Collecting a Debt Abroad

Collecting a Debt Abroad October 20, 2022. Moscow. The red-eye flight took off from Daxing Airport, transferred in Krasnoyarsk, and landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Then he took a taxi to the address. The whole journey took thirteen hours, but because of the time-zone difference, it was ten in the morning when Gao Fei arrived. The timing was right, and the address was correct, but he didn’t know whether the person he was looking for was there. Gao Fei knocked heavily on the door. The door opened, and the person who opened it was Hou Yanguo. He had found him! “You’re… Xiao Fei? Why are you here?” He still had the nerve to ask why Gao Fei had come? It was all because Hou Yanguo owed money and refused to pay! “I finally found you!” Gao Fei spoke through gritted teeth, but then, thinking of his father’s warnings and instructions, he softened his tone and forced a smile. “Uncle, I brought some things from our hometown to see you.” Hou Yanguo’s expression changed several times, but he quickly made a welcoming gesture, stepped aside from the doorway, and said urgently, “Come in quickly. Let’s talk inside.” The room looked like an ordinary residence. The layout, furniture, and furnishings were all those of a home. Except that the appliances seemed a little outdated, everything was normal. The address was right; this really was Hou Yanguo’s home in Moscow. If he couldn’t get the money this time, Gao Fei would absolutely not leave. After showing Gao Fei to the sofa, Hou Yanguo looked concerned. “When did you arrive? Why didn’t you tell me in advance? Did you come by yourself?” “I’m not hungry. I ate on the plane.” As he spoke, Gao Fei placed the bag on the coffee table. Inside was a carton of Lianhua cigarettes and a bottle of twenty-year Laobaigan baijiu. “Uncle, my dad said you hadn’t been back in a long time, so he specially had me bring you some hometown specialties. There was supposed to be millet and cured meat too, but customs confiscated all of it. Sigh, I’ve never been abroad before and didn’t know these things…” Gao Fei looked helpless, but Hou Yanguo, sitting beside him, said angrily, “It doesn’t matter that the things were confiscated. With all this wartime chaos, it’s so dangerous! Your father just let you come here alone?” “There was no other way. We’ve owed the workers’ wages for half a year and still haven’t paid them. We can’t pay the suppliers for the materials either, and they sued us. The house has already been mortgaged. Now we have to repay the loan interest and the mortgage. The car has been sold too. If it were only this, I wouldn’t have come all the way to Moscow. The key problem is that my father had a cerebral hemorrhage a few days ago and is still lying in the hospital. Uncle, I really have no other choice.” Following his father’s instructions, Gao Fei first complained about their hardships, trying to win Hou Yanguo’s sympathy so that he would pay back the money. After finishing with a bitter expression, Gao Fei said very helplessly, “Uncle, if it’s convenient for you, could you settle the goods payment? Our family truly has no way out.” Yes, Gao Fei had come to collect a debt. Russia was at war. Moscow was not in any particular danger, but many flights had been reduced, and plane tickets were outrageously expensive. If he had not been left without options, Gao Fei would not have spent a huge sum on a plane ticket to fly thousands of miles to Moscow to collect a debt. Hou Yanguo, the one who owed the money, sighed. He pulled over an ashtray, took out a cigarette, lit it, and said with a troubled face, “How did things get so tight? Sigh, but with my current situation, I really can’t help…” When Gao Fei mortgaged the house to pay the workers’ wages, he had not been angry. When the car bought for 130,000 yuan could only be sold for 60,000 yuan after two years, Gao Fei had not been very angry either. When he used the money from selling the car to pay the suppliers so as not to become a deadbeat, Gao Fei still had not been angry. But now that Hou Yanguo said he could not help, Gao Fei was angry. He was very, very angry. How could he have the nerve to say he could not help? If Hou Yanguo had not owed goods payment and refused to pay, causing their family’s capital chain to break, how could Gao Fei’s family have fallen to such a state? This was not a matter