"Director Shi, can the person we're going to meet really get what we need?" a middle-aged man in a gray suit and glasses, his hair slightly graying, could not help asking.
Section Chief Shi had just been promoted to Director Shi.
His existing responsibilities remained unchanged for the time being, except for the added duty of liaising with Gu Sheng.
And as everyone knew, Gu Sheng cared a great deal about face.
That was why Section Chief Shi had become a director before this trip.
Although he had been promoted, the way that promotion had come about left Shi Xue with a somewhat unpleasant feeling.
"He should at least be able to get some of it!" Shi Xue did not dare make any guarantees.
"That's good. Hopefully he can get more. That would solve a great deal of trouble!" A glimmer of anticipation appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes.
After falling out with its big brother to the north and going through internal turmoil, the North had opened its eyes to the world in the eighties, only to discover a vast gap between itself and other countries.
Now the North lacked everything except people.
Food, energy, technology, equipment-there were far too many shortages.
Its modern industrial capabilities were poor, and large amounts of equipment and technology had to be imported.
Under these circumstances, the North now had an almost feverish demand for technology and equipment and their importation.
Even the production lines of a bankrupt French refrigerator company had been packed up and brought back.
But importing things was not so easy. Even during the current honeymoon with Western countries, only some things could be imported, and they were so expensive that there simply was not enough foreign currency to pay for them.
They had even borrowed from other countries