Faced with Xu Qiang's exorbitant demands at every turn, Zhang Li was almost unable to tolerate it anymore.

She had never seen such an expert or scholar with such a strong smell of money. Even many of his behaviors completely overturned the gentle and elegant image of ordinary experts in Zhang Li's mind. He looked like a completely mercenary businessman.

But Xu Qiang did have some skills. At least the new type of feed he developed before was really effective. If it could be mass-produced, the market prospects would be very broad. So at this time, Zhang Li could only continue to cooperate with him calmly.

"Let's talk about the price increase later. We have to complete the current project, right?" After a moment, Zhang Li calmed down and said to Xu Qiang with a smile.

"Yeah, okay." Xu Qiang nodded.

He Yonghong, who was standing aside, looked at Xu Qiang with a somewhat strange look, but soon retracted his gaze and fell into thought.

Finally, the car stopped in the courtyard of the CZ Municipal Government, and Xu Qiang and He Yonghong were arranged to rest in a guesthouse first.

"Qiangzi, are you crazy? You ask for one hundred thousand yuan right away. This is too outrageous, right?" He Yonghong said to Xu Qiang after entering the room of the guesthouse.

"My technology is worth this price. If they don't want to, they don't have to cooperate with me." Xu Qiang smiled and continued, "The people here are very smart. A good product can make them at least tens or even millions of dollars in profit every year. What's a hundred thousand yuan for research and development? You don't know the scale of township enterprises in Changzhou. Outside the city, there is a township enterprise almost every one or two miles around. There are too many projects that need technical support..."

"But isn't a labor fee of 100,000 yuan too high..."

"Tall ass!" Xu Qiang looked at He Yonghong with disdain and said, "Don't you read newspapers? I've read a lot of school newspapers before, and there's a detailed introduction to Changzhou. Compared with 69 similar cities in the country, Changzhou ranks first in per capita output value and fiscal revenue. Compared with 24 large cities with a population of one million, the labor productivity of the urban area is second only to Shanghai, ranking second in the country. The fiscal revenue exceeds that of 10 of these cities. Last year's industrial output value reached more than 30 billion yuan. With such a rich government, do you still think it's too much for me to charge them yuan in labor fees?"

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, He Yonghong was stunned.

He Yonghong is not as concerned about current affairs as Xu Qiang. He really doesn't know that the economy of CZ City is so developed. You know, Gaoshan Town, where the 9304 Factory was located, had an annual fiscal revenue of only a few hundred thousand yuan. Even FZ City, the second largest city in Jiangxi, which has the largest textile enterprise in the province, Fufang, has an annual fiscal revenue of only more than million yuan. He could not imagine that Changzhou, a seemingly not-so-large prefecture-level city, had such a high fiscal revenue.

"You have to remember that technology is never cheap. If we don't raise the price ourselves, no one will help us raise the price. Besides, our team has won the highest national science and technology award, so we must have a 'national' price." Xu Qiang paused, and then said: "In fact, if these projects are allowed to be developed by their own teams, not only will it cost more money, it will also take longer, and it may not be successful!"

"That's right." He Yonghong nodded.

"Moreover, they are now following a market-oriented economic model. If they want to seize the market, in addition to the high cost-effectiveness of the product itself, they must also be able to innovate in a timely manner. Only in this way can they form a brand effect and occupy the market share for a long time." Xu Qiang paused, and then said: "Based on the efficiency of our domestic research institutes, they are just doing their job. By the time they develop the product, the opportunity will be gone..."

"If we want to ensure efficiency, it won't be an easy task..."

"Precisely because this kind of project is not easy, I ask them for a high price. Since they have paid so much, I can't let them get away with it cheaply!" Xu Qiang said with a raised eyebrow.

"But what if they think it's too expensive and stop cooperating with us?" He Yonghong asked again.

"They don't know the goods, but there are people who do. Besides, everything is done according to the contract, and all the terms are clearly written. I believe they can still make up the accounts." Xu Qiang said confidently, "If there is no one who knows the goods, we can do it ourselves. There are so many township enterprises around Shanghai. It is not difficult to find an enterprise to rely on. Anyway, I have been studying in Shanghai for four years and have plenty of time. In short, I will never sell the technology at a low price. You have to know that technology is the primary productive force. Even if we can't expand the market for our technical talents, we must not ruin the market. This is my bottom line."

"You are such a scary guy. To be honest, let alone 100,000 yuan, even if you gave me 10,000 yuan, I would already think it is a sky-high price..." He Yonghong said with emotion, and then said: "You don't know, just now in the car, when you mentioned the offer of 100,000 yuan, Zhang Li's face started to twitch. I think she was very angry."

