Chapter 24

In the 1980s, to be precise, at the end of August 1984, even if calculated according to the official exchange rate of the Chinese Renminbi, one million US dollars was equivalent to more than 2.3 million Renminbi.

If calculated according to the black market price, that... that would also be an astronomical figure.

For the Chinese in the mid-1980s, even a city mayor would find it hard to comprehend personal wealth at the million-dollar level.

For the Chinese who had not yet learned how to consume, there would even be the confusion of "how on earth can so much money be spent?"

"My goodness, are these foreigners all suckers?" Mayor Wang couldn't help but swallow deeply. He had never imagined that the world would become so crazy when he was in the cowshed in his early years.

Indeed, in Mayor Wang's view, the rebels who smashed the public security, procuratorate, and courts probably did not give him a greater sense of unreality than this.

However, for Hu Wenhai, a mere million dollars was not enough to impress him. Even without being reborn, he would not find it difficult to come up with this amount of money with his abilities.

Moreover, considering the future market profitability of the red dot sight, the one million dollar buyout price was almost like giving it away for free.

For another company, they might need to consider issues such as market development and production investment. But Elcan was different; it was a manufacturer of optical instruments with a certain foundation in military optics. The market relationships, production equipment, personnel, and data were all ready. Once they acquired this technology, they could immediately push it to the market and start making profits.

However, Hu Wenhai had no intention of raising the price. Since he had quoted this price to Major Latif, he would not feel cheated just because the buyer was Elcan.

To be honest, on the contrary, he should be grateful that Latif had brought a professional company like Elcan. The reason was simple: Elcan knew the value of this technology.

If it were a newcomer without a foothold in the industry, the one million dollars would not be enough to cover the hurdles. Converting technology to the market is no less difficult than inventing the technology itself.

For a company outside the industry, the risks of this project would be much greater, and they would not be so willing to pay. For Hu Wenhai, although the market for the red dot sight was not small, it was too deep and not suitable for him to operate. This thing is used on light weapons, and the main market is the military procurement orders of various countries. Having the technology alone might not be enough to open the market.

And to overly involve himself in the international arms market as a private individual—Hu Wenhai, as a Chinese person in the 1980s, would be overreaching himself.

Didn't you see how Mou Zhong, who boasted of blowing up the Himalayas and later exchanged shirts for planes, is still in prison?

With this real "overreacher" as an example, Hu Wenhai did not want to test how much resistance the reforms in Xiucheng City now faced.

However, these thoughts had already been well considered by Hu Wenhai. So when Clark expressed his hope to buy out the technology, Hu Wenhai nodded immediately: "No problem, but I have already agreed with Major Latif to grant the red dot sight patent to Pakistan, and 10% of our transaction amount will be his commission."

"No, that's too much for me. My work is not worth $100,000..." Latif was taken aback and instinctively declined.

Pakistan was not a wealthy country, with a relatively average economic situation, and agriculture was its main economic pillar. For the Pakistani army, they even needed to constantly "work" for other countries.

For example, the Pakistani army was quite famous in the UN peacekeeping forces. There were also many Pakistani mercenaries in the oil-rich countries, known for their combat skills.

Although Latif was a major, his salary was only about $2,000 a month. $100,000 was already a considerable amount.

But for Clark, it was just a drop in the bucket.

"Ha ha, of course, Major Latif, you don't need to worry." Clark, who was surprised by Hu Wenhai's quick agreement, hurried to finalize the deal and would not allow Latif to cause any trouble: "The $100,000 will be your referral fee, and our Elcan company can pay it immediately."

As he spoke, Clark actually took out a checkbook from his pocket and started writing on the spot.

Seeing Clark's actions and listening to the secretary's halting translation, Mayor Wang was no longer calm. He quickly patted Hu Wenhai's shoulder and whispered with a frown: "Little Hu, come with me for a moment."

Hu Wenhai raised an eyebrow, turned to explain to Latif and Clark, and then followed Mayor Wang out of the meeting room.

