I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 173 Have Dreams!

It's common sense to speak according to one's status.

Unfortunately, Coach Zhang was different. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone on the internet fell silent. Apart from the "rabble" who were still barking wildly on several portal websites such as Pig Farm, those who had the ability to engage in verbal battles shut up.

We can't just casually mention this "struggle" or that "restoration."

We need to be politically aware.

However, Zhang Da'an still acted like a nonchalant dog, prompting the province to send someone to Shazhou City again to persuade him with kind words. Overall, the results were quite good. If "Comrade Zhang An" were to push his luck a little further, some of the older comrades would be willing to give up some benefits, such as allowing the "Zhang An Hope Primary School" to have some public oversight regarding the textbooks.

This doesn't even include the "right to inspect accounts" that arose from the "Protecting Flower Buds Campaign," so it's not appropriate to talk about supervision.

Auditing is out of the question.

"Zhang An Education" is a legitimate organization!

This year is also quite special. For the first time, Zhang Da'an did not celebrate his birthday in Shazhou, nor in Jiangkou Province, and certainly not in China.

However, the old man also went to see the scenery in the Japanese territory and even checked out "Akihabara".

After all, he was a veteran of the "second atomic bomb" campaign and especially hoped for a second large-scale use of the atomic bomb. Unfortunately, the country wouldn't provide him with one, which made it difficult for the old man to enjoy a Japanese meal.

Zhang Qihong always felt that miso soup was not as good as the soybean paste soup made by his comrades from Northeast China, and he didn't know if it was because he put too much MSG in it.

However, the barbecue restaurants run by local Northeasterners are really good, except for the high price.

During their visit to Tokyo Institute of Technology, they were received by Li Jingwu, who is now the technical director of the popular online game "Shenturu". His status has risen significantly. After all, generating 50 to 80 million yen in revenue in a month is not in line with the national conditions of Japan. However, if you were to make a news story about it, you would still have to use the title "Mr. Billion Yen".

That's right, Li Jingwu is one of the few "billion-yen scholars" at Tokyo Institute of Technology. This level of achievement is more than enough to sit down and discuss things with Capcom.

SNK, which used to be so arrogant, has stopped pretending now. Although they have received a lot of royalties from the "Anglo Cup", they still act as if nothing happened and are much more polite to the "veteran group" than the "Japanese Communist Party".

The Japanese Communist Party immediately wanted Li Jingwu to donate money...

Donate your mother's money.

The old man had witnessed firsthand the diversity of the world and the dramatic changes of the times.

Of course, this is also the first time I've felt that my great-nephew's influence has spread overseas.

That's really old-fashioned!

The old comrades from Shandong Province didn't have so many thoughts; they just wanted to go back and brag about it to the younger generation so they could study hard.

Studying really does lead to a bright future. Look at Zhang Hong's grandson, he's really good, really not bad...

Actually, airlines are making a killing right now, and discounted tickets are hard to come by. At this time, being able to charter a plane means you have more influence than the airline's CEO.

Reports of the "veteran group" wandering around Japan, along with many photos and articles, have become propaganda materials for pro-Japanese groups. This surreal scene has silenced those who argue with the pro-Japanese faction.

Not bro...

Is this appropriate?

Upon learning that Zhang Da'an had returned to China, the old man originally wanted to ask how Europe compared to the Japanese. However, he then saw people from the provincial government arguing with his great-grandson in the countryside. The old man immediately realized that his great-grandson must be quite a high-ranking official.

Recently, a memorial archway was built in Wuxing Village. It's called a memorial archway, but it's actually just a height restriction bar. Other people build memorial archways out of stone or wood, but Wuxing Village built one out of cast iron. The red and black paint makes it look like a large golden serpent from a distance.

It's not that the village can't afford to repair it, but rather that a two-in-one height restriction barrier is more cost-effective...

Another point is that the top scorer also said, "What if I take the college entrance exam again? Will three be enough then?"

To put it simply, "three-time champion" doesn't need a grand archway, just a road sign will suffice.

The villagers also thought this was a good idea, as it saved money, and building more factories to rent out was the right thing to do.

Of course, the village didn't have much money before, so Zhang Da'an took over the land and partnered with the village to develop it into several industrial parks to attract investment, which worked quite well.

Now the village has saved up money and set up a small logistics park, plus three apartments for migrant workers facing north and south. They directly connect with companies that have been brought in through investment promotion, rent them out in a unified manner, and also earn some property management fees.

