[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-romantic-path-to-success":3,"chapter-the-romantic-path-to-success-the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Romantic Road to the Top",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2146263,3567,"Chapter 72","the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>In late September, Professor Rao, Luo Ping, Huang Chuanyong, and others brought students to Yezhugou Village again. This time, they nailed a sign of \"Jiangcheng Agricultural University Teaching and Research Base\" on the gate of the special breeding farm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next to the gentle slope that Yezhugou Village was cleaning up, a sign was also erected, with the words \"National First-Class Protected Plant Eucommia Planting Base\" written on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, this project was still being declared, but now it was just going through the procedures. Success in the declaration was only a matter of time. The conditions here were too good, and it was the most suitable place to build a Eucommia protection forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Luo Ping and Huang Chuanyong, for this kind of arbor afforestation project, the state could subsidize dozens of yuan per mu every year. Plus, Eucommia was a national first-class protected plant, and the state's subsidy funds per mu every year were very likely to reach more than 100 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not a small subsidy. If the first batch of afforestation area in Yezhugou Village could reach 1,000 mu, they could receive 100,000 yuan just from the subsidy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This 100,000 yuan could pay for the villagers' labor costs, as well as money for buying fertilizer and medicine. This was equivalent to the state paying for them to afforest, but in the end, when the Eucommia became timber, the beneficiaries would still be them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made the village committee very happy. Under Su Xinghui's suggestion, they established Yezhugou Village Co., Ltd. The Yezhugou Village Committee and all villagers held shares in the company, and the special breeding farm, bamboo weaving factory, and Eucommia forest project were all assets under the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of establishing such a company was, of course, to facilitate the management of all assets in the village, and this also conformed to the trend of agricultural industrialization and large-scale production, avoiding vicious competition and cost increases caused by small-scale tinkering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhongfu took office as the general manager of the company, Fang Youcai was the Party Branch Secretary of the company, Gao Daping was still the accountant of the company, and Xia Lan was the deputy general manager of the company and the factory manager of the bamboo weaving factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The company also wanted to hire Su Xinghui, Professor Rao, Luo Ping, Huang Chuanyong, and others as consultants for the company. They all agreed happily, but they all refused the idea of the company paying them a salary, which made the few people in the village committee feel very embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui, of course, would not receive a salary from the village. He still had a great future ahead of him. What was the nature of receiving a salary from the village? It was fine if no one pursued it, but it would be hard to say if the superiors pursued it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 26th was a Saturday. This afternoon, Su Xinghui returned to the county seat. He hadn't been home for half a month. This time he went home mainly to find Xu Xiaoguang for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before returning to the county seat, Su Xinghui called Xu Xiaoguang. Therefore, that evening, the two had dinner together at the Shangjun Hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang ordered several hard dishes. Su Xinghui said: \"Xiaoguang, why did you order so many dishes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang said carelessly: \"What does ordering a few dishes count for? You have suffered below, eat more good things to make up for it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui didn't say this anymore. He drank a glass of wine with Xu Xiaoguang and said: \"Xiaoguang, I have a piece of news to tell you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang smiled and said: \"What good thing is there to take care of me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said, \"A road is about to be built from the county seat to Mengling Ridge Township—a secondary highway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang’s hand holding his chopsticks froze in mid-air. He had been working in construction with his father for several years, so he certainly understood what this news meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A secondary highway over thirty kilometers long would cost at least five or six million. For the current Haimin Construction Engineering Company, this counted as a major project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang pondered for a long time before saying, \"It’s a good thing, certainly, but all the road construction projects in Shangjun County are currently monopolized by Hongye!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui knew who Hongye was. It was the Hongye Construction Engineering Company of Shangjun County, also a private construction firm. Over the past few years, they had basically cornered the market on road construction in Shangjun County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their boss, Qian Hongye, was the younger brother-in-law of Deputy County Magistrate Xu Liangxi. It was rumored that County Magistrate Shan Guozhi also held shares in this Hongye company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Liangxi had been in charge of transportation and industry for several years. During this time, Hongye Company had taken on many highway projects. They couldn't finish them all themselves, so they subcontracted quite a bit, and even Haimin Company had taken on subcontracts from them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui smiled and said, \"I heard you’ve also taken on subcontracts from them, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang nodded. \"Yes, we’ve taken on quite a few. But the profit margins on their subcontracts aren't high; there’s really no money to be made.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui knew this to be true. Hongye Company was quite unscrupulous when subcontracting; they left very little profit margin for the subcontractors. If the subcontractors cut corners, the profit might be decent, but Xu Haimin and Xu Xiaoguang were not that kind of people, so they couldn't make much money on such projects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui asked, \"If you were to take on this project yourselves, would you have the ability to do it well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang asked, \"We take it? How? Let me tell you, if it’s not Hongye, this project can’t be taken. I’m telling you, their boss is County Magistrate Xu’s brother-in-law.