Chapter Thirteen: With a Clear Plan in Mind

  Lu Zhengdong's mind soon shifted from the joy of making money in the craft factory to rural areas, repairing roads, and expanding the craft factory. This was his first consideration, but when it came to how to spend this money on rural finances, he said it couldn't be counted, Wu Zhonghe also said it couldn't be counted, and still needed Wang Liben to make a decision.

  This was not what Lu Zhengdong wanted to see, he didn't want to work hard only to end up making a wedding dress for Wang Liben. After some thought, the best solution was to join forces with Wu Zhonghe, but Wu Zhonghe had his heart set on transferring out and it was unclear if he would be willing to get involved again.

  Lu Zhengdong thought for a moment and called the township government to ask about the situation. The clerk told him that Secretary Wang and Deputy Secretary Xiao Yongnian were attending a working conference in the county to elect new representatives of the county party congress, and Township Head Wu was at home in the township.

  Lu Zhengdong was delighted, Wang Liben wasn't in the village, which made things easier. The next morning, Lu Zhengdong didn't even wait for Luo Jinming and the others at the craft factory who were still wrapping up, he directly headed back to the village first.

  Wu Zhonghe was bored in the office flipping through newspapers, Wang Liben went to the county to attend a meeting, he had to stay in the countryside on duty, and was also bored there flipping through newspapers, when he saw Lu Zhengdong coming in, he put down the newspaper and asked with a smile:

  "Zheng Dong, I heard that you've been busy running around for the craft factory lately. Looking at your beaming face, are you finally here to share some good news with me?"

  Although Wu Zhonghe was also skeptical about whether Lu Zhengdong could really find a way for the craft factory, both of them were thorns in Wang Liben's eyes, and they were both bitter melon leaders from Shanhe Township, and they were both people who had fallen to the ends of the earth, so they were relatively polite to each other.

  Lu Zhengdong smiled and said:

  "The village head is really clever, I haven't even spoken yet, and he already knew my intention. Hehe, after being busy for a month, it's finally yielded some results. Not only did we find a sales channel for the craft factory, but we also earned over 10 million yuan. After deducting the normal expenses of the craft factory, the remaining 10 million will be transferred to the village finance department by Jin Luoming tomorrow. I've finally completed this year's financial task ahead of schedule... Village head, you can also breathe a sigh of relief..."

  "Over a hundred million?"

  Wu Zhonghe was also shocked and asked in disbelief:

  "Governor Dong, those wooden trinkets from the craft factory, even if you add them all up, they're not worth 10 million, right?"

  Lu Zhengdong smiled and said:

  "This time going to the special zone, found a big boss, heard that our Guiyun Temple has Buddha light, wants to use Buddha light to open the product, such an opportunity, must make a good profit."

  Wu Zhonghe heard that the craft factory had collected all the gold and silver into a pocket, and he was also overjoyed, laughing and saying:

  "Not bad, not bad, Zheng Dong you've done a great job this time, I'll give you a big credit for this."

  "Village head, what's the credit for this? It's just my duty. With that said, the financial income work for the whole year is finally done, and this year can be considered a pass. However, maybe next year won't be so easy... I have some ideas to report to you..."

  Wu Zhonghe nodded and smiled, saying:

  "What's the report? Any good ideas? Speak up and let's discuss..."

  Wu Zhonghe let out a light sigh in his heart. Several deputy township heads, what matters the most is to report to Wang Liben and then greet him. Since he was transferred away, even the leaders of the lower stations didn't pay much attention to him. Originally, as the township head, he should be a busy person, but instead, he had nothing to do but read newspapers. Lu Zhengdong came to report his work to him, so he was naturally very happy about it.

  Lu Zhengdong saw Wu Zhonghe's attentive expression and smiled, saying:

  "Opportunities to make money like this are hard to come by, my idea is that with this million, plus other financial income in the countryside, there will definitely be a significant surplus in finance this year, and we should take advantage of the surplus to do something."

