Chapter 217

The signing ceremony for the joint venture between Qian Youyu and Suxi Town to build a mineral water plant was held three days later. The ceremony was luxurious and grand. Qian Youyu invited provincial experts and social elites, and I, representing Suxi Town, invited Secretary Guan from the county, County Magistrate Liu, and the heads of various bureaus and committees.

I presided over the signing ceremony, and Guo Wei signed the contract with Qian Youyu on behalf of Suxi Town.

The contract stipulated that Suxi Town would allocate one hundred mu of land and provide the "three connections and one leveling." Qian Youyu would invest twenty million for factory construction and equipment purchase.

The two parties would jointly form a board of directors, with Qian Youyu as Chairman and Yue Bai as Executive Director. The full name of the company: Suxi Mountain Spring Food and Beverage Group Company.

Regarding the name of this group company, there had been an afternoon of discussion. Qian Youyu insisted on using the title of "Group Company," while Guo Wei and I held the same opinion: it was just a mineral water plant, not even remotely related to a group. People who didn't know would think our industry was truly grand, and those who did know wouldn't they laugh their heads off?

In the end, Qian Youyu went all out, including his construction company in it. His capital was the entire labor fee for building the new factory, which he wouldn't take, counting it as his share.

This move by Qian Youyu was a desperate gamble, staking his life and family fortune. The construction company was his life, and it was also the life of Yuetan Village; the thousand or so people in the village all relied on this company to survive. Now that it was staked in this group company, if there were any risks, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Guo Wei had a sudden inspiration and asked me to upgrade the oil mill and register it as a company as well, counting it as a share.

I wanted to laugh at first; I was just a small workshop with four oil presses and total capital of less than fifty thousand—what right did I have to buy in? But when Qian Youyu heard it, he said the oil mill produced edible oils and could be considered a food enterprise; putting on a coat wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

Thinking it, I did it. In front of everyone, I called Huang Qishan and asked him to make a trip to the Chunshan County Administration for Industry and Commerce to help me register the brand "Suxi Edible Oil Co., Ltd."

In this way, all three companies were there, meeting the requirements for forming a group. As for how Qian Youyu managed the group registration, I didn't want to know.

Three companies, two legal representatives—Qian Youyu and Pan Shurong.

As for the members of the board of directors, there wasn't much dispute. Qian Youyu was the undisputed Chairman. I proposed that Yue Bai serve as Executive Director, and Guo Wei was clearly taken aback. He stared at me, having originally thought I would propose him for the position.

Qian Youyu gave my proposal his full support, saying Yue Bai was capable, smart, and decisive, and could be fully trusted with the development of a company.

Yue Bai seemed to have known my plan all along and wasn't surprised by the proposal at all. Instead, she said without false modesty that she had been with this project the longest and had relatively the most experience.

A board of directors couldn't just have two people. Next, both sides sent two people each. The accountant of Yuetang Village, who was also the Vice President of Qian Youyu's construction company, became a director, and the other was the son of Qian Youyu's ex-wife. The town government nominated Guo Wei and me. I was determined not to do it, and Guo Wei hesitated for a long time, also indicating it wasn't appropriate.

It wasn't Guo Wei's idea not to be a director. I saw the meaning in Guo Wei's anxious face. So I firmly demanded that Guo Wei serve as a director of the group company, and he had to be a director who could actually "understand affairs," not just someone with a hollow title.

Guo Wei expressed his gratitude for my firmness and accepted it helplessly.

Everything was ready, and the various lords were invited to open for business.

There was still one oversight! It was like a ship being built and launched, only to find out in the middle of the sea that it was missing a bailer. Everything had been thought of, but Laoyingzui Village had been neglected.

Halfway through the signing ceremony, just as Qian Youyu handed the signed contract to Guo Wei, a commotion came from outside, the sound so loud it shook the roof.

Secretary Guan looked at Guo Wei inquiringly. We both recognized Zhao Dequan's bull-like voice in the sound coming from outside.

Zhao Dequan was a troublemaker. He hadn't succeeded in causing trouble at the new government construction site, and it seemed he wanted to try his hand at the water plant project.

"You sign, you sign. Even if the immortals descend to earth, they still have to ask the local deity. You just give our land to others without a word. How are we in Laoyingzui supposed to live! I'm not leaving today. Since there's no land to live on, I'll just die at the government office."

Zhao Dequan's words reached the meeting hall word for word. Guo Wei's face turned red and then white, his hands wringing together in distress.

