Chapter 5: One Surprise After Another!
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The woman before him had a graceful figure and appeared to be between twenty-five and thirty years old.
She wore a light blue blouse with a ruffled collar, the pleats at the neckline like lively flower petals, perfectly outlining her slender neck.
For her lower half, she was dressed in a long purple skirt, the hem swaying gently with her steps, like a flowing, dreamlike color.
Her long, dark hair was draped smoothly over her shoulders.
Her eyebrows were arched coquettishly like a crescent moon, and her eyes were like a pool of clear water—seemingly calm and placid, yet appearing to hide a faint touch of sorrow, inexplicably sparking one's imagination.
"No matter how busy things get, don't let the important things get lost," Tang Ye said gently as he handed the pink compact mirror back to her.
The woman reached out to take the mirror, her fingers slender and long, like tender spring onions.
The hem of her skirt rippled with this simple movement.
"Thank you!"
The woman responded softly, secretly guessing that Tang Ye was probably a government employee.
It was just that she had never seen him before; he was quite unfamiliar.
He looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, yet when he spoke, he exuded the steady confidence of a forty-year-old.
***
In the conference room, just as Tang Ye's rear end touched the seat, Xu Yiping's knuckles began to rap rhythmically on the tabletop.
"This is Pinghu's newly appointed Vice Town Chief Tang Ye, a cadre on temporary assignment from the Municipal Party Committee. Now, let's have him say a few words to everyone."
Gu Wenqin, seated in the fifth chair on the right, abruptly paused her pen.
She was startled to realize it was the same young man who had handed her the compact mirror in the hallway just moments ago.
In an instant, the conference room buzzed with whispers like boiling water.
"A cadre on temporary assignment, to put it bluntly, is just here to gild his resume."
"Can he even understand our tax forms?"
"I wonder what connections he has in the city..."
Tang Ye's gaze swept calmly across the room.
Once the surroundings quieted down, he slowly began to speak: "Hello, everyone. From now on, I will do everything in my power to serve all of you well."
"Esteemed bosses, please introduce your respective enterprises to Comrade Tang Ye. You can bring up any difficulties you may have!"
As soon as Xu Yiping's voice fell, he immediately gestured to his right.
A man raised his arm high, with a posture that seemed as if he were about to poke through the plasterboard of the ceiling.
This man was Xu Jie, Xu Yiping's nephew and also the director of Boman Garment Factory.
"Our factory plans to introduce several new production lines and is preparing for expansion. We had previously set our sights on a vacant plot of land, but just as we were about to start construction, we were reported by a petty schemer. People from the county came and halted the project. I'd like to ask Town Chief Tang to help resolve this."
Tang Ye's heart tightened.
He thought to himself that this man wasn't here to ask for help at all; he was clearly digging a pit for him!
"As far as I know, that plot of land is not designated for industrial use. Building a factory on it without authorization is a violation of regulations, so it's only natural that it was halted. If you want to invest in building a factory, you can consider other locations. The southern area is all planned industrial land," Tang Ye responded unhurriedly.
Upon hearing this, Xu Jie's face showed a trace of dissatisfaction.
He complained in a passive-aggressive tone: "The southern area is too remote. We're investing in building a factory, which will not only increase employment but also contribute to local tax revenue. Shouldn't the government consider things from the enterprise's perspective and provide us with some conveniences?"
Tang Ye understood in his heart that this Xu Jie was indeed a troublemaker!
On the surface, he claimed to be expanding his investment, but in reality, it was just a pretext to try and rake in a huge amount of compensation during future demolitions.
Tang Ye remained composed and said steadily: "The development of a township is like painting a picture. Every area on the paper has its designated design. You can't just build wherever you want, however you want. Otherwise, the entire township will be a chaotic mess, like a piece of old, patched-up clothing. According to Pinghu Town's development plan, that land is slated for a school and a residential area in the future. If a factory is built there now, it will have to be demolished later. Demolition not only increases costs but is also a waste of public resources and manpower."
"Town Chief Tang, you've said so much, but to put it bluntly, you just don't want to help me, do you?" Xu Jie asked relentlessly.
"We have to be reasonable in our actions. If you're asking me to help you steal the collective's interests, that's a favor I dare not grant," Tang Ye responded with pinpoint accuracy, leaving Xu Jie momentarily speechless.
Xu Yiping was quite surprised by Tang Ye's handling of the situation.
Originally, he had thought that if Tang Ye expressed support for building the factory, he could go along with it and later, if anyone pursued the matter, he could shift the blame to Tang Ye.
He hadn't expected Tang Ye not to fall for the bait at all!
Everyone sitting at the conference table was a shrewd person; they all knew what was going on in their hearts!