of helping. Repaying debts was only natural. Gao Fei had come to collect a debt, not to borrow money. By what right did Hou Yanguo say he could not help? Gao Fei was silent for a moment. The speech he had prepared in advance could no longer be delivered. Those who owed money acted like masters; if one wanted the money, one had to act like a grandson, unable to get angry and unable to reason. “Uncle, if I weren’t truly out of options, I definitely wouldn’t have come all this way. It wasn’t easy to get here. To be honest, I don’t even have the travel money to go back.” Gao Fei’s implication was that if he didn’t get the money, he wouldn’t go back. As for what he would do, Hou Yanguo could weigh the consequences for himself. Hou Yanguo sighed. “Is there really no other way? Can’t the bank wait a little longer?” “There’s really no way. The mortgage hasn’t been paid for three months. The bank sent notice that if we don’t repay it, they’ll take the house. The factory and the house back home can’t be sold, and they can’t be used to secure a loan either. The equipment isn’t worth much and can’t fetch a good price. The suppliers’ payment has already entered the enforcement stage. If I can’t pay it back, I’ll be blacklisted as a deadbeat. Uncle! Please help. No matter what, you must settle the goods payment!” He continued acting like a grandson, trying to see whether he could get the money back. If Hou Yanguo refused to pay, then he would think of another way. Hou Yanguo looked troubled and sighed. He seemed very troubled. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to pay you the goods payment. The key problem is that this war has thrown everything into chaos. I don’t have a single cent left in the country, and I can’t collect the millions in goods payments here. Sigh, I’m having a hard time too!” Everyone was having a hard time, but Gao Fei’s family had mortgaged their house and sold their car to repay what they owed. As far as Gao Fei knew, Hou Yanguo was not having that hard a time. In this day and age, collecting a debt required showing a bit of sincerity. Gao Fei lowered his voice. “I know you’re having a hard time too, Uncle. The goods payment totals 1.16 million yuan. How about this: we both bear a little of the loss. You just pay one million yuan.” Gao Fei voluntarily wiped off a large chunk. It was the same as before: no other choice. Since he had come to the door to collect a debt, he had to be sensible. Hou Yanguo thought for a moment. “All right… Sigh, since you’ve come, I can’t let you make the trip for nothing. But the transfer has to be done through an underground money house.” Underground money houses not only charged high fees, but, most importantly, were very unsafe. Money transferred back through them could easily be frozen. “Uncle, can’t we transfer through a domestic bank? Underground money houses aren’t safe.” “How could I have any money left in the country? All my money is tied up in goods. Even if I collect the goods payment here in Russia, I can’t transfer it back to the country. Otherwise, why would I keep delaying your family’s goods payment?” After saying this, Hou Yanguo looked helpless. “We can avoid the underground money house, but a transfer through a Russian bank would take at least a month. Can you wait that long?” Even one more day of delay was difficult. Gao Fei sighed. “How long would the underground money house take?” “That would be fast. I transfer the money here, and they receive it immediately over there. It can be settled today. But the fees are a bit high. Still, don’t worry. Even though it goes through an underground money house, it definitely isn’t dirty money. If it were dirty money, I wouldn’t dare use them.” “How does the underground money house transfer it?” Hou Yanguo answered without hesitation, “It’s simple. Underground money houses have channels. We pay rubles here, and they deposit the money into your account in the country. For one million yuan, the fee is roughly eighty thousand to one hundred thousand. The fee really is high, but there’s no other way.” The debt was 1.16 million yuan, and Gao Fei only asked for one million. But after the exchange-rate difference and fees were added, Gao Fei would be lucky to get nine hundred thousand. But that result was already pretty good. Anyone who often collected debts would understand. Nine hundred thousand could pay off