My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 283 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City

Upon waking up, Hu Yi and Natasha leisurely headed out to work. As soon as they got off the minibus, they saw many Chinese people walking out of the market in groups of three or five.

"Hey? Where are you guys going?" Hu Yi stopped a young man he knew and said half-jokingly, "Closing up so early?"

"That's enough! Let's find somewhere to play a couple of rounds!" The young man grinned and pointed behind him, "You guys don't need to go either. The whole market is under hygiene inspection today, it's closed, and they're kicking people out right now."

Large open-air markets like these often have many unsanitary corners, especially in residential areas like Huanglou and certain living areas, which can be described as breeding grounds for filth. It is not uncommon for relevant departments to conduct sanitation inspections in the summer.

It just so happens that Dagana and her husband are coming to Moscow today, so it would be good to have a day off. Hu Yi turned around, took a few steps, and took out his phone to call Da Liu: "Brother Liu, I heard there's a hygiene inspection at the market. Are you guys okay?"

"It's alright, my whole family escaped in the chaos." Liu was slightly out of breath. "The suitcases are all securely locked, so don't worry."

"I understand." Hu Yi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you have somewhere to stay? Would you like to take Uncle and Aunt to my house for a while?"

"No need," Liu said with a faint smile. "A bunch of us neighbors are just strolling around in the nearby woods. It's pretty safe here." "We'll play cards, chat a bit, and then figure out how to get home to sleep after those people leave tonight. That's how we always deal with inspections."

"Okay, feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything." Hu Yi hung up the phone and looked at the scattered crowd around him, suddenly feeling a long-lost sense of ease and freedom. He and Natasha went to the market to buy some fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat, ate a simple meal, and then returned home to wait for their guests.

The couple, Dagana and her husband, arrived in the afternoon. They had each driven a van from Smolensk early that morning, unloaded their goods in Moscow, and then followed the address to find their way here.

Dagana was a few years older than Natasha and much larger. Her long, golden hair was loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head. Her skin was slightly rough, and she had a robust, chubby face. Her physique resembled that of an Olympic thrower, and she seemed to have all the potential to become a typical, burly Russian woman.

Her husband was also a strong man, but he appeared somewhat frail in front of his wife. The couple had lived in Smolensk for many years, initially driving for others to transport goods, and later saving up enough money to buy two trucks to run a transport business.

They frequently travel this route to Moscow, but most of the time they only visit the surrounding areas, and even when they do enter the city, it's always a day trip without lingering. Since business has been rather slow lately, they took the opportunity to accept Natasha's invitation for a short get-together.

Natasha and Dajana were thrilled to be reunited with their old friends after several years. They held hands and chatted non-stop, while the two men could only listen with smiles on their faces.

Dinner was sumptuous, and the four of them drank and chatted happily, filling the small house with laughter. To make it easier for the two best friends to catch up, Hu Yi decided to give up his bed, arranging for Natasha and Dajana to share the bedroom, while he slept on the sofa in the living room. The single bed in the cabin was left for Dajana's husband.

After a satisfying meal, the four of them sat in the living room, drinking tea and watching TV. Hu Yi, still a little worried about Da Liu, went inside and called him again: "Brother Liu, are you home yet?"

"Not yet. Looks like we won't be able to finish checking today; there are still people guarding all the gates." Liu hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Luckily, it's not winter, so we can make do with sleeping in the park for the night."

"How can that be? Even if you can manage, can your uncle and aunt stand it?" Hu Yi blurted out, "Those people are really indecisive. How about this, you come here and I... um... I'll find you a place to stay for the night."

He hung up the phone before Da Liu could refuse, then briefly explained the situation to Fu Jiahui and pleaded, "Could you... let them come to your house for one night? The key is that there are two elderly people there, and Da Liu has a leg disability. I can't bear to see them like that..."

"Come on in! We're not strangers." Fu Jiahui interrupted him casually, "It's kind of lonely at home by myself, it'd be nice to have some company."

Hu Yi immediately went out and downstairs, drove to pick up Da Liu and his parents, and arrived at Fu Jia Hui's house.

Fu Jiahui had already prepared the guest room and warmly welcomed the Liu family of three inside: "Uncle, Aunt, Brother, did you bring out all your valuables?"

"I brought it." Da Liu smiled awkwardly. "We don't have anything valuable, just some cash."

"That's good! Let those people do whatever they want. You all stay here peacefully and don't worry about anything." Fu Jiahui told them to go wash up and rest, then returned to the living room and asked Hu Yi, "Do you think this hygiene inspection will be finished by tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I think there have been times before when checks lasted more than a day?" Hu Yi frowned and bit his lip. "But when I came over just now, I saw police officers standing outside several gates of the market. Was it like this the previous times too?"

"Who knows? Who has nothing better to do than watch them inspect sanitation?" Fu Jiahui stood by the window, gazing in the direction of the market. "Tomorrow morning—oh, you're going out with your friends tomorrow, right? Well… I'll go check on things after I get up."

