Chapter 13

After all, the people of Ukraine several decades later are not even of the same species! It’s evident that patriotic education still has some effect in the current Soviet Union. When it comes to the Ukraine of the future, Shefov, with his current perspective, is actually unable to understand. With a significant portion of the Soviet Union’s industry and the world’s largest black soil, the Soviet Union left behind a complete education system. The quality of the people, while not extremely high, was certainly adequate! How did a region that was almost developed end up becoming a country where the average person is worse off than in China?

Those who lived through that era know that the one topic China can’t afford to mention is the average standard of living. Shefov can’t even imagine what a European country with an average standard of living lower than China’s would be like. Most importantly, Ukraine, which was once a quasi-developed region, became a place as poor as a county in just a few decades after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This transformation happened faster than in another country that always cries.

“The relationship between Ukraine and Russia should be as intimate as the one between you and me!” Feeling the warmth of the woman’s body, Shefov heard these words in his ear.

From the perspective of maintaining national stability, theoretically, the best approach would be to eliminate ethnic divisions and replace ethnic consciousness with national consciousness to dismantle the roots of separatism. However, in practice, this is as difficult as establishing a successful communist society with current technology. It’s not entirely impossible, but it’s basically...

Since the first method is almost impossible, there’s only one other way: to find the broadest base of nationalism within the country, such as Arab nationalism. In the case of the Soviet Union, this would be Great Russian nationalism. The steel leader of the Soviet Union spent almost his entire life practicing Great Russian nationalism, so people almost forgot that this Soviet General Secretary, who was more Russian than anyone else, was actually a Georgian.

“Who, after all, classified the ethnic groups of the Soviet Union? There are over 130!” Shefov, with the thought of executing the entire ethnic committee, slowly drifted into sleep.

During the Russian New Year, Shefov had a rare moment of leisure. The three of them gathered around a small TV that severely affected their eyesight, enjoying the rare tranquility of the year. “When I came back, little Yulia was crying, it was so pitiful!” Elena, who had just returned from Ukraine, said, leaning on Shefov’s shoulder. She had just returned to Moscow after sending the child back to Ukraine.

“There’s no way around it; we’re all very busy!” Valya said with a calm attitude. This statement made Shefov’s eyebrows twitch. Can you believe a mother would say something like that? Perhaps Shefov still didn’t understand the essence of the Slavic people in this regard, or his views differed from Valya’s.

“With the care of Valya’s parents, it should be fine, maybe even better! It’s more free there! Have you spoken to the local KGB to ask them to take care of her?” Shefov couldn’t be as calm as Valya; if the mother wasn’t reliable, the father had to step up.

“No need to rush, I’ll be going to Ukraine to work in two months! I’ll take good care of the child then, and Elena will take care of the house…” Valya said, staring at the movie on the TV without turning her gaze.

Is that so? Shefov gave this woman a suspicious look. He wasn’t worried about the house, but he was skeptical about Valya’s claim that she would take care of her daughter. It seemed that most of the time, he himself had been the one taking care of his little daughter.

“Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see a movie. I heard ‘The Wind from the East’ is showing. We’ll go see it tomorrow!” Shefov said with enthusiasm. A vacation should have a vacation atmosphere, and relaxing is the most important thing.

“Is that the movie we co-produced with China?” Valya asked, then changed her attitude and nodded. “Then we’ll go with you tomorrow! We’ll give our China expert a face…”

The three of them had been living together for several years, and Valya had long known that Shefov understood Chinese. Although she didn’t know where he learned it, she had even caught him reading Chinese books without any difficulty a few times. Shefov didn’t hide this fact.

“I’m telling you, it’s definitely good! I know the deputy director of the Moscow Film Studio, and he said the movie is great!” Shefov boasted, patting his chest. In the same city, a thin, scholarly-looking old man took off his glasses and put away the speech he had just finished. This man was the deputy director of the Moscow Film Studio, and in reality, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union, Suslov.

Shefov, who had never known the word “death,” took the two women to see the movie in a state of ignorant fearlessness, enjoying the pleasures of life. For someone who spent more than half the year exporting revolution, having time to live a peaceful life was a rare luxury.

‘The Wind from the East’ was the first Sino-Soviet co-produced story film, presenting the vibrant life of socialist construction in New China from a new perspective and praising the great friendship between the two peoples. The Soviets, of course, watched the Russian version, but even so, Shefov could still understand the original meaning from the lip movements of the Chinese actors.

“With one year left before the Soviet experts withdraw, there’s still time! As long as the two countries don’t go to war, everything is negotiable!” Watching this film that praised the great friendship between the two countries, Shefov felt a bit sentimental. The directors of both countries believed that the friendship could last long, but they didn’t foresee that the two countries would turn hostile within a few years. Shefov couldn’t judge who was right or wrong, but he saw the consequences: the split of the socialist camp, the Soviet Union taking on the Western world alone, and having to divert significant resources to confront its former allies.

As long as there’s no armed conflict, Shefov has a way. Even if the relationship between the two countries remains average, it’s still beneficial for the Soviet Union because China’s existence itself is the greatest benefit to the Soviet Union. China wouldn’t have to maintain a six-million-strong army to confront the Soviet Union, which would only benefit the Americans.

“I told you, eating ice cream in winter is more stylish! Who says ice cream is only for summer?” After the movie, Shefov bought ice cream for the two women. Watching the two shivering beauties continue to indulge themselves as they walked, he smiled easily. For ice cream lovers, the weather is no excuse. In his previous life, many people enjoyed eating ice cream in the winter. As for the quality of the ice cream, there was no issue. The Soviet Union’s ice cream standards, established in 1941, were among the strictest in the world, making Soviet ice cream popular both domestically and internationally.