My hometown is far away in Moscow.

1. Some background information related to this book

To help readers better understand Russia during that era, I have briefly listed some social conditions and customs that differed from those in China at that time, and will add more content from time to time.

1. Russians not only drink alcohol but also smoke, with a very high percentage of smokers, a large proportion of whom are women. While littering is rare on the streets of Moscow, cigarette butts are almost everywhere.

Until 2004, Aeroflot flights had designated smoking seats where passengers could smoke freely. As a result, passengers would often temporarily switch seats, finish a cigarette, and then switch back.

2. Local people in Moscow have a strong spirit of mutual assistance, making hitchhiking very convenient. Most drivers charge low fares and may even offer free rides when they are in a good mood.

Asking a stranger for a cigarette on the street is a common thing, and you usually won't be refused. Occasionally, someone might ask for something else.

3. Moscow has a large foreign population, including many Africans, Vietnamese, Indians, Caucasians, Arabs, and Turks who have lived there for generations and have established relatively solid social foundations and status.

Unlike other Western countries with large Chinese populations, Russia does not have a Chinatown. There is a place called "Chinatown," but that's a place name that has been around for hundreds of years and has no connection to China now.

The vast majority of Chinese immigrants went to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, initially engaging in the business of clothing and daily necessities in large, poorly managed markets. By the time the protagonist arrives in Moscow, the local Chinese community has already begun to take shape, and some individuals have achieved great commercial success through their ingenuity, but overall, it still lacks social influence.

Thirty years have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Chinese people have married and had children in Moscow, integrated into and settled in the local society, and their circumstances are very different from those at that time.

4. In the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, numerous casinos of all sizes sprang up in Russia, appearing on streets and alleys everywhere.

Following a ban in 2009, casinos in almost all Russian cities were closed, with only a few remote tourist areas permitted to operate. Therefore, it is now very difficult to find legal casinos in most parts of Russia.