Chapter 523

Su Xinghui said, "Shangjun County has superior geographical conditions and convenient transportation. Especially by next year, there is a very high possibility that a highway in the province will pass through Pengjiawan Town in Shangjun County, and a Yangtze River bridge will be built. By then, Shangjun County will be directly connected to Qingyang City on the opposite side. This should be considered an advantage of Shangjun County, right?"

Hou Guangbi nodded. This is indeed a great advantage. He is a Shangjun person himself, so he naturally knows that Shangjun County is not far from Jiangcheng and Yulin, especially Pengjiawan Town, which is only fifty kilometers from Jiangcheng and thirty kilometers from Yulin. If a highway and a Yangtze River bridge can be built here, the geographical location of Pengjiawan Town can be said to be uniquely endowed.

Su Xinghui said, "Secondly, the leadership team of Shangjun County is very pragmatic and capable. In recent years, Shangjun County’s GDP growth rate has been around thirty percent, which can be said to be very rapid economic development. It is one of the highest regions in the province. Shangjun County can be considered the most vibrant place in the Central China region, and the local officials have made great contributions."

Hou Guangbi smiled, "In this thirty percent growth rate, your contribution should be quite a lot, right?"

Su Xinghui smiled and said, "Am I not also a local official in Shangjun County?"

Hou Guangbi smiled and nodded. In fact, these past two days, after contacting Ji Tao and Zhang Kaishan, the two main officials of Shangjun County, he could see that they were indeed very pragmatic officials and very capable. Being at the forefront of the province’s GDP growth rate is not a simple matter. Even if there is Su Xinghui’s huge contribution, it can also explain many problems.

In contrast, the Jiangcheng officials Hou Guangbi saw in Jiangcheng two days ago had a relatively large gap in performance compared to these officials in Shangjun County. Although their ranks and positions were far higher than these officials in Shangjun County, their performance in front of Su Xinghui was poor. Perhaps they couldn't represent all the officials in Jiangcheng, but it could be seen from a glimpse.

A deputy mayor couldn't even suppress a town mayor, which was too shameful.

If the Hou family truly intended to invest domestically, the competence of local officials, along with the Hou family’s favorable relationship with them, would be key factors they needed to weigh heavily.

Therefore, if Hou Guangbi decided to invest in Shangjun County, Su Xinghui might just be the deciding factor. He had done the Hou family a great service, his relationship with them was beyond reproach, and his immense capability and bright future were plain for Hou Guangbi to see.

Hou Guangbi said, "Xinghui, if our Hou family invests in building a factory in Shangjun County, could you resign from your position as Town Mayor and join our factory? I would make you a senior manager, at the very least a Vice President."

Su Xinghui was somewhat surprised. He had never expected Hou Guangbi to make such an offer, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Seeing Su Xinghui’s hesitation, Hou Guangbi added, "As long as you join, I will give you ten percent of the shares, and the investment in this factory will be no less than ten million US dollars."

Hou Guangbi’s words made Su Xinghui’s heart skip a beat. Ten million US dollars—ten percent of ten million was one million US dollars. In the nineties, what kind of concept was one million US dollars?

Starting this year, the official exchange rate for the US dollar to the Renminbi had been set at 8.7. One million US dollars was equivalent to 8.7 million Renminbi. In this era, 8.7 million Renminbi was an astronomical figure. If he managed it well, becoming a multi-millionaire within ten years would not be difficult.

In a day and age where monthly wages were only two or three hundred yuan, this was undoubtedly a massive temptation. If Su Xinghui were not a reborn person, he would likely have accepted Hou Guangbi’s invitation. However, as a reborn person, his heart only raced for a fleeting moment before returning to its normal rhythm.

Su Xinghui shook his head and said, "Grandpa Hou, thank you for your high regard, but I do not wish to resign."

Hou Guangbi found this incomprehensible. Su Xinghui certainly had a bright future in his official career, but he was currently only a Town Mayor. If he resigned and accepted his invitation, he could immediately become a millionaire, and with his backing, his future in the business world would be incredibly bright. He couldn't think of any reason for Su Xinghui to refuse, yet he had refused nonetheless.

Hou Guangbi asked, "Why? As far as I know, your monthly salary right now should only be a few dozen US dollars, right?"

Su Xinghui did a quick mental calculation and nodded, "Probably less than fifty dollars."

Hou Guangbi said, "An elite like you, who has made such a great contribution to society—directly increasing Shangjun County’s GDP by at least tens of millions annually—yet you receive such a meager income. Don't you feel any imbalance in your heart?"

