Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

Chapter 84: Land, Policies, and the Future

Luo Xiyuan stood up and reached out to hold Li Wenbo's hand.

Director Li's hand was strong, conveying a composure unique to officials within the system.

"Thank you, Director Li. I await your good news." Luo Xiyuan withdrew her hand neither humbly nor arrogantly.

With the negotiations having progressed to this point, Luo Xiyuan knew the time was right.

She didn't dwell on the specific policy details, because those were things that Li Wenbo couldn't decide on the spot.

Her purpose in coming today was to plant a seed of shock in the heart of the provincial department's top leader.

The seed has now been planted and sprouted. Now it's time to wait for the harvest.

"County Chief Zhou, you've done a great service to the province this time." Li Wenbo turned to Zhou Liang'an, his tone filled with obvious admiration. "Being able to discover such an enterprise shows that Qinghe County has done a very thorough job."

Zhou Liang'an was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly: "Director Li, you flatter me. It's all thanks to President Luo's own abilities. I just did a little matchmaking work."

"Doing a good job in service is also a form of productivity," Li Wenbo said, picking up the business plan from the table. "Alright, I have a meeting soon. You guys go back and wait for news. If there are any technical issues that need to be verified, I'll have my secretary contact you."

"Okay, Director Li, you're busy, we won't bother you any longer," Zhou Liang'an quickly said.

Luo Xiyuan picked up her briefcase and followed Zhou Liang'an out of the conference room.

Only after stepping out of the Science and Technology Hall did Zhou Liang'an finally let out a long sigh of relief. He felt his back was soaked with sweat.

"Little Luo, you were incredibly audacious in there just now." Zhou Liang'an walked to the car, looked at Luo Xiyuan, and couldn't help but say, "You asked Director Li for protection and even dared to boast about 5 billion in three years. If you can't deliver on that promise, and the province investigates, we'll all be in deep trouble."

Luo Xiyuan stopped and looked at Zhou Liang'an.

"County Chief Zhou, doing business is like playing cards. If you're holding a royal flush, you can't play like a commoner." Luo Xiyuan said calmly, "If I don't paint a bigger picture, why should the province give me the best land and policies? Baidu and Tencent are already catching up. I don't have time to slowly apply for any small and micro enterprise subsidies. I have to get it right the first time."

Zhou Liang'an was stunned. He realized that he had actually been lectured by a fifteen-year-old girl.

But upon closer reflection, Luo Xiyuan was right. What the province wants are achievements, impressive projects that can be presented. If you try to hide things, they'll think you lack confidence.

"So, are those instant messaging and e-commerce platforms you mentioned real?" Zhou Liang'an asked tentatively. He was afraid that this young girl was just making empty promises.

"Of course it's true." Luo Xiyuan opened the car door. "I don't make empty promises. Those projects are already in my mind, and as long as the funding and team are in place, we can start them anytime."

Zhou Liang'an watched Luo Xiyuan get into the car, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He suddenly felt that he might never reach the level of this young girl in his lifetime.

"Let's go, County Chief Zhou. I'll treat you to lunch," Luo Xiyuan said in the car.

"No, no, no, now that we're in the provincial capital, how can I let a young girl like you treat me? I'll treat you." Zhou Liang'an quickly got into the car and instructed the driver to go to a decent restaurant nearby.

At the dinner table, Zhou Liang'an took the opportunity of serving tea to probe Luo Xiyuan's background several times, wanting to know where she learned her skills.

Luo Xiyuan handled the situation with ease, attributing everything to her love of reading business books and her innate sensitivity to numbers. Zhou Liang'an, though somewhat skeptical, couldn't find any flaws and could only conclude that she was a prodigy.

At the same time, in Qinghe County, at the No. 1 Middle School.

When the school bell rang at noon, students flocked to the cafeteria.

Luo Wen packed his schoolbag and headed towards the school gate instead of going to the cafeteria. He was going to the pork shop in town at noon to help Zhang Lan check the week's accounts.

As soon as he reached the edge of the playground, several people blocked his way.

Leading the group was Qian Baosheng. He was wearing a designer sports jacket, twirling a basketball in his hand, and had a nonchalant attitude.

"Hey, isn't this Luo Wen, our class's accounting genius?" Qian Baosheng bounced the basketball twice on the ground, stopping Luo Wen. "What's wrong? In such a hurry to get home and count your money?"

Luo Wen stopped and looked at Qian Baosheng. He knew that Qian Baosheng had always felt resentful about his family's sudden wealth.

"What is it?" Luo Wen asked in a cold tone.

