Chapter 140: Buying a Big Ship (Complete)...

When General Qin came to the Yan family again, Yan's father was still unhappy, but he did not chase the guest away this time.

General Qin, already aware of the news, beamed with pride and repeatedly praised, "Old Yan, you have a wonderful girl!"

The strict father said irritably, "Alright, stop praising me. Now your dream of owning an aircraft carrier is finally going to come true."

General Qin laughed heartily, put his arm around his father's shoulder, and they walked into the house together.

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? That's our aircraft carrier dream!"

The same study, the same people, but the atmosphere was completely different from last time.

"Aircraft carriers are great. With aircraft carriers, our territorial waters will truly belong to us. The borders marked on the map don't count. Only the places that our own warships can reach are our true territory."

When discussing the cargo ship seizures of previous years and the rampant foreign oil drilling platforms in the South China Sea, General Qin was sometimes indignant, sometimes sighing, and even his eyes welled up with tears when he became emotional.

The strict father occasionally added to the discussion, clearly expressing his deep regret over the weakness of the Chinese navy.

"The past was the era of land power, now it is the era of sea power. If we want to join the WTO and sell our goods to the world, we must have powerful warships to protect our country's merchant ships."

General Qin said firmly, "This is Zhongguo's only chance. We must buy the aircraft carrier!"

He Changyi listened intently, not interrupting the two veteran soldiers, but at the end, he asked thoughtfully:

"General Qin, regarding the purchase of the aircraft carrier, are you representing the country or yourself? Has the central government issued any official document on this matter?"

General Qin paused for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "The approval process for purchasing an aircraft carrier is very complicated and lengthy, requiring extensive research and analysis from all sides. But if we wait any longer, we'll miss the opportunity. Let's buy it first..."

His father interrupted him rudely: "Alright, there's no need for these official platitudes with us."

He looked at He Changyi and said seriously, "There are no official documents now, and there may not be any in the future. If you want to buy an aircraft carrier in Ukraine, you can only do so in your own name. No one can guarantee whether the country will approve it in the future. You have to bear all the risks yourself. That's what I wanted to tell you before."

General Qin was somewhat embarrassed and said self-deprecatingly, "Old Yan, you've really torn off my fig leaf... It's true that there's no official document yet, but our country definitely needs an aircraft carrier. Even if we don't need it now, we definitely will in the future! I'm just afraid that if we miss this aircraft carrier in Ukraine, there won't be a second chance!"

The stern father said, "You need to think this through carefully in the first month of the lunar calendar. Buying an aircraft carrier is no small expense, and it involves more than just money. It affects many aspects, and if you're not careful, you could end up in a passive position, or even face imprisonment!"

General Qin hurriedly said, "It's not that serious! Here's what I'll do: I promise you, if there are any problems, I'll take full responsibility!"

The stern father glared at him and said bluntly, "Can you pay for the country to buy an aircraft carrier?"

General Qin chuckled awkwardly, "I can give all my salary and pension to Xiao Yan..."

He Changyi fell into deep thought. The study was extremely quiet, and no one spoke for a long time.

After careful consideration, He Changyi finally spoke: "Vice Commander Qin, I agree to buy an aircraft carrier from Uzbekistan. However, there are a few things that need to be clarified beforehand."

Seeing that she addressed him by his official title, General Qin also became serious: "Comrade Yan Zhengyue, please speak."

He Changyi said after careful consideration: "Buying an aircraft carrier is a good thing that benefits the country and its people. As a Chinese citizen, I am very willing to contribute to the country's prosperity. However, considering the complexity of this matter and the huge amount of money involved, firstly, I hope that I will be fully responsible for purchasing the aircraft carrier from Ukraine, and no one can interfere in the matter under your or the Navy's name."

General Qin nodded and said, "That's only right. Don't worry, you have the final say on the aircraft carrier purchase!"

