Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

Liu Yukun wiped his face and walked out of the restroom.

He went straight to the study, opened the safe in the corner, and counted out five thousand dollars.

He put the five thousand yuan on the coffee table.

"Zhizhi, your mother has come all this way, it's not easy for her. Take her to the No. 1 Department Store to buy some nice clothes, to a traditional restaurant to eat some local specialties, and then to a Western restaurant. All expenses for the next few days are on me, don't be stingy. If she needs anything, just let me know."

"I've been quite busy at the shop these past few days, and I don't want to bother you. I'll book a hotel; you can stay with your mother for a few nights. How about the Peace Hotel?"

Sheng Ruzhi glanced at the stack of banknotes and twitched the corner of her mouth.

"No need. I have enough money to take her around. My mom doesn't like places like the Peace Hotel."

She didn't take the money and turned back to the restroom.

The door was locked from the inside.

Liu Yukun stood there, staring at the closed bathroom door.

He grabbed five thousand yuan from the coffee table, walked to the entryway, unzipped Sheng Ruzhi's purse, and stuffed the money inside.

Two more days passed.

The conference room was filled with smoke.

Vice Mayor Wang, who is in charge of the economy of Shanghai, sat in the main seat, with several people from the Investment Promotion Office and Secretariat to his left.

Song Xianglan, Shi Changrong, Chen Zui and Shi Xinyi sat opposite.

The atmosphere seemed harmonious, but everyone was secretly plotting something.

Shi Changrong spoke first.

"Mayor Wang, I plan to build a brewery in Haishi. Also, my grandfather's generation went to Southeast Asia and made their fortune in textiles. I'm also interested in setting up a garment factory. If these two projects are launched, the demand for workers will definitely be substantial."

Vice Mayor Wang nodded.

He looked at the director of the investment promotion office.

The director of the investment promotion office chimed in:

"Boss Shi's investment is quite substantial. If it can solve the local employment problem, we will definitely give it our full support. However, the only plot of land we can start construction on immediately is the one in Shenbei. The water and electricity connections and site preparation are all done, so we can start building the factory as soon as we acquire the land."

As for the Pudong area, the land is vast, but the roads aren't yet open, and the bridges across the river will require further planning and coordination from the city government. Even the docks need to be expanded. The construction period will definitely be extended.

Shi Changrong did not respond.

He is waiting.

Song Xianglan opened the notebook in front of her.

"We definitely want that piece of land in Shenbei," Song Xianglan said, getting straight to the point. "I want to build an instant noodle processing plant."

The director of the investment promotion office was taken aback.

"Boss Song, this is about attracting foreign investment..."

"You haven't heard of Song's Braised Beef Noodles, Director?" Song Xianglan asked calmly. "Now, distributors all over the country are lining up at the factory gate in Qingyang with cash in hand, waiting for their goods."

I urgently need to expand production capacity. Haishi has a well-developed road and rail network, and convenient water transportation, making the transportation costs to the whole country much lower than in my hometown of Qingyang. As long as the land in Shenbei is approved, I guarantee that the factory will be in its basic form within three months, and the machines will be running non-stop within six months.”

"Furthermore, many state-owned factories are not doing well these days. I've heard that some factories only have employees working half a month a month. If this continues, I'm afraid they won't even be able to work half a month. Workers also need to support their families; if they don't work, where will the money come from to pay their wages?"

"Your government also has its difficulties."

No one said a word.

Vice Mayor Wang leaned forward slightly.

"I wonder what Boss Song wants to do with that area in Pudong?"

"That large plot of land in Pudong is reserved for the potato chip factory." Song Xianglan pushed her notebook forward. "Everyone should have heard of Song's Food Factory's 'Really Delicious' potato chips."

The factory in Shenzhen has already laid its foundation, but with only one factory in the south and a small factory in Qingyang, it's impossible to cover the entire national market.

The future market size for snacks will be no less than that of daily consumer goods.

This product has high sales volume and high revenue, so the future tax revenue will definitely be impressive. Plus, it guarantees me a stable workforce, which will significantly reduce the government's labor shortage.

These words carry considerable weight.

The first thing they talked about was revenue, taxes, and solving the problem of worker employment.

"Boss Song has quite the appetite." Vice Mayor Wang picked up his teacup and blew on the floating leaves. "The land can be approved, and the policies can be granted. Since you want to build a nationwide factory, we need to negotiate these conditions."

Song Xianglan closed her notebook.

Leaning back in the chair.

"That hits the nail on the head. Mayor Wang, since I'm bringing real money to build the factory and will be creating jobs for thousands, or even tens of thousands, people in the future, shouldn't the city give me some reassurance?"

"How do you calm your mind?"