"The new town chief is not easy to fool..."
"With Xu Jie's temper, he's definitely going to hate the new town chief now!"
***
After the meeting, Xu Jie went straight to Xu Yiping's office.
"I am determined to get that piece of land. That guy surnamed Tang dares to cut off my fortune, I'm not finished with him!" Xu Jie said, his face full of anger.
Xu Yiping glared at his nephew and lectured him: "Don't be so hasty. He's a cadre sent down from the Municipal Party Committee. Let's see if we can win him over. If we can't, then we'll make other plans."
"Win him over? That guy has such a high-and-mighty attitude. If we don't teach him a lesson, he won't even know who he is!" Xu Jie grumbled, unconvinced.
Xu Yiping tapped the desk heavily with his pen and said sternly, "How many times have I told you, be steady in your actions, don't be so rash!"
Xu Jie pursed his lips, secretly disdaining his uncle for being too slow and indecisive.
After his nephew left, Xu Yiping fell into deep thought, carefully analyzing Tang Ye's performance in the meeting.
After this test, he came to a conclusion: this young man was not simple!
From Tang Ye's attitude, it seemed he wanted to persuade the enterprises to transform.
Xu Yiping, however, felt that transformation was too risky.
The most urgent task at hand was attracting investment.
If Tang Ye could "bring capital to the group," then that would be acceptable.
If he didn't have that ability, then he would just have to step aside!
***
Tang Ye returned to his office and began to seriously ponder a plan to revitalize Pinghu's economy.
The reason he chose to take up a temporary post in Pinghu Town was greatly related to Elder Hong.
Twenty years ago, when Elder Hong was the Party Secretary of Pinghu Town, he had created the remarkable "Pinghu Miracle."
At that time, Pinghu Town's textile and garment industry was booming, and two out of every ten shirts in the country were produced here.
However, a few years ago, Pinghu Town suffered a once-in-a-century flood, resulting in extremely heavy losses.
The two larger garment factories, unable to bear the burden, moved away from Pinghu, and from then on, the town lost its former industrial advantage.
Although Elder Hong had left, he had always been concerned about the development of Pinghu Town.
Tang Ye already had a preliminary idea in his mind.
Currently, the domestic garment factories were facing severe homogenization and competition, and a transformation was necessary.
He planned to shift the products to women's clothing and adjust the market from exports to domestic sales.
Among the many garment factories, although Qinge Garment Factory was not as strong as Boman Garment Factory, it had more room for maneuver.
Qinge Garment Factory employed many disabled people.
After the death of her husband, the factory director, Gu Wenqin, had single-handedly supported the factory, which was very difficult.
Being in a disadvantaged position, Qinge Garment Factory was more in need of external help and was also more suitable to be the first to undergo transformation.
Tang Ye found Gu Wenqin's mobile number from the workbook.
After dialing it with his landline, he politely introduced himself: "I'm Tang Ye. I'd like to talk to you about the future development of Qinge Garment Factory..."
"Town Chief Tang, is this matter very urgent? How about we talk tomorrow? I'm on my way to deliver goods right now and probably won't be back at the factory until seven or eight in the evening!"
On the other end of the line, the truck driver opportunely honked the horn twice.
Tang Ye could tell that Gu Wenqin was not being perfunctory, so he said, "Your factory has a night shift, right? I'll wait for you to come back."
"How about nine o'clock then?"
"Alright, you go ahead and take care of your business. Be safe."
***
Elder Hong had left a three-bedroom apartment in Pinghu Town, so Tang Ye was staying there.
Night slowly fell, and the summer heat of the day gradually dissipated.
Tang Ye decided to walk to Qinge Garment Factory.
Without realizing it, he came to a birch forest.
At this time, the moon was bright and the stars were few.
The lake shimmered under the moonlight, and apart from the occasional chirp of insects, there were no other sounds.
Suddenly, a piercing cry came from not far away, like a sharp knife stabbing straight into his eardrums.
At first, Tang Ye thought he had misheard, or that it was a stray cat, a wild dog, or even the sound of some legendary animal like a weasel.
But the sound continued to reach his ears, and he had a faint feeling that things were not that simple, so he began to carefully search for the source of the sound.
In the shadows of two birch trees, a black car was faintly visible.
The car's body seemed to be shaking slightly.
Tang Ye's pupils instantly dilated, and he lamented to himself: people these days really know how to have fun!
But the next moment, he had a faint feeling that something was wrong.
After listening carefully, the sound, which was gradually becoming more urgent, was actually a woman calling for help!
Tang Ye was shocked.
He had just arrived, and the surprises were truly coming one after another!
He had no time to think and quickly rushed towards the car...
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