Chapter 28 of Volume 1: Offer him a peach

  Wang Liben has fallen, and Lu Zhengdong has also ushered in an opportunity for development. With such a great chance to show himself in front of the leader, he naturally wouldn't let it slip away easily.

  Lu Zhengdong thought for a moment and said:

  "Town head, the instructions of Secretary Wen are actually centered around one thing: to ensure stability. Before the party representative conference, our mountain and town cannot afford to have any more chaos. Town head, let's revolve around this center and concretize the implementation of Secretary Wen's several points of instruction. What do you think?"

  Wu Zhonghe handed him a cigarette. The two had formed a bond of comrades-in-arms in the battle against Wang Liben, and among all the leaders in the countryside, their relationship was the closest. Wu Zhonghe also seemed much more at ease in his presence.

  "Yes, I also think so. To stabilize, first and foremost is the stability of cadres, secondly is the stability of the common people. In this regard, I think we should focus on road construction and factory expansion. I have some ideas about this already. Secretary Liao asked you to report as well, and we must discuss financial revenue."

  "This year, we got a million from the craft factory, and after fixing the road, we'll also collect some of the old accounts that were left over. Our financial revenue will definitely be in the red. But next year, the situation at the Guiyuan Temple is unpredictable, it's like waiting for the sky to feed us. Even if the weather is good, just like you said, this year was a one-time gain, and we only made so much. Next year's income may not be as high as this year's, and the retained funds will definitely be less than this year's. Even if the craft factory increases revenue, at most it'll just break even. Give me some inside information, what will the financial situation of our town be like next year?"

  Lu Zhengdong smiled, Wu Zhonghe didn't want to just be a "caretaker cabinet", so he had to make some achievements, that way the opportunity to become the county party committee secretary would be even greater. And now the county's finances are extremely difficult, wanting to achieve results with highlights and increased revenue is the best.

  "I've thought about this before, conservatively speaking, the increase next year will still be among the top three. If I'm bold enough, I'll make a military order in front of Secretary Liao and say that our mountainous area and countryside will take the lead in increasing fiscal revenue next year, taking first place is also possible!"

  Wu Zhonghe heard this and sighed with a bitter smile:

  "Zheng Dong, don't joke about this kind of thing. There are many towns in the county that have better conditions than us. Let's not mention the county seat, even Lihe is much stronger than us. Our base number has increased so high this year, can we still maintain the top three? Secretary Liao will definitely ask us how to guarantee the completion of such a target, it's not possible to just brag about it."

  Actually, Lu Zhengdong also told Wu Zhonghe that he had greatly reserved himself, and his own goal was to double the rural finance next year.

  Yu smiled and said:

  "Town head, how dare I joke about such a thing? I said the increase in amplitude is among the top three, not the increase in quantity. Even if we increased by over a million this year, our base number is still relatively low compared to all towns and townships in the county. Chengguan Town and Lihetown have good conditions, but their base numbers are too large, they can't compare with us in terms of amplitude. On the other hand, poor brothers like our town are worth paying attention to, but they don't have the same conditions as us, so it's not easy for them to pose a threat. In fact, it's very easy for our town to enter the top three in terms of amplitude increase. After the expansion of the handicraft factory, instead of producing Buddhist products, we can expand our product structure and produce high-end handicrafts with wider circulation, which will bring higher profits. The output growth is estimated to be half of what it is now, but the profit won't be just half. Based on the current monthly profit of the handicraft factory, I'm confident that next year's profit and tax revenue can reach 1.5 million, so you don't have to worry about this, Town Head Wu. This doesn't even count the income from the opening of the Guanyin Temple, just these tens of millions will be enough to put our town in the top three in terms of amplitude increase."

  Hehe, even if the village chief thinks that putting all his hopes on the handicraft factory is risky in case something unexpected happens, we still have other ways...

  Wu Zhonghe's eyes lit up as soon as he heard it:

  "What's the way?"

  Hehe, let's just do something about the highway, our village invested tens of millions in it, and there should be some returns. Isn't there a saying that when cars pass by, gold is worth ten thousand taels? We have many mountains and fruit trees here, but transportation was inconvenient before, making it hard to get the fruits out. The canning factory has been struggling for years, prices were pressed down, and the money earned wasn't even enough to cover labor costs, so people got lazy about selling. Now that the canning factory is completely closed, people have nothing to sell anymore.

  Once the road is open, it will be a different story. The village's fruits can be transported out and we can set up a fruit processing factory in our countryside to make dried fruits and sell them to the south. I have ways to do this, and sales won't be a problem...

  Although this is just a rough processing, the profit is not high, but the investment is very small. It only needs to be marinated in a large pool, with a few cement floors for drying, and the main investment is just the funds for purchasing fruits, salt, transportation costs, and labor costs. The returns are quick, and profits can be seen within the same year of investment. Once there's a bit of foundation established, we can consider upgrading our products later on, and by then, our village won't have to rely solely on the handicraft factory anymore...

  Lu Zhengdong carefully told Wu Zhonghe about it, and Wu Zhonghe listened with a smile and said:

  "Secretary Zheng, you're really something. This road is indeed a lot to handle, but with your words, I can rest assured. Alright, let's report to Secretary Liao that we'll strive for the first increase..."

  Wu Zhonghe said hesitantly and then went on:

  "When the time comes, you mainly report on this aspect, and I'll supplement..."

  Lu Zhengdong waved his hand and said:

  "It's still up to the village head to report, and when Secretary Liao asks about the specific situation later, I'll add more details."

  Lu Zhengdong's mind is clear, he can't forget himself because of his close relationship with Wu Zhonghe and fail to position himself properly. This time when they went to the county to ask for instructions and report, Wu Zhonghe was the main actor, and Wu Zhonghe also had great expectations to perform in front of the leaders. In fact, Wu Zhonghe was still thinking about his own report, this is just a polite remark, if he really stole the show, Wu Zhonghe may not say anything on the surface, but he would definitely be uncomfortable in his heart.

  Liao Secretary had him follow Wu Zhonghe to report, in fact he had already entered the county leadership's line of sight. The leaders in the county were all sophisticated figures, and previously Wang Liben was quite dissatisfied with him. Although the main responsibility lay with Wang Liben himself, it was possible that the leaders also held certain views about him. If he stole Wu Zhonghe's thunder, the county leaders might think he had ability, but was a stubborn and unmanageable character, leaving such an impression on the leadership would be counterproductive...

  It's better for Wu Zhonghe to be the party secretary of the township than to appoint a new one, which would bring him all benefits and no harm. If he can help Wu Zhonghe achieve his goal, Wu Zhonghe will definitely appreciate it and return the favor when the opportunity arises.

  Wu Zhonghe saw Lu Zhengdong being so considerate and his face was also beaming with joy.

  The two people discussed the details of the report again and decided to go to the county seat a day before reporting to Secretary Liao.