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

Song Huaiyuan hung up the phone with his son-in-law Bai Jianbo and paced around his study for a long time, smoking. He had been working to get Bai Jianbo a job at Shanghai Automotive for six years, and it seemed that the company was about to achieve success with the help of the emerging company, Xiaochi. He couldn't let Gao Yueming reap the benefits.

He stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the phone, and said to the operator, "Give me the Shanghai Peace Hotel; I need to speak to Chen Zaidong!"

The call was transferred several times before it finally connected. A young voice came from the other end, speaking calmly, "This is Chen Zaidong. Who is this?"

Song Huaiyuan cleared his throat, his voice carrying the composure of a seasoned veteran, "Comrade Zai Dong, I am Song Huaiyuan, Bai Jianbo's father-in-law."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Chen Dong's voice remained calm, "Mr. Song, hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

Song Huaiyuan chuckled and said, "Comrade Zai Dong, Huang Bin told me that you are a straightforward person who never beats around the bush. It seems that Huang Bin really didn't lie to me."

After Song Huaiyuan finished speaking, Chen Dong on the other side did not respond. He deliberately mentioned Huang Bin's name in his words, just to tell Chen Dong that he was able to communicate with someone like Huang Bin, the Minister of Industry, thus laying the groundwork for his next "request".

"That's too kind of Minister Huang. I grew up in America and don't really understand the social customs here in China. I prefer the straightforwardness of America. Mr. Song, please feel free to speak your mind."

"Hehe! Then I won't beat around the bush with you," Song Huaiyuan said, getting straight to the point. "Comrade Zai Dong, I know a bit about the cooperation between Shanghai Automotive and Xiaochi. Jianbo is a reliable person, but sometimes he's not flexible enough."

"Shanghai Automotive has been working on this project for over half a year. Even if they haven't achieved great success, they've certainly put in a lot of effort. The city offered you 20%, which is too low. Could you please reconsider the equity distribution for my sake?"

"Mr. Song, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, but Xiaochi has already reached an agreement with the municipal government, 80% to 20%. This is about to be submitted to the Standing Committee for discussion. I can't overturn an agreement just because Shanghai Automotive is dissatisfied; that's a matter of credibility!"

Song Huaiyuan frowned, and his tone became a bit somber. "Comrade Zai Dong, I'm not saying you should overturn the agreement outright, but I hope you can make some concessions. As an investor, if you say something, the city will listen."

Chen Dong's voice remained calm, but with a hint of coldness. "Old Song, I'll say it again: the agreement with Xiaochi will not be changed. If Shanghai Automotive wants a share, go talk to the municipal government, don't come to me."

Song Huaiyuan's hand holding the microphone trembled slightly. As a veteran official who had spent his entire life in the bureaucracy, no one had ever dared to speak to him like this before. "Comrade Zai Dong, so you mean there's no way to change it?"

"Yes," Chen Dong replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Mr. Song, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now!"

Hearing the busy tone from the receiver, Song Huaiyuan slammed the receiver down, his face turning ashen. His wife, hearing the noise, came in and, seeing Song Huaiyuan so angry, asked, "What's wrong?"

"I've worked my whole life, and this is the first time I've been outmaneuvered by a young guy," Song Huaiyuan said, increasingly indignant. His wife came over to calm him down, saying, "You're almost retired, don't get angry!"

"No, I can't handle this kid," Song Huaiyuan said, picking up the phone again and calling his son, Song Yiren, who worked at the State Council Land Bureau. He specifically asked Song Yiren to oversee the approval process for land in Pudong, Shanghai, during this period.

"Yiren, your land bureau must thoroughly investigate this matter of changing the land use designation of farmland. You must increase your intervention efforts against local officials who, for the sake of political achievements, disregard the food security of our farmers and arbitrarily change the land use designation. We absolutely cannot allow such corrupt officials to thrive!"

"Dad, I understand. Tomorrow I'll have someone re-screen the land change reports from Shanghai regarding Pudong, especially that one..."

"Xiaochi Company!" Song Huaiyuan said Chen Dong's company name to his son again. Song Yiren replied with a smile, "Okay, I know. Dad, don't be angry. Get some rest. Being angry will ruin your health."

After rejecting Bai Jianbo and Song Huaiyuan's requests for renegotiation and concessions, Chen Dong stayed in Shanghai for five days. During this time, he and Chen Zaixing spent a long time exploring Pudong, with Yang Guoliang accompanying them and helping to introduce the area.

"Mr. Chen, look, this place perfectly meets your land needs. It's bounded by Caojiagou to the east, Jufeng River to the south, Shangchuan Road to the west, and Zhaojiagou to the north, covering a total of 1.7 square kilometers," Yang Guoliang said, pointing to the map and showing it to Chen Dong.

Chen Dong stood beside the car, looking at the farmland and the dense network of waterways in front of him. Once the project started, the investment would be considerable, but considering the future land prices in Pudong and the fact that Xiaochi could exclusively occupy 1.7 square kilometers of land, Chen Dong felt that the investment was worthwhile.

"Director Yang, let's go with this area then. You've been following us around for so many days now," Chen Dong said, handing Yang Guoliang a cigarette. "As for the paperwork, please see how to fill it out. We'll have to trouble you with that later, Director Yang."

"As for the relocation compensation of farmers on the land, it will be handled according to the highest compensation offered by the Shanghai Municipal Government Land and Resources Bureau."

"Okay, no problem. I'll go to the Land Bureau this afternoon to inquire for you, Mr. Chen. I'll let you know if there are any further developments," Yang Guoliang said, feeling quite pleased with the rapid progress of the project.

After having lunch with Chen Dong and Chen Zaixing, Yang Guoliang went to the Municipal Land and Resources Bureau to consult with Director Mei Daoli about the land relocation compensation issue. However, as soon as Yang Guoliang opened his mouth, Director Mei told him something that shocked him.

"Director Yang, regarding the issue of farmland land alteration in Chuansha County that you raised, the State Council issued a new directive this morning, halting the alteration of some farmland, including the 1.7 square kilometers of land you mentioned!"

Yang Guoliang frowned. This was a project that the municipal government had already agreed upon with Chen Dong. How could the Land and Resources Bureau suddenly block him? Something was definitely amiss. Yang Guoliang looked at Mei Daoli and asked, "Director Mei, what's going on? This is a project that Mayor Gao specifically requested."

Mei Daoli shook his head and smiled wryly, "There's nothing we can do, Director Yang. It's an instruction document directly issued by the State Council Land Bureau. We can't just go against the grain. How about you ask Mayor Gao or Secretary Guo?"

Yang Guoliang immediately sensed something was wrong. Instead of going directly to Gao Yueming or Guo Yifu, he went to see Chen Dong and asked him directly, "Mr. Chen, have you offended someone?"