Chapter 1, The Train Heading North

During this period in the Soviet Union, there was a rather peculiar phenomenon—goods were in short supply, and store shelves were bare. Regardless of what one wanted to purchase, in addition to paying money, it was also necessary to have a "purchase ticket" issued by the civil department. In summary, the common people had money but could not buy anything; large amounts of rubles held in banks had no value whatsoever.

...

As one of the first merchants to enter the Soviet Union after the national border trade was opened in 1987, Guo Shouyun indeed made a significant profit during these three to four years, amassing a fortune of 1.45 million. While this amount may not be considered substantial in China a decade later, in the context of that time, he felt like a figure of great wealth.

A person lives only once, and what one seeks is a grand and vigorous life. If one only thinks about earning a little money and living a stable life, then that is not the Guo Shouyun we know. He has ambition, a tremendous ambition; if he were to express that ambition at this moment, it would likely derail this train.

Upon leaving Harbin this time, Guo Shouyun almost took all his belongings with him: 300,000 rubles in cash and goods worth nearly 300,000—cigarettes. Originally, according to plan, he intended to exchange the cash for US dollars domestically, but this idea has become a luxury in the current domestic environment, as customs would not allow anyone to carry out foreign currency cash exceeding ten thousand. However, it must be noted that Russian rubles are not subject to this restriction. Guo Shouyun pondered that the People's Bank should also have sensed the potential crisis currently facing the Soviet Union, as an unprecedented storm of ruble devaluation is about to arrive.

However, for Guo Shouyun, who has traveled back from several decades in the future, all of this is utterly meaningless. As a highly intelligent con artist with a higher education background specializing in economics, the soon-to-be-dissolved Soviet Union is a land brimming with business opportunities. In this context, if he were to continue like his predecessor, merely trading in items such as pork, inferior canned goods, and down jackets, he would truly be a colossal fool

"Brother Yun, where are we now?" A handsome young man in the upper bunk across from him was clearly awakened by Guo Shouyun's voice. He propped himself up, rubbed his bleary eyes, and asked in a dazed manner.

However, the only value of this money lies in its ability to purchase goods. In terms of the banknotes themselves, they are no different from a piece of waste paper—no, perhaps they are even inferior to waste paper, as at least waste paper can be used for wiping.

Guo Shouyun had no cultural foundation, and naturally, he was even less likely to understand the various issues in economic relations. The only thing he knew was that doing business with the old Russians was easy and profitable. He only needed to speak a few simple phrases in Russian, such as "Harasho" (good), "Ochen' khorosho" (very good), "Zdravstvuyte" (hello), and "Tovarishch" (comrade), and be able to count on his fingers. Those old Russians were very generous, so generous that it was almost foolish; they would happily spend forty to fifty rubles to buy a low-quality down jacket that was worth only twenty or thirty yuan domestically. They were willing to spend over a thousand rubles at once to buy an entire piece of pork that he had just placed on the shelf. They would compete fiercely to bid for a box of canned fish, fighting to the point of bloodshed.

It was early spring in February, and according to Guo Shouyun's memory, the Soviet Union would collapse with a resounding crash in a few months. Following that, Russia would soon embark on a comprehensive reform of state-owned enterprises into a shareholding system—only then would the true disaster arrive. As for the present, the Soviet financial market had just opened, and a large number of foreign banks had only recently flooded in; they had yet to establish a firm foothold. The enormous conspiracy aimed at destroying a nation was still in the brewing stage, so Guo Shouyun was not worried that his savings would vanish overnight. As for the present, the Soviet financial market had just opened, and a large number of foreign banks had only recently flooded in; they had yet to establish a firm foothold. The enormous conspiracy aimed at destroying a nation was still in the brewing stage, so Guo Shouyun was not worried that his savings would vanish overnight.

"What is Bugusge? This is Blagoveshchensk, the capital of Amur Oblast in Russia," Guo Shouyun said with a laugh and a scolding tone.

