Chapter 664 - Seventy-Thirty Split
He could simply have walked away—the matter didn't appear particularly dangerous. But Ji Qili was a cautious person by nature. Reporting it wouldn't cost him anything, and afterward it would no longer be his concern.
He called Wu Mu's pager.
"...What do you think? Any use to you?"
"Very useful," Wu Mu replied simply. "We don't know who this person is yet, but it's worth investigating."
After hanging up, he noted the matter in his work journal. Then he pulled a bell cord. A female political security officer wearing sergeant's insignia appeared at the door, standing ramrod straight according to Political Security Bureau internal regulations, awaiting instructions.
Her uniform fit well, though she was rather thin and small. Wu Mu's gaze swept over her Soviet-style uniform and skirt before he issued his order.
"Deliver this document to the Operations Division." He glanced at his watch. "My instructions: in one hour, conduct a surprise inspection of all native personnel on the Wenlan River management project section south of the demonstration farm gate. Detain anyone with suspicious behavior, lacking identification documents, or absent from the labor roster."
By protocol, such an order should come from the Operations Division chief. But he was currently in Chengmai, personally directing political security personnel in a comprehensive sweep of "dangerous elements" in the county seat. In his absence, Wu Mu could exercise that authority.
Though the Political Security Bureau's Operations Division had action personnel, it lacked an organized armed force. Large-scale operations required assistance from police and military. Wu Mu phoned Mu Min next—to mobilize the garrison company stationed outside Bairren City.
"I'll have authorization sent over immediately. Let Li Yayang know to prepare for deployment."
Deploying military forces had become extremely sensitive. After the Maid Revolution, company-level and above troop movements and mission execution required not only prior approval from the Military Affairs Directorate but also notification to the Executive Committee Secretariat and the Yuan Laoyuan Speaker's Office.
This matter could be treated as major or minor. Wu Mu could simply have filed the report: Chu Qing having a few old acquaintances was no major concern. Even if they had once worked together at Gou Family Stockade, that proved nothing—plenty of the Gou brothers' former thugs, slaves, and hired hands now worked for the transmigrators. Any of them might know Chu Qing.
But considering the recent intelligence about Gou Chengxuan sending agents into Lingao, the two matters combined might indicate something suspicious. That was why he ordered an immediate search.
After handling these matters, Wu Mu opened another dossier on his desk and studied it carefully. Compared to the suddenly appearing old acquaintance of Chu Qing, he had something more important and more troublesome to address.
After Ji Qili left, Wu Nanhai felt relaxed and cheerful. He finished his cigar and took Chu Qing to the farm café. This place had become the farm's most important tertiary business.
As the only leisure facility in this timeline meeting old-world standards, the café had won enthusiastic transmigrator patronage. After life secretaries arrived, transmigrators' sudden demand for leisure entertainment instantly overwhelmed the farm café—it was the safest venue, with excellent ambiance.
The modest café immediately fell into the contradiction between "lagging capacity..." and "ever-growing demand..." Clearly, expansion was urgent.
But Wu Nanhai wasn't particularly enthusiastic about expansion. The Yuan Laoyuan was deeply wary of transmigrators' private enterprises. After Li Mei's cooperative was nationalized, all enterprises belonged to "all transmigrators."
For Wu Nanhai, the café had been opened on a whim, purely for "serving transmigrators." In practice, it operated on a state-enterprise model of "allocated supplies" and "remitted profits." For him personally and for the Agricultural Department, there was little benefit—this wasn't even the Agricultural Committee's core responsibility—only additional administrative burden.
Expanding might improve business, but for the Agricultural People's Committee and its transmigrator members, it was simply another burden.
Transmigrators loudly demanded café expansion and improvement; the Agricultural People's Committee held back. Xiao Zishan quickly recognized the underlying problem.
Satisfying transmigrators, making them happy, and serving them was the Administrative Office's most basic purpose. Since this café was so popular, the Office had an obligation to keep it running.
To keep Wu Nanhai happily managing it, there had to be some benefit in it for him.
After individually consulting key figures in the Executive Committee and Yuan Laoyuan, Xiao Zishan met privately with Wu Nanhai at the Agricultural Committee office.
