On January 6th, everyone got up bright and early because they had all agreed to go to the big market today.
Nobody prepared breakfast, mainly to avoid the hassle. People simply ate some bread and drank some milk as a meal.
School would begin in a day, so today's activity was the last group activity before the start of the term.
Around nine o'clock, Zhou Yuan came over, gathering everyone to prepare to set off together.
Although they could take a taxi there, the fare seemed rather high, especially since they were nine people and would need three taxis.
Even someone as generous as Zhou Yuan didn't dare suggest that everyone take a taxi.
However, there was a bus stop right at the entrance to the dormitory area, and nearly any bus could take you to the nearest subway station, which was quite convenient.
Everyone was dressed up like bears, bundled up tightly — even the girls who loved to look pretty were no exception....
They soon caught a bus, and everyone got on it in a single file. The buses here were mostly new large buses which were rather comfortable to sit on. The student fare was especially cheap, only costing five rubles to the subway station.
Additionally, there were these small buses similar to Ivecos here, but the fares for them were a bit high, costing twenty rubles to the subway station.
The bus fare here was calculated according to the number of stops.
Compared to the bus, taking the subway was even cheaper!
The student ticket only cost five rubles. You could take unlimited rides. Even if you spent an entire day at the subway station, you could ride all lines with it.
The subway stations here were all quite old, mostly built during the Soviet era, but they each had unique features. Each subway station had a different interior design style. Some were built like European palaces, while some looked like art galleries - they looked beautiful.
Frankly speaking, Wang Ye hadn't ridden a subway before coming to Moscow...
He came from a small county town in the central plains, so he didn't have many opportunities to experience riding a subway.
Even his flight to Moscow was his first time....
Wang Ye still remembered that after his arrival in Moscow in his "previous life", he thought everything was exciting and novel.
From a small county town in China to a metropolis abroad, it felt like a country bumpkin had entered the city....
But now, he was clearly not the naïve person he used to be.
After living and working in Peng City for many years and visiting almost all the major cities around the world, he had seen it all.
Now seeing Moscow of 2001 again, he was not as impressed....
......
As soon as they entered the subway station, Zhou Yuan began reminding everyone.
"Once we're on the subway, try not to take a seat if it's crowded. Here, people are required to yield their seats to the elderly, children, pregnant women, and disabled people in public transport. Otherwise, those elderly women will really start to berate you right in your face. They love to meddle in others' affairs. Moreover, there are many elderly people here. So most of the time we don't bother finding a seat, because we know we'll end up giving it up after a while...."
Everyone nodded in agreement. When in a strange place, people tend to be more civilized and polite...
The subway station was crowded, but not as packed as the subway stations in China. There was plenty of space in the carriages, and they could even spot vacant seats.
Due to Zhou Yuan's prior advice, everyone consciously avoided looking for a seat and gathered near the connecting area of the carriages instead. They chatted and laughed and did not feel tired.
Well, standing for an hour was really not a big deal for the young.
Before they knew it, they arrived at their destination, the Izmailovo metro station. After exiting the station and walking a short distance, they would reach the big market!
The area around here was much livelier than around their school.
Just out of the subway station, there were crowds of people, and the road was also filled with cars.
"Let's go. Walk along this road for about ten minutes, and we'll arrive at the market," said Zhou Yuan, who clearly knew his way around the place and seemed to have been here more than once.
Everyone followed closely behind him, heading towards the market.
Before they had walked far, Zhou Yuan suddenly said in a hushed voice, "Everyone, stop talking. There are Grey Dogs ahead! They might want to check our passports. If they do, say nothing else other than that you are students at Friendship University!"
The term "Grey Dogs" refers to the police....
Because they wear greyish-green uniforms, and they're rather annoying, especially to Chinese merchants who despise them deeply.
These Grey Dogs get excited every time they see an Asian face and insist on inspecting their passports.
If your passport or visa has any sort of issue, you're in big trouble!
Even if your passport and visa are perfectly fine, it doesn't mean you won't have any problems because they always have more tricks up their sleeves than the problems they face. If they want to give you a hard time, they will find a reason to do so....
In the end, they simply take advantage of your language barrier and unfamiliarity with Moscow, trying to extort some money from you.
Almost every Chinese person who has stayed in Moscow for a period has experienced this, and no one could escape it.
Of course, if you have all your documents in order, and your Russian is good, there is a high likelihood you won't face any trouble.
After all, they are poor students, and the Grey Dogs are not completely unreasonable - they generally won't cause problems for you.
But if you are here on a business visa to do business, sorry, but you can't get away without "bleeding" a little.
.........
Just as they feared, the two tall and burly Grey Dogs spotted Wang Ye's group and their eyes lit up.
After a brief exchange in their language, they walked straight towards them.
After they reached them, they said, "Stop! Show your passports!"
Seeing that there was no way to escape this, Zhou Yuan had no choice but to step forward and say in his clumsy Russian, "Hello, we are university students from Friendship University."
However, they completely ignored him and just repeated, "Passport!"
Simultaneously, one of them reached for his waist. They were on duty and were fully armed....
With no other choice, Zhou Yuan turned to everyone and said, "Everyone, take out your passports. Flip straight to the visa page for them to check. It should be fine."
Fortunately, Wang Ye and the others had their passports with them when they went out. The agency had emphasized over and over before they left that once in Moscow, they had to carry their passports whenever they went out!
Otherwise, they could really be taken to the police station - and that was no joke!
Liu Xiaojie and the others dared not speak or even breathe. They hurriedly took out their passports, flipped to the visa page, and lined up for the inspection.
Zhou Yuan handed over his passport first. He had been here for a while, and his passport, visa, student ID, and other documents were complete. One of the Grey Dogs checked thoroughly and found absolutely no issues. Zhou Yuan also had his student ID, which proved he was a university student.
The police officer's face softened slightly. He closed the passport and returned it to Zhou Yuan, saying, "You can go."
But when they checked Wang Ye and the others, the officer's face changed.
He picked up a piece of paper stuck in the passport and said, "This thing is useless!"
Since Wang Ye and his group had just arrived in Moscow and it was still the holiday period, their visa on arrival had not been stamped yet. What they had was a temporary visa issued by the school.
Obviously, this gave the Grey Dogs an excuse to stir up trouble....