Reborn in 1999: Starting as a black marketeer

As the preparatory students gradually left school, the dormitory building began to bustle with activity.

There were quite a few Chinese students living on the same floor. When they learned that four new students had come from China, some of them came over to visit and get to know them, but most of them were indifferent.

That's how it is abroad. Everyone is busy with their own things, like attending classes or working. They're so busy that interpersonal relationships are very distant, which is completely different from universities in China.

Aside from matters concerning their own interests, they generally keep to themselves and don't get involved in things that don't concern them, which means they've been exposed to society at a young age.

However, Zhang Zhongguo, a man from Ludong who lived across from Wang Feiyang, was very enthusiastic. He came over and asked about their well-being for a long time, patting his chest and saying that if they needed any help, they could just ask him. He had been here for half a year and was quite familiar with the area.

Zhang Zhongguo was significantly older than Wang Feiyang and the others, looking to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had a square face, a loud voice, and was tall and strong, fitting the general impression of a "burly man from eastern Shandong." In his previous life, Wang Feiyang was quite familiar with him and knew some of his background.

This man graduated from university and worked for two years. He felt that there was no point in staying at his company, so he simply resigned and came to Moscow. Of course, he didn't want to get another degree. He just registered at the preparatory course to get student status. He focused his main energy on the market. He was also a middleman, but his business was relatively small.

"Brother Zhang, isn't it a holiday these two days? I heard there's a big wholesale market around here that sells a lot of Chinese goods. I'm planning to go check it out. Are you familiar with that place?" Wang Feiyang asked casually.

Zhang Zhongguo grinned and laughed, "Haha, you've come to the right person! I get up at five every morning, go to the market to sell goods at six-thirty, and rush back to school for class at noon. Do you think I'm familiar with the market? If you're going, you can come with me later."

"Oh? I didn't know Brother Zhang was such a big boss! If you guys are going, call me too, I want to come and have some fun." Zhang Liang said, joining in the fun.

"What boss? I'm just a small business owner trying to make a living. My stall is shared with others. There are plenty of big bosses in the market, I'm just a nobody!" Zhang Zhongguo said heartily.

"What kind of goods does Brother Zhang sell?" Wang Feiyang asked again.

"I don't have the capability to ship directly from China, so I get some goods from a few big bosses for small-scale wholesale and retail, mainly sports shoes and socks, and sometimes I help people sell off some leftover stock," Zhang Zhongguo said frankly without hiding anything.

Although there are many big bosses in the market, there are also many small bosses like Zhang Zhongguo. They don't have factories in China to support them, or even the ability to ship directly from China. So they set up a stall to get some goods from the big bosses and sell them to make a profit from the price difference.

Business is easy these days, so even so, you can make a lot of money, though it's also very hard work!

Wang Feiyang was pressed for time; his goods were still stored in the freight company's warehouse, and every extra day they remained there would incur additional storage fees. So he arranged with Zhang Zhongguo to go to the market with him first thing tomorrow morning.

Zhang Liang also insisted on going along, and since it wouldn't matter if one more person came, they took him along.

…………

When dinner started, everyone had to cook for themselves. Wang Feiyang and Zhang Liang were roommates and got along well, so they ate together.

When they returned at noon, they had already bought some things at the supermarket, such as bread, milk, rice, eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, and sausages. They didn't buy meat because it would be too much trouble to cook, and there was no place to put it in the room.

The heating in the dormitory was on full blast. Although it was freezing cold outside, with temperatures dropping to minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, the room was over 20 degrees Celsius. Many people took off their down jackets and put on short sleeves and shorts as soon as they came back.

At such a high temperature, fresh meat would probably spoil overnight.

Once you graduate from preparatory course and actually enter university, your dormitory will be settled, and you'll be living there for four years. At that time, you can buy some home appliances, such as refrigerators and microwave ovens, which are essential. You can buy whatever you want then.

But they'll only be staying in the preparatory dorms for six months, so no one bought a refrigerator; they'll just make do with what they have.

Zhang Liang diligently started cooking rice in the rice cooker, then scratched his head and said somewhat awkwardly to Wang Feiyang, "Feiyang, all I can do is boil eggs; I can't cook any other dishes."

"I'll handle it, you just need to help me out," Wang Feiyang said casually.

In his previous life, he lived alone for many years. Although he usually ate out, he would occasionally invite girls to his home for a big meal to improve their relationship, so he also learned to cook very well.

However, he didn't take on everything himself, but instead had Zhang Liang help with washing vegetables, and washing the dishes after the meal was also Zhang Liang's task.

After all, I'm not Zhang Liang's father; I can't take care of him for no reason...

I put the seasonings, small cutting board, spatula, and other utensils in the wok and took it to the communal kitchen, where I saw Hu Xiaoyun and Guo Juan also busy at work.

"Wow, Fei Yang, you can cook?" Guo Juan teased.

"Children from poor families mature early, and I learned to cook when I was seven or eight years old," Wang Feiyang said with a shrug and a smile.

This is a joke. Wang Feiyang had never cooked a single meal before graduating from high school. In his previous life, he basically only made one dish for the first two years after arriving in Moscow: scrambled eggs with tomatoes!

This is a dish that almost every Chinese student studying abroad is good at, regardless of which country they are studying in...

It's simple to make, delicious, and goes well with rice. Eggs and tomatoes are available in all countries and aren't expensive, so it's no wonder it tops the menus of international students.

"I don't believe you. Do you want me to help you? Don't let it burn." Guo Juan looked doubtful.

That's true. How many boys who have just graduated from high school in China can cook?

Wang Feiyang didn't explain much. He asked Zhang Liang to bring over the washed potatoes, then picked up the cleaver and skillfully began slicing the potatoes into shreds.

Seeing the cleaver rhythmically moving on the cutting board, and then producing even, thin potato shreds, Guo Juan and Hu Xiaoyun, who were watching, gaped in astonishment!

Just by looking at Wang Feiyang's knife skills, you can tell that his cooking skills must be pretty good!

After shredding the potatoes, I took two green peppers and shredded them as well.

Heat the wok, pour in oil, throw in a few peppercorns, and when the oil starts to smoke, add shredded potatoes and green peppers. With a sizzling sound, the wok bursts into flames. Wang Feiyang calmly grips the wok handle and skillfully begins to toss the wok.

This attracted the attention of several other Chinese students who were cooking, who came over to watch. After all, it was the first time they had ever seen a "chef" flipping a wok in a dormitory kitchen...