Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

"Pah! I'll drown you in my spit! All you talk about is manpower! Do you know how much the country spent importing a combine harvester? It breaks down because it's missing a bearing—that's a real waste!"

boom!

The door opened.

Two old men with gray hair and red faces started fighting.

One was a slightly overweight man in an old Zhongshan suit, who was Director Wang of the Agriculture Department; the other was a lean man in a faded old military uniform, who was Engineer Liu of the Military Industry Department. The lean man raised his fist as if to hit him, while the overweight man nimbly dodged while spitting on the ground.

The two old men almost bumped into Su Wanqing before they stopped.

Li Aiguo followed closely behind, veins throbbing on his forehead. Upon seeing Su Wanqing, he immediately forced a helpless and embarrassed smile.

"Comrade Xiao Su? You're here... Oh, I'm sorry you had to see this." He turned to the two older comrades and said irritably, "Alright, both of you, stop it! What kind of behavior is this! You argue about these few quotas every year, but this year there are only these quotas, so do it according to the old rules!"

Director Wang from the agricultural department objected, "Director Li, in previous years, it's always been our agriculture that's at a disadvantage, resulting in low harvesting efficiency and persistently high grain losses! The military isn't fighting any wars, so why do they need so many precision bearings? Isn't that a waste? They should be given to us; those are real grains that can be turned into food!"

Engineer Liu from the military industry department immediately sneered: "Fatty Wang, what do you know! We can temporarily not use this stuff, but we absolutely cannot be without it! It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it! Director Li, four sets really aren't enough. In previous years when Chen Mingda was around, he could always find a way to coordinate two extra sets for us through special channels for emergencies."

Director Wang immediately chimed in, "Yes, Director Li, Engineer Liu is right! You see, Chen Mingda can get more for the military factory, so why don't we... think of a way for our farm too? It's not much, just a few more sets!" Anyway, they couldn't afford to suffer too much loss.

Li Aiguo felt utterly overwhelmed.

He was newly appointed and eager to establish his authority by making a few bold moves, but before he could even start, he was put on the spot by long-standing problems and the "coup" from seasoned veterans. Quotas are fixed, but demand is flexible; he couldn't afford to offend either side. This bureau chief's chair was burning hot!

As soon as Su Wanqing heard that the set would cost several thousand yuan, her mind started calculating rapidly, and she immediately asked:

"Director Li, gentlemen, what urgent supplies are you discussing? The quotas are so tight?"

Li Aiguo rubbed his temples and said, "It's about a high-precision tapered roller bearing made in the Soviet Union. It costs 1000 rubles to import a set, but our country doesn't have that much foreign exchange. Our Yili Prefecture only provides eight sets a year. This thing is, on the one hand, a core wear part of the precious Soviet harvesters of our several state-owned farms."

On the other hand, these are also key components for important military equipment, such as tanks and anti-aircraft guns. Every year, there's fierce competition for these few sets; even through special channels, the price has skyrocketed to 3 yuan per set. The crucial point is that they're unavailable; there's a nationwide shortage!

Su Wanqing's eyes lit up completely. This thing sounded very expensive and seemed to be in very short supply. Most importantly, it should be very small and easy to transport. This was incredible! Was it made specifically for her to get a tenfold return?

Su Wanqing's heart pounded, and she pressed, "Then... how many sets do we need in total?" She wanted her to calculate quickly; one set was worth 3, so ten sets would be 3.

Her space upgrade is in sight!!

Wait a minute, one set costs 3, what if it's a random critical hit that returns the money?! 100 sets...that's 30?! How much gold could that be exchanged for?

Before Li Aiguo could answer this question, the other two old men did.

Engineer Liu eyed Su Wanqing warily. "Why are you asking so many questions, young lady? This is important data related to production, construction, and national defense!" He had worked in a classified unit for a long time and was extremely vigilant.

Director Wang, however, was more conciliatory, chuckling as he retorted, "Old Liu, don't scare the young lady. Maybe she really does have connections? Anyway, our farm has 28 machines, and each gearbox needs four sets of bearings. Right now, more than half of the harvesters in the warehouse are unusable, so we're short at least a hundred sets! Director Li only gave us two sets; that's a drop in the ocean!"

You know what a mess this is! When I bought the machine back then, they didn't say the parts would be this expensive!

Engineer Liu scoffed, "What connections could she possibly have? Old Wang, you're just grasping at straws! This stuff can't be produced domestically; we're choking on foreign exchange. The whole country is scrambling for it. Who has the ability to conjure it out of thin air?"

His words struck Li Aiguo like a bolt of lightning, instantly waking him from his chaotic state!

Li Aiguo suddenly slapped his thigh. "That's right! Comrade Xiao Su, look at me, I forgot in my haste! Um... what about that friend of yours you mentioned last time, is it possible that he has access to these kinds of in-demand industrial parts? We don't need a lot, just two or three sets would be helpful in an emergency!"

Su Wanqing's friend was simply too resourceful; it seemed like there was nothing he couldn't get his hands on, whether it was diesel engines, diesel fuel, or even lubricating oil.

The two elderly comrades were stunned upon hearing this, looking suspiciously at Li Aiguo, then at the young, strikingly beautiful woman. Had Director Li lost his mind? Asking a young girl for strategic materials?

Su Wanqing was overjoyed, but maintained her usual composure. "Director Li, I need to see what kind of things they are first, and whether they are easy to transport. But there's a 80% chance there will be something. As for how much, that depends on whether we have the money."

If the item is too big, she'll have to find a different place or excuse to take it out. If the item is small, it'll be even easier.

The question now is, with a 10x return, you'd get 60 sets, but with a random critical hit, you could get hundreds or even thousands of sets. But the question is—does Li Aiguo have the money to buy them?

If she has money to buy it or gold to exchange for it, her space can be upgraded by 4 levels directly.

If she doesn't have the money to buy it, wouldn't she be wasting her only chance for a random critical hit?

So she had to find out.

Before she could speak, Engineer Liu scoffed, "You've got quite the nerve, woman. We lack foreign exchange quotas, not money! If you can really get ten or eight sets, our military factory will find a way to divert funds from other projects, tighten our belts, and scrape together the money for you!"