Mr. Lewis was not afraid that Andrew Brooks would try to stop the road construction. If the principal official had agreed to it, how could the deputy possibly overturn it? As for David Thompson's overbearing behavior in the village, he had already heard about it.

However, he was worried that Andrew Brooks might cause trouble. After all, the farmland occupied during the road construction did not have land occupation certificates—yes, the paperwork was incomplete.

If no one cared, it naturally wouldn't be an issue, but if someone really wanted to make a fuss and blow things out of proportion, it was entirely possible!

Better to spend money to avoid disaster than to provoke petty people! This was a motto that Mr. Lewis had always lived by. He was a successful businessman, and spending money where it should be spent was one of the reasons for his success.

So, he replied to Andrew Brooks with a beaming smile, “Hehe, this must be Brooks Jr. from the city, here for a temporary post, right? Ha, truly young and promising, with an extraordinary presence.”

“This cement plant, the first phase has an annual output of 100,000 tons. For the second phase, I plan to build a kiln for 200,000 tons. My ultimate goal is to have this plant reach 600,000 tons!”

The last two sentences were a bit of boasting, but no one could say for sure that he couldn't pull it off. Only Mr. Lewis himself knew that water resources here were tight—unless a new water source was found, 200,000 tons would be the limit.

Andrew Brooks had always liked being praised, but being called “old brother” by the other party made him a little uncomfortable. Official and businessman—official comes before businessman. I'm the official, you're the businessman, and you think you qualify to be my “old brother”?

Of course, after more than a month of training, his self-restraint had improved a bit. Most importantly, he knew he was an official now and didn't need to fuss with businessmen. So he lazily nodded, “Oh.”

His displeasure was practically written on his face—even Mr. Bolton noticed something was off and couldn't help but glance sideways at Mr. Lewis: Do you have a grudge with this guy?

Mr. Lewis shook his head slightly, indicating there was no grudge. In his heart, it was crystal clear: Hmm, the kid is reaching out his hand. If he doesn't get enough benefits, that hand will become a weapon aimed at my vital spot!

In short, that hand definitely wouldn't be withdrawn for nothing!

Seeing that the two seemed a bit at odds, Mr. Bolton uncharacteristically picked up his wine glass and started toasting, “Come, come, let's drink to the cooperation between both sides!”

In his eyes, Andrew Brooks was of no consequence. A township chief was by no means a small figure here. Most importantly, in the evaluation of dispatched cadres, the opinions of the township chief and party secretary carried significant weight.

Andrew Brooks had no idea that even the way you held your wine glass had so much meaning. Seeing Mr. Bolton propose a toast, he couldn't help but join in the fun. “Hehe, Mr. Bolton, you and Mr. Lewis seem pretty close?”

There was a hidden meaning! The township chief was momentarily stunned, unable to figure out what he meant.

“Not close, not close,” Mr. Lewis immediately replied, still smiling. He had to distance himself for Mr. Bolton's sake. “It was Mayor Grant from the city who introduced us.”

Kid, Mayor Grant, huh? You better watch yourself. Even Mr. Lewis was puzzled—do I have a grudge with you? Why are you fixated on me?

Andrew Brooks was not polite to him at all. He nodded and spoke frankly, “Oh, Mr. Lewis even knows Mayor Grant. That's impressive.”

His words were neutral and even, but to Mr. Lewis's ears, they sounded sarcastic. Especially with that indifferent look on his face, Mr. Lewis took it as the ultimate expression of dissatisfaction.

Kid, so young and already so shrewd, Mr. Lewis was a bit annoyed, but thinking the other was just a green student, he figured he could handle it, and finally swallowed his words with a smile.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder—this guy doesn't even give old Duan any face, which faction could he be from? The Qin faction, the Zhang faction, or maybe the Ji faction?

He never imagined that the guy was just a wild card, with no real malice at all!

But this mistaken assumption ended up costing Mr. Lewis a bit more. He had originally planned to quietly give a thousand to settle this rookie, then raised it to five thousand, and after careful consideration, decided to give him ten thousand!

No businessman does a losing deal. Mr. Lewis kept his own accounts—spending this money would save a lot of trouble, so it was worth it. But still, such an investment was quite a big move, especially considering it was 1996!

Andrew Brooks received this unexpected gift in a strange twist of fate, and of course, he couldn't refuse it. It was the first time in his life he had gotten such a windfall, and he was actually a bit at a loss. He calculated carefully: applying for the civil service exam only cost him five hundred, and now, out of nowhere, he had made twenty times that profit. Being an official really was a good business!

Mr. Lewis was quite pleased with himself too. A student is just a student. Kid, no matter how unyielding you act, when I throw ten thousand at you, don't you still see stars?

However, this money was not so easy to take, and what followed came right after.

Since the road passed through the village, the construction team had to hire local villagers for some of the work. For things like earthworks, it basically had to be done by locals. There was no official document requiring this, but everyone accepted it—it was an unwritten rule, so to speak.