Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 721 Investment Promotion

In their minds, places that are clean and tidy are high-end places, places that are extremely expensive and rip people off.

The three waited a while before the food was served: braised mutton with scallions, stir-fried lamb liver, mutton soup, tender hand-pulled lamb chops, a large basket of shumai, and a plate of steamed buns. The owner set the food down and gestured for them to eat: "The steamed buns are free. Help yourselves."

The driver waved his hand and said, "Get lost! Why are you asking for money? You're just trying to scam me."

The boss chuckled and sat down to smoke. The driver said to Xiaowei and Chen Hui, "If we only ordered three bowls of soup, would he still charge for the steamed buns? He knows you can't finish it all, so he's just doing you a favor. These people are cunning."

The three of them picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Despite their complaints, the dishes were indeed impressive; the cooking time and flavors were perfect, and they were delicious. A sip of the mutton soup warmed them to the core; it was rich and flavorful, without any gamey taste.

Chen Hui said, "This skill is top-notch. It would be a waste to open a small shop here."

The driver said, "Look at this small, shabby shop? It's making a lot of money. They have two groups of people running it, you know? They change it every week. If you come tomorrow or the day after, it won't be this owner anymore. He'll go home to rest and relax. He won't be back until next week. Business is booming."

Xiao Wei glanced around the shop: "There's hardly any room for more than a few people."

The driver said, "They sell a lot during the day, like shumai, mutton soup, and mutton. People come here to buy these to take home and eat. Sometimes there's even a queue for the mutton soup. They also sell steamed buns during the day, and those sell well too."

Chen Hui said, "It's delicious. Even if I lived nearby, I'd still come here often. The shop is so small, I'd definitely buy some to take home."

Xiao Wei said, "So it still comes down to the product. A good product is the prerequisite for everything, and it can even change the unfavorable aspects of the existing conditions."

Chen Hui was stunned for a moment: "Holy crap, that's such a deep and cryptic statement, I didn't even realize it at first. Are you taking aphrodisiacs?"

Xiao Wei said, "Profound my foot!"

Chen Hui chuckled and ate his soup and meat with gusto.

They ate their meal with great satisfaction, sweating profusely. Xiao Wei paid the bill, and the three of them went outside. The cool night breeze felt wonderful.

As we drove towards the Changchun Hotel, the driver kept asking, "What are you doing over there?"

Xiao Wei said, "If I don't go back to where I live, where else can I go?"

The driver was a little skeptical, but didn't ask any more questions. Chen Hui kept saying the whole way that it was worth it; the meal cost over eighty yuan, which was indeed quite a bargain.

Upon arriving at the Changchun Hotel, Xiaowei and Chen Hui took their room keys and entered the courtyard. The driver was dumbfounded: "Damn, they really are staying here." He called out at the entrance, "Hey bro, need a ride tomorrow? A day pass is cheap."

Chen Hui said, "I have a car, I just don't want to drive it today."

The driver offered a cigarette to the security guard: "Hey bro, do those two really live here? What's their rank?"

The security guard took the cigarette and said, "It's a suite, from a provincial-level unit, but I don't know the specifics."

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Xiao Wei couldn't sleep. He got up, washed up, and went downstairs to run a few laps around the yard.

When he returned to his room, covered in sweat, Chen Hui was still asleep. He took a shower, changed his clothes, and went to the living room to read the newspaper. There were no TV programs on at this hour. Domestic TV stations only have programming on Sundays or during students' winter and summer vacations, and even then, not all day.

It wasn't until 1992 that the concept of 24-hour repeat broadcasting emerged, but the daytime content was simply a supplement to the nighttime content.

The first 24-hour television station I could watch in China was Star Chinese Channel in 1992, and from then on, watching TV all day gradually became a habit. It was a Taiwanese TV station, with Hu Gua, Lan Xinmei, Green Apple, and Egg Hitting Stone. That's when I realized that television could be so funny, so entertaining, and so good.

At that time, the concept of variety shows did not exist in China.

I forget which year it was, probably 1994, but that channel disappeared after broadcasting for a little over a year. I can still remember that phrase, "Star Chinese Channel, Asia 38," and I can still remember the Hong Kong phone number: 852, 172, 77700. The male voice pronounced the number 2 as "ah."

Around 8 a.m., the room phone rang. Xiao Wei answered it; it was Li Weibing and Wang Gang who had arrived. The ringing woke Chen Hui, who rubbed his eyes and came out of the room: "Who is it? So early in the morning."

Xiao Wei said, "Guards and Wang Gang, look at the time! Breakfast is almost gone, and you still have the nerve to say you're being disturbed?"

Chen Hui glanced at the time, stretched, and said, "Oh dear, I haven't been sleeping well at home lately. I really admire my dad now. Taking care of the kids is so difficult, yet it hasn't affected his work or hindered his promotion. He's amazing."

Xiao Wei said, "Hurry up and wash your face. They're coming in. Let's have breakfast together."

Chen Hui staggered to the bathroom to wash up. Before he came out, Li Weibing and Wang Gang arrived.

Xiao Wei called to have breakfast delivered to his room.

When Chen Hui finally came out of the restroom, breakfast had arrived. Xiao Wei asked the waiter to take the clothes the two men had changed out of to be washed, and the four of them sat down to eat breakfast. Li Weibing and Wang Gang had gotten up very early and driven over from Chagan; they were really hungry, so Xiao Wei called and ordered another portion before they were all full.

After finishing their meal, the four of them made themselves a cup of tea, lit a cigarette, and sat down to talk. It was then that Li Weibing explained the whole story.

"How much money are you actually willing to invest? Tell the truth." Wang Gang was always this direct; if it weren't for Li Weibing, he would have been killed many times over.

Li Weibing said, "We have a friend, or rather, someone in the circle who can get things done. His dad is the top official in the city. Recently, there's been a lot of investment promotion going on, and we were having dinner together the other day when Wang Gang said that we could invest 20 million yuan. That kid went home and told his dad, otherwise the land wouldn't have been acquired so quickly."

However, you need to meet with his father, then hold a signing ceremony to mark it as a result of his efforts to attract investment. After that, your land plot will be larger, you won't have to worry about demolition or relocation, and you'll be exempt from taxes for three years.

Xiao Wei asked, "What about the land price?"

Li Weibing said, "We can ask for an 80% discount on the original price, but no more. There are regulations in this regard. Only advanced technology companies, large foreign-funded enterprises, or internationally renowned companies are eligible for free services. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

Xiao Wei did some mental calculations and asked, "Whose responsibility is it for the 'five connections and one leveling' (water, electricity, road access, and site preparation)?"

Wang Gang said, "The demolition and Tongping projects are all handled here. You can just go ahead and acquire the land and build the buildings. But there's something else, and this whole thing is really embarrassing. After you sign the contract, you have to transfer at least half of the money to the designated account."

Li Weibing said, "This is called attracting investment to land, which is a mandatory requirement in investment promotion."

(End of this chapter)