Xu Mingxuan never imagined that the letter of introduction Lan'er gave him would be identical to the real ones he had seen, without the slightest difference. Especially the two seals stamped on the letter were even more convincing than genuine ones, making it impossible to tell they were recently made! Su Dan Fiction Network
To prevent potential trouble, Chen Lan felt it was best to prepare a few plans and decided it was necessary to disguise herself and Xu Mingxuan a bit.
So, the couple found a secluded spot. Chen Lan used her mind to open the system and bought a short, slightly curly, light brown wig and a fake beard for Xu Mingxuan. For herself, she bought a dark brown wig with two large braids from the system.
She also ordered Russian ethnic clothing for Xu Mingxuan and herself from the system. Xu Mingxuan's outfit included a coarse cloth padded jacket and a belt, thickened and fleece-lined slim-fitting pants, a sheepskin fur cap, and a lapelled long sheepskin coat. For his feet, he got high-topped sheepskin boots.
Chen Lan bought herself a loose, mid-length sheepskin coat, a brightly colored shawl with large floral patterns, and a finely crafted, traditional Russian embroidered belt. It is said that Russians highly value belts, believing they not only provide warmth but also ensure safety, as the belt symbolizes the circular shape of sunlight, bringing good luck.
In traditional Russian folk customs, the first gift a future daughter-in-law gives to her future in-laws is a belt she embroidered herself, which is why Russian women begin learning embroidery and belt-making from a young age.
Chen Lan also bought herself a long woolen skirt, high-topped sheepskin boots, and a faux sheepskin hat.
Chen Lan helped Xu Mingxuan put on the wig and paste on the fake beard, then had him change into all the clothes and leather boots, and finally put on the leather hat. If you didn't look closely, he truly resembled a handsome Russian uncle.
With Xu Mingxuan's help, Chen Lan also put on her wig and coiled the two braids on her head, then securely wore the leather hat, ensuring not a single strand of hair was visible.
It is said that according to local Russian customs, unmarried girls wear a single braid, and can weave colored ribbons or small glass beads into it, with their hair exposed.
Married women, however, comb their hair into two braids, coil them on top of their heads, and must cover them completely with a headscarf or hat, not allowing any hair to show, as it would be considered impolite.
After quickly disguising themselves, the couple inspected each other and found no flaws. Chen Lan then put the clothes they had just changed out of into the system's warehouse.
Then, hand in hand, the couple walked towards the town of Pogranichny. Although the road to the town was not particularly wide, it was surprisingly smooth. As they walked, Chen Lan found hardly any potholes.
The couple admired the scenery on both sides of the road as they walked. Chen Lan noticed that the scenery along the way was not much different from that in Suifenhe back home. Perhaps because the area had not been affected by drought this year, the trees here appeared more verdant than those in Suifenhe, and the grassland was not as dry as in Suifenhe. Even though it was late autumn, the area was still full of greenery.
The only difference was the presence of beautiful houses sparsely dotting the grassland. The exterior of the houses was quite different from those in China. Most of these houses had walls alternating between white and yellow, and roofs of various colors. Each household had a large yard enclosed by a wooden fence.
The houses here were generally built from logs of similar thickness, a typical Russian log house construction known as "mukaleng." These log houses were not only aesthetically pleasing but also kept warm in winter and cool in summer, reportedly capable of withstanding the harsh winters. The design of the doors and windows of the wooden houses was also exquisite and ingenious. The frames of the doors and windows were painted with colorful paints, perfectly integrated with the main body of the house, the bright colors exuding a strong Russian charm.
The roofs of the wooden houses were the traditional Russian "gabled" type. Due to the heavy snowfall in Russian winters, the steep slope of the gabled roof facilitated snow sliding off, preventing it from accumulating and collapsing the roof.
However, for some reason, some of these wooden houses had chimneys while others did not, leaving Chen Lan puzzled. She asked Xu Mingxuan, who thought for a moment and replied, "Lan'er, I guess it's related to the local preference for steam baths in this cold region. Steam baths are usually conducted in wooden houses without chimneys, which over time can cause the interior to become black with soot. Therefore, Russian bathhouses are also called 'black baths'."
As the couple walked, they admired the scenery on both sides of the road. They noticed the most striking feature was the vastness of the area. On the seemingly endless grassland, apart from the trees, nothing could be seen as far as the eye could reach. There was not much cultivated land, and only a few scattered wooden houses dotted the sides of the road. It was evident that the population here was significantly smaller than in Suifenhe.
The couple walked quickly and soon arrived in the town of Pogranichny. As soon as they entered the town, they saw many small stalls lining the roadsides selling local specialty crafts, such as handicrafts made from birch bark, traditional Russian wood carvings, matryoshka dolls, and exquisite Russian tableware and vessels. On the street, there were also stalls selling small goods like perfumes, soaps, socks, and hats. Many stalls also sold dried fruits. From these small stalls, it was evident that the commodity economy in Pogranichny was relatively prosperous. It's worth noting that during this period in China, private trading was not permitted, and engaging in such activities would be severely reprimanded.
However, what left the deepest impression was that although the streets were not wide, they were very clean and tidy.
The couple walked the entire length of the street and discovered many stalls selling frozen fish, with plump fish frozen rock-hard. There was only one stall selling large loaves of bread, and their selection was limited.