Chapter 233 Paving the Way: There's Still One Piece of Land
Wang Xiao shouldn't be blamed for this.
She couldn't carry it; she hadn't even considered it.
Even when she was in college before she traveled through time, the professors only talked about how migrant workers had effectively replaced the social division of labor of the original state-owned enterprise workers, without mentioning any conspiracies or schemes.
But she couldn't simply conclude that Ivanov was talking nonsense.
A so-called "open strategy" is something that is blatantly laid out for everyone to see.
If such a scheme truly exists, it is designed to exploit people's hearts and human nature.
Let alone state-owned enterprises, any other company could rent out its license without doing any work and just sit back and collect money.
Tell me, aren't you tempted?
In Luo Xiang's words: Anyway, I'm tempted.
You can't assume that giving them the licenses is like the bribe-givers—that you have ulterior motives and want to drag them down with you.
Are you kidding me? This is such a good thing, why isn't anyone helping me out?
The government grants them licenses, allowing them only entry into the market. A key reason for this is to support them and help them capture market share. This embodies the principle of public ownership as the mainstay.
But this brings us back to the old saying: how many illustrious ancestors can actually stand on their own two feet?
Forget about standing firm, there are plenty of people like Yaozu who would collapse in a heartbeat if they didn't have blood packs to supply them with blood.
It can only be said that you may try to plant flowers with care but they may not bloom, while you may plant willows without intention and they may thrive.
Wang Xiao's situation is truly complicated.
She rubbed her forehead and vehemently denied it: "If you can really guess right, I will do everything in my power to help you run for president of the Russian Federation."
Ivanov was startled and instantly revealed his true colors: "Your Majesty, stop joking. This joke isn't funny at all. Besides, didn't you say I still have a conscience and can't be a politician?"
Wang Xiao chuckled: "Whether it's good or bad to be appointed is one thing, whether you can actually get the position is another."
Although Ivanov truly had no interest in politics, otherwise, given his family background and his endearing personality since childhood, his current position would definitely not be lower than Yura's.
But this did not stop his curiosity: "Your Majesty, how are you going to get me onto the stage?"
Although everyone knows that if a pig were to replace the current president of Russia, he would most likely do a better job, it is still the presidency of a country, and the road to it is fraught with difficulties.
Didn't you see how parliament collapsed? Were they indifferent to fame and fortune and didn't want to move up in the ranks?
But Wang Xiao couldn't see the difficulties the parliament faced; he only thought the other side died because they were too stupid.
"If you want to rise to power, it's simple: manipulate public opinion. If you can't be a hero, just create one," Wang Xiao said seriously. "There's a book called 'The Crowd,' I recommend you read it. Humans are social beings, very easily influenced by their environment. When their access to information is controlled, they can only hear one voice, and over time, they will come to believe that this voice is the truth."
Ivanov suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Take control of the television station!"
Radio stations have declined, and many Russians have also given up the habit of reading newspapers due to rising subscription prices.
Television, everyone watches television nowadays.
Whoever controls the television channels is the hand behind the scenes in this country, the hand that can influence people's thoughts and control the direction of the country.
Ivanov exclaimed once again, "My God! It's so simple!"
It was so simple that it terrified him.
In another country, whether it's China or the United States, this is an open secret, but it would be difficult to achieve.
The former would not allow forces outside the government to control television stations, while the latter, being a developed capitalist country, already has a mature system, with countless television stations alone.
Unlike Russia, it only has a handful of television channels.
Moreover, the focus of the power struggle among the elites is not control of the television station, but the right to sell advertising time. They are using television equipment left over from the Soviet era to sell advertising time and line their own pockets.
Ivanov muttered, “It’s really interesting. People always love to chase after what they don’t have. The officials, the powerful elites from the Soviet era, don’t lack power, so they’re busy making money. The newly rich, especially those with no background who made their fortunes through speculation, are now desperately craving power.”
Who will win this war between the government and capitalists, each trying to get the other to work for them?
The answer is obvious.
Different goals lead to different results.
Ivanov sighed: "Why do I feel that politics isn't that complicated?"
Look, isn't the future direction of the Russian Federation clearly laid out before us?
Wang Xiao was amused: "Watch more UN meetings and arguments, and you'll demystify it."