the bank loan, settle the wages owed to the workers, and roughly clear the suppliers’ payments. Then only the mortgage would remain. Whether he found a job or restarted the factory back home, paying the mortgage should not be a problem. This money could save their lives. Gao Fei gritted his teeth. “We can’t wait. If the fees are high, so be it.” Hou Yanguo took out his phone. “I’m quite familiar with an underground money house. We’ve cooperated many times, so it’s definitely safe. I’ll call and ask first.” Hou Yanguo made the call. Gao Fei saw the screen; someone really had answered. Hou Yanguo began speaking rapidly in Russian for a few sentences, then looked at Gao Fei and made a gesture. Gao Fei was somewhat baffled. He couldn’t understand what Hou Yanguo was saying, nor did he understand what the gesture meant. Seeing that Gao Fei did not understand his intention, Hou Yanguo waved his hand, spoke in Russian for a long time, and finally hung up. With a delighted expression, he said, “It’s settled. On top of the official exchange rate, we add a seven percent fee. We need to go quickly. If we’re late, the price might go up again.” One million, seven percent, which meant about 930,000 would remain. That was quite acceptable. Gao Fei was very satisfied, and he truly had not expected things to go so smoothly. Now Gao Fei no longer hated Hou Yanguo. He said sincerely, “That’s great. Thank you, Uncle!” “What’s there to thank me for? Sigh, your father and I have known each other for so many years. To be honest, I’ve suffered a huge loss this time. Mainly because the ruble has fallen too hard. It used to be eight to one, but now it’s twelve to one. If it weren’t for my relationship with your father, there’s no way I would have agreed to bear this loss… Forget it, let’s not talk about that. Let’s go take care of this first, then come back to eat and rest. Leave the things at home. Hurry up and set off.” This money transfer had to be done quickly. Gao Fei put down his backpack; carrying it really was burdensome, but he did not put down his small bag. After all, his passport and the little money he had left were inside. They went out and got into Hou Yanguo’s car, going with him to find the underground money house. Gao Fei was not particularly worried. Hou Yanguo was a fellow villager from the neighboring village, and Hou Yanguo’s wife and children were still back home. To be honest, this was the confidence that allowed Gao Fei to come to Moscow to collect the debt. Along the way, they chatted casually. The road was not very far; after only a dozen minutes or so, they arrived. It was in a fairly prosperous part of Moscow, but Gao Fei did not know exactly where. Hou Yanguo parked the car by the roadside, then pointed at two people and said in a low voice, “We’re here. Those are them.” The car stopped at the entrance of a small alley. There were two middle-aged white men at the entrance. Judging by their clothes, they did not look like rich people; instead, they looked very much like enforcers. But it was normal for people engaged in black-market transactions to keep a few enforcers. “Uncle, how will we transfer the money in a moment?” “I have to transfer the money to them first. Once they receive it, they’ll send the money to your account. Don’t worry. We’ve cooperated several times. They’re reliable.” Hou Yanguo got out of the car. He warmly greeted the two white men, then began chatting with them in low voices. The conversation seemed to go well. Hou Yanguo said to Gao Fei, who was waiting to one side, “Black-market deals require caution. They’ll only take us to the company after they confirm it’s safe.” One of the white men made a phone call. After hanging up, he waved to Gao Fei and Hou Yanguo. The alley was not long, only about thirty meters. There was an iron door in the middle of the alley. The white man leading the way did not knock. He pushed the door open and walked in. Gao Fei and Hou Yanguo followed closely behind. The room was not large and was simply furnished. There was a long sofa and several chairs, with an office desk in the middle. A white man in his thirties sat behind the desk. When he saw Hou Yanguo, he did not stand up. He arrogantly sized up Gao Fei for a moment, then pulled open a drawer, took out a roll of something, and tossed it directly to Hou Yanguo. Hou Yanguo caught it. What he caught was a roll