Chapter 37: Farewells and Planning

The county had quite a supply of spare tires.

Less than two hours later, the County Armed Forces Department arrived at Shiliying with three military trucks, escorting 20 wheel hubs compatible with Santana sedans and small police vehicles.

Another half hour passed. The county supervisor and the others bid their farewells. Before leaving, the county supervisor pulled Yu Yang aside for a private word. "Doing business in Shiliying is indeed not easy; the county understands that very well now."

How could they not understand? The wheels were gone, and they had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill. What else could they do? Launch a cross-provincial pursuit? That would require filing official reports, which would lead to gossip spreading everywhere. Soon, the entire country would know, causing them to lose both face and reputation, along with any chance of promotion or a raise—and in the end, the wheels still wouldn't be found. As for a "strike hard" campaign, who would they be striking against? The culprits were from another province.

Fortunately, Yu Yang understood why the supervisor was speaking in whispers. This matter could not be allowed to become a joke.

"Rest assured, sir. I am a young man, and I can be impulsive at times."

Hearing this, the county supervisor felt a sense of relief. It was just as Township Head Huang had described when reporting on the investment attraction work: Yu Yang was articulate, understood the needs of leadership, was reliable in his actions, and was knowledgeable. This was precisely why he had pulled him aside.

"Of course, sir. As you said before, impulsiveness brings drive. I am confident in building a successful bean sprout industry and making it a pillar of our county's economy!"

The county supervisor was even more pleased upon hearing the latter part of Yu Yang's declaration. "Good, good, very good!" He continued, "How about this: the Water Conservancy Bureau has three large-capacity water pumps sitting idle. Since you are building a factory, the county will allocate them to you as a gesture of support for local enterprises."

Just as Yu Yang was about to express his gratitude, the supervisor added, "Furthermore, since Sanyuan Agriculture is building a factory, although you can use agricultural electricity, it is ultimately a commercial entity and will eventually require industrial power. It just so happens that the Power Bureau has a set of decommissioned transformers and voltage regulators. I will have them install a factory-site substation for you."

"Thank you, sir!"

Normally, power transformation and distribution facilities are provided by the local power supply system. However, for enterprises—especially those with large factory sites—these facilities must be built by the company itself to reduce costs, ensure a stable power supply, and meet various electrical needs. A large set of power equipment costs anywhere from tens of thousands to over a million. If one adds construction and protection devices, the cost starts at at least five hundred thousand.

Since the county was willing to provide such support, Yu Yang naturally felt compelled to reciprocate. "Sir, please take me along on your next investment promotion trip. Perhaps I can be of some help then."

The county supervisor’s eyes lit up. "I almost forgot about that. You certainly should come along."

***

After their private conversation, the deputy supervisor offered some scholarly encouragement. "Your 'country-style communal meals' are excellent. I'll bring some clients over to see you later."

"Thank you, sir!"

Next came Officer Zhou. "Kid, my position is minor and my words carry little weight. This is all I can do for you."

Yu Yang had known from the beginning that the man had been helping him from the shadows. "Thanks, Uncle Zhou. Tomorrow, I'll have the vegetable vendor deliver a truckload of bean sprouts to the County Armed Forces Department."

"That would be great. But always remember: only by making yourself more important will they value you more."

"Yes, I will keep your teachings in mind, Uncle Zhou."

"We're off!" Following Officer Zhou's order, the three military trucks took the lead, followed by two police cars escorting the three Santanas as they began their return journey.

On the road, the county supervisor remarked, "Township Head Huang has changed quite a bit recently."

The deputy supervisor replied, "When an honest man is pushed to the edge, he is more terrifying than a clever one."

"Still, building the slopes for the 385 section is ultimately illegal. We cannot turn a blind eye to it." He continued, "Furthermore, Dong Jian's father filed for a new specification that perfectly matches the existing bridge tunnel. Therefore, the responsibility for the highway rollover does not lie with Dong Jian. Now that Township Head Huang has stirred this up, I fear someone might use him as a scapegoat."

"Though Township Head Huang's intentions were good, a wrong is a wrong. We can only take it one step at a time."

