latelenovela Chapter 762 Funding! Funding!
Chapter 762 Funding! Funding!
The stern-faced old man listened quietly. Then he picked up the preliminary list of personnel to be sent on the trip, glanced at Old Li who was worrying about the funding, and pondered for a moment.
He picked up the pen and crossed out a long list of names without hesitation, his movements swift and decisive.
“Since the family is facing difficulties, we must be even more careful with our spending.” The old man, with a resolute face, spoke calmly but firmly, and with a red pen in his hand, he neatly crossed out a few more names on the list of those to be sent abroad.
“These comrades won’t be coming with me this time. Let’s split the work. At worst, I’ll be a little more tired and go to a few more venues to personally confront them! Every penny saved is a penny saved; we need to use foreign exchange wisely.”
His boastful words prompted someone next to him to jokingly say, "You old man, don't try to act tough! If they start rambling on and you don't understand a word, you won't be going to argue, you'll be making a fool of yourself!"
The old man, who was being teased, was not annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled proudly, and his eyes flashed with the spirit of his past when he was in charge of the country: "Let's not talk about French. Back when I was working and studying in Paris, reading the Humanitarian newspaper and Victor Hugo's original works, some people were still wearing open-crotch pants!"
My English is mediocre at best, but I've never been intimidated dealing with foreign journalists deep in the mountains of southern Jiangxi. Luckily, those are the two languages commonly used in Geneva right now, so even if they're gossiping and whispering, they won't escape my ears!
He spoke with absolute confidence, and everyone knew he was telling the truth. In his early years, he had traveled across the ocean to France for work-study, where he developed fluent French. As for English, although he lacked extensive experience studying in England, as a diplomat with a broad perspective and excellent memory, he had mastered a considerable level of English through self-study and practical application, sufficient to meet the needs of diplomatic occasions.
This linguistic confidence is his greatest asset, allowing him to streamline his translator team. Speaking of it now, it exudes an air of magnanimity.
Everyone laughed at his "I'm the only one who can do it" attitude, and the somewhat somber atmosphere in the venue became much more lively.
At this moment, another elderly man, who had been silent all along and had a gentle demeanor, slowly spoke up: "I will also be leading a team to attend the Alliance's major conference in a few months. In this way, I can also streamline the number of people accompanying me, and use the foreign exchange quota saved to ensure the urgent needs of my family."
His voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable power.
Okay, this one is even more important; he can correct translators' grammatical errors, so everyone doesn't need to worry about him at all.
Looking at his two old comrades, Old Li felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered Jiang Xia's imaginative idea, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"Speaking of making money and saving foreign exchange... I have a plan that kid came up with, which is a bit like 'new wine in old bottles.' I wonder if you guys would be interested in hearing about it?"
The eyes of several elderly people instantly focused on Old Li, and the lights in the courtyard seemed to shine even brighter because of the plan that was about to be unveiled.
……
"Is this...is this appropriate?" Someone frowned, their tone tinged with concern.
However, the elderly man in charge of finance and trade reacted quite differently. His eyes lit up as he listened, his fingers unconsciously reaching for the secure phone beside him, eager to immediately arrange the negotiations. But looking at the pitch-black night outside the window, he suppressed the urge. He adjusted his glasses and retorted excitedly:
"What's inappropriate about it? I think it's perfectly appropriate! We're doing legitimate business, it's a fair trade, a matter of course! It's not like we're forcing anyone to buy or sell! Using our own high-quality products to exchange for the foreign exchange that the country desperately needs, this principle makes sense everywhere! As for the price, it should naturally reflect its value and our 'friendship'!"
“That makes sense,” the old man who had asked the question earlier pondered, “but do we have enough for ourselves? We shouldn’t let exchanging foreign currency affect our own work.”
Upon hearing this, the resolute-faced old man couldn't help but laugh: "Enough? How could it possibly be enough! I wish I could equip every unit that needs one with ten or eight! But that kid said it's about using new technology to upgrade old machines, essentially making use of waste, and we can even make money to build better ones! I think it's a good idea!"