"Secondly, purchasing an aircraft carrier involves huge interests, and it is foreseeable that there will be considerable resistance in the future. In order to get the aircraft carrier, I need to do some unusual things, but no matter what happens, no matter what news you hear, I hope you can trust me."

General Qin said solemnly, "I understand! It's like fighting a war. Apart from frontline commanders, no one can respond to the ever-changing battlefield situation in time. Since I chose you, I will definitely trust you!"

He Changyi said, "Finally, there is the issue of ownership of the aircraft carrier."

General Qin said in surprise, "Ownership issue? Aircraft carriers belong to the country, of course!"

He Changyi said, "Of course, it would be best if the government took over, and I could just continue my old business as a middleman. But what if the government doesn't take over?"

General Qin was somewhat speechless, and his father spoke up for him: "Of course it's yours! Buying an aircraft carrier will cost tens of millions of US dollars. Your money didn't fall from the sky. If the country doesn't want it, you can keep it and sell it for scrap steel. Don't you have a partnership with Yan Steel? You can sell it to them!"

General Qin was anxious: "How can we sell scrap steel? Wouldn't that make us just like those idiots in Uzbekistan?"

He Changyi smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, what I'm trying to say is roughly what my dad meant. But this is only the worst-case scenario. It would be best if we could hand it over to the country intact, but if the country doesn't accept it, I'll have to find a way to make back the money I spent on the aircraft carrier."

General Qin remained silent for a while, and after being urged several times by his strict father, he said with a wronged expression, "Fine, you decide... but we have to agree that we really can't just tear it down like that!"

He Changyi said, "Don't worry, I wouldn't bear to dismantle such a unique ship in the world."

General Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If she really dismantles it and sells it for scrap metal, he'll cause trouble at the entrance of Yan Steel every day...

After everything was settled, before parting, General Qin told He Changyi somewhat embarrassedly that before her, he had asked many people for help, but most of them refused. Only one patriotic Hong Kong businessman took on the task and promised to buy the aircraft carrier.

Now, that businessman is already preparing to purchase the aircraft carrier and has personally visited Uzbekistan several times, becoming quite familiar with the shipyard. General Qin, not wanting to be used and discarded, asked He Changyi if he could take him along to Uzbekistan.

"They say you shouldn't trouble two people with one thing, but this matter is of great importance, and I'm really worried about it, so I have no choice but to swallow my pride and ask you for help..."

The stern father angrily retorted, "You old fool, since you've already asked for help, why are you dragging my daughter into this mess!"

General Qin's dark face flushed red, and his voice grew softer and softer: "Isn't it because your daughter is a military dependent, and politically more reliable than outsiders... Besides, your daughter is rich. How many people in the capital have a business as big as hers..."

Faced with the old general who was too embarrassed to speak, He Changyi thought for a moment and asked, "What's the name of that Hong Kong businessman?"

General Qin grasped at a straw and quickly said, "His name is Xu Shaobo!"

It wasn't until the airport where he was departing that He Changyi met the patriotic Hong Kong businessman that General Qin had mentioned for the first time.

"Hello, Ms. He!"

A middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses walked briskly toward her with his hand raised, saying repeatedly, "I've heard so much about you! I've heard so much about you!"

He was tall and handsome, standing out in a crowd, with a natural air of leadership.

He Changyi gave him a light handshake and asked, "I've heard so much about you, Mr. Xu. What kind of great reputation have you heard of?"

Xu Shaobo, beaming, said enthusiastically, "You're the top-notch middleman in our country, no, you're the top middleman! There's no oil from Russia or minerals from Central Asia that you can't get! I heard that it was Vice Commander Qin who took the initiative to approach you to buy the aircraft carrier in Uzbekistan this time..."

When General Qin was mentioned, Xu Shaobo deliberately lowered his voice: "Even the general asks you for favors, that's what you are back home!"

He gave He Changyi a thumbs up.

He Changyi remained unmoved, and instead asked with a half-smile, "I heard you are a businessman from Hong Kong Island, but judging from your accent, your Mandarin is quite standard."