  The craft factory has now found a relatively stable sales channel, but the current production volume is too small to be taken seriously. I suggest investing 100,000 to 200,000 yuan to expand the scale of the craft factory and another 200,000 to 300,000 yuan to repair the village road.

  "The handicraft factory has grown in scale, and it will naturally be able to create more benefits and taxes for the countryside; the road is repaired, and the income of the common people will definitely increase. Without mentioning other things, the paper mill near the town can set up a purchasing point in the village, and many ordinary people's income from selling straw, wheat stalks, and bamboo can be used to pay taxes and fees, which should greatly alleviate the long-standing problem of tax collection. The contradictions between the cadres and the masses will also be greatly alleviated... The rural finance has taken a solid step forward. In this way, the overall development of the countryside has also gained a foundation."

  Lu Zhengdong brought back over 100 million, which is also considered an achievement, but in Lu Zhengdong's view, this achievement is still a bit small. These measures will definitely be welcomed by the people, solving the big problem of tax collection and financial stability, and achieving rapid growth. At present, the whole county is worried about the difficulty of tax collection and financial difficulties. If we can make outstanding achievements in this aspect, we will surely receive attention from the county leaders. What is achievement? This is the real achievement!

  Wu Zhonghe also clearly understood the benefits that Lu Zhengdong mentioned, expanding the factory and repairing roads are all good things that benefit future generations. However, he was more aware of why Lu Zhengdong had come to report to him instead of waiting for Wang Liben to return and report to Wang Liben. Wang Liben was someone who would take credit for himself when there were achievements, but push the blame onto others when there were responsibilities. Such a good thing, Lu Zhengdong definitely didn't want to let Wang Liben benefit from it, so he first worked with Wu Zhonghe to make this matter known to all the cadres and masses, making it clear that the political achievement would be attributed to him and Lu Zhengdong. By then, even if Wang Liben was very powerful, he could only agree to this matter, and Lu Zhengdong's efforts wouldn't have been in vain.

  Such a good thing, Wu Zhonghe is also quite moved. If he proposed this matter, it would definitely leave a good impression on the common people. Even if he were to be transferred, it would still be with honor and glory. As for things like road repairs and skinning, it's the successor who suffers the consequences. Why not take advantage of it? Being able to proudly show off before being transferred away is also a way to vent out the resentment from being suppressed by Wang Liben. However, to do such a thing, more supporters are still needed.

  Wu Zhonghe sank into thought for a while before saying:

  "Governor Dong, expanding the factory is easy to handle, but repairing the road is hard to say. Once you repair the road, more than half of the 1 million will be gone, and there may not be any profit left. The bonuses and subsidies that the township cadres should have received for two years have not been paid yet. Many village cadres have not received subsidies for two or three years due to incomplete tax collection. If these issues are not resolved, it's unlikely anyone will support repairing the road."

  Lu Zhengdong smiled and said:

  "Village head, please rest assured, I've already considered this. If you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat grass, right? These things must be guaranteed first. The craft factory has started re-producing, and they will hand over some of next year's profits in the next two months, which solves the problem."

  Wu Zhonghe saw Lu Zhengdong with a confident look on his face, obviously well thought out, and smiled:

  "Alright, since the village has the money and the common people are willing to fix it, we can make this a priority as a project that wins over the hearts of the people. Have Xiao Liu invite Qiu Shan and Xiang Ming over, let's have our government leaders meet first, discuss it, then give each party committee member a heads up, and when Secretary Wang returns, I'll submit it to the party committee meeting..."

  Several other township leaders smiled and nodded in agreement when they heard that Lu Zhengdong had brought back the money, as they were told that the bonuses and subsidies had been settled, and the road was repaired, so their salaries and bonuses would be more secure in the future. Everyone naturally agreed to repair the road, let alone expand the factory, which would definitely require hiring people. Several township leaders thought about whether they could help introduce some connections to get in, and naturally supported submitting this matter to the party committee for study.