"Comrade Hu..."

Mayor Wang opened his mouth but didn't know how to say it. Hu Wenhai's current one-time buyout deal was clearly not what he had in mind.

Originally, he thought Hu Wenhai was just a child, and he could bring him to negotiate calmly and then use his authority to coax these two foreigners into investing.

But who would have thought that within ten minutes of meeting, Clark had already started signing the check.

One million dollars was a lot, but after the technology was bought out, it would have nothing to do with Xiucheng. From Mayor Wang's perspective, setting up a factory and investing would be more in line with the interests of Xiucheng and himself.

But for Hu Wenhai, one million dollars might be more appealing. After all, in the 1980s, joint ventures were allowed, but private enterprises were not.

Yes, the early to mid-1980s were strange. Foreign companies could form joint ventures with state-owned enterprises, but individuals could not be on equal footing with state-owned enterprises. Private enterprises were rare and considered illegitimate.

In this case, Mayor Wang had almost nothing to offer that could compensate Hu Wenhai for the loss of one million dollars, which made him very anxious.

"Um, cough, Comrade Hu, you are really straightforward. You haven't even talked much, and you let these two foreigners fool you so easily? Look at Clark, he didn't even blink at one million dollars. You should have asked for more; he definitely wouldn't have refused!"

At this point, Mayor Wang even patted his chest like a young man: "Let's go back. From now on, watch me. I will negotiate with them and make sure they offer more benefits!"

In Mayor Wang's view, with his position and seniority, Hu Wenhai would have no choice but to agree. Once they went back in, he would overturn the previous agreement and demand an impossible amount from Clark.

This way, when Clark and Hu Wenhai were at an impasse, he could step in and propose his joint venture investment plan, which would have a better chance of success.

As for Hu Wenhai's interests—well, a child suddenly getting such a large sum of money might not be good for his growth. I am also thinking about his future.

At worst, I can pull Hu Jiefang out of the 501 factory and arrange a good position for him in the government. With the Hu family's influence in Xiucheng's industrial sector, being a deputy director of the Xiucheng Industrial Bureau would not be too much for Hu Jiefang.

"Mayor Wang, the one million dollar price was already agreed upon with Major Latif..."

"Ah, don't worry about it, leave it to me!"

Mayor Wang waved his hand to cut off Hu Wenhai's words and enthusiastically rushed back into the meeting room.

Immediately, he instructed his secretary to translate his words: "I am now Comrade Hu's representative. One million dollars is too little. Do you foreigners think you can bully a child? Huh? I tell you, as long as I, Wang Yichun, am here, the interests of the Chinese will not be violated! One million is absolutely not enough; the price is too low!"

Mayor Wang pounded the table, standing tall and staring angrily at Clark and Latif.

Clark put away his checkbook, looking surprised at this sudden outburst. He turned to Hu Wenhai and asked, "Mr. Hu, what does this mean?"

"Mayor Wang is the mayor of Xiucheng City; I must respect him." Hu Wenhai shrugged and said helplessly.

Clark nodded in understanding, naturally imagining all sorts of insider stories. After all, in the eyes of Westerners, China at this time was full of corrupt officials who enriched themselves at the expense of the public.

"Alright, then how much does Mayor Wang think would be appropriate?"

Compared to the potential value of the red dot sight, whether it was one million or ten million dollars made no difference to Elcan. As long as they could acquire the technology, the headquarters would have no objections and would only recognize Clark's decisiveness and expertise in "Chinese affairs."

"At least three million dollars?"

Mayor Wang, lacking confidence, tripled the price and then closed his eyes, waiting for Clark to be furious at being extorted.

However, he did not hear any angry English words. Instead, after a few scribbles, a calm voice spoke.

Mayor Wang opened his eyes and saw a piece of paper on the table in front of him. He turned to his secretary, who swallowed and hesitantly translated: "Mr. Clark says... this is a three million dollar check from the American Citibank, and he asks when the mayor can sign the contract with him?"

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