Perhaps fearing that the reputation of the "three-time champion" would be tarnished, the village was quite cautious, lest they offend Zhang Zhengdong and his nephew Zhang Da'an.

There's nothing they can do; their power is undeniable. Changing village officials is as easy for them as changing clothes.

Most importantly, they really do change...

I'm not kidding you.

Now, old man Zhang Qihong has become the key figure. The village hopes he lives a long and healthy life, as long as he can live. The old man is the one who is easiest to talk to.

Zhang Zhengdong is too principled, Zhang Da'an is too unprincipled, they're both fucking beasts.

"Comrade Zhang An! Don't you care about unity at all?! We, the entire Jiangkou Province, must follow your lead! Are you planning a rebellion?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm definitely going to get the benefits. Unity? Didn't they accuse me of having feudalistic 'male superiority' and 'male-dominated' ideas? I'm going to do the opposite. Don't bring up old revolutionaries. That old man next door is an old revolutionary too. What? A common soldier isn't an old revolutionary? Twenty-nine from Wuxing Village went to the battlefield! Seven are still alive! Only those who fought real battles have the right to point fingers at me—"

The argument in the living room wasn't just between one group; people from Shazhou City, Jiangning City, Jiangkou Province, Luzhou City, and even the capital city were all involved, each with their own demands.

"A dog won't know to pull its paws back unless it gets hurt. During this year's college entrance examination, I will file a formal complaint against someone who is taking secret funds from foreign forces."

"Please don't do anything reckless—"

"It's not impossible for me to refrain from doing anything reckless. Just agree to one condition, and we'll stop here."

"You said."

“The matters we discussed before regarding ‘Zhang An Hope Primary School’ have been expanded to include the ‘Zhang An Hope Primary School series’ and all schools with ‘Zhang An’ in their names.”

"You're fucking talking nonsense! You're insane! Is that even possible?! You're dreaming!"

“I’m daydreaming?! Come on, I won’t even mention the schools in some border regions that are too far away. You dare to say that girls’ schools in Jiangkou Province don’t have autonomy? Either treat them equally, or I’ll come too.”

"That's part of united front work, don't you understand—"

"Then why don't you try to win me over now? What's wrong? Do you want me to go abroad, get American citizenship, and then come back?"

"You dare?! You're a fucking beast! Are you trying to drive us to our deaths?!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Either treat everyone equally, or I'll immigrate and get American citizenship. You decide. If you can't make the decision, then report it. I really don't believe in this nonsense. Let's see if I dare to immigrate. I'm not some second or third-generation rich kid. My father is just a farmer and a soldier. I can earn my own money and get out of China, okay?"

"You motherfucker is a beast..."

"If you're not happy, you can kill me. If you can't, you'll just have to put up with it. What can you do?" Zhang Da'an spread his hands, sat on the sofa, and laughed smugly. "Who told me I had the ability to become the top scholar in the imperial examinations three times in a row? Hahahaha..."

The local minister, who was serving tea and water, was terrified. He knew Zhang Da'an was unreliable, but this was the first time he had ever seen him so monstrous up close.

Fortunately, I hadn't offended Zhang Zhengdong and his nephew before.

Moreover, they have a good relationship and are theoretically related by marriage.

Zhang Zhengdong had previously mentioned finding a nanny to do laundry and tidy things up for his nephew, and he felt embarrassed about it. But now he can't hesitate any longer. The second batch of nannies is being trained at the resort, and they need to be sent over as soon as possible.

Zhang Da'an has an unusually short temper; we need to find a way to cool him down.

"Let's have a small meeting first and discuss this."

As he spoke, he led his men out and boarded a minibus. When they passed Zhang Zhengdong's house, he greeted the old man Zhang Qihong sitting at the door with a very sunny and friendly smile, showing none of the rage he had displayed inside.

The old man actually thought these people were quite easy to talk to.

Even from a distance, you could see through the minibus's windshield that a dozen or so people inside were smoking and gesturing wildly, seemingly doing something.

Anyway, the minibus started shaking.

After half the people in Zhang Da'an's living room were gone, those who remained were all from Shazhou City and Jiangning City, and they were all old friends.

"Mr. Zhang, no, will everything be alright?"

"What a load of rubbish! As long as I don't defect, what could possibly happen to me?"

