I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 470 Director Liu Wants to See You
It turns out that the 2012 China Jinghai Marine Supporting Products Exhibition will open on September 24th. The organizer is Shencheng Aibo Exhibition Service Co., Ltd., and the exhibition will mainly showcase marine supporting products.

The first Shipbuilding Supporting Products Exhibition was held in Jinghai in 2008. This exhibition attracted widespread attention both domestically and internationally and received full recognition from the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry. The shipbuilding industry has become one of the pillar industries of Jinghai City.

Fang Qingye saw the news on TV, but her company had absolutely nothing to do with the products and services of the ship, and she had no intention of participating in the exhibition.

Why did Director Liu want to see me?
After listening to Fang Qingye's doubts, Qiao Yongfeng chuckled on the other end of the phone: "It's still about US soybeans. Your assessment of the reduced US soybean production this time saved the country a lot of foreign exchange, so Director Liu is very interested in you and wants to meet you."

"You said it, didn't you?" Fang Qingye realized.

"Yes, I told Director Liu. Getting to know an official isn't a bad thing, is it? Besides, this meeting is purely private, and I'll treat everyone."

"Since Director Liu is coming to Jinghai, I should definitely do my best to be a good host. How can I let you treat me?" Fang Qingye said.

"Don't argue with me this time. Director Liu is my friend. I'll introduce you to each other, and you can invite him next time you have the chance."

"Okay, Fang Qingye agrees."

On September 24, the Jinghai Shipbuilding Supporting Products Exhibition opened at the Sports and Convention Center. The news was reported on television. Relevant city leaders, leaders from the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, the president of the China Association of Shipbuilding Industry, and other guests attended the opening ceremony.

Fang Qingye naturally did not participate.

The next day at noon, he received a call from Qiao Yongfeng: "Qingye, I've arrived in Jinghai. Director Liu's flight is at 5 p.m., and he has to go back to Yanjing. There's not enough time for lunch. Shall we go for tea? You like tea, so let's find a quiet place."

“Then let’s go to Puxian Temple. There’s a Qisu Garden there. I, District Chief Mei from Heping East District, had tea there last time. The environment and the tea were quite good,” Fang Qingye said immediately.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

"OK!"

Fang Qingye readily agreed.

Haha, drinking tea is much better than eating and drinking alcohol.

Fang Qingye immediately had Yue Kai drive straight to Jinghai city.

The temple is located in Taiping Village on the outskirts of the city, and Fang Qingye knew the way well because she had been there before.

After parking his car outside the temple, Fang Qingye entered the temple alone. It wasn't the weekend, so there weren't many people, and it was very quiet.

A light drizzle was falling, adding to the Zen-like atmosphere.

Following the text message sent by Qiao Yongfeng, Fang Qingye entered a teahouse, where she saw two people already seated. One was Qiao Yongfeng, and the other was a middle-aged man in his forties wearing glasses.

Upon seeing Fang Qingye enter, Qiao Yongfeng immediately stood up and introduced her: "Qingye, let me introduce you. This is Liu Mingyu, Director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce."

"This is Fang Qingye, General Manager of Tuofang Commerce and Technology Investment Company, Chairman of Eme, and President of Jinghai Bank. Well, he has too many titles, let him say them himself," Qiao Yongfeng said with a smile.

"No need for so much talk, Director Liu, just call me Xiao Fang." Fang Qingye was very modest. After shaking hands, the two took their seats.

A waiter came in with a tea menu and asked them to choose their tea.

Qiao Yongfeng glanced at it and handed it to Fang Qingye, saying...

"You're a tea connoisseur, and now that we're in Jinghai, you can order."

Fang Qingye didn't stand on ceremony. She took the tea menu and glanced at it. She saw that it contained almost all the famous teas in China, so she said, "How about we drink our local Langshan tea? Although it's not as famous as Biluochun or Longjing, it has a unique flavor."

Soon, the waiter brought over a tea set, and Fang Qingye began to brew and steep tea for everyone.

"Although the tea here is called Zen tea, it is not grown in the temple. The best tea in Jinghai comes from Langshan. The monks of the temple run a tea garden on Langshan. In addition to drinking it themselves, they also run Qisuyuan. Langshan tea has a uniform appearance, a rich aroma, and a sweet taste. Director Liu, Brother Qiao, you should try it."

