William Owen heard Charles Grant's question, and it reminded him of something as well. He laughed and said, "Speaking of that, I wanted to ask you—why did you have someone else pass your business card to me today?"

Charles Grant was taken aback for a moment, immediately thinking of Ryan Carter. He chuckled and said, "That young man is quite impressive. He seemed to recognize who I was. But what's strange is, he seems very keen on becoming an official."

William Owen nodded and said, "That line I just quoted actually came from one of his articles. This young man not only has a good eye, but he also seems to have some real talent."

Thinking carefully about that saying about daring to eat crabs, Charles Grant couldn't help but laugh and said to William Owen, "If that's the case, you should get closer to him. After all, in your new position, it's always good to have a smart and capable person by your side."

William Owen was moved, and as he thought about his upcoming job transfer, he began to make plans.

After chatting for a while longer, the two finally hung up the phone.

……

Ryan Carter had no idea about any of this. At that moment, he was still puzzled about how Ethan Green had ended up falling from power. Although the reshuffling wouldn't happen for a few more months, as things stood, Ethan Green's position seemed rock solid, with no sign of any downfall. So, what exactly had happened?

With these heavy thoughts, Ryan Carter slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, after eating the breakfast his mother had carefully prepared, Ryan Carter got ready to go to work.

Just before leaving, Ryan Carter suddenly thought of something and turned to ask his mother, "Mom, how much money do we have left at home?"

Ryan Carter's mother was taken aback and looked at her son, asking, "What's going on? Do you need money? Did you get into trouble at work?"

Her son had always been the pride of his parents. Hearing Ryan Carter ask about money, his mother couldn't help but worry that he might have gotten into some kind of trouble.

Seeing the worried look on his mother's face, Ryan Carter couldn't help but feel his eyes moisten, a warm feeling lingering in his heart. No matter when, parents always care so much. Forcing a smile, Ryan Carter calmly said, "Mom, what are you thinking? Didn't I tell you yesterday? Mike is in the office, and his uncle is the Party Secretary. What trouble could I possibly get into?"

Hearing this, his mother finally relaxed. She knew about her son's relationship with Michael Thompson, and with him around, Ryan Carter really wouldn't suffer any losses. But thinking about what her son had just said, his mother Sarah Grant still asked curiously, "Then what do you need the money for?"

Ryan Carter helplessly slapped his own forehead and said to his mother, "It's not for me—it's for our family."

Now Sarah Grant was even more confused. She felt her son's forehead. "No fever."

Completely defeated by his mother, Ryan Carter said, half exasperated and half amused, "Yesterday I heard some township officials say that the city is planning to build a labor camp around here. I was thinking maybe Dad could buy a piece of land near the brick factory. Maybe we could do something with it."

Actually, he was lying. How could there be such a rumor in the township? Ryan Carter remembered from his previous life that from his family's place, you could see the new location of the Muyang City Detention Center after it was relocated. That spot used to be a vacant lot belonging to the brick factory, and later someone bought it for 20,000 yuan per mu and built a bunch of pigsties. Everyone thought that person was a fool. But before any pigs were even raised, the land was requisitioned. Each mu fetched a compensation of 150,000 yuan, plus a building.

Only then did everyone realize that the person must have gotten inside information, and they all regretted it deeply.

Ryan Carter had heard his mother mention this in his previous life. He vaguely remembered that the person came to buy the land in early 2002, and right now, that place should still be ignored by everyone. He planned to have his father buy some land there. Even if they didn't make 150,000 per mu, earning tens of thousands would still be good.

After hearing her son's words, Sarah Grant's expression changed and she said worriedly, "Xiao Rui, don't do anything illegal. Our family may not be rich, but your dad and I can still save enough for your wedding."

Ryan Carter smiled and patted his mother's shoulder. "Mom, don't worry. Mike's family is planning to buy too. We're just buying together, and our family will buy less, okay?"

As soon as she heard that Michael Thompson's family was also planning to buy, Sarah Grant finally relaxed. In her mind, having a relative who was the township Party Secretary was already a big deal. If she knew that yesterday her son had spoken confidently in front of the future top leader, who was now the Secretary of the Communist Youth League, Sarah Grant would probably have fainted.

After reminding his mother once more to keep the money-raising plan absolutely secret, Ryan Carter leisurely headed toward the township government. He thought to himself that maybe he should buy himself a phone. But considering how ridiculously expensive cell phones were at the time, Ryan Carter gave up on that idea.

When he arrived at the office, Michael Thompson was already there. Seeing Ryan Carter come in, he flashed a happy smile and quietly made an "OK" gesture. Ryan Carter understood—this was to tell him that yesterday's visit to Ethan Green's house had gone well.