"First, if the number of employees reaches the city's target, can land prices come down?"

Song Xianglan raised her finger, "Secondly, since the factory is just starting out, shouldn't there be some actual tax discounts for the first three years?"

Third, once the factory is built, I need to recruit technical experts and management personnel from all over the country.

Could the city provide a fast track and allocate a quota, such as a few places per year, for settling in Haikou? You know, you can't retain highly skilled professionals with just salaries. Also, the process for obtaining temporary residence permits for general workers should be expedited and simplified.

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

The director of the investment promotion office couldn't help but interject.

"Boss Song, Shanghai residency is in high demand; it's not something you can just open up easily."

"Without local residency permits, we can't retain truly talented people. If my factory can't grow big, where will the city get its large tax revenue?"

Furthermore, there are conditions for household registration, such as being a college graduate or a skilled worker. This is also a good thing for Haishi in attracting talent.” Song Xianglan stood firm, her gaze fixed on Vice Mayor Wang.

"If a city wants to develop, it needs to see how many high-end talents it has. I believe that Vice Mayor Wang cherishes talent."

Vice Mayor Wang smiled.

Shanghai can indeed add a residency requirement for attracting talent.

He said to Shi Changrong, "Boss Shi, this Comrade Song has a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of our business. These conditions are incredibly shrewd."

Shi Changrong laughed along with him.

"Mayor Wang, what Boss Song raised are exactly what I wanted to ask. Without adequate policies, we're unsure about the risks of investing so much money. We urge the government to provide strong support to compassionate entrepreneurs like us."

"You can contact us for various charitable causes in Shanghai in the future."

The negotiations have officially entered a tug-of-war.

Regarding land price discounts, tax exemption and reduction periods, simplified procedures, and household registration quotas.

Each item was broken down and discussed in detail.

The two-hour meeting was a mix of tension and laughter.

Vice Mayor Wang then tentatively raised another topic.

"Boss Shi, most of you overseas Chinese are from Qingyang or surrounding cities. Logically, it would be natural for you to return home in glory and invest in factories there. Why are you coming all the way to Haishi to spend so much money?"

Shi Changrong's smile faded, and he said seriously:

"Of course I should give back to my hometown. But first and foremost, I am a businessman. Qingyang is a place with eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland. Transportation relies on winding mountain roads, and the port has enough depth, but its throughput is still insufficient."

If a large factory were to be built there, the transportation costs alone for raw materials to enter and finished products to exit would eat up a lot of the profits.

Businessmen believe in sustainable development; they can't keep doing business at a loss. Only when we make money can we go back to our hometown to build bridges and roads, and then help drive the development of our hometown.

He paused, his tone resolute.

"Our group has been keeping a close eye on Shanghai and Shenzhen. After careful consideration, Shanghai has a larger scale and a stronger foundation."

These words completely saved face for the leaders of Hai City.

Vice Mayor Wang laughed heartily.

"Boss Shi is a shrewd man. I heard that your richest man is also interested in returning to China for an inspection? I think Haishi is the most suitable place for the first stop."

"I will definitely recommend you," Shi Changrong readily agreed.

After both sides have thoroughly understood each other's bottom lines.

The plan was finalized quickly.

Song Xianglan and Shi Changrong each acquired 100 mu of the readily available land in Shenbei.

According to their respective needs, Song Xianglan took 150 mu of that undeveloped wasteland in Pudong, while Shi Changrong took 180 mu.

This is accompanied by a stringent schedule for construction and production.

If no factory construction begins in Shenbei within six months, the land will be reclaimed at any time.

The meeting ended at noon.

Vice Mayor Wang hosted a private room at a long-established restaurant not far from the municipal government.

We didn't order any alcohol during the meal.

Each person has a bowl of rice and several authentic Shanghai local dishes.

Braised pork belly, sizzling eel, roasted gluten, and braised pork and bamboo shoots...

Once the formal atmosphere of the meeting room was shed, the atmosphere at the dinner table became much more relaxed.

"I'm truly impressed by the business environment in Haishi," Shi Changrong said, picking up a piece of eel with his chopsticks. "When I get back to the hotel, I'm going to call all my old golf buddies from Southeast Asia. I have to drag them over to check out the land."

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Shi." Vice Mayor Wang offered a toast with tea instead of wine. "We welcome you with open arms."

Song Xianglan put down her chopsticks and continued the conversation.

"Shanghai has its advantages, but the policies in Shenzhen change every day. The efficiency is astonishing. Boss Shi, you should send your old colleagues to Shenzhen for a visit. You can't put all your eggs in one basket."

Vice Mayor Wang's hand, which was holding a teacup, froze in mid-air as he pointed at Song Xianglan and burst out laughing.