Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 741 is too hurtful to my pride.

Secretary Wang said to Mayor Guo, "How about we jointly submit a petition to bring his father-in-law over as vice mayor? Let's see where he can run then."

Xiao Wei said, "Actually, I never thought about contacting the government before. I was just doing business, taking it one step at a time and developing slowly. We have discussed the overall development of the company internally. Xidu Ice City is an important location, and that's definitely not going to change."

I'm actually quite optimistic about Andong, but after all, doing business requires a holistic view and needs to be planned in line with the city's development. It's not like I can immediately boost the local consumption power just by investing 20 million, right?

To be honest, opening this store felt a bit risky from my personal perspective. Brother Liu insisted on dragging Xiaohui and me to open one here, so we had no choice but to open one and test the waters. The food factory itself wasn't a big problem, but to be honest, I hadn't quite decided how big to make it.

Secretary Wang, Mayor Guo, we understand that you want us to invest money, but could you give us some direction? Where should we invest?

Mayor Guo said, "From an overall economic perspective, we definitely can't compare to Fengtian, and even compared to Anshan and Beixi, we're a bit behind. That's a fact. But if you say there's no investment value, I have to say something. That's blatantly looking down on us, and it's too hurtful to our pride. Let's not talk about anything else. I'll get you a piece of land, and you build me a high-rise building. Otherwise, this isn't over. I'll even come to your house when I retire."

Everyone laughed. Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Hui, who said, "Building a building? What's the point? We don't need it ourselves. Building a factory is fine, but it can't be very big; the capacity is limited."

Mayor Guo said, "I don't care about your stuff. I'm allocating 80 acres of land to you in front of the station. You don't have to worry about the demolition. Just build it next year. Let me tell you, it can't be shorter than other places."

Secretary Wang said with a smile: "Fengtian was historically the imperial city and has always been the political and economic center of Northeast China. It has always been at the forefront in urban planning and construction. Even the old buildings are high-rise buildings. Our area is run by the Japanese and has many similarities with Xidu. There are many houses and a large area, but they are short."

The area around the train station is the face of a city, and we've been studying how to make some changes. We're preparing to renovate that area properly. Although we're not quite as good as our sister cities, we can't lose at the gate, right?

"You can take a plot of land for your own use, and you can also participate in the redevelopment of this area in front of the station. I've made the decision, is that alright?"

Xiao Wei smiled wryly and said, "Our strength is also limited. This year we are building in Fengtian and Xingcheng, next year we will build in Xidu, and we will also build a large branch in Fengtian. We will also build in Longcheng next year. We don't print money ourselves, bosses."

Secretary Wang waved his hand and said, "Funding is not a problem. How much do you want? I'll guarantee it for you."

Mayor Guo said, "Add me to the list, is that enough? Unless you want to borrow a hundred or eighty billion, our two old faces still have some use."

Xiao Wei scratched his head, and Miler said, "I heard my dad say he wanted to help you get a loan but you didn't use it. I just don't understand why you didn't use it. It's not like you're not going to pay it back. Wouldn't it be better to develop first? The buildings are there, they don't need to eat grass. It's not like you don't have the ability to manage them."

Chen Hui slammed his hand on the table and said, "Let's do it. Xiao Wei, since Secretary Wang and Mayor Guo have already put it this way, let's get it done."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's do it then. We'll have to trouble the two leaders with the funding; we definitely don't have enough money on hand."

Mayor Guo said, "Xiao Zhang, I'll call you Xiao Zhang from now on, is that alright?"

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "No problem, it's my duty." Secretary Wang and Mayor Guo are different from Mayor Xidumi. They are in the same system as Uncle Wang, so they will have to deal with each other someday, and it's not impossible that they will become colleagues someday.

Mayor Guo said, "Build me the tallest building in the province, over 150 meters tall, and I'll help you get 100 million yuan for it. Is that a good deal? I'll also provide you with the design and construction for the renovation of the area in front of the station."

Xiao Wei waved his hand and said, "No, no, please don't! Mayor Guo, you're putting me on the spot! I'll do the work, and I'll take the money, but please don't mention giving me all the renovation work. I'm really scared."

Secretary Wang said, "These eighty acres are yours, and the bus terminal project is yours too. From design to construction, everything is yours. You don't need to be responsible for anything else, okay? Then there's also a part of the residential area renovation, which isn't in this area. Is that alright?"

Xiao Wei lit a cigarette, thought for a long time, and said, "What else can I say? You've blocked the road and said everything."

Honestly, the people in Antong really gave us a lot of face today. Doing business in the early 90s was profitable, but it was definitely not as stable as one might imagine. As the saying goes, it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings. Extortion and bribery were the most obvious characteristics of that era. But with the two bosses giving us such a boost today, which unit below would be crazy enough to cause trouble here? They did the job well and said the right things. We have to accept their gratitude.

The reason the city was giving so many "benefits" to Xiaowei and Chen Hui was because the benefits were too great, and the distribution of the benefits was a big problem. The relationships with various parties were enough to give the boss a headache, and there was no guarantee of anything.

Back then, there were many large-scale projects, but getting a project didn't mean you could just sit back and wait for the money. All sorts of shady characters would immediately appear, one wanting to contract materials, another wanting to contract labor, one wanting a share of the profits, and yet another wanting a piece of the equity. Everyone's appetite was bigger than the last, and nobody cared whether you made a profit or a loss in the end. In the end, people were forced to cut corners, which led to many unfinished buildings and shoddy construction in the 90s. This was one of the main reasons for the problem.

The higher-ups are actually aware of these things, but there's nothing they can do about it.

But it's much better to push these things onto Xiaowei and Chen Hui. At least we can keep those two in check before talking about anything else, right? It makes things much easier for them too. And frankly, Xiaowei and Chen Hui are no less capable than the people in the city in terms of resources and funds; there's absolutely no chance they'll run away with the money. You have to understand, back then, there were plenty of people who took out loans and ran away.

"We'll sign the contract tomorrow, and I guarantee the funds will be in place by next week, is that alright?" Mayor Guo said confidently.

Chen Hui asked, "Will the funds go into our account or yours? There won't be any other issues, will there?"

Secretary Wang thought for a moment and said, "Go to your account, open an account at the Construction Bank, I'll guarantee this." In those days, many of these project-based guaranteed loans went into the government's treasury accounts, but withdrawing the money was a real hassle. There were always various excuses for delays, and then a portion of it would disappear. When it came time to repay the money, the bank didn't care who had used it.

(End of this chapter)