"Don't worry, I'll make sure the town mayor unconditionally distributes the poverty alleviation funds to your village."
Chen Feng said with full confidence.
"Chen Feng, I don't think it's possible. I grew up here, and I have some understanding of the local political landscape. People like the mayor only think about how to make more money; it's impossible for them to help the common people get rich. If the mayor had any consideration for the villagers, we wouldn't have to go to the coastal Sanhai Province to work."
Li Hongling advised Chen Feng.
"Your mayor is a person who only cares about profit, to put it mildly."
Chen Feng said with a smile.
"A person who only cares about profit is disgusting and despicable. How can they get better?"
Li Hongling asked in confusion.
"This is a matter of the political arena. You're not from the political arena, so it's normal that you don't understand. In fact, there's no need to understand. As long as you ensure your business acumen continues to improve day by day, that's enough."
Chen Feng replied calmly and composedly.
Hearing Chen Feng say this, Li Hongling stopped asking further questions.
Chen Feng, being so young yet holding the top position in the Development and Reform Commission of Ming Mountain District, fully demonstrated his strong political capabilities. Securing a town mayor shouldn't be difficult.
After a few more words with Li Hongling, Chen Feng went directly to find the mayor.
Chen Feng didn't beat around the bush; he directly asked the mayor if he wanted to make big money.
"Are you out of your mind? Do I know you? You come up to me asking if I want to make big money. Even if I wanted to make big money, I wouldn't discuss such things with you. You're a young punk, barely a few years out of university, and you're acting all senior with me? Get lost before I lose my temper."
The mayor roared.
"Since you don't want to take on the town outskirts lake beautification project, I'll say no more."
Chen Feng deliberately used a taunting approach.
The town Li Hongling was in was an underdeveloped town.
The mayor had always wanted to attract a major project, which would give him a legitimate excuse to skim some money.
However, after finally managing to get the city to approve the town outskirts lake beautification project, they had consistently failed to find investors.
Without investment, a plan was useless.
This project had been shelved for several years.
"Do you have the ability to attract investment?"
The mayor's interest was immediately piqued.
"If I didn't have this ability, why would I bother seeking you out and making trouble for myself?"
Chen Feng replied calmly and composedly.
"Kid, stop with the sweet talk. I've been trying to attract investment for years, and I haven't managed to find a single big boss. What makes you, a young punk, think you can find one?"
The mayor questioned.
"Develop tourism!"
"Do I need you to tell me that? Our town is an underdeveloped town with little industry. If we don't develop tourism, what else can we develop? But even with developing tourism as the core of our investment attraction, no boss has shown interest."
The mayor replied dejectedly.
"This is because you haven't broadened your horizons."
Chen Feng said unhurriedly.
"Stop right there! I'm almost fifty years old and have been in politics my whole life. How old are you to talk about broadening horizons with me?"
The mayor scoffed dismissively.
"Isn't there a Taoist sacred mountain nearby called Wuhu Mountain?"
Chen Feng retorted.
"Yes, the neighboring county has a Taoist sacred mountain called Wuhu Mountain. It's quite famous, and it attracts many tourists."
The mayor replied truthfully.
"That's it. Next time you attract investment, use this as your core selling point. Tell those big bosses that as long as a short-distance highway is built, tourists to Wuhu Mountain will flock to our town for tourism. Honestly, the lake scenery here is really beautiful. Then, create a historical story and boost its recognition, and it will be done!"
Chen Feng said calmly.
"Kid, you're not an ordinary person."
The mayor sighed.
"Mayor, I am indeed not an ordinary person. However, that's not important. I've helped you out significantly, can you also help me out with something?"
Chen Feng got straight to the point.
"Kid, the political arena is treacherous, and you might not understand. You've already finished helping me, so why should I help you?"
The mayor stared intently at Chen Feng.
"Mayor, to be honest, I've been guarding against you for a long time. If you truly betray me after I've helped you, then honestly, you'll be the one losing."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Trying to trick me?"
The mayor said stubbornly.
"There's nothing to trick you about. You indeed know that there's a Taoist sacred mountain in the neighboring county, Wuhu Mountain. You also know that if a short-distance highway is built to Wuhu Mountain, the town's tourism economy will boom. However, there's a crucial element you might not know. Of course, you can take a gamble."
Chen Feng continued calmly.
"I don't want to gamble. How about this, as long as you give me a slight hint, not necessarily the whole thing, just a bit of a reason, I will do my best to help you."
The mayor said anxiously.
"Since Mayor is so straightforward, I won't hide anything. The biggest core point of this project is, in the vastness of China, which big boss likes to engage in tourism development?..."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"I concede. Tell me, what are your conditions for telling me which big boss likes tourism development?"
The mayor's tone changed, and he looked completely convinced.
Before, he wanted to get the town outskirts lake investment project going and attract bosses, but he had approached several bosses and couldn't find a suitable one.
After asking so many bosses, basically none of them were interested in tourism development.
Therefore, when Chen Feng said he had a way to find which boss was interested in tourism development, it was crucial for the development of the town outskirts lake.
"Mayor, let's not beat around the bush. I want you to allocate the poverty alleviation special funds to a village below. As soon as you allocate the funds, I'll immediately tell you which boss is interested in tourism development."
Chen Feng said with absolute conviction.
"This might be a bit difficult. The funds are designated for specific purposes..."
The mayor feigned difficulty.
In reality, it wasn't about designated purposes; the mayor simply wanted to embezzle this batch of poverty alleviation funds.
Chen Feng, being an old hand in the political arena, saw through the mayor's intentions at a glance.
"Mayor, poverty alleviation funds are indeed for designated purposes. Especially now, it's stricter than before. In the past, designated purposes were just a slogan, and many people embezzled these funds without any consequences. But times have changed. The current top leader attaches great importance to poverty alleviation. Not long ago, several people who embezzled poverty alleviation funds were shot. Poverty alleviation has been written into national policy. Anyone who dares to tamper with national policy is only paving a path to their own demise."
Chen Feng deliberately emphasized the words "shot" and "national policy."
"Then it's definitely designated for specific purposes. Now that I think about it carefully, the village you mentioned indeed fits the designated purpose of poverty alleviation funds."
The mayor, filled with trepidation, quickly found an excuse to exit the situation without saying another word.
"Mayor, when will the poverty alleviation funds be disbursed?"
"Once the investor for the town outskirts lake project has committed their investment, the poverty alleviation funds will be disbursed immediately."
The mayor said with a sly smile.
Chen Feng had no objections; it would take time for Li Hongling's village to be completely relocated to the town.
After some thought, Chen Feng directly gave the contact numbers of five big bosses to the mayor and asked him to assign dedicated personnel to discuss with these five bosses, assuring that at least one would be successful.
The mayor didn't overthink it and immediately made a phone call to instruct the formation of five investment attraction teams to immediately go and negotiate with those five bosses.
Chen Feng felt a slight emotion at the mayor's swift actions.
Everyone says greed is bad.
However, greed for money can make greedy people work with exceptional diligence and speed.
A dilemma arises.
A greedy person is indeed very greedy, but their work efficiency is very high.
Should such a person be utilized or not?
...
Meanwhile, in Li Hongling's village, a week brought about earth-shattering changes.
Except for the village chief's family, everyone else was moved to the town for free.
"Old man, what exactly is going on? Why has our village suddenly become a dead village?"
The village chief's wife asked the village chief in confusion.
She had thought that their family would gain significant benefits from this new rural construction.
However, in less than a week, the new rural village had become a dead village.
Day and night, apart from their own family, there was no one else, making it even more desolate than a dead village.