The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 269 is over! Completely finished!
The international situation in December 1979 was turbulent and unpredictable.

On the 12th, the famous Jeon Jun successfully launched a military coup in the North Korean baseball league, ushering in a society with six dimensions: guns have warmth, law enforcement has standards, batons have force, kicks have accuracy, hands have height, punches have angle, and batons have attitude.

On the 24th, under the wise leadership of Su Xunzong, the Soviet revisionists marched into Afghanistan, successfully helping old Afghanistan usher in the era of the graveyard of empires.

December 31st has passed, and January 1st has arrived.

The 1980s have begun!
On January 16, the state issued the "Report on the Current Situation and Tasks," which became extremely famous in the 1s.

The report outlines three main tasks for my country in the 80s:
The first thing is to oppose hegemonism and safeguard world peace in international affairs.

The second thing is to achieve the reunification of the motherland.

The third thing is to accelerate economic development, which means accelerating the construction of the Four Modernizations.

The core of these three things is modernization.

Thus began a vigorous effort to learn from advanced countries and introduce their development experience and science and technology.

Coincidentally, on the same day, the coastal city was hit by a wild winter storm. Fortunately, the storm only lasted for one day, and the wind subsided on the 17th of the following day.

However, it was extremely cold, carrying with it the harshest chill of deep winter and the salt and water surging up from the ocean depths, like countless blades quenched with ice and salt, fiercely scraping across the sea off the coast of the coastal city.

At this time, the seawater was no longer the gray-green of late autumn, but had frozen into a heavy, iron-gray color, like frozen soil.

Driven by the cold wind, the raging waves crashed fiercely against the rugged reinforced concrete breakwater time and time again, producing a dull, roaring sound.

The waves, far less gentle than in summer, were shattered by the breakwater into grayish-white foam that filled the air, only to be swept away by the cold wind, leaving behind a thin layer of ice on the shore.

The weather was terrible; the entire port was shrouded in a leaden gray sky, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

Against this somber and chaotic backdrop, a 10,000-ton specialized equipment transport ship, entirely dark blue-gray in color, slowly approached the designated berth at Port A.

Like a steel behemoth emerging from a deep-sea legend, it carefully parted the murky water and low-hanging mist, revealing itself to the port's hauling team.

The huge white English and Japanese bilingual sign "KAWASAKI·HEAVY·INDUSTRIES" and the eye-catching company emblem on the ship's side were particularly glaring in the misty air and cold light.

A short, muffled whistle pierced through the howling wind, triumphantly announcing its arrival to the seaside city.

In the spacious and comfortable captain's cabin of the cargo ship, the heating was turned up high, shutting out the bleak atmosphere outside the porthole.

Toshiro Nakamura and Masao Ono stood side by side in front of the porthole, looking down at the desolate crowd at the dock through the frosty glass.

Seeing the people trembling in fear, both of them beamed with smug smiles.

"Ono-kun, look over there," Nakamura Toshiro gently tapped the windowpane with his well-maintained fingers, pointing to the figures on the dock wearing dark, heavy winter clothes and hunching their necks to ward off the cold wind.

"If I'm not mistaken, isn't that Yang Dagang pacing around in the military green coat? Judging from his anxious look, he must have been eagerly awaiting this 'precious child' for a long time."

Mentioning "precious darling," Toshiro Nakamura's lips curled into a smile that mixed with contempt and a sense of control:
"There are quite a few people here today. It seems their city government leaders are here. Hehe, they must be very excited right now. Everyone says that Chinese people are very shrewd. I have to respond to that assessment with a Chinese phrase."

"His reputation is undeserved!"

"I bet they never expected the 'surprise' we had prepared for them!"

Masao Ono took a sip of the hot coffee that the translator, Hana Inukai, had served him so attentively. The warmth flowed down his throat, dispelling the slight chill he had picked up while patrolling the deck.

By this time, the fatigue from days at sea had long been replaced by excitement. His eyes gleamed with the shrewdness of a gambler who had won a huge sum of chips, and he laughed:
"Minister Nakamura is right, especially that guy surnamed Qian, haha, when he presented that intimidating supplementary agreement at the negotiating table, it really gave me the creeps."

"But in the end, Minister Nakamura was one step ahead, and you easily resolved the situation with a one-month 'observation period.' Looking back now, this matter was truly thrilling and exciting!"