Ivanov forgot all about being melancholy and burst into laughter.
In 1960, Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, took off his shoes and banged them on the table at the United Nations, creating a famous scene in UN history.
But as he laughed, he became sad again.
Khrushchev did this because the Soviet leader at the time was Ukrainian.
When officials announce bills in Ukraine, Ukrainian farmers who feel their interests are harmed will take off their shoes and bang them on the ground to express their opposition and contempt.
The Soviet Union is gone, Russia and Ukraine have separated, and there are frequent frictions and conflicts.
How could he not be saddened by the brothers' falling out?
Bosses can freely express their joys and sorrows, but subordinates dare not be so unrestrained; on the contrary, their "CPU" is about to burn out.
When the two bosses were talking together, Zhang Junfei wouldn't dare to approach and eavesdrop on their private conversations, even if they weren't surrounded by bodyguards and assistants.
Therefore, he could only watch from afar and cautiously speculate.
But they were speaking Russian, and he, who couldn't understand it, couldn't possibly guess anything just by looking at their lip movements.
He stared at it nervously, not daring to even crane his neck.
But his mind was with the two bosses, so he didn't hear the foreman calling him several times.
The project manager shrugged at the contractor: "I can't make that decision. The boss is here. We're just doing our jobs for him. How can we make decisions for him?"
The foreman turned to his fellow villager and sighed, "Look, this is really unfortunate. The big boss came to the construction site in person to inspect it, and he's keeping a very close eye on things, so I can't recruit any more workers."
He was speaking in a dialect, and the dialect from his hometown was quite harsh. Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and it reached Wang Xiao's ears.
She turned her head and saw a crowd gathered around her, so she took the initiative to ask, "What's wrong?"
The contractor's fellow villager, having finally seized the opportunity, didn't hesitate and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss, can you let us work on the construction site?"
He explained in a rambling manner, "There are still more than half a month until the Chinese New Year. I want everyone to at least earn a hundred or two hundred yuan so that they can buy their children a couple of candies and a new outfit when they go home."
Wang Xiao chuckled: "You don't need to ask me about that. Your fellow villager and Manager Huang, who can't make the decision?"
To be precise, this isn't something the project manager needs to handle; the contractor can decide for himself. This part of the project has already been outsourced to him.
But he probably didn't want to get involved and didn't want to be the bad guy, so he pushed it up the chain.
But why should Wang Xiao take the blame?
Zhang Junfei didn't come to his senses until the boss turned to ask him a question; but it was too late to stop the contractor's fellow villager from speaking.
Hearing his boss's words, he felt that digging a hole and burying himself wouldn't be enough; at least three more layers of concrete would need to be poured on top.
What stupid things has he done! He actually let these people block the boss's way.
He could only weakly try to salvage the situation in vain: "Mr. Wang, I'll handle this."
Ivanov was once again amused by Zhang Junfei's appearance. After hearing the translation, he burst into laughter: "Zhang, what are you going to do?"
Zhang Junfei had no choice but to bite the bullet and take a few steps forward, explaining in a low voice, "We can keep them here to work. They have experience as construction workers and can get started immediately. Besides, hiring them will be cheaper than using machines."
This is why, even though Mr. Tang was able to exchange a large number of excavators and pile drivers at a low price at the port, there were still many workers on the construction site working on the foundation.
Labor is so cheap that there's no need for machines to even lay the foundation.
These machines wouldn't have been brought in if it weren't for the need to meet the deadline and complete the project as quickly as possible.
Wang Xiao looked at Zhang Junfei: "Besides that, are there any other reasons?"
Zhang Junfei was stunned for a moment. These were the only benefits he could think of for the boss; he couldn't think of any other advantages.
So he could only grit his teeth and go all out: "It's almost Chinese New Year, it wouldn't be good for them to go home empty-handed."
He had never worked before. After being discharged from the army, he didn't return to his hometown to make a living. Instead, he followed Boss Tang to Suifenhe to earn money.
But having traveled all over the country, he had seen many people who went out to work and knew to some extent how difficult their lives were.
These construction workers have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. Their wives stay at home to take care of the elderly and children. At most, they can grow a few acres of land so they won't starve, but making money is out of the question.
