It was nearly 3 p.m. when Xu An returned to Xu's Fast Food Restaurant from the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Center. All the employees except Tang Wen had already gone home. After resting for a while in the No. 1 store, Xu An thought about the meeting he had to attend at 6 p.m., and decided to finish his work quickly so he could go home as soon as possible.
But after wandering around, Xu An was surprised to find that Lu Ziyue had already prepared the ingredient purchase list for tomorrow, and after checking it, there were no problems; the warehouse inventory and consumption status had also been inventoried, with everything clearly listed, when and how much needed to be replenished; Wang Fulong was now organizing information and communicating with the companies that had expressed interest in Xu's Fast Food Restaurant's employee meals at the exhibition; Awei had mentioned having some details to discuss in the morning, but now it seemed that Tang Wen had handled them perfectly; Tang Wen had also started the pre-sale activities for Xu's Braised Food Shop, and so far, the results seemed quite good.
After some deliberation, Xu An realized he had nothing to do! All the work was either already finished or his three employees were currently working on it; it seemed all he had to do was sit and wait for them to complete their tasks, compile reports, and sign them.
I originally thought it would take them two or three days to adjust before they could take on these tasks. I didn't expect that the three of them had already thoroughly familiarized themselves with Xu's Fast Food Restaurant in just one morning, and were able to get things done after a simple explanation.
Xu An silently gave the three of them a thumbs up in his heart, told them to remember to turn off the water, electricity, doors and windows after get off work, and then rode his tricycle back to the village.
When I returned to Xujia Village, I saw many villagers busy setting up the venue under the big banyan tree at the village entrance. Some were moving tables and chairs, while others were setting up the sound system and testing the equipment; it was quite a lively scene. The event looked rather formal, with a red carpet, a platform, a lectern, and a banner hanging from the banyan tree that read "The First Villagers' Meeting of Xujia Village."
Ten tables and chairs, clearly moved from a nearby elementary school, were set up in front of the podium. A bottle of mineral water and a triangular sign were placed on each table. Curious, Xu An went over to take a look and surprisingly found a sign with his own name on one of the tables. However, Xu An also had a task tonight—to help Uncle Dongliang and the others—and wondered if he could even warm up the chair.
At six o'clock, the meeting officially began. Second Grandfather stood up from below the stage, took a few big strides to the stage, picked up the microphone, tapped it a few times with a somewhat disgusted expression, and put it aside. He then placed his hands on the lectern, his sharp eyes scanning everyone sitting below the stage. His loud voice rang out, clearly reaching not only the ears of everyone in Xujia Village, but also the villagers from other villages who were watching the commotion.
"After this period of exploration, we have found a practical development direction, which is tidal flat aquaculture! In addition, we have invited Professor Yu's team of marine experts to be stationed in Qianhai Town to provide us with technical support. After professional testing, the tidal flat in the southeast corner of Qianhai Town meets our requirements very well in terms of both area and various conditions."
“Although there are government policies to support us, we still need to raise the initial funds ourselves. According to the policy, our village collective’s investment and the government’s loan are split 40/60. That is to say, we contribute 40%, and the government will provide the remaining 60%, interest-free for three years!” Second Grandfather turned a page of the document in his hand and continued, “After unanimous discussion, the city has approved a maximum loan of three million yuan for our village’s collective industry, but the specific amount we can apply for depends on how much money we can raise.”
Upon hearing about the three million loan, before the villagers of Xujia Village could even express their opinions, the villagers from surrounding villages who had come to watch the spectacle erupted in excitement. The noise was so loud that it directly interrupted the second grandfather's speech.
"Are these people in Xujia Village desperate for money? Three million! They couldn't even sell their entire village, land and people, for that price."
"You just don't understand. There are less than 30 households in Xujia Village. If each household gets a loan of more than 100,000 yuan, they can build houses and buy cars. They'll be on their way to a better life! If they keep dragging their feet and refusing to pay back the loans, what are you going to do with the government? Demolish their houses and confiscate their cars?"
“”
Xu An frowned as he listened to the gossip.
Do these people really think the government is a sucker? Even if Xujia Village successfully secures a three million loan, the money won't be deposited into their account all at once. After leasing the mudflats, they need to take the relevant documents to the city for approval. Only after the approval is successful can they receive the second loan. Next, they need to purchase equipment for development. After development is complete, they need to go back to the city for a second approval. Only after that can they receive the third loan.
The entire process was extremely rigorous, requiring approval five or six times. Even after all the funds were disbursed and the aquaculture on the mudflats was underway, the city would still send people over from time to time for surprise inspections to ensure that Xujia Village hadn't misappropriated the money. The claims made by villagers from other villages that the money was used to build houses or buy cars were simply impossible.
Xu An and Uncle Dongliang glanced at their second grandfather and, after receiving his permission, called on Uncle Guosheng and a few others to drive away the other villagers who were watching. Seeing Xu An and his group approach, the villagers fell silent and scattered in a swarm. When Xu An and his group returned to the meeting place, the villagers swarmed around them again like flies, spewing strange and offensive words.
Uncle Dongliang was getting annoyed and wanted to get up again to chase them away, but Xu An held him down. "Never mind them. When we make money in the future, we'll build a village hall. All village meetings will be held in the hall. Once the doors are closed, they won't be able to hear or see anything!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com