pdf-ebookys Chapter 135 Contracting
Chapter 135 Contracting
After making up his mind, Li Mu began preparations. He first went to town and bought some fine tea and pastries, intending to take them to the city as gifts. Although he didn't plan to ask Tao Qingshan's old friend for help directly, it's always good to be polite and bring some gifts.
First, go to the courtyard to find Young Master Zhao, Zhao Dakai. This time, he was carrying gifts in both hands.
Zhao Dakai had some connections in the city, and Li Mu thought that even if he couldn't get the approval directly from him, he could still get some useful information from him.
The guards didn't stop him much when they saw it was Li Mu. After all, he was quite well-known in the area, and everyone knew he was a capable young man.
Li Mu was led to the living room, and soon after, Zhao Dakai swaggered in with a smile on his face: "Oh, isn't this Li Mu? What brings you here today?"
Li Mu stood up, gently placed the gift in his hand on the coffee table, and said with a smile, "Brother Zhao, I just wanted to ask you for a favor, so I specially bought some gifts to visit you."
Zhao Dakai glanced at the gifts on the table, a playful smile playing on his lips: "Oh? What could possibly make you, Li Mu, so concerned that you even made a special trip to the city to see me?"
Li Mu considered his words carefully before saying, "Brother Zhao, I'd like to contract some abandoned land in our village to expand our breeding and planting operations. But I heard that this requires approval from the city, so I wanted to ask you if you have any connections?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Dakai's eyes. This Li Mu actually had such a big appetite!
"How dare you say that."
“Brother Zhao, to be honest, I do have this idea. You know, now that the policies have been relaxed, everyone is thinking about how to make money. There is a lot of abandoned land in our village, and I think this is an opportunity that I want to make good use of.”
Zhao Dakai raised an eyebrow and said, "The idea is not bad, but you have to know that this is not a simple matter. Contracting land, especially large areas of abandoned land, involves a lot of complicated procedures."
Zhao Dakai's parents are both prominent figures in the city. Having worked in officialdom for so many years, they are naturally very knowledgeable about these matters.
He sighed, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but this is really difficult. You have to go to the village committee first to see if they agree to let you contract those lands. Then you have to go to the relevant departments in the city to complete the procedures. I don't know how many trips you'll have to make and how much money it will cost."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's heart sank.
"Brother Zhao, I know this is a difficult matter, but I really want to try. Could you give me some pointers and tell me who to contact and what to do?"
He took out the newly bought cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Zhao Dakai, lit one for himself, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
Zhao Dakai took the cigarette, held it between his fingers, and didn't light it immediately. Instead, he looked at Li Mu with a half-smile and said, "Muzi, it's not that I don't want to help you, but you have to be prepared that this won't be easy. However, I can give you a suggestion: go find Director Zhang of the Municipal Agriculture Bureau. He has some influence in land matters. Whether he's willing to help you or not depends on your own abilities."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's eyes lit up immediately: "Director Zhang? Okay, I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Brother Zhao."
He knew in his heart that although this matter was difficult, having connections was much better than figuring it out blindly on his own.
Zhao Dakai patted Li Mu on the shoulder and laughed, "Muzi, this is all I can do to help you. The rest is up to you. I have faith in you. I'll call Director Zhang later; he's my uncle, so meeting him shouldn't be a problem."
Li Mu nodded gratefully, chatted with Zhao Dakai for a few more minutes, and then got up to take his leave.
After leaving Zhao Dakai's house, Li Mu went straight to the Municipal Agriculture Bureau.
Whether he'll succeed in going to see Director Zhang this time is still uncertain. But he has to try, no matter what.
When Li Mu arrived at the Municipal Agriculture Bureau, he was stopped by the gatekeeper.
"Comrade, who are you looking for?" The gatekeeper looked at him with a serious expression.
Li Mu smiled politely: "I'm looking for Director Zhang. I need his help with something."
Upon hearing this, the security guard's expression became even more serious: "Looking for Director Zhang? Do you have an appointment?"
Li Mu shook his head: "No, I decided to come at the last minute. Could you please inform them that I'm here on business?"
The security guard frowned, clearly somewhat embarrassed: "This... without an appointment, we can't report it. Why don't you go back first and come back when you have an appointment?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu immediately became anxious. If he couldn't meet with Director Zhang this time, his plan would probably fall through.
He thought for a moment, then took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to the gatekeeper: "Brother, please make an exception. I really have urgent business with Director Zhang. Please have this cigarette first, and I'll come back to thank you properly once I've taken care of things."
The gatekeeper glanced at the cigarette in Li Mu's hand, then at his sincere expression, hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head: "No, rules are rules. We can't let you in without an appointment."
Seeing the gatekeeper's resolute attitude, Li Mu thought for a moment and decided to change his strategy.
"Brother, how about this? I'll wait at the door until Director Zhang comes out, and then I'll talk to him personally. That shouldn't violate any regulations, right?"
Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper frowned, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that Li Mu's request wasn't unreasonable, so he nodded and said, "Alright then, you can wait at the gate, but don't make any noise or disturb our work."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu quickly nodded in agreement, secretly relieved. He stood at the door, his eyes fixed on the gate of the Agriculture Bureau, afraid of missing the moment when Director Zhang came out.
Time passed second by second, and Li Mu's legs were starting to ache from standing, but Director Zhang still hadn't appeared.
Just then, a black sedan slowly drove into the gate of the Agriculture Bureau.
Li Mu's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to greet him. A middle-aged man in a suit with a serious expression got out of the car, and the guard called out, "Director Zhang."
Li Mu quickly stepped forward and respectfully greeted, "Director Zhang!"
Director Zhang was preoccupied with his work, his brow furrowed, and he hurried along, unaware of Li Mu's call.
Li Mu hurriedly called out again, "Director Zhang, hello!"
Director Zhang then stopped and looked at Li Mu with a puzzled expression: "Who are you?"
Li Mu quickly introduced himself: "Director Zhang, I am Li Mu from Lijia Village. I was asked to come to you by Brother Zhao Dakai."
Director Zhang looked impatient. He had just received a call from a young man who wanted to see him. He thought it was just some random person, but it turned out to be someone introduced by Zhao Dakai.