Chapter 532: Chapter 515 Initial Talk on Longhair

Nie Zhan returned home and found Lu Jiaxin’s face brimming with smiles, “What’s so delightful? Share it with me so I can be happy too.”

Lu Jiaxin’s face beamed as she said, “The seal has arrived. I’ve placed it in the bedroom, hoping I’ll be able to amass a great fortune just like its first owner did.”

Of course, just amassing wealth would be fine, no need to learn from Emperor Yongzheng’s work ethic. Working sixteen hours a day, with only just over two hours of sleep–it was truly waking earlier than the chickens and sleeping later than the dogs. His death at fifty-eight was surely due to exhaustion.

Nie Zhan was not clear on Chinese history, but seeing Lu Jiaxin take such pleasure in it, he smiled and said, “You like those old things so much, we might as well open an antique shop in the Forty-nine City and collect these rare items.”

Lu Jiaxin laughed and shook her head, “He Bin in the Forty-nine City has been helping me collect rare old things. There are many people with discerning eyes who recognize the value of goods, and many good items are passed down through generations. They won’t sell unless faced with dire circumstances.”

Like this seal, the people of the Sun Family knew it was a priceless treasure, and under normal circumstances, they would not put it up for sale. But with Sun Qi in trouble, and compared to his son’s life, to the Sun Family, this inanimate object was not so important anymore.

Nie Zhan listened and agreed. Like the wealthy in Hong Kong, who didn’t have some valuable possessions? Unless they went bankrupt, no one would sell.

“It’s a pity you don’t like Western antiques, otherwise I could have my friends purchase some for you.”

Lu Jiaxin sounded surprised, “When did I ever say I didn’t like Western antiques?”

“You never said it, but you’ve never bought a single Western antique. Isn’t that the same as not liking them?”

Lu Jiaxin was amused by his logic, “I never bought any because I haven’t encountered ones I liked. If there were very beautiful ones or old items with stories, I would definitely have bought them.”

Only then did Nie Zhan realize his misunderstanding.

Taking the opportunity, Lu Jiaxin brought up the Longhairs, “I spoke with Fifth Brother over the phone the other day about the situation over there. It’s not very peaceful right now.”

As soon as Nie Zhan heard this, he said, “After Brezhnev came to power, he promoted a large number of his confidants, and a privileged class formed around him at the center of Soviet politics. Corruption, theft, and the appropriation of state property were widespread. Bribery was rampant, and production efficiency was low.”

Lu Jiaxin was surprised, “You’re actually so well-informed about the Soviet government’s situation?”

Nie Zhan shook his head and said, “A classmate’s father is a high-ranking Soviet official. He said that before Brezhnev’s rise to power, the Soviet privileged class was not large; but during his reign, the privileged class expanded to several hundred thousand. Along with their confidants and relatives, they numbered over a million. These people had appropriated a huge amount of state wealth for themselves, and under such circumstances, how could the country possibly be peaceful?”

“The Soviet Union is a socialist country, yet corruption and legal breaches are rife, causing not only considerable economic loss to the nation but also greatly influencing social mores.”

“After Gorbachev came into office, he wanted to implement reforms in various fields including the economy, politics, and the military. However, with the Soviet Union’s deeply ingrained issues, it was unlikely to succeed.”

Lu Jiaxin added, “Not only are there many domestic problems, but there’s also the avid gaze of Western powers. Especially America, which would never permit successful Soviet reforms and would encircle them from all sides.”

Nie Zhan purposely asked, “So what ways do you think America will encircle the Soviet Union?”

Lu Jiaxin only knew the time when the Soviet Union collapsed, which coincidentally was the day she was born. She said, “First is the ideological penetration, making Soviet youth adopt their values and outlook on life; second, bribing government officials to work for them; third, using financial measures.”

Nie Zhan listened to her analysis and knew she must have put in a lot of effort, otherwise, she wouldn’t understand so deeply, “Then what financial measures do you think they will use?”

Lu Jiaxin shook her head, “It’s not clear yet, but the fox’s tail will show itself one day.”

As a vampire, America didn’t even spare its allies, let alone smaller countries. However, she wasn’t sure about the specifics of their operations; after all, she was young at that time and didn’t pay attention later. But one thing she was clear about was that after the Soviet Union dissolved, the currency plummeted precipitously, reminiscent of the final days of the Republic of China when people needed sacks of money to buy rice. It’s worth noting that before the Soviet Union fell, the Ruble was one of the most influential currencies in the world.

Thinking that the Rupee would face a cliff-like devaluation, Lu Jiaxin felt that she should seize the opportunity, “Ah Zhan, you said you want to invest in the Soviet Union; what kind of project would be a good investment?”

Nie Zhan’s mind didn’t catch up immediately and asked, “Didn’t you just say the Soviet Union is in turmoil, so why invest there? With the country in chaos, any investment is likely to be wasted.”

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “We put in some of the money, and the rest comes from loans with their banks. However, I’m not very familiar with the Soviet Union’s situation; tell me about it.”

Nie Zhan shook his head and said, “The Soviet Union places great emphasis on heavy industry and has invested heavily in it, which is why their heavy industry is so developed; light industry, not so much. Many of the heavy industry technologies are confidential and not for sharing; you can forget about cooperation. Light industry is dominated by the privileged class, and outsiders can’t get a foothold.”

He had analyzed every country, and the Soviet Union was completely outside his investment scope.

Lu Jiaxin thought for a moment and felt that she should study the Soviet Union’s economy more, and after gaining a thorough understanding, she would discuss it with Nie Zhan again. If he was still unwilling, she would have to cooperate with Su Heyuan. However, before that, she needed to make more money, so that she could take advantage of big opportunities in the future. Otherwise, with no capital, she wouldn’t be able to seize the opportunities.

Nie Zhan asked about Lu Jiajie’s situation and, upon hearing that he was fine, reminded her, “Ordinary people who experience such events often suffer from lasting effects, just because they seem fine doesn’t mean they truly are.”

Lu Jiaxin said, “Someone once tried to escape and was caught; the mine foreman took them to see a punishment. He had nightmares for a month after that, but he gradually adapted.”

“It’s impossible to say that he hasn’t suffered any lasting effects. However, with the two children accompanying him, those wounds and miseries will slowly heal.”

If there really are any lasting effects, he’ll have to overcome them himself. If he can’t overcome them, then he’ll just have to endure. She’s not going to worry about it!

Seeing that she had considered these things, Nie Zhan didn’t continue on the subject, “Su Heyuan’s engagement party is coming up soon; what are you planning to give?”

Engagements don’t require cash gifts, generally a present will suffice. He was close with Hu Zhifeng, so he planned to give Hu Huihui a set of Auspicious and Satisfactory Gold Ornaments.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “I’ve prepared a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Jade Pendants. He Bin got them from Jin City, they’re very beautiful, and Miss Hu will surely like them.”

Hearing the name, Nie Zhan felt somewhat reluctant, “Such an old antique should be kept for ourselves. Hmm, how about going to the gold shop and getting a pair of Gold Ruyi, symbolizing a happy and satisfactory marriage.”

Dragon and phoenix are auspicious symbols, and he wanted to keep one for himself and give the other to Lu Jiaxin; he wasn’t willing to give them to Su Heyuan!

Lu Jiaxin laughed, “It’s okay; Shopkeeper Li had previously acquired a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Jade Pendants, which were incredibly rare and crafted by court artisans. The pair that He Bin got is slightly inferior.”

Only then did Nie Zhan drop his objection.