"Now it's all good. Once the equipment is in place, and after a month of 'safety period,' those deadly clauses will be nothing but a piece of waste paper!"

"The initial payment of $500,000 is already secured. Once the equipment is delivered, they'll have no choice but to pay the remaining amount!"

He rubbed his hands together, as if he could already touch the thick stack of banknotes.

"This is just the beginning, Ono-kun." Nakamura Toshiro's voice was deep and seductive.

He tilted his head slightly, his smile carrying a knowing, unspoken intimacy between men: "The Tokyo headquarters has been very impressed with our decisiveness and wisdom. Your raise and promotion are a sure thing when you get back this time."

"I heard that the girls trained by the madam at that newly opened Ginza club in Shinjuku are the absolute best..."

He paused meaningfully, "I heard there are some fresh goods from South America, their figures, tsk tsk... When the time comes, we'll have to relax and enjoy the rewards of victory."

Ono's eyes lit up instantly, his throat bobbed involuntarily, and an excited blush spread across his face.

He snapped to attention and said respectfully, "Please rest assured, Senior Nakamura, I will make all the arrangements to your satisfaction!"

Inukai Hana watched longingly from behind the two of them.

He desperately hoped that he could also go to the Ginza Club to treat himself then.

Masao Ono is in high spirits now that he has received promises of promotion from his superiors and seniors.

He noticed Inukai Hana's gaze, went up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, Inukai-kun, this transaction went so smoothly thanks in no small part to you."

Inukai Hana quickly nodded and bowed: "Yes, it's all thanks to Minister Nakamura and Ono-kun's guidance."

He quickly poured them both hot coffee.

The two clinked their coffee cups together, then looked at each other and smiled.

A sense of triumph filled the warm captain's cabin.

The cold wind outside the window and the leaden-gray sea and sky seemed to serve as a backdrop to their triumphant song.

Masao Ono, in particular, seemed to have already envisioned himself surrounded by women in a glittering club.

As for the severe and harsh penalties in the supplementary clauses?

They had long since forgotten about this.

The pressure from the penalties for violations has long since dissipated due to the enormous profits involved.

The massive ship finally came to a steady stop on the cold berth, its hull rubbing against the dock's crash barriers, emitting a long, deep metallic groan.

The gangway was slowly lowered and landed heavily on the concrete ground of the dock, which was covered with a thin layer of ice.

Toshiro Nakamura, Masao Ono, Hana Inukai, and others all changed into sharp, dark wool coats.

With carefully crafted smiles, they were the first to descend the gangway, surrounded by several subordinates from the technical and legal departments.

The biting wind instantly pierced through their thick clothes, stinging their cheeks, but this did not affect their deliberately upright posture in the slightest.

"Mr. Yang, Mr. Qian, it feels like three autumns have passed since I last saw you. Thank you for waiting so long!" Nakamura Toshiro's voice remained loud and warm in the cold wind.

He stepped forward and, with a clear purpose, first grasped Yang Dagang's calloused, large-knuckled hand: "Our equipment, along with our best team of experts, overcame the harsh sea conditions and finally arrived on time and safely!"

Hearing him emphasize the words "on time," "safely," and "best," Masao Ono smiled.

He shook hands with Qian Jin and said, "Mr. Qian, it feels like three autumns have passed since I last saw you. I miss you very much."

Qian Jin smiled and said in Japanese, "No, it shouldn't be 'a day apart feels like three autumns,' Ono Masao, you should say, 'a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation.'"

That was spoken very fluently in Japanese.

For the past month, Qian Jin has been diligently studying Japanese. He is not a language genius and it is impossible for him to master a language in such a short time.

In order to seek revenge, he deliberately learned only a few phrases and practiced them until he was completely proficient.

Coincidentally, one of these sayings is "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation."

Qian Jin's fluent Japanese surprised Masao Ono and the others, who all looked at him.

Nakamura Toshiro squinted and realized that Qian Jin was not quite the same as he had imagined.

No longer so obsequious and humble, no longer so rustic and foolish.

He became calm and aloof.

Standing in the cold wind, he was like an indestructible steel spear!

Nakamura Toshiro felt a sense of crisis, but this was not the time to think it over carefully.

He suppressed his worries and smiled, "Mr. Qian, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

"Now, we can officially begin fulfilling the contract and hand over our 'treasure' to you!"