All the family's hopes for making money rested on them.
Going home empty-handed, how will they pay for the children's school fees? Where will they get the money for the elderly's medical expenses? They won't even be able to afford the pesticides and fertilizers needed for farming.
If I work for half a month and earn a hundred or two hundred yuan, at least it's a hope that I can earn money again next year.
After Zhang Junfei finished speaking, he felt that he shouldn't have said that. He was afraid that President Wang would suspect that he thought she was a lesbian and guessed that she was easily swayed, so he said those words to address her specific needs.
That would be terrible if we were misunderstood like that.
Because some female leaders, in order to emphasize their own strength and fear that people will think they are soft-hearted, are particularly ruthless in their actions.
So, in a moment of desperation, Zhang Junfei hurriedly tried to salvage the situation: "Besides, I think Lao He is a very honest person. It's rare to find someone who can work so hard even if it means losing money to repair roads. I want to recruit him. In the 1980s, the focus was on the Pearl River Delta, and in the 1990s, it was on the Yangtze River Delta. The country is developing Pudong, and Shanghai's real estate market has great potential. In the future, we will acquire more land and undertake more projects. It will be more convenient to have our own people working on things."
After he finished speaking, he was on tenterhooks, only glancing at his boss's expression out of the corner of his eye, not daring to look at him openly.
After listening to the translation, Ivanov burst out laughing.
Unfortunately, the laughter did nothing to calm Zhang Junfei down, since the male boss kept laughing inexplicably, and who knew what he was laughing about.
Zhang Junfei was waiting for the female boss's reaction.
He had doubted for a century, but in reality, it took less than three seconds before Wang Xiao nodded: "You handle it yourself. You're the person in charge in Shanghai."
Zhang Junfei blushed deeply again.
He finally realized, belatedly, that his boss was paving the way for him.
Previously, the boss had directly embarrassed Manager Huang and the foreman, pointing out that they were making excuses; this was to prevent Lao He from misunderstanding who he should be thanking.
The boss called him over to speak again, and when the final result came out, Lao He would definitely thank him for speaking well of them, and this favor would fall on Lao He's shoulders.
Zhang Junfei blushed and stammered, "Boss, I will definitely do my best."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "You have drive and ambition, which makes you well-suited for pioneering new territories. But you should still think things through before acting, broaden your horizons, and not limit yourself. What do you think of Lao He?"
Caught off guard by the question, Zhang Junfei's mind went blank for a moment. He stammered in response, "He's a man with drive; he dared to build highways."
Every industry has its own barriers to entry. In the construction industry, during the infrastructure boom of the past two years, it wasn't difficult to get a construction team to take on some projects and build houses.
But on highways, without someone to take you to pay respects at the mountain peaks, you'll never even get a glimpse of the entrance.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Lao He has already subcontracted the project five times; he had to beg and plead with everyone, spending countless amounts of money and favors to get it.
He wanted to use it as a stepping stone to get into the highway construction industry.
Such courage is rare among contractors.
Wang Xiao remained calm: "Anything else?"
Zhang Junfei continued squeezing toothpaste out dryly: "He's serious about his work, doesn't cut corners, and doesn't cheat. He's a man of action. You can trust him to work with."
Wang Xiao smiled slightly: "Oh? Are the workers who work for him very trusting?"
Zhang Junfei was speechless when asked the question.
He meant that Lao He was trying his best to give the workers the opportunity to continue earning money.
But the workers didn't have to work so hard.
They should have received their full wages.
Besides, who can guarantee that they would get this job today?
Wang Xiao sighed: "Grand narratives require the joint efforts of countless people, but others are not obligated to pay for your dreams. Everyone goes out to work to earn money to support their families."
To put it bluntly, if you're the boss and you make money, do you share it equally with your employees? If you don't, why do you expect them to be responsible for their own profits and losses?
He can't reach what's above him, and he doesn't manage what's below him well, so this person isn't capable of handling things independently; he can only do manual labor.
Wang Xiao didn't elaborate further: "Never mind, I won't say more. When you have time, read more about the history of the Communist Party and study Mao's Selected Works. Most of the self-help books in bookstores are imported; their cultural and social contexts are not applicable to China. Blindly applying them will only lead to dogmatism. For example, this is more practical."
