Chapter 1350: The Town Bought It

Shen Dayou smiled and said, "Since it's a buyer introduced by Secretary Su, then there's nothing to say. One hundred and fifty thousand it is. As long as I can make a friend of you, Secretary Su, what would it matter even if I gave it to you for free?"

Su Xinghui smiled slightly and said, "I don't want you to give it for free. You spent one hundred and fifty thousand when you bought it from the Highway Section last year, so I'm offering one hundred and fifty thousand today as well, so you won't lose out."

Shen Dayou cursed in his heart, truly dark, eating people without spitting out the bones. He bought his quarry at such a cheap price and even said such sanctimonious words. When it comes to the skill of making money, those of them who do business can never compare to the cadres of the Communist Party.

Shen Dayou thought this in his heart, but his mouth said, "Yes, yes, yes, Secretary Su is the most fair. I believe Secretary Su won't let me lose out in the future."

Shen Dayou thought that since Su Xinghui had brought so many investors this time, if he introduced him to a business in the future, he could earn this money back and more. He was even thinking, should he also start an engineering team in the future?

Su Xinghui stood up and said, "You sit for a while, I'll go and call the buyer for you."

Shen Dayou nodded and agreed. Watching Su Xinghui go out, he smiled slightly, feeling that everything was under his control. He couldn't help but complacently pick up his teacup, blow away the tea foam, and take a sip.

Not long after, Su Xinghui returned, followed by two people. Shen Dayou wanted to see who the buyer was. He looked closely—why was it Ma Sheng and Lu Xianghui?

Shen Dayou naturally knew these two people. These were the Town Mayor and Deputy Town Mayor of Matou Town. Could it be that they had already hooked up with Su Xinghui and were running this quarry with Su Xinghui? That wouldn't be right either. They would have to find an agent, right? Leading cadres themselves cannot do business.

As soon as Su Xinghui came in, he said with a smile, "Boss Shen, I've found the buyer for you. It's these two town mayors. To be precise, the buyer is our Matou Town government."

Shen Dayou was instantly confused. What is this situation? The buyer is actually the Matou Town government? Then it seems it wasn't Su Xinghui himself who wanted to play a dirty game. Then what was he doing this for? Could there really be such a selfless cadre?

In fact, Ma Sheng and Lu Xianghui were also a bit confused. Just now, Su Xinghui found them and said that Shen Dayou was willing to sell the Baiyun Mountain Quarry to the town government for one hundred and fifty thousand yuan. They still didn't know what Shen Dayou was aiming for, but this business was, of course, cost-effective. If the town government really bought this quarry for one hundred and fifty thousand yuan, then they could earn a lot of money every year in the future, and the town's financial situation would be much better.

Just like that, with both the buyer and seller a bit confused, the two sides began negotiations. Shen Dayou had the heart to go back on his word, but under the piercing gaze of Su Xinghui's bright eyes, he never had the courage to say it. The two sides drew up a contract, Shen Dayou signed it, the town government stamped its official seal, and the transaction was completed.

The two sides agreed that after the town government deducted the three and a half months of wages owed to the quarry workers and the medical expenses paid to them, the remaining one hundred and twenty thousand plus yuan would be paid to Shen Dayou within a week.

Shen Dayou left dejectedly. He couldn't figure out why he had agreed to such conditions from Su Xinghui today. But then he thought again, this might not be a bad thing. If this quarry wasn't sold to the Matou Town government, who else could it be sold to? He bought it for one hundred and fifty thousand in the beginning, and now he sold it for one hundred and fifty thousand. During that time, he had operated it for eight months and earned hundreds of thousands. What was not cost-effective about that?

Ma Sheng stayed in Su Xinghui's office. Seeing that Shen Dayou and Lu Xianghui had both left, he asked, "Secretary Su, how could this Shen Dayou voluntarily sell the quarry to our town government? And sell it so cheaply?"

Su Xinghui said, "Is it sold cheaply? Didn't they also buy the quarry for one hundred and fifty thousand last year? The production line has been used for eight months. It's already cheap for him that I didn't calculate the depreciation for them."

A chill rose in Ma Sheng's heart. This young Secretary Su really has great methods. This Shen Dayou can also be considered a formidable person, but he was played in the palm of his hand, without any power to fight back, and in the end, he actually foolishly and voluntarily sold the quarry to the town government at a low price.

With such a formidable person, what capital does he, Ma Sheng, have to confront him? It would be better to cooperate with him and ride his coattails. A person like Su Xinghui will definitely not keep his eyes on this Matou Town forever. What is there for him to fight over with him?

