on the disposal of this factory?"

Since the lower route is blocked, let's go straight to the upper route.

Qin Yuan refused to believe that 900,000 rubles couldn't buy such a small bread factory.

(End of this chapter)