43: Chapter 43: Finance Minister Takes Office! First Move Targets the Head of State!

Early the next morning, Lin Zhou returned to the small building and found that the atmosphere there had taken on a whole new look.

In the first-floor lobby, administrative staff were busy moving office equipment; in the second-floor conference room, legal experts were heatedly discussing the constitution while facing brand-new, high-spec laptops.

Administrative Director Su Qing was directing everything in an orderly manner, and upon seeing Lin Zhou, she immediately stepped forward to report.

Lin Zhou nodded and was just about to go upstairs when an old "28-inch" bicycle stopped at the door.

Chen Yuan, wearing a grey Zhongshan suit, pushed the bike in, a military-green canvas bag sitting in the basket.

"Head of State, quite the spectacle you have here," he said, scanning the lobby with an indifferent tone.

"Minister of Finance, you're here," Lin Zhou said, going up to greet him.

"Don't call me Minister; I haven't officially started yet," Chen Yuan waved his hand, leaned his bike against the wall, and asked, "Where is my office?"

Su Qing quickly replied, "Mr. Chen, we have prepared the largest room on the third floor for you; it faces south and has a balcony."

"No need," Chen Yuan refused directly.

"I'll just stay on the second floor. Find me a small room where I can keep an eye on those lawyers so they don't waste money."

Everyone looked at each other; this newly arrived Minister of Finance certainly lived up to his reputation.

In the end, he chose a storage room next to the second-floor conference room. With one desk and one chair, he was settled in.

He pulled an abacus, a thermos, and a thick notebook from his canvas bag, placed them on the desk, and began to work.

The first thing he did was call Su Qing in.

"You're Little Su, right? Bring me all the expense receipts from the last two days; I want to take a look."

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, but quickly found a stack of receipts.

Chen Yuan put on his reading glasses, picked up the abacus, and began to verify them, the beads clicking and clacking loudly.

Ten minutes later, he slapped the receipts onto the table.

"Nonsense!"

The volume wasn't high, but it made the entire second floor instantly quiet.

"Buying top-spec laptops at twenty-eight thousand each? Are they here to draft the constitution or to play StarCraft?"

"Three hundred per person for lunch? Are the lunch boxes made of gold?"

"And this fountain pen, twelve hundred? Is it studded with diamonds?"

Cold sweat beaded on Su Qing's forehead. These had all been specially approved by Lin Zhou, who said the experts deserved the best treatment.

"Head of State..." she began.

"What about the Head of State? Even the Head of State can't waste money like this!" Chen Yuan glared, "Go, call Lin Zhou here!"

Soon, Lin Zhou arrived at the simple office.

"Elder Chen, you wanted to see me?"

"I'm asking you," Chen Yuan pointed at the receipts, "Did you approve this money?"

"I did," Lin Zhou nodded.

"Do you know how much money we have in our account in total?"

"1.135 billion US dollars." Lin Zhou remembered very clearly.

"Sounds like a lot," Chen Yuan sneered, "But do you know how much it costs to build a nation? Infrastructure, government, military, education, healthcare—which of these isn't a bottomless pit?"

"And that's not even counting the money your genetic technology is going to burn! Throwing this 1.1 billion US dollars in wouldn't even make a sound!"

Chen Yuan grew more agitated as he spoke, slapping the notebook loudly. "If you're this reckless now, how will we survive in the future? The money belongs to the nation, not to you personally! Every cent must be spent where it counts!"

"From today on, I declare that the interim government is entering a state of fiscal austerity!"

"All expenses over one thousand must be personally approved by me! All departmental budgets must be re-audited! Anyone who dares to waste a single cent will be fired!"

The first fire lit by the "Iron Abacus" upon taking office burned directly onto the "Head of State."

The entire small building fell silent; everyone was stunned by Chen Yuan's presence.

Listening to the reprimand, Lin Zhou was not angry; instead, he smiled.

