Chapter 68: Li and Liang’s Surprise
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Chapter 68: Li and Liang's Surprise
After Li Yi handed over the business license documents to the staff, the three of them left the Industrial and Commercial Bureau.
Upon exiting, they turned right and soon arrived at a small noodle shop.
Each of them ordered a bowl of noodles along with two small cold dishes, which surprised Li Yi.
In his mind, both of these men were bureau-level officials—high-ranking figures in the Dragon Kingdom. He had expected that officials of their stature would dine at more upscale establishments.
Noticing Li Yi's surprise, Li Wenshan smiled and asked, "Li Yi, do you think our lunch is a bit too simple?"
Li Yi nodded and said frankly, "I didn't expect the two directors to eat in such a small place like ordinary people."
Hearing this, Liang Guoxing burst into laughter and said, "Li Yi, the way you describe this 'fly house' is quite amusing!"
Li Wenshan chuckled and explained, "We have no choice. We don't engage in corruption or bribery all year round. We survive on a fixed salary set by the state. To put it plainly, we're just ordinary people with a bit of status. There's no need, nor do we have the means, to indulge in lavish meals every day."
He then gestured to their surroundings and continued, "Besides, this little shop may be small, but their noodles are excellent. It's an authentic taste of old Jiangnan Province."
Li Yi smiled and nodded, realizing that Director Li was quite a nostalgic person.
As they ate, Li Wenshan suddenly looked at Li Yi with a serious expression and said, "Li Yi, you will definitely go further than us old guys in the future. However, there's something I need to tell you—it might be a bit unpleasant."
Upon hearing this, Li Yi immediately put down his chopsticks and responded solemnly, "Director Li, please go ahead."
Taking a sip of tea from the copper pot, Li Wenshan continued, "Whether you are doing business or anything else, you must always act with a clear conscience."
He then paused before adding, "I know all about Liu Tongfu. I hope that in the future, you will be an upright person and earn money with integrity."
Li Yi did not defend himself. He knew that with Li Wenshan's capability, he must have figured out that the reports against Liu Tongfu had come from him. Even if there was no concrete evidence, the suspicion was enough.
Rather than argue, Li Yi simply responded with a serious expression, "Don't worry, Director Li, I will."
Seeing that Li Yi didn't try to justify himself, Li Wenshan did not press further. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Didn't you just come back from the Guangshen area? Tell us what you think about it."
Li Yi thought for a moment before replying, "Guangzhou and Shenzhen are at the forefront of our country's economic reform. They serve as our window to the world and, at the same time, as the world's platform to understand us. Walking through those cities, one can witness the prosperity reminiscent of Shanghai's foreign concessions decades ago. They embody both the best and worst aspects of modern society."
"Tell us about the good things first," Li Wenshan prompted.
Li Yi nodded. "There are many positives. For one, they have almost completely broken free from the constraints of the planned economy. The speed and scale of their industrial and commercial development far exceed what we could imagine here in the inland regions. To put it bluntly, compared to the Guangshen area, Jiangcheng doesn't even feel like it belongs to the same world."
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Liang Guoxing asked in disbelief.
"If anything, I'm being conservative," Li Yi replied. "For example, I don't know exactly how your salaries are structured, but when I worked at the meat factory, my monthly salary was just over 110 yuan. After various deductions, my actual take-home pay was less than 100 yuan."
Li Wenshan nodded. "Ours is about the same, just a little higher by a dozen yuan or so."
Li Yi continued, "But do you know how much an ordinary industrial worker earns in the Guangshen area?"
"No idea," Liang Guoxing admitted.
"At least 180 yuan per month," Li Yi revealed.
"180 yuan? That's almost double our salaries here!"
"Exactly. And do you know how much it costs to stay in an average hotel in Guangzhou or Shenzhen for one night? Not a fancy one, just a basic place—it's 15 yuan per night. My entire monthly salary wouldn't even cover a week's stay, and that's without factoring in food and other expenses."
Li Yi's words left the two officials stunned. In recent years, there had been much talk about reform and opening up, but everyone was still proceeding cautiously, feeling their way forward. Few truly understood just how vast the gap between the inland and coastal regions had become.
"Is the disparity really that large?" Liang Guoxing asked, clearly shaken.
Li Yi nodded. "That's just the surface level. In reality, the difference runs much deeper."
"Even deeper?"
"Yes. The reason Guangzhou and Shenzhen are developing so much faster than us isn't just because of higher wages and living costs. It's also because they have successfully integrated the entire upstream and downstream industries for production and sales, creating a strong 'siphon effect.'"
"Siphon effect?" Liang Guoxing repeated, intrigued.
Li Yi explained, "In physics, the siphon effect refers to the phenomenon where liquid flows from a region of higher pressure to one of lower pressure due to gravitational and atmospheric forces."
He then continued, "At the city level, core cities—especially central and large cities—act like siphons, drawing in talent, resources, and industries from surrounding small and medium-sized towns. This leads to an accumulation of resources in these major urban centers while the smaller cities struggle to retain their own."
"So you're saying Guangzhou and Shenzhen are siphoning resources from places like ours?"
"Precisely. On a national scale, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are major siphon cities, while Jiangcheng is one of the areas being drained."
Liang Guoxing frowned. "That means the rich get richer while the poor get poorer."
"That's a possibility," Li Yi acknowledged. "But it's also an inevitable stage in the growth of city clusters."
"How can we avoid this?"
Li Yi smiled. "The only way to counteract being siphoned away is to develop our own core industries and enhance the competitiveness of our major cities. In simple terms, we have to rely on ourselves."
"That's easier said than done. Implementing it would be another challenge entirely."
"That's true," Li Yi agreed. "Reform is never smooth. There will always be growing pains."
After a moment of contemplation, Li Wenshan spoke again. "Alright, Li Yi, now tell us about the downside of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area."
"No problem. The issues in Guangzhou and Shenzhen are…"
The three of them continued their discussion over the meal, which lasted for more than two hours. By the time they finished, it was already 4:30 in the afternoon.
Through this conversation, both Li Wenshan and Liang Guoxing developed a strong interest in Li Yi.
To them, Li Yi's ability to observe and analyze was truly remarkable, and his unique perspective set him apart.
They both believed that such a person would achieve extraordinary things in the future—he was someone worth befriending.
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