The Black Sea Shipyard, the only aircraft carrier assembly plant in the former Soviet Union, from which all the Soviet aircraft carriers were assembled, including the current Russian Kuznetsov.

After the collapse of the USSR, having lost the Black Sea shipyards, Russia was no longer capable of building aircraft carriers.

At the individual level, Ukraine, which has no need for aircraft carriers at all, and it is impossible to build aircraft carriers by itself, cannot afford or need to feed a huge team of engineers, even if those engineers are extremely valuable assets, and the temple cannot accommodate the big Buddha, this is the truth.

Grolev didn't mean to be surprised at all, he just sighed, but Gao Yang was a little surprised, because he knew that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, those scientists and engineers who even had problems with life were recruited by a large number of countries in the world with needs and ambitions, and China really recruited a lot of talents from them.

"Sir, I'm a little curious, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, China, South Korea, and many other countries recruited talents like you with very high salaries, why didn't you leave?"

The old man turned around and glanced at Gao Yang, then he twisted back, and after a bitter laugh, he said in a deep voice: "I'm Ukrainian, I don't want to go anywhere." ”

There was a brief silence in the car, but not long after, the old man smiled bitterly again: "I'm sorry, I think I lied out of pride, well, if I could choose again, I would definitely leave Ukraine, my ideals, my efforts, my dead father, my wife, my son and daughter, everyone hoped that I could be an engineer, not drive a taxi here, I used to choose loyalty to this country." But my loyalty only allowed me to be a taxi driver. I think. That's fate, I used to be a promising and respected engineer, and now I'm driving a fucking taxi here! Drive this damn taxi! ”

The old man was excited again, he unconsciously raised his voice, and said excitedly: "Gentlemen, I have experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union!" The Motherland, for which I was going to pay a qiē, is gone, I became a Ukrainian, well! Now I'm going to have to face it again. I'm watching my country get like it is once again! And I can't do anything, I have to drive this damn taxi to support my family, because my pension that doesn't even have enough to eat and often doesn't fucking give it to me! ”

The old man was a little out of control, because he suddenly began to cry as he spoke, and after wiping his tears, he parked the car on the side of the road, and quickly wiped it on his face, and said in a trembling voice: "I'm sorry, I'm a little too excited, please don't get out of the car." It's too dangerous here, we'll leave right away. Leave right away. ”

Grolev said softly: "It's okay, sir, you can rest here. ”

The old man buried his face on the steering wheel, shrugged his shoulders, and sobbed: "It's all ruined, again, it's going to be ruined." ”

After about three minutes of staying, the old man raised his head, picked up a towel to wipe the car at hand, and wiped it on his face, still with a self-deprecating smile on his face, shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I'm a little too excited, let you see a grumbling old man crying here, oh, I can only say sorry." ”

Gao Yang said in a low voice: "It's okay, sir, we understand you, please don't be ashamed of it, besides, I must tell you that there are too few people like you who understand what their country will face, and the wise man in this world is always lonely." ”

The old man shook his head, wiped his hands with a clean white towel, stretched out his hand to Grolev, and whispered: "It's a pleasure to meet you, thank you for listening to the grumbling of an old man, my name is Nikolai. Yashkov. ”

Grolev whispered: "You can call me Yuri, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Yashkov." ”

"My name is Peter, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yashkov."

Gao Yang shook Nikolai's hand after reporting the fake name on his passport, which he had always used in Ukraine.

Nikolai Qiang smiled and whispered, "Sorry to the two of you again, now let's continue on our way." ”

After waiting for the car to start again, Gao Yang said in a low voice: "Mr. Yashkov, can I ask why you didn't go to other countries when the Soviet Union collapsed?" I think the best job for you would be an engineer, not a taxi driver. ”

Nikolai smiled bitterly: "Fate, this is fate, I was still young at the time, not yet forty years old, it was the age of the prime, and I was already a senior engineer at the Black Sea Shipyard at that time, but many people left, but I didn't, because I was regarded as the hope of the Black Sea Shipyard, so they left me a position, although it was not as good as the treatment abroad, but I still wanted to stay."