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang assumed Su Xinghui had just graduated and didn't understand the situation in the county, which was why he was suggesting they take the project. He knew Su Xinghui meant well, but he felt he had to clarify the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said, \"I know that. Not only do I know Qian Hongye is County Magistrate Xu’s brother-in-law, I also know County Magistrate Shan has shares in Hongye. But I’m asking you: if you were to take this project, would you have the ability to do it well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang was surprised. He looked at Su Xinghui, who was smiling and looking at him with certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang picked up a piece of mandarin fish with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and while chewing, said, \"If we could really take this project, of course we could do it well. In terms of technology, experience, and machinery, our Haimin Company is definitely not inferior to any other company in the county.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang wasn't bragging. His father had been in construction for over a decade and was among the first in Shangjun County to do so. How many years had Hongye Company been in business? They only started taking projects after Xu Liangxi came to power. They were fine for building small rural roads, but they couldn't handle a secondary highway like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the quality of the projects Hongye Company had done themselves over the past few years had significant issues. If not for Xu Liangxi, how would they have gotten any projects at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui nodded. \"Good. With you saying that, I’m relieved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang was surprised again. \"You’re not joking with me? You can really get me this project?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said, \"I can’t guarantee you’ll get the project. I can only guarantee that this time, you will be able to compete fairly with Hongye Company. If it’s a fair competition, do you have the confidence to win it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang’s spirits lifted. \"If it’s a fair competition, who would be afraid of Hongye? Let me tell you, Xinghui, as long as it’s fair, there’s no one in all of Shangjun County we’re afraid of. Can you really guarantee fair competition? How will you handle County Magistrate Xu and County Magistrate Shan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui knew there were some inside details he had to share with Xu Xiaoguang, otherwise he wouldn't feel secure. Only when he felt secure could he make preparations in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui raised his glass to drink with Xu Xiaoguang. \"Xiaoguang, the budget for this project is about six million. The county is only putting up a few hundred thousand; the remaining five million-plus is funding I went to the province to secure with County Magistrate Zhang. Therefore, this road cannot be built by Hongye; it must be given to someone we can trust.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang’s mouth hung open. After a long while, he said, \"You and County Magistrate Zhang went to the province and secured over five million in funding?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui nodded. \"Yes. Don't spread this around. The funding is still going through the process and hasn't arrived yet. I’ve already discussed it with County Magistrate Zhang: this project must be publicly tendered, and it must be open, fair, and just. There must be no backroom deals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Su Xinghui said with emotion, \"This road is truly too important for the people of Mengling Ridge. It’s a road to prosperity. If it’s built as a shoddy project, it would be a disservice to the people of Mengling Ridge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang gathered his thoughts. \"You have to tell me: isn't County Magistrate Zhang in charge of agriculture? How did he get involved in road construction?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui explained the sequence of events to him, then said, \"You must keep this confidential, especially regarding Secretary-General Lu. Don't tell anyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang was a man who kept his word. After hearing this, he nodded solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said sternly, \"Xiaoguang, if your Haimin Company does get this project, you must ensure the quality. You can earn a little less money this time, but there must absolutely be no quality issues. This concerns not only your reputation but also County Magistrate Zhang’s reputation, and even more so, Secretary-General Lu’s reputation. Do you understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang said, \"Don't worry. Even if you didn't say it, we would definitely ensure the quality. You know my father, don't you? That’s exactly the kind of person he is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said, \"Good. By the way, tomorrow morning, you and your father come to my house. I’ve made an appointment with County Magistrate Zhang; he will be coming to our house tomorrow as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang nodded in understanding. For this to happen, his father had to gain County Magistrate Zhang’s approval, so they needed to meet. However, if his father went directly to County Magistrate Zhang’s house, it might cause a stir if seen by the wrong people. Going to Su Xinghui’s house would be better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang nodded. \"I understand. Xinghui, it looks like you’re really going to do something big this time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said, \"Life is short. Since I’ve come into this world, I have to leave some mark. Since I’ve gone to Mengling Ridge, I have to do something for the people there. Otherwise, wouldn't that be a failure?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xiaoguang said thoughtfully, \"Hmm, you’re right. It seems I need to have some goals for my own life as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1896,"2026-06-16T17:50:40.887Z","2026-06-16T17:54:29.625Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","704b002635970ba1d74f1b96b0bd88abd6a5de7c4db9b07138d2bee1b20dcb84","the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-73","the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-71",572,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-romantic-path-to-success-cover.jpg"]