Chapter 65

Chen Geng originally intended to express his gratitude and leave after a brief chat, but unexpectedly, he and Qian Guoning hit it off quite well. As they chatted, an hour or so passed by unnoticed. Checking his watch, Qian Guoning smiled and said, "Younger brother, don't leave at noon. Stay and have lunch here. This morning, the kids caught a few mandarin fish, all weighing around seven or eight pounds. We'll stew one for lunch today!"

"Is there really mandarin fish in this reservoir?" Chen Geng was surprised.

Qian Guoning sneered, "What kind of reservoir is this? It's smaller than a mud puddle. A few splashes and you can swim from one end to the other. If you want to talk about a reservoir, you should look at the Shiliang River Reservoir. That reservoir is huge! It covers 85 square kilometers. Not to mention the forty-pound bighead carp, even mandarin fish weighing over ten pounds are common."

"Shiliang River Reservoir has mandarin fish weighing over ten pounds?" Chen Geng's mouth watered immediately.

He loved spicy fish head and fish head hot pot, but compared to mandarin fish, bighead carp was a notch lower. Most importantly, he couldn't buy mandarin fish in Germany, and the more he couldn't get it, the more he craved it.

However, thinking about how the Shiliang River Reservoir is not only the largest reservoir in Haizhou but also the largest in Jiangnan Province, and that Jiangnan is one of the main origins of mandarin fish, he felt reassured: it's not strange for the largest reservoir in the province to have some rare species.

Speaking of mandarin fish, Qian Guoning smacked his lips and immediately became animated, "When it comes to mandarin fish, the bigger they are, the better they taste. Last year, our management office caught a mandarin fish that was almost thirty pounds. Tsk tsk..."

Qian Guoning looked wistful, clearly very eager to taste a mandarin fish weighing over twenty pounds.

Chen Geng also wanted to taste a mandarin fish weighing almost thirty pounds, but he obviously had no chance, which left him somewhat regretful, "What happened to that fish? Did the reservoir management office eat it, or did your Water Resources Bureau leaders get it?"

"Water Resources Bureau? They can dream!" Qian Guoning snorted, "Even the leaders of Haizhou City didn't get a chance to taste it. It was sent directly to the provincial government. Who knows whose stomach it ended up in."

"What a pity," Chen Geng smacked his lips, not without regret, "I've never heard of such a big mandarin fish before."

"Who says it isn't? All the good stuff goes to the dogs," Qian Guoning cursed.

However, while cursing, he seemed to forget that he was also a deputy department-level official. When ordinary people curse, they often say, "All the good stuff goes to the dogs."

Cursing, especially cursing officials together, is the best way to build a relationship. Although Chen Geng and Qian Guoning were both officials, this rule still applied. Don't think that only ordinary people like to curse officials; in fact, officials like to curse officials even more, especially those of higher rank.

By cursing the higher-ups together, their friendship quickly grew. Before long, they were calling each other brothers. Especially when Qian Guoning suggested that Chen Geng take the thirty-pound bighead carp with him when he left, their relationship deepened even further.

Taking someone's fish means showing gratitude. At least Chen Geng felt he was a man of principle, "Older brother, if there's anything I can help you with, just say it. Don't be shy."

Qian Guoning rubbed his hands, a bit embarrassed, "There is something I want to ask for your help with, um, it's not my matter, but our bureau chief. He's planning to renovate his office..."

Chen Geng was somewhat surprised. The Water Resources Bureau was known for being poor, and Ronghua Industry's renovation prices were not cheap.

Qian Guoning felt uncomfortable under Chen Geng's gaze, "Younger brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just want to know, is your Water Resources Bureau that rich now?" Chen Geng finally couldn't hold back and asked.

"Ha ha..." Qian Guoning laughed disdainfully, "Our bureau chief was invited to visit the Finance Bureau chief's office and got stimulated."

"..." Chen Geng was speechless: the damn competitive mentality, it's really like that!

After all, although the Finance Bureau is a first-class bureau and the Water Resources Bureau is a second-class bureau, they are all bureau chiefs. Why should your office be decorated like the President's office, while I have to calculate the electricity bill for a fan in the summer? No way! I can't fall too far behind.

