The Party Secretary and the Mayor each gave a speech, neither of which was long, and they quickly became quite eloquent. The Municipal Party Committee Office, which was specifically responsible for this contractors' meeting, had made very thorough preparations.
Wang Yunyi is a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee's Discipline Inspection Commission. Rumors are circulating within the province that Secretary Wang may be promoted further next year. This matter is being taken very seriously.
With Secretary Wang taking this so seriously, how could his subordinates dare to make arrangements carelessly? This should be treated as Secretary Wang's last grand banquet as the municipal party secretary; it must be handled properly.
That night, all eleven members of the Standing Committee of the Pingyuan Municipal Committee arrived.
Zhang Guodong and the fat man were seated at a table further back. At the same table were businessmen, their net worth estimated at tens or even hundreds of millions. Compared to the businessmen in the front row, these people were considerably less wealthy and of lower status.
Surprisingly, there was a plant cultivator at the next table.
Soon, the staff gave each person a bidding map, which divided the desert into fifty sections, each marked with a small number. Some sections were connected together to form a larger sandy area, which was then marked with a larger number.
This might mean someone wants to consume a lot at once. Therefore, the organizers, considering this level of demand, thoughtfully implemented a system that resulted in only about twenty designated areas across the entire region.
The bidding process is conducted on-site, primarily focusing on your feasibility and proposal for desert afforestation and transformation. Experts are also present to provide commentary.
On stage, the host was a deputy director of the municipal drug control office.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down. Today's auction will be conducted in an open and fair manner, with several bidders competing for the same plot of land. The final winner will be determined by the experts present. The relevant guidelines are all covered in the handbook on the table, so I won't repeat them here. Now, please welcome Secretary Wang, member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, to the stage to announce the start of the auction!" This Deputy Director Pan from the office seemed quite adept at hosting such a large banquet, offering only a few concise words before stepping back. Applause was given to welcome Wang Yunyi to the stage.
It's hard to refuse; it's all a procedural matter.
Wang Yunyi stood up from the first table below the stage and went up onto the stage.
"Now, I declare, 'The Ningyun Desert Greening Bidding Banquet is officially open!'"
A burst of applause erupted.
It's unclear whether the applause is for the bidding banquet or for the fat man's father.
Zhang Guodong used a clever trick to isolate him from the fat man's conversation.
"Fatty, your old man's pretty impressive!" Zhang Guodong said with a smile, a hint of teasing in his tone. The invitations were very formal, indicating that the father was a representative of a local government and was seated towards the back. Fatty hadn't changed his father's status; otherwise, he would have been seated closer to the front.
The fat man chuckled modestly a few times and said in a low voice, "Don't mention my identity; it wouldn't be good if the people around heard."
"They can't hear me!"
"Oh?" The fat man was taken aback, looking around. Nothing seemed different, then he thought that perhaps Zhang Guodong had used that "ability"?
Even so, Zhang Guodong and the fat man were whispering to each other, seemingly talking in hushed tones. Even if someone saw but couldn't hear their conversation, they wouldn't suspect anything.
"Fatty, I have a feeling there's something fishy going on here. Is it worth making such a big fuss over this little sandy spot?" Zhang Guodong wondered.
"Hehe, of course there's something fishy going on. When has a government tender been free of shady dealings? It's impossible to completely eliminate it!"
Let me change the subject.
"However, does that mean we should just quit because there's something fishy going on? Overall, this is a good thing. If anything goes wrong, there's a dedicated department to manage things! We can't just do nothing because we're afraid of something fishy going on!" the fat man said.
That's true.
"Then, would you like to give me some advice on my piece of sandy land?" Zhang Guodong said with a smile.
"Just a small piece? Isn't that a bit too little? If you really cultivate something like 'Crystal Rice,' wouldn't you be rich?" The fat man immediately curled his lip and urged Zhang Guodong on when he heard that Zhang Guodong really only wanted a small piece.
Judging from the fat man's expression, Zhang Guodong felt that the guy wasn't genuinely enthusiastic. He was definitely drooling over the food. He ate quite a bit of everything at Taoyuan Xiaozhu. He even took some home with him when he left. He always returned with a full load.
The fat man was indeed thinking that eating only vegetables and seafood seemed a bit monotonous. But staple foods were a different story. That "crystal rice" was truly delicious.
Unfortunately, half a jin of rice was far too little. The whole family finished it off in one meal, leaving them feeling unsatisfied.
Of course, after finishing this "crystal rice," the fat man didn't dare tell his parents, otherwise, the rice the whole family ate would cost 20,000 yuan, and they would probably get scolded if they found out.
Wang Lin's excellence meant that the fat man didn't have to worry about money, but he had never been this extravagant.
