Chapter 25

"Mayor Wang, you are truly a good person!" Xiao Yeqin couldn't help but shed tears, her hands trembling as she held the Citibank check for three million dollars, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and not knowing what to say.

Hu Wenhai and Mayor Wang's group returned to the Hu family home. When they heard that the amount involved was as high as three million dollars, Xiao Yeqin immediately sent Hu Wenhai to find his father and grandfather.

In such important matters, Xiao Yeqin definitely wanted to show full respect to her husband and father-in-law. Of course, such a windfall would likely meet with no opposition.

When she heard that Hu Wenhai had initially asked for one million dollars, and it was Mayor Wang Yichun who stepped forward at a critical moment, persuading the foreigners with reason and debate, ultimately tripling the price, Xiao Yeqin was truly moved.

Look, look at our Mayor of Xiucheng! How dedicated and selfless he is, how he upholds public interest and restrains himself! With a mayor like Wang Yichun in Xiucheng, how could we not develop? How could we not lead all the citizens to achieve communism? At the very least, our Hu family is about to sprint into communism...

Damn, who knew these foreigners were such suckers!

Mayor Wang was also on the verge of tears inside.

No one expected that Clark would actually write a check so readily, just to buy the manufacturing technology for that seemingly insignificant piece of glass?

Canada, indeed, produces many good friends for us Chinese! Mr. Clark, are you also a Bai Qiu'en?

"Cough, Xiao Yeqin, this is all I should do. As the mayor of Xiucheng, I must fight for Comrade Xiao Hu's interests against those foreigners!"

Mayor Wang took another look at the three million dollar check with a lingering gaze, and a sudden idea flashed through his mind.

"Xiao Yeqin, don't think of me as the mayor. Let's chat as friends. What do you plan to do with this three million? It's not a small amount, you know?"

"Plan?" Xiao Yeqin pondered for a moment and nodded. "I plan to save this money. Wenhai will be taking the college entrance exam next year, and he might get into a university in the capital. This money can be used for tuition and living expenses, and maybe to help him stay in the capital. Then, settling down in the capital, getting a job, getting a house, getting married, having children, and then their education, marriage, and buying houses..."

Xiao Yeqin listed item by item, and the endless cycle of generations left Mayor Wang dazed.

"Xiao Yeqin, I have to tell you something first. You won't be able to get this money right away." Mayor Wang interrupted her reverie and revealed his plan. "Hu Wenhai doesn't have import-export qualifications, and this deal doesn't comply with national policies. Normally, you would need to affiliate with a company that has import-export qualifications to conduct foreign trade. And you can't withdraw this money in our country because Citibank doesn't have branches here. How will you cash it in?"

"That's not right, is it?" Xiao Yeqin, who was not unintelligent, pointed out the flaw in Mayor Wang's argument. "Wenhai didn't sell any physical goods, but rather a technology patent registered internationally, which has nothing to do with our country's export policies. Our country hasn't even implemented the patent law yet."

"Ah, but Comrade Hu isn't a Chinese citizen, is he? The contract he signed with Elkan Company is also written in simplified Chinese. Besides, with such a large sum of money, how will you transfer it to our country without the help of a foreign trade company?"

"This..."

Xiao Yeqin was taken aback by Mayor Wang's words, but then her eyes lit up with a new idea. "Then, let's just keep it abroad. When Wenhai finishes high school, I'll send him to study abroad!"

Mayor Wang almost bled from the nose in frustration. Why did he always encounter such unpredictable people in the Hu family?

"Ah, what's so good about abroad? Look at these foreigners, they paid millions for something that can't be eaten or drunk. Be careful, Comrade Hu might go bad if he goes abroad!"

Mayor Wang exaggerated, "It's not easy to get a scholarship for studying abroad. If it's self-funded, he might not find a job when he returns. What if Comrade Hu stays in America forever?"

"That's true." Despite the many good things about America, the thought of Hu Wenhai not returning after going abroad made Xiao Yeqin reluctant.

"Ah, Xiao Yeqin, what if I suggest a solution?"

"Mayor Wang's solution must be good. What's there to question?" Xiao Yeqin subconsciously gripped the three million dollar check tighter. She wasn't stupid.

But it was also difficult for Mayor Wang. Since he came out of the cowshed, he hadn't done such "casual chats" to persuade people in a long time, and his methods were a bit rough: "Transfer this money to the Xiucheng City Import-Export Company. I'll cover it from the city treasury, and I'll handle the export and exchange issues for you."

