Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 69 Contracts? I have them! Foreign exchange? I have them!
Capital Railway Station.

Qin Liang stepped off the smelly carriage, lamenting that his shower had been a waste, as he was now covered in a peculiar odor.

The air outside is so much fresher!

The biting wind howled, seemingly blowing into his bones. Qin Liang put on his military overcoat and then saw several people striding over.

"Liangzi, you've finally arrived!"

"Qin Liang, you must have had a long and tiring journey."

"Mr. Tu, Mr. Liu, you actually came to pick me up at the station in person, I can't accept this..."

"Of course, come on, get in the car! You always travel light, no matter where you go, just carrying this faux leather briefcase. Aren't you afraid of getting lost halfway through the journey..."

As soon as I got on the bus, I opened my briefcase. Inside were just some printer paper, not a single penny. Since the pickpockets had already looked me over, they lost interest in me.

Printing paper?
Old Tu was curious, and when he got on the bus, he opened the window and was instantly shocked.

"Export contract?"

"Well, I figured we'd need it, so I drafted a copy. This is the English version. On the train, I wrote out the Chinese and Arabic versions, and we'll have the printer print them out later. That way it'll be more standardized. These three versions should be enough, of course. But international contracts are mostly in French. If they need it there, we'll find a French translator."

Computers at that time could only input English, so Qin Liang could only use the computer to create an English version of the contract, print it out, take it on the train, and then translate other versions. He was certain that everyone around him was illiterate and no one could understand it.

"Great, great, that's wonderful!" Old Tu held the contract, his face beaming with excitement. "If I had known, we wouldn't have put up with those damn things from the relevant departments. Humph, do they really think we can't do anything without them?"

Mr. Liu picked up another contract, looking at the standardized text and the various clauses—it was over thirty pages long! If this contract wasn't standardized, then no contract was!

"Qin Liang, I never expected you could even write a contract!"

"Yes, among the books I bought on my last trip abroad, there was one specifically about international trade, which contained standard contracts. I made some modifications based on the characteristics of our military aircraft..."

"Liangzi, you've saved us from a dire situation!" Old Tu exclaimed. "You deserve the most credit for our success in selling the J-7 this time!"

"Old Tu, I only did what I should do," Qin Liang said. "If there are any problems during this trip abroad, we'll figure them out together!"

"That's all, we have the contract. Boss Zhao from the foreign exchange department has gone to coordinate. Once we sign the contract and earn foreign exchange, we'll show those snobbish guys what's what!"

"Well, that's good. Mr. Tu, the design plans for the Super 7 have been released, and Factory 132 will be able to build the first prototype soon..."

Old Tu's eyes widened again: "So fast?"

Beside him, General Manager Liu also gaped, exclaiming, "This... how is this possible?"

"The key to our Super 7's export sales is timing; the sooner it's released, the higher the sales will be..."

"Ahem, Liangzi, so far, the Air Force hasn't said they're willing to sell... Last time was just a stopgap measure..."

"Oh, the Air Force will agree. We'll sell four, and we'll build one for the Air Force for free. Let's see if they agree..."

Old Master Tu was stunned. Could it be done like this?
"As expected, you're quick-witted. AVIC needs talent like you the most!" General Manager Liu said.

"Don't be like that, Lao Liu. Qin Liang's most outstanding skill is his design ability. He's built the plane in less than a month. You should know how amazing that is..."

Inside the car, a few people chatted and laughed, and the gloom had been swept away.

Although CATIC has been established, it has not become independent at all. It is still located at No. 67 Jiaodaokou South Street, Dongcheng District, with only an extra sign hanging at the entrance of the west annex building. It's very simple.

However, its significance is absolutely great. It was the earliest import and export business organization established in the Eastern defense industry, and it also negotiated the first deal from military aid to arms sales!
"Leader Zhao, Leader Zhao!" General Manager Liu called out as soon as he entered, "We've resolved the contract issue, the one thousand US dollars in foreign exchange... are you coming?"

Leader Zhao's expression was complicated: "Old Liu, Old Tu, I..." "What's wrong?"

"Hmph, those department heads clearly can't stand to see us doing business independently. They only gave us five dollars, like throwing money at a beggar..." the secretary said indignantly.

"Don't talk nonsense," Leader Zhao stopped his secretary. "I'll think of another way."

"Director Zhao, it must be the foreign trade department's doing. If you go again, they'll just keep giving you the runaround..."

Both Mr. Tu and General Manager Liu's expressions changed drastically.

I couldn't borrow any foreign currency! What can five US dollars do?

but……

"Leader Zhao, don't worry, even if it's only five dollars, our personnel going abroad to sign contracts won't mind. We'll bring a few more flatbreads. We won't stay in hotels; we'll squeeze into the embassy. If there's no room there... a park near the embassy would be good enough. We'll bring a few newspapers, and that'll be enough for a few nights..." Old Tu said, "No matter what difficulties we face, nothing can stop us from doing arms sales!"

Once this first arms sale is completed, a smooth road will be paved for the future!
"Dear leaders, I have made a mistake, and I confess to the organization."

The moment those words were spoken, the solemn atmosphere of the scene was instantly shattered, and everyone turned to look.

"Liangzi, what's wrong?"

Could it be that he couldn't stand the freezing cold in the capital and damaged his brain?

"I have a check for $100,000 here. I originally planned to take advantage of this trip to buy some more books, but now, seeing how difficult things are for everyone..."

As Qin Liang spoke, he took off his shoes and pulled out a HSBC check from the insole.

One hundred thousand dollars!

Everyone was stunned.

"Qin Liang, where... are you from?"

"It's a long story. Last time the Americans came to install computers for us, we made money off them..."

After listening to Qin Liang's explanation, everyone was filled with emotion. Here, a thousand US dollars in foreign exchange was an impossible task, but for Qin Liang, it was a matter of a minute...

"Good, good, good, Qin Liang, you're a good comrade!" Leader Zhao exclaimed, "With this money, we'll never have to put up with the lousy attitude of the relevant departments again!"

"Leader Zhao, I can only provide emergency assistance once. Similar situations may occur again in the future. As long as the foreign exchange is in their hands, they have absolute power. I have a preliminary idea..."

After listening to Qin Liang's explanation, Leader Zhao took a deep breath: "That's right, it's necessary!"

“But… no one has ever done this before, this…” Both Old Tu and General Manager Liu were a little worried.

"There were no arms sales before. Since we're going to carry out reforms, we can't cling to the old ways. Of course, to have a legitimate reason for doing so, I suggest..."

After hearing Qin Liang's plan, everyone was even more shocked.

This……

Leader Zhao took a deep breath: "Alright, I, Old Zhao, will handle the troublesome part! Old Tu, Old Liu, you two should prepare to go abroad!"

　PS: The image above shows the first business contract in history of CATIC (China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation).

　　
　
(End of this chapter)