Chapter 57: Want to build a bond of goodwill with you!

Every government leader in Pinghu Town has a "sanitation responsibility zone," and everyone must participate in sweeping the streets; as one of the initiators, Tang Ye is no exception.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and mist was pervasive.

Tang Ye hurried to his "responsibility zone."

Xu Qiao had arrived early, looking left and right.

Because she was dressed too thinly, she felt cold, rubbing her hands incessantly, her small, rosy lips gently exhaling faint wisps of mist.

"Town Mayor Tang, morning!" Because she was so cold, Xu Qiao even spoke with a tremor in her voice.

This godforsaken weather—how comfortable it would be to lie in bed and sleep in; coming out early to sweep the streets is truly inhumane.

Others might be able to complain, but since the suggestion was Tang Ye's, no matter how bitter or tiring it was, he had to face it with a smile.

Tang Ye cheered Xu Qiao on, "Morning, morning, morning! Are you very cold? You'll break a sweat once you start working. Let's get moving quickly, finish what needs to be done, and I'll treat you to breakfast."

"No need, I've already had breakfast."

"So what if you've eaten? Eat again!"

Tang Ye's gaze fell upon Xu Qiao's hands, which were frozen purple; he pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and handed them to her, "Put these on quickly, don't get frostbite."

Although the white cotton labor gloves were ugly, they were durable and practical.

As Xu Qiao took them in her hands, carrying Tang Ye's body heat, an unusual emotion welled up in her heart.

"This year's weather has turned cold especially fast; the temperature has dropped below zero. I wonder if it will snow."

"Other cities have already started snowing. I saw many photos on the forum; they were quite beautiful."

"Although a timely snow promises a good harvest, it won't do if it's too heavy; it will affect production work."

Xu Qiao was stunned for a moment; she had been thinking of romance and snow, while Town Mayor Tang was thinking of people's livelihoods and affairs.

Is this what you call a generation gap?

Tang Ye picked up a large bamboo broom and, without another word, began to sweep along the street.

Xu Qiao held a pair of tongs, bending over from time to time to pick up bits of debris and place them into a bag.

Tang Ye was like a bulldozer, rapidly pushing forward dozens of meters, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead...

The sanitation situation in Pinghu had clearly improved; debris was rarely seen on the ground, and everyone had begun to spontaneously maintain environmental hygiene.

Merchants would clean their doorways before closing up every day; common folk would throw household trash into designated areas; although the number of sanitation workers had not increased, the workload had decreased by at least half.

Pinghu Town used to be like a wandering beggar in patched clothes, hunched and stumbling; now it was like a go-getter in a crisp suit, walking with a sense of purpose.

This is the value of the government leading by example, the lower levels following the upper, and the subtle influence it has!

Not far away, a black Audi sedan pierced through the mist and slowly pulled over at the street corner.

A middle-aged man stepped out from the back seat, followed by a woman with exquisite makeup.

The man stared at the backs of Tang Ye and Xu Qiao, stopping to watch for a moment.

"I didn't expect the streets of Pinghu Town to be cleaner than those in Jinshui Town."

The woman beside him nodded and said curiously, "The sanitation workers in the town are very young!"

The young image of Tang Ye and Xu Qiao was completely at odds with that of sanitation workers.

The two walked toward the breakfast restaurant in the vegetable market.

The enthusiastic proprietress called out softly, "Our shop has noodles, wontons, potstickers, and dumplings; come inside and try some?"

The man looked at the potstickers frying to a crispy, golden brown in the flat pan and said to the woman beside him, "Let's go to this one!"

The woman ordered two bowls of wontons and two taels of potstickers from the proprietress.

After entering the room, she picked up a tissue to wipe the table and bench, placing her chopsticks in hot water to disinfect them; her entire movement was swift and natural.

The proprietress didn't take offense.

The other party came from the city and was particular about cleanliness and hygiene.

Although the breakfast restaurant was small and cleaned carefully every day, compared to a large hotel, it was certainly worlds apart.

Tang Ye and Xu Qiao finished sweeping the street and arrived at the breakfast shop; after sitting down, they were attracted by the neighboring table.

Judging by their attire and demeanor, the middle-aged man's status and bearing were extraordinary.

"Proprietress, two bowls of wontons, three taels of potstickers."

"Alright, Town Mayor Tang, I'll cook them for you right away!"

Before long, four bowls of wontons were served.

The middle-aged man glanced at the table next to him, his expression slightly stunned, and then he shook his head with a wry smile.

Tang Ye reacted extremely quickly, smiling as he said to the proprietress, "Sister, that's not kind; the price is the same, but the portions are different."

The proprietress gave Tang Ye a look of annoyance, raising the strainer in her hand, unable to laugh or cry, "You really know how to undermine me!"

