The fish sellers were two relatively young Russians, and they looked quite similar. Both were of medium build, with long heads and faces, high and narrow noses with straight bridges, slightly curly light blonde hair, fair skin, and grayish-blue eyes.
In short, they were two rather handsome, though not exceptionally tall, Russian young men. Chen Lan mentally guessed they were likely brothers. As Chen Lan was about to approach and speak to them, Xu Mingxuan pulled her hand and whispered, "Lan'er, let me try this time!"
Chen Lan nodded but asked with some doubt, "Mingxuan ge, do you know Russian?"
Xu Mingxuan, holding Chen Lan's hand, replied with a smile, "People living in this small border town between China and Russia basically all speak Russian. I've been here for four or five years and have interacted with those 'old Russians' across the border quite a bit. Coupled with work needs, of course I can speak Russian! Although it's not perfectly standard, normal communication is not a problem!"
After speaking, he paused and asked, "Lan'er, can anything in the backpack be used for exchange?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied, "Yes, anything. Including the clothes, shoes, and hats we, Little Watermelon and I, are wearing, the doll I'm holding, and even this lighter."
Saying this, she took a handful of disposable lighters from her pocket and put them into Xu Mingxuan's.
Xu Mingxuan took a lighter from his pocket, mimicking the way Chen Lan had shown the Russian elder earlier. He flicked the flint with his thumb, and a flame instantly ignited. Xu Mingxuan quickly blew out the flame, put the lighter back in his pocket, and said, "Lan'er, let's go ask them!"
As the two were about to approach, Xiang Xi called out from the sausage stall, "Little Basket, come over here and help me carry some things."
Chen Lan had no choice but to split up with Xu Mingxuan. Xu Mingxuan went to the fish stall alone first, while Chen Lan turned back to the sausage stall.
As soon as Chen Lan approached, Xiang Xi, carrying a noticeably heavier backpack, excitedly pulled her aside. He opened his backpack and whispered, "Little Basket, come quickly and see! I've bought all the sausages from this stall. But the Russian old lady also wants a plush toy like yours for her granddaughter. Little Basket, shall we give her one?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and agreed. She handed the plush toy she was holding to Xiang Xi and said, "Little Watermelon, after you give this doll to that old lady, ask her if they have any more sausages or grain. If they do, ask the old lady if she can bring them next time for us to exchange. If they don't, ask her if she can introduce us to others who might trade grain with us. If she agrees to help us get a large amount of grain, we'll give her a long cotton coat."
Xiang Xi nodded, took the plush doll from Chen Lan, and excitedly walked back to the now empty sausage stall. The Russian old lady was still waiting for him.
Chen Lan waited by the side. Seeing Xiang Xi walk over and hand the plush doll to the old lady, Chen Lan saw from a distance that the old lady received the doll with trembling hands, her face filled with emotion. She stroked the doll's soft fur, nodding and thanking her repeatedly, speaking words Chen Lan couldn't understand.
After a while, Chen Lan saw Xiang Xi gesturing animatedly, speaking all the while. At first, the Russian old lady shook her head continuously. Then, Xiang Xi continued to gesture and speak, but the old lady still shook her head. About fifteen minutes later, Xiang Xi walked back, looking dejected.
As soon as he approached, Xiang Xi eagerly spoke, "Little Basket, what do we do! That Russian old lady said all the supplies in their home are allocated by the state. They are rationed for food and supplies by the state, and it's all on coupons. They don't have any extra grain to trade. They need to save it for themselves. The sausages she brought to trade today weren't all hers; they were pooled from several neighbors, and she was asked to bring them over here to try her luck and exchange for some things to take back."
Chen Lan suddenly understood after hearing Xiang Xi's words. How could she have forgotten such an important detail? Ever since 1928, the Soviet Union had implemented collective ownership of land. All land, forests, mines, and water resources belonged to the state, and all treasures beneath the land were the property of all people. The current Soviet Union adopted a planned economy, and the daily necessities of its people were uniformly allocated by the state according to a certain proportion.
Even the fish at the fish stall earlier belonged to the state. The reason those two young men were allowed to sell them was probably because those types of fish were so abundant, to the point of being a nuisance. To maintain the local ecological balance, they were permitted to catch them in moderate quantities, and thus allowed to sell them at the border.
When researching in her past life, Chen Lan had consulted materials related to Soviet grain production. 1959 was the year Soviet corn production reached its peak, with a total national output of 56.53 million tons. Thus, the late 1950s to early 1960s were a rare period of relatively sufficient material supply in Soviet history.
If she couldn't obtain grain from across the border by the end of this year, it would become even more difficult in the future, because by 1961, the total national corn output in the Soviet Union plummeted to 17.11 million tons.
This was the famous "Corn Campaign" launched by former Soviet Premier Khrushchev during his reforms. It was said that Khrushchev wanted to imitate Mao Zedong and plant corn on a large scale, disregarding the geographical and climatic factors of Soviet land and deciding to plant corn on all Soviet land. As a result, because the geographical conditions of most of the Soviet Union's land were unsuitable for growing corn, many farms yielded almost no corn cobs. The outcome was self-evident. Ultimately, Khrushchev's Corn Campaign ended in failure.
Moreover, there was another crucial reason: China would soon fall out with the former Soviet Union for various reasons, and the border between the two countries would be closed soon, making such civilian bartering impossible.
Thinking of this, Chen Lan couldn't help but feel anxious.