"Can't I just chat with you if there's nothing wrong?" Qian Baosheng leaned closer. "I heard your family bought an entire building in the county town? And your dad even drives an Audi. Wow, raising pigs can make you this successful. Everyone in the county is envious."

"That's legal income. If you want to learn, I can lend you a pig farming manual," Rowan retorted expressionlessly.

Qian Baosheng choked for a moment, and his face turned a little pale.

"Don't play dumb with me. My dad's in construction. He said your family's definitely involved in some shady business." Qian Baosheng lowered his voice. "Luo Wen, I have a way to make money. Are you interested in joining me?"

Luo Wen looked at him but didn't say anything.

Qian Baosheng, thinking Luo Wen was interested, smiled smugly: "I know some guys from vocational high school who make game cheats. Happy Farm is all the rage right now, isn't it? They made an auto-stealing cheat, and it's selling like hotcakes. You're smart, can you help us do the math? We'll split the profits. How about it?"

When Luo Wen heard the words "Happy Farm" and "cheating software," he almost burst out laughing.

These idiots actually went to the brother of the owner of Happy Farm to try and sell him cheat codes. It's like trying to teach a master swordsman how to use his axe in front of an expert.

"No interest," Luo Wen refused outright. "Besides, I advise you not to touch that stuff. Happy Farm's legal department is cracking down on cheating software lately, and if you get caught, you'll go to jail. Don't risk your life for that little bit of money."

"Who are you trying to scare? They're in Shanghai, I'm in Qinghe County, do you think they can come and catch me by following the internet?" Qian Baosheng curled his lip in disdain.

Luo Wen was too lazy to waste words with him, so he walked around him and continued forward.

"Luo Wen, don't push your luck!" Qian Baosheng shouted from behind, "Do you think you can do whatever you want with your little bit of money?"

In Qinghe County, my dad knows more people than your family has ever eaten salt!

Luo Wen didn't turn around, but silently made a note of it in his heart.

He decided to send a message to his sister that night, asking the legal department to thoroughly investigate the IP addresses in Qinghe County. Since Qian Baosheng wanted to play around, he'd show him what a devastating blow really was.

Luo Wen walked out of the school gate and boarded a minibus to town.

It was already 12:30 pm when we arrived at the "Luo's Safe Meat" specialty store in town.

There were still a few customers buying meat in the store. The store manager, Zhang Lan, wearing a clean white coat, was enthusiastically cutting ribs for an older woman.

"Auntie, look at these ribs, how fresh they are. These are from organically raised pigs on our Luo's Farm, so you can eat them with complete peace of mind." Zhang Lan's voice was loud and clear, and her knife moved swiftly and skillfully.

Luo Wen entered the store without disturbing Zhang Lan, and went behind the cashier to open the ledger.

He looked through the sales records for the past few days and found that today's turnover was about 10% lower than usual.

After all the customers left, Zhang Lan wiped her hands with a towel and walked to the cashier.

"Awen's here. Have you eaten? Aunt Lan will make you a bowl of noodles?" Zhang Lan asked warmly.

"I've eaten, Aunt Lan." Luo Wen pointed to the figures in the ledger. "Why is the turnover lower today?"

Zhang Lan sighed and lowered her voice, saying, "Don't even mention it. That Mr. Li from the farmers' market across the street, this morning he somehow got his hands on a batch of cheap pork, and with a sign saying 'Clearance Sale at a Loss,' he lured away a bunch of our regular customers."

Luo Wen frowned. This Boss Li had opposed the Luo family during the village meeting before, and now he was starting a price war.

"How much does he sell it for per kilogram?" Luo Wen asked.

"It's two yuan cheaper than ours," Zhang Lan said angrily. "I've seen it myself; the meat is whitish and watery to the touch—it's obviously injected with water. But those old men and women insist on buying it because it's cheap. We can't do our legitimate business anymore."

Luo Wen did some calculations on the draft paper. If the price was two yuan cheaper and the supply channels were legitimate, Boss Li would definitely lose money.

He's trying to kill a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own, using bad money to drive out good money.

"Aunt Lan, don't worry." Luo Wen put down his pencil. "He sells his watered-down meat, we sell our safe meat. This afternoon, set up a big pot at the door and stew our ribs right there. Let the whole street smell the aroma of meat."

Zhang Lan's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! True gold fears no fire, and good meat fears no stewing!"

"Also, find someone you know and buy two jin of meat from Boss Li. Take it to the county's Industry and Commerce Bureau for testing." Luo Wen raised his head, his eyes revealing a coldness beyond his years. "Since he wants to play dirty tricks, let's make him shut down."