After hearing the translation, Yang Dagang burst into wild laughter: "It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here!"

"Haha, you've had a long journey too! Yes, you've finally delivered the treasure. We've been waiting for this treasure for so long!"

His gaze fell on the outline of the huge equipment on the deck, which was tightly wrapped in thick tarpaulin, and there seemed to be two suppressed flames flickering deep in his eyes.

Is that a machine?
No, that's foreign exchange!

It is the dignity of the fertilizer plant, the coastal city, and even the country's foreign trade!
Nakamura Toshiro and the others realized that something was wrong.

They exchanged a glance, seemingly wanting to talk, but Qian Jin waved his hand, leading his men to separate them.

Qian Jin pulled Nakamura Toshiro away: "Mr. Nakamura, Mr. Ono, the safe arrival of the equipment is the first step. The subsequent unloading, customs clearance, transshipment and factory placement will require close cooperation between the two parties at every step."

His gaze calmly swept over the equipment on the deck before settling back on Nakamura's face, where his smile deepened.
"In particular, the unpacking and inventory of core components and the preliminary technical status verification are key steps stipulated in the contract and the starting point for the 'supplementary agreement'."

"We hope that your experts will fully cooperate with us to ensure that the process is transparent and the results are accurate."

The words "supplementary agreement" were like a fine needle, gently pricking the nerves of Nakamura Toshiro and others.

Ono Masao's smile froze almost imperceptibly for half a second, but was immediately replaced by an even more fervent sincerity: "Of course!"

"Director Qian, please rest assured. At Chuanqi Heavy Industry, reputation and contractual integrity are our top priorities. All technical documents and packing lists are complete. Our technical service team leader is Mr. Takeshita."

He stepped aside to make way for the elderly engineer behind him, whose hair was gray and whose expression was stern and rigid.

"He will assist you throughout the entire process of conducting the most rigorous inventory and verification! He guarantees absolute transparency and strict adherence to regulations!"

Every sentence in the following paragraph is spoken with absolute certainty.

Junya Watanabe, who was in charge of business reception, immediately chimed in:
"Yes, please have Mr. Qian and Mr. Yang supervise us. We will ensure that everything goes perfectly and that this contract becomes a model of Sino-Japanese technological cooperation!"

Qian Jin gave him a cold look and immediately scolded him: "Baka! Watanabe Jun, you are too rude. This is a negotiation between leaders. How dare a junior like you speak?"

"What, do you think that just because your father and uncle were officials in China, you are an official in our eyes?"

"How outrageous! Your fathers were a bunch of beasts who burned, killed, and looted on our Chinese soil. They were beasts in officialdom. You'd better shut your stinking mouth now that you're in Haibin City, or I'm afraid you won't be able to go back!"

At the banquet held in Shanghai, Watanabe Jun assumed that the Chinese people did not understand Japanese and made a lot of boastful remarks at the table, showing off his father’s actions in the invasion of China as an achievement.

This almost made Wei Zhucheng furious.

Wei Zhucheng translated for Qian Jin, which almost made Qian Jin furious again.

Most of the Japanese he's been diligently learning this month is for Jun Watanabe.

Qian Jin's sudden change of attitude startled the group.

Especially Jun Watanabe, who looked like a child caught stealing, his face suddenly flushed red, and he stammered, "I-I-I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Qian..."

"Shut up!" Qian Jin snapped at him, then scolded Nakamura Toshiro: "Nakamura, is this how you educate your subordinates? This is extremely rude!"

Nakamura Toshiro was inexplicably verbally attacked and felt extremely frustrated. However, he couldn't retaliate at this moment, so he could only bow and say, "I'm sorry, Mr. Qian, it's my fault for not disciplining him properly."

"Then why don't you hurry up and discipline him strictly?" Qian Jun pressed on relentlessly.

Although this 'reasoning' is flawed.

Nakamura Toshiro was completely dumbfounded.

How should I discipline them?

Or rather, what exactly is going on?

At this moment, he was in a state of confusion because he was acutely aware that Qian Jin, Yang Dagang and others had changed their attitudes too much, which was not a good sign!

He gave Masao Ono a wink.

Masao Ono understood what he meant and whispered comforting words in his ear: "Senpai, this is normal."

