After the dinner ended, before getting into his car and leaving, Li Xiuyuan looked at Wang Yonghua and said, "Come to Meilin Village tomorrow morning to finalize the list of construction machinery. The day after tomorrow morning, which is Monday, all the machinery needs to be on site for the groundbreaking ceremony. Is that alright?"
“Okay, no problem, Li Zhen.” Wang Yonghua nodded in agreement. Although the time was a bit tight, such a big project definitely needed to be coordinated as soon as possible. At worst, two machines could be transferred from other projects to prioritize the Meilin Village project!
“Okay, that’s settled then, Houzhen…” Li Xiuyuan said, preparing to get into the car.
However, Wang Yonghua quickly took a wine bag from the driver.
“Li Zhen, you didn’t drink much at the dinner table. There are two bottles of wine left. I’ll put them in the trunk for you.” Wang Yonghua said, walking towards the back of Li Xiuyuan’s car.
Li Xiuyuan recognized it at a glance: this was a gift bag specifically for construction workers, containing Moutai liquor. It wouldn't fit two bottles, nor three. It was just the right size to put two packs of cigarettes next to it, but even with the cigarettes, it wouldn't look neat. He would have to put some liquor under the bag to level it out.
The bag Wang Yonghua was carrying contained cigarettes and alcohol at the same level, clearly showing his thoughtfulness in placing the alcohol underneath.
"Hey, Mr. Wang, I appreciate the thought, but you don't need the gift." Li Xiuyuan stopped Wang Yonghua. It wasn't that he didn't accept gifts; he did accept favors and social obligations. But this was such a generous gesture right off the bat, and he wasn't afraid to accept it.
There was no need to leave any evidence against him; he wasn't short of money, and the soaring stock prices were the source of his confidence in his integrity.
"Mayor Li, please don't misunderstand. I really didn't mean anything by it. I just saw that you didn't drink enough, so I thought it was a small token of my appreciation. Please don't mind, have some first. I'll thank you properly later." Seeing that Li Xiuyuan refused, Wang Yonghua could only assume that Li Xiuyuan had a big appetite.
This Moutai tote bag, padded with thoughtfulness, is worth tens of thousands of yuan. Of course, it's not a lot compared to the entire project. A preliminary estimate is that the initial dredging work will cost more than 500,000 yuan, and he plans to give Li Xiuyuan 60,000 to 70,000 yuan. Of course, if Li Xiuyuan has a bigger appetite, it's not impossible to increase it to 100,000 yuan.
After all, this dredging is only the initial stage of the project; there will be more work to be done later. The entire project will cost tens of millions of yuan, and a lot of machinery will be used in it.
Li Xiuyuan waved his hand: "President Wang, I understand what you mean. If you really have this intention, then send some meat to everyone every now and then to improve their meals. That would be your way of thanking me. I will be going to Meilin Village to be on duty every week from now on."
“Li Zhen, I will definitely follow your orders, but it won’t affect this…” Wang Yonghua said hurriedly. He had already witnessed Li Xiuyuan’s domineering nature. The director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau had a very good relationship with Li Xiuyuan, and even seemed to be trying to curry favor with him. This was something Li Xiuyuan was supposed to do.
"Mr. Wang, please listen to me on this matter. This is our first meeting today. You'll get to know me better later. We have plenty of time." Li Xiuyuan shook his head and declined Wang Yonghua's offer. Then, he said goodbye to Hou Peng and got into his car and left.
At the restaurant entrance, Wang Yonghua and Hou Peng got into the car and drove away. On a secluded section of road, Wang Yonghua told the driver to get out and buy cigarettes. Inside the car, he looked at Hou Peng and asked, "Mayor, what does Li Xiuyuan mean by this? Is he going to give me cigarettes later? After we get to know each other better? What does 'there's plenty of time' mean? Young people are energetic and like women?"
Hou Peng's face darkened as he listened: "What are you thinking? You can't believe you've got so much time ahead of you. Don't bring your vulgar stuff from the construction site with you. Don't you know who he is? He's a college graduate, a former secretary to the county magistrate, very talented, and his writings have been published in the provincial daily newspaper. How could he be so vulgar?"
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