Chapter 532

Over these next two days, he needed to make a trip back to Shangjun County. Firstly, to meet with Hou Guangbi and discuss the BOT project for the Changjiangdaqiao; secondly, he wanted to purchase a private house by Zhongming Lake. Some time ago, he had entrusted Xu Haimin to help him look for properties for sale. Xu Haimin had already found a seller, but Su Xinghui was temporarily short on cash, and he didn't want to borrow money from Xu Haimin again, so the matter had been left on hold.

Now that Su Xinghui had money on hand, he could go back and finalize the house purchase. He had once promised Lu Xiaoya that he would buy a private house by Zhongming Lake to serve as their future marital home. Naturally, he could not break his promise to her. Moreover, the sooner he bought the house, the cheaper it would be; in the future, property by the lake would be worth a fortune.

At this time, buying a private house by the lake would cost at most twenty or thirty thousand yuan. He brought nearly fifty thousand yuan back with him; besides the purchase, the remaining money would be used for renovations and interior decoration.

It was also because banks were so inconvenient these days. His passbook was opened at the Pengjiawan branch, so he couldn't withdraw money in the county seat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to bring cash back; how convenient would it be to just carry a passbook or a card? Unfortunately, things like cards didn't exist yet.

Returning to the town government, Su Xinghui made a phone call to Yu Ruizhi from his office. As soon as Yu Ruizhi heard Su Xinghui’s voice, he laughed: "How about that? Xinghui, do you have something you need from me?"

Su Xinghui said: "Brother Yu, are you still at Meng Hu Ling?"

Yu Ruizhi said: "That’s right, there are some matters here that need me to handle."

Su Xinghui said: "Then when are you returning to Jingcheng?"

Yu Ruizhi thought for a moment and said: "Probably in another two or three days. Why? Are you thinking of going to Jingcheng with me to have some fun?"

Yu Ruizhi was originally joking, but to his surprise, Su Xinghui said: "Yes, I have some business to attend to in Jingcheng."

Yu Ruizhi said happily: "That’s great! Then you can just take my car back to Jingcheng. Once we get there, I’ll treat you to a good drink. By the way, what business do you have to handle in Jingcheng?"

Su Xinghui said: "It’s hard to explain in a word or two over the phone. Let’s talk once we meet."

Yu Ruizhi said: "That works. Let’s talk when we meet. Do you need my help? If you need help, just say the word. As long as it’s not something that defies the heavens, I can help. Even if it is something that defies the heavens, I can still find someone to help you."

Yu Ruizhi wasn't just bragging. Given the status of Elder Yu, what could be considered a major difficulty in Jingcheng? Su Xinghui had made this call with the intention of asking for his help. In Jingcheng, he did have some connections, but what connections could compare to those of the Yu family?

Su Xinghui laughed: "I really might need your help with this matter, Brother Yu. Since you’ve already agreed, I’ll thank you in advance!"

Yu Ruizhi said: "Why are you being so polite? We’re like family, aren't we?"

Su Xinghui said: "Then give me a call when you’re heading to Jingcheng. I’ll wait for you at our town government office."

Yu Ruizhi said: "Fine, I’ll call you then."

That afternoon, Su Xinghui returned to Shangjun County seat. After eating at home, he went to Zhuangyuan Lane. He first went to Hou Guangbi’s old residence but didn't find anyone, so he went to Hou Dali’s house. Sure enough, Hou Guangbi was sitting in the courtyard chatting with Hou Dali.

Hou Dali’s youngest son, Hou Wenyong, and youngest daughter, Hou Wenhui, were now on winter break. They were also sitting nearby, listening to their great-uncle chat with their father—a scene of harmony and joy.

Su Xinghui called out with a smile: "Grandpa Hou, Uncle Hou, what are you chatting about so happily?"

Hou Guangbi turned his head, saw him, and laughed: "Xinghui is back? Come, sit down."

