Chapter 790 Recipe
Secretary Liu has been with Mayor Cen since he was still in the investment promotion office. He usually receives well-known businessmen from home and abroad, so he has always had a high standard of vision.
After becoming the mayor's secretary, his status rose even higher. Even some powerful leaders in the city addressed him as a brother. In Gao County, where he was now, Secretary Liu didn't even take the top official there seriously.
Mayor Cen came to Gao County without notifying the local leaders. He wanted to give Shan Mu Dalang a leadership image of being capable, so he came in person. Unexpectedly, Xu Guoqing was unyielding and the leader was angry. Naturally, Secretary Liu would not give Zhuang Rui, a nobody, a good look.
"We're leaving now, right away..."
Yu Zhengjun was the first to back down. What could he do? Even if he broke off relations with Yamaki Taro and stopped cooperating, that Secretary Liu could crush him with a single finger. How could he fight back?
Upon hearing Yu Zhengjun's words, Secretary Liu waved his hand dismissively, without even glancing at him. He was currently preoccupied with how to persuade Xu Guoqing to agree to Shanmu's conditions. Being attentive to the leader's needs and thinking what the leader was thinking—that's what makes a qualified secretary.
"Old Yu, you can go first. Zhuang Rui, stay here. I still have a few questions to ask you later, so you can't leave..."
Whether Yu Zhengjun leaves or not, Xu Guoqing doesn't care, but he cares a lot about Zhuang Rui.
Xu Guoqing is obsessed with replicating ancient ceramics. Most of the people he usually interacts with are craftsmen. Zhuang Rui is the first person, or at least the first person Xu Guoqing has met, to explain the process of making handicrafts from the perspective of antique collecting.
"Mr. Xu, Mayor Cen has something to discuss with you. Please, no one else should stay."
When Secretary Liu spoke, he gave Zhuang Rui a sarcastic look, making his meaning clear: if you know what's good for you, be grateful and get lost, don't delay the leader's business.
"I have nothing to talk to you about. I said I'm not going, and that's final. If you love Japan, go by yourselves. Isn't that annoying? Alright, you can leave now..."
Upon hearing Secretary Liu's words, Xu Guoqing's face immediately turned ugly. He was a straightforward person who didn't mince words. When he heard that Secretary Liu wanted to kick Zhuang Rui out, he immediately exploded and directly ordered the mayor to leave.
As the saying goes, "No madness, no magic," and Xu Guoqing is that kind of person. Talking to him about human relationships and worldly wisdom is pure nonsense. He can steer the conversation back to ceramic making in just a few sentences.
Not to mention the people in front of him, even his wife, who has been married to Xu Guoqing for more than ten years, has almost become an expert in ancient ceramics under his influence. Her level is definitely no worse than that of an ordinary ancient ceramics appraiser.
"You... what did you say? Say it again!" Secretary Liu picked at his ear in disbelief after hearing Xu Guoqing's words. He hadn't expected Xu Guoqing to be so disrespectful to him... no, Mayor Cen. Was this person even a citizen of the Celestial Empire?
"I said, you can leave now. I have to entertain my friends. This is my factory, and you're not welcome here..."
Xu Guoqing's stubbornness flared up, ignoring Yu Zhengjun's constant winks, and his words became even harsher than before. Did these people have something wrong with their ears? Did they have to be told things out in the most explicit way to understand?
Xu Guoqing had no idea that these officials were usually very subtle in their speech. If they couldn't make something very clear sound into a roundabout way, it meant that the leader wasn't competent enough. And if subordinates couldn't understand the leader's meaning, it meant that they weren't attentive to their work and didn't know how to read the leader's intentions.
Let alone Secretary Liu, even Mayor Cen has never met a guy as direct as Xu Guoqing.
"I...I said you don't want to...don't want to...don't want to stay here anymore?"
Secretary Liu was so angry with Xu Guoqing that his face turned red and his chest heaved. He pointed a finger at Xu Guoqing's face, but for a moment he couldn't find anything to threaten Xu Guoqing with. After thinking for a while, he finally managed to utter a sentence that wasn't very threatening.