of banknotes! Before entering this small door, Gao Fei had been somewhat wary. He knew black-market deals were risky, so it was normal for both sides to act so mysteriously. But now Gao Fei finally understood. The reason things had gone so smoothly was that Hou Yanguo had never had good intentions. No matter what, the people at the underground money house should not be giving Hou Yanguo money. The instant Gao Fei noticed something was wrong, he made a decision. He absolutely could not sit and wait for death. If he was going to run, he had to do it early. Without saying anything, the moment he realized that what Hou Yanguo had caught was a roll of banknotes, Gao Fei’s body suddenly lurched forward as if he were about to pounce at Hou Yanguo. Hou Yanguo immediately stepped back instinctively, while the burly man behind Gao Fei, seeing Gao Fei move, resolutely reached out to seize Gao Fei’s neck. Now! Gao Fei, feinting, lowered his head and turned, dodging the burly man’s large hand behind him, then spun around and rushed toward the iron door behind him. He was decisive and alert, but he was still too late. Just as Gao Fei grabbed the door handle, someone beside him seized his arm, and then someone tripped him, directly knocking Gao Fei to the ground. His body was pinned to the ground, his face pressed against the floor. Gao Fei turned his eyes to look at Hou Yanguo and shouted hoarsely, “Hou Yanguo! What are you trying to do?!” The two enforcers who had been waiting at the alley entrance—one was now pinning Gao Fei down, while the other took a folding knife from his waist. With a snap, he opened the folding knife, cut the backpack strap, and yanked out the small satchel that Gao Fei had been pressing under his belly. The small bag contained all of Gao Fei’s documents, his phone, and about the equivalent of one thousand yuan in rubles. The enforcer rummaged through the bag, pulled out Gao Fei’s documents, and handed them to Hou Yanguo. Hou Yanguo took Gao Fei’s passport and ID card. Gao Fei said urgently, “My father knows I came to see you. Don’t do this. Can’t I just give up the money?” Soft words were useless now. Hou Yanguo had not listened to a word Gao Fei said. He did not want to waste words and simply turned to leave. Since soft words were useless, Gao Fei tried harsh ones. He said sharply, “Hou Yanguo, let me tell you, I filed a report with the embassy as soon as I landed. You won’t escape. You want…” The person holding Gao Fei raised his hand and smashed a fist into Gao Fei’s face. Hou Yanguo had not intended to respond. His hand was already on the door handle, but after hearing Gao Fei’s threat, he could not help stopping. He turned to Gao Fei and said, “Have you ever been abroad? File a report? Report what? I’ve been abroad making a living for decades. You think you can scare me? Bumpkin!” Gao Fei said urgently, “Your wife and children are still back home. Don’t take things too far!” Hou Yanguo gave a cold snort, his face full of disdain. “I’m divorced. And you won’t have a chance to send word anyway. Next, your heart, liver, spleen, stomach, lungs, and kidneys will survive all over the world. I’ll give you a scattered-parts emigration. Out of respect for my friendship with your father, no need to thank me.” This was not kidnapping, nor was it some telecom-fraud scheme. From Hou Yanguo’s meaning, these people were organ traffickers. That meant… he would die? Gao Fei suddenly spoke in English. “Cash! Money! I have money. I’ll swipe my card. I’ll swipe my card and pay you ransom. Just let me go!” He couldn’t speak Russian, but most people knew the few English words that represented money. The one who paid Hou Yanguo was probably the boss. After hearing Gao Fei’s shout, he said with interest, “Oh? How much money do you have?” “I have at least twenty thousand US dollars on my card. I’ll give you all of it. Just don’t hurt me!” The boss laughed. He was very happy. “All right. That’s a good deal.” Hou Yanguo frowned. “He’s lying to you! He doesn’t have a cent left.” The boss ignored Hou Yanguo. If Gao Fei couldn’t produce the money, the boss would lose nothing. But if Gao Fei really had money, it would be extra income. “How will you give me the money?” “By card. My card is in my bag. Give me the card, and I’ll swipe it and transfer the money right away.” Visa cards could not be swiped in Russia now, but UnionPay