"You're exaggerating, Mr. Zhang. It's not like you're 'defecting' at all."

"If I were to immigrate and change my citizenship to American, do you think that's not a big deal?"

"..."

"..."

I dare not say, and I cannot say.

I don’t dare to think about it, and I can’t even think about it.

Anyway, I absolutely cannot think about Shazhou City; just thinking about it makes me tremble.

Even if you're a billionaire, once you're gone, that's it, that's all.

A country is very large, and wealth can be accumulated continuously. This is a matter of value appreciation, which, to put it bluntly, is still a matter of developing productive forces.

But a "three-time champion"...

Just like the "wheelchair president" Roosevelt in the United States, it didn't happen naturally.

There's only one like that in two hundred years, so "three consecutive top scholars" is much more exaggerated than anything that happens only once every two hundred years.

Strictly speaking, if Zhang Da'an were to become a modern-day "Runren" (a local term for a person who has worked in the city), then Shazhou City would not have seen a local person in charge of work for the past twenty years.

There's something wrong with your feng shui!

There's an old saying that goes, "One region's water and soil nurture its people." How come yours, after being nurtured here, ended up swimming from the Yangtze River to the Pacific Ocean?

Zhang Da'an has plenty of bargaining chips now. He himself is a chip, his reputation is a chip, and his status in the education sector and in the ancient "imperial examination system" is also a chip.

Especially now, at a crucial juncture when many relatively developed regions are formalizing their operations, and with little time remaining before the pilot program of "mandatory testing for all new hires" is rolled out, the "three-time champion" has become an American...

Pretty!

No amount of internal propaganda can suppress it, because this matter is truly related to people earning a monthly salary of 300, 3,000 or 30,000.

Unless they become extinct.

If you can't do it, then don't do it.

Despite the seemingly calm atmosphere on the internet, where everyone appears to be going about their business, the intensity of the conflict is something the local scumbags of Shazhou City have rarely witnessed before.

Of course, I've seen it before, but those who have aren't surprised.

This little bit of trouble is nothing.

After all, there's a reason for this argument: when someone rises, someone else must step down. It's acceptable to bring out the elders to stabilize the situation and keep things under control, but it's very problematic to rely on the influence of the elderly to drive decision-making at every turn.

Because that's called taking advantage of one's age.

In the past, you didn't encounter anyone who didn't give you face because they were polite and respected older comrades; but now you've run into a once-in-a-millennium low-quality literary genius... well, you're just unlucky.

Zhang Da'an's attitude was basically "it's either me or her." If it worked out, great; if not, he'd just drive along Route 66 in America and enjoy the scenery.

He has so much wealth that he could never spend it all in several lifetimes; buying an island and turning it into a "maid island" wouldn't be out of the question.

By the way, change his English name to Ampstein... then there will be a Stalinist-style internal and external purge in Jiangkou Province.

It's time to demonstrate the influence we had when we "teamed up to win the championship." If necessary, Jiangkou Province can still unite.

How can things work if you're not united?
A single sweep covers a large area.

Anyway, if Zhang Da'an is asked to go to the capital for another meeting and discussion, he will definitely go. But he also said that if he beats one or two old people into the intensive care unit, they shouldn't blame him for being too ruthless.

He really intends to do that.

This incident is also recorded in the "Tong Jinmei Incident".

Even at her age, Tong Jinmei is still a frail woman. Zhang Da'an, who is about 1.9 meters tall and weighs 160-190 kilograms, went up and hit her hard, causing her immense harm.

Actually, when he was in Europe, Coach Zhang weighed himself, and he was exactly 200 pounds.

It's clear that the food in Beijing before was... too good.

Although there aren't many local dishes in Beijing, delicacies from all over the world are brought to the capital.

Thankfully, Coach Zhang insisted on exercising, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to digest so much good food.

About an hour later, Zhang Da'an returned to his room, played a game with "Little Xi Shi," and took a shower. Only then did the people who had gone to the minibus to study the matter return.

The locals in Shazhou City who served tea and water pretended to be deaf and dumb throughout the whole process, as if they hadn't heard or heard anything, and that was the end of it.

However, the construction team that Head Coach Zhang originally used to build apartments for high-end talents in Jiangning City has been reorganized into "Zhang An Real Estate," which seems to be a formal entry into the real estate industry.

