Chapter 405: Chapter 405: The County Magistrate Invites You to Dinner
In the morning light, Feng Zhenchang got up feeling around for the bedclothes. Despite their considerable wealth, and the fact that they drove a car worth several hundred thousand yuan, they still retained some very simple, and in later years, very environmentally friendly, habits. For example, they didn't turn on the lights unnecessarily.
Mei Qiuping got up too. It was a family tradition to have a solid breakfast in the morning, unlike in the city, where people would just grab a quick bite of buns and soymilk or bread and milk.
This morning's meal was more grand, with all the dishes freshly cooked.
Since the two factories started production, the family never had to worry about not having fresh vegetables to eat. The young men and women recruited from the county schools to work in the factories ate in the canteen every day, so when the head chef of the cabinet factory canteen went shopping, he would buy according to the requirements of the food factory and have the two vans that ran the town's passenger transport service bring it up.
'Do you want to bring an extra set of underwear?' Mei Qiuping hastily put down her chopsticks after eating just one bowl of rice and went to check Feng Zhenchang's luggage again.
'It's just a few days, three sets are enough. It's fine, everything is put away properly, don't you dare rummage through it again.'
Mei Qiuping ignored him and continued checking the items one by one: 'Toothpaste, toothbrush, towel, razor, charger, spare battery for the phone, don't forget that. And socks, you change them every day, if you don't want to wash them, just stuff them in the bag, your sweaty feet will stink if you don't change them every day.'
This time, when he goes to the county to attend the CPPCC meeting, as Feng Zhenchang, he can only stay in a standard room with other people. Of course, he can afford to find a better place to stay on his own, but this is a group activity after all, with group discussions and whatnot.
Moreover, the better hotels and guesthouses in the county have all been booked for the next few days, so there really isn't anywhere to stay even if you have money.
'I know, do I need you to remind me?'
After finishing his meal, Feng Zhenchang busied himself shaving. He shaved very cleanly, and his cheeks turned pale.
He then changed into a suit, a tailored Zhongshan suit that he had ordered last year. The material was of course excellent, and he also bought a suit, but it just didn't feel right no matter how he wore it.
He had a pair of standard pointed leather shoes and a blue overcoat. The only thing that looked fashionable was a checked wool scarf. In the wedding photo of him and Mei Qiuying hanging in the room, he was wearing a scarf just like that, but the material was not good, and it always felt itchy around his neck.
Dressed to the nines, he looked in the mirror. His hair was naturally black and had been dyed black the day before, and it looked very smart. The overall effect was good.
Mei Qiuping took a fine brush and helped him brush his overcoat. 'You're a bit of a dandy in your old age, aren't you!'
Feng Zhenchang didn't take the bait. 'Tell me, should we buy a flat in the county town, or should we just buy a piece of land and build our own home?'
'Suit yourself, but I don't like those commercial flats. There's no courtyard, and it's not convenient to get in and out. You should take a look. It's best if there's a shop downstairs and people can live upstairs. If there's anything suitable, we can buy it now.'
Thanks to Feng Yiping's advertisements and indoctrination, and also thanks to the appreciation in value of the few properties they had previously bought, the two of them were now very positive about investing in real estate, whether it be residential or commercial.
'Then I'll go and have a look. However, the appreciation potential in the county is definitely limited, so I need to see if it's a good deal.'
'As you wish. If we don't buy in the county, then we'll do as Yiping says and take some time to go to Shanghai and have a look. There's a lot of appreciation potential in the property there.'
In this dilapidated house made of adobe bricks and tiles, the two of them were talking about buying a house in Shanghai, without even blinking an eye. Anyone who didn't understand would definitely think that the two of them were talking in their sleep.
'Uncle San, off to the county meeting!' Feng Zhenchang carried a suitcase, and Mei Qiuping also carried a suitcase, which contained the products that the two factories had just produced. They walked out the door one after the other.
The two families of neighbours were also having breakfast at the time and had waited at the door on purpose. 'If you meet the leaders, you, as a member of the committee, must speak up for us,' said Feng Jiansheng's wife. She was one of the few female party members in the village and had previously been a militia platoon leader. Although she had never been to a meeting in the county, she had been to many in the township and knew the ropes.
'I will definitely do my best.'
Feng Hongbing's mother followed behind them carrying a bag. Inside was something Feng Zhenchang was to give to Feng Weidong on his way. 'Uncle Feng, you look great. I'm glad we know each other, otherwise I'd think you were some kind of leader here,'
Feng Zhenchang said with a hint of pride. 'Even if you're poor, you should always look your best when you go to the county for meetings,'
Dongzheng, the eldest son of the second oldest brother, was carrying a load of grain on his shoulders at the time, which looked like it was going to be delivered to the chicken farm. He saw them put down the load and greeted them, 'Uncle, going to the county meeting?'
'Yes, didn't you stay on the mountain last night?'
'Yesterday was my father's night,'
'He's getting old now, and he's afraid of the cold. You brothers should take turns for a few days, so that he doesn't have to work nights,'
'Yes, that's what we said, but you know how stubborn my father is. He doesn't feel at ease if we're the only ones on night duty,'
Before he could finish his sentence, several of Xinhua's brothers were also greeting him. In short, as the only member of the village's CPPCC, Feng Zhenchang was seen off all the way to the parking lot.
Feng Hongbing's mother put the bag in the boot of the car and said, 'Uncle San, you don't need to deliver it. Just give us a call when you get there and ask Weidong to come and collect it himself.'
After reporting to the CPPCC, Feng Zhenchang received the keys from the receptionist. He was arranged to stay at the Jianshe Hotel, which was also a short walk from the county government and next to the People's Square.
Because he had the idea of buying a house, after putting down his luggage, on the way to the winery, he deliberately looked carefully at the shops on both sides of the road. Basically, they were all in the form of shops below and residences above, which suited Mei Qiuping quite well.
But he also knew that these were all self-built private houses, not easy to buy or sell, and that just after a peak season, business in the shops was very slow. His idea of buying a shop in the county also faded away.
The guard at the winery gate saw a nice car with a provincial license plate drive up and didn't dare to be negligent. 'Which unit is the boss from? Who are you here to see?'
'I'm here to see Feng Weidong. Is he here?' frёeωebɳovel.com
'Ah Feng Weidong, he just went out with the car to make a delivery. If it's business, you can talk to someone else in the sales department.'
'No, I just came to give him something. Could you please give it to him later?'
The guard suddenly became much less enthusiastic when he realised that Feng Weidong wasn't there to discuss business. Feng naturally didn't mind, called Feng Weidong and slowly drove back to the hotel.
He thought the land next to the bus station was good, and the shops were all bungalows, so if it was properly developed, it would be very good. Of course, he would never do anything like that, and it was also influenced by his son.
The other person in the room had also arrived. He was lying on the bed, eating melon seeds and watching TV. When he saw Feng Zhenchang come in, he sat up, patted the melon seed shells off his body, and held out his hand, 'Hello brother, my surname is Meng, what's your name?'
'Hello brother Meng, my surname is Feng, just call me Lao Feng,'
'Sit down,' said the middle-aged man surnamed Meng, a bit chatty. 'Lao Feng, in which year were you elected?'
'The year before last. And you?'
'I was just elected. In the past year or two, I contracted dozens of acres of land in the village and turned it all into fish ponds. Business is picking up a bit. I was just elected last year.'
'Fish ponds, that's pretty good,'
'It's not bad. I can make hundreds of thousands of yuan a year. Hey, you should be able to see it when you come to the county. It's the section by the road in Shiping Village. It's all mine,'
Feng Zhenchang had a vague recollection of it. It was quite large.
'Lao Feng, what do you do?'
Feng Zhenchang was about to answer him when he heard someone knocking on the door. 'Uncle San, are you here?' It turned out to be Feng Weidong.
'How did you get here so quickly?' Feng Zhenchang ushered him in.
'When I passed by here, I asked the factory car to drop me off. It's almost time to eat, so you should come with me, I'll buy you dinner.'
'Maybe later, let's see if the town has any arrangements,' he said. These past few days, they had been eating together, so he had to say goodbye to the person in charge before leaving.
'Yes, let's sit down for a while. If there are no arrangements, we can go together later. I drove here, so it's convenient,' the middle-aged man surnamed Meng interrupted.
'My nephew, this old Meng, has dozens of acres of fish ponds in Shiping Village,' Feng Zhenchang briefly introduced him.
'By the way, Feng, you haven't said what kind of business you do.'
'I, in the village set up a small factory, processing some agricultural products,' Feng Zhenchang modestly said.
'Oh,' Lao Meng immediately thought that he must be running a family business, 'that's not bad, you must be making a lot of money a year,'
'Oh, I just started it, and it hasn't made any money yet,' Feng Zhenchang stopped Feng Weidong, who wanted to say something.
'Oh, it's actually fine. I've been in business for a few years now. A workshop like yours doesn't require a lot of investment and has little risk. If this one doesn't sell well, you can do something else. Since we've met today, we're considered friends. I still have some connections in town, so if there's anything you need help with, just let me know.'
Feng Weidong really couldn't help it. Feng Zhanchang smiled and handed him a bag of peanuts, 'Try it, the first batch made in the factory,'
and gave Lao Meng a pack, "Made in my factory, you try it and give me your opinion.'
'Wow, the packaging is not bad, Lao Feng, you're quite knowledgeable, it's just that this stuff isn't going to sell well," he looked at the brand and factory name, Jiasheng Food Factory, and felt that it looked familiar, 'Jiasheng?'
Before he could say anything, the door was knocked on again. A man asked, 'Is Manager Feng in?'
Feng Weidong went over to open the door. "You're looking for my uncle? He's inside,'
said Feng Weidong. A young cadre with a briefcase came in. He obviously knew Feng Zhanchang. "Hello, Manager Feng, I'm Zhao County Magistrate's secretary Xiaoyan. He asked me to pick you up for lunch.'
'Old Meng, Weidong, I won't be able to accompany you for lunch,'
The county head is treating you to dinner, so of course you have to give him face. Feng Zhenchang also understands very well what the county head is so anxious to find him for.
'Uncle, you go ahead, I'll be back at the factory in a while,'
Lao Meng, who had just been instructing Feng Zhenchang, was speechless at this point. He mechanically nodded his head. He finally understood why this Jiasheng looked so familiar. Aren't the cabinet factory and brick factory in town also Jiasheng?
There were so many Fengs in the town, but the one the county magistrate had invited to dinner must be that one. Thinking that just now he was still boasting and showing off, Lao Meng suddenly felt ashamed.
Feng Weidong, who had been holding back and not saying anything, saw his expression and knew that he must have understood Feng Zhenchang's identity, feeling very satisfied.