"Chen Feng, aren't you being too perfunctory with your persuasion? Agricultural preferential treatment, what does that have to do with Hongfeng Electronics Factory? If there's no connection, how can you make extra money?" Nie Xiaosu asked, looking puzzled.
"Miss Nie, you still don't understand the officialdom. Let me put it this way, as long as the officialdom says Hongfeng Electronics Factory is related to agriculture, then it's definitely related. They can just make up a reason to say it's related to agriculture. Conversely, if the higher authorities say Hongfeng Electronics Factory is not related to agriculture, even if Hongfeng Electronics Factory grows crops, they have a reason to say it's not related to agriculture," Chen Feng explained patiently.
"Chen Feng, is this your imagination, or is this how reality is?" Nie Xiaosu asked curiously.
"Of course, it's from personal experience, and quite a lot of it. I can only say that the absurd operations in officialdom are always more numerous and outrageous than you can imagine," Chen Feng said calmly.
"Since you've said so, tell me, how can Hongfeng Electronics Factory be related to agriculture?" Nie Xiaosu asked curiously.
"It's simple. When filing taxes, you can change the declared name of some electronic components to 'agricultural machinery control chip components.' Wouldn't that make it related to agriculture?" Chen Feng said with a slight smile.
"It can be like that too?" Nie Xiaosu said, feeling dizzy.
"This is officialdom. You have to adapt slowly and integrate slowly. Of course, if you hadn't lent money to the Finance Bureau this time, you wouldn't even dream of such good things. In China, good things do happen every day, but they are prepared for people who have connections," Chen Feng said seriously.
"Chen Feng, I suddenly have an idea. Since officialdom is so good, can I spend money to enter officialdom?" Nie Xiaosu asked tentatively.
"In principle, there's no problem. As long as you can pay enough, you can enter officialdom. However, spending money to enter officialdom now is not as exaggerated as in ancient China. In ancient China, spending money to enter officialdom was clearly priced and blatant. Now, with the emphasis on civilized officialdom, such unscrupulous acts are not done so openly. But, I don't recommend you enter officialdom," Chen Feng replied calmly and composedly.
"Chen Feng, this is strange. You can enter officialdom, why can't I?" Nie Xiaosu said indignantly.
"Officialdom is a dye vat, a vortex. If you, a woman, enter it, what about your body? Moreover, your kindhearted nature is not suitable for officialdom," Chen Feng retorted calmly.
"Are you implying that for a woman to do well in officialdom, she must offer her body? I don't agree with that. Not to mention others, Qin Yan and Cheng Lu are also women, and they are doing very well in officialdom, aren't they? Also, isn't being kindhearted a virtue? Why can't you enter officialdom?" Nie Xiaosu retorted indignantly.
"Miss Nie, you are you, and they are them. You can't just compare them together." Chen Feng did not explicitly state it, as it would hurt Nie Xiaosu. Qin Yan was smart enough not to be manipulated by officialdom. Cheng Lu was also not manipulated because her father was a powerful figure in officialdom.
"Chen Feng, saying that makes me want to try even more. I don't believe that, being the same gender, I can't compare to Qin Yan and Cheng Lu," Nie Xiaosu said with a hint of jealousy.
"In that case, how about you try experiencing the ups and downs of officialdom first, and then decide whether to enter or not, can you do that?" Chen Feng said unhurriedly. The best way to persuade an adult is to speak with facts. Actually doing it once is better than a thousand words of preaching.
"That can be arranged. But how can I have a practical experience of officialdom? To be honest, I'm quite looking forward to it," Nie Xiaosu said excitedly.
"How about this: you conceal your identity and go to the Administration for Industry and Commerce to apply for a small noodle restaurant. You'll experience the absurdities of officialdom firsthand, and then you'll understand what officialdom is truly like, and whether you should enter it with your kindhearted nature," Chen Feng said calmly.
"Chen Feng, just watch. I will prove through practice that I am no worse than Qin Yan and Cheng Lu," Nie Xiaosu shouted excitedly and expectantly.
Chen Feng just smiled and did not elaborate further. Nie Xiaosu's current behavior only indicated one thing: Nie Xiaosu had not been beaten by officialdom. Nie Xiaosu didn't think much of it and went to the Administration for Industry and Commerce immediately.
"Miss, hello, I want to apply for a business license for a noodle restaurant," Nie Xiaosu said directly at the service window.
"Do you have the materials?" the staff member asked expressionlessly.
"What materials?" Nie Xiaosu was confused. She thought opening a small noodle restaurant would be easy, but she didn't expect it to be so complicated and to require materials right from the start. What materials would a small noodle restaurant need?
"Go to the side and look at the instructions. Come back when you've read them carefully." The staff member said impatiently.
"Why don't you just tell me?" Nie Xiaosu asked, suppressing her anger.
"Whether you look or not is up to you," the staff member replied coldly, then called the next person to handle their business. Nie Xiaosu was furious. No wonder Chen Feng said that officialdom in China was unusual. The staff member in front of her perfectly embodied the unusual nature of Chinese officialdom. Despite her anger, Nie Xiaosu went to the side to carefully check the materials needed to open a noodle restaurant. She was shocked to see how many procedures were required just to open a small noodle restaurant. The other procedures and documents were understandable, as everything has its rules. However, why would a small noodle restaurant need a fire safety certificate? It was too outrageous! She couldn't figure it out and ran back to ask the staff member why a small noodle restaurant needed a fire safety certificate. The staff member simply replied that it was a regulation from higher up and if she had any doubts, she should call them. Nie Xiaosu was almost driven mad. What kind of staff member was this? How were they serving the public like this? In the end, Nie Xiaosu suppressed her anger and decided not to open the noodle restaurant. Obtaining a fire safety certificate would likely cost hundreds of thousands. How much profit could a small noodle restaurant make? It seemed Chen Feng had guessed correctly. Officialdom in China was very complex. It was so complex that it made one suspect that the world was filled with malice! Take the small noodle restaurant as an example; honest people would have to pay hundreds of thousands, while those with connections would pay nothing. Or, there were those who were ruthless, like some ethnic minorities, who could simply say they didn't have a fire safety certificate but would open a noodle restaurant anyway, and ultimately, higher authorities couldn't do anything.
"How was the experience?" Chen Feng asked with a smile, looking at the dejected Nie Xiaosu.
"Don't even mention it. If I were to work as an employee in officialdom, I would probably be cursed to death by people like myself who are not in officialdom. The way business is done in officialdom is too disgusting," Nie Xiaosu replied truthfully.
"This is just the beginning. This time, you only viewed officialdom from the perspective of an outsider. If you were to view it from the perspective of someone within officialdom, you would realize that it's really hard for ordinary people to survive. To give you a more direct experience, I've decided to let you work as a minor official in Mingshan District for a few days to try it out. After that, you'll know whether officialdom is a place for women to succeed," Chen Feng said with a smile.