Chapter 930

That afternoon, Su Xinghui returned to the Shangjun county seat. After eating at home, Su Xinghui 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 of Hou Dali's house chatting.

Hou Dali's younger son, Hou Wenyong, and younger daughter, Hou Wenhui, were now on winter break. They were also sitting on the side, 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 to look and laughed: "Xinghui is back. Come, sit down."

Hou Wenhui very cleverly poured tea for Su Xinghui, and Hou Wenyong went into the house to bring out a chair for Su Xinghui 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 construction of the electrical appliance factory progressing?"

Su Xinghui said: "The progress is very good. Currently, the 'three supplies and one leveling' work is underway. Once the project bidding is finished and the contractor is determined, construction can begin. It is estimated that they 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 can see him. His style of handling things is very swift and decisive; he is fully capable of taking charge on his own!"

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

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

Hou Guangbi nodded with a smile. He had placed his eldest grandson in Pengjiawan Township specifically to train him so that he could take charge on his own as soon as possible. Now that he heard his performance was outstanding, Hou Guangbi was naturally happy.

Hou Dali said: "Tomorrow isn't Sunday, why did you come 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 there is anything, just say it."

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

Su Xinghui said: "There's nothing inconvenient to talk about. It's like this, Grandpa Hou: the provincial government is currently quite tight on funds, and for our county's Changjiangdaqiao project, we may need to raise half of the funds ourselves."

Hou Guangbi said: "Raise half the funds? About how much is that?"

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

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

Hearing the two of them discussing major affairs, Hou Dali gave his children a look, then stood up and went back to their room. 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, I plan to adopt the BOT method, which is currently quite popular internationally."

BOT method—a business tycoon like Hou Guangbi naturally understood it. 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 several coastal provinces like Yuedong and Mindong, this method was used to build large-scale infrastructure. I naturally 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 excellent. If tolls were charged, the costs would be recovered quickly, and there would even be considerable profits. Therefore, this matter held no risk for the Hou Group and was also profitable.

Additionally, 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, let alone now when he was only being asked to invest.

Thinking of this, Hou Guangbi nodded and said: "It's possible. This matter can be considered. Can you bring me the project plan for the Changjiangdaqiao to look at?"