"Just one!" Zhang Guodong said.
The area marked in small letters isn't small at all. It's 0.7 square kilometers. That's equivalent to a square with sides of 0 kilometers. Can you call that small?
Zhang Guodong didn't actually intend to grow enough food on this sandy land to sell or eat himself. He simply wanted to observe the tenacity of plant life in the desert—it was just a casual interest.
big.
The fact that a plant cultivator who had grown "Crystal Rice" contracted that desert area was a contributing factor. This piqued Zhang Guodong's curiosity.
"All right!"
The fat man sighed and took the desert map. Pointing to a small patch, he said, "How about this one? It's not in the very center, it's on the edge!"
"hatch?"
Judging from this map, the old ship is indeed on the edge of the desert. Beyond this area is the sand forest. If we're talking about a place in this desert where experts can grow crops, it's probably only these peripheral areas.
“This is a lush forest, and Ningyun County is just outside. It’s very convenient whether you’re building a house, clearing land, or just going out!” the fat man said.
In comparison, the central location is indeed not a good place. Transporting the facilities into the desert is difficult because vehicles can't get there, and it requires carrying them on people's backs and shoulders.
Zhang Guodong thought to himself, if it were a cultivator, and they didn't mind the effort, they could carry it on their shoulders or in their hands. Cultivators are much stronger than ordinary people.
Are you sure you can win this?
"Of course, it has to go through an auction. Each small area has its own management methods. There are still some small plots of sandy land available, and everyone is competing for them. In the end, the ownership can be decided by drawing lots!" the fat man said.
"Alright, enough talk, let's begin!"
While Zhang Guodong and the fat man were talking below, the competition for small plots of land had already begun on stage. But unexpectedly, when Deputy Director Pan from the Currency Committee Office announced the competition for the smaller plots, there was a moment of silence from the audience.
"What's going on? Why isn't anyone playing with that small plot of land?" Zhang Guodong asked in surprise.
Wang Yunyi, Mayor Zhou Qing, and the other nine members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee all frowned. The situation was indeed somewhat awkward; of the more than two hundred businessmen, not a single one was interested in such a small plot of land—a bad start.
"How did Pan Liqun organize this? Didn't he explain things clearly to the guests?" A member of the Standing Committee frowned as he looked at the embarrassed deputy director of the Municipal Party Committee Office on the stage.
"I don't think so. This matter was publicized more than a month in advance, and Xiao Pan did a very good job in contacting these people, asking questions, and crying about it!" Minister Chang Hong said calmly.
During this period, Deputy Director Pan of the Municipal Party Committee Office has been extremely busy and has accomplished a great deal. In reality, judging from the initial information received, there aren't many people truly interested in this small plot of land.
This was somewhat expected. However, the sudden silence might be because some people were observing the situation. In any case, this situation arose unexpectedly.
Neither Wang Yunyi nor Zhou Qing spoke. However, Zhou Qing glanced at Wang Yunyi, thinking to himself, "I didn't expect the Municipal Party Committee Office to run into trouble. This is going to be quite a sight."
But he noticed that Wang Yunyi's expression was indifferent, completely unaffected. Zhou Qing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly regained his composure, feeling a little wary, realizing he still lacked composure in this regard.
"Guodong, it's perfect that no one wants him, let's bid?" The fat man became anxious upon seeing this scene. This was something his father had arranged, but he hadn't expected such an awkward situation to arise right from the start.
Isn't this a slap in Dad's face?
Seeing the fat man's anxious state, Zhang Guodong decided to lend a hand.
Just as he was about to agree, he suddenly changed his mind and said, "Fatty, no need to rush, this situation won't cool down!"
"No need to ask any more questions, just wait and you'll find out!"
The fat man didn't know what to say for a moment, but Zhang Guodong's calmness and playful smile calmed him down a bit.
As a result, Zhang Guodong also began to observe.
About two minutes later, someone finally started bidding. It was an investor at the last table. The sound silenced the room for a moment.
The three businessmen stood up somewhat smugly, first looking at the group of leaders from the municipal party committee. Seeing everyone's attention focused on them, one of them immediately stepped onto the stage, grabbed the microphone, and said, "First, I'd like to thank Secretary Wang of the municipal party committee, Mayor Zhou, and all the other leaders for supporting the development of private enterprises. My name is Jin Qun, and I am the chairman of Dali Group." Before he knew it, he had rambled on and on, turning it into a self-introduction speech.
Finally, he said, "Our Dali Group is preparing to bid for the slogan and the land. Thank you everyone!"
This guy bowed to Wang Yunyi before happily stepping down from the stage.
