Chapter 1498: Attitude

A little boy, about three or four years old, was skipping and trotting along the wide streets of the New Territories.

He was constantly attracted by things on the road, stopping to look here and there, occasionally reaching out with mischievous hands to fiddle with them.

Such behavior would naturally annoy people, but if one turned to look at the man strolling a short distance behind the child with his hands clasped behind his back, accompanied by more than a dozen men in suits and leather shoes, people generally became tolerant.

However, Zhou Xiaobai could not tolerate it; seeing the child being impolite, she walked over, grabbed the child by the ear to discipline him, and lectured him on proper conduct, while Wang Yan smiled cheerfully, chatting and laughing with Peng Yunliang and the others...

The great development of the New Territories had now passed ten years, bringing changes akin to overturning heaven and earth.

Skyscrapers rose from the ground, roads were built one after another, and there was even a subway system; furthermore, supporting facilities such as hospitals and schools were all completed, along with various banks, shopping malls, and branch offices or headquarters of numerous companies, including the Hong Kong headquarters of mainland firms which had all relocated to the New Territories.

The current large-scale development of the New Territories had expanded from the initial Northern District to Yuen Long and Tai Po; construction was proceeding very well, and the area had become quite bustling, teeming with people...

Of course, these major families in the New Territories lacked the ability to build the region into its present state on their own, as the profits from their most lucrative businesses—herbal tea and beverages—were far from sufficient.

Capitalists from both inside and outside Hong Kong, relying solely on their own strength, did not have the capability to carry out such large-scale development in the New Territories, let alone achieve such a massive situation within a mere decade, continuously pressing closer to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

As the saying goes, when many people gather firewood, the flame rises high; only when hot money flowed into the New Territories, combining various factors, could this place prosper; just as said before, once the commotion was made big and lively enough, everything else would follow.

Of course, the most crucial factor was the support from the mainland; without this, the cost of large-scale construction in Hong Kong would have multiplied several times over, for although Hong Kong had the capacity to produce building materials like steel bars, cement, concrete, and bricks, it lacked large-scale output.

Regarding construction labor, taking advantage of lax supervision, various methods were used to bring in mainlanders who had crossed the border illegally; over the past decade, the mainland population in Hong Kong had risen at a terrifying rate, with all these people eating in the New Territories, though inevitably some "dragons crossing the river" engaged in "big circle" activities, bringing some shock to Hong Kong's local triad societies.

Having such materials and such manpower was precisely the key to the New Territories being able to be built up.

However, this was still not enough; there were certain facility investments that the New Territories families desired but lacked the strength for, and which could not be handed over to outsiders, such as bus and subway systems, electricity, water supply, natural gas, and so on.

These were all operated by companies established by the mainland; of course, they were not losing money, as they were profit-oriented entities—after all, this was capitalism—yet their primary focus was ensuring stable operation, with earning more or less being secondary.

On another front, this ensured control over Hong Kong; otherwise, what were the four major state-owned enterprises, the Fan Xinhua News Agency, bank branches, and others there for? Their purpose was to resolve all issues before the appointed date and ensure a peaceful transition.

It was precisely because of this mainland backing, which guaranteed investment, construction, and operation of various infrastructure projects, that capitalists were attracted to come and invest.

Private hospitals, schools, shopping malls, high-end residential developments, commercial office buildings, and a whole series of such structures were all built by capable capitalists purchasing land from the New Territories and constructing according to the New Territories' planning.

Construction materials were purchased from the mainland with ready cash, and the labor force naturally consisted of groups of mainlanders who had crossed the border illegally.

With so many buildings constructed, driving so many people to seek employment, naturally, various business establishments sprang up accordingly.

Restaurants, song-and-dance halls, arcades, sweet soup shops, and all sorts of miscellaneous stores enriched people's lives and consumption, gathered crowds, and naturally became increasingly popular.

Nowadays, the prosperity of the Northern District, the first area developed in the New Territories, was no inferior to that of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and perhaps even surpassed them.

Due to the mainland's policy of opening up, Hong Kong purchased various goods from surrounding countries on all sides, forming a trade center in the Northern District where mainland merchants came to buy goods to resell back home, while some also sold goods from the mainland to Hong Kong.

In short, this trade center was definitely no problem; it was just that the goods had some issues, but whether there were problems or not, it was all no problem, as this business could continue for another twenty or thirty years.

Surrounding this trade center, the families of the New Territories began to venture into logistics and transportation, engaging in both land and sea freight.

Benefiting from the great development of the New Territories, the major families there had expanded over the past decade like a snowball rolling downhill; they were absolutely loyal to the mainland and absolutely cooperative with all tasks.

