"Let's say goodbye here. Don't finish those five bottles of sweet water in one go. Go on, I'll watch you go into the water before I leave."
Not far from the provincial capital, by the river, Ruan Xianxian had the truck take Mu Xia and Fan Caicai back first, while she took Weiwei home alone.
Watching its enormous figure slowly disappear into the river, I felt a sense of loss. It was thanks to Weiwei's help that the trip to Liaoning Province went exceptionally smoothly.
When it comes to parting, it's always hard to let go.
The white fox leaped into his arms, also gazing at the spot where he had just disappeared. "Don't worry, I can sense that there are no creatures in this area that can be his enemy."
Ruan Xianxian withdrew her gaze, stroked the fox fur hard, and drove the jeep into the provincial capital and parked in the courtyard of the Lakeside Hotel. The girls on duty tonight were already eagerly waiting.
When they saw Ruan Xianxian walking in with an arrogant gait and a bright smile, they all ran to greet her, and some even clung to her.
"When I learned that Elder Feng was going to entertain you as guests, and we didn't get to see you during the day, I specially switched shifts with someone to work the night shift. You little ingrates, didn't you miss us at all!"
Having frequently interacted with foreign guests, the girls at the Lakeside Hotel were more enthusiastic than women of this era.
"After thinking about it, I brought you this gift all the way from Liaoning Province. See if you like it."
I specifically asked Elder Feng to arrange the meeting at the hotel so I could see you all; otherwise, I would have gone to the military region much earlier.
The package was opened, revealing not only boxes of silk handkerchiefs, but also trendy hair clips and braided hair ties.
The girls' eyes lit up, and without saying a word, they abandoned Ruan Xianxian and went straight for the items they liked.
Left out in the cold, Ruan Xianxian pouted, "You said you missed me, but all you missed were my gifts. What a bunch of jerks."
"It's all your fault for spoiling her." Lin Man smiled as she leaned against the reception desk. When Ruan Xianxian saw her, she immediately darted over and clung to Lin Man like the girl had clung to her.
"How is Uncle Lin? Did you receive the letter I wrote to you? Also, the ducks I raised should have all hatched. Why don't you take a leave of absence and come back to the commune with me for a few days?"
"It's all good, it's all good." Looking at the sticky little girl clinging to her, Lin Man smiled unconsciously. Suddenly, her palm tightened.
Looking down, she saw Ruan Xianxian stuff something dark into her hand. Upon closer inspection, she instantly clenched her fist and hid it behind her back.
It was a Teresa Teng cassette tape.
"Ugh! Where did you get this?"
Lin Man once told her that she especially liked Teresa Teng.
Her distinctive, sweet voice and bold, unrestrained lyrics are beloved by young girls experiencing first love.
Due to limitations in international communication and the times, her songs have not yet spread widely in mainland China, but once you've heard them, you can't help but like them.
Even a pirated cassette tape with heavy static can fetch an astronomical price on the black market.
Ruan Xianxian looked around and lowered her voice to Lin Man, "I have a good relationship with several truck drivers. One of them brought the tape back from the south."
There are quite a few, but I'm only telling you this to you. You're not allowed to tell anyone else.
I've tried it, and the sound quality is excellent.
Especially this plate you're holding, Sister Man, please don't give it away.
The driver who bought the watch from her returned some time ago and, through a roundabout route, managed to contact her while she was hospitalized.
He subtly mentioned that he had brought back a batch of cassette tapes and asked her if she wanted them.
Of course she wanted it. The driver brought back quite a lot, and she also smuggled in a lot of her own stuff. The disc in Lin Man's hand was produced by the mall, and the sound quality was no different from the original.
Lin Man immediately understood the implication: this was a suggestion that she had many cassette tapes and wanted Lin Man to act as a go-between!
He poked the brat's forehead with his finger, "You're such a troublemaker. I'll come find you later. Go upstairs first, I'll be waiting for you there."
"Hehehe! Sister Man, I'll go up first."
Ruan Xianxian wasn't selling cassette tapes; she was selling nostalgia. She remembered that in her previous life, around the time of China's reform and opening up, she had bought a cassette tape of her idol from a middleman.
I was so happy at the time, it's no exaggeration to say that I would take it out and hold it in my arms to touch it carefully before going to bed.
That joy was something that nothing else could replace, no matter how good things came along later.
Happiness is contagious. I hope that when this generation grows old and sits in rocking chairs watching their children and grandchildren chase after their idols, they can also recall the joy of receiving their idol's first cassette tape that year when the apricot blossoms were in full bloom and the rain was light.
You can proudly tell your children and grandchildren: "The people you like are no good. The ones Grandma chased back then were real stars!"
...
Thump thump thump—
There was a knock on the door of the conference room on the fourth floor. The noisy conversation inside stopped, and the guard opened the door, indicating that Ruan Xianxian could go in.
Besides Elder Feng and Mu Xia, many unfamiliar faces sat at the long table, with one particularly sharp-eyed old man looking quite angry.
Ruan Xianxian touched her nose and recognized him. It was the commander of the Third Division. Feng Bai had shown her a photo of him, but he hadn't expected the man to arrive even faster than she had.
"Comrade Ruan, come, sit here."
Feng Guang waved. In this formal setting, although he didn't explicitly state the relationship between the two, the reserved space on his left indicated his high regard for them.
He withdrew the gazes that had been secretly observing him.
Ruan Xianxian sat down gracefully, and the long table continued the previous topic. Mu Xia had already handed over the receiver's blueprints, which were locked in a safe in the corner.
The current discussion is about what this document can bring to Heilongjiang Province.
The military needs equipment, the government needs funding, and the business community needs quotas; the three sectors are currently discussing this issue.
Ruan Xianxian listened quietly, and couldn't help but recall her conversation with Mu Xia in the hospital room that night.
She advocated individual heroism, and since the items belonged to Mu Xia, handing them over would give her a position in the military.
Mu Xia rejected her suggestion, "If I hand over the items myself, the higher-ups will record it as a military merit."
But you must understand, things submitted in an individual's name can't possibly yield more profit than things submitted in the name of a black province.
Ruan Xianxian understands this principle. For example, if an individual develops a combat robot and submits it to the higher authorities, they will receive a very generous reward.
However, if a large company or conglomerate develops and publishes a robot, the profits will always be greater than those of an individual.
Money is secondary; the most important thing is the importance placed on development rights, production rights, and participation rights by those in power.
If you find the richest man's wallet and return it, you'll at most receive a small reward. But if someone of the same social class finds it and returns it, the richest man will have to pay a much higher price.
Offering compensation and expressing gratitude are basic practices. If you don't share some of the profits with others on several projects, it will sound bad to your reputation in the industry.
The truth may be unpleasant to hear, but that's how things are.
People with little influence have no say and are expected to do whatever they want. Only by standing on the same level can one have a voice and fight for their rights.
Moreover, while the goods were given to Heilongjiang Province, and Heilongjiang Province profited from it, how could Feng Lao forget the person who made the greatest contribution? Perhaps Heilongjiang Province could give even more than what was directly given by the higher authorities.
Both of them understood the principle. That's the good thing about having partners with similar values. You don't have to argue because of differences in ideas and thoughts, and it goes very smoothly when discussing future plans.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Yu Zhiguang was looking at her with a half-smile.
"The signal receiver was made by two young friends. You're arguing so fiercely, don't you need to ask the parties involved for their opinion?"
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