Deputy Director Pan then invited an expert to comment, preventing the opening from becoming dull. With this lively participant on stage, two more people followed, bidding for plots 7 and 8.
"Those who get these smaller plots are all wealthy people from the back," Zhang Guodong said with a smile, seeing that the fat man's expression had softened. "Now you don't need to worry anymore, right?"
"Damn it, what kind of idiots are these people!" The fat man secretly wiped his sweat and cursed. "You scared me! Luckily, someone has taken over these smaller plots!"
"By the way, how did you know someone would take over the smaller plot? These businessmen, they're all shrewd and greedy!"
"I heard it," Zhang Guodong shrugged and said.
The fat man was immediately annoyed. He cursed inwardly, "What a freak! How can he hear everyone talking in such a noisy environment?! Plant cultivators are indeed powerful!"
Actually, the fat man miscalculated.
While cultivators' senses are indeed far superior to those of ordinary people, it's not that exaggerated. Without his physical cultivation and spiritual power, Zhang Guodong wouldn't have been able to clearly hear everyone's conversation.
Just as Zhang Guodong had predicted, most of the few remaining small plots of land were contested by later-stage businessmen.
None of the businessmen at the middle or front tables were interested in the smaller one.
Only one small plot of land remains, plot number 4!
"Guodong, there's only one piece left, aren't you going to bid?" The fat man became anxious upon seeing this.
"Wait a little longer!" Zhang Guodong said calmly.
From snippets of conversation among those around me, I sensed something fishy was going on. Those large plots of land numbered 8, old number 8, and number 9 were the most likely to be involved.
why is that?
Gradually, as the competition intensified, the area became comprised of four medium-sized sandy plots—3, 口, 旧, and 口—composed of several smaller plots. Each of these plots was essentially made up of four to five smaller plots.
"No way?" The fat man's eyes widened. Could these people really have the idea of contributing to society and the country? A small patch of sand is already a burden, a thankless task, and they actually chose a sandy area several square kilometers in size?
3. The three old plots of land were almost snatched away. This brought the already heated atmosphere at the scene to a slight slump.
The speeches given by these people were all increasingly positive.
After acquiring Plot No. 3, the CEO of Jingqiang Paper Industry promised: "The development of Jingqiang Paper Industry has never been separated from the strong support of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government. Without this support, there would be no Jingqiang Paper Industry! Now that the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government have launched a campaign to combat desertification, Jingqiang Paper Industry will not shirk its responsibilities. In addition to fulfilling its due contractual obligations, Jingqiang Paper Industry will also contribute one million yuan to support the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government in combating desertification!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he knocked a group of people to the ground. One million for this small area of sand? Even if the government had promised it would be free for twenty years, and it were fully paid for, it wouldn't seem like one million would be enough. This guy is ruthless!
As a result, when this person passed by Wang Yunyi's table, he received a warm handshake and welcome from the municipal leaders, just like an old friend.
Then everyone realized. This wasn't stupidity, it was shrewdness! Spending a million to get acquainted with the municipal party secretary and mayor—it was worth it!
Jealousy is power, and the competition between mouths and old territories has reached a fever pitch.
There were almost six or seven companies competing for each of these two plots of land.
In the end, it fell into the hands of a fat man and a paper merchant from out of town.
"They even have slogans now!"
The fat man glanced at Zhang Guodong worriedly and muttered something to himself.
He didn't think Zhang Guodong was interested in the two largest plots of land. This last chance lay with the slogan plot. But judging from the situation, even the fat man couldn't figure out what Zhang Guodong was really thinking.
"This is interesting! Fatty, I want this slogan land!" Zhang Guodong looked at the map, pointed to the slogan land near the two large plots of land, and smiled.
"Oh? We're already in the center. Are you sure you really want this?"
The fat man glanced at Zhang Guodong and couldn't fathom his thoughts at all. Logically speaking, if he only wanted to network with some officials, simply participating and bidding on one or two small plots of land would have been enough.
Moreover, smaller plots are located on the periphery, making them easier to manage. They don't require much effort.
But the reality was contrary to what people expected, at least not to the fat man's idea. These people weren't interested in the smaller plot of land; they were all heading towards the larger area of sand.
Is it really that these bloodsucking businessmen have suddenly developed a conscience and want to give back to society?
"Please welcome Chairman Lin Xiang of the Lin Group to the stage to explain his business philosophy and strategy for bidding for the land!" At this moment, Deputy Director Pan announced from the stage.
A formidable rival has emerged!
Notice: That's all for today. Thank you everyone for your concern. Although I haven't found the cause of the small bumps on my head, some random ointments have helped, and I've taken some cooling, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory medicine. At least the pain isn't keeping me up at night.
Sleep.
Thanks!
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