"Don't you understand yet? This Qian Jin is just like a treacherous minister in ancient China. He was obsequious in Shanghai, but now that he's back in his territory, he's become arrogant and domineering again."

Masao Nakamura nodded, trying to appear calm.

It's possible.

Masao Ono continued in a low voice, "I used to own an Akita dog in Osaka. Whenever that dog left my yard and went outside, it would tuck its tail between its legs and stick to the wall. It wouldn't even dare to bother a stray cat."

"But if it goes back to my yard, it will bare its teeth at anyone."

Nakamura Toshiro smiled and nodded.

He met Qian Jin's gaze with an "open" look, his mind racing:
Who cares what kind of person or dog this is? As long as I can endure this for a month starting today, I can rise to prominence.

Although Qian Jin and others' attitude made him uneasy, the presence of Chinese faces was his greatest comfort.

He believed that once the equipment was in place, what would those unsophisticated engineers in the Chinese factory know?
These people know nothing. Even if someone can spot a minor problem, they can explain it away as a minor issue with transportation or installation and debugging.

Just wait a month, and those damn supplementary clauses will automatically become invalid!

The city government and the Light Industry Bureau leaders are no longer willing to wait.

Qian Jin then said, "Enough with the small talk, everyone. Please have your experts prepare the materials and cooperate with our staff to begin the preliminary verification."

Under the personal command of the newly appointed captain Qiu Dayong, the Jiagang Handling Team of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative began its work, while the loading and unloading machinery prepared in advance by the port started to operate.

Amidst the roar of heavy cranes and transport vehicles at the port, and under the watchful eyes of countless people, the massive equipment was carefully unloaded from the cargo ship and loaded onto specially made super-heavy-duty flatbed trailers.

All the equipment was loaded onto the vehicles, and the convoy, like a long steel dragon, slowly drove towards the seaside fertilizer plant located on the edge of the city, amidst the howling cold wind.

Toshiro Nakamura and Masao Ono were originally going to get into the car.

Yang Dagang waved his hand and said, "You guys should go to the truck and keep a close eye on the equipment. Don't make up excuses when the equipment malfunctions later!"

The group from Chuanqi Heavy Industry stood there, stunned.

Why are we made to ride in the back of a truck in this freezing weather?

That's incredibly rude!

What about etiquette?
Diplomatic etiquette!
While cursing under their breath, they quickly climbed into the truck bed.

If we don't climb up now, we won't even have a truck bed left.

The car has already started...

The convoy arrived at the fertilizer plant.

Then, amidst the massive hoisting equipment and the workers' rough shouts, the equipment was precisely positioned on the pre-installed base that had been prepared in the factory area.

The massive synthesis tower, shrouded in tarpaulin, resembled a silent steel mountain against the backdrop of the desolate and empty factory area in winter.

The initial inventory and document verification were tedious and lengthy, and the information provided by the Japanese side did indeed appear to be extremely detailed.

Engineer Takeshita cooperated meticulously with the Chinese technical staff's inquiries, displaying a professional and rigorous attitude.

Then Qian Jin waved his hand, and a group of people walked out of the warm office.

These people were wearing bright orange overalls, which clashed with the gray-blue overalls worn in the factory area.

When Nakamura Toshiro and Ono Masao saw these people, the ease and anticipation on their faces instantly froze, as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water, and their blood almost froze!

These people were wearing thick, warm orange-red overalls, which clearly indicated they did not belong to the fertilizer factory. In addition, every single one of them had a cold and aloof Western appearance!
Leading the white group was an exceptionally tall and robust middle-aged man with slightly messy short blond hair. He wore a conspicuous ID tag around his neck, and his deep-set eyes were a pair of cold, azure ones.

Masao Ono met his gaze and immediately exclaimed "Ah!"

Nakamura Toshiro stared at him, then hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Who is this? Do you know him?"

Before Masao Ono could speak, Qian Jin, beaming, began his introduction:

"Mr. Nakamura, Mr. Ono, please allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Howard Jensen, Chief Inspection Officer of the Far East Region of the 'Global Standards Certification Alliance' (GSCA), an internationally recognized authoritative industrial equipment testing organization."

He pointed to the blond, burly man.

Howard's gaze, sharp as a cold blade, landed precisely on the suddenly pale faces of Nakamura Toshiro and Ono Masao. He nodded slightly, offering no further pleasantries.

Nakamura Toshiro finally realized it.