"It's her business whether she's angry or not. If she thinks the price is high, she can just refuse to cooperate. It's that simple." Xu Qiang said disapprovingly.

"But I think that woman is pretty amazing, definitely a master. When we were chatting on the road just now, she was quick-witted, spoke logically, was pretty, and should be very rich. She was wearing an Omega watch on her wrist. I've seen this thing in a shopping mall in Shanghai before. One piece costs more than 800 yuan..."

"Whether or not you have money is other people's business, but I can guarantee that if you follow me, we will definitely be richer than her in the future," said Xu Qiang.

"Okay, you eat the meat, and I can do anything as long as you give me some soup." He Yonghong said quickly.

He Yonghong could see that Xu Qiang was indeed ambitious, but he was also capable. After all, he was the first person in his early twenties to undertake a national key scientific research project, win the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and be received by leaders since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Moreover, He Yonghong has gained a lot from following Xu Qiang over the past six months, so he has great confidence in Xu Qiang's ability. "Today, the Changzhou government should pay me the first labor fee according to the contract. We have said before that I will give you 5,000 yuan." Xu Qiang paused and continued, "But I need you to design a feed production line in the shortest time according to my requirements. This is a serious matter. If this project is successful, there will be more and more such jobs in the future. If nothing else, at least you can marry that college student home in style, and you don't have to ask me for money anymore..."

"I will do my best!" Hearing Xu Qiang say this, He Yonghong's eyes suddenly lit up and he kept saying it.

"We're exhausted from the long car ride. Let's take a nap first. We'll have a banquet tonight. Remember to help me keep the wine."

After Xu Qiang finished speaking, he hung up his coat, took off his shoes, and lay directly on the bed...

……

In the evening, Xu Qiang and He Yonghong came to the restaurant of the municipal government guesthouse together.

Xu Qiang was surprised by the enthusiasm of Mayor Xue Zhiqin, and compared with the last banquet, the standard of this one was obviously a level higher.

After the two men shook hands and exchanged a few words, Xue Zhiqin immediately put the contract they had signed and a full 35,000 yuan in cash into a cardboard box and placed it in front of Xu Qiang.

According to the contract, as long as Xu Qiang completes the research and development of the subsequent production line, he can get the final payment of 15,000 yuan. The successful development of the new feed has allowed Xu Qiang to directly earn 35,000 yuan.

Looking at the stacks of banknotes in the cardboard box, He Yonghong, who came with him, was stunned.

You have to know that there are no hundred-yuan bills these days, only ten-yuan notes. Thirty-five thousand yuan placed in a cardboard box gives people a strong visual impact.

I guess the CZ City Government is the only one in China that dares to pay in this way. Their courage and vision are truly extraordinary.

However, Xu Qiang just glanced at the banknotes in the box without any intention of counting them. Instead, he directly picked up the wine glass in front of him, clinked it with Mayor Xue Zhiqin, and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Xu Qiang so calm after receiving the huge sum of money, Zhang Li who was sitting next to him had a flash of surprise in her eyes, but soon she also picked up the glass to toast Xu Qiang.

The atmosphere was very warm throughout the evening. There were more people attending the banquet this time than last time. There were several familiar leaders, and there were also a few young people whom Xu Qiang met for the first time. Zhang Li introduced them as newly assigned young cadres whose main work was also related to township enterprises.

However, Xu Qiang soon discovered a clue. These people took out notebooks while eating and seemed to be recording something. Inadvertently, Xu Qiang clearly saw the big gold-plated words "Shanghai Evening News" printed on the notebook of one of them.

This made Xu Qiang alert, but he soon felt relieved.

Because he did not do anything illegal, and he signed a formal technical cooperation contract with the CZ Municipal Government. If this matter is illegal, then the CZ Municipal Government cannot escape blame.

Moreover, Xu Qiang's project is a new type of feed, which has nothing to do with military products, so it does not involve the leakage of military technology. When he thought of this, Xu Qiang became calm.

The banquet lasted until very late, and when Xu Qiang and He Yonghong returned to the room after eating and drinking, it was already ten o'clock in the evening.

During this time, He Yonghong helped Xu Qiang block the wine while staring at the cardboard box containing money under the table, fearing that the huge sum of money would disappear.

"This five thousand dollars is yours..."

Xu Qiang took out five bundles of Great Unity from the cardboard box, threw them to He Yonghong, then took off his shoes and lay down on the bed.

That night, Xu Qiang slept soundly with a box of banknotes in his arms... (End of this chapter)