I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 190 Zhang Zhengdong, the "White Streak in the Waves"
"Hey Zhang An, the province wants me to go to Jiangning to talk to some people from Yuzhang Province. What does that mean?"

"Uncle, what are some of the projects that you can be proud of in the demonstration park right now?"

Instead of answering, Zhang Da'an asked a question, which made Uncle Zhang think for a moment. Then, he sat down under a short pavilion and recited the names of the dishes.

This "short pavilion" is a small brick-and-mortar pavilion located beside the irrigation canal, used to provide shelter from wind and rain for agricultural technicians and farmers in villages along the river.

Because during the busy farming season, whether it's sunny or windy and rainy, it's all troublesome, so having a place to take shelter is just what you need.

At the same time, it can also be used to park tractors, electric tricycles, and the like when draining water.

If agricultural electricity is brought in, and someone in a nearby village steals electricity, a point deduction system will be implemented, meaning there will be no discounts for agricultural machinery harvesting or plowing, and they will not be able to receive subsidies from the demonstration park.

It wasn't that some old men in the countryside didn't believe in superstitions; in the end, a group of old men would fight each other to see who would live and who would die.

It's a real case of someone being beaten to death.

Therefore, the area around the irrigation canal is generally the most disciplined. Adults feel at ease when children come to swim in the wild. If an adult sees a child carrying a tractor inner tube and walking away, and asks where they are going, the child will answer "XX Pavilion" or "XX Embankment Pavilion," which will put the adult at ease.

No children drowned this year, which even some veteran substitute teachers find amazing.

In the past, repeated orders and warnings were of little use; once summer vacation arrived, people would die without warning.

Now that we've let the little monkeys swim freely, nothing's happened.

Inside and outside the "short pavilions" corresponding to the villages, there were elderly people or women looking after children, and the banks were filled with the slippers and even underwear of the mischievous children.

"Ducks, geese, crabs, shrimp, sheep, cattle, pigs... the main vegetables are radishes and cabbages. As for making money, it's duck down, duck feathers, goose down, goose feathers. Soft-shelled turtles are just starting out, but we already have orders..."

When it comes to vegetables, Pengcheng is not very good; the quality is also average. It doesn't have the same yield or quality as Shandong Province.

Of course, this is not just the case in Pengcheng City. All the places flooded by the Yellow River are like this: a layer of nutrient-poor soil on the surface, a layer of sandy loam below, then a layer of sandy soil, and only after digging down can you find land from who knows how many years ago.

Those buildings were improved after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Previously, the average yield of grain in the surrounding area was about 60 jin per mu, and the yield could only be increased by the area. Fortunately, there were small water conservancy projects everywhere at that time. The irrigation canal that Uncle Zhang renovated was dug by manpower at that time. With water, there was irrigated area, and thus, total yield.

However, there is no doubt that we have now moved beyond the stage of "having enough to eat" and are transitioning to "eating well".

People from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences believe that Fengyi County is very suitable for growing watermelons and peaches, but they do not recommend growing traditional apples and pears.

Its competitiveness is average, its output is average, and it lacks the representative rights of "geographical products," so even if it grows bigger, it won't make much of a profit.

This year, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences followed Zhang Zhengdong all over Fengyi County and compiled a list, believing that alfalfa and forage grass could be planted and sold specifically to farms in Central China and Shandong Provinces.

Now, some of the "talented people" from Fengyi County, who are now following Uncle Zhang, are indeed working very hard. Those who were originally factory directors or workshop managers in the city are very active in the fields, and the processing plants they have built are very targeted.

Fengyi County grows a wide variety of white radishes and Chinese cabbages, which are wholesaled and sold elsewhere. However, this is not something that can "lift people out of poverty and make them rich." To be included in the list of projects in the demonstration park, value-added products must be added.

Therefore, Pengcheng's largest "pickled vegetable factory" was invested in the north of "Zhang'an Hope Primary School", which is only about two kilometers away.

The two flagship products are, of course, dried radish and "kimchi". The Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Jiangkou Province is responsible for the breeding and cultivation of white radishes used in the production of dried radish, while the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Qilu Province comes from across the province to guide the production of "kimchi".

This "spicy cabbage" is what Koreans call kimchi.

Normally, it would be export-oriented, but Uncle Zhang didn't actually intend to do so. This was because many South Korean companies had invested in Jiangkou Province. Taking his hometown, Shazhou City, as an example, there was an area within the second ring road of the city that was almost entirely composed of supply chain factories for South Korean car companies.

Uncle Zhang personally led the cadres of Fengyi County to run business, and then secured 40% of the kimchi purchase orders from South Korean-funded enterprises along the river.

