Chapter 95

Chapter 51: Refusing the Gift

Yu Qiuxia was very surprised. She had thought that she already had a high opinion of the young man in front of her, but it seemed that she had still underestimated his wisdom. His words, though simple and rough, had a core message that coincided with her father-in-law's views over the years. That is, the prosperity of the mainland and Hong Kong is interdependent. Only when the mainland prospers can the people of Hong Kong have a better future.

Her father-in-law had once said publicly at home, "If Hong Kong is a blooming flower, then the mainland is the root of this flower! It was precisely because of the mainland's initial isolation and the barriers between it and other countries that Hong Kong, as a transit port, achieved its glory. Although we cannot deny that reasonable economic rules are one of the important factors that led to Hong Kong's prosperity, we also cannot deny that the support of the mainland is the fundamental reason for Hong Kong's prosperity!" Fang Mingyuan's words just now were in perfect harmony with her father-in-law's views.

Moreover, her father-in-law had also said in recent years that the development of the Southeast Asian, Japanese, Korean, American, and European markets had already reached its limits. Especially in the European and American markets, which are mature markets, the domestic conglomerates have already divided the market, leaving very little for other countries. The Guo family shipping group could not forcibly develop these markets, as it would certainly cause dissatisfaction from the governments of those countries. On the contrary, the shipping market of the mainland was still a blank slate. With the gradual implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, the mainland's foreign trade volume would increase rapidly, but the shipping capacity of the mainland could not grow at the same pace. Since Hong Kong and the mainland share the same roots, the Guo family shipping group entering the mainland would not cause resentment among the mainland people. A vast market of over 9.6 million square kilometers with nearly one billion people, comparable in scale to Europe, would be enough to propel the Guo family shipping group to the forefront of the world's shipping industry, even if they only captured ten percent of the market!

Therefore, her father-in-law had always placed great importance on the mainland. Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, the Guo family had almost come to the mainland every year, partly to pay respects to their ancestors and partly to coordinate with the mainland government to prepare for the Guo family shipping group's entry into the mainland market.

Her father-in-law, after all, was a seasoned businessman who had been in the business world for decades, so it was not surprising that he had such a clear understanding. However, it was truly remarkable that a young man from a remote area could have a similar understanding.

She knew that her husband had always looked down on the mainland people and was pessimistic about the mainland's future control of Hong Kong. However, with her father-in-law around, he did not dare to express his views openly. Although she did not agree with his views, as a wife, she could only try to persuade him gently. Seeing that he was getting annoyed by Fang Mingyuan's words, she quickly said, "Tianyu, it's already late, and the banquet at the provincial government is about to start. You should go first. It wouldn't be appropriate to keep the leaders waiting. I and Qing'er won't go, and I'm sure the leaders will understand. What do you think?"

Her husband's gentle words gave Guo Tianyu a way out. Interrupted by his wife, he also calmed down. He was already thirty years old, the young master of the prestigious Guo family shipping group, and arguing with a young man, especially one who had done them a favor, would only make him lose face.

So, he and Fang Mingyuan exchanged a few more polite words and then left early.

At this moment, Deputy Director Ning and the other two were speechless. This young man had so straightforwardly, without any consultation with his family, directly refused the personal invitation of the young master's wife of the Guo family shipping group! He had refused the opportunity to settle in Hong Kong!

With the deepening of the reform and opening-up policy, the country gradually opened up, and the people's understanding of the world was no longer as narrow as before. They no longer believed that the citizens of capitalist countries lived in misery, but rather discovered that the outside world was more colorful and prosperous. Therefore, those who had the means to go abroad or to Hong Kong left one after another. When they returned to China, the impact on their relatives and friends was unparalleled. As a result, more and more people hoped to go abroad to experience a different life.

Hong Kong, being a place with the same roots as China, was naturally the top choice for people. But this young man had refused! If there were no other people present, Deputy Director Ning really wanted to slap the back of Fang Mingyuan's head to wake him up!

Fang Bin and Fang Ya looked at each other. Fang Mingyuan's response did not surprise them. For some reason, this kid was very attached to his family. He was unwilling to go to the capital, so naturally, Hong Kong had limited appeal to him.

