Chapter 47: A Deep Impression

  Lu Zhengdong didn't ask Secretary Wen for money because he understood the county's financial difficulties. Although the county party secretary had spoken, the county would still allocate some funds to the township despite its difficulties. Lu knew that more funding was better for him, but he also knew that getting the county's allocated funds was easy, while encountering such a rare opportunity was extremely difficult. If he could grasp it and leave a deep impression on Secretary Wen, he knew what it meant for him without thinking. So he didn't follow the usual procedure of asking for funding, but instead thought of ways to improve the township's economy and increase its revenue...

  Wen Peiyuan was somewhat surprised by Lu Zhengdong's response and became interested, saying:

  "Oh? Tell me your reason..."

  Lu Zhengdong replied:

  "After the village repaired the road, they wanted to fully utilize the advantages brought by transportation. They not only wanted to lead the masses to increase their income and become rich but also think of ways to further improve the village's financial revenue. The village thought that first, they would focus on developing the fruit industry in the barren mountains and slopes. In this regard, the village lacked technical strength..."

  Wen Peiyuan smiled to himself when he heard this, thinking that this young man had already been thinking about fixing the road for a long time. However, some towns in the county had vigorously developed citrus cultivation in the past, but now it was not doing well. The cost of picking oranges was higher than the selling price, and many fruit farmers either sold orange peels or let them rot on the trees; some simply destroyed them and replanted crops. This had already caused trouble for several other towns, and Xiao Lu still wanted to make a big deal out of this, which seemed somewhat unrealistic. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm of young people should be protected, so he didn't directly deny it, but instead asked:

  You are preparing for a big harvest of fruits, but now the canneries in the county and city are almost all in a state of semi-production. Even if the fruit production is increased, how to deal with the sales channel?

  Lu Zhengdong also noticed that Secretary Wen's face changed slightly, and he more or less guessed what was on Secretary Wen's mind. He quickly said:

  "We didn't plan to sell the fruits from our village to canneries. The main fruits in Shanhe Village are plums, apricots, peaches, and pears. We plan to build a fruit leather factory in the village, process these local fruits into fruit leathers on the spot, and then sell them to professional food processing companies that specialize in producing and selling fruit leathers. The shelf life of fruit leathers is longer than fresh fruits, they are also lighter, and their sales volume is not small either. Our village has already contacted some out-of-town factories that specialize in this kind of product and have found a reliable sales channel... eating the fruit leathers from our village will not cause any problems... There are many such fruit trees in Shanhe Village, originally they were mostly just eaten by ourselves, if we couldn't finish them, they would go bad. This way, it can increase income for some villagers, and also increase the financial revenue of the village, a win-win situation..."

  Wen Peiyuan was originally worried that Lu Zhengdong was out of touch with reality, but after hearing what Lu Zhengdong had to say, he knew that Lu Zhengdong was well-prepared and nodded in agreement.

  "It's good to adapt to local conditions and adapt to the times..."

  Lu Zhengdong saw Secretary Wen and continued with a respectful expression:

  "This is mainly from the perspective of current fiscal revenue, ordinary people really rely on this increase in revenue, and the increased income is still limited."

  The road is open, but it only creates a condition for the common people to increase their income. There is still much work to be done in the countryside surrounding the opening of the road. While actively encouraging and guiding the common people to autonomously increase their income, the countryside also needs to help them solve many practical problems. For example, providing information on how to get rich; coordinating with credit unions to obtain small-scale loans for developing individual economies; and actively finding markets for sales... These are all things that need to be done in the next step by the countryside. Only when these tasks are solidly accomplished can this road fully play its role. The common people's increased income will be real, their wallets will be full, and the countryside's financial revenue will naturally increase, allowing various developments in the countryside to be better promoted...

  Lu Zhengdong not only introduced his own work but also gave a brief and concise report on the overall situation of the countryside to Secretary Wen.

  Wen Peiyuan listened to Lu Zhengdong's words and asked some questions he was worried about, and Lu Zhengdong answered them satisfactorily.

  This direct contact combined with hearsay made Wen Peiyuan's impression of Lu Zhengdong very deep, but he didn't show it, only saying:

  "Well, these ideas are good, it seems that your village has really racked its brains. As for how to implement them specifically, your village needs to study carefully..."

  Wen Peiyuan had a general understanding of the true situation in the countryside along the way, and he also had a bottom line in his heart, so he didn't ask much anymore. He waved his hand and said:

  "Let's go and visit the common people and have a chat with them..."

  People around heard that it was the county party secretary who came to inspect, and they all put down their work and came over to see the excitement.

  Wen Peiyuan smiled and asked about family matters, with a jacket hanging from his hand, not letting the people following him take it. He wore a vest over his shirt, with a smile on his face, looking quite amiable and speaking in a friendly manner. At first, the ordinary people were still a bit reserved, but seeing the county party secretary like this, they also started talking about local affairs and family situations.

  Lu Zhengdong took a look at the time and said proactively:

  "Secretary Wen, it's almost time for lunch, let's go to the countryside to have a meal? The other leaders in the countryside must also be eager to hear Secretary Wen's instructions on the work of the countryside..."

  Wen Peiyuan took a look at the watch and waved his hand, saying:

  "This afternoon I have an important activity, so I must hurry back and won't be able to eat in the countryside anymore. I don't have any other instructions, just a little hope for my comrades in the countryside: think about what the ordinary people are thinking, lead all the ordinary people in the countryside onto the road of prosperity, let all the ordinary people in the countryside live a better life... Please ask Comrade Zhengdong to convey this hope of mine to the other comrades in the countryside..."

  Wen Peiyuan said, making a fist towards the crowd around him:

  "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow villagers, here I, the county party secretary, want to first apologize to you for my previous work not being done well, misusing personnel, causing you suffering. But you have persevered, not fearing hardship or exhaustion, relying on your own efforts, carrying forward the spirit of Yu Gong moving mountains. Under the leadership of the new township party committee, we will work together to build a road to prosperity. I, as county party secretary, want to thank you all. Today, I also represent the county government in expressing our attitude: from now on, the county and township governments will fully support your efforts to become rich through hard work, providing support in terms of policy, funding, and personnel..."

  As a leader, it's easy to criticize others, but self-criticism always requires courage. Whether Secretary Wen's words were sincere or had an element of showmanship, being able to say them in front of so many people is already quite impressive. Upon hearing Secretary Wen's statement, Lu Zhengdong was also very excited and instinctively applauded, and the surrounding cadres and masses followed his lead and also applauded.

  Lu Zhengdong also took the opportunity to say loudly:

  "Fellow villagers, I'd like to invite Secretary Wen to come back and take a look after the road is repaired, what do you think?"

  The crowd around erupted in applause.

  Wen Peiyuan nodded:

  "Alright, I've passed... I will definitely come back to visit everyone again..."

  Wen Peiyuan said goodbye to everyone with a wave of his hand, then reminded Lu Zhengdong of a few things before leaving...