"Mayor Qin, you're a seasoned veteran of the political arena. You should know how deep the waters run here."
Chen Feng said with utmost seriousness.
"Chen Feng, I'm not an idiot. Of course, I know. But what good does knowing do? This policy has already been implemented with great fanfare. You know the Chinese political scene, Chen Feng. It never asks about right or wrong, only about interests. As long as there are interests, even if it's wrong, it will continue to be wrong! Also, you should understand something. Those at the top aren't foolish at all. They know everything. The reason they feign ignorance and push ahead is definitely because there are profits to be made!"
Qin Yan explained with a stern expression.
Chen Feng felt a sense of comfort after listening to her.
Although Qin Yan was a woman, her political acumen was quite high.
"Mayor Qin, since you know how deep the waters are, then tell me, if those at the top clearly know, why do they still insist on pushing forward? Isn't that just fooling themselves? What 'enormous profits' are fooling themselves?"
Chen Feng intentionally asked Qin Yan.
"In one word: China needs a large number of low-skilled workers. Think about it, if everyone graduates from university and becomes a highly skilled talent, who will work in factories? Who will be a waiter, who will sweep the streets?… These are difficult and tiring jobs that university graduates would certainly not do. It can only be junior high or high school graduates. So, you understand…"
Qin Yan continued to speak with a serious expression.
"Mayor Qin, your explanation is very thorough. A society truly needs people with low education levels, people who are exploited and oppressed, for it to function. However, I don't quite agree with sacrificing poor students who are talented but lack money. I agree with sacrificing those poor students who don't want to study and spend their days playing. These students are most suitable to serve as the lowest stratum of society. After all, people must pay the price for their impulsiveness and their foolishness. If you don't like studying, working in a factory is a good option."
Chen Feng explained seriously.
"Chen Feng, your way of thinking is too idealistic. Truly, when working in politics, you cannot be too idealistic. Politics is the most realistic place. It only has naked self-interest, with no trace of warmth. It's completely unrealistic for you to seek benefits for diligent or talented poor students. Society loves to exploit the poor the most. Listen to me, don't get involved in this matter. Just focus on developing the economy of Mingshan City. Our capabilities are limited right now, and we can't change all of China."
Qin Yan earnestly advised Chen Feng.
"Mayor Qin, I acknowledge your words. However, asking me to compromise with the dark side of politics is something I cannot do. You ask me to focus my main energy on Mingshan City's economic development, but the problem is, no matter how much Mingshan City's economy develops, the poor will remain poor. The poor cannot enjoy the rights of fair competition. What's the point of such powerful economic development? This situation must change. However, I'm not foolish enough to openly oppose those at the top. My approach is to continue providing tutoring for poor students outside of regular classes, just with a different name…"
Chen Feng explained with a serious expression.
"A different name?"
Qin Yan was taken aback.
"Yes, just a different name. We'll boldly call it 'Cultivation of Artistic Sensibility for Poor Students' outside of regular classes. Especially, the word 'artistic' will be prominently displayed."
Chen Feng said word by word.
"Chen Feng, this move of yours is truly brilliant."
Qin Yan couldn't help but exclaim.
"Qin Yan, since you understand my intentions, why don't we proceed according to my plan? Honestly speaking, for Mingshan City's education to achieve significant development, it primarily relies on children from poor families. As the saying goes, children from poor families mature early, and most of them are very eager to learn and possess talent. If we allocate funds to this group, Mingshan City's education will definitely flourish."
Chen Feng said calmly.
"No problem."
Qin Yan replied with a smile.
For the next week, Qin Yan primarily focused on the special fund subsidy projects for the extracurricular tutoring of poor students.
Chen Feng was not idle either. He spent a week conducting an undercover investigation of Mingshan City's largest industrial zone.
The reason Chen Feng chose to conduct an undercover investigation this time was that in the past, during official visits, he couldn't gather any useful information.
It's the same in the Chinese political arena; once subordinates know that superiors are coming for an inspection, they prepare long in advance and present their best side.
Naturally, official inspections yielded no results.
Therefore, Chen Feng stealthily conducted an undercover investigation in Mingshan City's largest industrial zone.
For Mingshan City's economy to achieve significant development, besides keeping pace with education, the most crucial core is that Mingshan City's industrial zone must exhibit robust vitality.
So, how can Mingshan City exhibit robust vitality? It needs to minimize the unscrupulous phenomena that hinder the development of Mingshan City's industrial zone.
As Chen Feng had anticipated, after a week, he discovered a major unscrupulous phenomenon.
To be precise, this unscrupulous phenomenon in Mingshan City's largest industrial zone is not unique to Mingshan City; it's the same across various regions in China.
They ruthlessly exploit external investors.
They treat external investors like Tang Monk's flesh, constantly thinking of taking a big bite.
Of course, the specific methods of exploiting external investors vary from place to place. In Mingshan City's largest industrial zone, the method is to collect road construction fees from external investors within the industrial zone. Nominally, it's voluntary, but in reality, external investors must pay this money.
If external investors do not pay this money, then they will never get the last few meters of road to their factories.
Without access to the roads, goods and raw materials cannot be transported in and out.
In such situations, even complaints from external investors are useless. This is because the Mingshan City Industrial Zone Management Committee has a solid reason: the roads within the industrial park are undergoing overall planning, and blockages in individual roads are normal.
"Chen Feng, you really intend to rectify the industrial park's practice of exploiting external investors?"
Qin Yan was busy with the subsidy projects for the poor student training, so Cheng Lu was the only one with time.
Therefore, Cheng Lu was the first to try and persuade Chen Feng.
"For Mingshan City's economy to achieve significant development, such phenomena that hinder economic development must be curbed!"
Chen Feng said sternly.
"Chen Feng, I understand this principle. But the problem is, exploiting external investors is an unwritten rule in the Chinese political arena. Are you going to challenge this unwritten rule?"
Cheng Lu tried to persuade Chen Feng.