My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 33 A Million-Dollar Business, Starting Afresh

Old Zhang pushed open the door and walked in, looking weary from his long journey, but his cloudy old eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Behind him followed a similarly travel-worn, stocky middle-aged man wearing a thick cotton-padded coat.

"Xiao Yuan!" Old Zhang's voice was a little hoarse, but unusually loud. "You're back! You've accomplished both things!"

He first patted the bulging, heavy old canvas bag in his hand, making a dull sound: "The connections in Khabarovsk have been established!"

"We brought back two thousand business invitations; that's enough to make us a fortune!"

A glint flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes, and he quickly went to greet him: "Uncle Zhang, you've worked hard!"

Old Zhang waved his hand, indicating that it was alright, and then pulled over the somewhat reserved middle-aged man next to him: "This is Liu Changhe, Master Liu, introduced by an old connection in Khabarovsk."

“He worked for a border trade company over there for half his life, so he knows the ropes and is a very honest person.”

Liu Changhe quickly stepped forward, speaking in a thick Northeastern accent: "Hello, Boss Qin! Uncle Zhang has been praising you for your youth and talent all the way here!"

Qin Yuan shook hands with him politely: "Master Liu, you must have had a long journey."

Old Zhang didn't exchange many pleasantries. He placed the canvas bag on the table and unzipped it.

Inside were neatly stacked business invitations, printed with Russian and a red seal!

A thick stack of papers, exuding the distinctive smell of ink and paper.

Looking at this "hard currency" that was enough to ignite the entire Beijing black market, Binzi, Gangzi, and Magan'er couldn't help but breathe rapidly.

Old Zhang doesn't yet know how much an invitation can fetch in Yanjing, but they know all too well.

It's over a thousand now, but it could be two thousand in a few days.

These two thousand invitations could very well turn into two million?
hiss!
Just thinking about this number.

Binzi and the other two gasped.

They initially thought that it was too risky for Old Zhang to take 100,000 yuan to get this invitation.

But now it seems they all feel they brought back too few invitations.

This is a real chance to get rich overnight!
Even if prices drop as these invitations enter the market, a profit of at least one million is guaranteed.

One million.
This is a fortune you could never even dream of!

However, Old Zhang's next move instantly diverted everyone's attention.

He carefully took out a package wrapped tightly in thick cotton cloth from another cloth bag he carried with him.

Unwrapping the layers of packaging revealed several dark brown glass bottles inside!
The bottle has a label with several clear Chinese characters printed on it: Qiulin Kvass.

“Xiao Yuan,” Old Zhang picked up a bottle, shook it gently, and fine bubbles rose to the surface of the brown liquid inside. “As you instructed, I made a special detour to Harbin and found that ‘Qiulin Food Factory’.”

With a hint of relief and curiosity on his face after completing the task, he asked, "This thing, is it the 'kvas' you mentioned?"

"I tasted it, and the flavor... is a bit strange. It's sour with a hint of sweetness, and it tastes a bit like spoiled sweet noodle soup?"

"It tastes a bit like the stuff that people in the Russian countryside make themselves, but it's not quite the same. This... seems to be a bit smoother to the palate?"

Qin Yuan looked at the few familiar bottles of kvass, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement!

He snatched the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and a familiar aroma, carrying the scent of malt and a slightly sour fermented fragrance, instantly filled the air!
"Yes! That's it!" Qin Yuan's voice was filled with excitement. "Qiulin Kvass!"

He tilted his head back and took a big gulp!

The cool, slightly sweet, and bubbly liquid slid down his throat, and the familiar taste made him feel as if he had returned to a summer street in a past life.

"Uncle Zhang, do you think the Russians can accept this taste?"

Qin Yuan put down the bottle and stared intently at Old Zhang.

Old Zhang smacked his lips, savoring the taste for a moment: "Hard to say... Their homemade one is stronger, more sour, and has a slightly earthy smell. Those Russians used to vodka would probably just see it as a thirst quencher." "This Qiulin one..." He picked up another bottle and examined it closely, "It's milder, sweeter, and the bubbles are finer, so maybe... it'll be more palatable?"