Consequently, regarding the Hong Kong issue, the mainland's work proceeded quite smoothly, with all industries and sectors managed quite well; generally speaking, the various tycoons were relatively honest, though having little schemes was inevitable, as everyone wanted to scoop up more for themselves and secure their future interests.

The pie in the New Territories was large enough, and the determination and strength applied to its development resisted various internal and external troubles, preserved the achievements, and attained the current success; this was the main reason these capitalists behaved honestly, as their room for bargaining had been greatly compressed.

"You have done truly well."

Wang Yan took the bowl of shark fin soup from Zhou Xiaobai that his biological son had eaten only two bites of before abandoning, and in three or four mouthfuls finished it completely, saying, "You have really worked hard these years; building up the New Territories was not easy."

"Ai, what kind of talk is this, Mr. Wang?" said Peng Yunliang, who had become spirited and gained a round of weight, accompanying his words with a smile, "It was all Mr. Wang who pointed the way; expending effort is easy, but using one's brain is hard; Mr. Wang is the one who has worked hardest; without Mr. Wang, there would be no New Territories."

"People like us just spend money and enjoy life all day; unlike Mr. Wang, who clearly has so much money yet spends not a penny on himself, putting it all into planting trees on the Loess Plateau; when he wants to spend money to make a film, he still has to work hard writing books and securing investments; truly... we all feel heartache for Mr. Wang."

Walking another two steps, Wang Yan took the roasted goose that was half-eaten, saying, "You are becoming more and more eloquent, Mr. Peng; I hear that now you are the one calling the shots in the Peng family?"

"It is all thanks to Mr. Wang's patronage; nowadays everyone says I am lucky; if I hadn't gone to the Canton Fair and met Mr. Wang, if Mr. Wang hadn't been willing to patronize us, how could there be today's good situation in the New Territories?"

"How can I claim credit? Don't always flatter me, Mr. Peng; you and the leaders thank me, saying that the New Territories' success today is all my merit; that is quite inappropriate."

"If thanks are due, they should go to the nation's help and to the people of the New Territories working together; without these, even if ideas bloomed like flowers in my brain, they would be useless; you must thank the collective, not highlight my individual role; if I have a role, does that mean you have no role?"

Gnawing on the roasted goose with oil dripping from his mouth, Wang Yan said, "No matter whose merit is greater, the ultimate goal is to get things done well; only when things are done well can everyone talk about merit and hard work; if things are not done well, then everyone is at fault."

"Mr. Wang truly has high awareness," said Peng Yunliang, giving a thumbs-up.

Wang Yan waved his hand, then pointed to Li Kuiyong, who was walking alongside Tian Fang carrying the child, saying, "You know Dayong."

"I know him; Mr. Li is an old friend," said Peng Yunliang, probing tentatively, "Does Mr. Wang intend to..."

"The situation in the mainland is getting better and better, and there are more and more wealthy people; Dayong has followed me for so many years; it is time for him to make his fortune."

Peng Yunliang understood immediately: "Mr. Wang, I will have someone go to Jingcheng to find Mr. Li as soon as I return, provide capital to establish a joint venture with him, buy a plot of land, build a shopping mall, and sell some goods; what does Mr. Wang think of that?"

"That works; let's proceed with that for now; come back to me later regarding the land matter."

"Then can we acquire a bit more land?" Peng Yunliang asked, striking while the iron was hot.

"Greed makes a snake try to swallow an elephant," said Wang Yan, patting Peng's shoulder with his oily hand; "Mr. Peng, how much earnings count as 'too much'? In the past, you only thought about letting the villagers live good lives; now the villagers are living good lives, and the money you earn is more than enough to spend for several lifetimes; why are you still not content?"

"I hear that problems among your family descendants are increasing; there are those who gamble recklessly, those who use drugs, and even bold trash who dare to partner with triad societies to force women into prostitution?"

"Mr. Peng, I originally did not want to say these words; looking at issues with a developmental perspective, such matters are difficult to manage or control in the short term; I thought Mr. Peng would be paying attention to these issues, but I did not expect that not only has Mr. Peng not paid attention, he actually wants even more; Mr. Peng, if you have had enough of the good life, you can go jump into the sea yourself."

The chubby Peng Yunliang was already breaking out in a cold sweat across his forehead: "Mr. Wang, I truly have not done any of that; we..."

"Whether it was intentional or unintentional does not matter; the facts are there, and your attitude is there as well."

