Chapter 56: This Really Isn't Necessary

"How about it? Want me to give it a try?"

Thinking back to the days of spraying pesticides on an old machine under the sunset, Yang Tai felt he had returned to his lost youth.

If he hadn't run into this situation today, he would have almost forgotten that he was once a pilot too.

Tang Wen never expected to get access to an airplane this way either; in fact, what he didn't know was that during that era, the state invested heavily in machinery to develop the Great Northern Wilderness and build the northwest.

Even several aviation universities at the time had successively manufactured several models of light agricultural aircraft, some of which later obtained FAA certification and were exported to the other side of the Pacific.

It was precisely because the basic industry was too weak that the agricultural machinery and aircraft produced then were generally of extremely poor quality, and with a shortage of gasoline, production gradually stopped.

It wasn't until after the new century that these tasks were largely replaced by drones.

However, a self-taught pesticide-plane pilot getting behind the controls of an F4F was truly a strange combination.

"That doesn't seem right; that plane still needs some preparation, and flying carries risks."

Tang Wen thought it would be hard to explain if the township head flew recklessly and something went wrong, but Yang Tai was actually getting more enthusiastic:

"Needs renovation? I can find people; the brothers from the old aviation school still have phone numbers. We've repaired Type 97s, Type 99s, Nakajimas, American Hawks, P-47s, P-51s, and the Big Brother's La-9s and La-11s. They're all retired now with nothing to do; one phone call and they'll come running.

If you need parts, they should be able to figure out how to strip some off."

"They can even fly it. You're running an entertainment project for tourists; you don't need any flying skills. Just circling around a couple of times is enough; they can all do it."

"Don't worry; consider this technical talent support provided by the township. Just a token gesture is fine."

The township head was simply too enthusiastic, leaving Tang Wen no choice but to nod and say:

"Then maybe we can try, but the runway hasn't been built yet, and these projects haven't been approved..."

"No need to worry; I'll handle it for you.

You plan to build the road together, right? There's a contracting team in Nantou Village; their prices are cheap and their work is honest. I'll help you contact them.

I also know where to get cheap cement and gravel; I'll tell Yonggui later."

Yang Tai waved his hand; it was a small matter.

"There's one more question: Township Head, how did you end up getting assigned to the Great Northern Wilderness?"

This question had been weighing on Tang Wen's mind; from Echeng to the Great Northern Wilderness is almost crossing the entire country.

"I'm a Northeasterner; why wouldn't I go to the Great Northern Wilderness?"

"Then how did you end up in Echeng as a township head!"

"Later, I supported a factory in Yangcheng, found a wife here, and through one thing leading to another, I settled down here.

To be honest, the south is much warmer than the northeast; I never thought about going back."

"..."

Once Tang Wen brought it up, Yang Tai picked up his Northeastern dialect again, instantly confirming his identity.

A Northeasterner serving as a township head in the south... Old Yang's experiences were truly full of ups and downs.

After bidding farewell to the two, Tang Wen bounced all the way back to Echeng.

Following the location Wu Lao Er had mentioned earlier, he found a very secluded storefront without a sign in the city district.

The rolling shutter door was half-open; inside stood simple tables and chairs, and Wu Lao Er was sitting there dozing off.

Tang Wen jumped out of the car and immediately saw two diesel engines displayed as samples in the shop.

"Brother Tang!"

Woken by the noise, Wu Lao Er saw Tang Wen, immediately stood up, and wiped his drool.

He was completely different now compared to when he was at the agricultural machinery store; he had found a suit from somewhere.

Although the fabric was wrinkled and the pants looked excessively baggy, he already carried a bit of the air of an entrepreneur who had ventured into business.

"You've arrived at just the right time; dinner will be ready in a while. I was just about to invite the people from the tractor factory over."

Wu Lao Er had been waiting for half a day; speaking, he pulled a square box from his waist and held it in his hand to operate.