However, when the professional tea masters from Shazhou City who experienced the entire process reported their work in the city, they only gave a detailed account of the general scope.

"It mainly focuses on real estate development related to industry, academia, and research, and does not get involved in commercial real estate."

"Do you have more specific details about the project? I mean this year's."

"The 'Renovation Project for Dilapidated Primary and Secondary School Buildings,' the one where the three ministries each contributed 1 billion yuan."

"From the province?"

"At the provincial level, Fengyi County is still the priority."

"This isn't right, three billion... that's not much."

"The key is that others can't easily interfere. In the past, when you came up with a contracting or construction plan, you had to bribe people. Now it's different. It's like they want a 'one-stop shop,' just like the 'Zhang An Hope Primary School.' To put it bluntly, making money is secondary; what's important is preventing others from interfering."

"That's outrageous! Luckily we've been very polite the whole time..."

"That is."

"You know, when he was the top scorer in the Wudu City high school entrance exam, he was such a good kid. Now, compared to before, his true colors have been revealed."

"You can't just say things like that!"

"..."

Professional tea masters no longer trust the people around them; who knows if they're having an affair with the "God of Literature"?

After all, if you don't flirt with your kids now, will you still flirt with them when they go to middle school?

Not everyone can arrange for their child to attend a foreign language school and then go abroad to gain prestige; it's not that easy.

Most people working in companies simply do their jobs step by step.

At this point, he's essentially the same as everyone else: a wife, kids, a warm bed, and clocking in on time.

My child is about to take the high school entrance exam, shouldn't we have a "top student tutoring class"?
The college entrance exam is approaching, don't you want to go further?
Junior college becomes a second-tier university, second-tier university becomes a first-tier university, first-tier university becomes a key university, key university becomes the top-tier university...

People need to have dreams; that's what drives them.

"A person must have dreams. How can you live without dreams? Without dreams, it's like dying prematurely. So you must have dreams, strive when you should strive, relax when you should relax, balance work and rest, and experience life..."

"Director Zhang is right. I have a dream now: I want to build a small Western-style house with a big yard..."

"I just want to finish the project as soon as possible, and then find a job in the county. There are jobs available in the county now."

"Director Zhang, is it feasible to raise ducks on my own now? If so, I'd like to contract a body of water to raise ducks as well."

...At the irrigation canal renovation site around the Dasha River in Fengyi County, one pond after another appeared around the irrigation canal connecting to the Dasha River.

It's more like a group of small lakes than a pond.

Zhang Zhengdong was chatting with his coworkers while sitting on the elevated roadbed. Just then, a group of ducks came out of their shed. The duck farm workers, wearing uniforms with a huge "丰" (Feng) character printed on the back, were busy at work. The workers here had to take three or even four showers a day, which was very troublesome, but it was a rule.

Because there is a small sheep farm nearby, the large pits left after the building materials company extracts sand do not need to be backfilled; they are basically transformed and utilized on-site.

This year, we signed a big order: "Zhang An Apparel" will launch its own student down jackets. Not only will Fengyi County expand the breeding scale of "Shanghu No. 2", but the Academy of Agricultural Sciences has also invested in seven or eight locations in its home base of Yangtai City.

Moreover, in the spring, the winter uniforms of "Zhang An Hope Primary School" were selected as "Best School Uniform" and "Best Student Uniform", and several export orders were signed with Nandu, one of which was from North Korea.

With an average price between 300 and 500, it's already considered mid-to-high-end, but it's still a bit far from high-end. However, that's only a matter of time, at least that's what Uncle Zhang thinks.

The workers are quite confident; they have hope for the future, and that gives them dreams.

Uncle Zhang never imagined that he would one day become such a high-ranking official, but he didn't think too much about it. His nephew told him to familiarize himself with the situation in Fengyi County first, and the organization also said so, so he went to investigate.

He passed by his home three times without going in. There was nothing he could do; his wife wasn't home. She had gone to Pengcheng to give birth. Why would he go back? He had been searching all over the county for the best dog meat.

Nowadays, the title of "Dog Meat County Chief" is quite well-known. When the organization arrives with machetes, they see him working on construction sites every day, covered in dust and dirt, and have nothing to say. They just pack up and leave.

The main problem is that there aren't any major issues in Fengyi County these days. Some long-standing problems that were difficult to resolve before can now be easily handled by Uncle Zhang, so he doesn't feel much pressure.