Zhang Junfei thought to himself, "Good heavens!" No wonder Brother Tang always watches TV news and reads newspapers; he's always watching them play cards and drink. He can't understand Russian news, so he has a translator explain it to him.
It seems that those who can become big bosses are all politicians.
He hurriedly promised, "I will definitely study hard."
Seeing him rush down to find Lao He like his pants were on fire, Wang Xiao subconsciously wanted to touch his own face.
She turned to the crowd and asked, puzzled, "Am I fierce? I'm probably quite gentle, aren't I?"
Yes, Zhang Junfei must be too nervous, that's why he acted so afraid of her.
However, the expressions on the faces of everyone present, including Ivanov, were comparable to when she herself watched the young Qin Shi Huang being interviewed by reporters, with a face that seemed capable of conquering six states, and solemnly replying, "I think I am lively."
Okay, Wang Xiao decided to reflect on himself for three seconds.
She was worried that Zhang Junfei would be doing such a big project alone in Shanghai, surrounded by people praising him. Why do celebrities often act like they don't know their own worth? It's because everyone around them depends on them for their livelihood, so they're always praising and flattering them.
Over time, a person's self-awareness will severely deteriorate.
So she had to bring Zhang Junfei to his senses, otherwise she really wouldn't dare entrust such an important strategic business location as Shanghai to him.
However, since the other party was already terrified, and considering that he was only 23 years old, just the age of a college graduate, and as a master's student who should have graduated by now, Wang Xiao felt that he could be more approachable.
So when Zhang Junfei finished arranging Lao He's men and ran back to his boss to report on his work, Wang Xiao directly asked him about his plans for the fish market's follow-up work.
She has experience in this area.
For a doer, nothing is more reassuring than talking about the work they are currently doing.
Because this is precisely where the other person feels secure and secure, and it is what they are best at.
Wang Xiaoxin was in the right mind, but Zhang Junfei got stuck when asked the question.
Wang Xiao was no longer in a friendly mood. What a joke! You don't have a plan yet?
As the saying goes, "an army marches on its stomach," meaning that supplies must be prepared before troops can move. The fish market may not be fully built yet, but it's impossible to wait until it's completed before recruiting and training staff.
No organization can afford to waste so much time.
Wang Xiao swore she didn't slap anyone, but she just glanced calmly at Zhang Junfei, who then stammered in panic, "Before, I didn't think things through properly, and I recruited people and arranged for them to go to Tsukiji Fish Market as trainees."
From a management perspective, the simplest approach is to acquire land, build a market, and then rent it all out to landlords.
Many markets and buildings in Hong Kong are managed in this way.
However, because the group has its own aircraft and seafood supply channels, they do not want to give up this lucrative opportunity.
After all, it would take a long time to recoup the investment just by relying on rent.
Why not just move the Tsukiji Fish Market to Shanghai?
He had done his research; the Tsukiji Fish Market trades 3,000 tons of seafood daily, worth over $20 million. At a 5.5% commission, that's $1.1 million. Even with a 10% profit margin, that's $110,000 a day, and $40.15 million a year—that's real money!
Only with such high profits can the investment be recouped in a short period of time, and then the Shanghai project will have the funds to continue building high-rises on the other side of the mountain and to acquire land to build new projects.
Otherwise, if we keep relying on the group to mobilize funds to inject capital, what future is there to speak of?
After listening to his explanation, Wang Xiao quickly grasped the key point: "You've set your sights on another piece of land? Where is it this time?"
Zhang Junfei hesitated for a moment before awkwardly introducing, "There's a piece of land in the high-tech park that we can probably acquire."
He used the word "probably" because the 750-acre plot of land had already been leased to a Taiwanese company in the early stages of development, but construction has not yet started.
“Originally, no one cared about this matter. But last summer, a new leader came from Beijing to the high-tech park development company. He was decisive and efficient. The first thing he did was burn down the land that had been taken away.”
"According to the spirit of the municipal government's document, if land is acquired but construction is not carried out or investment is not attracted, the land can be reclaimed."
