Under normal circumstances, a superior would not ask so directly, especially not when he hasn't been promoted yet, asking such a question.
But Lin Hao asked, and he asked so directly.
There's always something odd when something unusual happens!
Director Zhou, being a very clever person, immediately retorted, "The Education Bureau is a government department. I wonder who County Magistrate Lin thinks would be suitable to lead it."
"Hahaha... You're good, just directly threw the hot potato to me." Lin Hao laughed cheerfully.
"County Magistrate Lin, I heard you divorced your wife? I wonder if it's true?" Director Zhou suddenly brought up a very personal question.
"Yes, we divorced some time ago." Lin Hao nodded in response.
"You two were so loving, how did it come to divorce? Was it her fault?" Director Zhou probed.
"No, it was my fault!" Lin Hao said with a pained expression.
"County Magistrate Lin, if... I mean if... your ex-wife were to take charge of the Education Bureau, would it be difficult for you?" Director Zhou continued to probe.
"Hahaha... Of course not." Lin Hao laughed heartily.
"I didn't expect County Magistrate Lin to be so nostalgic, truly a man of sentiment!" Director Zhou understood clearly.
Once married, always cared for!
Since Lin Hao had no objection to Su Muyun taking charge of the Education Bureau, he would certainly go with the flow and support Su Muyun's promotion, as a form of gratitude for Lin Hao's support.
Meanwhile, Zhang Bo saw that the location Lin Hao sent was a secluded farmhouse, knowing there were secret matters to discuss, so he drove there alone.
When the car stopped, Zhang Bo looked at the pond in the distance and immediately recognized Lin Hao fishing.
"Vice President Lin, what an elegant interest you have!" Zhang Bo greeted from afar.
"County Magistrate Zhang, long time no see, you still look as spirited as ever!" Lin Hao waved back from a distance.
"Hahaha... They say the three great joys of life are promotion, wealth, and the death of a wife. Vice President Lin, surely you're glowing with joy!" Zhang Bo joked as he walked over slowly.
After meeting, the two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before Zhang Bo sat down to fish as well.
Director Zhou knew they had matters to discuss and found an excuse to leave.
With only the two of them left by the pond, Zhang Bo finally asked, "Old friend, what is it you need me for?"
"Let's not beat around the bush, I'll get straight to the point." Lin Hao replied with a smile.
"Don't hesitate to say what you need, if I can do it, I'll give it my all." Zhang Bo was quite straightforward.
"It's like this, the Red Era Group's new energy battery project is settling in our Wucheng County, and our current state-owned construction land index is simply insufficient, so I wanted to ask if you could lend us some, which we will return once our land is adjusted." Lin Hao explained in detail.
After hearing this, Zhang Bo frowned and pondered, "Old friend, are you planning to sell these state-owned construction land indices?"
"Yes, we plan to sell the indices." Lin Hao did not hide.
"Old friend, I'll be honest with you, our county does have some state-owned construction land indices, but for something this significant, I must discuss it with Secretary Tian." Zhang Bo did not agree, nor did he refuse.
These are just official courtesies often used in officialdom; if you take them seriously, it could be a long wait.
Lin Hao smiled calmly and said, "We are dealing for the first time, you may not understand me yet, but I would never let a friend suffer a loss."
This was a hint to Zhang Bo that he could state his terms, as the state-owned construction land indices in his hand were of little use, and exchanging them for benefits would be more practical.
Zhang Bo understood instantly and laughed, "Hehehe... Old friend, I'm quite good to my friends as well, so tell me, how many acres do you need?"
"That depends on how many acres you're willing to offer?" Lin Hao shrugged, displaying a relaxed demeanor of letting things be as they come.
"Heh... Old friend, you have quite the appetite, don't you? Can you really take it all in?" Zhang Bo asked with a bit of doubt.
"Of course, I can take in up to a thousand acres in the future." Lin Hao grinned widely, as if opening a prince's mouth.
Zhang Bo's mouth turned into an O shape, as if not quite believing, staring at Lin Hao's eyes to see if he was serious.
"Old friend, our county can barely offer three hundred acres at most right now." Zhang Bo looked troubled.
"Alright, then three hundred acres it is." Lin Hao laughed happily.
Though three hundred acres are not enough to satisfy Chairman Ma's appetite, it's better to secure three hundred acres than nothing at all.
"I can't make the decision alone; I still have to discuss it with Secretary Tian." Zhang Bo, being very clever, knew not to finalize the deal before completing all negotiations.
Actually, even if they agreed, he wouldn't immediately finalize it, needing at least a few days of consideration for a buffer.
Haste makes waste!
Lin Hao knew this wouldn't be settled smoothly, so he smiled and said, "Old brother, then I'll leave it to you."
"No problem, no problem." Zhang Bo also started scheming in his mind.
After all, he needed to get a certain return for what he was offering, considering what he wanted and what Lin Hao could provide, so they could achieve a win-win situation.
At any time, it's all an exchange of interests; it's a big mistake to really talk about feelings or humanity!
Seeing Zhang Bo hesitant to speak, Lin Hao chuckled and said, "Old brother, the city has started cracking down on environmental issues again, and several of our county's factories are not meeting environmental standards. I really don't know what to do!"
"Yes, our county is in the same situation. The higher-ups demand we shut down the paper mill, and after just two days of closure, workers staged a sit-in protest at the county government. It's quite a headache for us too!" Zhang Bo started to lament.
"Just shut them down. With subsidy policies from above, can't they just distribute the money to the workers? What's there to protest?" Lin Hao asked in confusion.
Actually, he was already aware of this issue, but he mentioned it here as a means to an end.
"Old friend, do you think the little subsidy distributed can make a big difference for those workers? They have families to support, how long can they hold out? What they want is for the county government to solve their employment issues." Zhang Bo saw things very clearly.
Realizing the timing was right, Lin Hao smiled and said, "Old brother, don't worry about this issue, I will find a solution for the employment of those workers."
"Really?" Zhang Bo's eyes lit up, seemingly seeing a win-win situation.
In fact, the state-owned construction land indices he held couldn't be turned into money, so using them for interest exchange was better, and Lin Hao would ultimately return the indices to him.
To sum up, he solved the employment issues of the paper mill workers, maintained overall stability, and also owed Lin Hao a favor.
Most importantly, this index and favor are things Lin Hao would have to pay back, so he stands to gain without losing.