His secretaries who worked with him were thriving, so one of them was arrested and taken away; he'll probably get five, six, seven, or eight years in prison.

Currently, Zhang Zhengdong is working at the construction site of the north-south road project. All other science, education, culture and health matters combined are not as numerous as those in a single town in Shazhou City. As long as there are enough people on hand, it is easy to do.

But he is completely different from his best friend Liu Yuanshan, who is far away in Pengli County. Liu Yuanshan has been busy going to the countryside to find out and promote local young talents and outstanding comrades who dare to fight and struggle.

During this period, they also had to outwit and outmaneuver the "local faction," implement the "Zhang'an Hope Primary School" project, and communicate with neighboring counties and cities about road safety and public safety.

What else to do?
Yes, goods from Pengli County are transported out of the area. Even if they aren't robbed locally, what about the fellow villagers next door?
Who the hell can stand this?

Unlike Uncle Zhang, who can still go and brag to the villagers, Liu Yuanshan currently weighs less than 120 pounds. It's only because he has passed a physical examination and is confirmed to be healthy that he is not in any serious condition. Otherwise, the "school hospital" at "Zhang An Education" would have prepared "martyrdom" arrangements for him.

However, things have finally turned out well after all. Last year, a total of 3 billion yuan was approved for the "Renovation Project of Dilapidated Primary and Secondary School Buildings". This year, 2.6 billion yuan of funds have been received. 9,800 schools have started construction projects, and 4,993 schools have been completed.

Originally, it had nothing to do with "Zhang An Hope Primary School", but it has since become so this month.

It is estimated that 14,853 dilapidated primary and secondary school buildings will be renovated in the future, with local matching funds of approximately 3 billion yuan.

Because the funds are mainly used in areas and schools with underdeveloped economies, concentrated dilapidated houses, and high levels of danger, Pengli County is undoubtedly among them. The difference is that if it is linked to "Zhang'an Hope Primary School", it can be carried out in the form of "construction instead of renovation", and this part will be taken over by "Zhang'an Real Estate".

Unlike commercial real estate developers and contractors, "Zhang'an Real Estate" currently has no project plans directly targeting the social market, and its business is entirely "government and enterprise business".

Whether others can make money from the "renovation project of dilapidated primary and secondary school buildings" is unknown, but the main purpose of "Zhang An Real Estate" is not to make money from the project, but to serve "Zhang An Education".

This is the first time that the entire branding strategy has ventured outside of Jiangkou Province; it's a major project like this.

Through the "Renovation Project of Dilapidated Primary and Secondary School Buildings," Liu Yuanshan also introduced "Zhang An Foods" to invest in building a factory. After all, he had been in Chengdong District of Jiangning City for so many years and knew some people. After conducting research in Pengli County, he found that this place was very suitable for making pickled products.

Whether it's salted fish, salted meat, or pickles, it's all suitable.

The problem is that if they can't be shipped out, it's all for nothing. If the semi-finished products are only controlled by individual farmers in terms of salt content and flavor, then it's all doomed. There are no standards to speak of, and there is no market for them in Jiangkou Province.

Now that "Zhang'an Foods" has been introduced, a pickle factory specializing in OEM production is enough. Building a port on the Yangtze River is definitely out of the question, but setting up a small wharf and berths is not a big problem.

Therefore, after confirming that Zhang Da'an could contract the projects in the "Renovation Project of Dilapidated Primary and Secondary School Buildings", Liu Yuanshan directly proposed the "Two-Road Economy" in Pengli County. The so-called "two roads" are waterways and highways.

Agricultural counties should not consider large-scale industrial development, as that is unrealistic. However, by concentrating local, scattered agricultural resources to increase added value, they can create jobs and generate tax revenue.

Just as Liu Yuanshan finished writing the "Two-Road Economy" plan, his close friend Zhang Zhengdong from Fengyi County copied and pasted it, turning "Two Roads" into "Three Roads," since there was also the railway involved.
County Chief Liu immediately picked up the phone and started arguing with County Chief Zhang, without stopping for a moment.

Your dream, Zhang, is to plagiarize Lao Tzu!

However, County Chief Liu quickly fell silent. There was nothing he could do; his best friend had said that as long as the "Shanghu No. 2" project reached a certain scale this year, he would take Pengli County with him.

"Really? Exported overseas?"

