Chapter 911

Su Xinghui smiled, "Grandpa Hou, this trip today must have tired you out, right?"

Hou Guangbi said, "No, my spirit is very good today."

Su Xinghui said, "Do you have any thoughts about this trip to Meng Hu Ling today?"

Hou Guangbi said, "The biggest thought is that the ordinary people of Meng Hu Ling really respect you!"

Su Xinghui smiled faintly and didn't speak.

The ordinary people of Meng Hu Ling had nothing to say about their feelings for Su Xinghui. Today, no matter where they went, as long as the ordinary people saw Su Xinghui, they would call out "Township Head Su" from the bottom of their hearts, and would also affectionately pull him to their homes, letting him eat delicious food. This kind of emotion couldn't be faked. Even for the cadres in their own villages and townships, they wouldn't be like this.

Hou Guangbi sighed, "I have read history books for so many years and lived in Shangjun County for more than thirty years, and I have never seen an official who can be so respected by ordinary people like you. Even in history books, officials like you are few and far between!"

Su Xinghui said, "Actually, it's not difficult to do this, as long as you keep the ordinary people in your heart. Like the Zhuangyuan Hou back then, wasn't he also deeply loved by the people?"

The ancestor of the Hou family, Zhuangyuan Hou Chongguo, was outstanding in talent, proficient in both literature and martial arts, noble in character, honest in officialdom, and deeply loved by the people. He served as a county magistrate, prefect, Vice Minister of Works, Minister of War, and Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, etc. He once pacified the Japanese pirates, and when he was in charge of border affairs, he repelled the Mongol invasion many times. Because of his merits, he was added as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor and was relied upon by the emperor as a pillar of the country.

Even after he retired in his old age and returned to Shangjun County, he had done many good things for the people of Shangjun, and his stories and legends are still circulating in Shangjun County today.

It is said that when Hou Chongguo retired and returned to his hometown, he declined the honor guard and carriages arranged by the emperor, as well as the gold, silver, and silk bestowed upon him. He traveled light and returned to Shangjun County with only an old servant.

On the day he returned to Shangjun County, Hou Chongguo happened to encounter the incident of the then Shangjun County magistrate taking bribes and breaking the law, and bullying the people. After his secret visit, he cleared up the various illegal practices of the magistrate, took out the plaque with the two characters "Utmost Loyalty" written by the emperor, and after a battle of wits and courage, he took down the magistrate, cleared the grievances for many victimized ordinary people, and returned a bright and clear world to Shangjun County.

Of course, this story is not recorded in history books, and it is mostly the beautiful imagination of the ordinary people of Shangjun County. However, this also represents the love of the ordinary people for Hou Chongguo.

Hearing Su Xinghui mention his ancestor, Hou Guangbi's face was solemn, "The legacy of my ancestor, Chongguo Gong, is something I haven't dared to forget for a day. It's just a pity that the descendants are unfilial and haven't been able to fulfill the ancestor's legacy. It's a pity, a pity!"

Su Xinghui said, "As long as you can benefit the hometown and do things beneficial to the country, that is following the ancestor's legacy."

Hou Guangbi looked at Su Xinghui and said, "Speaking of which, you are more like the ancestor Chongguo Gong. None of our Hou family descendants can compare to you."

Su Xinghui was shocked, "Grandpa Hou, you overstate it!"

Hou Guangbi shook his head, "I don't overstate it at all. In fact, from the time I bought that painting from Joao, I have been paying attention to you. He later brought back a few more of your paintings from China, and I bought two more, one of which is your 'Man Conquers Nature' painting."

"'Man Conquers Nature' painting?" Su Xinghui said, "You bought this painting too?"

Hou Guangbi nodded, "Yes, I bought it. I like this painting very much. When I saw this painting, I seemed to be decades younger. Can you tell me under what background you created this painting?"

Su Xinghui said, "Didn't the Yangtze River have a relatively large flood this summer? I am the Township Head of Pengjiawan Township, so naturally, I have to take the lead in flood control and disaster relief. This painting depicts the scene of flood control and disaster relief at that time."