Xiao Yeqin hesitated. "That's not impossible, but what about the exchange rate?"

"Of course, it will be the official exchange rate. I think it's about 1:2.3. Three million dollars will become over 6.9 million RMB!" Mayor Wang smacked his lips, as if savoring the amount. "So much money, you could spend a lifetime and still not finish it!"

"Mayor, that's not the right way to look at it." Xiao Yeqin had a sense of crisis. "As the saying goes, even a mountain of gold and silver will be depleted if you just sit and eat. Without an income, trouble will eventually come."

"But the official exchange rate is 2.3, but I've heard the black market rate is much higher."

"That's the black market, which is illegal!" Mayor Wang's face turned serious, and he said with authority, "Xiao Yeqin, that's a dangerous thought. You're already worth seven million RMB. Is it worth breaking the law?"

"Mayor is right, I was wrong." Xiao Yeqin backed down. No matter what she thought, it wasn't appropriate to discuss such gray-area behavior with Wang Yichun.

"But this matter is too significant. I need to discuss it with Wenhai's father and my father-in-law. I can't make such a decision alone."

"Alright, I'll wait for the three of them to come back." Mayor Wang decided to stay and chatted with Xiao Yeqin about family matters.

...

Leaving Mayor Wang and Xiao Yeqin to their conversation, Hu Wenhai rode his bicycle to Factory 501. Not far into the factory, he saw Hu Shiwu and Luo Liko sitting on small stools under a tree, playing chess with intense concentration.

Since retiring, Hu Shiwu still liked to wander around Factory 501. Despite his high status and being a retired old man, his son was the actual factory manager, so no one dared to stop him.

"Grandpa, Mom is waiting for you at home." Hu Wenhai jumped off his bicycle and glanced at the chessboard. Hmm, it was still okay; Hu Shiwu's red pieces were clearly fewer.

If Hu Shiwu was winning, he would insist on finishing the game even if there was a thunderstorm.

"Ah? Your mother needs me for something?" Hu Shiwu, usually carefree, never caused trouble for his daughter-in-law.

"It's my matter. Mayor Wang of Xiucheng is at our house, and Mom asked me to call you and Dad back."

"Oh, I'd better go quickly!" Hu Shiwu jumped up from the stool, showing no signs of old age.

"Hey, Hu Shiwu, the game isn't over yet, and you want to run away!"

"Ha, you win, you win." Hu Shiwu carelessly scattered the chess pieces and laughed. "It's just a game. I lose one game to you, but can you produce a grandson better than mine? Luo, I'm telling you, our Hu family's lineage is unmatched! Ha ha ha!"

...

Hu Wenhai watched Hu Shiwu stride away, speechless, and asked Luo Liko about Hu Jiefang's whereabouts before getting back on his bicycle.

However, Luo Liko's information was a bit outdated. Hu Wenhai searched from the factory office to the workshop and finally got the latest news from a worker.

With a screech, Hu Wenhai finally found Hu Jiefang in the small canteen of Factory 501, drinking with two others.

"Dad, Mom is looking for you at home." Hu Wenhai threw his bicycle at the door and walked in, surprised by the dishes on the table.

The table was set with a lavish feast, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, but only Hu Jiefang and two others were dining. Seeing the bottle of "Three Great Revolutions" in front of Hu Jiefang, Hu Wenhai was even more surprised. This was during working hours! The exemplary factory manager Hu Jiefang drinking and feasting in the canteen during work hours? This was even stranger than Hu Wenhai making three million dollars in a blink.

"Hey, is this Wenhai?" The man sitting opposite Hu Jiefang waved and looked at Hu Wenhai with satisfaction. "I can't believe, in the blink of an eye, your son is so grown up."

"Wenhai, come here. This is your Uncle Heng Jianyun. Do you remember him?" Hu Jiefang, slightly drunk, looked at Hu Wenhai with pride.

"You are... Uncle Heng from the 16th Army? Dad's comrade-in-arms, of course I remember."

"Um." Hu Jiefang waved his hand. "You can go home first. I'll catch up with Uncle Heng. You don't need to wait for me for dinner."

However, Hu Wenhai didn't follow Hu Jiefang's instructions. He hesitated, then said, "Uncle Heng, are you preparing to go to the front lines?"