Chapter Sixty-Six: Then Ask Those Above

With the departure of the two jinxes from the Aviation Technology Corporation, the three remaining in the conference room were now truly at a loss. The earlier sense of relief had given way to reality; the path through the Aviation Technology Corporation was now definitively blocked. What’s more, those two fellows might even stir up trouble later—they’d been involved in foreign trade for years and surely had connections in customs and import-export circles, making the situation even trickier.

For now, Director Bai could only continue seeking help from Elder Wu, hoping he might come up with another solution.

“Elder Wu, what do you think we should do?”

But Elder Wu was only human, not a miracle worker. The current situation could only be observed for the time being.

“Try to approach it from the civilian side first. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to put my reputation on the line, and you’ll have to make some sacrifices as well—maybe look for another import-export company within the broader defense industry system. After all, the Aviation Technology Corporation isn’t the only one handling military exports.”

Yang Hui was still racking his brains for solutions, but given the current circumstances, it was hard to see any good options. The country had only just begun to open up, and there was virtually no room for maneuver.

“All right then. I’ll ask Director Yang this evening and see if he has any connections.”

As the three sat enveloped in gloom, an elderly man, about the same age as Elder Wu, opened the door to the conference room and stepped inside.

“Ah, Old Wu, I finally found you! What have you been up to lately? The car from the South Sea is here to pick you up again.”

The car from the South Sea was here again. The three exchanged glances; it seemed there was some hope regarding the issue from yesterday.

Elder Wu made a sudden decision and spoke to Yang Hui and Director Bai.

“A visitor from the South Sea means there’s been a response to the issue I submitted yesterday. You two come with me—if we push a bit, we might even manage to secure a weakened form of import-export rights. Let’s go.”

With that, he gathered the two and headed out. In his office, Elder Wu found two people waiting for him: one was the driver, the other the messenger.

After confirming Elder Wu’s identity, the messenger spoke immediately.

“Hello, Comrade Wu Daguan. The leadership wants to see you again; please come with us.”

Now was the time to clarify his intentions. Elder Wu quickly explained.

“Comrades, this time the leadership’s questions are closely related to these two colleagues. I’m merely passing on an issue for them, so may I bring them along?”

Learning that these two were connected to the matter under discussion, the messenger thought for a moment, then asked Yang Hui and Director Bai to show their credentials.

Both Yang Hui and Director Bai immediately produced their internal work badges—there were no ID cards yet, as the first generation wouldn’t be issued until 1984.

After checking their credentials, the messenger took them along without delay; the leadership was waiting, and time was of the essence.

For minor figures like Yang Hui and Director Bai, a routine search for prohibited items was necessary. Also, since the leadership hadn’t yet agreed to meet them, they had to wait in a nearby room.

Watching Elder Wu enter, Director Bai grew a bit anxious.

“Yang Hui, we’ll need you to use the same eloquence you showed against Li Jin and Liu Da just now. We must persuade the Chief Designer—so much effort from our institute rests on our shoulders now.”

How could Yang Hui not give his all? If they succeeded, a broad avenue would open before them and a bright future would not be far off. After all, if the Chief Designer assigned a task, no one below would dare openly disobey. They’d just trounced the Vietnamese; right now, the Chief Designer wielded unprecedented power.

“I promise, I’ll do everything I can to persuade the Chief Designer and secure the license.”

The two whispered back and forth, and before ten minutes had passed, the messenger returned for them.

“Come along, comrades. The Chief Designer wants to consult you on a few matters.”

Not a word wasted; everyone in the South Sea facility was intimately familiar with secrecy protocols and wouldn’t speak more than was necessary.

As they walked, Yang Hui felt a flutter of nerves. This was his first time meeting the Chief Designer. Although in his previous life he’d once met a member of the Politburo Standing Committee on his final assignment (so he wasn’t entirely green), at this moment his feelings could best be described as a primary school student summoned to see the headmaster.

“Greetings, Chief Designer Deng.”