The secretary sitting in the front row suddenly spoke up. "Sir, my classmate, who is a lawyer, says that Yu Jianjun can be released."

"He can be released?"

"Yes. Dong Jian's father convened a special meeting, stating that historical issues should not become obstacles to economic development, especially during this critical stage of state-enterprise reform. He argued that we shouldn't discourage private entrepreneurs, and he cited the Shiliying brick kiln as a positive example. This move has received praise from the provincial authorities."

The car fell into silence. The county had been working through the courts, the detention center, and even secretly contacting shareholders for mediation. They had spent so much effort, unsure if it would even work. They hadn't expected someone else to solve it with a single sentence, not only eliminating future trouble at an official level but also gaining some credit in the process.

"By the way, why did he help Yu Jianjun?"

"It was when you moved Yu Jianjun to a different room. By chance, Dong Jian was in there. The two got into a fight over the highway tunnel, then started talking, and Dong Jian asked his father to help on the spot."

"Getting tangled up with Dong Jian is more of a curse than a blessing," the county supervisor sighed. Dong Jian was the head of the Pingdong County Road and Bridge Company. Many of the roads and bridges he built did not meet standards; if not for his father, he would have likely faced the firing squad long ago. But paper cannot wrap up fire forever.

The county supervisor pondered for a moment, then took out his phone to call Yu Yang. "Your father will be out in a couple of days. When he returns, take him home. Even if you just have him guard the gate, don't let him mingle with Dong Jian."

"Dong Jian? The contractor for the 385 section?"

"Yes."

"My father wouldn't possibly be with him!"

"They are indeed together right now, and they are even sleeping in the same bed."

"..."

***

In another timeline, Yu Yang’s family was in the engineering business, and so was Dong Jian, who had a very powerful father behind him. Every time Yu Yang’s family participated in a bid, they were crushed by Dong Jian, leading to a feud that lasted over a decade. If not for the later downfall of Dong Jian’s father, their family company would never have even made it out of Tai City.

If his father was mixed up with that man, how was that any different from betraying his own son?

Of course, in this timeline, those subsequent events had yet to occur. This was not Old Yu's fault. Once he brought him home, he would follow the county supervisor's advice and have him guard the gate. As it happened, the parking lot did indeed have a gate.

...

Inside the small villa, Yu Yang hung up the phone and instructed his cousins to have the vegetable vendors collect information on all the local thugs in the surrounding areas. Every single one, even in the more distant counties, had to be accounted for.

His idea was simple: since these gangs were running into his territory to steal tires and fuel, it meant these "big brothers" weren't managing their own areas well. If he caused them trouble, it wouldn't be unreasonable, would it?

Once he beat these local thugs into submission, he would offer them small favors. Naturally, they would then help him keep an eye on vehicles, fuel, and the roads leading in and out of the area. However, this would take time.

Therefore, Yu Yang returned to the villa and began considering the factory construction. As a legitimate agricultural company, in order to build more fake plastic greenhouses to cover up the high output of bean sprouts, he had to secure more land.

To this end, Yu Yang went to the township's Investment Promotion Office and requested the administrative maps, water resource maps, and planning blueprints.

Ten miles north of Shiliying was Fotuo Temple; ten miles west was Hange Township. To the east was Pingdong Lake, and to the south was the South River Province. Thus, the area of Shiliying covered 5,000 by 5,000 meters, roughly 37,500 mu.

Excluding villages, rivers, roads, forests, wasteland, and ancestral graveyards; excluding the brick kilns and coal-briquette factories; excluding the farmland near each village where houses might be built in the future; excluding the sloped fields where plastic greenhouses could not be built; and excluding the experimental fields along the provincial road that might be occupied by future expansions—the remaining arable land was less than 30,000 mu.

Since he was in the agricultural business, and given that there were no restrictions on plastic greenhouses in this era, all these farmlands—whether general arable land, permanent basic farmland, experimental fields, or high-standard farmland—could actually be leased.

So.

"If I rent all the farmland, will the whole township become my laborers?"

"Wouldn't that just be returning to the era of the communal pot?"