Xu Mingxuan immediately stopped his motorcycle and greeted him enthusiastically. Xu Mingxuan said with a chuckle, "Yes! My wife and I are both here. Andrey, my dear friend, we've brought all the goods you wanted today. I hope they will satisfy you and bring you pleasant surprises."
It was only then that Chen Lan realized that this chubby Russian procurement officer's name was Andrey, and the Russian name Xu Mingxuan had given her was Nikolay.
Chen Lan thought to herself that she would be traveling back and forth in Russia to exchange goods for some time. Should she also pick a Russian name for fun?
Yes! She had happily decided! By the way, the reason she came to the Soviet Union was to trade grains, to trade rice, wheat flour, cornmeal, and other grains, and then bring them back to the country. She would call herself "Mila." Although Chen Lan didn't know what the name "Mila" meant in the Soviet Union, a two-character name was easy to remember, simple and pleasant to hear! Moreover, it had a deep meaning. Yes, it was happily decided! After she finished exchanging goods with the cooperative and returned, she would talk to Xu Mingxuan about the name.
After Xu Mingxuan and Andrey exchanged pleasantries, the couple each shouldered two large sacks of goods to be exchanged and moved them into the cooperative. Andrey and the four salesclerks in the cooperative were all astonished, their eyes wide open. They had not expected the petite Chen Lan to have such strength.
The cooperative was quite quiet during this time in the afternoon. Because it was already winter, it got dark earlier in Russia than in Suifenhe, with darkness falling around four o'clock. Therefore, at this time, hardly any customers would come to the cooperative to buy things. Seeing the couple carrying several large bags of items inside, the four salesclerks and a cashier gathered around, full of curiosity. Sudan Novel Network.
At this moment, Andrey was already a little impatient, eager to see what kind of goods Xu Mingxuan and his wife had brought. After Xu Mingxuan took out the goods from the sacks one by one, Andrey and the salesclerks, working together, carefully inspected the quality, style, and color of each item brought by the couple. As the couple had expected, they were all very satisfied with the batch of goods.
They even gave Xu Mingxuan and Chen Lan a thumbs-up, repeatedly saying, "Khorosho, khorosho." Chen Lan understood this phrase.
Chen Lan could understand this phrase thanks to a popular rhyme that circulated in Harbin in her previous life, which included this very phrase.
What was that rhyme? Chen Lan lowered her head and thought for a moment. Oh, that's right, it went something like this: "As soon as you reach Chinese Street, the whole street is filled with Russian accents. Handshakes and 'Luga Bao,' 'Dala, shi qi hao.' A 'Gobi dan' arrived, driving a 'Ma Shen' car, holding a 'Madam,' drinking 'Vodka.' Butter is 'Smytan,' bread is 'Da mianbao,' a water bucket is 'Vydra,' a lampshade is 'Dian dengpao.' 'Golán' is tap water, 'Ba lizi' (prison) is 'Zhuo zhe,' having no money is 'Ne du,' and very good is 'Khorosho.'"
"Khorosho" was a Northeast dialect of Russian. Because the two countries were friendly neighbors, some Russian words were integrated into the lives of the Northeast people living on the border. Finally, the humorous and witty Northeast people turned this Russian phrase into a Northeast dialect, meaning: "Not bad, very good, quite good; it can also be translated as excellent! Fantastic!"
After the couple clearly counted the quantities of various sausages they had exchanged, they packed them all into the sacks! Then, they weighed the five sacks of wheat flour by hand, estimating their approximate weight to be about fifty jin per sack. Afterward, the couple moved the sacks of sausages and the wheat flour onto the motorcycle outside and secured them.
Next, the couple brought the two baskets of goods, which had been placed behind the motorcycle, into the cooperative. Xu Mingxuan went to the side and spoke with the procurement officer Andrey, asking the salesclerks in the cooperative to help sell the goods. The four salesclerks and the cashier gathered around to look at the two large baskets of dazzling merchandise. They loved every item, unable to put them down when they held them in their hands, constantly exclaiming, "Khorosho, khorosho." When they heard Xu Mingxuan tell Andrey that they would receive one item as a reward for every six items sold, all five people were full of surprise and happiness!
Andrey's thoughts were the same as those of the salesclerks. Looking at so many exquisite goods, each of which was quite expensive, and receiving one free item for every six sold, they felt they were getting a great deal and naturally agreed readily.
After Xu Mingxuan and Andrey had finalized the agreement, Xu Mingxuan called Chen Lan over and asked her to demonstrate the usage of items they had never seen before. Xu Mingxuan translated for them into Russian. They were particularly interested in the thermos bottles, enamelware, and some plush toys.
After the introductions, Xu Mingxuan first counted and confirmed each item with the salesclerks. Although there were many items, counting was very easy because each type of product came in sets of six. Finally, Xu Mingxuan and Andrey confirmed the selling price of each item and the exchange conditions.
When Andrey heard that the prices were so low, he couldn't help but have his own thoughts. As the cooperative's procurement officer, he purchased goods from all over the country every year. Just looking at the quality and style of these goods, the price was truly not expensive; it could truly be called "excellent quality and low price, exceeding value for money."
So, after Xu Mingxuan stated the price of each item, and they both wrote out the receipt, Andrey signed his name and pressed his handprint, then handed the receipt to the cashier for her signature and handprint. Afterward, he pulled Xu Mingxuan out of the cooperative, and they went outside together.
Then, the two found an uninhabited spot next to the cooperative and began chatting animatedly. Chen Lan waited in the cooperative for a while, holding the receipt given by the cashier, but Xu Mingxuan and Andrey did not return. She was alone in the cooperative. Although she had been wearing headphones with a simultaneous interpreter, she couldn't speak Russian, so she couldn't speak. She was left staring blankly at the salesclerks, feeling very uncomfortable. So, she left the cooperative. As soon as she walked out of the cooperative's entrance, she looked up and saw Xu Mingxuan and Andrey standing by the wall to the left of the cooperative, engrossed in their conversation!
Chen Lan decided not to interrupt their conversation and let them continue. She walked over to the motorcycle parked at the entrance of the cooperative and sat on the seat, waiting for them to finish.