Chapter 23

"Here, here!" Mayor Wang nodded vigorously and said with a smile, "I've arranged for them to stay at the Beishan Reception Hotel. I guarantee they won't be treated poorly!"

"Beishan Hotel!" Hu Wenhai was somewhat moved. Although this hotel had gradually declined by the late 1990s, in the 1980s, it was the best hotel in the entire Xiucheng and the designated reception hotel for the city's party and government. It was located in the northern suburbs of the city, covering a vast area. Unlike ordinary commercial hotels, it was designed as a combination of a garden and a hotel, with a very refined style.

Ordinary people, even if they had money, couldn't stay in such a place. The fact that Mayor Wang could arrange for them to stay there was indeed a sign of great importance.

"Come on, let's go." Mayor Wang patted his head, suddenly remembering, "We shouldn't keep the foreign guests waiting. Let's go over there."

With that, Mayor Wang hurriedly called the driver to come out of the room, opened the car door, and pushed Hu Wenhai into the car. Then he called for Xiao Yeqin to get in, and they rushed to the Beishan Hotel.

Even on the road, Mayor Wang didn't idle. He tilted his head, looked back from the passenger seat, and earnestly instructed.

"Comrade Hu, I'm telling you, once we get to the hotel, follow my lead. Whether Xiucheng can turn things around this time depends entirely on your performance!"

...

The Beishan Hotel was more of a garden than a hotel. After passing through the main gate and entering the hotel's compound, 80% of the area was beautifully landscaped and well-maintained garden plantings. After passing through large areas of greenery and leisurely forest paths, there was a three-story white building deep within the garden, which was the main building of the Beishan Hotel.

In a 40-acre garden, only one three-story building was constructed, showing its understated luxury.

Hu Wenhai and Xiao Yeqin, riding in the mayor's car, drove directly to the front of the hotel building. Mayor Wang didn't even wait for someone to open the door for him; he pushed the car door open and jumped out.

Actually, in the 1980s, mayors had only been living good lives for a few years. The municipal government was called the Revolutionary Committee just a few years ago. This wasn't just a name change; it indicated that the people who came to power in the previous decade had been purged only three or four years ago.

Before that, "Wang Yichun" and others were probably squatting in some rural cowshed. Therefore, Mayor Wang had neither the capital nor the awareness to put on airs. Opening the car door and getting out was a simple matter; he had hands, so why wait for someone else to do it?

This wasn't just Wang Yichun's thought; at that time in China, it was hard to find mayors who needed others to hold umbrellas for them in the rain or to open car doors for them. It would probably take another ten years for leaders to evolve into high-level intelligent beings like the brain bugs in Starship Troopers.

The service staff at the Beishan Hotel were not at all like those in other state-owned units, who often had poor attitudes and were indifferent. On the contrary, because the people who could stay at the Beishan Hotel were all of high status, the service quality here was comparable to that of a five-star hotel.

Two staff members in white uniforms pushed open the hotel's main door for Mayor Wang, and Wang Yichun rushed in like a whirlwind. A young man with a scholarly air was standing at the door and came forward to greet Mayor Wang.

"Xiao Jiang, how's the situation?"

"Mayor, Mr. Latif and Mr. Clark are already in the meeting room. They want to see Hu Wenhai right away."

"Hu, Hu, quickly, don't keep the foreign guests waiting." Hearing Secretary Xiao Jiang's response, Wang Yichun hurriedly waved his hand, urging Hu Wenhai to move faster.

However, Hu Wenhai tugged at Xiao Yeqin's sleeve, and the two walked over slowly and steadily. If it weren't for the obvious differences in appearance and age, an uninformed person might mistake Hu Wenhai for the mayor and Wang Yichun for an 18-year-old boy.

It wasn't that Wang Yichun was really so restless; it was the unprecedented opportunity to recruit foreign investment in Xiucheng that made him unable to remain calm. As they say, the hardest part is getting started, and the same goes for attracting foreign investment. Once the first foreign investor comes in, it often sets a good example. Word of mouth can spread, and other foreign investors will follow.

In the 1980s, foreign investment was the only bright spot in China's economy. First, the foreign exchange brought in by foreign investment, though a large part would be retained by the state, still left some for the local areas. However, China's desire for imported goods was endless. Imported cars, imported color TVs, imported refrigerators, imported air conditioners—just the introduction of a foreign advanced technology could revive a state-owned enterprise (SOE).

