Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"I'll give it a try!"

Bai Jianbo hung up the phone and spent the whole afternoon thinking in his office before returning home. His wife, Song Yu, and their two children saw him walk in deep in thought, forgetting to close the door behind them. They didn't even put their bags down properly, just picked them up and sat on the sofa, lighting cigarettes.

Song Yu walked over and sat down next to Bai Jianbo, nudging him and asking, "Old Bai, what's wrong with you? You look like you've lost your soul. Is something the matter?"

"Um!"

"What's up? Work-related?"

"Um!"

Song Yu slapped his arm in annoyance, "All you can do is say 'uh-huh'? What do you want to say? You're driving me crazy."

Seeing this, the two children stopped watching TV and turned to look at Bai Jianbo with pleading eyes. Bai Jianbo then recounted what had happened that day to his wife. Song Yu looked furious, "That guy surnamed Gao is a complete scoundrel! He's a ministerial-level official, how could he do something so shameless!"

"What did you tell Dad?"

"Dad told me to calm down and not to rush things. He said he would handle this and would definitely not let Shanghai Automotive suffer any losses," Bai Jianbo continued. "But at noon, Guo Yifu called me, and his tone implied that he wanted to make the best of a situation and have me settle things quietly!"

"That Guo family's bullshit!" Song Yu, a fiery woman from Northeast China, blurted out after hearing her husband's words, "Didn't Lao Huang call him? This project was clearly brought in by the Ministry of Industry, so why should the municipal government benefit from it, especially since it was Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation that betrayed us!"

"Now that the higher-ups know, Guo Yifu, the municipal party secretary, failed to manage his subordinates properly. When something happened, he tried to let you, the victim, settle things quietly. He's dreaming. I'm going to call my dad right now." After saying that, Song Yu turned to get the phone, but Bai Jianbo stopped her.

"Don't rush me, I haven't finished speaking yet," Bai Jianbo quickly stopped his wife who was about to make the phone call. "Guo Yifu also said that he was planning to let things slide, but considering the instructions from above, he wants me to talk to Chen Zaidong of Xiaochi and renegotiate!"

"hehe!"

Song Yu sneered angrily, "I sent you to talk to Chen Zaidong about renegotiating, oh! So they did the good deed, and you're left to do the shameless work? I want to ask Guo Yifu, just how much does he look down on our Song family's son-in-law, or does he think our Song family is nothing in his eyes!"

"Don't stop me," Song Yu said, shaking off Bai Jianbo's grip on her hand. She picked up the phone and told the operator, "Connect me to the Municipal Party Committee compound. I need to find Guo Yifu. My name is Song Yu!"

The operator hesitated for a moment, checked the location of the telephone line, and then dutifully transferred the call. At this moment, Guo Yifu had just finished his work and returned to his residence in the municipal party committee's family compound. His wife had already cooked the meal. Seeing her husband's furrowed brows, she assumed it was something to do at work and didn't want to pry. She grabbed a hot towel to warm his face and prepared to serve him the rice.

Just as he picked up his chopsticks, the phone rang. His wife went to answer it, and before she could even ask what was wrong, a strong, resonant female voice came from the other end, "Is this Secretary Guo Yifu? This is Song Yu!"

"It's Xiaoyu. Wait a minute, Lao Guo is eating. I'll let him take the call," the wife said softly to her husband, who was looking over, as she placed the phone on the table. "It's Song Yu."

Guo Yifu nodded, knowing that what was bound to happen had finally arrived. This person had come to interrogate him. He walked over, picked up the phone, and said with a smile, "Xiaoyu, why are you calling me at this hour? Is something wrong?"

"Secretary Guo, I just want to ask you, is this how your municipal party committee handles things? Is Shanghai Automobile Factory just a pushover, letting your local officials bully us like this?" Song Yu didn't give Guo Yifu, the municipal party secretary, any face and started by questioning him directly.

Guo Yifu wasn't angry. Instead, he comforted Song Yu, "Xiao Yu, calm down. You're a mother now. Don't be so impulsive. Listen to me first."

"I've already been informed about this matter. Minister Zhou from the Planning Commission gave me a good scolding, saying that this concerns the government's credibility and that agreements already agreed upon cannot be easily changed. Xiaoyu, do you understand what I mean?"

Zhou Bingguo and Song Yu were initially furious, but after hearing Guo Yifu mention the name, they began to calm down. Guo Yifu continued, "Old Song also called me today. I know about this matter. Comrade Jianbo has suffered a great injustice. Originally, it was not appropriate for Comrade Jianbo to go forward and discuss renegotiation with Chen Zaidong. However, Xiaoyu, we must consider the bigger picture."

"Minister Zhou said that the agreement must be implemented, that's the bottom line. But outside of that bottom line, there can be some appropriate flexibility as long as it doesn't violate organizational discipline or fundamental principles. Comrade Jianbo isn't part of the municipal government system, so he can negotiate with Chen Zaidong to renegotiate. This is the best solution after discussions between the municipal party committee and the municipal government."

Although Song Yu was so angry that the veins in his hand holding the microphone bulged, he still said in a calm tone, "Alright, since Secretary Guo says so, then we will accept the organization's arrangement. Tomorrow I will have Jianbo go to find Chen Zaidong."

"Xiaoyu, would you like to bring Jianbo and the two kids over for a casual meal sometime?" Guo Yifu politely invited as he was about to hang up the phone.

"Okay, we'll visit Secretary Guo when we have time. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"Um!"

Seeing his mother, who had been so aggressive just moments before, now speaking softly and politely, Bai Yongqiang, oblivious to the danger, blurted out, "Mom, didn't you say they didn't take our maternal grandfather's family seriously? Why are you being so polite with them now? Why don't you open your mouth and start scolding them!"

That unlucky kid, he had to bring up the very thing he shouldn't have said. Song Yu slapped him on the forehead, and Bai Yongqiang cried out in pain, clutching his head. Bai Yueling covered her mouth and giggled. This dim-witted brother deserved to be beaten.

"Then go directly to Chen Zaidong tomorrow," Song Yu said to her husband after finishing her cigarette. "Talk to him properly, explain the reasons and evidence. It was your Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation that contacted them first. The fault doesn't just lie with the municipal government; Xiaochi also bears some responsibility!"

Bai Jianbo shook his head with a wry smile. If Chen Dong were really that easy to talk to, then he wouldn't have had to argue with him and let Gao Yueming from the municipal government take advantage of the situation.

It seems we'll have to bring Fan Guotao along tomorrow too. If we want Chen Dong to change his mind and renegotiate, Shanghai Automotive and the municipal government will have to bleed a lot more money.

"Alright, let's eat. Don't worry about this. I'll handle it," Bai Jianbo waved his hand, indicating that they should eat first.