"There are fifty-seven people in total, so let's count it as sixty," Mikhail bargained with the merchant.
"That won't do. That's not how you round things off, brother. You have a great family estate and vast ancestral holdings left by your forebears—why make things difficult for a humble wage worker like me?" Giovanni, an employee of Moscow Labor Company, said to Mikhail.
"Little brother, your old brother here has had it hard these past years too! Since the reforms, my land hasn't increased, yet I have to pay more in labor costs. I thought about buying some machines to save a bit, but the prices were downright black-hearted. Those machines of mine still haven't paid for themselves!" Mikhail lamented.
After hearing Mikhail out, Giovanni seemed to make a great decision. "Brother, I can't bear to see you suffer a loss.
"I know your character. You're one of the most famously honest men around Moscow. But business is business, and I can't let the company lose money either.
"How about this? I'll personally sponsor you with a bottle of Romantic Paris red wine, along with two bottles of Wrangler vodka. As for the price, we'll still go by what we agreed on beforehand. I'll suffer a little loss, but friendship between us cannot be measured in money.
"Besides, this isn't a one-shot deal. Big brother, you know we haven't been dealing with each other for only a day or two. Whenever there's a benefit to be had, you're always the first person I notify.
"Next time, when you have the 'goods,' just send them our way. Our company's demand has been huge these past two years. In my view, this business can go on for at least another ten years. Save up a little more, and over time, if nothing else,