"Collect it, of course we'll collect it, why wouldn't we?"
Qin Yan replied without a second thought.
"Town Mayor Qin, I do want to collect it, but I just feel it's not quite right."
Chen Feng stated his honest feelings.
"Chen Feng, I understand your mindset. To be honest, when I first entered the political arena, I thought the same way. I also felt a bit awkward about accepting money. Later, I gradually came to terms with it. We work desperately in politics, what are we doing it for? To put it nicely, we are indeed doing things for the people. But the people are human, and so are we. Accepting money is perfectly normal. As long as we don't extort money from the people, I think the problems are not too significant. We are human, not immortals. Saying we don't love money is too fake!"
Qin Yan patiently advised Chen Feng.
"By the way, there's one more thing you must understand. If you don't accept money, how will you climb up in the future? Where will the money come from to grease the palms of those above?"
Qin Yan added.
"Town Mayor Qin, after hearing you say that, I understand. Don't worry, I will quietly collect this money."
Chen Feng replied with a bashful expression.
"It's good that you can think this way! Of course, when you collect money, you must pay attention to what money you can accept and what money you absolutely cannot accept. Never let greed blind your eyes. So many people have ended up in prison precisely because they accepted money they shouldn't have."
Qin Yan said with a deep meaning.
"Town Mayor Qin, I will keep your advice firmly in mind."
Chen Feng nodded gratefully.
"Alright, since you know what to do now, then hurry up and get busy. The development of the hardware industry in Lianhua Town is urgent and cannot be delayed."
Chen Feng agreed wholeheartedly.
In the evening, Chen Feng specifically arranged a dinner at a hotel in the town center of Lianhua Town.
Lianhua Town was far inferior to Mingshan Town. Mingshan Town had a five-star hotel, while Lianhua Town only had a hotel.
Chen Feng did not invite Qin Yan. This gathering was to discuss the development of the Lianhua Town Hardware City with several hardware store owners from the coastal areas.
For such a small matter, there was no need to trouble Qin Yan.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, are you really going to vigorously develop the Lianhua Town Hardware City project?"
Everyone asked in unison.
"You don't need to doubt this. If I didn't have this plan, why would I invite everyone to have dinner together?"
"If that's the case, then that's great. However, Deputy Town Mayor Chen, what we want to know is, how favorable are the incentives for the Lianhua Town Hardware City project? To be honest, the hardware city projects in the coastal areas have very strong incentives."
Everyone seized the opportunity to ask.
"In addition to the coastal area's preferential policies, we will also exempt taxes for an additional five years."
Chen Feng replied word by word.
"Ah? An additional five years of tax exemption? Is that true?"
Everyone's hearts were pounding.
This wasn't just preferential treatment; it was unbelievably favorable, like a fire sale!
"It's in black and white, absolutely true!"
Chen Feng calmly replied.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, may I be so bold as to ask, with such great preferential policies, what do you in Lianhua Town profit from?"
Everyone tentatively asked.
"We profit from popularity! If you invest and build the Lianhua Town Hardware City, Lianhua Town will have developmental momentum, and that is the most important thing. We are all in the same boat now, and I won't hide anything from you. Once Lianhua Town becomes popular, it will soon merge with Mingshan Town, and before long, the entire Yongming County will merge with Jiangcheng to establish Yongming District."
Chen Feng explained with strong conviction.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, can we understand this as your ultimate goal is not the Hardware City project itself, but to build Yongming County into a district?"
Everyone asked with great excitement.
If Yongming County truly became a district, then the hardware city they built in Lianhua Town would have immeasurable development prospects.
"That's exactly the point. To be honest, without such a grand plan, the preferential policies for the Lianhua Town Hardware City would not be so generous. You are business owners, you should know that no one does business at a loss. I am doing this by losing money to attract attention."
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, hearing you say this, we made the right decision to come here. However, there is still a small doubt we'd like to ask."
Everyone continued to ask.
"Whatever questions you have, keep asking. Today's dinner is for answering questions while eating."
Chen Feng smiled calmly.
"Many provinces do not accept heavily polluting hardware factories, forcing us to open branch factories in Southeast Asia. Our intention is, does Lianhu Town have any such restrictions on hardware factories? If there are no restrictions, it can be said that Lianhua Town Hardware City can definitely become the largest in China in terms of scale."
Everyone asked with enthusiasm.
"I'm sorry, for the Lianhua Town Hardware City, environmental protection can only be stricter, not looser. Frankly, I am very eager to achieve political achievements to climb higher, but the problem is, there must be a bottom line. If there is no bottom line, it would be better to go home and grow sweet potatoes. As for you, I must advise you to give up heavily polluting hardware factories, as those are becoming less and less profitable."
Chen Feng explained with a solemn expression.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, you say there is a bottom line, and we acknowledge that. To be honest, heavily polluting hardware factories do cause great damage to the environment. However, you say they are becoming less profitable, and we do not agree. We are on the same boat now, and we don't tell lies. The profits from our hardware branch factories in Southeast Asia are really quite high."
Everyone replied.
"That's only temporary. I understand Southeast Asia. The development in recent years has been very rapid, and in some places, the speed has even surpassed China. It is precisely because of this that Southeast Asia's management of chemical plants and hardware factories will increasingly follow China's lead, and the hardware industry will be extensively rectified. At the latest by next year, your branch factories in Southeast Asia will have to move to Africa. Africa is too far and too chaotic, and the profits will immediately drop."
Chen Feng explained seriously.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, listening to you say this, it is indeed the case. But the problem is, how can the profit loss from abandoning the hardware branch factories in Southeast Asia be compensated now?"
Everyone asked Chen Feng with anticipation.
It had to be said that Chen Feng's understanding of the economy was truly insightful.
Concise and clear, easy to understand at a glance.
"Go the technological route."
Chen Feng replied without a second thought.
"Hardware can also go the technological route?"
Everyone was stunned.
"Of course, it can go the technological route. In today's society, as long as you want to, any industry can go the technological route. For example, restaurants, a traditional industry that cannot be more traditional, can also go the technological route. If you pay attention, you will find that many restaurants now use robots for ordering and delivery. As for the hardware industry, it can provide accessories for the technology industry."
Chen Feng elaborated.
"Provide accessories for the technology industry? Is that possible?"
Everyone's excitement was ignited by Chen Feng.
"Of course it's possible! It just requires more upfront investment, spending more money to import foreign technology component production lines. It can be said that the investment is more expensive than traditional hardware production lines, but the profits can definitely be several times higher."
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, as I said before, finding you was the right choice. You have illuminated our confusion. Now, there is a problem, and we hope Deputy Town Mayor Chen can help us solve it."
Everyone looked at Chen Feng with admiration.
"I am the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of the economy in Lianhua Town, and it is my duty to resolve your difficulties. Please tell me any problems you have."
Chen Feng said with a smile.