Of course, don't take Qian Guoning's words too seriously. Although he was cursing now, who knows what he was really thinking. Chen Geng nodded and said cheerfully, "What's the big deal? It's just a word. How about this, next month, I'll go and renovate your bureau chief's office, okay?"

"Thank you, younger brother," Qian Guoning shook Chen Geng's hand vigorously, "I won't say anything more. I can't help you much with my position, but if you want to eat anything, just let me know. As long as it's from Haizhou's waters, I can definitely get it for you."

"Blowing hot air?" Chen Geng was skeptical, "Let's not talk about other things. How about you get me a Chinese giant salamander first?"

"A Chinese giant salamander, and you'll be satisfied?" Qian Guoning sneered, not taking it seriously, "Although we don't have them in our reservoir, if you want to eat one, it's just a phone call away. It's rare, but not that rare."

"Really?" Chen Geng was surprised, "I thought Chinese giant salamanders were protected by law and couldn't be eaten casually?"

Chen Geng was surprised, but Qian Guoning was even more surprised, "Protected by law? Who said that? I didn't know."

This means Chinese giant salamanders are not protected by law? Chen Geng was taken aback.

Chinese giant salamanders are a second-level protected wild animal, right? Except for legally licensed breeding, eating wild Chinese giant salamanders is illegal. This concept was deeply ingrained in Chen Geng's mind. However, if Chinese giant salamanders were really protected by law, Qian Guoning, as a water resources official, would certainly know. Or... a thought suddenly popped into Chen Geng's mind, making his heart race: Could it be that Chinese giant salamanders are not yet protected by law?

He asked cautiously, "I heard that Chinese giant salamanders were listed as second-level protected wild animals. Is that not the case?"

"Oh, you mean that," Qian Guoning immediately understood, smiling, "I know about that. You must have misunderstood. The Chinese giant salamander has been heavily exploited in recent years, and the rapid economic development has affected their habitat. You know, many factories have been built along the rivers. As a result, the number of Chinese giant salamanders has decreased significantly. To protect this resource, the government is considering legislative protection, but it's just a proposal. Who knows when it will be finalized. For now, you can eat them without any worries."

Chen Geng was taken aback. Chinese giant salamanders were listed as second-level protected wild animals in 1988 under the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China. It was now 1985, and Chinese giant salamanders were just a high-value aquatic resource, freely traded and safe to eat without worrying about any trouble from authorities.

Eating Chinese giant salamanders is completely fine now? Chen Geng was overjoyed, "Older brother, please help me find a few Chinese giant salamanders to taste. By the way, I have a German guest coming in a few days. We'll use the Chinese giant salamander as the main dish."

"Is there anything to discuss between us? It's just a word. I'll call and find one for you."

Qian Guoning was so generous, and Chen Geng naturally wanted to reciprocate, "Older brother, please let your bureau chief know. Our people will come over to coordinate with him and arrange a suitable time."

The two smiled at each other, both feeling the thrill of doing something mischievous and getting away with it.

"Chen, I have some good news for you. A domestic company has already provided qualified tires for the Volkswagen Santana. I think you'll be happy to hear this news," Jin Delle's voice sounded happy over the phone.

"A domestic company can already provide qualified tires for the Volkswagen Santana?" Chen Geng's first reaction to this news was not joy but surprise, "Really? Didn't you tell me last time that only a few tire companies had the intention to develop car-specific tires? How could it be so fast?"

"It was a problem with our communication with your Chinese working group," Old Jin was also embarrassed, "Your Chaoyang Tire Company intended to develop qualified car tires, but another tire company has already developed qualified tires."

Is that how it happened? Chen Geng was speechless upon hearing this.

But regardless, it was still good news. A domestic company had already developed qualified tires for the Volkswagen Santana, which meant one of the two problems that had been troubling him was solved. He immediately asked, "What's the name of this company?"

"Da Zhonghua Rubber Factory, and it's in Shanghai," Jin Delle said happily, "The Shanghai brand cars produced by SAIC use their tires. We just tested them, and the quality is good. All performance indicators meet the requirements of the Volkswagen Santana."

"Da Zhonghua Rubber Factory?" Chen Geng frowned, feeling the name was familiar but couldn't recall the company's information right away, "What's the name of their tires?"

"Huili, have you heard of it?"

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