Rich in the 70s: I Made a Rugged Veteran a Millionaire novel Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Ivan

Inside the foreign exchange shop, Teacher Qi and Teacher Cao, playing a returned overseas Chinese couple, are talking to Ivan.

The conversation between the three becomes more engaging.

Teacher Qi and Teacher Cao have been abroad before and can speak knowledgeably about some foreign matters.

Despite the time difference, having been there and not having been there is still different.

The ambiguous information quickly makes Ivan accept their identities.

Moreover, they too despised the harsh living conditions here, the scarcity of resources, the inconvenience of life, and the backwardness of thought.

This finally resonated with Ivan.

Finally, he found someone else who hates Hua... no, Hua Xia, as he does.

Deep down, Ivan does not admit he is racially prejudiced.

"I’m really glad to meet you two, to be honest, I’m very disappointed to have come here."

Ivan arrogantly sneers at the crowd around, his voice seemingly squeezed out of his nose.

"Lucky for me, I’m going back home soon, and won’t have to come here again."

Ivan made no effort to hide his volume, and several Hua Xia translators around continued to tolerate him.

In Ivan’s view, their patience for the greater good was a sign of their weakness.

"The people here are really boring, they have no originality at all."

Ivan continues.

Facing him, Teacher Qi and Teacher Cao maintain a facade of agreement while internally flaying Ivan countless times.

A casual nod from the two signaled the start of their performance.

"Ivan, stop wasting your breath, those who won’t awaken never will."

Like you.

After silently mocking Ivan, Teacher Cao gestures invitingly, saying, "Why don’t we take a look at the products together, although I doubt we can find anything valuable, since we’re already here."

Upon hearing Teacher Cao’s words, Ivan immediately shows a look of approval.

"You’re right, we’ll check ourselves, these so-called translators have no understanding at all."

Ivan follows behind Teacher Cao and Teacher Qi, walking toward the area with porcelain displays.

From the moment he sees the first plate, Teacher Cao starts critiquing.

This pattern is flawed, that color is off, the shape is imperfect.

In general, he finds faults with every product.

Though Ivan knows nothing about porcelain, he enjoys listening to Teacher Cao’s criticisms.

Hearing others belittle Hua Xia products makes Ivan feel deeply that he and Teacher Cao are kindred spirits.

This sense of camaraderie falters when Teacher Cao and Teacher Qi express interest in buying a piece of porcelain, prompting a look of doubt from Ivan.

Teacher Cao discreetly signals for Ivan not to speak, to which Ivan knowingly complies.

He understands!

This must mean the item is a commercially valuable piece, and Cao wants to buy it at a low price.

Feeling he’s uncovered the truth, Ivan chimes in, discussing the faults of the item, insisting the price is inappropriate and should be lower.

Yet despite their discussions, the Hua Xia side refuses to reduce the price.

Teacher Cao instantly becomes angry, raising his voice toward the responsible translator, Jiang Cheng.

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Cheng visibly anxious, tries to explain, "Mr. Cao, they are merely servers and do not have the authority to change prices arbitrarily."

"We ask that you not make things difficult for us!"

As Jiang Cheng finishes, Ivan immediately interjects.

"Make things difficult for you? You think too highly of yourself."

Ivan’s disdainful tone causes Jiang Cheng to look up, unable to suppress the anger in his eyes any longer.

"Mr. Ivan, I call you ’sir’ because I am representing Hua Xia as a translator at this moment. Without this identity, I wouldn’t even bother to say your name."

Jiang Cheng’s defiance catches Ivan off-guard for several seconds, before his expression turns to outrage and ridicule.

"You, a translator---"

Ivan is stopped by Teacher Cao.

"That’s the truth, barely worth a round of mahjong; it’s worth your haggling, you need to change that stingy nature of yours."

Teacher Qi, who seldom speaks, also chimes in.

After Teacher Qi finishes, Teacher Cao quickly confesses with a smile.

"The wife is right."

Seeing this, Ivan becomes more confident in his assumptions about their relationship.

Ms. Qi must be quite wealthy.

Indeed, there are many wealthy Hua Xia families in the US who started businesses there early.

A few thousand US Dollars?

To be honest, Ivan is quite tempted.

In the US, he isn’t a legitimate businessman, just goes with the trend.

Porcelain has always had high profits, only he doesn’t have the connections.

A few thousand US Dollars might not be much to others, but it is still quite appealing to him.

With this idea in mind, Ivan carefully navigates the conversation that follows.

Teacher Cao seems entirely unguarded or rather indifferent, casually exchanging small talk.

However, when Ivan tries to pry further, Teacher Cao suggests bidding their farewells.

"Ivan, we’re going to tour the Forbidden City this afternoon, so we won’t be joining you."

"Alright, it was truly an honor meeting you two, please leave me your address, I’ll be sure to visit in person after I return to the country."

Teacher Cao first looks at Teacher Qi, and Teacher Qi politely replies, "We don’t know where we’ll be staying once we return, why don’t you leave us your address, Mr. Ivan."

Listening to this, Ivan becomes even more convinced.

Unwilling to provide an address, uncertain of their residence, they must be wealthy.

Subsequently, Ivan leaves his address.

Afterward, once Teacher Cao and Teacher Qi have left, Ivan returns to the foreign exchange shop with his translator.