"Why would I lie to you? I live on the construction site and eat in the canteen every day. While the road is being built, I also keep an eye on the duck farm. I have two ponds and a farm here, it's quite large. Didn't you say that Pengli County has a large body of water? Its advantage is definitely stronger than that of my Fengyi County."

"So, you mean you want us to export as well?"

"You wish! You can raise ducks and that'll be enough. Just sell me the duck feathers and down."

"Doesn't that mean I'm working for you?!"

“I wouldn’t give others this opportunity. The Academy of Agricultural Sciences was planning to expand its operations in Huaiyin and Sucheng, but I didn’t agree. I said I needed to talk to Liu Yuanshan first. I also told my superiors that Comrade Liu Yuanshan, after all, is an outstanding cadre who came from our Jiangkou Province…”

"..."

Zhang Zhengdong has gone astray.

He used to be a complete idiot, but now he sounds like a seasoned veteran in his forties. It's really awful.

However, Liu Yuanshan was still very curious and continued to ask, "So, you're saying that you're raising ducks in Pengli County but using your Fengyi County's nameplate?"

"It's nothing for our Fengyi County Dafeng Aquaculture Co., Ltd. to make an investment in another place, is it?"

"There are still livestock companies in the Gobi Desert? And there's strong wind too?"

"It was brought by a strong wind, that's the meaning, it has nothing to do with Emperor Gaozu of Han."

"..."

I've lost my temper.

I've completely lost my temper.

County Magistrate Liu had no choice but to nod, but still stubbornly asked, "What about the duck products? How will the duck products be processed? Can you contract the processing of the duck products to Pengli County? It's much closer to Jiangning for us."

Where are you closer?

"We can cross the Yangtze River!"

"That's possible, but the tastes in Yuzhang are different from those in Jiangkou, right?"

"You don't need to worry about that. If I, Liu Yuanshan, can't even handle this little thing, I might as well not be a man."

"Whatever, I don't care. Zhang An said he can make ten times his initial investment in any industry. I feel really relaxed at work now, no pressure at all. Except for going to the construction site which is a bit physically demanding, everything else is great. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, Xiao Liu..."

"You little brat."

"Old Liu, do you raise soft-shelled turtles where you are? The turtle soup I make with dog meat is really good, but there aren't many soft-shelled turtles. You're near the Yangtze River, would it be feasible for you to raise soft-shelled turtles there?"

"..."

This old man is really going all out to eat dog meat. No wonder he's called the "Dog Meat County Magistrate." Does this reputation even make sense?

Uncle Zhang wasn't very self-aware. He even thought that with Fengyi County's grain production, raising dogs was a good option. However, he had asked the provincial authorities and they said that while a special breeding license could be obtained, the slaughtering process required someone to vouch for it.

Currently, all dog meat sold in Jiangkou Province is from private slaughterhouses, and inspection and quarantine are lacking.

Even though Pengcheng has a long-standing tradition, it has always been in a state of "turning a blind eye," meaning "the officials will not investigate unless the people complain."

The vast majority of them do not have a breeding license, let alone a special breeding permit.

If Fengyi County were to take action now, it is very likely that the historical discourse surrounding "dog meat" would fall into the hands of Fengyi County.

Knowing that the "dog meat county head" actually liked to eat dog meat, the cities and counties surrounding Pengcheng were all anxious. If Fengyi County were to get hold of the "dog meat standard," wouldn't our local two-thousand-year-old tradition be decided by the neighbor?

Therefore, many district and county officials were busy trying to solve the technical problem of "meat dog breeding" before Fengyi County could.

There are also social impacts; various "animal protection organizations" have become active, but they haven't reached Pengcheng, where the locals don't care about such things.

Liu Yuanshan thought for a moment and then reminded him, "Old Zhang, take my advice. Eating dog meat is fine, but raising dogs for meat is something you should forget about. We've already joined the World Trade Organization, and eating dog meat has a bad international reputation."

"The Swiss eat dog meat, and the Germans eat dog meat too, so why aren't they afraid of international repercussions?"

Do Germans eat dog meat?

Why would I lie to you? My nephew told me.

"That must be true."

"..."

"..."

The two fell silent for a moment before Liu Yuanshan spoke first, "I can raise turtles here, but can you buy them all?"

"Nonsense, you're from Jiangning, don't you know how big Pengcheng is? Besides, the amount of turtles consumed at rural banquets here isn't just one, it's baskets. They kill several large basins at a time, it's unbelievable."