Su Xinghui admired Hou Guangbi’s insight. Hou Guangbi had hit the nail on the head. This had always been a problem; in this era, any official capable of getting things done found their income completely disproportionate to their contributions. This caused psychological imbalance in many officials and was one of the primary factors behind official corruption.

With such an income, did Su Xinghui feel balanced? Of course he didn't. But this was the current reality in China, and it was something Su Xinghui had no power to change. Fortunately, he was a reborn person, so he still had the ability and vision to earn extra money to make his life better. Otherwise, he wasn't sure if he would be noble enough to refuse Hou Guangbi’s invitation.

Su Xinghui smiled, "Grandpa Hou, I have other sources of income. For instance, my paintings sell quite well, enough for me to live a relatively comfortable life. I also have some investments, and I believe they will yield high returns in the future."

Hou Guangbi said, "That is also due to your own ability, which has nothing to do with your position. An elite like you deserves to live the best life possible. If you join our factory, as long as you have the ability, I can even appoint you as the General Manager and hand the factory over to you entirely, providing you with a platform to fully display your talents."

It must be said that Hou Guangbi was an excellent lobbyist who understood human psychology well. He knew that for someone like Su Xinghui, it wasn't just money he needed, but a platform to exercise his abilities, so he offered him exactly that.

As for whether Su Xinghui could handle the position of General Manager, Hou Guangbi wasn't worried in the slightest. Su Xinghui had performed brilliantly as Deputy Township Head of Menghuling and Town Mayor of Pengjiawan, and he grasped the pulse of domestic economic development with great accuracy. Serving as General Manager would be far too easy for him.

Su Xinghui still shook his head, "Grandpa Hou, I am sorry, I still cannot accept your invitation."

Hou Guangbi asked, "Can you tell me why, exactly?"

Su Xinghui said, "I feel that in the position of a government official, I can do more and help more people live better lives. I feel I cannot just focus on personal development; only as a government official can I realize my greatest value."

Hou Guangbi asked, "Won't you reconsider?"

Su Xinghui shook his head, "There is no need to reconsider. You just compared me to Duke Chongguo. If I may be so bold, if Duke Chongguo had only considered his own personal gain and safety back then, would he have gone to pacify the pirates? Would he have resisted the Mongol invasion? Would he have stood up against those corrupt officials and eunuchs?"

Hou Guangbi fell silent. After a long while, he nodded and said, "I understand. I said you were very much like Duke Chongguo, and I was not wrong. Like him, you have the ambition to care for the world. Very well, I will not force you. As for the investment in Shangjun County, I will also do my best to facilitate it."

Su Xinghui nodded, "Thank you for your understanding, Grandpa Hou."

Hou Guangbi said, "How about this: as a return for your kindness, I will still give you ten percent of the factory’s shares, taken from my own portion."

Su Xinghui waved his hands hurriedly, "Grandpa Hou, if you truly have my best interests at heart, please do not do that."

Hou Guangbi asked, puzzled, "Why is that? This is a gift from our Hou family to you voluntarily; it shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

Su Xinghui said, "Domestically, this is absolutely not allowed. Those I have offended are certainly watching me, just waiting for me to make a mistake. If I were to accept your shares, they would definitely seize upon it. You may not be fully aware of the domestic political ecology yet; once you have stayed in the country for a longer time, you will understand."

Hou Guangbi said, "But how can we live with ourselves? You have done such a great service for our Hou family. To have a debt of gratitude and not repay it is to be less than human."

Su Xinghui said, "Grandpa Hou, as long as you can do your best to facilitate the Hou family’s investment in Shangjun County, that would be the best thanks you could give me. Besides, the income from my paintings is already enough for me to live very well, and my life will only get better in the future!"

Hou Guangbi pondered for a long time before saying, "Then how about this: I like the paintings you create, and I would like to buy them. Do you have any works available now?"

Su Xinghui understood Hou Guangbi’s intention immediately. He shook his head and smiled, "Grandpa Hou, that won't be necessary. If you like my paintings, I can give you a few as a gift, but it is best that there are no direct financial dealings between us. That would make things difficult for me to explain."

Hou Guangbi said, "You are being far too cautious. Selling paintings is a very normal thing. Could that really cause any problems?"

Su Xinghui smiled, "Grandpa Hou, you might not be aware of this, but there are many ways to offer and accept bribes nowadays. Some people, in order to curry favor with leaders, ask them to write calligraphy or paint, and then provide a huge sum of money, calling it a 'brush fee.' In reality, this is nothing more than bribery."