Although Chen Lishu was tempted, she was here for business, not sightseeing. So, she shook her head and refused, "How about we wait until it's over, and if there's time, we can go out together then."
Zou Liang was a bit disappointed but agreed as instructed.
At first, everyone thought it would just be a bit of hardship with the environment, but they didn't realize the nightmare would only begin at night.
The guesthouse had no air conditioning or ceiling fans. Yangcheng was hot, so if the windows were closed, the room was stuffy. If the windows were opened, mosquitoes would fly in, disturbing everyone, making them toss and turn constantly, and the bed boards would creak from time to time.
Fortunately, Chen Lishu was well-prepared and had brought essential oil. She applied a bit to each person's wrists. While it couldn't kill mosquitoes, it did have a certain repellent effect.
After distributing some to everyone in the room, Chen Lishu went to knock on the next door to give some to Chen Guoping and Li Tingliang as well.
"I didn't expect you, young Chen, to be so thoughtful at such a young age. Otherwise, we would have really suffered," Chen Guoping said with a smile.
"The key is the bad impression," Li Tingliang chimed in with a smile, "If we show up at the exhibition with faces full of mosquito bites, won't the foreigners laugh at us?"
Thanks to Chen Lishu's essential oil, everyone could finally get a good night's sleep. Other rooms, however, were suffering. Some had mosquito coils, but lighting them filled the room with smoke that made people cough.
Yet, no matter how harsh the conditions were, they couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of these attendees. For them, being able to participate in this trade fair was a great honor.
The next day, after waking up, tidying their belongings, and washing up, they had breakfast, locked their doors, and headed straight to the exhibition hall.
The goods had arrived the previous night. Chen Guoping and a few factory leaders went to collect the booth numbers, while Chen Lishu and others helped supervise the loading and unloading of the goods.
Due to limited space, this exhibition was divided into time slots, with each phase lasting five days and requiring three days for setup and dismantling.
The first phase featured exhibits related to machinery. Three of the six companies led by Chen Guoping were participating: the Turbine Factory, the Bearing Factory, and the Electric Meter Factory.
After receiving the booth numbers and staff entry passes, they arranged for workers to place the exhibited samples in their designated locations.
This Spring Trade Fair attracted over 25,000 attendees from 104 countries and regions, making its scale and grandeur unimaginable.
On the official opening day, the 15th, huge banners were hung across the entire exhibition hall. Everyone was full of energy and, accompanied by stirring music, stepped into the hall with smiles on their faces.
The machinery exhibition hall was vast, with a huge arched roof. Each booth displayed the products participating in this exhibition, with leaders and salespeople next to them to introduce the products.
The exhibition hall was divided into two areas: the display area and the negotiation room. If a buyer showed interest, the two parties would proceed to the negotiation room for further discussion.
The service in the exhibition hall was also very attentive. Besides staff members, each hall had export salespeople to help negotiate business with foreign clients. They wore uniform attire, were neat and tidy, and had pleasant smiles.
However, due to the limited number of export personnel, all exhibitors had to wait in line.
"There are so many booths ahead of us, and our position is so far back. How long will it take to get to each one? Will the orders all be snatched up by them?" Director Yu of the Bearing Factory anxiously watched the export personnel introducing products to foreign guests.
There were so many bearing factories nationwide, and their technologies were similar. Who knew if the foreign buyers who needed procurement would make a decision as they walked by.
"It would be terrible if they got all the meat and we were left with nothing but the broth," Director Zhou of the Turbine Factory said, craning his neck as if he wished he could stretch it another two feet, hoping the foreign buyers would move faster and faster.
Their products were large and technologically advanced. If they could secure even a few orders, it would greatly contribute to the factory's annual output.
The most composed was Director Cao of the Electric Meter Factory. The cameras produced by their factory were among the only two good cameras in the country, and with the significant technical improvements this time, they were confident they wouldn't lack buyers.
Chen Guoping couldn't help but frown as he listened to their conversation. Why had they gone through all the trouble to come here? On a grander scale, it was to earn foreign exchange for the country; on a smaller scale, it was to promote provincial development and generate more profits.
Li Tingliang sighed, "There's no rushing this. After all, it's in front of so many foreign businessmen, and we can't force our way through. We just have to wait patiently."
Hearing his words, Chen Lishu's gaze fell on the large group of foreign businessmen in the distance. After a moment's thought, she leaned closer to Chen Guoping and said, "Director, why don't we try to take the initiative?"
Chen Guoping withdrew his gaze. "Take the initiative?"
Chen Lishu smiled and nodded. "Why are we here? It's to promote our products. How do we promote them? By making noise, right? That way, others will see our strengths and buy our products. Otherwise, with so many ahead of us, by the time it's our turn, there might not be anyone interested in buying anymore."
"People have a first-impression bias. For similar products with similar prices, we can say we're all on the same starting line. How can we stand out? Besides competing on service, it's also about attracting attention. The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
"Comrade Chen, you're just a translator. Focus on your own job and stop coming up with bad ideas," before Chen Guoping could speak, Liu Yun, standing beside him, sternly reprimanded her.
Ever since the incident on the train, Liu Yun had taken a disliking to her and had finally found an opportunity.
"With so many foreign businessmen, if you start shouting, you might attract attention, but it could be all scornful. It would just be a sensational stunt. It's best to focus on your duties. Little Jiang doesn't have so many schemes to get the leaders' attention. You should find another occasion for this. This is not a place for your recklessness."
Everyone present agreed with Liu Yun's words. With so many foreign businessmen, it was one thing for them to embarrass themselves at home, but now their every word and deed represented the country, and there was no room for carelessness.
Li Tingliang thought for a moment and said, "Although Little Chen's eagerness to help everyone sell products is well-intentioned, she's still too young. Haste makes waste."
As Li Tingliang was a leader, his words essentially implied that Chen Lishu lacked experience and was immature.
"If I remember correctly, you and that girl Yu Wei are classmates from the same university, aren't you? You should communicate with her more privately. Yu Wei is quite sensible."
Jiang Yu Wei, who was called upon, stepped forward, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Chen Lishu. "Forget it, Chen Lishu. This isn't school, and it can't tolerate your recklessness."