Hou Wenhui very thoughtfully poured tea for Su Xinghui, and Hou Wenyong went into the house to bring out a chair for him to sit on. It was January, and although there were stone chairs in the courtyard, they were too cold to sit on now.

Su Xinghui sat down, and Hou Guangbi asked: "How is it? How is the progress on the construction of the electrical appliance factory?"

Su Xinghui said: "The progress is very good. We are currently carrying out the 'three connections and one leveling' work. As soon as the project bidding is finished and the contractor is determined, construction can begin. I estimate we can enter the site after the New Year."

Hou Guangbi nodded and smiled: "How is Wenhai doing there?"

Su Xinghui said: "Grandpa Hou, Wenhai is doing quite well there. Every time I go to the construction site, I see him. His style of handling things is very swift and decisive; he is fully capable of handling things on his own!"

Hou Guangbi laughed: "Don't just pick the nice things to say."

Su Xinghui waved his hand: "No, no, everything I said is true."

Hou Guangbi smiled and nodded. He had placed his eldest grandson in Pengjiawan Town specifically to train him so that he could stand on his own two feet as soon as possible. Now that he heard he was performing well, Hou Guangbi was naturally happy.

Hou Dali said: "It’s not Sunday tomorrow, why are you back today? Is there something you need to find Third Uncle for?"

Hearing Hou Dali’s words, Hou Guangbi couldn't help but look at Su Xinghui and say: "Xinghui, if you have anything to say, just say it."

Su Xinghui looked at Hou Dali’s family, and Hou Dali said: "Is it inconvenient to talk with us around? If so, we’ll go inside."

Su Xinghui said: "There’s nothing inconvenient to say. It’s like this, Grandpa Hou: the provincial government is currently quite tight on funds. For our county’s project to build the Changjiangdaqiao, we might need to self-fund half of the capital."

Hou Guangbi said: "Self-fund half? About how much is that?"

Su Xinghui said: "To build a Changjiangdaqiao, it currently requires about four to five hundred million RMB. So, half of the funds would be about two hundred million plus RMB, which should be less than thirty million USD."

Hou Guangbi smiled slightly: "Then how does your county plan to resolve this funding?"

Hearing the two of them discussing major affairs, Hou Dali gave his children a look, and they stood up to return to their rooms. Hou Wenyong and Hou Wenhui followed them inside.

Su Xinghui said: "Our county will naturally actively raise funds ourselves—the treasury will provide a portion, and we will take out bank loans for another. However, this can only raise a small portion of the funds. For the majority of the capital, I plan to adopt the BOT method, which is currently quite popular internationally."

BOT method—a business tycoon like Hou Guangbi naturally understood this. He nodded and said: "This method is good. Our Hou Group has also used this method in France to help local governments raise financing. Why, do you hope I can help you? Are there any precedents for this in China?"

Su Xinghui said: "I once saw in the newspaper that in coastal provinces like Yuedong and Mindong, they have used this method to build large-scale infrastructure. I certainly hope you can help us. This Changjiangdaqiao is truly too important for Shangjun County, and it also relates to whether the expressway can pass through Shangjun County. It is also very important for your Hou Group’s electrical appliance factory."

Hou Guangbi pondered. He was more than familiar with the operation of the BOT model. In Hou Guangbi’s view, the prospects for this Changjiangdaqiao would be very good. If they charged tolls, they would quickly recoup the costs and even make a considerable profit. Therefore, this matter held no risk for the Hou Group and was even profitable.

Furthermore, being able to help Su Xinghui with this matter was also beneficial to Shangjun County, which made Hou Guangbi very happy. He had long told Su Xinghui that if Shangjun County needed to build bridges or roads, he would provide the money unconditionally; all the more so now that he was only being asked to invest.

Thinking of this, Hou Guangbi nodded: "It’s possible. This matter can be considered. Can you let me see the project plan for the Changjiangdaqiao?"