"The high-tech park has four plots of land, each 750 mu (approximately 110 hectares), totaling 3,000 mu (approximately 200 hectares) that have been leased out. All of them are in this situation. The other three companies that acquired the land have somewhat complicated situations, including some projects in cooperation with Canada. When the high-tech park wanted to reclaim the land, the Canadian companies disagreed and filed a complaint with their Prime Minister. Last September, when the Canadian Prime Minister visited China, he took the initiative to discuss this matter with our Premier. Our Premier didn't know what was going on at the time, so he called the Mayor of Shanghai to attend a banquet in Beijing to explain the situation to the Canadian Prime Minister in person."
Ivanov's eyebrows practically flew up when he heard this.
Although Russia is now a capitalist country, the traces of more than 70 years of socialist life are still deeply imprinted on every Russian.
Something that could alarm the prime ministers of two major powers must be no small matter.
Wang Xiao also believed that this piece of land was out of the question; diplomacy is no small matter, and it had now been given special political significance.
Unless the high-tech park development company is desperate for money and everyone in it has gone crazy, they definitely won't touch it.
The current owners of the other two plots of land also have their own backgrounds, leaving only the Taiwanese company as the simplest option.
In the summer, when Zhang Junfei had just arrived in Shanghai to acquire land, he happened to run into people from the science park development company at a dinner party.
The other party mentioned it briefly, and Zhang Junfei remembered it.
However, since the land was still in the hands of Taiwanese people at the time, and his focus was on acquiring the land for the fish market project that is now being developed, he didn't put much effort into it.
Unexpectedly, because he acquired the land, he immediately began development despite the banks refusing to lend money, and the fact that construction started in just a few months became hot news in the new district. The section chief Fang from the high-tech park development company took the initiative to call Zhang Junfei to ask if he was interested in acquiring the land.
They took back the land from the Taiwanese company, and it can be used by his unit.
Wang Xiao became curious: "Oh, what's the transfer price?"
“When it was given to Taiwanese people, it was $12 per square meter, but now it’s going to rise to $23,” Zhang Junfei said with regret.
If we had come earlier to acquire the land, 750 acres would be 0.5 square kilometers, or 500,000 square meters. With a price difference of $11 per square meter, that would be $6.5 million!
Moreover, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Chinese yuan has increased; one US dollar can now be exchanged for 8.7 Chinese yuan.
Wang Xiao was amused by his tone and comforted him, saying, "It's not too late now. No one can see the future, so who can predict it accurately?"
Even she, a time traveler, knew that land prices in Shanghai would rise, but she didn't expect them to double in such a short time.
However, judging from the current land prices, it can only be said that the price the high-tech park initially asked for was indeed too low.
The new leader was willing to offend people to take back the undeveloped land, and even raised the price, which shows that he is a person with both courage and intelligence.
Wang Xiao became interested.
Partnering with truly intelligent people means you won't gain an advantage over them, but you won't suffer a loss either. This is because intelligent people understand the principle of win-win situations.
On the contrary, working with an idiot is like thinking you can take advantage of them, but in reality, they might just screw you over in a way you'd never even imagine.
"Where is that piece of land located?" Wang Xiao asked with great interest. "Let's go take a look."
The client's boss and the project manager had already started walking, so the contractor's project manager had to quickly follow suit: "Hey, Mr. Wang, Mr. Ivanov, it's getting late, let's go eat. We don't have any delicacies to entertain our distinguished guests, but we hope the boss will do us the honor."
Manager Huang has already said all this. If they insist on leaving now, it would indeed be a bit disrespectful to the other party, and it would seem like they are implying that they should break off relations. They would be making an unnecessary offense.
Besides, it doesn't matter where you eat, right?
Wang Xiao waved his hand with a smile: "We should be treating you. Your company has been working so hard for so long. Especially Manager Huang, who has been stationed on the construction site for so long, you couldn't have worked harder."
Manager Huang felt he had done a great job entertaining everyone today, so he grinned and showed off his bright white teeth: "No way, we have to pay. Otherwise, I won't be able to get reimbursed by the company after I issue the receipts."
Looking at his smiling face, Zhang Junfei chuckled to himself: I really envy people who are a bit dim-witted. They're in their thirties or forties, yet they're still so carefree. Isn't that a kind of happiness?
He wasn't so lucky.
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