Secretary Guan looked displeased and turned to ask County Magistrate Liu beside him: "Hasn't this land issue been resolved well?"

County Magistrate Liu didn't dare to speak. He called Guo Wei over and gave him a harsh dressing-down: "Little Guo, what kind of trick are you playing? You're just messing around."

I had let Guo Wei report the joint venture between Suxi Town and Qian Youyu to build the mineral water plant to County Magistrate Liu. Guo Wei was originally a very smart person who had thought of many details, but he hadn't expected problems with the land. So after being criticized, he kept looking at me.

I pretended not to see his gaze and turned my head away. I knew in my heart that if I popped up now, it would undoubtedly be suicide! This wasn't an accident; it was a result I had anticipated long ago.

A leader's impression is the most important! Leaders don't look at the process; they only want the result.

The signing hall was noisy. The heads of the various bureaus and committees clearly didn't want to listen to a farmer making a racket outside, and expressions of impatience gradually appeared on their faces.

Seeing that the time was right, I walked outside alone, pointed at Zhao Dequan's nose, and scolded: "Zhao Dequan, don't you see what day it is today? Are you looking for death?"

Zhao Dequan looked at me with contempt and snorted: "Town Mayor Chen, I'm not here to cause trouble for you. In Laoyingzui, there are hundreds of us, old and young. You took hundreds of mu of our land when you moved the government, and giving each family a household registration was enough. This time you're taking another hundred mu. This hundred mu isn't just any place; it's the best paddy field in the village. The whole village's food and drink for the year depend on it. Now that you're doing this, tell me, how are we supposed to live?"

"Can a snake starve to death in the grass?" I sneered, "You're like this because you're useless. Come here, I'll tell you something."

I beckoned him to come over. He looked around hesitantly and said incredulously, "Town Mayor Chen, you aren't calling Police Station Chief Hao to arrest me again, are you?"

I smiled and said, "If you're afraid of being arrested, why come here to cause trouble? Did you eat a leopard's gall?"

Zhao Dequan looked around vigilantly. Not seeing Hao Qiang, he felt relieved and walked over with a fake smile, keeping a half-meter distance from me, and said with his neck straight, "Go ahead, let's see how you try to fool me today."

I continued to smile and said, "Zhao Dequan, you're the kind of thing that can't spit ivory out of a dog's mouth. When have I ever fooled you? When have I not kept you in mind? Are you listening or not? If you listen, come over honestly; if not, get the hell away from me. If you don't, look at who that is." I pointed at Hao Qiang standing on the roof of the third floor and said with a cold smile, "Don't think I didn't guard against you pulling this trick."

Zhao Dequan looked up and saw Hao Qiang, and made a move to run.

I grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear: "You people who have received the agricultural-to-non-agricultural household registration, don't you want to have jobs?"

Zhao Dequan was startled and looked at me suspiciously: "Is what you're saying true?"

"I guarantee it." I tapped my chest lightly: "Get lost now. If you ruin this, even if you run to the King of Hell, I'll drag you back and chop you into pieces. Understand?"

Zhao Dequan nodded vigorously and turned to run away. When he reached the entrance of Pan Xiaoqin's supermarket, I saw a group of old men and women crawl out from under the trees and follow behind him, walking slowly.

This guy actually had a backup plan! He was someone prepared to slip away if things went wrong, and the next to appear would be a group of old men and women who couldn't be beaten or scolded.

After sending Zhao Dequan away, I returned to the meeting hall and reported to Secretary Guan: "Sorry, Secretary Guan, just a small matter, it's been handled."

Secretary Guan nodded approvingly, signaling me to continue presiding over the signing ceremony.

When Guo Wei received the contract from Qian Youyu's hands, I let out a sigh of relief. This signing ceremony clearly distinguished the abilities of Guo Wei and me; a Town Party Secretary had been defeated in a mess in front of me, the Town Mayor.

After sending off all the leaders, Guo Wei and I let out long sighs and collapsed into the chairs in the hall, not wanting to speak for a long time.

The dust had settled. With the mineral water plant, moving the government was a natural progression. I thought of Huang Weiwei still in my small room, and a wave of joy filled my heart. I wished I could grow wings and fly to her side immediately.

I wanted to tell her that this time I was going back to Hengyue City with her. First, to give the car to my aunt, and second, I wanted to see He Jiaxiao. Since he went back, he hadn't called me, which I felt was abnormal. And there was one more important thing: I hadn't seen my mother for a long time, and I wanted to go home!