He paused, recalling the scene he had seen at Liu Changhe's father-in-law's house in Khabarovsk, and added, "However, over there, this stuff can really be drunk like alcohol!"

"Especially now that the alcohol ban is strict, and people can't buy legitimate alcohol, some even dilute shoe polish and toilet water with water to drink!"

"This kvass is at least made from real grains, and it has a bit of an alcoholic taste, so it's probably a treasure to them!"

As Qin Yuan listened to Old Zhang's description and combined it with his memories from his previous life, the last piece of the puzzle in his heart was finally settled!
It wasn't that Soviets didn't like kvass; rather, the reputation of kvass was ruined by the abundance of low-quality, homemade products on the market!
And Qiulin Kvass, an industrially produced beverage with stable quality and better taste, definitely has disruptive potential in the harsh winter of alcohol prohibition!

"Good! Great!"

Qin Yuan slammed his hand on the table, making the glass bottle on it shake. "Uncle Zhang, you've done a great job this time!"

He picked up a bottle of kvass, his eyes sharp as knives, as if he could already see it unleashing a storm in the Moscow markets.

"The invitation is the key to opening the door. This kvass... is the liquid gold that will allow us to pry open the Soviet beverage market, and it might even be more profitable than jeans!"

In the room, Binzi, Gangzi, and Magan'er looked at the unremarkable brown liquid in Qin Yuan's hand, and then at the burning ambition in his eyes, and couldn't help but swallow.

Is an invitation just a stepping stone?

Liquid gold?
This thing... can it really make more money than jeans?

Looking at Qin Yuan's confident expression, Old Zhang, though still a little skeptical about the taste of the "sour sweet noodle soup," inexplicably felt a surge of confidence.

This kid never misses a thing!
“Xiao Yuan,” Old Zhang asked, remembering something, “then this thing…how are we going to get it? Like the jeans, are we going to import it from Harbin and resell it?”

Qin Yuan shook his head, a deep, unfathomable smile playing on his lips: "No, that would make too little profit and the transportation costs would be too high."

He shook the bottle in his hand, his eyes gleaming: "What we need to do is turn it into a 'Soviet-exclusive' product!"

"It's to make the Russians think that this is a high-end product made in their country!"

“Uncle Zhang, Master Liu,” Qin Yuan looked at the two of them, “Besides getting invitations, can your connections in Khabarovsk… get you anything else?”

He lowered his voice and uttered a startling plan: "For example... find a qualified food factory in the area, or even just a small workshop, and register it under our name."

"We provide the formula, some core ingredients, and packaging so that they can produce 'Tyulin Kvass' under their own brand within the Soviet Union!"

"This way, we can save on high cross-border transportation costs, circumvent strict food import controls, and use the 'locally produced' gimmick to sell at a higher price!"

"We only need to control the source of the formula and the brand, and then we can reap the profits!"

Old Zhang and Liu Changhe were dumbfounded!
This is no longer a simple matter of buying and selling!
Is this... brand export? Technology investment? Localized production?
How does this kid's brain work?

This intricate scheme is even more complicated than the Russians' nesting dolls!
"This...is this going to work?" Liu Changhe stammered.

"It's all up to human effort!" Qin Yuan said decisively. "Master Liu, you know a lot of people over there, so I'll have to trouble you to put in the effort and find out the way."

"Money is not a problem!"

He turned to Old Zhang and said, "Uncle Zhang, you did a great job with the invitation."

“Next, these invitations will be our ‘bait’.”

"Spread the word that the 'Far East Trading Company' has legitimate Soviet business invitations at fair prices, in limited quantities, first come, first served!"

The Far East Trading Company was the result of his efforts over the past few days.

Now it's time to "establish a foothold".

He wanted to use the invitation letter to obtain start-up capital for the kvass food factory.

As for the more than three thousand pairs of jeans in the room...
Qin Yuan glanced at it and already had an idea in mind.

(End of this chapter)