Fifty million a day, trapped in the county town, can't spend it all.

After Liu Quanyou left, Zhang Yang sorted out the whole story in his mind.

Chen Rou, standing to the side, asked, "Do you think he resembles Zhao Yongchang's person?"

"Not necessarily, but it's highly likely related. I've only been back for a short time, and I can count the number of local bosses I know on one hand. If he really wanted to cooperate, why would he come now of all times?"

"So what are your plans?"

"Let's investigate his background first."

He took out his phone, found Cheng Kainian's number, and dialed it.

"Mr. Zhang, what is it?"

"Director Cheng, I need to ask you about someone."

"Who?"

"Liu Quanyou, he says he works in supply chain logistics, do you know him?"

"Liu Quanyou? He contacted you?" Cheng Kainian asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

"I just arrived at the company this afternoon, saying I'm here to discuss cooperation."

Cheng Kainian was silent for a moment: "President Zhang, I suggest you keep your distance from this person."

"How so?"

"Liu Quanyou's network of relationships is very complicated. He and Zhao Yongchang are not in the same group, but they are close. Liu Quanyou is not one to offend people. He has met me a few times at dinner. He was all smiles when toasting, but he became very secretive when it came to serious matters."

After listening, Zhang Yang nodded: "I understand."

Cheng Kainian hesitated for a moment: "If he contacts you again, don't get too close to him. He hasn't done anything particularly bad, but he might relay messages for anyone. Every word you say to him today could reach Zhao Yongchang's ears tomorrow."

"I understand, thank you, Director Cheng."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang placed it on the table, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Chen Rou: "When Liu Quan contacts me next time, please make a note of the time."

Chen Rou nodded. "Okay."

Knowing that Liu Quanyou belonged to the neutral category, Zhang Yang felt much more at ease. After all, there are plenty of places to negotiate as long as there is profit to be made.

Liu Quanyou is very shrewd. As long as things are done according to the rules, Zhang Yang will not refuse to cooperate with him. Besides, Zhang Yang can really use the resources he has. As for how to negotiate later, that's a matter for later.

That evening, Zhang Yang was having dinner at home when an unknown number called.

"Feed?"

"Mr. Zhang, this is Liu Quanyou. Is it convenient for us to talk?"

"Mr. Liu, please speak."

"We were in a rush this afternoon and didn't have a chance to talk properly," Liu Quanyou said in a very easygoing tone. "I was thinking that we could have a meal together another day, and I'll introduce you to a few friends who have been doing business in Mou County for many years. If you all get to know each other, you can look out for each other if anything comes up in the future."

Zhang Yang's lips curled up slightly.

"Sure, Mr. Liu, I'll make the arrangements. I'll be there then."

"Alright, I'll let you know once I've arranged a place." Liu Quanyou smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, it's just a meal with some friends, nothing more."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang placed it on the dining table. Chen Xiuyun, sitting opposite him, looked up and glanced at him: "Work-related again?"

Zhang Yang nodded.

"You're always so busy, you never have time to rest. There's always work to be done at the factory. It's time to eat."

"understood."

He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, but his mind was on something else. Was Zhao Yongchang also at the gathering organized by Liu Quanyou? Or was Zhao Yongchang hiding in the shadows, having someone else act on his behalf?

......

Two days later, Liu Quanyou sent the address: Cangmengyang Private Kitchen.

Zhang Yang was stunned when he saw the address. Cangmengyang Private Kitchen? He had never heard of it before.

When Zhang Yang arrived at six o'clock in the afternoon, there were already five people sitting in the private room. Liu Quanyou was sitting next to the main seat, chatting with a man in a dark jacket. When he saw Zhang Yang arrive, he immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile: "Mr. Zhang is here! Come, come, sit here."

Zhang Yang sat down next to Liu Quanyou and quickly glanced around.

He didn't recognize any of the five people.

Liu Quanyou began the introduction: "This is General Manager Wang, who deals in agricultural supplies. Most of the pesticides and fertilizers in the county come from him." A man in his fifties nodded in acknowledgment.