“Greetings, Chief Designer Deng.”

The standard official greeting, perfectly suited to the occasion.

“All right, first let me commend you two for your pioneering spirit. You’re both resourceful and imaginative. Today, I’d like to hear your specific ideas.”

Director Bai, though an old hand, was no stranger to the world and showed no nervousness before the Chief Designer. He hurried to explain.

“Chief Designer, our main problem is simply a lack of funds. The institute has no money to invest in promising and essential projects, so we’ve had to take matters into our own hands. Earning money is truly no easy task!”

Indeed, Director Bai was playing the poverty card, though he was only stating the harsh reality—it was a miserable situation.

No sooner had Director Bai finished than Elder Wu chimed in, continuing the tale of woe.

“That’s right, Chief Designer. The matter you mentioned to me last time—I still have no leads. Now I’ve found their project, and I’m hoping they can earn a little money. Everywhere needs funding these days.”

But as a figure both praised and criticized—a man who once cut thirty-one key defense projects and implemented the policy of reducing state involvement in favor of private enterprise—how could the Chief Designer be swayed by such transparent appeals to sympathy? After a few words of comfort, he made no further comment.

It seemed Yang Hui would have to step forward himself. With this Chief Designer, one had to cater to his interests—he had the final say, after all. To persuade him to approve the continuation of their project, the argument needed to be made from the perspective of the national economy. The saying “those above have their preferences, those below act accordingly” aptly described Yang Hui’s approach.

“Chief Designer, if I may say a few words. I believe that our institute’s project could serve as a powerful demonstration and a pioneering example. If we succeed, then even in the torrent of the market economy, we’ll have forged a new path for military enterprises.”

The Chief Designer had studied in France and held views on the market economy quite distinct from most at home. To put it plainly, as a returnee from France, the Chief Designer believed in romantic love and didn’t think the market economy was all bad—it had its uses.

So upon hearing Yang Hui speak of forging a new path, the Chief Designer, although he’d already considered this himself, was curious to hear more. Like-minded souls were hard to find.

“Go ahead, let’s hear your views.”

They had gotten to the heart of the matter—the tactic seemed to be working. Yang Hui pressed on, speaking with conviction, though everything he said was true.

“First of all, there are just too many military enterprises in the country right now, and the current policies can’t support them all. So we have to find our own way to survive. Domestic consumer demand is still quite weak, so we must look to foreign markets. Now that we’re opening up and building connections abroad, this path is theoretically viable.”

Yang Hui’s economic analysis left Elder Wu and Director Bai exchanging wide-eyed glances. Was this really Yang Hui? Wasn’t he an engineer, not an economist?

Since he had the floor, Yang Hui continued, determined to persuade the Chief Designer.

“There’s another crucial point: as our large military enterprises expand into foreign markets, they will inevitably drive the development of numerous supporting industries. It’s a win-win situation. An export-oriented economy is best suited to our national circumstances right now.”

The longer the Chief Designer listened, the less Yang Hui sounded like a student of engineering. He asked, puzzled:

“Are you sure you’re in aerospace, not economics?”

Hearing the Chief Designer’s suspicion, Yang Hui immediately stopped, not wanting to draw too much attention—exposing himself could be dangerous—so he quickly replied with presence of mind.

“Chief Designer, I’m definitely in aerospace. I just study Marxist economics in my spare time.”

Studying the market economy was safe as long as it was labeled “Marxist.” The Chief Designer found this explanation plausible enough and made no further inquiries, instead saying to Yang Hui:

“Very good. Whatever you do, you can’t get anywhere without money—in other words, without a sound economy. You have a sharp eye. The younger generation does have its advantages; you’re much better than all these old men.”

The Chief Designer’s words carried meaning. Could it be that the famous policy of promoting younger cadres would arrive ahead of schedule? The policy had both pros and cons, but for Yang Hui, it was an opportunity, so he didn’t say more.

“So, Chief Designer, how do you think our institute’s proposal should be handled?”