South to North: A Prison Guard at the Beginning

Chapter 381: The enemy advances and we retreat

"Yes, Bingyi is indeed my son-in-law, and Xiaomei's husband." Jin Yueji nodded with a smile.

"Oh, I never knew about this." Yuan Mu pretended to be rude.

Jin Yueji was very satisfied with Yuan Mu's reaction, so she continued to speak.

"Comrade Xiao Yuan, I heard that Bingyi recently launched an investment promotion campaign?"

Yuan Mu narrowed his eyes slightly, he knew that here came the main point, this was Jin Yueji's ultimate purpose in looking for him. What about wanting to meet this young talent? Those were all excuses. The fundamental reason was still because of selfish desires, for the sake of her son-in-law's political achievements.

"Yes, I know about this." Yuan Mu nodded but did not deny it, and there was no way to deny it.

"Comrade Xiao Yuan, Bingyi has had a bad life since childhood. There are five people in his family. In 1969, we were all scattered all over the country. He had been working in the Production and Construction Corps before. It was a hard place. Later, he was admitted to university with great difficulty. It is not easy for him to get to where he is today step by step."

"His transfer from the arsenal to the local government is a crucial step. Comrade Yuan, as the secretary of the Daoli District Committee, you should know the importance of economic development, which is also linked to political achievements. As for me, I am so old this year, and I have no other thoughts. I just want my children and grandchildren to live a good life."

"So, can you please reconsider the project that Bingyi found? I know Bingyi well. The one he chooses must be right. That company must have something outstanding. What do you think?" Jin Yueji first talked about Zhou Bingyi's life experience to gain sympathy, and then began to test Yuan Mu's attitude towards this matter.

Yuan Mu fell silent. Jin Yueji was really interesting. When she was rehabilitated, she was very harsh towards Zhou Bingyi and the Zhou family, pretending to be righteous. But now, she risked her reputation for many years to find Yuan Mu in person to plead for Zhou Bingyi. Isn't this ironic?

Now Jin Yueji has thrown all her reputation and integrity to the winds, and is only concerned with protecting Zhou Bingyi's career. As long as it is good for Zhou Bingyi and can help Zhou Bingyi, she will do anything.

"Mr. Jin, I have already explained this to Vice Mayor Zhou. I will not stop investors from investing in Daoli District, and I cannot stop them because it is a good thing. However, there are prerequisites. Investors must pay cash to purchase land. In addition, land in Daoli District is in short supply right now, and many companies are eyeing it. You must obtain it through bidding. This is the rule."

"Mr. Jin, you are also an old party member. Your ideological awareness is definitely higher than mine. Daoli District is not just my Daoli District. There are hundreds of thousands of people in Daoli District now. I have to consider their well-being. Daoli District is now developing and constructing rapidly. Economic development urgently needs funds for construction. Roads need to be rebuilt, traffic routes need to be planned, and various facilities that benefit the people need to be put into operation."

"It can be said that as the district party secretary, I'm under a lot of pressure. I'm 35 years old this year, and you can see my temples have white hair. I have to think about a lot every day when I open my eyes. Every policy order I issue is closely related to the people. It can be said that what I issue are not policies, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Daoli District!" Yuan Mu opened his mouth with a set of righteous words, which left Jin Yueji speechless.

But then she reacted. She didn't believe that Yuan Mu's ideological awareness was so high. He must be looking for an excuse to shirk her responsibility. In fact, she was not entirely wrong. Yuan Mu was indeed shirking her responsibility, but what he said was half true and half false. The first half was false, but the second half was true.

"Comrade Xiao Yuan is indeed very conscious. I, an old man, have learned a lesson."

"Hey! Mr. Jin, you're too kind. The whole country was conquered by you, the older generation of proletarian revolutionaries. You all have high awareness and talent." Yuan Mu smiled and praised Jin Yueji.

"Comrade Xiao Yuan, I think we shouldn't talk too much about this topic. We all have the party spirit that party members should have. I was wondering if you could be flexible on the Bingyi project." Jin Yueji simply didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Mr. Jin, I don't understand what you're saying. I've already told Deputy Mayor Zhou that as long as the company passes the normal bidding, the land it wins will be its. I don't have any other opinions on this matter. Also, the industry is not tax-free after it is established, and investors must pay taxes normally."

"You also know, how does a region grow its GDP? The bulk of it is on these enterprises. If they don't pay taxes, where does the GDP growth come from? We can't rely on the people to pay taxes, right? That's just a few dollars? It's reasonable for these rich people to enjoy the convenience while sacrificing something. The region can rely on the tax money to build the region and better serve the people, don't you think?" Yuan Mu said with a smile.

Jin Yueji was so angry with Yuan Mu that she finally understood how cunning Yuan Mu was. No wonder Zhou Bingyi, who had such a good temper, could be so angry at Yuan Mu. He was really slippery and didn't take the challenge at all!

As for Yuan Mu, as soon as she brings up the main topic, they either use the people's livelihood to put pressure on her, or they use the party discipline and national laws to put pressure on her. They put one big hat after another on her, and even she, an old lady in her seventies, can't bear it!

After chatting for a few more minutes, Jin Yueji didn't mention the project anymore. Yuan Mu knew that she was going to stop working on it temporarily, so there was no point in him staying here any longer, so he said goodbye.

"Mr. Jin, I think that's all for today. I'll be leaving first. There's still a lot to do in the district."

"Well, that's fine too. District matters are more important." Jin Yueji nodded expressionlessly.

"Okay, I'll visit you again another day. Bye." Yuan Mu said with a smile and stood up.

"Xiaomei, please help me see Comrade Yuan Mu off!" Jin Yueji said to Hao Dongmei sitting next to her without even getting up. She was very angry now and didn't even want to call him Comrade Xiao Yuan. She just called him Comrade Yuan Mu, a very official title.

"Okay." Hao Dongmei nodded, stood up, and sent Yuan Mu to the door.

"Please stay." Yuan Mu smiled and stretched out his hand to signal Hao Dongmei that there was no need to see him off. He walked a few steps, got into his private car and drove away directly.

Looking at the vehicles going away, Hao Dongmei seemed to be lost in thought. She felt that what Yuan Mu said was indeed right. This was because she was inexperienced in the world and did not understand the twists and turns in officialdom.