Now, SOEs were like mud that couldn't be shaped into a wall. The state provided money, policies, and talent, tilting all resources toward them to try to improve their performance. However, to the disappointment of the entire country, SOE reform still hadn't found a viable path. Collective enterprises and township enterprises were like illegitimate children, struggling to survive, let alone drive local investment. As for private enterprises, well, did Xiucheng even have such things?

Therefore, foreign investment was so highly welcomed and pursued by local governments. The value of foreign investment lay in its ability to operate outside the existing system, thus breaking the economic deadlock and providing more flexible and diverse options.

Wang Yichun's excitement actually revealed how much he was constrained by the rigid system in his daily work, leading to his current state of disarray.

Hu Wenhai and Xiao Yeqin followed Wang Yichun up to the third floor of the Beishan Hotel and stopped in front of a heavy door at the end of the corridor.

Creak—

After all, it was still a state-owned unit, and service awareness did not equate to proactive action. Hu Wenhai, hearing the clearly unlubricated door hinges, was somewhat distracted. The decline of the Beishan Hotel in the future might be due to these overlooked details.

Effective service to leaders must be visible to be effective; no one would notice that the door needed oiling. Some might even secretly hope the door would break quickly, providing an opportunity for corruption during repairs.

In fact, wasn't Wang Yichun himself like this?

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Hu Wenhai, the person you're looking for. Come, Comrade Hu, Mr. Latif and Mr. Clark have come a long way, and we mustn't be impolite!"

"Major Latif, welcome to Xiucheng. I didn't expect you to act so quickly." Hu Wenhai extended his hand and shook hands with Latif.

"Coincidentally, I was about to return home when I met Mr. Clark from Elcan. I told him about your design, and he was very interested."

"Oh, right!" At this point, Latif took out a stack of documents from his briefcase and placed them on the table, saying, "These are the patent documents I had my lawyer register with the Paris Convention, and they have been effectively applied for in London."

Latif paused, thinking, and then explained in detail, probably to reassure Hu Wenhai: "You don't need to worry. According to the Paris Convention, as long as there is an effective application in one member country, subsequent applications in other countries can use the first application date."

Hu Wenhai picked up the documents and read them carefully, nodding. "I think I can trust Mr. Latif."

"Mr. Clark, hello. Your Elcan, is it the Elcan from Canada?" Hu Wenhai asked, somewhat surprised.

This was indeed a coincidence. This Canadian company was the supplier of military optics for the U.S. military. While not as well-known as some, it was still a piece of obscure knowledge among military enthusiasts.

However, don't assume Elcan is a military company; it isn't. It's an optical instruments company, and producing optics is just a side business. Its main business is the production of various lenses, optical glass, and optical measurement equipment. Despite its low profile, it is a world leader in its main business, even manufacturing lenses for Leica.

"Do you know our company, Mr. Hu?" Clark was also surprised. In 1980s China, it was incredible that someone knew Elcan was a Canadian company.

"I know a little." Hu Wenhai didn't elaborate and quickly changed the subject: "I just didn't expect Elcan to have business in China."

"Oh, not exactly. We just have business relations with Marconi..." Clark clearly didn't want to delve into this topic and smoothly moved on. However, the information in his words revealed everything.

Marconi was a communications technology company, and many of the technologies on the J-7 fighter jets exported to Pakistan came from this company. It was clear that Clark was part of Marconi's business negotiation team. Given the involvement of China's military projects, it was understandable that Elcan didn't want to make a big fuss.

"Let's talk about our project. I must say, Mr. Hu's invention of the red dot sight is truly a brilliant idea! Elcan is willing to pay one million dollars to completely buy out Mr. Hu's patent rights."

"What are they saying?" Mayor Wang, standing beside them, was in agony, scratching his head and ears, unable to understand the English conversation between Hu Wenhai, Latif, and Clark. This was really making him anxious.

Fortunately, Secretary Xiao Jiang's English was passable, and he roughly translated the conversation for the three of them.

"Wait, you mean Mr. Clark is offering one million dollars, in U.S. dollars, for Hu Wenhai's technology?" Mayor Wang's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Our Chinese technology is worth that much?"

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