"But... I still want to punch that kid. Those are such useful Yellow clones, and he calls them that! I feel so sorry for them!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
At this moment, another person took out the report submitted by Dr. Lan Ying and added, "Speaking of which, I happen to have brought a report that Comrade Lan Ying just submitted. It also mentions that mischievous monkey Jiang Xia. I think the root of his idea is that he believes there is great potential in chips and is trying to find applications and pave the way for them so that he can continue to carry out research and development."
As he spoke, he carefully took out a small, transparent glass box from his inner pocket and placed it on the table as if displaying a precious treasure. Inside the box, a square silicon wafer, smaller than a little fingernail, gleamed with a purplish-gold light under the lamp. Its surface was covered with extremely fine, almost invisible metallic lines and regularly arranged tiny bumps.
"I know the data in the report is far less impressive than the actual product, so I brought a sample to show you!"
"Gentlemen, take a look. This is the chip we made ourselves, with a linewidth of 10 micrometers." The old man's tone was full of pride. "Just this tiny piece, can you guess how many transistors are integrated on it?"
Curious, everyone crowded closer to take a look, and all were amazed. The intricate structure far exceeded their expectations.
"One hundred? Five hundred?" someone guessed.
"One thousand two hundred and eighty!" the old man announced, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "In this tiny space, the size of a sesame seed! It's equivalent to an entire room full of vacuum tubes! This is our future!"
The entire audience was astonished, but then their excitement and joy were palpable.
The oldest man carefully examined the chip, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. He tapped the table lightly and made a decision: "In that case, this can be done. But there needs to be a plan. Immediately compile statistics on the distribution and usage of all the current 'Big Yellow'... uh, all similar computers, and get a clear picture of our resources. See which ones are related to core missions and absolutely cannot be touched, and which ones can be replaced or upgraded, with older models being used for export. We need to have a clear understanding of the situation."
“This statistic has been available for a long time,” another elderly man in charge of equipment work immediately chimed in. “Each machine has a serial number and a designated unit. Currently, there are more than 120 of the same type of machine in research institutes, key factories and mines and universities across the country.”
"More than 120 units?!" The finance and trade official's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had seen a mountain of gold. "Great! Great! I have to have a serious talk with those foreigners about this! I'll make them bleed!"
"What are you thinking! There are over forty units that absolutely cannot be moved! But..."
A leader from the Second Ministry of Machine Building added with a smile, "You can be even more ambitious. According to the report, once the new chip production line is fully operational and production capacity ramps up, the manufacturing speed of these computers can be increased significantly! At that time, we might actually be able to achieve both domestic replacement and export earnings!"
Upon hearing this, the elderly man in charge of finance and trade burst into laughter, but as he laughed, his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes: "Good! Very good! Thinking back, what did we export in the past? Truckloads of agricultural products, rows of raw minerals... We exchanged our sweat and resources for that little bit of precious foreign exchange."
Now things are different. Just one machine... could be worth dozens of train cars of goods! Our textile workers toiled away sewing an entire train car full of shirts to earn enough for one machine. But now... it's different! We still rely on high technology; this stuff is valuable!
He calmed himself down, turned to the old man who was examining the chip closely, and said earnestly, "Commander, that rascal Jiang Xia... he's a treasure! We must support him properly! Give him manpower and resources if needed! We can't let him be held back by these trivial matters!"
The man with the stern face also affirmed, "Yes, that kid's quick-witted. He even asked me to find some Prussian blue pigment the other day. I was wondering when he became interested in painting. Then I read Dr. Fangzhou's report and found out he wanted to use it to make medicine!"
This kid's head is full of wildly imaginative ideas, yet they always manage to get down to practical things. His nature is excellent; aside from the occasional lapse in judgment or a bit of a tantrum, he's practically flawless!
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into lighthearted laughter, creating a particularly harmonious atmosphere.
Only then did we realize that the sky outside the window was already turning a pale white, and we had unknowingly been discussing it all night.
The oldest man laughed heartily: "He's still young, it's normal to be a bit impulsive. He'll naturally become more stable once he settles down and starts a family."
As if suddenly remembering something, he turned to Old Li and asked, "By the way, speaking of Chengjia, didn't you say you introduced him to someone? He's been gone for so long, why hasn't he come back yet? Is there any definite news about their relationship?"