cards could, so there was no problem with Gao Fei saying he would swipe his card. Gao Fei’s satchel contained a wallet. In the wallet were his ID card, passport, and three bank cards. His ID card and passport had already been pulled out, but the bank cards were still inside. The person holding the bag pulled all three bank cards out. He fanned the three cards open in one hand and gestured for Gao Fei to choose one. Gao Fei’s right hand was being held behind him, and his arm was twisted painfully. He extended his relatively free left hand and pointed to one China Construction Bank card. “This one.” He wanted to find a chance to escape. If he could get to a bank ATM, that would be best. But the boss pulled open the desk drawer and took out a POS machine. The boss stood up, walked around the desk with the POS machine, and stood in front of Gao Fei. One of his subordinates pulled the bank card from Gao Fei’s hand. The card was swiped, and then the boss pushed the POS machine forward, signaling Gao Fei to enter the password. Gao Fei’s neck was being squeezed, and his right hand was twisted. He could only stand on tiptoe and lean sideways to reduce the pain in his right arm. Tilting his head, he reached out with his left hand and pressed a few numbers on the POS machine. Password incorrect. Before the other side could get angry, Gao Fei said urgently, “I pressed the wrong one. Let me try again.” His posture really was inconvenient. The boss shook his head and then said to the burly man behind Gao Fei, “Let him go.” Both of Gao Fei’s hands were released. The enforcer beside him waved the knife in front of Gao Fei’s eyes and said, “If you enter the wrong password again, I’ll cut off one of your fingers.” Gao Fei reached out to enter the password again. After he entered four digits, his right hand suddenly swept sideways. Two fingers pinched the cold blade, and with a pull, a folding knife fell into his hand. He didn’t know kung fu; he simply had fast hands. In that critical moment, the speed Gao Fei had honed in his family workshop was astonishing. The boss threw away the POS machine and drew a pistol from his waist—a Makarov. Holding the blade between two fingers, Gao Fei loosened his grip and flicked it. As his hand closed around the handle, he suddenly lunged at the boss. Strike at the leader first. No matter what was behind him, Gao Fei pressed down on the boss’s right arm, the one holding the pistol, with his left hand. With the knife in his right hand, he stabbed wildly at the boss’s head, face, and neck. He stabbed four times in a row, each blow aimed at a vital area. He only stopped when someone punched him in the head, and then he instinctively turned and slashed again. Gao Fei’s backhand slash cut across an enforcer’s face. The wound extended from the forehead to the corner of the mouth, and one eye was cut open. The enforcer clutched his face and screamed in pain. When an honest man erupted, only then was he truly terrifying. And there was definitely some truth to the idea of a warrior gene. Gao Fei now could not feel any pain at all, nor was he afraid. The situation where he would feel nauseated and start vomiting at the sight of blood did not happen either. His hands were shaking, and his whole body was shaking. It was not fear but excitement—or perhaps exhilaration. The frantic surge of adrenaline made Gao Fei’s brain and body operate at an efficiency never before seen in his life. Hou Yanguo instinctively turned and ran. He had already pulled open the room door, but Gao Fei caught up from behind and stabbed him in the neck. Hou Yanguo let out a miserable scream, but when the second stab pierced his neck, the shrill scream was cut off instantly. Blood began spurting from his neck, spraying all over Gao Fei’s hand and face. Hou Yanguo fell forward. Gao Fei did not pull him back. He simply bent down and stabbed Hou Yanguo’s neck two more times. Gao Fei had chased Hou Yanguo out. While he was finishing Hou Yanguo off, the enforcer whose face had been slashed also came out. Holding the pistol, the enforcer rushed out the door and fired at Gao Fei’s back. Being blind in one eye would seriously affect one’s judgment of distance and direction. Although the enforcer was only three or four meters away from Gao Fei, the shot still missed. Gao Fei ran for his life, sprinting desperately toward the entrance of the alley.