My hometown is far away in Moscow.

007 Precautions

"If I don't graduate, I'll hang myself." Hu Yi replied seriously, "You can borrow it if you need it."

"Huh? Hehe." Although Li Baoqing was dull-witted, he could tell that Hu Yi was joking. He scratched his head and grinned at him, "Nonsense, no wonder your surname is Hu."

"Hang a rope to dry the clothes!" Hu Yi smiled and rolled his eyes at him. He looked up and saw a nail on the window frame and a nail on the closet, probably left by a former student. He then threw one end of the rope to Li Baoqing: "Here, go to the closet and tie it securely."

Just as I finished tying up the clothesline, I heard someone laugh at the door, "Hey? You two have all the gear you need!"

As the two looked up, Yan Zhiwen strode in, looked around, and remarked, "This room is so empty, there's nothing here, just like when I first came here."

Li Baoqing awkwardly rubbed his hands together: "Hehe, I think this room is pretty good. By the way, Brother Yan, is anyone staying in the room across the hall?"

"Yes, they might not be home right now." Yan Zhiwen opened the kitchen sliding door and looked across the street: "An old black man and a Chinese man."

"A Chinese man?" Li Baoqing was slightly excited.

"Hmm, I think his surname is Peng. He arrived a few days earlier than you. I didn't pick him up, so we're not familiar with each other."

Yan Zhiwen came to Moscow two years ago. After graduating from preparatory school, he entered the Mati Engineering Department and is now a sophomore. Although he doesn't usually get involved in the study abroad agency business, there are few Chinese people here, and agencies occasionally ask him to help settle in new students.

Yan Zhiwen pulled over a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and took two cards out of his pocket: "Here, your international calling cards. Do you know how to use them?"

Hu Yi and Li Baoqing both shook their heads: "Never used it."

"You can buy local call IC cards at the shops downstairs. There are public telephones nearby. After inserting the local call card, first dial the international call card operator number. After connecting, follow the prompts to enter the card number and password, and then you can dial domestic numbers. It is charged by the minute. Don't forget to add the area code."

Li Baoqing quickly found paper and pen to carefully write down the steps for making the call, then pulled out a handful of rubles from his coat pocket: "Thanks, Brother Yan. How much is this phone card?"

"This fee is included in the agent's fee. You'll have to pay for any more later. Come back to me when you're done using it." Yan Zhiwen got up and walked to the window, gazing at the scenery in the distance with great interest for a while. He then turned back and said, "Let me explain some important points to you. Listen carefully."

"Hey, go ahead." Hu Yi leaned over and offered him a cigarette.

"I don't know how." Yan Zhiwen waved his hand: "The tap has hot and cold water pipes. The water from the cold water pipe is drinkable, and the hot water is only for showering. It's available 24 hours a day."

"Hot water all day? Does that mean I can take a shower anytime?" Li Baoqing scratched his back, feeling his skin itching unbearably.

Hu Yi lit a cigarette, took a puff, and glanced at him sideways: "Didn't you know? Didn't the agent tell you before we came?"

Li Baoqing smiled sheepishly: "No, hehe, my parents were the ones who went to consult them. They didn't explain in much detail when they came back, they just sent me here."

"Then you need to listen carefully, what's coming next is very important." Yan Zhiwen stared at him with a half-smile: "Aside from going to class or buying groceries, try to avoid going out alone as much as possible. If you do go out, it's best to bring a few people with you, and be sure to bring your passport and student ID."

"Then why?" Li Baoqing asked nervously. "Are there terrorists?"

"There aren't that many terrorists, and we rarely have the chance to encounter them. Besides, once something like that happens, no matter how many people there are, it won't help. We foreigners here are most afraid of running into skinheads."

Hu Yi and Li Baoqing exchanged a glance: "Huh? Skinheads? What are those?"