Tang Ye took the initiative to carry the two bowls of wontons in front of him toward the next table.

"Neither of you has touched your chopsticks yet. If you don't mind, let's swap."

The woman frowned and refused, "No need."

The middle-aged man, however, smiled faintly, "Since it's someone's kind intention, let's swap! I also want to taste if the proprietress's biased flavor is any different."

The proprietress didn't feel the slightest bit awkward, smiling as she explained, "The taste is absolutely the same. In business, we sometimes treat regular customers and new customers differently; I hope you understand. The first time is a stranger, the second time is a friend; if you come again next time, I will definitely add more without increasing the price."

Seeing that the proprietress was quite straightforward, the middle-aged man laughed heartily, "The highest realm of doing business is the grasp of human relationships and worldly wisdom; the proprietress has high emotional intelligence. Xiao Tan, you should learn from her!"

The middle-aged man glanced at Tang Ye and noticed him adding chili powder to his bowl; he followed suit and added some, and sure enough, the layers of the soup base increased, and the stimulation to his taste buds was more intense; before long, a wave of heat spread from his lower abdomen to his limbs.

"Young man, seeing you eat such spicy food, you don't look like a local!" the middle-aged man asked with a smile.

"I am a genuine local." Tang Ye stirred the sauce-colored, thick soup with a porcelain spoon, "Judging by your accent, you should be from Qiongjin. I studied in Qiongjin for a few years; are you here to visit relatives?"

Tang Ye expressed this last sentence in authentic Qiongjin dialect.

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "You could say that! Besides, I also want to inspect the investment environment of Pinghu."

Tang Ye's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Then you've come to the right place; Pinghu's investment environment and policies are excellent. Within five years, the return on investment will definitely be more than double."

The middle-aged man laughed heartily, "As far as I know, the economy of Pinghu is quite a bit behind other townships."

Tang Ye said dismissively, "You have to look at the investment environment with a dynamic perspective. Dare to make a bet? Five years from now, Pinghu will absolutely become your first choice for investment."

The middle-aged man did not expect Tang Ye to be so stubborn with him, and readily said, "I accept."

Tang Ye took the initiative and said with a smile, "Then we must leave contact information so we can settle the account in five years!"

"Very well!" The middle-aged man instructed the woman, "Xiao Tan, give him your contact information."

Xiao Tan was quite surprised.

The "boss's" phone number could not be given out casually.

Yet, an exception was being made right now!

Xiao Tan took a sticky note out of her bag, wrote a string of numbers on it, and handed it to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye glanced at the sticky note, silently memorized the number, and then tucked the paper into his pocket.

Tang Ye and Xu Qiao finished eating quickly.

Tang Ye politely said "goodbye" to the middle-aged man.

He left immediately.

After stepping outside, Tang Ye observed the license plate number of the sedan from a distance.

After a long while, he hadn't figured out any results...

The other table had also finished eating, and Xiao Tan went to pay the bill with the boss's wife.

"How much is it in total?"

The boss's wife waved her hand, "No need to pay. Someone already paid for you."

The middle-aged man smiled enigmatically, "Xiao Tan, you aren't sharp enough in your work; we owe someone a favor now."

Xiao Tan pouted; who could have guessed that people they met by chance would take the initiative to pay their bill?

Especially since those two were street sweepers...

The boss's wife was a warm-hearted person and felt that Tang Ye shouldn't do a good deed without getting credit.

"The one who paid for you is our Pinghu Town Mayor, named Tang Ye. If you want to come to Pinghu to invest, you can go directly to him."

Xiao Tan was confused, "Town Mayor? Why did I see him sweeping the street?"

The boss's wife said proudly, "This is a specialty of our Pinghu Town! Government leaders sweep the streets! At first, we thought they were just going through the motions, but they've kept it up for a month or two now; from the secretary down to the clerks, everyone has to participate. To be honest, this administration is quite determined and can get things done. The situation in Pinghu is different from before, too. Aiou Electric is going to settle in our town; besides that, there's going to be a massive resort built, which is said to have an investment of over two billion!"

"Where did you hear the news about the resort?"

"Everyone is saying so; the city leaders have come to inspect it several times!"

Xiao Tan quickly glanced at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was lost in thought.

Back in the car.

The man suddenly asked Xiao Tan, "Do you think he recognized me?"

Xiao Tan shook her head, "It doesn't look like he recognized you. He took you for an investor and wanted to build a connection with you."

"A breakfast costing less than twenty yuan—the cost of this connection isn't high!"

"A young cadre sweeping the streets in the cold wind on a late autumn morning... it reminds me of the sweeping monk in the Scripture Depository in *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*." The man found it more and more interesting, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth...