I See through Everything

Chapter 243: Chapter 135: A Warning and the Red Line

"Right this way, boss." Fang Yi led the way inside.

Li Xinhua, meanwhile, had his assistant bring over some hard hats.

Once inside the construction site, the group had already put on their hard hats.

Just then, two middle-aged men who looked like foremen came over, their faces plastered with smiles.

The middle-aged man with a scar on his face said evasively, "General Manager Jiang, hello. I’m Lin Anshun from Da Xin Construction Company, and this is our company’s project manager, Zhang Dabing."

Jiang Miao glanced at him.

Lin Anshun immediately felt as if a predator had its eyes on him, and he grew intensely uncomfortable.

"Hello. Your company’s work is quite good, isn’t it?" Jiang Miao said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Do this rebar and cement meet the contract specifications?"

"Ah, rest assured, General Manager Jiang. We are definitely following the contract," Lin Anshun said with a placating smile, but beads of cold sweat had already started to form on his forehead.

"Mixing 325 and 425 cement is also following the contract?" Jiang Miao’s gaze was chilling.

GULP! Lin Anshun’s body stiffened.

Before he could even open his mouth to explain, Jiang Miao spoke again. "Our company didn’t give you this project because you’re so technically proficient. We did it for the convenience of using a local company. You’re a local. You can go ask around the city how other companies who contract for us operate. Understand?"

This time, cold sweat streamed down Lin Anshun’s back. He scrambled to explain, "General Manager Jiang, rest assured, it was probably a lapse in my management. I’ll rectify the cement issue as soon as possible."

"And the rebar?"

"I’ll fix it all. All of it."

"Stop playing these stupid games. Our company left you with at least a 20% gross margin on this project. You’d better watch yourself." After speaking, Jiang Miao turned away. "To the town government office."

"Understood." Ke Yong nodded.

Watching the departing backs of Jiang Miao, Li Xinhua, and the others, Lin Anshun’s expression was grim and uncertain. Beside him, Zhang Dabing asked in a low voice, "Boss, are we really going to fix it?"

"We fix it!" Lin Anshun said through gritted teeth. Although this major overhaul would cause their gross margin to drop by about 5%, he had already understood Jiang Miao’s unspoken warning.

If they didn’t make the changes, the other party would absolutely kick his company off the project.

As for whether Hailufeng Company’s local projects would be affected, there was no way it would be significant. After all, Meilong Town, Hai Feng County, and the city all stood behind Hailufeng Company. Add to that the large number of farmers who had just signed designated breeding contracts, and Lin Anshun’s meager connections couldn’t make a ripple. In fact, trying to do so would be like playing with fire.

One had to understand that few local private construction companies like his were completely clean.

Playing the local strongman against a regional behemoth like Hailufeng Company? That was just asking for a trip to jail—a "further education" behind bars.

Meanwhile, the departing Jiang Miao didn’t give Lin Anshun a second thought.

If the man was smart, he could still make at least a 15% gross margin. Otherwise, he would lose everything.

The reason he had come this time was that Fang Yi and Li Xinhua had discovered some shady dealings with the Meilong Town project but lacked concrete evidence. They could only ask Jiang Miao to swing by and take a look.

They arrived at the Meilong Town government office.

As soon as Town Mayor Chen Xingang heard he had arrived, he came running out to greet him, his face wreathed in smiles.

"General Manager Jiang, hello! I’m Chen Xingang. Please, come in for some tea."

Jiang Miao smiled and nodded. "Hello, Mayor Chen."

They went into his office.

A moment later, Chen Xingang had brewed a pot of Phoenix Dan Cong Tea and poured him a cup. "General Manager Jiang, are you here this time because you need to expand the scale of the Egyptian Fish farming?"

"No. I’m here this time partly because some problems have come up with the construction of the factory we just invested in."

"What? What kind of problems?" Chen Xingang instantly grew tense. The success of these two factories was tied to his town’s performance this year; he couldn’t afford not to be concerned.

"It’s nothing too serious. The construction quality just wasn’t up to standard. I’ve already told the contracting company to redo it."

Chen Xingang silently cursed Lin Anshun for his foolishness, then quickly said, "I’ll make a call in a bit and demand that Da Xin Company guarantee the quality. I’m sorry to have troubled you with this, General Manager Jiang."

"It’s his first time contracting for our company. It’s understandable that he isn’t familiar with how we operate."

Understanding Jiang Miao’s hidden meaning, Chen Xingang knew the matter was settled for now. But if there was a next time, it wouldn’t be resolved so easily.

"Thank you for your understanding, General Manager Jiang."

"Let’s not talk about that. I came here this time mainly about the arable land quotas."

"Oh? How can I help, General Manager Jiang?"

Jiang Miao took a sip of tea and began to explain, "With our company’s expansion, the rice paddies in Magong Town and Red Grass Town that can be converted for growing cash crops are almost all gone."

Although Hailufeng Company could use its local influence to simply ignore this issue and convert the rice paddies into farmland for cash crops directly, it was ultimately a hidden risk.

Hearing this, Chen Xingang also frowned. "General Manager Jiang, to be honest with you, this is a headache for me too. It’s a good thing you only released a quota for 4,000 mu of Egyptian Fish farming. Otherwise, the villagers would have definitely dug up their rice paddies."

Meilong Town has about 59,000 mu of arable land, with about 33,000 mu used for grain cultivation and over 7,000 mu for aquaculture.

Of that, the 33,000 mu of rice paddies were already pushing the ’red line’ for arable land.

"If you just suppress them, the villagers will definitely grow resentful. I’ve made a special trip here this time precisely to solve this problem."

"Oh? What do you suggest, General Manager Jiang?" Chen Xingang was also hoping to solve the issue of the rice paddy red line.

Jiang Miao took a file from his secretary, Li Zixuan, and handed it to Chen Xingang. He then said with a smile, "This is my solution. You can take a look, Mayor Chen."

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