"A pager?"

Tang Wen had never seen this thing before, but he immediately recognized it.

"Yes; since I've been running around doing business these days, I bought this to stay in contact."

Wu Lao Er's tone carried a hint of pride; not many people could afford a pager back then.

Although it couldn't make calls, pagers could already send short messages, and one cost two thousand yuan.

There were even dedicated leather belt pouches specifically for carrying pagers on one's person to show off.

However, knowing well the various heroes of this era, Wu Lao Er only dared to hide it under his jacket, taking it out only when few people were around.

Seeing this, Tang Wen made an "Oh" sound, then pulled out his own Philips mobile phone.

"Give me your phone number; I'll just call directly."

Looking at the mobile phone in Tang Wen's hand, Wu Lao Er felt deep respect.

Back then, a mobile phone cost six or seven thousand, and getting a SIM card made it over ten thousand.

This thing was simply a killer weapon for socializing and negotiations; sitting down and placing it on the table, everyone would know who the most powerful big brother was.

If you held this thing and made a call, no security guard at any institution would dare to ask too many questions; they would absolutely open the door politely.

The face value of a mobile phone back then was no less than a Rolls-Royce in the future.

Calling the people from the tractor factory? They didn't have mobile phones either; having a pager was the limit.

After Wu Lao Er explained, Tang Wen gave up, then listened as he described the situation of this tractor factory:

That tractor factory was called 'Shanwang Agricultural Machinery'; they mainly produced four-wheel heavy-duty tractors for transporting wood, but they also produced other agricultural machinery.

The purchaser Wu Lao Er met was the boss's brother-in-law; they met at an arcade and started chatting, only to learn that the factory needed to expand production but couldn't find suitable diesel engines.

Imported ones were expensive and scarce; domestic ones weren't cheap either, and they broke down terribly often.

After Wu Lao Er made a recommendation and showed the other party the physical sample, they decided to discuss it in depth.

They had already booked a private room at the restaurant in advance, so after the pager message they should head out about now.

Tang Wen already had a rough idea in his mind, so he brought Wu Lao Er to the restaurant they had reserved.

This restaurant used to be a decent state-run establishment, and the grade wasn't low either; from a distance Tang Wen could already see two cars parked out front.

Including a very familiar red Santana, identical to Zheng Hai's.

But he didn't remember the license plate either, so he dismissed it as a coincidence and put it out of his mind.

When he entered the private room, he already saw a short young man with long hair, and beside him sat a girl with a heavy "shamate" style, black smeared all around her eyes.

"This is Boss Tang."

Wu Lao Er hurried to introduce:

"This is the purchasing manager of Shan Wang Tractor, Chen Jingli Xiaojie."

"Nice to meet you, Boss Tang, have a smoke."

The moment Chen Xiaojie opened his mouth, Tang Wen nearly called him "cousin"—there was nothing for it, the flavor was just too strong.

And although he was also wearing a suit, his lower half was a pair of trousers so narrow they clung tight, exposing most of his calves, and he wore leather shoes with no socks.

All the elements present, the stereotype cranked to the max.

Chen Xiaojie saw Tang Wen and was very enthusiastic, immediately wanting to hand over a cigarette.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke."

Tang Wen waved his hand to refuse, and the other man seamlessly pulled out a plastic bag containing dark betel nuts.

"Then chew some areca nut, the Haikou flavor is very authentic."

"Uh… this one I'm not really used to either."

Tang Wen felt that refusing twice wasn't very polite, but Chen Xiaojie didn't get angry; instead, after a brief moment of thought, he pushed the shamate girl over.

Tang Wen: (¡¡¡¡)!

"That one's even more unnecessary, Chen Jingli, you enjoy it yourself."

Although the shamate girl didn't seem to mind, Tang Wen still politely turned it down and quickly steered things to the main topic:

"Chen Jingli, let's talk about the diesel engine business instead, I have something on tonight."