"...If the Administrative Office is willing to fund expansion, that's wonderful. But the café business is too tedious. I'd rather the Administrative Office take it over entirely." Wu Nanhai spoke sincerely—he genuinely was tired of running a café.
"The Administrative Office could certainly take over. But don't you think it's a shame to give up a venue with such public influence?" Xiao Zishan replied. "The Farm Café is already a brand."
Wu Nanhai was about to say "the brand belongs to everyone, not just me," but reconsidered—that could sound dissatisfied, easily interpreted as "the brand is mine, so I'll only work hard if I benefit." If word got out, it would damage his reputation.
"You see, precisely because the Agricultural Committee has such a facility serving transmigrators, it enjoys such high standing in their hearts. Whenever people mention the demonstration farm, they think of you."
This gentle hint was clear to Wu Nanhai: several Executive Committee positions remained vacant, and after the counter-encirclement campaign, elections to fill them would be held. At this critical moment of emphasizing "democracy," how could he afford to alienate himself from fellow transmigrators?
Xiao Zishan then proposed: the operational model would remain state-enterprise style—privatization through shareholding reform wasn't feasible at this stage. But he promised to expand the Farm Café's financial autonomy.
After restructuring, the Farm Café would become an independently accounted project under the Agricultural Committee, self-financing its operations. Material allocation and personnel use would no longer come free from the Agricultural Committee but be settled in cash at market prices. After deducting operating costs and future commercial taxes, net profits would be split seventy-thirty: thirty percent remaining in the café's accounts as capital for expansion, seventy percent remitted to the treasury.
"Of course, the Agricultural Committee still manages this thirty percent profit fund in practice—all transactions must be clearly documented."
"I understand—otherwise it becomes the Agricultural Committee's slush fund." Wu Nanhai nodded repeatedly.
"Exactly. We must guard against slush funds and avoid small-clique errors. But as long as the money is spent on projects serving transmigrators, it's proper and reasonable."
And so the café expansion proposal was settled. Previously, materials and labor had been provided by the Agricultural Committee; now everything required cash settlement. Wu Nanhai certainly couldn't divert public funds and materials allocated to the Agricultural Committee to the café. He was worrying about this when Mr. Wu Di, head of Delong Bank's Credit Department, personally came to visit. He immediately offered to provide a low-interest loan to the Farm Café.
As credit department head—even of a state-owned bank—finding loan projects remained Wu Di's primary job. Most loan projects related to agriculture. Many "Tiandihui" customers' land improvement and new crop projects were supported by Delong loans. Wu Di was a frequent visitor to the Agricultural Department.
"A loan—" Wu Nanhai pondered for several minutes. A loan would solve the capital problem, but loans required collateral as a basic principle—unless this was some kind of policy loan.
"We have no collateral," Wu Nanhai said. "If we use the café as collateral, that seems improper—however small, the Farm Café is still a state enterprise..." He obviously lacked authority to privately pledge a state enterprise to a bank, even though the bank itself was also state-owned.
"No problem." Wu Di said. "Since the Farm Café has a future profit share, use that as security."
"That works?"
Wu Di nodded: "Certainly. I reviewed the Farm Café's operations and financial statements at the Cheka. Business is quite good."
"Were you sent by Xiao Zishan?" Wu Nanhai inquired about Wu Di's timely visit.
"No. The Administrative Office can't direct the Finance Directorate," Wu Di smiled. "He simply informed me about this loan opportunity—and it's a good loan project."
With the loan secured, the Farm Café expansion formally began.
Zhang Xingpei handled the structure; Li Xiaolü handled landscape design. This was Lingao Construction Company's second commercial building project after serving the Church—from design to construction, everything was fee-based.
The new Farm Café used simple, easy-to-build wooden construction. Besides expanding indoor business area, wooden outdoor terraces were added, allowing transmigrators to enjoy open-air breezes and sunshine on pleasant days.
According to the plan, the expanded indoor area would feature high-backed train-seat-style booths for better privacy. Lighting would no longer rely on large gas lamps but small glass candleholders at each table, lit with colored candles when customers arrived. Tables would have pretty little vases refreshed daily with flowers from the farm garden. Landscape paintings would hang on the walls. Add the slow, languid music planned for the future, and it would be delightfully pseudo-bourgeois.