Hou Guangbi nodded, "When I was young, I also went to the Yangtze River embankment for flood prevention and disaster relief. Seeing this painting of yours brought back my distant memories!"

Su Xinghui smiled faintly.

Hou Guangbi said, "From your painting, I can see your talent. From my contact with you these past few days, I can see that your character and talent are very outstanding, and you are also wholeheartedly for the country and the people. Having an official like you in Shangjun County is the blessing of the ordinary people of Shangjun, and also the blessing of the investors investing in Shangjun County!"

Su Xinghui said, "Grandpa Hou, you praise me too much. This makes me a little embarrassed!"

Hou Guangbi smiled noncommittally and said, "You say if I invest in Shangjun County, what industry is better to invest in?"

Su Xinghui was pleasantly surprised, but there was no strange look on his face, and he always had a faint smile, which made Hou Guangbi look at him highly again. Mount Tai collapses in front of him without changing his color; this is a person who can accomplish great things.

Su Xinghui asked, "Grandpa Hou, what industries does your Hou family have in France?"

Hou Guangbi said, "The industries the Hou family is involved in in France are relatively many, including ecological agriculture, textile industry, machinery industry, electronic appliances, hotel industry, financial industry, etc."

Su Xinghui pondered, "Ecological agriculture is actually relatively suitable in Shangjun County. However, now the land in the country is contracted to every household, and the state has not yet introduced policies regarding land transfer. Therefore, it is very troublesome to invest in this area now."

Hou Guangbi nodded to show understanding. He knew that things at the policy level were very troublesome.

Su Xinghui said, "The financial industry is also unrealistic now. The country has not yet fully opened up to foreign banks entering China. The other industries are actually relatively suitable."

Hou Guangbi said, "Then which industry do you think has the best prospects?"

Su Xinghui said, "Based on the objective conditions of Shangjun County and the situation in China, I think investing in the household appliance industry is relatively suitable."

"Household appliances?" Hou Guangbi said.

"Yes, household appliances." Su Xinghui nodded, "Nowadays, the country's economic development is very rapid, the economic ability of ordinary people is getting stronger and stronger, and the demand for household appliances is also getting bigger and bigger, especially the demand for high-end appliances, which is getting stronger day by day. However, most domestic appliance enterprises have relatively backward technology and are still in the assembly stage. If you can invest in an appliance enterprise now to produce relatively high-end appliances, the returns should be quite considerable."

Hou Guangbi nodded thoughtfully. He still trusted Su Xinghui's judgment quite a bit. The several enterprises that Su Xinghui attracted investment for in Meng Hu Ling are all developing quite well now. In the process of enterprise development, they have all received Su Xinghui's suggestions, and Su Xinghui's suggestions have played a very critical role in the development of their enterprises.

It can be seen that Su Xinghui is very knowledgeable about China's current economic development. Since he said that the appliance industry has good prospects, it must be correct.

Of course, Hou Guangbi couldn't make a decision casually. He would also entrust professional information consulting companies to investigate the domestic relevant industry prospects and market status, and make a decision after synthesizing information from many aspects.

Hou Guangbi said, "Xinghui, you still have to talk about what advantages there are in investing in Shangjun County. According to my meaning, I am willing to invest in Shangjun County, but I still have to go back and persuade the others in the Hou family."

Su Xinghui pondered for a long time, sorted out his thoughts, and then said, "If we talk about the investment environment, needless to say, Shangjun County cannot compare with Jiangcheng, and it cannot compare with Beijing and Shanghai. However, there is one advantage, and that is that the Hou family is from Shangjun County, and the roots of the Hou family are in Shangjun County."

Hou Guangbi nodded and smiled, "Benefiting the hometown is the duty of the Hou family. However, merchants also need returns when investing. If Shangjun County has no other advantages, if they want to benefit the hometown, the Hou family can donate to Shangjun County, build bridges and repair roads, and donate to help education, all of which are possible."