Chapter 57: A sense of relief

Kaleena looked at Zhou Ming in disbelief, unable to believe that he had just said that. She clenched her lips, her beautiful eyes full of grievance and incomprehension.

'I know what I just said was a bit harsh, and I can apologise for what I just said, but I have no intention of taking it back,' Zhou Ming said to Katerina. "You think that your grandfather was the one who caused the current situation in Northern Russia, and you think that what you are doing now is atoning for your family and your grandfather's sins. But have you ever thought about some of the most essential questions?'

'The most essential questions?" Katerina looked at Zhou Ming blankly, completely unable to understand the meaning of his words.

Zhou Ming nodded and said, 'It's the most essential question. You always think that your grandfather was against the reforms, but have you ever thought that your grandfather was only the Minister of Internal Affairs, not the head of state? Although I admit that your grandfather is a national veteran and his position is very sensitive, and he has a particularly large say in many things, it is not to the point of being able to stop the national course, don't you think so?'

A sudden realization woke her from her dream. Only then did Kareina suddenly remember her grandfather's position and the things he had done, and she remembered that her grandfather's attitude had changed only after the day the KGB chairman came to the house. So she asked Zhou Ming, 'So what you're saying, Mr. Zhou Ming, is that my grandfather was kidnapped by those bureaucratic groups? He was forced to do those things?'

'I'm just a businessman, I can't see through these political things and I don't want to speculate, but I just can't figure out how an interior minister could publicly remove a deputy prime minister, and still be the right-hand man of the head of state. This is simply unreasonable,' Zhou Ming said. 'So I think that you only know part of the story, Kalelina. Your grandfather was also part of that story. It was impossible without the support of other important people or groups.'

'I understand, Mr. Zhou Ming. It was the entire bureaucracy of the entire country's top echelons that were fighting against reform back then. My grandfather was just a part of that bureaucracy,' said Katerina.

'That's another problem I want to talk about,' Zhou Ming said to Katerina, word for word. 'Do you really think that reform is about saving the country, and opposing reform is endangering the country?'

Karolina looked at Zhou Ming, completely unable to understand what he meant by this, because in her opinion, this was indeed the case, and her actions afterwards also stemmed from this, but now that she heard Zhou Ming say this, and faced with his focused gaze, she suddenly lost confidence.

'Literally speaking, reform does promote social progress, but this progress is based on the advanced class and advanced productivity.'

Zhou Ming paused for a moment and gave a bitter smile before continuing, 'It seems I've gone a bit too deep. To put it simply, the reform in your country is not really about establishing a new order, but rather the vested interests in your country trying to formalise their wealth.

Katerina frowned, as if she had understood something. Zhou Ming continued, 'Due to the nature of your country's system, most of your country's wealth is in the hands of the big bureaucrats. Although the enterprises in your country belong to the state, apart from the ownership, everything else is almost the same as private goods. So if they want to officially take control of these enterprises, they have no choice but to carry out reforms.'

'Once the reform is launched and these enterprises are privatised, the wealth will fall into the hands of the big bureaucrats,' Zhou Ming said.

'So according to you, Mr Zhou Ming, whether it was the previous Andrei reform or the current changes in Northern Russia, it was these big bureaucrats who wanted to embezzle the wealth of the country?' Katerina asked.

Zhou Ming nodded and said, 'This is also the reason why I suggested that Irbedov and the others find a way to buy their own units, because even if I don't let them do it, someone else will do it sooner or later.'

Facing this truth, Karina's body shook slightly, obviously unable to accept this answer. In the past, she always thought that it was her grandfather's actions that had caused the country to become what it is today. That was why she still went to the United States, preferring to rely on the Dota Project or act as her own guide, all in order to atone for her family's sins and to pull the country back onto the right track.

This has been the greatest driving force behind her life!

It may sound exaggerated, but it is the truth. Because of her experiences back then, she went from being the pampered daughter of the Minister of the Interior to an orphan who was bullied and had to live on the streets. Finally, she met kind people who understood their family's convictions. This series of events is something that even a successful forty or fifty-year-old may not be able to accept, let alone Karolina, who was only in her teens at the time. She definitely had to go to extremes.

So in the end, she took all the blame onto herself, and spent her life atoning for her sins. It was reasonable, to say the least.

However, now Zhou Ming tells her that all of this is just her wishful thinking, how can she accept it? But this is also why she is like this when Zhou Ming says it. If it were someone else, she would definitely not care.

