The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Two more days passed before Gu’er got a call from Lin Shan. He said the city had scheduled a meeting for them from 10:30 to 11:00 AM, giving them half an hour.

Gu’er knew these officials were busy, so half an hour was plenty of time.

The three of them changed into new clothes, tidied themselves up, and then took Li Zhi’s car to the City Government building. Lin Shan didn’t go with them. He told them to visit the district office after their meeting, as the secretary wanted to see them too. Gu’er knew that only after a successful negotiation with the city could they move on to the district.

After getting out of the car, someone at the entrance asked their business. They were only allowed in after stating their purpose and signing a register.

Gu’er gazed at the building. It was her first time setting foot inside.

Her expression was solemn; this was a dignified place.

Once inside, they asked for directions to the vice mayor’s office. Someone looked them over and then led them upstairs.

"Please wait a moment. Vice Mayor Shang is still busy. I’ll take you in once he’s finished."

Vice Mayor Shang’s secretary received them, showed them to a conference room to wait, and poured them some water.

’Gu’er sighed to herself. In her past life, she never would have imagined someone like this would receive her, let alone pour her water.’

Around 10:50, the secretary finally led them to Vice Mayor Shang’s office. It wasn’t that the vice mayor had intentionally kept them waiting; he had genuinely just finished his work.

Looking at the vice mayor, a man nearly fifty years old, Gu’er immediately felt a bit nervous, even though he was smiling at them, telling them not to be so formal, and had a kind demeanor.

"I hear you want to contract the Yong Jian building. You young people nowadays are really something else. Barely in your twenties and already off making money abroad."

Vice Mayor Shang smiled. He had looked into the three young people before him. One was Lin Shan’s daughter, and another was Li Quanyou’s son. Generally speaking, the families of cadres weren’t allowed to do business, for fear of officials abusing their power for personal gain. However, it wasn’t an absolute rule. Besides, as long as they didn’t use their connections to take bribes, engage in corruption, or line their own pockets, it was fine. Plenty of higher-ups were involved in business too. As long as it was legitimate, no one would say much.

If Lin Gu’er and Li Zhi could earn money, help solve the workers’ employment problem, and stimulate economic development, it would be a good thing. It was something they should support.

"Haha, you’re too kind, Vice Mayor Shang. We’re just trying our luck while we’re young."

Gu’er laughed. The vice mayor wasn’t as stern as she had imagined, and her heart gradually calmed.

"Youth is a wonderful thing," Vice Mayor Shang chuckled. "You young people are full of vitality. The future belongs to you."

After a few more pleasantries, they got down to business.

"Mr. Lin told the city that if you contract this building, you can help solve the employment issue for thirty workers. I’d like to ask about your plans. How will you place these workers? What guarantees can you offer them? Also, thirty is a bit low. Is it possible to take on a few more?"

Vice Mayor Shang asked the group.

Gu’er was taken aback. She had clearly told her father they would arrange for fifty people. How did it become thirty?

After a moment of shock, Gu’er realized what had happened. ’Her father must have reported a lower number, knowing the city would probably ask for more. This way, he left her some room to negotiate.’

"Mr. Vice Mayor, we plan to contract this building to open a private department store. To sell things, we’ll certainly need salesclerks. I think twenty salesclerks should be about right. We’ll also need security guards, patrols, warehouse keepers, and loaders. I think thirty people should be sufficient. However, since you’ve brought it up, Mr. Vice Mayor, we can add another ten. We will train these workers before they start. We will pay their wages on time every month, and if they perform well, there will be bonuses. When some of them get older or fall ill, we can provide them with a retirement pension. As long as our department store is in business, we can guarantee their employment. Of course, if the building is contracted to someone else, or if we can no longer stay in business, we won’t be able to provide that guarantee."

Gu’er had already thought through these issues and discussed them with Lin Shan. She only spoke after being sure there were no problems.

Vice Mayor Shang smiled at Gu’er. He wasn’t oblivious to her little scheme. By saying this, she was trying to ensure the building wouldn’t be contracted to someone else in the future. After all, with so many employees to manage, anyone else looking to take over the building would have to think twice.

He didn’t mind her cleverness. Business was about making money; otherwise, who would put in all the hard work? He knew the investment was no small sum. As long as Gu’er could deliver on her promises, that was what mattered.

"Alright. The city can back you up on what you’ve said. When we sign the agreement, we can specify that upon the contract’s expiration, you will have the priority to re-sign at the market price. However, I need you to take on fifty workers. And all the guarantees for the employees must be written into the contract. If you fail to protect the rights and interests of the workers, the government has the right to reclaim the building. If you violate the regulations, the contract will not be renewed."

Vice Mayor Shang stated his conditions.

Gu’er fell silent for a moment, as if in thought. She glanced at Sun Jiaming and Li Zhi, the three of them seemingly communicating with their eyes.

Vice Mayor Shang didn’t rush them. This was a major decision, and he felt it was only right for them to think it over.

"Mr. Vice Mayor, we can agree to your terms. We accept the fifty-worker quota and will make proper arrangements to fulfill our promises. But you also know that we’re opening a private department store, which requires excellent customer service. So, before these workers start, I will have someone train them. We will also have our own rules and regulations; otherwise, we won’t last long. We’ll reward the good workers, but we’ll also discipline the troublemakers. We can’t let a few bad apples affect our business. You have to understand, with such a large investment, we don’t want to lose money and fail because of this. Besides wanting to make a profit, we also want to contribute to economic development. We hope this contract won’t tie our hands. I hope you can understand our position, Mr. Vice Mayor."

Gu’er laid out her own conditions as well. She could imagine that the quality of the workers assigned to them would be a mixed bag. Besides making good use of them, she would definitely have to crack down on a few troublemakers. And those troublemakers would surely act up, thinking they were untouchable because they were assigned by the city and couldn’t be fired. They would look for trouble and create problems. When the time came, she had to suppress them. These bad apples might even go crying to the authorities, which was why she had to get the city’s approval now.

Vice Mayor Shang looked at Gu’er and her two partners. He saw determination, drive, and fearlessness on their faces. He sighed internally. ’Youth really is a wonderful thing. They dare to do anything.’

"Alright. As long as your actions are legitimate, if you encounter such troublemakers, you can handle them as you see fit. We’ll have your back. You can go for it without reservation."

Vice Mayor Shang nodded.

"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor."

Gu’er quickly expressed her thanks. With those words, everything would be much easier from now on.

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