Family connections: From special recruitment by the county committee to the pinnacle of power

Despite it being just a casual remark, Xu Hansheng instantly caught Liu Zhiqiang's attention.

This adaptability and exceptional language skills were something that even Liu Zhiqiang found hard to match.

It is especially rare for a young person to give him such a pleasant feeling in such a short time, and for Liu Zhiqiang to feel that there was still more to talk about during the conversation.

Even he might not be able to remain as composed as Xu Hansheng in the face of any situation.

"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Liu. I'd like to propose a toast to you."

As Xu Hansheng spoke, he picked up the wine dispenser, filled Liu Zhiqiang's glass with wine, and then picked up his own glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Liu Zhiqiang also smiled and raised his glass, downing a drink in one gulp.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Liu Zhiqiang finally put down his chopsticks and said, "Tell me, this meal today wasn't just a casual remark, was it? If I drink too much later, we won't be able to talk about anything."

After saying that, Liu Zhiqiang looked at Xu Hansheng with a smile.

Xu Hansheng put down his chopsticks, took out a tissue to wipe the grease from the corner of his mouth, and said with a smile, "Nothing can be hidden from Uncle Liu. It's like this, our county has always been very optimistic about Tiancheng Holdings' investment project, but the previous negotiations were not very satisfactory and did not meet your company's expectations. So, County Chief Lin specially asked me to ask my second uncle for help."

As he spoke, Xu Hansheng turned to look at Xu Weimin, then continued, "It's lucky for us, really. My second uncle happens to know Uncle Liu, so he brought us here. Of course, I also know that Tiancheng Holdings is a key enterprise supported by our Qingshan City, and it's a major taxpayer every year. They might not have a high opinion of our small county."

"I just want to say that both County Party Secretary Qi and County Head Lin are very supportive of your company. If Uncle Liu could explain to me what concerns he might have about the company, without violating any principles?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiqiang nodded repeatedly and said, "Well said. You're the first person to ask this question, unlike the people who came to negotiate before, who talked nonsense as if as long as they invested in your county, everything would be smooth sailing. Some problems are not only our company's concerns, but the county may not be able to solve them either."

As they were talking, Liu Zhiqiang briefly explained to Xu Hansheng why Tiancheng Holdings had not yet decided which county around Qingshan City to locate its branch factory.

In summary, the problem boils down to one sentence: environmental protection equipment is very difficult to solve.

Because Tiancheng Holdings manufactures automotive circuit boards, the production process involves discharging large amounts of wastewater containing heavy metals. If this wastewater is discharged directly without treatment, it will pollute groundwater and drinking water sources.

Even if the county temporarily approves projects with the green light in order to attract investment, something big will happen one day.

Tiancheng Holdings is a listed company and simply cannot afford such heavy negative news.

However, even if the company expresses its concerns, some issues may not be resolved satisfactorily.

Promises made in earnest are rarely put into practice.

Without resolving this issue, Tiancheng Holdings will never feel comfortable building a factory in any county.

After listening to Liu Zhiqiang's words, Xu Hansheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Uncle Liu, the problem you mentioned is indeed one that many people tend to overlook these days. This shows that the senior management of Tiancheng Holdings, including Uncle Liu, are all very responsible and conscientious entrepreneurs."

Indeed, back in 2004, nobody cared about even a little bit of sewage, let alone carcinogenicity.

Although there were local environmental protection bureaus, they had virtually no say in the matter at that time.

It wasn't until 2016 that environmental protection became an important performance indicator for government officials, and it was from that time that environmental protection was put on the agenda in various places.

Xu Hansheng had served as the governor of Handong Province in his previous life, so he had some understanding of environmental protection.

Throughout the entire province, the only company capable of resolving the problems Liu Zhiqiang mentioned is Handong Environment, a subsidiary of the Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau.

Although the company's wastewater treatment equipment was state-of-the-art at the time, it had virtually no market due to its high cost. If it weren't for the funding it received, it would probably have gone bankrupt long ago.

"You can't say that. After all, polluting groundwater or farmland means you have to take responsibility. If something goes wrong, it'll be a big deal."

Liu Zhiqiang shook his head and sighed repeatedly as he said this.

It wasn't that the problem he mentioned couldn't be solved, but rather that he felt bad for not being able to help Xu Hansheng and for having eaten a nice meal from a junior for nothing.

In his view, this was something that even many county party committee and county government directors couldn't solve, so Xu Hansheng, a mere clerk, had even less hope.

Environmental protection alone was enough to make Xu Hansheng hesitate.

But the next second, Xu Hansheng smiled and said, "Uncle Liu, if our county can apply to the province for sewage treatment equipment through the Environmental Protection Bureau, can our company bear part of the cost? Of course, the county also has a need for sewage treatment, so this cost will not be fully borne by our company. Uncle Liu can rest assured about that."

Oh?

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiqiang looked at Xu Hansheng with surprise and said, "Such a big matter, I'm afraid you can't make this decision, can you?"

Xu Hansheng smiled and nodded, saying, "Uncle Liu, I certainly can't make that decision myself, but I believe Secretary Qi won't let us down. Isn't a responsible company like yours a perfect match for Secretary Qi, the most responsible person in our county committee?"

"I believe that as long as my suggestion reaches Secretary Qi, it will definitely receive a response."

Applying for this sewage treatment equipment is a rare order for the company under the provincial environmental protection bureau. Moreover, sewage treatment is a long-term investment that will have a profound impact on Yutong County, and may even benefit the people of the county for decades!

Any secretary with ambition will give it serious consideration.

Don't underestimate that sewage treatment plant. Over time, even after ten or twenty years, the plant is still there, and the people are gone. That's an achievement that can't be moved away.

Based on Xu Hansheng's assessment of Qi Hongchang, he would definitely consider the matter carefully in order to successfully attract investment. However, the key was how to put his ideas on Secretary Qi's desk and make him see them.

The meal lasted until 9 p.m.

Xu Weimin suggested that they stay in Qingshan City tonight and return to Yutong County early tomorrow morning, but Xu Weimin refused.

It's not a good thing for him to be absent from work without reason after just starting his job.

Especially since Li Qiang and Xu Changqing are keeping a close eye on him, he can't afford to give them any leverage.

Besides, Qingshan City is only a little over an hour's drive from Yutong County, so consider it as working overtime!

"I'll take you there."

Although Xu Weimin had drunk some alcohol, he wasn't drunk yet, and he stepped towards the car.

Xu Hansheng hurriedly grabbed Xu Weimin and said, "Second Uncle, you've been drinking. You can't drive. It's too dangerous. I've already asked Old Chen to pick us up. Just leave the car at the restaurant entrance and come back to pick it up tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Xu Hansheng pulled Xu Weimin and Xu He into his car. After dropping Xu Weimin off at home, Xu Hansheng and his group headed towards Yutong County.

"Hansheng, let's go back. How should we write this report? I'm worried that if we report the truth, Li Qiang and Xu Changqing will definitely find a loophole."

Xu He said to Xu Hansheng with some difficulty.