Chapter 1138: An Unannounced Visit to the Wharf with Jiang Jing!

On Saturday morning, Tang Ye woke up on time and went for a morning run along the road near his residential complex.

Influenced by Tang Ye, Ma Ran also developed the habit of morning exercise.

Tang Ye was a person with a very disciplined life; almost everything he did each day was scheduled.

Ma Ran also became a very self-disciplined person.

During the morning run, Tang Ye received a phone call.

After showering and eating breakfast, Tang Ye said to Ma Ran, "Later, let's go down and take a look around."

Ma Ran nodded slightly, "Where to?"

Tang Ye said, "To Zhaojiang Town."

After taking office, Tang Ye would look over and walk through the jurisdiction where he worked.

Zhaojiang Town was some distance from the county seat, requiring an hour and a half to drive.

Ma Ran applied for a car from the Municipal Government Office; having just received his driver's license, he didn't drive fast, but the ride was quite steady.

"County Magistrate Tang, ahead is the river embankment of Zhaojiang."

Tang Ye nodded slightly, "Pull over. We're waiting for someone."

About a few minutes later, a sedan pulled over.

Tang Ye took the initiative to walk over.

Jiang Jing stepped out from the back seat of the sedan.

Only then did Ma Ran suddenly realize that the call Tang Ye received during their morning exercise today was from Jiang Jing.

Jiang Jing had a habit of making unannounced visits in plain clothes.

After getting out of the car, Jiang Jing walked a distance along the embankment, "The opposite side is Su City, right?"

Tang Ye nodded and said, "Yes, that over there is Chenxin Village in Su City."

Jiang Jing said, "I heard there are problems at Zhaojiang Wharf."

Tang Ye realized what was going on.

It must be that Xie Kai had mentioned the matter of Song Ci to Xie Yina.

Xie Yina then spoke of it to Jiang Jing while in bed.

That was why Jiang Jing had this plan for an unannounced visit to the Wharf.

Tang Ye followed at Jiang Jing's side, walking a distance toward the end of the embankment together, where they could see from afar that workers on the Wharf were busy unloading cargo.

Several ferries arrived from the distance on the vast river; it was evident that although the Wharf was not large, the volume of cargo throughput was not small.

Currently, the Jinniu Bridge being built through the cooperation of Xiyang City and Su City had not yet been completed, so for merchants traveling back and forth, using ferry transport was a more cost-effective choice to save time and shipping costs.

Seeing a few workers resting and drinking water not far away, the two walked over slowly.

Tang Ye handed out cigarettes and took the initiative to ask, "Big brother, I have a batch of cargo arriving in a few days and want to find some people to unload it. Can you help arrange it?"

Jiang Jing was stunned for a moment, then stood quietly to the side, watching how Tang Ye performed this act well.

One of the workers answered with a smile: "Boss, you've found the right person; this matter is on me. By the way, for unloading this batch of cargo, do you have any acquaintances here?"

Tang Ye remained calm, "Didn't I come here to ask for directions? Now you are my acquaintance!"

The worker patted Tang Ye on the shoulder, "Young man, you're quite savvy! Let's go, I'll take you to find the person in charge."

Seeing this, Ma Ran and Lu Tianming wanted to follow.

Tang Ye shook his head slightly at the two; too many people would be meaningless, and with him there to protect Jiang Jing, no problems would arise.

Tang Ye accompanied Jiang Jing, led by the worker, into a room.

"Wait a moment. I'll call the manager over!"

"Alright, sorry to trouble you."

A few minutes later, the worker led in a man who was not tall but looked very sturdy.

The man looked to be about thirty years old, with very short hair and his head tilted; he carefully sized up Tang Ye from head to toe, then sat down on a chair, smoking a cigarette while leisurely crossing his legs.

"I heard you have cargo that needs unloading on our side?"

"Yes, may I ask your surname?"

"My surname is Cai."

"Boss Cai, hello."

The young man surnamed Cai waved his hand, "I'm no boss, but on this Wharf, what I say counts. You should know the rules on our side, right?"

Tang Ye smiled and handed over a cigarette, "I don't know, what rules?"

The man surnamed Cai took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, "If you want to unload cargo on our side, besides the normal labor costs, you definitely need to pay a river-crossing fee."

Tang Ye nodded slightly, "I am certainly aware of this. However, the river-crossing fees vary by place; I wonder what the price is here?"

