"Captain Wang, you're quite early!" Liu Yifeng greeted him as he entered.
Sitting on a chair where he was eating, Wang Chengjie got straight to the point, "Liu Yifeng, your vegetable greenhouses occupy too much arable land, and the higher-ups are not in favor of your renovation!"
Liu Yifeng was taken aback, "What's going on? Didn't you say on the phone that as long as some arrangements were made, there wouldn't be too many issues?"
"Don't worry, although they don't fully agree, it's not an outright refusal. That's why I've come to see you personally. I'm afraid you'll have to spend a considerable amount of money to get this matter resolved quickly!"
"Tell me, how much!" Liu Yifeng knew that it was almost impossible to get someone to help without paying. However, if the amount was too high, he wouldn't accept it.
Wang Chengjie raised a thumb without saying a word.
"Are you saying ten thousand?" If it really only cost ten thousand, Liu Yifeng could still accept it.
Wang Chengjie shook his head, "Liu Yifeng, you're still too inexperienced. To get an approval that could be stalled for a year processed within a week for just ten thousand yuan is a rather naive thought."
Liu Yifeng frowned, "So, you mean one hundred thousand?"
"That's right. This is for the 'arrangements,' adding it all up, it's about five or six figures, and when averaged out, it's not that much," Wang Chengjie said.
Although this one hundred thousand was not a huge sum for Liu Yifeng, and he could afford it, he wasn't a fool. As long as his application was legal and reasonable, it should be approved. Being stalled now and told it would take a year without payment was clearly a threat, treating him like a pushover.
Thinking of this, he became displeased, "Captain Wang, is this how officials conduct business nowadays? Aren't they afraid of being reported?"
"That's why I say you're still inexperienced. There are many tricks in our line of work; it's not as simple as reporting us to bring us down. Besides, it's not that we won't approve it, but the process will be more complicated. We'll have to visit your site for various inspections to see if it's suitable for a vegetable base. All of this requires manpower and time. Every department is swamped; who has the time to investigate that for you? Naturally, priority is given to more important approval projects. So, even if you report us, it will be useless. Because, from the very beginning, the reply has been that we will approve it when we have time, it just requires time. As for how long that time is, it all depends on your attitude," Wang Chengjie had made himself very clear. He had come today to collect money. Either Liu Yifeng paid, and the approval would be processed immediately, or he would leave empty-handed with the application materials left to gather dust.
Liu Yifeng disliked this feeling of being manipulated. Officials were supposed to serve the people, but instead, their positions became capital for exploiting the working class.
Seeing that Liu Yifeng seemed reluctant to pay, Wang Chengjie advised, "One hundred thousand yuan is actually not much. You're investing at least a few million in building these greenhouses, right? As long as your vegetables are harvested with good quality, you can make seven or eight million a year, at least. If you're unwilling to part with a hundred thousand, delaying for a year means losing seven or eight million. Which is more significant, you can figure that out."
Despite his words, Liu Yifeng still didn't want to compromise easily. "Captain Wang, it's not that I won't pay, but this amount is simply too much. I'm already spending a lot of money to build these greenhouses, and you're asking for another hundred thousand. Where am I supposed to get that? How about this: I'll give each person handling the paperwork two Qing Dynasty porcelain vases, plus a two thousand yuan red envelope for each person?" Liu Yifeng strategically played the sympathy card. If he refused directly, it would be equivalent to falling out with Wang Chengjie, and the approval would be completely hopeless. Only by feigning poverty could he make Wang Chengjie feel that he wasn't unwilling to pay, but rather unable to.
However, Wang Chengjie didn't care whether he had the money or not. He immediately put on a cold expression, "This isn't a market where you can bargain! Don't forget, you're asking us for a favor, not the other way around. With your attitude, you don't seem genuinely serious about building vegetable greenhouses. In that case, let's forget it. Consider me having made a wasted trip!" With that, he stood up, ready to leave.
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng hurriedly said, "Captain Wang, please don't be angry. I'm not being dishonest; it's just that I can't come up with such a large sum right now. How about you give me a few days to gather the money?"
Looking at Liu Yifeng's dilapidated old house, Wang Chengjie didn't suspect much and nodded slightly, "Alright, I'll give you two days. If you still can't come up with the money, we'll have to follow the standard procedure. As for how long it will take to get the approval, I don't know."
"I understand. Thank you, Captain Wang, for coming over so early in the morning. These watermelons were picked by me yesterday; they're very fresh. Take them back for your family to eat!" Liu Yifeng said as he carried the watermelon towards the yard.
Wang Chengjie's expression softened considerably, "Thank you. To be honest, your watermelons are indeed delicious. The ones I took home last time were eaten on the spot; everyone at home said they were much tastier than the ones bought from the market." He said this as he opened the car trunk, being quite unapologetic.
"As long as they're delicious!" Liu Yifeng placed the watermelon in the trunk, then straightened up and looked at Wang Chengjie.
"You must hurry with this matter. Sometimes, one shouldn't only focus on immediate gains; one must have foresight and a broader perspective. Your vegetable greenhouses are for making money, after all. Every day delayed is an economic loss," Wang Chengjie analyzed the disadvantages for Liu Yifeng.
Liu Yifeng nodded, "I understand!" He certainly understood, but he just didn't want to be led by the nose. After all, if there was a first time, there would be a second. Who knows, if he paid this time and saw that his greenhouse business was doing well, they might try to get involved again, which would be truly troublesome. Only by letting them know from the start that he wasn't someone who would easily compromise would he avoid future trouble.
After watching Wang Chengjie leave, Liu Yifeng returned to the living room. He had initially thought it would only cost one or two thousand yuan to resolve, but he hadn't expected them to be so exorbitant, asking for a hundred thousand. Their hearts were truly black. But if he didn't pay, the approval would definitely not come through, and it would likely be August of next year when it was processed. However, he had already paid rent for three years, and delaying for a year meant the rent would be wasted. He had a headache just thinking about it.
"Yifeng, what's wrong?" Liu Chunsheng, returning from the watermelon patch, saw his son looking troubled from a distance.
Liu Yifeng sighed, "Captain Wang from the urban management team just came to see me. He talked about the approval for the vegetable greenhouses."
"What did he say? Did he mention when it could be approved?" Liu Chunsheng asked.
"He did. He said if we pay a hundred thousand yuan for 'arrangements,' it can be done in the next couple of days. If not, it will be delayed for at least a year," Liu Yifeng stated truthfully.