Steve's eyes suddenly filled with astonishment, but he opened his mouth and could not make a sound.
"The principle we should believe in is: more work, more pay; less work, less pay; no work, no pay. Since you've clearly done so much, why shouldn't you receive a matching reward? Why must someone suffer a loss to be a hero? Why must a hero suffer? If this continues, will there still be anyone willing to be a hero and protect the world?"
"Will there come a day when those with ability would rather stand by and watch than take action because their situation doesn't allow them to provoke more trouble? If, because of your personal refusal to seek reward, others also feel embarrassed to ask for it, then in the end, it will only lead to fewer and fewer people who should have acted, until finally, no one is willing to appear."
"By doing this, you are setting an extremely bad example for those who come after you!"
After a series of questions, Steve was completely speechless.
In fact, this was a very simple truth that Hong Fei had understood since he was a child. In the 'Lüshi Chunqiu · Xian Shi Lan · Cha Wei' chapter, there is a story called 'Zi Gong Redeems People'.
The State of Lu had a law: if a person from Lu saw a compatriot who had met with misfortune and fallen into slavery in a foreign country, as long as they could redeem these people and bring them back to Lu to restore their freedom, they could receive compensation and a reward from the state.
Confucius's student, Zi Gong, redeemed Lu people from other countries but refused the state's compensation and reward. Zi Gong, named Duanmu Ci, was one of the Ten Philosophers of the Confucian School and also the progenitor of the Confucian Merchants. He was skilled in business and very wealthy, so he didn't care about a mere bit of compensation and reward.
However, when Confucius learned of this, he criticized his actions.
"Taking the gold does not harm one's conduct; not taking the gold means no more people will be redeemed."
This means that receiving the state's compensation and reward will not damage your character, but after you refuse it, no one in the State of Lu will go to redeem their distressed compatriots anymore. Why?
Because not everyone has a vast fortune. Since Zi Gong refused the compensation and reward, most people following him would naturally feel embarrassed to accept it, but they couldn't afford the loss if they didn't. Thus, they would simply choose not to spend money to redeem anyone in the first place. Connected to this story is 'Zi Lu Accepts a Cow,' which tells of Zi Lu saving a drowning person.
To show gratitude, the person gave him a cow, and Zi Lu accepted it. Confucius said happily: 'The people of Lu will surely save those who are drowning.' Summary: See the small to observe the far-reaching transformation. Hong Fei broke down these two stories and recounted them to Steve once again. Finally, Hong Fei gave his own summary and view.
"Superheroes, to put it bluntly, aren't even a job. Although you've been gathered by the Avengers, before this, some people were purely acting out of passion. Matt is a typical example. Your backgrounds are all different—some are artificially enhanced, some use external aids, and some have undergone passive mutations. These people will continue to appear in the future. With the former as a reference, the latter will naturally follow in their footsteps. This is a rule that doesn't practically exist but is mutually accepted by those with a hero's dream."
"Now that you've formed the Avengers, you could say you've set a benchmark. Naturally, those who follow will take pride in joining the Avengers and becoming an Avenger, but that's far from enough. Because not everyone can act out of passion or is as wealthy as Tony. Passion alone can't support oneself or a family, and those who aren't short of money might not even care if they are an Avenger or not."
"Suppose someone suddenly mutates and gains extraordinary power. He originally wanted to be a good person and uphold justice, but found that justice couldn't keep him alive. In a situation where he is driven to extremes, what do you think he will do?"
Steve understood, and a look of realization dawned in his eyes.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current method of distribution is too old-fashioned and unreasonable. I don't agree with such distribution principles and methods. But I can't change S.H.I.E.L.D. Fortunately, I have my own way."
"I know you all have high personal moral standards and can act without seeking reward, but if you can be self-sufficient, who would want to reach out and take?"
"What I want to do is to ensure every superhero is free from financial and material worries, so they can devote themselves entirely to the great cause of punishing evil, promoting good, and saving the world. This distribution model isn't just about giving money; the more they do and the more they give, the higher their popularity will naturally be, and the profits they can obtain will rise accordingly. Furthermore, I think there will be room for improvement in this distribution method in the future."
"By then, if each superhero has enough funds, while satisfying their daily needs, it can further encourage them to save more people in need of help."
"Besides, the Park Plan isn't just about using profit as an incentive. They will see the love ordinary people have for them and clearly understand how much people welcome and need them. This is moving them with emotion. In the future, by adding some reason and logic, we won't have to worry even if more superheroes or supervillains are born."