They had fallen into a trap!

He looked at Masao Ono.

This time, Masao Ono misunderstood him, thinking that the other party was asking about the verification of Howard's identity.

He said in a panic, "Yes, yes, this man is Howard Jensen, and he has dealt with us before."

"He also showed up at that chemical plant in Johor..."

Nakamura Toshiro was terrified and exclaimed, "Baka! Didn't those people in Johor hire Swiss people?"

"But this person also went there; the Swiss hired him for technical testing guidance!" Masao Ono said with a mournful face.

Howard's eyes were as sharp as a probe.

He glanced at the two faces, then calmly surveyed the massive synthetic tower.

He was followed closely by two assistants, one carrying a heavy, angular metal instrument case on his shoulder, and the other holding a device with complex buttons and a display screen.

What made Nakamura and Ono even more uneasy was that someone else quickly walked out from behind them.

These people were also white, and the man leading them, like Howard, was blond and blue-eyed.

But this man was wearing a suit and tie, holding a black folder in his hand, and exuded a calm yet extremely imposing aura—he was definitely not an ordinary technician!
Qian Jin continued, "This is Mr. Robert Hayes, a senior partner at the New York law firm Palmer Stone."

"He will serve as our legal counsel, overseeing the entire process of verifying the technical status of the core equipment and providing professional legal advice based on the contract terms."

Hayes pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled.

That smile sent chills down the spines of the Japanese group.

Hayes said clearly in English, "It's a pleasure to serve our customers, gentlemen."

His gaze swept over Toshiro Nakamura.

Nakamura Toshiro felt as if he were examining a specimen about to be dissected, and unfortunately, he was that specimen.

This made him feel a sudden darkness before his eyes and a ringing in his ears, as if an invisible hammer had struck his heart.

Ono Masao was even more terrified.

He's a tech guy; he might not know much about Palmer Stone law firm, but he knows GSCA all too well!

In the international heavy machinery and equipment inspection industry, GSCA represents absolute authority and absolute impartiality!
The Chinese have always kept their country closed off from the world; how could they possibly know about such professional institutions? And how could they possibly persuade them to come?!
In that damn supplementary agreement...

Is it...

A terrible thought gnawed at his nerves like a venomous snake, causing him to break out in a cold sweat instantly.

Soon, sweat soaked through the inner shirt, which was icy cold in the wind!

Jun Watanabe, still bewildered, asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

He wanted to be overly attentive, and seeing that Nakamura Toshiro looked unwell, he went up to him and said, "Minister Nakamura, is it too windy and cold? Why don't you go to your office to warm up? I'll take care of things here..."

"Baka! You bastard!" Nakamura Toshiro slapped him across the face. "Do you even have the right to speak here?"

"Where's Sato? Where's Sato Kenichi!"

Jun Watanabe covered half of his face and said aggrievedly, "Sato-senpai didn't come. We're here to hand over equipment, so we don't need to bring legal personnel."

The Chinese translators have been diligently performing their duties.

Qian Jin, Yang Dagang, and the others listened to the translator with smiles on their faces.

Upon hearing Nakamura Toshiro's question, Qian Jin stepped forward and said, "Mr. Nakamura, what do you need your legal department for?"

He waved his hand, and someone handed him a contract: "Is there anything you don't understand about our contract and supplementary terms?"

"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask, and I can arrange for Mr. Hayes to help you answer it."

He spoke with Robert Hayes in English.

Hayes gave a polite smile: "It's my pleasure. I don't think anyone knows this supplementary clause better than me, after all, I designed it myself."

Inukai Hana is quite capable; his English is also quite good.

After hearing Hayes's words, he translated them with trepidation.

Upon hearing this, Nakamura Toshiro took a small step back, his face instantly draining of all color.

His lips trembled, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

We've fallen for their trap!
He looked helplessly at Masao Ono.

Ono Masao's situation is even worse than his.

He looked into Howard's emotionless blue eyes, and into the ultrasonic probes and magnetic particle flaw detectors that gleamed with a cold metallic luster, revealed in the case his assistant had opened...

He recognizes these machines!

These are specialized equipment that are only used in the highest level of testing!
With these devices in place, detecting problems with their machinery is a piece of cake.

Finished!

Completely finished!

His mind went blank, filled only with overwhelming fear and despair roaring wildly.

(End of this chapter)