At that time, many people had illusions, thinking that the Black Sea Shipyard could survive, even if it built civilian ships, it could survive, but later it turned out that these were all fantasies, we were fooled, and in 1995, the aircraft carrier was handed over to the Black Sea Shipyard for full disposal, but what could be done with it? We couldn't have finished it, and that was the year when our old captain Maklov retired, and the Black Sea shipyards were worse every year, and we had no work to do, and we relied on the seller's bottom to pay the salaries of our employees, and the meager salaries were small, but we could barely make ends meet, until when there was nothing to sell, and the salaries of the employees could not be paid, I had to be forced to retire early, and that was already in 2000. ”

Waving his hand, Nikolai sighed: "The Americans played us tricks, watching the aircraft carrier that I had worked hard for half of my life first being dismantled into empty shells, and finally being dragged away as scrap metal, my heart was broken, I lost my job, and my pension could not be paid in my hands, and it was not as good as the mood of watching my hard work being dragged away as scrap metal, but fortunately, the aircraft carrier was reborn, anyway, it was better than staying in the dock and rusting out."

There is nothing left at the Black Sea shipyard, why don't I leave yet? Because I am valued, gentlemen, it is sometimes not good to be valued, and I am reluctant to leave, my family, my qiē are all in Ukraine, how can I leave lightly? ”

Gao Yang nodded lightly, but before she had time to express her opinion, Nikolai smiled bitterly again: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm lying again, I've said so much about this set of rhetoric over the years that habit has become natural, in fact, where can I go?" I haven't worked for a long time, there is no place for my expertise, I am already outdated, just like the Black Sea shipyards, we are outdated together, Huaxia, South Korea, they have trained their own engineers, they no longer need us old men, at least not as much as they used to, now the new engineers have more knowledge, use new machinery and equipment, that's right, new people build new ships in new shipyards, and old people accompany old shipyards to decay with old ships, and this is what happens to our people. ”

It was so sad that Gao Yang couldn't help but start to feel uncomfortable, and he said in a deep voice: "Don't say that, every engineer is a valuable asset. ”

Nikolai smiled: "Thank you for your comfort, but this is really fate, in 92 a Chinese invited me to China, but I didn't go, because I felt that the Black Sea Shipyard needed me more, but unfortunately, if I missed that opportunity, I would never have a chance again, who would look down on an engineer who has not done any actual work for twenty years?" Have it? ”

Gao Yan could not answer Nikolai's question because he knew nothing about the field of the question.

Unable to hear Gao Yang's response, Nikolai smiled and said: "I was forced to retire, but my pension is not enough to eat, and my wife is sick, so I came to drive a taxi, driving a taxi to earn a lot more money than my pension, speaking of which, I started this business in 03, eleven years, and I should actually be grateful for this profession, thank this car for providing me with a job." ”

Gao Yang couldn't help but say, "Don't you have any children?" ”

Although he knew that the concept of pension was different, Gao Yang still asked his question.

Nikolai smiled: "Yes, he just passed the professional engineer exam last year and became an engineer, I trained my son to become an engineer, and I used the money I earned from rental, he became an engineer at the age of twenty-seven last year, which is much better than I was back then." ”

After finishing speaking, Nikolai sighed again: "Speaking of which, my mood has changed again, my son has become an engineer but can't find any job, Ukraine can't provide him with a job opportunity, he has been looking for a job for a long time, and with the current situation, he may not be able to give him any job opportunities for a long, long time, want to drive a taxi like me, after being scolded by me, now give up this idea, I hope he can go abroad to find opportunities, maybe find a job that suits him, but it's difficult, It's hard. ”

After thinking about it seriously, Gao Yang said to Nikolai: "Mr. Yashkov, I have a mention, I hope you can think about it, it's like this, we are outsiders, we need a reliable driver to take us to many places, and compared to your peers, I think you are very suitable, what do you mean?" ”

Nikolai hesitated for a moment and said, "You want to charter a car?" Well, this is okay, there is no problem, but I have to ask what is the price of a chartered car for a day now, if you have to use a car at night, the price has to be higher, now the situation is not good, the price has risen, I don't know if you can accept it. ”

Gao Yang smiled and said, "Don't ask, what do you think of a thousand dollars a day?" Oh, we're journalists, sometimes it's inevitable to go to some dangerous places, and if you go to dangerous places, you will get a hazard allowance, how about it? (To be continued......)