Yu Qiuxia was somewhat disappointed, but because Fang Mingyuan's refusal was very tactful, she did not feel angry, only very regretful. Such an excellent young man, if he could receive a good education, she was very eager to see what kind of person Fang Mingyuan would grow up to be. "Mingyuan, since you don't want to go to Hong Kong with me, I won't force you. But you must remember your promise. When you come to Hong Kong in the future, you must visit me."

Fang Mingyuan nodded heavily, thinking that even if she didn't say it, he would visit them when he went to Hong Kong. With this connection in Hong Kong, his affairs in Hong Kong would be much easier.

Yu Qiuxia put Qing'er down, took out a passbook from her clothes, and handed it to Fang Mingyuan, smiling, "Since you don't want to go to Hong Kong with me, we can't stay in Fengyuan City for long. This is a small token of my appreciation, Mingyuan, don't be too polite."

Fang Mingyuan opened it and glanced at it, his eyes immediately widening. One, two, three, four, five, six—there were five million RMB in the account. The young master's wife of the Hong Kong conglomerate was indeed generous, offering five million RMB as a gift!

Fortunately, Fang Mingyuan, having lived a previous life, had far greater composure than the average person. After a brief moment of shock, he closed the passbook and placed it on the table next to Yu Qiuxia.

"Mingyuan, what are you doing?" Yu Qiuxia asked, puzzled. Although this was Fang Mingyuan's home, she thought that for a worker's family with an annual income of only a few thousand RMB, seeing such a large sum of money, they would certainly keep the passbook with them.

"Qiuxia, I didn't report the incident to get any reward. I did it because I believe that a child's lifelong happiness is more important than the risk. It's a matter of conscience!" Fang Mingyuan smiled, "So, although the money is good, I don't want to accept it."

Yu Qiuxia was stunned for a moment and then hurriedly said, "Mingyuan... that's not right. If you do a good deed, you should receive a reward. Qing'er is priceless to me, and this small token of appreciation is far from enough to express my gratitude to you. Moreover, I think that by refusing, you are setting a bad precedent..."

Fang Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh. He waved his hand and said, "Qiuxia, I understand. You might be thinking of the story of Zi Gong redeeming a slave. You might say that by doing this, I am raising the moral standard so high that in the future, if someone does a good deed and receives a reward, others might criticize them for lacking morals. This way, if someone takes a risk to do a good deed and makes a mistake, they will have to pay a price, but if they do it right, they won't get a reward. Over time, people will become indifferent to the bad things happening around them because they won't get any benefit from it and might even suffer."

Yu Qiuxia looked at Fang Mingyuan in amazement. Did this young man have a mind-reading book? She had indeed been thinking of using the story of Zi Gong redeeming a slave to advise him.

"I didn't finish my previous sentence. I don't want to accept this money because I think it can be used for a more worthy cause. Qiuxia, you might not know, but the trafficking of children in China is not uncommon, and the absolute number is quite significant. However, due to our underdeveloped economy, large population, and vast territory, the resources the police can allocate to this issue are very limited. Without funds, the work of finding trafficked children is difficult to carry out. I think you could use this money to establish a foundation or an organization to support the police in combating human trafficking, to help the poor children return home sooner and to prevent other children from being trafficked in the future." Fang Mingyuan winked at Yu Qiuxia and whispered in a very low voice, "Qiuxia, you're putting me on the hot seat. They'll treat me like a piece of Tang僧meat. For my peaceful life and my safety, I can't accept it!"

His last words, spoken with his back to the others, in a low and rapid voice, and in Cantonese, were not heard by anyone except Yu Qiuxia and her daughter. No one knew that after his passionate speech, he had said this.

Yu Qiuxia looked at Fang Mingyuan in surprise and then burst out laughing. She now understood that it was indeed inappropriate to give this money to Fang Mingyuan. As he said, it would not be a reward but a trouble. Her husband and she were eager to repay the favor but had not thought it through. This amount of money was a huge sum, even in Hong Kong, let alone on the mainland!

"You little rascal!"

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