"Elder Chen, you are right."

He said sincerely, "I am a layman in this regard; from now on, you will have full authority over the finances. Whatever you say, we will do."

He turned to Su Qing: "Director Su, immediately draft a 'Head of State Decree' appointing Mr. Chen Yuan as the first Minister of Finance, effective immediately. Also, establish a temporary Fiscal Discipline Inspection Committee, with Minister of Finance concurrently serving as its director."

Chen Yuan was stunned.

He had prepared a belly full of arguments, but he hadn't expected the other party to accept everything and even turn around and give him even greater power.

This actually made him feel a bit embarrassed.

"Hmph, I suppose you're a sensible kid," he muttered, his anger mostly dissipated. "Alright, everyone get back to work; don't just stand there."

Everyone dispersed, leaving only Lin Zhou and Chen Yuan.

"Kid, are you trying to play a game of 'retreat to advance' with me?" Chen Yuan glanced at him.

"Elder Chen, I am genuinely learning from you," Lin Zhou said with a sincere attitude. "I am indeed a novice at governing a country. But I know that professional matters should be left to professionals."

Chen Yuan fell silent.

The young man before him was sometimes like an impulsive idealist, sometimes as shrewd as an entrepreneur, and now, he was showing the delegation and magnanimity that only a mature politician would have.

"This country of yours has nothing right now," Chen Yuan's tone softened. "There is money in the account, but it's water without a source. The officials are hired from outside, the citizens... there are only two. This isn't a country; it's a well-funded startup company."

"That's why I need you."

"Just me isn't enough," Chen Yuan shook his head. "What you need most is a qualified Prime Minister, a 'chief steward' who can build the government structure and handle daily affairs. As Head of State, you should be thinking about strategic direction, not getting entangled in trivial matters."

Lin Zhou nodded; he had also thought about this problem.

"Furthermore," Chen Yuan continued, "we must establish trade relations as soon as possible. A country cannot develop by relying solely on donations. To trade, we need international recognition. Therefore, we must join some important international organizations as soon as possible."

"What is your suggestion?"

"The International Organization for Standardization (ISO)," Chen Yuan said. "This organization is relatively neutral, but its role is critical. If any product wants to circulate globally, it cannot bypass its standards. Egypt happens to be the chair for the Africa region, which is a very good breakthrough point."

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up; this was an angle he had never considered.

"Additionally, there are two more urgent matters," Chen Yuan held up two fingers.

"First, establish a Central Bank and issue currency."

"Second, establish a postal system and apply to join the Universal Postal Union."

"Only with independent currency and a postal system can a country truly possess economic and information sovereignty. Otherwise, we will always just be an empty shell."

Lin Zhou's head was spinning.

Central Bank, currency, postal service... each word represented a massive and complex system.

Only now did he realize that in reality, building a nation involves countless invisible strings at every step.

"Elder Chen, I..." He was at a loss for words.

"Alright, stop looking so glum," Chen Yuan waved his hand. "I'll take the lead on the Central Bank. From the 1.1 billion US dollars in the account, set aside half as issuance margin. We won't do paper currency; it's high-cost and easy to forge. We'll do digital currency, pegged to gold or foreign exchange, and just mint a batch of commemorative coins."

"The postal matter also needs to be done as soon as possible. You need to set up at least one mailbox in the desert and send someone to collect mail regularly so that we have the qualifications to negotiate with the Universal Postal Union."

"As for the Prime Minister candidate..." Chen Yuan mused, "No rush, let's take our time. This person is even more important than the Minister of Finance; it's better to have no one than the wrong one. Who knows, maybe one day, the right person will just show up at our doorstep."

Watching Chen Yuan arrange everything in an orderly manner, Lin Zhou felt "at ease" for the first time.

He had handed the purse strings over to this "Iron Abacus" who knew best how to both save and spend money.

At this moment, he knew that from today on, his "makeshift team" finally had its first pillar of support.