This includes, but is not limited to, Kia Motors' supply chain factories, POSCO's stainless steel, and LG's home appliance supply chain factories, which immediately created added value.

But even with just this much, Uncle Zhang didn't dare mention the "cabbage" project to his nephew. The reason was that he was using the purchase orders he got from a South Korean company to negotiate with major supermarket chains in the province to get the products on the shelves.

He actually managed to get it done...

Therefore, in terms of the inventory pressure of "kimchi", Fengyi County is not under much pressure, as the cold storage warehouses of major supermarkets serve as distributed warehouses for "Fengyi kimchi".

Uncle Zhang has managed to bring in over 16 million yuan for his fellow villagers through his own abilities. He hasn't dared to publicize this matter yet; he's been doing it quietly, for fear of being found out by people in the surrounding Peicheng County and other places.

Unfortunately, he can't keep earning over 16 million indefinitely, so Uncle Zhang is currently focusing on poultry, livestock, and aquatic products, especially shrimp, crabs, and soft-shelled turtles, which have great potential in the special market of rural banquets.

The chefs in Fengyi County who are in charge of preparing banquets are now considered the county's "think tank." They know exactly how much a banquet costs, how many dishes are on a table, and where to buy fish and turtles.

This investigation report is just too unprofessional. If someone like Fang Daqiao polished it up a bit, it could be sold on the market for 200,000 yuan a copy, and people would fight over it without hesitation.

The main reason is that Zhang Zhengdong doesn't have any crooked thoughts and is genuinely not interested in money. Otherwise, in an agricultural county, not every cadre could withstand such a test.

In fact, the people sent from Beijing to conduct follow-up research also found that the "local methods" in Fengyi County were quite interesting. Most of the time, the cadres did the hard labor, but instead mobilized the "professionals" among the masses to come up with ideas.

Locals, once they're in the county government, are too embarrassed to cheat people from the surrounding area, so they all seriously think about how to make money.

They really did develop many niche markets. In addition to the "rural banquet" market, there are also two other niche markets: "going to the market" and "early morning drinking". The county organized manpower in each township and set up "market companies" to collect goods in the countryside and then rent vehicles from the demonstration park to transport them to markets of all sizes within a radius of 300 kilometers.

The reason for setting the distance to 300 kilometers is that the car can travel about 600 kilometers round trip. There is no need for more than that, as it is not only tiring for the driver, but also more likely to cause accidents.

If it's 300 kilometers away, and there's any commotion, we can just give a shout and pull out 10,000 or so people from Fengyi County and go there to attack.

So, besides the well-known "Chenzhuang workers" on construction sites, there's also a term "Fengyi craftsmen" in many markets these days.

They were talking about the truck drivers in Fengyi County who drove their trucks to the market to sell goods. They were all quite formal, dressed in work clothes, with thick waist bags hanging from their waists. They could not only issue receipts but also invoices.

It means we're not afraid of you buying bad goods and not being able to find us. We're brothers from Fengyi County, and we'll stay true to our word.

There was basically no "disappearance" because the accountants were recent graduates from business schools, still mostly teenagers. They could be quick-witted, but not too quick-witted. If they wanted to stay and keep their jobs, "disappearance" and "loss of income" were meaningless to them.

Just like the "98 Plan students" trying to earn some tutoring fees in super elementary schools, that's like picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon. Anyone with a brain wouldn't choose that path.

One advantage of this is that the employment rate of vocational schools specializing in accounting and finance is very high. Of course, this is a result of a pre-arranged cooperation, and it's not just one company doing this.

In order to maintain stable cooperation with "Zhang An Education" and "Zhang An Industrial Alliance", having ideas is not wrong, but it is absolutely not acceptable.

It won't work either.

In the eyes of the locals in Fengyi County, Uncle Zhang's character wasn't a matter of being upright or dishonest, but rather that he was very approachable. Once his work was clearly defined, he basically focused on ensuring the project was completed on schedule, delivered, and that payments were received at the project site.

The people from Beijing also evaluated many aspects, some of which could be promoted, while others were only suitable for implementation in Jiangkou Province.

Many "local methods" depend on the local finances; if someone is so poor that their pockets are emptier than their face, they can't come up with any new solutions.

Overall, the work content prioritizes "unity," followed by "struggle," and lastly "competition." Zhang Zhengdong's work meeting reports are usually rather hasty, with occasional flashes of brilliance that reveal that someone else is writing them, though it's unclear who.

Overall, however, Uncle Zhang's approach of uniting the majority of people, though rustic, is indeed effective in an agricultural county.

A typical phenomenon is that the masses dare to file complaints, whether they go to the court, the police station, or directly to the county head. They are all filing complaints, but they are also reflecting the situation.

Zhang Zhengdong truly resolved any issues that could be handled on the front lines.

