Chapter 928: Meeting Old Chen!

The moment Li Yi turned, he saw an elderly man dressed in a black Zhongshan suit walking in from outside, followed by a middle-aged man in his forties.

The elderly man was in his seventies, thin but alert and vigorous.

Upon seeing the old man enter, the elderly gentleman immediately stood up and said, “Hahaha, I thought you’d be a bit late. I never expected Old Chen to actually clock out on time!”

“What can I do? It’s rare for a young comrade to be willing to see me. I had to make the most of the time—you never know, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Old Chen said with a teasing smile.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Li Yi’s face, and he hurriedly said, “Old Chen, I’m sorry—it’s my fault!”

Even though he considered himself thick-skinned and didn’t care what others said about him, this man’s status was different. Being teased by such a veteran leader, he simply couldn’t remain completely unfazed.

“You’re a bold one, aren’t you? Not only did you dare to refuse me, but you also ran off in the middle of the night. You’re definitely one of a kind among the younger generation!”

Just as Li Yi was about to explain, Old Chen spoke again: “But judging by what you just said, you really are a straightforward young man who hates evil with a passion. Not bad!”

Old Master Jiang chuckled and said, “Old Chen, don’t go praising him—young people can’t handle it!”

“Hahaha, others might get into trouble the moment they’re praised, but not this kid—he’s sharp as a tack!” Old Chen said with a laugh.

Old Master Jiang didn’t dwell on the topic but asked, “Old Chen, dinner’s ready. Shall we eat first, or would you and Yi like to chat a bit?”

“Let’s chat first!” Old Chen replied.

After reading the document Jiang Shiying had passed on to him, he had been both surprised and delighted, and deeply impressed. Upon learning more about Li Yi’s situation, he was even more astonished.

It was truly hard to imagine that a young man in his twenties who hadn’t even attended college had made so much money abroad in just two short years.

According to National Security estimates, Li Yi’s combined domestic and international assets totaled at least 30 billion US dollars, placing him firmly among the world’s top ten wealthiest individuals.

He had intended to have a good chat with this young prodigy to see how the young generation viewed reform and opening-up, but he never expected the other party to refuse to meet him and even flee to the countryside overnight.

After finally waiting for the young man to return, Old Chen had no appetite for dinner; getting down to business was the priority.

“Then let’s talk in my study—it’s quieter there!” Old Master Jiang said.

Old Chen smiled and said, “Old Jiang, you should come along too, so you don’t have to worry about this old man taking advantage of your granddaughter’s husband!”

“It wouldn’t be easy for you to bully this young man. Plenty of people have tried to do so over the past couple of years, but none of them succeeded!” Old Master Jiang laughed.

Old Master Jiang had thoroughly investigated every aspect of Li Yi’s background, inside and out, so he was well aware of everything Li Yi had done.

In his view, this son-in-law of his was a tactical genius—meticulous in his thinking, always one step ahead of his opponents, ruthless yet knowing when to hold back. He either didn’t act at all, or once he did, he struck with a single, decisive blow to the throat, leaving his opponents unable to retaliate.

Whether it was dealing with the provocations and bullying of those educated youths back in the village, or facing off against those Westerners in Hong Kong, this young man always handled himself with ease.

Even when facing the British Hong Kong government, he could calmly set traps for them, forcing the Governor to back down and admit defeat.

That’s why, among the third generation of disciples in the family, Old Master Jiang was least worried about Li Yi. It was already a miracle that this kid didn’t bully others—who could possibly bully him!

“Then let’s go in together. Don’t you want to hear what this kid has to say?” Old Chen said.

“Alright, let’s go together then!”

The three of them then walked into the old man’s study together.

After sitting down around a small round table, Li Yi immediately stood up to pour tea for the two of them, but Old Chen stopped him: “Alright, don’t bother. Let’s get down to business first!”

Hearing this, Li Yi stopped immediately and said, “Go ahead, sir. I’m all ears!”

“I’ve reviewed the document you submitted a few days ago and had the issues you raised investigated. The results confirm exactly what you said—in fact, the situation is even more serious than you described!”

Old Chen continued, “We old-timers have been discussing how to resolve these issues for some time now. We’ve come up with solutions for some of them, but for others, we still haven’t found a proper way to handle them. That’s why we’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

Li Yi didn’t offer his own opinion, nor did he ask which specific problems remained unsolved. Instead, he said directly, “Old Chen, actually, the issues I mentioned earlier were all minor details. They aren’t difficult to resolve.”

“Not difficult?”

“Right. The higher-ups don’t have a suitable solution right now; it’s just that they’re struggling to make a choice between certain options. For example, the high deficit and the impending high inflation—these problems seem serious, but there are many ways to solve them. It’s just that any one method might trigger a variety of chain reactions, so the higher-ups can’t make up their minds for the time being!” Li Yi said.

Old Chen thought it over carefully and realized that was indeed the case.

They had already studied the issues this young man had mentioned earlier, and indeed, there were contingency plans for each. However, some solutions carried such far-reaching consequences that it felt like choosing the lesser of two evils.

Therefore, the Council was simply having a hard time making a decision at the moment—it wasn’t that they were truly at a loss.

“Interesting. Go on!”

Li Yi didn’t beat around the bush. “In fact, for our country, the biggest problem right now lies in macroeconomic policy. That is the most troublesome issue—and the most critical one.”

Old Chen immediately asked, “Oh, tell me your thoughts. What problems do we have with our economic policies?”

“We are currently in the early stages of reform, and our country faces difficulties on many fronts. We must not only resolve the various issues that have accumulated over time but also explore new paths. This is no easy task; it holds the significance of bringing the past to a close and opening up the future.”

Li Yi continued, “Although we have now clearly established that the nation’s work should center on modernization and prioritize economic development—and we are reinforcing this focus—much of the work remains merely at the level of slogans, lacking concrete policy guidance and enforcement. This is particularly evident in the vast inland regions and remote counties.”

“Consequently, this leads to a contradictory attitude among local officials and the public toward the development of industry and commerce in their regions. On the one hand, people envy those who have made money; on the other, they are filled with jealousy. This not only deals a severe blow to our burgeoning private sector but may also deter foreign investment…”

Li Yi knew that since he had come, he had to deliver some substantive insights today.

Therefore, before arriving, he had summarized the core issues facing China’s economic development during the early stages of reform, and now he laid them all out in front of Old Chen.

The issues extended beyond insufficient policy support and the lack of open-mindedness and firm resolve among leading officials; they also involved considerations regarding the external environment.

In particular, Li Yi mentioned the constraints of the dual-track system, as well as the drawbacks of large-scale money printing and price-fixing, offering a pointed critique of the current ills—which prompted Old Chen and Old Jiang to nod in agreement repeatedly.

At first, Old Chen would interject with a few comments and occasionally ask a question or two.

But as Li Yi delved deeper and spoke more rapidly, Old Chen fell silent, listening intently to Li Yi’s analysis. Whenever he heard something particularly insightful or a point he didn’t fully grasp, he jotted it down in the notebook he carried with him.

For a time, the entire study was filled with the sound of a single voice speaking at length…

………