Pointing at him like that by Secretary Liu, Xu Guoqing's temper flared up. This honest man usually didn't get angry, but when he really got into a fight, he was incredibly stubborn. Xu Guoqing shoved Secretary Liu's hand away, stepped forward, grabbed Secretary Liu's collar, and said, "This is my home. What right do you have to stop me from staying here?"
Despite his slender build, Xu Guoqing was a man of considerable strength, capable of handling tasks like moving stones and grinding pigments all by himself. When he grabbed Liu, the secretary struggled to breathe.
"Old Xu, you mustn't, you mustn't! Let's talk this out, please don't use force, release them first..."
When Yu Zhengjun saw that things were about to escalate into a full-blown fight, he turned pale with fright. Although this matter had nothing to do with him, if Secretary Liu took his anger out on him afterwards, he would be more wronged than Dou E.
Peng Fei, who was standing to the side, watched the scene with great interest and whispered in Zhuang Rui's ear, "Brother Zhuang, this master you're talking about is really amazing..."
"Hey kid, don't talk nonsense. We don't even know how this will end..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at Peng Fei. He had just been considering whether to invest in Xu Guoqing's laboratory, but before he could finish a few words, they started fighting. And the one who struck first was none other than the seemingly honest Xu Guoqing.
However, Zhuang Rui was not Xu Guoqing. Although he did not know much about officialdom, Zhuang Rui knew that Mayor Cen had plenty of ways to deal with Xu Guoqing after he had offended him. Or, Mayor Cen might not even need to lift a finger; even Secretary Liu could make Xu Guoqing feel "ecstatic" afterwards.
"What's the point of cleaning up this mess? They're just a few petty bureaucrats. Damn it, I'll take care of those little Japanese later..."
Peng Fei curled his lip and said nonchalantly. He was originally from Beijing, and people from the capital city were known for their loud voices. In addition, Peng Fei's horizons had broadened considerably under Zhuang Rui's guidance, so he naturally didn't take the people in front of him seriously.
"Stop talking nonsense, do you think you're Huo Yuanjia?"
To be honest, Zhuang Rui didn't think much of the two government officials in front of him. They were actually trying to push away their ancestors' lost skills in order to achieve their own political achievements. They were really despicable.
However, Zhuang Rui had no intention of getting involved. He was just an ordinary citizen, and if he wanted to get involved in this matter, he would have to ask several uncles for help. Even Ouyang Jun, a provincial-level official from another province, probably wouldn't have much influence with his words.
Zhuang Rui is now also having a plan in mind. If Xu Guoqing really can't stay here, he will invite him to Beijing, buy a piece of land in the rural area of Daxing, and build a laboratory for him.
Judging from Xu Guoqing's personality, he is not the kind of person who pursues material enjoyment. If he were to play in the mud, he probably wouldn't care where he lives. Zhuang Rui also wanted to see if Xu Guoqing could really replicate the Cizhou official kiln porcelain.
While Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei were talking in hushed tones, Xu Guoqing, persuaded by Yu Zhengjun, released Secretary Liu. After this incident, it was impossible to continue the conversation. Secretary Liu was about to speak when Mayor Cen stopped him.
“Mr. Xu, I think you may have misunderstood something. Mr. Yamaki invited you to Japan with the intention of promoting academic exchange between China and Japan. Please reconsider, and we won’t bother you any longer…”
Whether Mayor Cen, as the deputy mayor of a provincial city, has a broad mind is another matter, but he certainly has a certain level of composure. Mayor Cen didn't say anything more. This person in front of him, let alone a mayor, probably wouldn't be afraid even if the governor came. If he stayed any longer, he would only be asking for trouble.
Mayor Cen had already regretted it. If he had known better, he would have had the leaders of Gao County handle the negotiations first, which would have given him some room to maneuver. Now that he had messed things up, if the leaders of Gao County had managed to get things done, it would have made him look like a very incompetent deputy mayor.
However, after much thought, Mayor Cen felt that economic work should still be the top priority. As long as things were done well, people would only see that he had brought hundreds of millions of dollars of funds to Shijiazhuang, and would not get bogged down in these trivial matters.
So, after leaving the laboratory, Mayor Cen, with a gloomy face, said to his secretary Liu beside him, "Xiao Liu, call County Chief Kong and ask him to come over..."