What does "You are in me, and I am in you" mean? Guo Shouyun has come to understand this now. To put it simply, it means that your body contains my soul, while my soul holds your memories

Oh, m.hetushu.com, it's nothing. Guo Shouyun came to his senses, glanced at his "younger brother," smiled, and said, "Please wake Dongting up. I estimate that in about ten more minutes, we will be arriving at the station. Quickly pack up your things."

Xiao Ting, stop talking nonsense! As the second child in the family, Guo Shoucheng, although only twenty years old, is much more mature. He knows that if it weren't for his elder brother's hard work over the past two years, the three siblings would have likely ended up on the streets, lost and without a trace. Because of this, he has always held a deep admiration for Guo Shouyun; in his eyes, his elder brother is like a god, a god belonging to the three siblings.

A long, piercing whistle of the train jolted Guo Shouyun awake from his deep slumber. Wiping the cold sweat that had trickled down his forehead from a nightmare, he sat up and gently lifted the curtain on the train window, cautiously peering outside.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Guo Shoucheng jumped off the bed, putting on his leather jacket as he spoke

Money, money, money, the elder brother is now consumed by thoughts of money. Guo Dongting is only eighteen this year, and having been under the protection of her two older brothers since childhood, she is still somewhat naive. I see that you are almost about to be swallowed by money.

In the memories received, Guo Shouyun learned that his previous self had a younger brother and a younger sister, and the three siblings formed an unremarkable little family in northern China. Due to the early death of their parents and their impoverished circumstances, none of the siblings had ever attended school, making them thoroughly illiterate. Fortunately, although his previous self lacked formal education, he was quite clever. At the age of twenty, four years ago, he began working as an assistant for the first group of Chinese merchants who entered the Soviet Union, and a year ago, he started his own business. Everyone is aware of the situation in the Soviet Union during this time; the people there had money. Even a small worker earned a monthly salary exceeding one hundred rubles. According to international currency exchange rates, one ruble could be exchanged for 2.8 US dollars, and when converted to Chinese yuan, one ruble was nearly equivalent to thirty yuan.

"Hehe, you are right, it is indeed not as good as Harbin," Guo Shouyun gestured for his sister to sit on the opposite bunk, and then smiled, "However, here we can earn money that we cannot earn in Harbin"

At this moment, the train had just passed the quietly flowing Heilongjiang River. Looking towards the eastern bank of the iron bridge, one could faintly see armed Chinese border defense soldiers patrolling back and forth along the riverbank

"No need to call, I have been awake for a long time," a clear voice called from the upper bunk of Guo Shouyun. Immediately after, a tall and graceful young woman, around eighteen or nineteen years old, jumped down with a thud onto the empty space in the carriage. Before she could steady herself, she pulled open the curtain and exclaimed loudly, "Brother, have we arrived? Is this the so-called Bugus?"

Frankly speaking, although he has been residing in this body for a month, Guo Shouyun still feels as if everything is a dream. He cannot comprehend how he, a prisoner sentenced to death in 2008 for a massive fraud, has inexplicably found himself in the body of a young man from 1991. Incredibly, this young man is also named Guo Shouyun, and he is from Harbin as well. Of course, the most astonishing part is that this parasitic Guo Shouyun has completely accepted everything about the other person, including that pitiful memory of being illiterate.

If this were said in the past, Guo Shouyun would certainly disdainfully remark, "The foul and unbearable sourness emitted by boring and frivolous people." But now, he no longer thinks this way, for he himself is a living example.

"Just crossed the river, and I've just entered the territory of the old Russians." Guo Shouyun picked up his cup and took a big gulp of the overnight cold tea, and only then did he respond absentmindedly

"What kind of name is this Sikesk? It's so long that no one can remember it," Guo Dongting flicked her long braid behind her head, leaned her little head forward to peek out of the car window, and then pouted her lips, saying, "It doesn't look that great, it's so stingy, it's not even as good as our Harbin."

The young man opposite is named Guo Shoucheng, and he is the biological younger brother of Guo Shouyun—his biological younger brother, indeed, but he is originally the biological younger brother of that Guo Shouyun.