"This is Mr. Zhou, he's in the transportation business. He has a lot of trucks, much bigger than my stall," the man in the dark jacket said with a smile.

"This is Mr. Chen, who has been in the catering business for over 20 years and has invested in many restaurants in the county."

Zhang Yang nodded to each of them, wearing a standard social smile.

He noticed something: none of the five people resembled Zhao Yongchang; they were all legitimate business owners. If Cheng Kainian hadn't mentioned beforehand that Liu Quanyou and Zhao Yongchang were close, he might have genuinely thought it was just an ordinary dinner party for local business owners.

The dishes were served one after another, and the wine was opened. Liu Quanyou invited everyone to eat, and no one brought up the important matter.

The conversation revolved around trivial matters of Mou County. Zhang Yang listened most of the time, only speaking occasionally when asked a question.

After several rounds of drinks, Mr. Wang, who was sitting opposite Zhang Yang, put down his chopsticks and glanced at Zhang Yang.

"Mr. Zhang, you've been back for a while now, haven't you?"

Zhang Yang put down his wine glass: "About twenty days."

"To accomplish such a large task in just over twenty days is impressive," Mr. Wang smiled. "However, I have a question I've been wanting to ask: now that you've returned from your trip, do you think doing business in Mou County is easy?"

Zhang Yang glanced around and roughly understood the meaning of this dinner party.

While seemingly asking about business, he was actually probing his attitude towards the culture of the clique.

"Whether it's easy or difficult depends on who you compare it to." Zhang Yang smiled. "It's definitely harder compared to big cities, but while there are more opportunities in big cities, everything has a price tag. In smaller places, relationships are more important. However, as long as you follow the rules, I think it's doable."

"Rules?" Mr. Wang asked with a smile. "What rules are you talking about, Mr. Zhang?"

"The law is the bottom line, contracts are the guarantee, and integrity is the foundation." Zhang Yang put down his wine glass. "These are the three principles I follow in doing business. As for the rest, I don't understand them, and I don't want to understand them."

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table, then Liu Quanyou burst into laughter: "Well said, Mr. Zhang is indeed a man of the world. Come on, let's drink!"

......

It was almost nine o'clock when the dinner party ended. Zhang Yang didn't drink much. Apart from the first glass of baijiu, he mostly drank tea instead of alcohol, claiming that he couldn't hold his liquor.

Liu Quanyou saw him to the door: "Mr. Zhang, today is just for getting acquainted, nothing more. If you need anything in Mou County in the future, feel free to contact me anytime."

"Thank you, Mr. Liu. I'll remember this meal. I'll treat you another day."

Liu Quanyou smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and turned back to greet the others.

Zhang Yang stood at the entrance of the teahouse, lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and then took out his phone to call Cheng Kainian.

"Mr. Zhang, how is it?"

"We had a meal together. There were five people, one in the agricultural supplies business, one in transportation, and one in the catering business. They were all legitimate businessmen, and none of them had anything to do with Zhao Yongchang."

Cheng Kainian was silent for a moment, then asked, "What did he say?"

"We didn't talk about anything serious, just chatting idly. There was this Mr. Wang who works in agricultural supplies who asked me a question: after coming back from outside, do you think it's easy to do business in Mou County?"

"What did you say?"

"I said the law is the bottom line, contracts are the guarantee, and integrity is the foundation."

Cheng Kainian laughed and said, "This meal... wasn't like Liu Quanyou's style. He didn't mention anything specific, like asking you to give him the logistics package or recommend any suppliers?"

"no."

"That's even stranger," Cheng Kainian said疑惑地, "If he really wanted to connect with Zhao Yongchang, he would have to have a reason. Nothing was discussed at this meal, so there can only be one purpose..."

Zhang Yang continued, "I thought he was just an ordinary local boss."

"Mr. Zhang, what are your plans?"

Zhang Yang stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can: "Profit is the most powerful motivator."