I See through Everything

Li Yunbo smiled and turned to explain, "Director Huang, it seems General Manager Jiang has recently started a new real estate company."

Huang Feng smiled and said, "Oh? Real estate? General Manager Jiang is planning to invest in real estate, is he? If there’s anything you need help with, I have some pull in the city. Tell General Manager Jiang not to hesitate."

"I’ll certainly relay that to my boss." Ye Meijing smiled and nodded. "I won’t disturb you all during your lunch break, then. I need to get back to Magong to report the situation to my boss."

"Alright, take care, Manager Ye." Huang Feng waved his hand.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

As they watched Ye Meijing’s group drive away, Li Yunbo smiled and said in a low voice, "Director Huang, the city’s finances should be in better shape this year. I expect Hailufeng Company’s tax payments in the second half of the year will be quite substantial."

"It will certainly be a huge improvement. If Hailufeng Company goes ahead with real estate development, we’ll also collect a nice sum from land-transfer fees. The city might finally be able to escape the financial predicament it’s been in for the past few years." Huang Feng was all smiles as well.

After all, this was their achievement.

It affected not only their own careers but also the welfare of many others.

Especially at the district, sub-district, and township levels. Budgets had been slashed so drastically these past two years that many agencies struggled to even pay regular salaries on time, let alone performance bonuses or other benefits.

Huang Feng’s expression then turned serious as he gave an order. "Old Li, you and your team continue to review the financial documents Hailufeng Company brought over. Make sure everything is perfectly in order, understand?"

"Understood. You can count on me!"

"Good. I’m heading over to the municipal offices. For a project like Hailufeng Company’s real estate development, the city government should be offering some support."

With that, Huang Feng hurriedly told his driver to go.

He didn’t know that someone had already beaten him to it.

That person was Luo Heguang, the mayor of Magong Town. He had gone to the city over half a month ago to explain the situation.

The city officials had quickly held a small meeting. They swiftly approved the allocation of over two hundred mu of land in Xinxiang, near the South China Normal College Branch, to Hailufeng Real Estate Company. They also instructed the Land Resources Department and Magong Town to expedite the acquisition of the Little Nanshan plot across the highway.

After all, it was a matter of local tax revenue; of course they weren’t going to object.

Jiang Miao didn’t know this good news yet. He was currently in his office, listening to the report from Ye Meijing and the others.

He also instructed Ye Meijing to divide the 350 million yuan into two parts as soon as possible: 300 million was to be injected into Hailufeng Real Estate Company, with the rest transferred to his personal account.

...

The longan season around Magong was coming to an end.

The drone of cicadas from the roadside groves had faded.

A typhoon had made landfall in the Pearl River Delta over the past couple of days, bringing torrential rains and gale-force winds to the Magong area. Fortunately, the company’s farms, fisheries, and factories had all been designed with typhoon defenses, and they weathered the storm without any significant problems.

The town government staff had been busy with typhoon relief efforts for the past few days.

The meeting to discuss the real estate development, originally planned for the thirteenth, had to be postponed for four days.

「Meanwhile.」

Near the gas station at the Xinxiang intersection.

Beside a large banyan tree, in front of a two-story house, an old man sat on a bamboo chair, leisurely smoking from a bamboo water pipe he held in his hands.

A pickup truck pulled over on the rain-slicked concrete road. Two figures got out, holding umbrellas and carrying a large bag of fruit.

"Puff... Dahai, who’re you visiting?" the old man asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke and revealing a set of deeply yellowed teeth.

"I came to see you, Uncle Han!" Jiang Dahai walked over with a smile.

"What’s the point of visiting an old man like me with one foot in the grave? And you even brought a big bag of fruit. You shouldn’t have. Sit!" Jiang Guanghan pointed to a plastic chair nearby. He then grabbed a pinch of shredded tobacco from a pouch, packed it into the bowl of his water pipe, and lit it with a lighter.

A GURGLING sound rose rhythmically from within the bamboo pipe with each of Jiang Guanghan’s breaths.

Jiang Dahai set the fruit aside and brought a plastic chair over for his driver, Xiaofang. After sitting down, he didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point:

"Uncle Han, Ah Miao’s company is planning to buy up that whole stretch of land on Little Nanshan. The town government and the Land Resources Department will be coming by to handle the acquisition process soon."

"Land acquisition? Over at Little Nanshan?" Jiang Guanghan inquired, water pipe in hand. "Are my dozen or so lychee trees on the hillside included?"

"Yes."

"Fine. We’re all family here. You handle it." Jiang Guanghan showed no intention of haggling.

Even though Jiang Guanghan said that, Jiang Dahai wasn’t naive enough to think he could just take it for free. He smiled and said, "Here’s what I was thinking: whatever the government pays for the land acquisition and crop compensation, our family will match it. We’ll give everyone a second round of compensation. After all, we’re all family."

"Your son’s made a fortune, so it’s good he’s treating his own people well. But don’t be *too* good to certain people. The youngest brother’s longan orchard is also near Little Nanshan. Is it part of the acquisition?"

Jiang Dahai nodded. "It is."

"Take your uncle’s advice: don’t go looking for trouble. With his personality, as soon as he hears about land acquisition, he’s guaranteed to demand an arm and a leg."

"Still, since his property is part of it, I have to go pay him a visit."

Jiang Guanghan shook his head. "Fine, I’ll go with you. Might stop him from stirring up trouble."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Han," Jiang Dahai said hurriedly. "Oh, right, isn’t Dazhong unemployed right now? Once construction starts, we can have him join the crew first. He used to be a mason, after all. After the project is done, if he’s willing, he can stay on at the company as a security guard."