Chapter 598: Qingshui County Party Secretary and County Mayor

After arranging matters in Chen Family Village, Chen Yang prepared to go to Qingshui City to see Lin Wei and his son. But Chen Dingfang and the villagers insisted he eat before leaving.

Then, a group of people slaughtered pigs and cattle, busily enjoying themselves.

Chen Yang took the opportunity to check out the vegetable greenhouse base set up by the villagers. He found it not bad; they strictly followed the experts' guidance. The cultivated vegetables and fruits also looked very nice.

After strolling for about half an hour, Chen Dingfang suddenly sent someone over with a message, saying that the Qingshui County Party Secretary and County Mayor were on their way.

The Qingshui County Party Secretary is Zhang Tianhe, who in his previous life was a notorious corrupt official in Qingshui County. The County Mayor is Fan Yu, also a notorious corrupt official.

The two of them coming together to see Chen Yang surely bode no good.

Given Chen Yang's current status, he has no need to deal with these two. But as the saying goes, "Yama is easy to see, but little imps are hard to handle." If he really ignores them, who knows what underhanded tricks they might pull later.

Chen Yang then called Zhou Zhengyang. He had wanted to ask Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu about their purpose, but it turned out the latter happened to be in the same car with them.

In this situation, he couldn't say much more; he could only remind them to stay safe on the road.

After another half hour, several black Audi cars slowly pulled up in front of the township square of Chen Family Village. Several middle-aged men in administrative jackets got out.

Although Chen Yang had never dealt with Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu before, he recognized them at a glance. He stepped forward, shaking hands while exchanging greetings.

"The conditions in Chen Family Village are rudimentary, and our hospitality may be lacking; please forgive us, Secretary Zhang and Mayor Fan."

Zhang Tianhe laughed and said, "Director Chen, Panlong Town is now an economic powerhouse of Qingshui County, and Chen Family Village is a model village of Panlong Town. It is our honor to meet you here."

Fan Yu also chimed in, "Director Chen is the pride of our Qingshui County people. We have come this time to personally thank Director Chen for his great contributions to the people of Qingshui County."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch; they either have ulterior motives or are outright thieves." Chen Yang clearly knew these two had come to dig a pit for him. He wanted to see how big the pit they dug was, so he smiled and said, "Secretary Zhang, Mayor Fan, you're being too formal. I am also a Qingshui County resident; doing something for my hometown is only proper."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianhe gave Fan Yu a look. The latter immediately probed Chen Yang: "Director Chen, are you interested in making a small investment in Qingshui City?"

Chen Yang asked, "Mayor Fan, what exactly do you mean by this small investment?"

Fan Yu immediately said, "Director Chen, we plan to build a large residential community in Qingshui City with a scale of over ten thousand residents and an investment of one hundred billion yuan. Are you interested in participating?"

Chen Yang thought, These people really dare to dream! A small county under a fourth-tier city actually wants to build a residential community with over a hundred billion yuan investment.

Given the current living conditions of Qingshui County's residents, even if the community were built, they would have no money to buy houses.

If mishandled, the whole community could turn into a ghost town.

Chen Yang had no intention of making such an investment. He clearly understood that Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu's goal was not to build a community but to use the pretext of building one to trap his investment.

"Mayor Fan, your plan is very far-sighted. I personally am very optimistic about the community's future. However, Governor Liu has already issued instructions requiring the people's agricultural products trading company to complete its listing target as soon as possible. At this stage, I truly dare not divert my attention."

Seeing Chen Yang directly bring up Governor Liu Jianghua, Fan Yu's heart sank halfway. If they delayed the governor's plan because of them, both he and Zhang Tianhe would have to pack up and leave.

Zhang Tianhe whispered, "Director Chen, is Governor Liu's plan very urgent?"

Chen Yang nodded. Then he took out his phone and said, "If you don't believe me, I can verify it for you."

Zhang Tianhe's face slightly changed, and he immediately said, "Director Chen, Governor Liu is extremely busy; we had better not disturb him."

Chen Yang actually just wanted to scare them a bit. After all, regarding urban construction within Dongjiang Province, Liu Jianghua would certainly not oppose it.

Of course, he would definitely not agree to Qingshui County undertaking a real estate project over a hundred billion yuan. A tiny county trying to rival the provincial capital's urban construction is simply preposterous.

According to Chen Yang's understanding of Liu Jianghua, that hundred-billion-yuan investment would ultimately have to be planned for Xingcheng. Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu wouldn't even get a sip of the soup.

Of course, since Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu came in person, it would be inappropriate for Chen Yang to show no response. The water, electricity, and road projects of Chen Family Village still need their approval. If they stall this or that, the villagers will surely blame him behind his back for dragging everyone down.

Some people may not remember your kindness, but if you wrong them, they will surely remember it for a lifetime.

Chen Yang did not want to test the villagers' humanity again, as that would make future interactions even more awkward.

After thinking for a while, he said to Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu, "Secretary Zhang, Mayor Fan, does Qingshui County have any plans for a commercial plaza? If so, I could invest a little. I personally believe that only by first boosting the economy and letting the people live well can there be conditions to join that ten‑thousand‑person community plan."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianhe said without hesitation, "Director Chen, I and Comrade Fan Yu have long wanted to renovate the county's old commercial street, but we have yet to find an interested investor. If you are interested, we would be very welcome."

Chen Yang glanced at Zhou Zhengyang, who had been standing silently beside Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu, and then said to Zhang, "Secretary Zhang, I have worked smoothly with Deputy County Mayor Zhou in the past; could this project be entrusted to him to follow up?"

Zhang Tianhe and Fan Yu exchanged a glance, weighed it in their minds, and then said, "Director Chen, Comrade Zhengyang is in charge of agricultural and rural development. Would it be appropriate to have him oversee the commercial plaza project?"

Chen Yang smiled and said, "Deputy County Mayor Zhou was a capable hand at economics when he served in Panlong Town. I believe entrusting this commercial plaza project to him would also yield better results."

Seeing Chen Yang had set his mind on Zhou Zhengyang, Zhang Tianhe could only change his own thinking. He solemnly said to Zhou Zhengyang, "Comrade Zhengyang, Director Chen thinks highly of you; you must not let him down!"

Zhou Zhengyang immediately promised, "Secretary Zhang, Mayor Fan, I will certainly assist Director Chen in completing the commercial plaza project well."

Zhang Tianhe knew Zhou Zhengyang very well; they were not on the same path. Letting such a person take charge of Chen Yang's commercial plaza project gave him no chance at all.

However, he holds the power of life and death over Qingshui County; as long as Chen Yang's project funds land, he can always find a way to skim a layer off the top.