The relationship of trust between cadres and the masses is always intense and passionate. The people's feelings are not lukewarm at all; it's not like a romantic relationship. So when there are things that are not understood, Zhang Zhengdong personally goes to the front line to explain why there is a first-come, first-served order, and why Chenzhuang Town got to eat meat first. After explaining the reasons clearly, he then asks those who ate meat to explain why they were entitled to it.

We're all from the same village, so when you don't care about face, it's worthless. But now that we're all dressed up, it's something we need.

Rural self-governance has also been brought into play, and upward mobility channels for rural youth and capable individuals have been opened up through demonstration parks. After all, everyone wants to "escape poverty and become rich," and how to "escape poverty and become rich" is determined by projects, not by people just talking about it.

The veteran cadres don't want to step down and want to bully the smaller families by relying on their powerful families. This used to work, but it doesn't work now. They have shares in the projects, and if you ruin them, no one will get anything. So the smaller families have also united, and things are naturally not like they used to be.

Zhang Zhengdong didn't resort to factionalism or divide and conquer; he spoke openly about everything. Occasionally, he would invite those who had achieved results to eat dog meat and drink wine together. When it came to manpower, he actually had a large number of people he could mobilize. Rewards and punishments could all be discussed at "village meetings," and the people dared to file complaints. This grassroots supervision system, when in operation, seemed almost sinisterly righteous to those in Beijing who were tracking and studying it.

There are many merits, but as the saying goes, if there are too many "local methods," we must discard the dross and retain the essence, extracting the universal ones and setting aside the localized ones.

Just like raising geese and ducks, it's not suitable to go to Peicheng County because there are large bodies of water there, which will inevitably lead to conflicts over water.

In Fengyi County, it's different. The ponds where fish are raised are all linked to sand and gravel plants. They supplement the exploitation of land resources, are part of the water conservancy system, and also play a role in flood control and drainage.

Irrigation and aquaculture were just side projects.

When Uncle Zhang was discussing the project with his nephew, they also talked about "construction," which is something that Peicheng County, Fangyu County, and Shanfu County cannot replicate.

After all, organizing labor to dig ditches and clean ponds can also train workers of all ages on construction sites, which is a part of skills training. Places like Peicheng County do not have the need to dig ditches, so you can't just dig a few more ditches out of thin air just to give migrant workers some practice, right?
So when Uncle Zhang says this is a project, it's a project for Fengyi County, but it wouldn't be appropriate elsewhere.

"What were the evaluations from the provincial and Beijing-based researchers?"

"I don't care what they say or not, it's none of my business. What's their opinion? Just tell me directly, okay?"

"I'm planning to see what projects you have that have taken off. If they can be scaled up, I'll copy a few of them to Yuzhang Province."

"Why should I? You have money to burn, but I can help you. Help me build two roads to the city, and I can handle any project you want."

"Just being a county magistrate for a few days, do you really think you can be an upright official?"

"I only care about what I eat, nothing else matters."

"Okay, bring over some materials about your radish and cabbage. I'll have someone write a report and show it to the people in Yuzhang Province first."

"no!"

Uncle Zhang flatly refused, "If outsiders saw this, wouldn't they all know that Fengyi County made money? Would I be crazy enough to show that to outsiders? To tell you the truth, Zhang An, no one in the city knows I made over 16 million yuan selling dried radishes and salted vegetables; not a word has leaked out. You have no idea about the neighboring counties; people come here every single day, more frequently than thieves. Damn it..."

He wouldn't curse at anything else, but this incident really upset Uncle Zhang.

Fangyu County and Shanfu County, two counties, came from across provinces to learn from each other, so they traveled around and looked at various places.

Chenzhuang Town is currently building paved roads, with the goal of having cement roads in every village. This cost is borne by Chenzhuang Town itself, without any subsidies from the city or county.

A significant portion of the main funding came from the "Chenzhuang workers'" fundraising efforts, meaning that ordinary people paid out of their own pockets; they weren't getting something for nothing.

Furthermore, because the "Chenzhuang workers" themselves possessed technical skills, the entire village road hardening project in Chenzhuang Town was contracted out to specific areas. The town and villages mainly provided the materials, while the labor costs were borne by the "contractors" and their associates. Instead of charging the prices at construction sites outside, they were calculated at the local rate of twenty or thirty yuan per day.

Food and lodging are not included; this 20 or 30 yuan includes the cost of meals.

It can be said that after Zhang Zhengdong mobilized the masses here, he also allowed them to give full play to their initiative, while the cadres mainly played the role of coordination, communication and balancing relationships.

Ordinary people really can't do this, which is also why Uncle Zhang is so resolute towards his nephew. After all, the fellow villager really put in a lot of effort and money, unlike the result of him taking officials to beg for alms.