The man surnamed Cai held up a palm toward Tang Ye, "Anything less than fifty thousand, and there's no need to talk about this matter."

Tang Ye deliberately put on a fawning smile, "It's not easy to do business these days, and I won't make much money on this batch of cargo. Fifty thousand is really too much; could you please lower it a bit?"

The man surnamed Cai said displeased, "Then you can only change to another wharf to unload. You can go and ask around; here, fifty thousand is already considered a rather polite price."

Tang Ye pondered with a hesitant look, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, fifty thousand it is."

The man surnamed Cai had originally expected to haggle for a while, and had even prepared himself for a war of words.

He didn't expect Tang Ye to agree so readily.

He couldn't help but sneer in his heart!

Someone like you can actually do business well?

The man surnamed Cai's expression softened; he took the initiative to walk toward Tang Ye, placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder, and his tone became enthusiastic,

"My name is Cai Lin. I see you're a straightforward person. Let me explain the ins and outs to you. If you pay the money, I will not only arrange the people for you, but also guarantee the safety of your cargo. Our money is on the table, while some wharves' money is under the table. If you lose a few pieces of cargo, the loss will be huge then."

Tang Ye subconsciously observed Jiang Jing's expression.

Jiang Jing's brows were hidden with anger!

A tiny little Wharf, yet it actually had hidden fee items.

Truly, it lived up to the saying: small temples have wild winds, shallow ponds have many turtles.

Cai Lin took out a cigarette and handed one to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye smiled and took the cigarette.

Cai Lin asked, "Brother, what is your surname?"

Tang Ye smiled indifferently, "My name is Sun Hai."

Jiang Jing was stunned for a moment, quite surprised, thinking to herself that Tang Ye was actually quite cunning.

However, it was understandable; when traveling the world and conducting undercover investigations, there was no reason to use one's real name.

Tang Ye's name was relatively easy to remember, and he was the County Magistrate of Yechuan, so it was easy to expose his identity.

"Boss Sun, listening to your accent, you aren't a local, are you? What kind of business are you in?" Cai Lin looked burly and rough, but he was still very cautious.

Tang Ye smiled and said, "I am from Hanzhou. I just negotiated a large order to supply a batch of construction materials to the Municipal Government. Transporting by water is more convenient and cost-effective, so I planned to unload the cargo at your Wharf."

Cai Lin's eyes lit up, "Is that so? A Hanzhou native? What a coincidence, the County Magistrate of Yechuan County is from Hanzhou. We even ate together last week."

Cai Lin was bragging right in front of the person himself.

Jiang Jing had to exert a great deal of effort to keep from sneering out loud.

Tang Ye, meanwhile, pushed his acting to the limit, saying with a look of surprise: "Really? That is too coincidental, that is great. If there is a chance, could I trouble you to help introduce us?"

Cai Lin patted his chest and guaranteed, "Easy, once this cooperation is finished, I will definitely help you get introduced."

Tang Ye followed his lead and said, "Then I would be truly grateful. If you can really help me get to know the County Magistrate, I will make you a shareholder in every project I take on in Yechuan County from now on."

Cai Lin gave a vague, perfunctory response: "Easy, easy!"

In his heart, he was thinking, this kid is really stupid; it was just a bit of bragging, why take it so seriously?

If he really knew the County Magistrate, he could get rich doing anything; why would he be squatting here by the river blowing in the cold wind?

At this moment, Cai Lin received a phone call; his brows furrowed slightly, and a grave expression appeared on his face.

"What is it? Alright, I will bring people over immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Cai Lin's speaking speed increased, and he said to Tang Ye, "You pay a deposit, I will write you a slip, and you can just take the slip to unload the cargo later. I have matters that need attending to."

Tang Ye asked, "How much of a deposit is appropriate?"

Cai Lin said, "Give me five thousand first!"

Tang Ye frowned, "I didn't bring that much cash, can it be a little less?"

Cai Lin had matters to attend to and impatiently brushed him off, "I think you're a decent guy, just give me whatever, just as a gesture; I have urgent business to handle."

Tang Ye took one thousand yuan from his wallet.

Cai Lin wrote a receipt for Tang Ye.

Tang Ye kept the receipt safe and sneered inwardly.

The more freely he took the money now, the more he would regret it once the matter was exposed!