Fang Qingye placed two cups of freshly brewed tea in front of the two of them.

Liu Mingyu picked up the teacup, took a sip, and thought to himself, "The taste is indeed excellent, with a lingering sweetness. I originally thought that your Jiangsu Province's Biluochun, jasmine tea, and Yuhua tea were all quite good, but I didn't expect that Langshan tea from Jinghai is also quite good, Yongfeng. What do you think?"

"Me? Don't ask me! Although I live in Jiangnan, I'm not particular about tea. You'd be more interested in asking me about drinking." Qiao Yongfeng laughed.

drink
Fortunately, Director Liu was able to return to Yanjing early today.

Fang Qingye muttered to herself. The three chatted over tea, and the conversation naturally turned to the soybean purchase.

"Mr. Fang, this soybean purchase by our country has been a great help. The general managers of COFCO and COFCO Reserves both thanked you, saying that you saved them a lot of money," Liu Mingyu said.

"This is all thanks to Brother Qiao; I dare not take credit for it," Fang Qingye said modestly. "He went to the United States, conducted on-site investigations in soybean producing areas, and negotiated with the Americans. I merely shared my personal opinion on the predicted reduction in US soybean production."

“That’s remarkable. Your assessment of US soybean production is quite accurate. The US Department of Agriculture released the latest forecast data a few days ago, which is basically consistent with your judgment,” Liu Mingyu said.

"So Americans can be cunning and two-faced too," Fang Qingye chimed in.

Qiao Yongfeng and Liu Mingyu both laughed.

"Actually, the problem is that our country's own soybean production is not good enough. This year's domestic soybean production is predicted to be 1448 million tons, which is far from meeting domestic demand, and imports are expected to reach 1600 million tons," Liu Mingyu sighed.

“I heard from Brother Qiao that the country is making moves in Brazil and is preparing to buy Brazilian soybeans,” Fang Qingye said.

“Yes, but it will take a few more years. We will still need to import soybeans from the United States next year. Mr. Fang, please help us make a prediction then,” Liu Mingyu added.

"Director Liu, I'm just making a judgment based on US soybean futures. It may not be accurate. I don't want my incorrect judgment to affect national policy decisions," Fang Qingye quickly said.

"It's not that serious. We were just having a casual chat. The actual purchase is a corporate decision made by groups like COFCO, and they have their own criteria for judgment," Liu Mingyu explained.

Okay, that's good.

We're just ordinary people; there's no need for us to bear too much responsibility.

At this moment, Qiao Yongfeng chimed in.

"Hehe, Qingye, don't worry. Even if you're wrong, Bangcheng Group won't blame you!"

Was the judgment wrong?
I really don't know how.

Although I am not an agricultural expert, I do have a general understanding of the annual trend of US soybean futures. I paid attention to this stuff when I was working in investment banking.

It's just that making predictions every year gets a bit boring.

We can't take away the jobs of those experts and professors.

The three drank tea for more than an hour before Liu Mingyu prepared to return to the hotel to pack his luggage for the airport. Naturally, relevant leaders from the Jinghai Municipal Government saw him off, and the three parted ways.

"Mr. Fang, if you ever come to Yanjing on business, give me a call when you have time, and we can have some tea together," Liu Mingyu said with a smile.

"Okay." Fang Qingye happily accepted the invitation.

After seeing Liu Mingyu off, Fang Qingye invited Qiao Yongfeng to visit Nanxin, but he politely declined.

"No, I need to rush back to Huijing. I'm going to Huacheng tomorrow."

"Brother Qiao, you're a very busy man," Fang Qingye said with a smile.

"Yeah, I envy you, Aoba. My subordinates have looked at three houses in New York and they're all pretty good. I'll forward the details to you."

"Just give it to Xia He and let her choose. She can choose whichever one she likes," Fang Qingye said.

“Okay. Have you set your wedding date?” Qiao Yongfeng asked again.

"It's confirmed, October 2nd in the Gregorian calendar, the 17th day of the 9th lunar month. Today is my formal invitation to you."

"Okay, I'll definitely attend. What time exactly?"

"Ten o'clock at night."

"Huh? Ten o'clock at night?!"

(End of this chapter)