The county magistrate of Gao County was only a division-level official, so Liu could have just sent his secretary to make the notification. However, Mayor Cen stayed in the car outside. He wanted to get things done today, otherwise he would lose face in front of Shanmu.
After Secretary Liu opened the car door for Mayor Cen, he went to make a phone call. Shanmu also got into Mayor Cen's car, glanced at Mayor Cen's expression, and said, "Mr. Cen, I have seen and admire your serious attitude towards handling matters. I'm entrusting this matter to you..."
"Mr. Yamaki, please don't say that. It's only right that we can make some contribution to cultural exchanges between China and Japan. However, Mr. Xu is a bit resistant, so we still need to work on him slowly..."
After seeing Xu Guoqing's attitude, Mayor Cen no longer dared to make any promises. After all, Xu Guoqing wasn't an official who could issue administrative orders; he was just an ordinary citizen. He couldn't very well arrest him, could he?
After glancing at Mayor Cen, Yamaki said, "Mr. Cen, I have a small suggestion..."
"Oh? Please go on..."
"Here's the thing, if Mr. Xu really doesn't want to go to Japan to head the laboratory, then as long as we can get the Cizhou kiln process and firing formula from him, then my promise of a $100 million investment can be fulfilled..."
After seeing Xu Guoqing's attitude, Shanmu's mindset changed. Even if he kidnapped him, if others were unwilling, they would naturally not be willing to work.
If that's the case, Yamaki thinks it would be better to get the porcelain firing formula and ask domestic ceramic experts to study it himself.
Chapter 791 Investment Environment
It is important to know that in the development of Chinese porcelain, every dynasty would imitate the fine porcelain of the previous dynasty. However, due to the repeated wars a hundred years ago, many formulas have been lost to the annals of history.
Without the secret recipes for porcelain blanks, pigment formulations, and firing temperatures, even with modern ingenuity, it would be impossible to replicate genuine antique porcelain.
It's not just ceramics; there are many things from ancient times that modern people cannot replicate due to limitations in materials and technology.
The wooden horse and ox cart invented by Zhuge Liang in legend has been unearthed in some large tombs of the Later Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. Although they have long been decayed, modern people are still helpless to understand their manufacturing process and have no way to recreate them.
Yamaki's family in the island nation started out in the ceramics business. He himself is a China expert and knows more about the history of Chinese ceramics than many Chinese people do. If he could get his hands on the firing formula for Cizhou ware, Yamaki was confident that he could replicate it.
"formula?"
Mayor Cen glanced at Shanmu suspiciously, hummed in agreement, but did not explicitly express his consent.
Mayor Cen also has rich experience in political struggles. Although securing investment funds is very important and concerns his political capital, diplomatic disputes are no small matter. If this formula leads to any political issues in the future, he will be in a passive position.
"Mr. Cen, please rest assured, the formula I requested is simply to recreate the splendor of Cizhou ware from that era; it has no other purpose..."
Yamaki is a China expert who studied in China in his early years. However, it was difficult for his family's traditional business to enter China, so they entered China after exploring other fields. Yamaki is well aware of the thoughts of these Chinese officials.
"Mr. Cen, my family has been in the ceramics business for many years. I simply want to bring the Cizhou official kiln porcelain from your country's Song Dynasty back to life; I have no ulterior motives whatsoever... To show my sincerity, I've decided to increase my investment in your city by another fifty million US dollars. We can sign an agreement first, and once we obtain the porcelain firing formula, the funds will be in place immediately, and we can start building a factory in your city..."
Yamaki knew that empty words wouldn't be enough to impress the Chinese official in front of him; he had to offer real results. Therefore, he added another 50 million US dollars to the original agreement.
Yamaki wasn't stupid. Due to the scarcity of resources, Japan places great importance on environmental protection. Because the firing of ceramics is somewhat polluting, their family's mainstay industry is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, which is why they set their sights on Ishi City.
Yamaki had already planned to move his family business to China, using the relatively low labor and land costs to produce products, and then sell them back to China. The additional investment of 50 million was already a done deal; bringing it out now was just to strengthen his position.
“Okay, I’ll try to persuade Mr. Xu…”
After hearing Shanmu's words, Mayor Cen pondered for a while before finally speaking. Although he didn't agree immediately, it was clear that he was moved by the additional fifty million US dollars.
