Two days later, the municipal government held a meeting and approved the Longteng Welfare Foundation. The foundation primarily aims to provide aid and assistance to impoverished children and families within the province, and its head is Ma Ru. The foundation currently manages an initial 200 million RMB, with the potential to expand later. Office space in the city has also been secured. Manager Xu from the real estate company introduced a location: the former Chengdong Shengxiang Food Factory, which had gone bankrupt. Li Baolong bought it for two million RMB. It has three floors and several rows of factory buildings, covering approximately four or five acres, and the location and environment are quite good. Li Baolong instructed Manager Xu to find someone to do some basic renovations, with Ma Ru overseeing the process, and also to hire some college graduates to work on it.
After finishing these tasks, Li Baolong drove to Tai'an Town on the back of Qingcheng Mountain. When he arrived, he went to the same small shop, and the owner recognized Li Baolong at a glance.
In the backstreet of the town, a row of houses stood quietly at the entrance to the Taoist temple on the mountain, but these houses were already dilapidated. Looking at the crumbling walls, Li Baolong couldn't help but ask the shopkeeper, "These houses are almost collapsing, why hasn't anyone come to repair them? Where are the owners?" The shopkeeper shrugged helplessly and explained, "These houses are too old, and no one has lived in them for a long time. Now they're under the management of the town government. Because of their inconspicuous location in the backstreet, no one wants to buy them." Li Baolong nodded thoughtfully, then grabbed a few bottles of water and prepared to head up the mountain.
Having learned from his previous climb, Li Baolong reached the summit smoothly in just over two hours this time. At the entrance to the Taoist temple, several Taoist priests were busy leveling the ground. He strolled into the temple and saw Master Qingfeng preaching, the scene solemn and dignified. Upon seeing Li Baolong enter, Master Qingfeng quickly rose and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Grandmaster Uncle." Li Baolong waved his hand, indicating that such formalities were unnecessary. His gaze swept over them, noticing that the Taoist priests were all wearing brand-new robes and shoes, their spirits refreshed. Li Baolong then asked, "How did it go with the temple renovation I asked you to inquire about?" Master Qingfeng stepped forward and slowly said, "I've already spoken to the town government, and they're quite supportive, but they lack funds. I suggested we raise the money ourselves, and they approved it. Now we're just waiting for your decision."
Li Baolong and Daoist Qingfeng walked side by side toward the room where Yun Shiba was staying. Along the way, the two chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.
A short while later, they arrived at the door of the side room. The door was wide open, and inside, Yun Shiba was sitting at a table, perusing an ancient book. Hearing footsteps approaching, he abruptly looked up and immediately saw Li Baolong entering. Yun Shiba quickly stood up, clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Li Baolong: "Greetings, Martial Uncle!"
Seeing this, Li Baolong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities, we're all family, there's no need for such formalities." With that, he walked to the table, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
After everyone was seated, Li Baolong cleared his throat and said, "The main reason I've come here is to discuss the renovation of the Taoist temple. Thanks to the efforts of many, the necessary funds are now in place, and we can begin preparations. Also, I've thought of something else: in the small town at the foot of the mountain, there are several rows of dilapidated houses. Perhaps you could buy them and renovate them. This way, they can serve as temporary offices during the temple renovations, and after the project is completed, they can be converted into guest rooms to accommodate lay Buddhists from all over. It's a win-win situation; what do you think?"
After listening to Li Baolong's words, Yun Shiba and Daoist Qingfeng exchanged a glance and nodded in praise, saying, "Grandmaster Uncle's plan is brilliant! It is truly thorough and meticulous. We will certainly do as you instruct."
Li Baolong approached Master Qingfeng with a beaming smile and asked for several more packets of tea grown on the mountain near the Taoist temple. After receiving the tea, he gently picked up a packet and said enthusiastically, “This tea is of superior quality and has a promising market prospect. This spring, we might as well further expand its planting area. I personally am willing to invest a full one million yuan! Then I'll need your help to find people to cultivate more wasteland for planting tea trees.”
Upon hearing this, Master Qingfeng's face immediately lit up with joy, and he hurriedly nodded in agreement, indicating that he would definitely arrange the relevant matters properly in accordance with Li Baolong's requirements.
At noon, after enjoying a simple yet flavorful meal, Li Baolong slowly put down his chopsticks and turned to Master Qingfeng, saying calmly, "Wait a moment. Please bring a few of your capable and efficient disciples with you as we descend the mountain. Let's first formally sign the contract for the renovation of the Taoist temple, and then purchase those rows of slightly dilapidated houses."
Before long, Li Baolong led Master Qingfeng and several of his capable disciples down the mountain in a grand procession to the town of Tai'an. Because Master Qingfeng was quite famous in the area, the town government leaders recognized the highly respected master at a glance when they entered the town government building.
Master Qingfeng strode forward, warmly greeting the town mayor and succinctly explaining the purpose of his visit. The mayor, beaming with delight, nodded repeatedly in praise, saying, "This is wonderful! Once the Taoist temple is renovated, it will surely attract many tourists. This will greatly boost the economic development of our town!"
However, upon hearing that Li Baolong actually planned to invest 100 million yuan in this project, the town mayor's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with undisguised astonishment. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he exclaimed repeatedly as if waking from a dream, "Oh my, this is fantastic news! Fantastic news! I'll immediately go to my office and call the county leaders to report this exciting news." With that, the mayor hurriedly turned and headed towards his office.
Half an hour later, the town mayor ran over and said that the county party secretary would be here soon and the contract would be signed on the spot. Those rows of dilapidated houses could be sold cheaply to the Taoist temple to serve as a place for lay Buddhists to rest.
Li Baolong, Daoist Qingfeng, and several other Daoists were resting and drinking tea in the town government's conference room. Soon after, the town mayor entered with two men, who quickly introduced them to Li Baolong: this was County Party Secretary Chen Feng, and this was County Head Liu Qi. Li Baolong immediately rose to shake hands, and Daoist Qingfeng returned the gesture with a cupped-hand salute. Li Baolong explained that the investment of 100 million yuan in renovating the Daoist temple would allow the town government to promote tourism projects, a convenient arrangement. County Party Secretary Chen Feng immediately decided to strongly support it. "A 100 million yuan investment is a huge project these days," he said. "The contract can be signed tomorrow." That afternoon, Daoist Qingfeng handled the transfer of ownership of a plot of land in the back street. The town government symbolically asked for 100,000 yuan, selling the dilapidated houses and land, covering two acres, to the Daoist temple for a fifty-year term. Li Baolong suggested that the county's construction team could be used for the temple renovations. County Head Liu Qi was overjoyed; this would create hundreds of jobs. This was an opportunity the county had to seize.
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