"Therefore, this Park Plan is both an amusement park open to ordinary people and a park built for superheroes."
After listening to Hong Fei's words, Steve didn't come to his senses for a long time.
He seemed to have fallen into the beautiful blueprint for the future that Hong Fei had described. Master Hong silently took a sip of tea while secretly giving himself a thumbs up. This rhetoric was close to perfect, but in reality, he hadn't thought it out so carefully before coming. It was entirely built and perfected step by step under Steve's thirsty-for-knowledge gaze.
It seemed that in these years, it wasn't just Master Hong's power that had improved; his IQ, EQ, and eloquence had also made significant breakthroughs.
"I understand!"
Steve's eyes lit up, the light so concentrated it seemed about to materialize. He said excitedly, "You're right. Not everyone is as alone as I am, and not everyone can rely on this job to support a family—in fact, it can't even be considered a real job. We cannot selfishly destroy the rules, because the rules you are building are universal. They can help many superheroes from poor families and encourage them to stand firmly in the camp of justice."
"If I feel that this money is too much, I can use it privately for charity instead of rejecting it at the source. That would clearly be achieving one's so-called nobility at the cost of breaking the rules!"
Hong Fei immediately applauded him. With this kind of awareness, why are you being Captain America and wearing that Stars and Stripes uniform?
Come, come, come, I have a brand new uniform here that is as red as fire and represents the interests of the broad masses of the people. Do you want to try it on?
"You're right. This is a new era, and there should be new rules to replace the old, outdated regulations of the past."
Steve nodded heavily, thought for a moment, and then said, "In that case, should I go back and suggest to S.H.I.E.L.D. that they consider giving the Avengers a raise?"
Hong Fei pressed his hand down: "There's no need, and it's even safe to say it's absolutely not allowed."
"Why?"
"Because S.H.I.E.L.D.'s money comes from the World Security Council, and the Council's money comes from the allocations and investments of various countries. This money can generally be seen as the money of the people of the world."
"Isn't that good? Using the money of the people of the world to protect them."
"It's not that it's bad, but it's easy to give people cause for gossip and could very likely become a point of attack for everyone in the future. Because much of what you do is hard to quantify, how can your salary level be determined? After all, that's money from all over the world; everyone can naturally think they have the right to supervise, suggest, or even criticize. More people don't necessarily make things easier to handle!"
"That's true. There shouldn't be too many people making decisions, otherwise it will just be chaos piled upon chaos."
"That's exactly the point. Instead of reaching out for money, it's better to create it yourself. The Park Plan is just like that. Everyone can pocket the profits from this plan with a clear conscience because it is itself a reasonable, fair, and legal business."
Steve looked up into Hong Fei's eyes and said with great emotion, "You really have thought it out in such detail!"
"I just spent a little more time on it, that's all."
The discussion about Superpower Park ended there.
Under Master Hong's refined thinking and perfect logic, Steve Rogers fully accepted and identified with the principle that its implementation was necessary. After sitting for a long time, the two got up and went outside, slowly strolling on the emerald green lawn.
"The air here is really good."
"It's alright, there are just more trees around."
"I also want to find a quiet place like this to live in seclusion."
"That's simple. You'll have money soon. Take some time to pick a place, or just buy land and build it yourself."
"Hey, you're right. Building a house myself should be more fun. I'll do that!"
Steve smiled and asked again, "When are you going to talk to the others about the contracts?"
"Tomorrow. I remember the first exchange should be expiring soon?"
"Yes, I even asked Tony if he could exchange me over there."
"Haha, then after you go over, you probably won't see me."
Hearing this, Steve was suddenly stunned. Then, looking at Hong Fei's smile, he suddenly understood and couldn't help but be overjoyed: "You mean?"
Hong Fei nodded: "The Park Plan is very important. The people on my side are easy to talk to, but I'm worried someone might cause trouble on the Avengers' side, so I want to come over and keep an eye on things personally."
"That's great! You know, I thought about exchanging you over before, but back then it wasn't for the park; I wanted you to help blend the Avengers into a real team."
"This... I'm afraid I can't do that."
"No, you can!"
Steve said solemnly, "I can see your ability in team building from your own team. I believe in you completely!"
Hong Fei blinked. I only know that if someone is defiant, I'll beat them until they are compliant. If they stay defiant, I'll just beat them to death. If this counts as team-building ability, then I am indeed quite impressive.