'Why? Have I been thinking wrong all these years?' Karolina muttered, her expression pained.

'Katerina, you don't need to blame yourself like this, because it's not your fault at all. It's just the way things are in the world. There's no right or wrong, just different interests,' said Ming. "I believe that your grandfather was not just being provoked by other people when he was so against reform. He was more concerned about the interests of the country.'

'Mr. Ming, are you telling the truth?" Katerina asked, looking at Ming in disbelief.

Zhou Ming replied as a matter of course: 'Of course, because no one can wake up someone who is pretending to sleep. This is the economic situation in your country. Otherwise, why would several generations of heads of state want to reform, but then just let the economy get worse and worse?'

'It's just like now. The Soviet Communist Party in power has been advised to disband, and the Northern Russian Republic and other Soviet Union member states have also been given a lot of autonomy. And after Nikolayevich's tank speech, Northern Russia also started privatisation reforms. This should be the result you've been waiting for, Kalinina, but what's the situation like?'

Zhou Ming asked himself and answered, 'The ruble has depreciated and prices have skyrocketed. All the people of Northern Russia cannot even solve the most basic problem of food and clothing. Everyone has taken to the streets to sell their belongings just to be able to eat a piece of black bread. Do you think their lives are better now than before?'

Katerina shook her head and said, 'Of course not.'

'That's it,' Zhou Ming said. 'Originally, it was very unreasonable to blame your grandfather for this. Your grandfather was just a person, and not even the head of state, so how could he have destroyed the economy of a country? This is completely unreasonable. And as far as I know, during the years when your grandfather opposed the reforms, the quality of life of the people throughout the Soviet Union had greatly improved. This was your grandfather's contribution!'

'But...that day, so many angry people from Krisko came to our house, they smashed and destroyed everything, and even killed my parents...'

Kaleina was anxious to explain something, but at this time, Zhou Ming held her hand to stop her from continuing: 'None of that is true, it was all arranged by those despicable bureaucrats, because your grandfather stopped them from embezzling state property, they took revenge on your grandfather!'

'Mr. Zhou Ming, you're not lying to me, are you? Was my grandfather really a hero who wanted to save the country?' Katerina asked, staring at Zhou Ming.

'Of course. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a granddaughter like you who is so desperate to do anything for the motherland,' Zhou Ming added. 'What do you think?'

Zhou Ming's encouraging answer made Katerina's tears flow down her face. Choking, she said to Zhou Ming, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, thank you! Thank you very much!'

Katerina's thanks came from the bottom of her heart, not for anything else, because for her, the matter of her grandfather Yefen was a huge stone weighing on her heart, making her feel a heavy burden and that she owed it to the country. This was why she was doing her best to atone for her sins. Now, Zhou Ming's words of encouragement, although they could not make her let go of all her psychological baggage so easily, had finally removed the stone that had been weighing on her heart.

That feeling of relief is a kind of ease that no one who has never experienced it can ever understand.

'It's good to get things off your chest. As the Chinese saying goes, frowning is one day, smiling is also one day. So why don't we just let go of our worries and face each day happily? There is no gap in this world that can never be overcome.'

Zhou Ming patted her little hand and said to her with a smile, 'Actually, I want to say that I'm not just helping you, I'm also helping myself, because I don't want my translator to carry such a heavy burden for the rest of her life. I hope she can be happier, because only in that way can she work better for me and be exploited by me, the Chinese capitalist, for surplus value.'

Zhou Ming's serious nonsense made Katerina burst into laughter. Katerina said, 'Nonsense, Mr. Zhou Ming, please don't make fun of me anymore. Since I have decided to follow you, it means that I have decided on you and will serve you well.'

If you follow a man, you will serve him well...

These words all have very alternative meanings, but now is not the time to think about such nonsense. Zhou Ming said to her, 'I'm not talking about the past work. In fact, I don't have that much time to look back at what we have done in the past. I just want to do the things we haven't done in the future.'

'The future? Mr. Zhou Ming, do you have any plans? I will help you,' Karolina firmly told Zhou Ming.

'What plans?' Zhou Ming said, 'Of course it is to save your Northern Russian people from the fire and water. Otherwise, Karolina and you, Miss Zhoraeva, have begged me for so long. If I don't agree, wouldn't that be too inhumane?'