The "pickled vegetable factory" project was established by Chenzhuang Town as a safety net fund. Of the 16 million yuan in revenue, after deducting miscellaneous expenses, only about 3 million yuan was actually used as a safety net.

This three million is the ballast for the Chenzhuang Town village road hardening project. If there is a shortage of materials or insufficient funds, the supplementary expenditure will come from here.

If this gets out now, the three surrounding counties, which are already watching closely, will find out and start planting radishes and cabbages like crazy, and then they'll all start making pickles together!
If the city asks Fengyi County to help out its neighboring districts and counties, the officials might be able to refuse, but the ordinary people might not be able to back down.

Uncle Zhang had already figured it out: this place was full of brotherhood; after a few drinks, they'd swear an oath on the spot and become sworn brothers.

He has to be wary of heroes emerging from among the masses.

Don't get carried away and rush to do charity work. You've only had a few meals of dry food at home.

So when Uncle Zhang held meetings in the county, he would often remind his comrades to be wary of the people below being too kind.

Weren't we ruthless when we were poor? Let's continue in that style.

"Uncle, can you please not be so stingy?"

"Then you help me repair the road."

"What kind of image would it make if I repaired roads? Do you think Pengcheng is a dead city? If I went to your county to repair roads, you'd lose face. I can only repair roads in the city. Do you think I have so much money I can set off fireworks?"

“That’s different. If you really need the materials for my ‘pickle factory,’ we can talk about it next year. It’s not easy for Zhang An. The bricks, sand, and lime were all used to build the factory by a small team of local people who spontaneously organized themselves. Honestly, we should at least let them enjoy the benefits for another six months, right?”

"Okay, then forget about the 'pickle factory,' what other similar projects do you have?"

"There's a jam factory that's currently setting up..."

"Really? You're not trying to scam me into investing, are you?"

"That's impossible. Why would I lie to you? Shandong Province is right next door. I've been there myself. Apples are everywhere. Managers from wineries in Sucheng and Huaiyin came over and said they could make fruit vinegar. I looked at the equipment and processes. Although it was secondhand, it was cheap, so I thought I'd start. But then I realized I wouldn't be able to find a market. After thinking it over, I decided it would be better to make jam. Apple jam is easy to make. I've already negotiated with the Koreans. We'll bottle it, transport it to a port city, and then repackage it."

"Manufacturing for Koreans?"

"Yes, it's alright. It's not a large scale, but it's enough for Fengyi County."

"Give me a copy of this planning document. When you go to Jiangning to give your report, just mention this. As for the ducks and geese, just bring them up casually. Oh, and by the way, you must emphasize the aquatic products."

"Then I'll talk to the office and get the materials ready."

"Okay, let's hurry."

Zhang Da'an was also impressed by Uncle Zhang; becoming a "county magistrate" had certainly boosted his sense of responsibility.

However, remembering something else, Zhang Da'an quickly told his uncle not to hang up the phone yet: "By the way, Uncle, show me the report when it's ready."

"Don't worry, I have an expert."

"Don't cause trouble for Liu Yuanshan. He's busy as a chicken in Pengli County. How can he have time to be your secretary? Besides, if you do a good job on this report, you might actually get the quota for a high-standard highway."

"real or fake?"

"If you want the road repaired, you have to demonstrate your value before I'll repair it for you. Everyone has to compare their abilities, and you're not royalty, so you can only rely on your skills. Anyway, I'm not going to pay you to repair the road."

"I will send it to your email address in two hours."

"Yes, hurry up."

Zhang Da'an then hung up the phone.

Uncle Zhang quickly packed up and stopped swimming in the wild, rushing back to his office.

"Dad Zhang, aren't you going swimming anymore?!"

"I'm not swimming anymore, I'll come again tonight!"

He hurriedly took his secretary back to the meeting, took a quick shower, dried himself off, and changed into a vest and shirt. When he arrived at the meeting room, Uncle Zhang's hair was still slightly damp.

Comrades could tell at a glance that "the county magistrate" had gone diving again.

Comrade Zhang Zhengdong didn't mince words. He distributed the materials on the table, then looked up and said, "Alright, everyone's here, so I'll get straight to the point. There are two main things. First, regarding the 'jam factory' project, I'll be giving a brief report to the provincial government later, mainly to exchange ideas with the comrades from Yuzhang Province. Second, regarding the highway we discussed earlier during this trip to the provincial government, things might be looking promising. We can start discussing the preliminary work now..."

Upon seeing that the "county magistrate" had reaped so much from a swim in the wild, the comrades immediately turned their heads and their faces lit up with joy. This was no Zhang Zhengdong; this was clearly "White Streak in the Waves" Zhang Shun!

(End of this chapter)