Xu Shaobo waved his hand magnanimously: "What Hong Kong businessman? That's just a title for making a living. We're all from the mainland. I won't lie to you, General Qin and I are from the same hometown. We're practically family!"

He Changyi said with a smile, "No wonder General Qin trusts you so much, it turns out you're from our own village."

Xu Shaobo looked smug yet tried to be subtle, while He Changyi recalled what General Qin had mentioned about this Hong Kong "water crab".

"This kid is dishonest, very bold, capable, but also capable of causing trouble."

General Qin pointed to the leather shoes on his feet and said, "See? These shoes were a gift from him."

The stern father scoffed, "Just a pair of leather shoes? My daughter gave me a whole closet full of shoes, all brand names, and even Pierre Cardin clothes."

General Qin shook his head: "Not only that! He also gave me a bag of Hong Kong dollars. My secretary said there must be over ten thousand in it."

The stern father's eyes widened: "You accepted it?"

General Qin said, "Of course I didn't accept it! I had my secretary return the money and the shoes. The secretary returned the money, saying the shoes weren't worth returning, and just gave me some money, considering it as something I bought. Xu Shaobo is a bold guy; others wouldn't dare take on aircraft carrier projects, but he did. But sometimes being too bold can easily lead to trouble!"

He Changyi's thoughts returned to the airport at this moment, where Xu Shaobo was about to give her a jewelry box containing a necklace with a diamond-encrusted gold base and a jade Buddha statue.

"As the old saying goes, men should wear Guanyin pendants and women should wear Buddha pendants. Miss He, this is our first meeting, so please consider this a small gift from me."

He Changyi glanced at the vibrant green jade, then at Xu Shaobo, and gently closed the jewelry box lid, pushing it back inside.

“Mr. Xu, you are truly a generous person. However, as the old saying goes, one should not accept a gift without merit. I cannot accept your generous gift for no reason. Otherwise, if any friction arises during our cooperation in the future, I will feel indebted and unable to ask for help.”

Xu Shaobo's smile remained unchanged as he continued to enthusiastically push the jewelry box toward He Changyi: "You're too kind. It's just a necklace... Besides, we're all contributing to the country. If you don't accept it, you're deliberately not treating me like one of your own..."

The airport was bustling with people, and the scuffle here attracted a lot of attention.

He Changyi found the scene unsightly, so she simply took the jewelry box and handed it to her assistant.

"Alright, I'll accept it. Consider it safe for you. Maybe it'll be returned to its rightful owner after a while."

Xu Shaobo's smile deepened, and his tone became more intimate: "You truly deserve to have built such a large business; you are so clear and decisive in your words and actions! It is my honor to be able to cooperate with you this time and contribute to the national defense of our country! After we get off the plane, we must find a local restaurant for a good meal!"

He Changyi said, "That's not urgent, there are more important things to do. Before we arrive in Uzbekistan, tell me about the Udnev."

Xu Shaobo asked tentatively, "Ms. He, what do you want to know from me?"

"all."

Xu Shaobo hesitated, but He Changyi continued calmly, "After all, we are partners now, so we should keep the same story to the outside world, otherwise we will be exposed in front of the Ukrainians."

Xu Shaobo said dryly, "That's unnecessary. We only speak Chinese, and those foreigners won't understand anyway. If there's anything you need to say to them, let me translate..."

Before he could finish speaking, He Changyi suddenly said, "By the way, Mr. Xu, there is one more thing I need to tell you—I will be in full charge of this aircraft carrier purchase. You just need to cooperate with me. Deputy Commander Qin has already agreed."

Xu Shaobo shouted incredulously, "You'll take responsibility? By what right?!"

"Probably because I'm rich."

He Changyi winked at Xu Shaobo cheerfully.

There's an old Western saying, "Money talks," so the one who pays the money has the final say.

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The author's note: The section on purchasing aircraft carriers references real historical materials, paying tribute to the heroes who fought silently back then.