"No feast is complete without fish."

"Huh? This fish is a soft-shelled turtle?"

"Correct."

Taking advantage of Uncle Zhang's low level of education, Liu Yuanshan was also making things up on the spot.

In Yuzhang Province, soft-shelled turtles are mostly called "tuanyu" (团鱼). Further south, they are also called "shuiyu" (水鱼). However, this is mostly because of the Chinese people. Since this thing is associated with people, it is not a nice name.

"Old Liu, are you going to keep turtles or not?"

"..."

Old Zhang, whose tone could have been even more playful, didn't need to hold back.

County Chief Liu didn't want to waste words and said that breeding was possible, but the seedlings had to be from varieties north of the Huai River and south of the Yellow River.

Actually, most turtle farming currently uses Chinese soft-shelled turtles. However, due to geographical factors, their appearance and taste can vary. For example, there is a type of Chinese soft-shelled turtle that is somewhat geographically specific, called "Sanhuang turtle" or "Yellow River turtle".

Its main characteristics are thick meat and plump skirt. Although the yield from pond farming is not as high as that of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the meat quality and taste are top-notch.

Logically speaking, different regions have different environments for raising turtles, so it might not be suitable for Pengli County to raise "Three Yellow Turtle".

However, Liu Yuanshan is familiar with the characteristics of food industrialization, and if standardized production and processing are done well, the taste can be consistent.

Aside from local specialties where locals can taste the difference, there's not much of a problem with products from other places.

He is now asking for seedlings from north of the Huai River and south of the Yellow River. That's not something you can just get by blowing on it. Zhang Zhengdong has to go to the aquaculture institutes of the agricultural science academies in Shandong and Central China to discuss cooperation. Generally speaking, if a small county has too little aquaculture area, they won't bother to pay attention.

But it depends on the person.

Who is Zhang Zhengdong?

He only received the "Advanced Individual in Righteous and Courageous Acts" award not long ago. Within the system, this title is definitely more widely known than that of the "Dog Meat County Magistrate."

Furthermore, there aren't many fools in Shandong and Central China provinces, so it's impossible that they don't know that Zhang Zhengdong has a "three-time champion" behind him.

This can be easily accomplished.

If fame is of no use at all, why would so many people fight over it?

Liu Yuanshan is a true all-rounder. Although he has become a senior secretary, he is extremely skilled in his work, especially in the early years when the eastern district of the city was "unloved by both parents" and had to work in the fields. It was impossible to survive without going to the front lines.

Sima Cong was able to remain so composed; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to handle so many affairs so effectively.

Now that he has "parachuted" into Pengli County, he has not rushed to launch projects. Instead, he has focused on assessing the situation and has a good grasp of the basic conditions before quickly identifying talent. He mainly recruits young people with firm beliefs and will from the local youth development foundation in Yuzhang Province, while he goes down to the villages of Pengli County to find motivated young people from the rural areas.

It's not enough to just have suitable cadres. If the people don't cooperate when launching a project, it's all for nothing. Hiring seasoned locals from the surrounding area to do things will only make the people resentful and waste their time.

Now that we have people on hand, it means the people are waiting for the projects, not the other way around.

He was certain that the resources Zhang Zhengdong possessed would serve as a benchmark example. After all, at this critical juncture, everything else could fall apart, but the two key entities—the Jiangkou Provincial Rural Education and Employment Pilot Demonstration Zone and the Pengcheng City Fengyi County Rural Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity Industrial Demonstration Park—absolutely could not be allowed to fall apart.

He reads the news every day.

He had nothing to say but admire Zhang Da'an's recent actions.

People need to have dreams. Following Zhang Zhengdong, this country bumpkin, the poor folks of Fengyi County have dreams, and he, who was "exiled" to Pengli County, must also have dreams.

You might not be able to achieve it on your own, but with the addition of the "three-time champion," he's a contemporary literary star, a deity. When it's time to make a wish, don't hesitate.

If you hesitate, the opportunity will go to someone else.

Liu Yuanshan became even more convinced that once the production of "Sanhuang turtles" or "Yellow River turtles" increased, a frenzy would definitely form around Fengyi County, especially around "Weishan Lake," which would be very suitable for breeding.

But this depends on the system.