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, saying, "However, Mr. Peng, do not overthink it; I have not come with any specific mission, nor do these matters depend on my decision; I merely heard some rumors about this side in Jingcheng and thought that things here might have gone a bit too far; since we have been friends for so many years, and Lin County owes much of its good development to your assistance, I am simply fulfilling my duty as a friend by reminding you."

"Mr. Wang, rest assured; I will take action today; every single one of them will be dealt with; I absolutely will not let those scoundrels have an easy time," Peng Yunliang promised repeatedly, swearing oaths.

He did not believe Wang Yan's explanation in the least.

Wang Yan's identity was simply too special; although he appeared to be merely a simple teacher at a film academy, in reality, he was far from simple; he was simultaneously an expert and scholar engaged in theoretical research, international relations, literature and arts, urban development, industrial structure, and many other fields, wielding considerable influence in numerous areas; regarding various reform and development matters, he wrote countless internal references annually and participated in numerous symposiums.

Even without all the above, Wang Yan himself possessed the merit of developing Lin County and the great development of the New Territories; regarding related affairs, even if he did not hold decisive influence, at least his words were listened to, and people often came to ask his opinions and thoughts on various matters.

Even without all the above, Wang Yan himself was a bold and daring ruthless man; if provoked, he would truly disregard all consequences; the key was that he was both right and meticulous, flexible in his methods, could beat people without consequence, and possessed formidable martial skills, which was truly terrifying.

Combining all these factors, Peng Yunliang firmly believed that Wang Yan's words were definitely aimed and purposeful; whether there was a specific mission or not did not matter; whatever came out of Wang Yan's mouth meant that they were truly in trouble.

Wang Yan took the cart noodles that his son had eaten only two bites of, saying, "In short, you must pay more attention; your attitude must be correct; upon discovering problems, you must solve them; do not harbor the mindset of nouveau riche, thinking that controlling great power or having vast wealth allows you to act lawlessly; you cannot be arrogant and conceited, Mr. Peng."

"Mr. Wang's lesson is correct; we will definitely rectify ourselves."

In front of Wang Yan, Peng Yunliang became a mere yes-man, possessing none of the imposing manner of a tycoon who was one of the decision-makers in the New Territories.

Seeing that Wang Yan said no more, he changed the subject, asking, "I wonder what Mr. Wang has come to do this time? Bringing your wife and child for tourism?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "And to inspect the local cultural and artistic industries while I'm at it."

"You mean Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and the like?"

"And our old friends, of course; anyone running a triad has a production company making films, so I need to talk to them all. Cultural arts aren't just about movies, though; writers, painters, singers, journalists—they're all included. This time, the goal is to have an open and honest discussion about future development."

"Wang Sheng is truly overwhelmed with myriad daily tasks."

"It is the organization's trust that has sent me out to get things done." Wang Yan waved his hand with an air of humility. "Actually, if I had my choice, I would still prefer to focus on making films. Recently, I've been preparing to film the story of Lin County; isn't that fascinating?"

"But there's no help for it, Peng Sheng. If I don't come out and run around, no one will take me seriously. Even if I wanted to make films, funding would be restricted. Moreover, coming to your turf to lecture you—doesn't that make sense?"

"Wang Sheng, this is unjust! Without you, there would be no New Territories today, and certainly no Peng Yunliang. Wang Sheng, please don't scare me, okay? You know I can't handle being frightened; my courage is so small."

Wang Yan waved his hand, ignoring him further, and turned to instruct Zhou Xiaobai to take the children and play with Li Kui and the others. He then went off on his own to wash the grease from his hands and face, boarded the Mercedes sedan arranged by Peng Yunliang, and headed to the hotel where the meeting was to be held.

A group of decision-makers from various film and entertainment companies had arrived early at the luxury hotel in the New Territories. Even though Wang Yan arrived very late, keeping them waiting for a long time, not a single word of complaint was uttered.

Wang Yan's capabilities were certainly a factor, but more important was the national will he represented. Of course, even when acting as a proxy for that will, not everyone wielded the same degree of force.

For instance, if someone else had organized this, those present would have been various company managers. But since he came, the gathering resembled a meeting of ruffians; everyone present was a figure with a renowned name in the Jianghu. They formed two distinctly separate groups from ordinary corporate managers.

During the meeting, certain regulations were established. Wang Yan held the drafted clauses and went through them one by one with these individuals. Secretaries stationed nearby recorded who agreed and who opposed...

By the time the next meeting convened, everyone had agreed; the Hong Kong cultural and artistic circles were enthusiastically embracing the Motherland...

Extremely simple, crude, and efficient...

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