Once his mindset shifted, Ma Sheng's tone became much more respectful: "Secretary, are we going to operate this quarry ourselves?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Yes, operate it ourselves. If we put a little effort into it, the annual profit of this quarry will not be less than five hundred thousand. This is a great supplement to the town's finances. Wouldn't you, as the town mayor, also be more prestigious?"

Ma Sheng said, "Then if we operate it ourselves, do we also need to rectify it?"

Su Xinghui said, "Of course we need to rectify it. You don't think that my making Shen Dayou rectify it was just a trick to force him to sell the quarry to me, right? If we operate it ourselves and it doesn't meet the relevant standards for safe production and labor protection, I will still shut it down."

Ma Sheng frowned and said, "But if we strictly follow the standards for rectification, it might not have any profit. Now the county is cracking down on overloading, and if transport fees rise again, it's possible to lose money."

Ma Sheng still thought Su Xinghui was a layman in operating a quarry. He couldn't help but want to remind Su Xinghui. He felt that the standards didn't need to be set so high. If that dust-absorbing equipment wasn't installed, the problem wouldn't be too big. Wouldn't it be fine to just let the workers eat more pig blood usually?

Su Xinghui said, "Don't worry. Once we take over the operation, we will install a larger production line to make the annual output reach over three hundred thousand tons, and we will also change the mining license. In this way, wouldn't the unit cost be reduced? Moreover, we have an inherent advantage in running a quarry. The Changyu highway is about to start construction, and our quarry is the closest, with the lowest transport fees, and has a price advantage. Think about it, whose stone will they use?"

Ma Sheng thought about it, and it was indeed the truth. The builder of the Changyu highway is Su Xinghui's friend. Could he not use the stone from their quarry? He hurriedly nodded and said, "Secretary's words make sense."

Su Xinghui said, "Just this road alone can consume almost a year's output of our quarry, not to mention how many roads the whole county will build in the next few years, how many projects will be built, and how many houses will be built. Are we worried that the stone from our quarry won't be sold? I think the price of stone will definitely rise. We'll just wait for the quarry to make big money in the future."

Thinking of the prospects, Ma Sheng was excited. If it were really like this, then he, as the town mayor, would have a taste of his job. Everything he did before was in vain.

Ma Sheng thought about how he had been haggling over the hospitality fee standard a few days ago and felt that he was really short-sighted. He nodded to Su Xinghui and said, "It's still the Secretary who sees far. By the way, who will be in charge of operating this quarry?"

Su Xinghui thought for a while and said, "I think Lu Sancheng should still be the production manager. As for the manager, I think Fan Xiaodong from Baiyun Village is quite suitable. He can concurrently serve as the manager of the Baiyun Mountain Quarry. This person is quite upright and has ability."

Ma Sheng nodded without hesitation: "Okay, I think they are also quite suitable."

Su Xinghui said, "By the way, Mayor, the New Year is next month. The cadres in the town have worked hard for a year. Let's discuss the matter of issuing benefits to them. How much benefits were issued last year for the New Year?"

Ma Sheng said, "Three hundred per member of the town leadership team, two hundred per middle-level cadre, one hundred per ordinary staff member, and fifty per other personnel."

Su Xinghui knew that these "other personnel" should refer to temporary workers, seconded personnel, and community-run teachers. Thinking that these people worked hard all year round and only had fifty yuan in benefits for the New Year, Su Xinghui had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

However, he also knew that this was something that couldn't be helped. The town's financial situation was already poor, and in the Chinese officialdom, there is an emphasis on seniority and status gaps. If the benefits of temporary workers were the same as those of leaders, what could leaders rely on to feel a sense of superiority?

After pondering for a long time, Su Xinghui said, "How about this, Mayor: this year, five hundred for each town leader plus a portion of New Year goods, three hundred for each middle-level cadre, and two hundred for others, each with a portion of New Year goods. What do you think of this arrangement?"

Ma Sheng was startled: "Secretary, last year's standard already cost tens of thousands. If we do this this year, won't it cost over a hundred thousand? The town's finances don't have that much money now."

Su Xinghui said, "Money is not a problem. I can find someone to borrow it first and pay it back after the New Year when the town government has income. Don't you have confidence in the town's fiscal revenue this year?"

Ma Sheng certainly had confidence. This year, it looked like the town would invest in several enterprises, the common people were engaged in livestock farming, and the town had also bought a quarry. Fiscal revenue would definitely increase significantly. However, he still asked, "But if the temporary workers also have the same standard as others, will anyone have objections?" ===== CHAPTER 1352 =====