Chapter 986: Chapter 858: Negotiation and Talks

The whole morning, neither side was in a hurry to talk about the overall deal. After having lunch together, at one in the afternoon they were back at the negotiating table, each side trading tricks back and forth.

Who says foreigners are straightforward and value efficiency? Zhou Jiao would like to beat that nonsense out of you!

They spent two hours in the afternoon just circling around: could they gain the upper hand in the talks, could they hit their own targets and still make it a win–win?

Back and forth they went, you attack, I respond, both sides throwing in every skill and tactic they had. Straightforward questions, hinting questions, leading questions—by the end, apart from a product spec sheet, everything else had to be pushed to tomorrow.

And Zhou Jiao’s task was to record all the discussion from today’s two meetings that hadn’t gone through the interpreters.

As for our side, there were dedicated recorders doing the official minutes.

Of course, on top of that, once the Finance people checked the numbers after the talks, She still had to do a final verification to prevent any errors.

Strictly speaking, Zhou Jiao’s assignment wasn’t that heavy. Besides faithfully recording, She wasn’t stupid enough to play hero and try to analyze the other side’s intentions.

Know your place—in her work, Zhou Jiao always kept that in mind. So many staffers sent abroad, each with their own role; why offend colleagues just for a little sense of achievement? Anyone traveling with her was an elite in their own right.

True to her usual middle‑of‑the‑road style, Zhou Jiao buried her own thoughts and quietly followed Minister Jin and the others through five full days of negotiations.

After both sides took a weekend break, the purchase prices for the machinery in this round of talks were basically settled, just waiting on the deposit and contract signing.

Of course, before that, the last critical step entered its busiest phase: using the data provided by the other side, they had to verify each machine model and its cost‑performance ratio against similar products on the international market.

This step was unavoidable. Back home, there was no way to get comprehensive, up‑to‑date technical information in time; nothing like this resource‑rich neutral country.

During the three days of rest, the entire group shifted into a tense, hectic state, especially the specialists who had tagged along; they practically stopped eating and sleeping. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

It was hard enough for a country that poor and bare. The little bit of blood‑and‑sweat money squeezed out by people tightening their belts nationwide—who could dare be careless with it? One mistake and you’d be a criminal to the nation.

Zhou Jiao ran herself ragged along with them, so much so that She had no idea when that old woman Liang Shengnan left. Only after the data checks were finished did She accidentally hear it from the embassy staff.

By that point, she’d lost interest in these people and their comings and goings. First finish this purchase order; after that, they’d be on the move again.

And where to?

That was internal classified information. Before departure, no one dared let anything slip, and no one would notify you ahead of time.

At noon on the twentieth day in Riyadh, they finally wrapped up their first assignment. After a joint celebratory lunch in the afternoon, Minister Jin granted the group a day and a half off.

Of course, for safety’s sake, they still had to go out in pairs at minimum.

These past few days, colleagues in this foreign land had gotten to know each other. Everyone was feeling a strong sense of honor, and besides, each had family back home and decent jobs—who was going to risk sneaking off and overstaying abroad?

No matter what She thought privately, Zhou Jiao still obediently followed the group into town. As for that "chance encounter" with some so‑called real uncle, She’d long thrown it out of her mind.

The city of Riyadh had no shortage of cafés, especially with a few outdoor tables and chairs set up in front of each one. In the summer evening, when the sun was going down and your legs were tired from walking, you could sit down for a rest, order a cup of coffee, and watch the foot traffic on the street—not bad at all.

As they walked, people naturally split into like‑minded threes and fives to roam the malls and shops. Zhou Jiao couldn’t stand them just browsing without buying, so She picked a nearby café to sit and rest while waiting for them.

By the rules someone had to accompany her, but who was She? She pointed at the spot: right there in the open. Anyone going in or out of the shops on that street could see her—who was going to worry She’d get kidnapped?

Bored, Zhou Jiao finished a glass of water, then a glass of milk, and in the end got scared off by the couple at the next table smooching so loudly.

The world’s gone to the dogs, "ancient soul" Zhou Jiao muttered, shaking her head as She walked. She’d conveniently forgotten this was a foreign country—these passionate Westerners, with summer beer fueling them, were already being restrained.

She bumped into Jin Lijuan and a few others in a handmade chocolate shop and rejoined the main group. By dusk, the "budget travelers" had nothing to show for their outing and went back empty‑handed.

Back in the room, Jin Lijuan, looking gloomy, gathered up all of Her cash. "And I thought we’d have some left over for you. I never imagined even chocolate would be this expensive in a capitalist country."

Zhou Jiao couldn’t stop laughing.

"I promised the kids in my family I’d bring them presents. Am I supposed to show up with just a few chocolate bars?"

"How much are you short? I still have some, I’ll lend you first."

Jin Lijuan waved her hand. "No, you haven’t bought anything yet. You’ve got three sons—you can’t go back without gifts, right? The kids would be so disappointed."

Zhou Jiao smiled and said nothing.

"My husband originally wanted me to bring back a watch, or a camera at least. Those things don’t take up space and don’t attract attention. But now... forget it."

Zhou Jiao thought for a moment and gently suggested, "We still don’t know where we’re going next. Why don’t you do what the others are doing—hold on to your money and wait a bit."

Jin Lijuan’s eyes lit up. She hurriedly put the money away and stood up to leave. "We’re leaving early the morning after tomorrow. I’ll go ask the minister; he should be able to say something by now."

Watching her rush out, Zhou Jiao didn’t try to stop her. With so many people and eyes around, if She got the chance, what She really wanted was to buy some Western ingredients.

The chance came quickly. The next afternoon, the schedule changed: Minister Jin temporarily pulled away the technical staff and the older male colleagues, leaving only Zhou Jiao and a few women in town.

Luckily, the embassy assigned a middle‑aged woman to act as team leader and then "recycled waste" by sending her along to take them by train to visit a nearby city’s university and large factories.

For this activity, Zhou Jiao’s attitude remained "take it or leave it." She followed instructions, made no comments or speculations, and in private, as long as She found opportunities, She spent money like mad.

It was a developed neutral country, bordered by four Western developing countries, and on top of that, all kinds of international conferences were held here every year.

Compared with the Capital, the other cities were in no way inferior. The closer you were to a particular neighboring country, the more the local goods tended to resemble that country’s.

In just five days, it wasn’t just Zhou Jiao—every one of the other women managed to spend themselves down to their last cent. Those with more money had high‑end ways to spend it, like Zhou Jiao going straight for luxury goods and diamond jewelry. Those with less still found their own fun, snapping up ordinary watches, basic fabric, secondhand cameras in flea markets, little odds and ends, and so on.

Zhou Jiao figured most of them would resell their haul once they got home. But as long as they were willing to shoulder the consequences of their little schemes, She had no intention of calling them out.

There was too little fun in Life; as long as no one reported them, the occasional sideline like this wasn’t exactly some monstrous crime. Take the Foreign Ministry staffers: every time they travel, the personal items they "officially" buy—do you really know where they all end up?