Mayor Cen was well aware of the projects that Shanmu wanted to invest in. However, compared to the political gains that 150 million US dollars could bring him, those environmental problems were insignificant. China is so big, what does it matter if a few small places are polluted?
"Mr. Yamaki, please wait a moment..."
As Mayor Cen and Shanmu were having a friendly and enthusiastic discussion about Shijiazhuang's investment environment, two police motorcycles led the way, and three cars lined up and pulled up in front of the ceramics factory.
"Mayor Cen, you came down to inspect the work, why didn't you inform us beforehand..."
A man in his forties, fair-skinned and plump, got out of the first car and went straight to Mayor Cen. From a distance, he stretched out both hands and shook hands with Mayor Cen's limp and weak right hand.
Although Secretary Liu only called County Chief Kong here, the inspection of the work by the leaders immediately alarmed the three sets of leadership, and everyone rushed here. The first person to shake hands with Mayor Cen was the top leader of the county.
Those who followed behind, feeling they had some status, all shook hands with Mayor Cen. Mayor Cen showed no impatience, maintaining a friendly demeanor while retaining the authority of a leader, his timing was impeccable.
"Xiao Liu, why don't you explain the situation to Secretary Lu and County Head Kong..."
Having just been rebuffed inside, Mayor Cen didn't want to bring it up again, so he simply got back into his car and started discussing investment matters with Shanmu again. His secretary was also a deputy director, so it was perfect for him to talk to these two high-ranking officials.
"Secretary Lu, County Head Kong, the investment environment in your county is really terrible..."
Secretary Liu was also harboring a lot of resentment. His first words almost gave the two officials in front of him a heart attack. Although Mayor Cen was ranked relatively low in the city, he was still a 37 or 38-year-old director-level cadre, and he still had a certain amount of influence over them.
"Brother Liu, what's the matter? Tell me, and on behalf of the county committee, I'll say that we'll do our best to resolve it..."
Secretary Lu already regrets coming here. Government affairs should be handled by the county head; why is he getting involved?
"This is what happened..."
Secretary Liu embellished the story and recounted what had just happened.
Of course, the embarrassing things for the leaders were omitted. What was said most often was that Xu Guoqing was out of touch with reality, failed to respond to Mayor Cen's call for economic development, and only cared about his own family and not the greater good, etc.
"Old Kong, economic development is a matter for the government. Look at this..."
Secretary Lu, a seasoned veteran, was obliged to greet Mayor Cen on a superficial level, but when it came to actual work, he shirked responsibility and pretended to be clueless.
"This matter... is really difficult to handle, Secretary Liu. I think we should arrange it now. Let's first... and then... we will definitely do a good job of what the leader asked us to do."
It was indeed County Chief Kong's responsibility to attract investment. After hearing Secretary Liu's words, he was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised because this Xu Guoqing was a bit difficult to deal with, but delighted because, judging from what Secretary Liu had just said, it seemed that some of the investment of more than 100 million US dollars could also end up in his county.
Normally, the county attracts at most tens of millions of RMB in investment per year, but this is more than 100 million USD. Even if we only give a fraction of that, it can help the county complete its annual investment target. This is like a windfall. If handled well, we might be able to take it a step further.
When it comes to scheming against people, probably no one on Earth is more capable than these navigators of the bureaucracy. In just a few minutes, County Magistrate Kong had drafted a plan.
"County Chief Kong, you don't need to tell me these things. You can handle them yourself. This is a major matter concerning attracting investment, and Mayor Cen is waiting to see the results..."
Secretary Liu felt much more comfortable dealing with people within the system; conversations flowed much more smoothly then. Unlike that reckless fellow from before, who actually dared to lay a hand on him!
"Zhuang Rui, since you're younger than me, I'll call you Brother Zhuang. Come in and take a look, see how these porcelain blanks that are still one step away from completion are doing?"
Not to mention that County Magistrate Kong was out strategizing and deploying troops, Xu Guoqing had almost forgotten what had just happened and pulled Zhuang Rui aside, wanting him to evaluate his work.
"Then I'll call you Brother Xu too..."
Zhuang Rui also wanted to see the painting and production techniques of those porcelain blanks, so he nodded in agreement.