"A group of dangerous extremists." Yan Zhiwen's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "Skinheads are no joke. They are Russians who are extremely hostile to other ethnic groups. They usually roam the streets in groups of three to five, and they beat up any foreigners they see. They are easily recognizable: all of them are bald, wearing leather jackets and boots with random metal rings on their clothes, and some of them carry weapons. You can tell them apart at a glance."

Li Baoqing swallowed hard. "What if...suppose...what if we happen to encounter that?"

"You absolutely have to stay away!" Yan Zhiwen's voice suddenly rose several octaves: "If you really run into them, run as fast as you can, or you'll be in big trouble! There have been many cases of skinheads attacking foreigners in the past two years, and people have often been beaten to death."

"What?! Why did they beat people up?" Li Baoqing's voice trembled slightly.

"Why so many reasons? It's just hatred towards foreigners, especially Black and Asian people, and secondly, non-Russian white people. They claim that foreigners came to Russia and stole their jobs, their money, and their girls." Yan Zhiwen spat angrily, "That's pure bullshit. Those people are a bunch of social scum, degenerates! Even without foreigners, they wouldn't work honestly."

"Such a thing actually happened?" Hu Yi frowned, taking a deep breath. "I've never heard the agents mention this before. Does the Russian government just condone such wrongdoing? Doesn't the police do anything about it?"

"The agency definitely won't tell you these things, otherwise, would anyone dare to come to school?" Yan Zhiwen chuckled. "After the new president took office, the government started taking action against skinheads. But the police can only intervene when they encounter them committing crimes—by the way, you should be careful when you run into the police."

"The police beat people too?" Li Baoqing's voice was almost breaking with tears. "My God, what kind of place have we ended up in?!"

"No, that's not it. There are a lot of foreigners in Moscow, and the police often check their passports. If you don't have your passport with you, you're in trouble. People are often taken away and locked in cages; you have to pay money to get out."

"You want money for not having your passport?" Hu Yi found it unbelievable. "Why should I?"

"Well, it's a long story. But they mainly target businessmen and workers who don't speak Russian. They're quite polite to students like us, as long as our documents are complete, we're fine." Yan Zhiwen smiled at the two of them. "But when the police call you, you must obey them obediently. Don't run around or make any unnecessary movements. The security situation in Moscow has been terrible these past two years. The police patrol the streets armed with guns. They're under a lot of stress, and they might even open fire if provoked."

Hu Yi and Li Baoqing were both stunned, standing there staring at each other in disbelief. Yan Zhiwen's words were slightly exaggerated, intended to emphasize the point. Seeing that the two freshmen had been quite intimidated by his few words, he secretly chuckled and quickly reassured them, "Don't be afraid. As long as you abide by the law, the police won't make things difficult for you."

Hu Yi hesitated, "We definitely won't cause any trouble, so we're not worried about the police. But those skinheads... won't that be a problem?"

"Don't worry too much. Skinheads aren't very common around our school. Besides, they're all cowards who like to gang up on the few. If you go out with a few people, try to avoid unfamiliar places, and there shouldn't be any major problems."

After giving his instructions, Yan Zhiwen glanced at his watch and said, "Alright, get some food later and get some rest. Wait for me in the lobby on the first floor at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to the school to register."

The two nodded in agreement, and Li Baoqing then asked, "Brother Yan, what time do the dormitory lights go out?"

"Lights out?" Yan Zhiwen was taken aback. "The lights aren't turned off here."

"Don't turn off the lights? Won't that cost a lot of electricity?"

"You really came to school without knowing anything?" Yan Zhiwen grinned, hands on his hips. "The water, electricity, and heating are all free here, use them as you please."

"No charge?" Li Baoqing was overjoyed: "Hey! Even though the Soviet Union has collapsed, Russia still maintains the style of a socialist big brother!"

"They're not acting like big brothers at all. They want to collect the money now, but they didn't install water or electricity meters when the building was built, so they can't bill." Yan Zhiwen stepped out of the house, then leaned back in to remind them, "Go downstairs later and call home to let them know you're safe. Don't forget, it's 9 a.m. on the first floor tomorrow."