PFC Chapter 512 Fortunately, we were prepared in advance
Chapter 512 Fortunately, we were prepared in advance
As expected, Li Xiangyang's premonition was correct.
Three days later, in the afternoon, just as the purchasing station was bustling with activity, a jeep stopped at the entrance, and several middle-aged men in Zhongshan suits got out. The leader was wearing glasses and carrying a briefcase.
"Excuse me, is this Li Xiangyang's purchasing station?" the bespectacled man asked politely.
Li Xiangyang was inspecting a batch of mountain products delivered by Heyan Village when he heard the voice and looked up: "Yes, I am Li Xiangyang. And you gentlemen are...?"
"We're from the county's Industry and Commerce Bureau. Someone reported you for operating without a license, so we're here to investigate." The man with glasses pulled out his work badge. "I'm Section Chief Liu from the Inspection Section of the Industry and Commerce Bureau."
Li Xiangyang's heart sank, but thankfully he was prepared. He quickly composed himself and said, "Section Chief Liu, hello. We are currently processing our business license; the paperwork is still under review."
"Is it under review? Do you have an application receipt?" Section Chief Liu pushed up his glasses.
"Yes, please wait a moment." Li Xiangyang turned to get the documents.
Wang Ergou leaned closer and whispered, "What happened?"
"Someone reported us for operating without a license," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice. "It must be Fatty Ma's doing."
Li Xiangyang quickly produced the application materials and temporary receipt, handing them to Section Chief Liu: "These are our application materials. The county said we should receive the official license by next week at the latest."
Section Chief Liu carefully reviewed the documents and nodded: "The materials are indeed complete. However, you cannot continue operating here until the official license is issued."
"Section Chief Liu, how about this?" Li Xiangyang said with a forced smile, "We've already signed purchase contracts with each village, and now is the crucial time for harvesting. If we stop operations, not only will we suffer losses, but the villagers in each village will also suffer losses."
“I understand that, but regulations are regulations.” Section Chief Liu said sternly, “Operating without a license is illegal, even if you are applying for one.”
Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers gathered around.
“Comrade, this purchasing station is doing just fine, why not let them do business?” Uncle Liu stepped forward and spoke up.
"That's right, Boss Li charges us fair prices and never rips us off."
"What will we do if we have nowhere to sell our mountain products?"
Team leader Liu from Heyan Village was also anxious: "Comrade, our village's mountain products all depend on selling here. If you stop, our villagers' income will be cut off!"
Surrounded by people, Section Chief Liu looked somewhat embarrassed: "I understand everyone's feelings, but regulations are regulations, and we are just following procedures."
At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "I think someone's just jealous and deliberately picking a fight!"
"Yes! Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes!"
"Mr. Li, do you know who reported this?"
Section Chief Liu frowned: "Everyone, please don't make a fuss. Our Industry and Commerce Bureau is protecting whistleblowers' information according to regulations."
Li Xiangyang knew what was going on, but outwardly he cooperated: "Section Chief Liu, we'll cooperate with the inspection. However, could you please be lenient and let us finish processing the goods we received today? That way, we can give the villagers an explanation."
Section Chief Liu considered for a moment: "How about this, you can handle today's goods, but you must cease operations starting tomorrow until the official license is issued."
"Thank you for your understanding, Section Chief Liu." Li Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief.
After the people from the Industry and Commerce Bureau left, the purchasing station immediately erupted in chaos.
"It's obvious someone's sabotaging this!" Zhang Weiping said indignantly.
"Brother Xiangyang, what do we do now?" Li Daqiang asked worriedly.
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment: "Everyone, don't panic. Someone is definitely pulling the strings behind this. But since they're following procedure, there's nothing we can say."
"So our business is just going to stop like this?" Wang Ergou was unwilling to accept it.
“Stopping is definitely going to happen, but that doesn’t mean we’ll just give up.” A glint of shrewdness flashed in Li Xiangyang’s eyes. “I’ll go to the county tomorrow to see if we can speed up the license approval process.”
That evening, Li Xiangyang made a special detour to the town, wanting to find out more about Ma Qingfu.
Sure enough, in a small tavern, he saw Ma Qingfu drinking with several people, a smug smile on his face.
"How about this trick? No matter how capable that kid is, he'll have to shut down obediently!" Ma Qingfu said, holding a wine glass, his voice not quiet.
"Boss Ma is brilliant! He used official means to deal with him, leaving him no chance to refute," someone flattered.
"Hmph, he's too green to mess with me!" Ma Qingfu tossed back his drink in one gulp. "Once his purchasing station is completely shut down, I'll take over all his goods, and then the entire county's mountain produce business will be mine!"
Li Xiangyang heard everything clearly, and his anger flared, but he suppressed it. The key now was to find a way to deal with the situation, not to act impulsively.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang drove to the county town and went straight to the Industry and Commerce Bureau.
"Comrade Li, you've come at the right time," said Xiao Wang, the clerk, as soon as he saw him. "Your business license has been approved, and they were just about to notify you to come and pick it up."
Li Xiangyang was overjoyed: "Really? So fast?"
"Yes, we were supposed to wait a few more days, but yesterday afternoon the director specifically instructed us that since our paperwork was complete, we should be given priority," Xiao Wang said with a smile. "He probably heard about yesterday's inspection, and the director said we can't let legitimate businesses be treated unfairly."
Li Xiangyang was secretly grateful; it seemed there were still people who understood.
After obtaining the official business license, Li Xiangyang went to the county government and met with the relevant department head.
"Mr. Li, I heard your purchasing station was reported?" The office director greeted him warmly.
“Yes, but we've already got the license.” Li Xiangyang took out the brand-new business license. “I wanted to know, what should we do if someone maliciously reports us again?”
The director took the license, examined it, and nodded: "Now you are operating legally, and no one can cause you trouble. If there are any more malicious reports, you can file a complaint directly with us."
"That's great." Li Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief. "There's one more thing. I'd like to apply to expand my business scope, but I don't know what procedures are required?"
"Expand your business scope? What do you want to do?"
"I want to open an agricultural and sideline product processing plant on top of the purchasing station, to perform preliminary processing on the collected mountain products. This will increase added value and create more job opportunities for the local area."
The director's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! They're really encouraging this kind of real economy development right now. How much are you planning to invest?"
"The initial plan is to invest 30,000 yuan, which is expected to solve the employment problem for 20 people." Li Xiangyang had already thought of a solution.
"Great! We strongly support this kind of project. Prepare a detailed proposal, and we'll prioritize its approval."
Li Xiangyang was in high spirits after returning from the county. With the official license, Ma Qingfu could no longer use this trick against him.