I See through Everything

Just as Jiang Miao, Fang Yi, and the others were inspecting the various areas of the factory,

Li Zixuan, who was at the entrance, called.

"Boss! The guests’ car is here."

"Got it. I’ll be right there."

A moment later, Jiang Miao and his group arrived at the main gate of the feed factory.

Magong Town’s mayor, Luo Heguang, was just getting off a government minibus, his face ruddy and beaming, accompanied by several middle-aged men.

Also in their party were a reporter and a cameraman from Shanmei TV Station.

Jiang Miao immediately spotted a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to Li Jianming, though this man’s face was far more weathered and flecked with white hair. Of course, he knew who the man was.

He quickly strode forward, smiling as he extended his hand. "Welcome, esteemed leaders. Thank you for joining us for the production launch and ribbon-cutting ceremony of our Yandun Mountain Feed Factory."

While shaking Jiang Miao’s hand, Mr. Li smiled and said, "General Manager Jiang, you truly are young and accomplished. Hailufeng Company has made a major contribution to our city’s economic development. I hope you will lead the company to build on this success and achieve even greater things."

"Thank you for your encouragement, Mr. Li," Jiang Miao replied with his own set of platitudes. "Our company will certainly strive for excellence, provide more local jobs, and help our fellow townsfolk escape poverty and find prosperity."

The cameraman standing to the side recorded the scene.

After a few moments of formulaic exchange, the ribbon-cutting ceremony began.

A red carpet had already been laid out, complete with props for the ribbon-cutting. Dozens of employees stood by, many of them holding party poppers and small, colorful flags.

Once the cameraman was in position,

The female reporter who had accompanied them began to interview Mr. Li, Jiang Miao, Luo Heguang, and the others.

The interview questions were simple enough, focusing on the good news of Hailufeng Company’s contribution to local economic development, the great importance placed on the project by the town government and senior leadership, and other similar topics.

Luo Heguang, for example, highlighted the targeted poverty alleviation program, a joint initiative between the town government and Hailufeng Company. After all, this was his report card, and he had to show it off.

Mr. Li’s presence, on the other hand, was mainly to lend his support and deter anyone with ill intentions from trying to interfere.

「More than ten minutes later.」

Jiang Haibo, acting as the temporary MC, raised a microphone and announced, "I declare that Hailufeng Agricultural Technology Company’s Yandun Mountain Feed Factory officially begins production today! The ribbon-cutting ceremony will now commence!"

Mr. Li, Luo Heguang, Jiang Miao, and Fang Yi cut the red ribbon together.

Seeing this, employees at the back quickly pulled away the red cloth covering the large sign. Instantly, the four large words "Yandun Mountain Feed Factory" were revealed.

CLAP CLAP CLAP...

Some of the employees clapped energetically.

POP POP POP...

Others set off the party poppers.

As the poppers released streams of colorful confetti, the atmosphere grew even more festive. Like the scorching sun overhead, the excitement was palpable, making everyone feel a flush of heat.

Jiang Haibo continued, "I now declare the ribbon-cutting ceremony a complete success! Thank you to all our leaders for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the ribbon-cutting for the Yandun Mountain Feed Factory. A round of applause, please!"

CLAP CLAP CLAP...

Then, Mr. Li took the stage and delivered a short speech filled with the usual platitudes about congratulations and future prospects.

The weather was so hot that Mr. Li couldn’t bear the blistering sun. He spoke for a hurried five minutes before stepping down.

The cameraman filmed some additional B-roll footage at various locations around the feed factory.

As Mr. Li had official business to attend to, he didn’t stay long. He chatted quietly with Jiang Miao for a moment and then promptly left on the government minibus.

Mayor Luo Heguang, however, stayed behind.

Luo Heguang stayed behind because he wanted to ask if the factory could begin purchasing Egyptian Catfish on schedule in August. After all, some of the contracted fish farmers had been raising their stock for over two months, and the first batch would soon be ready for harvest.

"Please rest assured, Mayor Luo. Our equipment has been calibrated, and we’ll begin trial production in the next few days. It won’t delay the fish procurement in August."

Hearing Jiang Miao’s assurance, Luo Heguang breathed a sigh of relief, and his smile grew warmer. "General Manager Jiang, I heard you recently started a real estate company?"

Jiang Miao didn’t try to hide it. "That’s right. The company is officially registered."

"General Manager Jiang, are you interested in taking on a plot of land?"

"Oh? Do you have a recommendation, Mayor Luo?"

Luo Heguang nodded. He didn’t put on airs or beat around the bush, speaking frankly instead, "It’s that parcel of land in your hometown, the one near Shanma Avenue."

"Oh, that plot? I thought it was already slated for development by a real estate company." Jiang Miao was certainly familiar with the land, as some of his own family’s farmland had been expropriated for the project.

Luo Heguang gave a wry smile. "Given the economy these past few years, who dares to come here and develop real estate? The previous company only signed a preliminary letter of intent. Their funding collapsed last year, and now they’re just struggling to stay afloat."

"So you’re saying that the land is currently still in the town government’s hands?"

"Yes."

Over the past few weeks, Jiang Miao had taken the time to research the local real estate market, so he had some idea of the situation. Though the plot of land was tempting, he still asked, "Mayor Luo, if Hailufeng Real Estate Company wanted to acquire that land, would there be any procedural hassles?"

"Don’t worry, General Manager Jiang. Most of the preliminary paperwork for that land is already done, and the compensation for the land acquisition has been fully paid out. To be honest, the land resources bureau has a huge headache over that plot right now. The district and the city are so broke they can barely make ends meet. They’d be overjoyed to have someone take it off their hands."