Although it's still impossible to determine the exact state of the market, any slight disturbance is causing unease. Hu Yi didn't sleep well that night, and the next morning, just as he was about to leave, Fu Jiahui called to tell him that the market was still tightly closed, guarded by police and security personnel.

"When will the gate open? Haven't you heard anything?"

"No, or... should we wait a little longer?"

There was no better way than to wait. Hu Yi quietly told Natasha about the situation. Although the two were uneasy, they put these things aside for the time being and spent a happy day sightseeing in Moscow with Dagana and her husband.

Throughout the day, Fu Jiahui continuously sent text messages to Hu Yi to update him on the situation. There wasn't much commotion in the market for the time being, but starting in the afternoon, some uneasy businessmen began gathering in front of various gates, demanding entry; some even clashed with the police.

By evening, the market showed no signs of reopening, and things seemed to be spiraling out of control. After having dinner with the Tagana couple downtown, Hu Yi was driving, his mind racing with anxious thoughts, when Yabalov called: "Anton! You have to find a way to get all the goods out of here!"

"Abba, what's wrong?"

"This afternoon, Azerbaijanis hired us to go into the market to haul goods, and there were other people doing the same. It looks like things are really bad!" Yabalov said urgently, his words slurred. "And I saw Amon in the market!"

"Amon?! In the market?"

"Yes, they must have just arrived! Anton, I just heard from someone that the market might be permanently shut down!"

"Permanent?! All?!"

"Yes! You still have a lot of goods, right? Hurry up and take them away!"

"Okay, I understand. I'll think of something as soon as possible. Thank you." Hu Yi was very anxious, but he didn't want to trouble the Dajana couple, so he quickly hung up the phone.

However, the others in the car had already overheard most of what was happening. Natasha's face grew anxious. Dajana and her husband exchanged a glance, then leaned over from the back seat and asked, "Anton, is there trouble?"

"Well... there is a little... minor trouble... but quite a big trouble," Hu Yi stammered.

"The Cherkizovsky Market is probably closed; our goods are still inside," Natasha replied somberly. "Anton said that since you've come all this way to Moscow, he didn't want something like this to spoil your mood, so we haven't mentioned it."

"Nonsense!!!" Dajana slammed her hand on the back of Hu Yi's chair and shouted, "We're here to have fun! It's a vacation! How can you compare this to something like this! Why don't you take care of the important matters first! You idiot!"

Hu Yi was startled. He looked up at Dajana, whose eyes were bloodshot, in the rearview mirror and smiled helplessly: "It's not that I don't want to deal with it. Things have just become clearer, and I haven't had time to think of a solution yet."

"Yes! I want to right now!" Tagana seemed even more anxious than them, pushing her husband away. "Darling! Let's not go back to Smolensk for now; let's stay and help Natasha and Anton!"

"Okay!" Her husband nodded vigorously. "But... how can we help? Anton, is there anything we can do?"

Hu Yi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he was about to speak when Dajana interrupted, shouting, "You're a fool too! They want to move the goods from the market! We have trucks! Isn't that something we can do?!"

This was exactly what Hu Yi wanted to say. Transporting goods required trucks, and considering the plight of many cargo owners when the Astai warehouse was sealed off, finding trucks from outside at this time was simply unreliable. It was a stroke of luck that Dagana and her husband arrived in Moscow in their truck at that moment and offered their help.

With transportation quickly secured, Hu Yi and Natasha were greatly encouraged, but the rest of the plan remained a mystery. Hu Yi was deep in thought, frowning, when Fu Jiahui called again, sounding completely distraught: "Old Hu! This is terrible! Ah, Amon's in the market! This is really bad! We need to come up with something right away!"

"I heard about it. Don't worry, I'm already thinking of a solution."

"You have a plan? That's great...that's great!" Fu Jiahui's worry instantly turned to joy: "I heard some people started figuring out how to move the goods out this afternoon, we have to hurry! We might run into some trouble if we're too late!"

"I know, I just found two reliable trucks, but other things are still not settled."

"Great! Having a car is good; with a car, half the battle is won!" Fu Jiahui breathed a sigh of relief. "Old Hu, I'm too late to find a car now. Meng Xuanna's goods... could you please take care of them?"

"What are you talking about?" Hu Yi chuckled. "Jia Hui, I'm only where I am today in the container shipping business thanks to your help. Let me tell you this: even if all my goods rot in the market, I'll make sure yours are all taken away first!"

"Alright! Stop with the sentimentality!" Fu Jiahui sniffed loudly. "Come to my place right now, let's discuss a plan!"

"Who's being sentimental with you? Don't forget, I got most of my goods from you, and I still haven't settled the payment for most of them! If they rot in the market, will you still have the nerve to ask me for money?" Hu Yi laughed and hung up the phone, then stepped on the gas and rushed to Fu Jia Hui's house in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)