To the untrained eye, it may seem like a fair and competitive market, but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Whether it's Zhang Zhengdong or Zhang Da'an, besides being in the large market, they also have their own "small market" within it.

For example, "Zhang An Education," based on this year's development, adding two or three more new Dongweigang Middle Schools would not be a problem at all. And this only includes the new Dongweigang Middle Schools, not counting the employees of "Zhang An Education" itself or the employees of related companies.

The fixed procurement in this area, the daily consumption of firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, all have a very precise fixed value.

Becoming a stable supplier for "Zhang An Education" is the only way to ensure a long-term business relationship. In the fierce competition of the market, given the potential of aquaculture in the Yangtze River basin, Liu Yuanshan can't think of any aquatic product whose price can't be driven down.

Soft-shelled turtles that are harvested and sold in 2013, 2014, and 2015 are sold. If there is a difference of two or three months, the price becomes extremely exorbitant.

This is not just true for one province or one city, but for the entire Yangtze River basin.

Therefore, there must be a safety net of sales to support the scale of the business. On this basis, policies to expand the scale of livestock farming can then be implemented. For agricultural counties, the biggest taboo is to act blindly.

Liu Yuanshan's biggest wish right now is for Zhang Zhengdong to be twenty years younger and become his secretary and assistant. That way, his career development would be absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately, Zhang Zhengdong, who was in his forties, spent all his time thinking about eating turtle stew with dog meat.

However, what Liu Yuanshan didn't know was that his close friend Zhang Zhengdong had said a couple of things at a routine meeting in Fengyi County that made his colleagues feel that Director Zhang was indeed very capable.

"Should agricultural counties launch industrial projects? I think they should. But how to do it is something that needs careful consideration."

"Since we have a weak foundation, we must firmly grasp the advantages of being an agricultural county and do our best to leverage those advantages."

"What advantage?"

"Firstly, the cost of labor is relatively low. Of course, this doesn't mean that ordinary people shouldn't receive high wages. It's just that the conditions don't allow it. External competition is fierce, and we don't have the bargaining power to negotiate wages and benefits, so we can only endure the temporary calm. But enduring for a while is not the same as enduring forever. It's better to have your own than to have your own. If we have our own industry, then we don't have to worry about the lower labor costs. Why? Because we are in charge of our own affairs. No matter how hard it is, we still have the strength. We are not afraid of hardship, but we are afraid of suffering for nothing."

"Secondly, the price of raw materials is relatively low. This isn't just the case in Fengyi County; it's the same for all agricultural counties. It's either land resources or land output resources, nothing more. Grain prices can't go up, there's nothing we can do about it, the overall situation is the priority. But if we have surplus grain that we really don't want to let it go to waste, then we can use it as animal feed. Any kind of feed will do, pig, dog, cow, sheep, chicken, duck, goose, fish, even pet food is fine. We can do some basic processing and sell it, or we can do more refined processing ourselves, it's perfectly fine. It doesn't matter if we can't compete with big companies, we can consume it ourselves and create a cycle, so when we purchase feed from big companies, we won't have to worry about suddenly running out of food."

"Thirdly, the potential for agricultural industrialization is enormous. Whether it's Fengyi County or any other agricultural county, the previous rural agricultural model relied mainly on manual labor, with very little mechanization. Conversely, can't we also say that as long as we seize the opportunity, the greater our chances of reaping the benefits of industrialization? From ox-drawn plows to mechanized plows, from unprocessed to coarse processing, from coarse processing to fine processing, and from fine processing to high-end processing, all of these are possible. We just need to avoid messing around with all sorts of things and focus on working hard on rural agriculture and farmers. If it doesn't work in three years, it will take five. We'll eventually get things done."

"The grassroots cadres are full of energy, and the people are also very motivated. This is largely because they have seen hope and tasted the benefits. I think this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Don't overthink the projects at hand. Just work hard and when you see results, then take a break."

"Before the masses say they want to take a break and enjoy life, we cadres should not worry about gains and losses or how hard we work. We should not feel that our work is in vain or that no one is watching. Comrades can see each other, and the masses can see it even more."

"After all, we all have to face the public eventually."

It was just a routine meeting, but the "dog-meat county head" suddenly "spoke spiel," which really shocked the comrades.

Director Zhang is incredibly capable!

Uncle Zhang calmly collected his best friend Liu Yuanshan's draft.

We're all buddies.

(End of this chapter)