Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

Despite the cold winter, the tea garden remains lush and green.

"This is an old tea garden in our township, with a history of over a hundred years," Wang Dashan introduced.

"The tea is of very good quality, but it is difficult to pick, the processing is rough, and it doesn't fetch a good price. Tea farmers work hard all year round, but they don't earn much money."

Gu Mingyuan plucked a tea leaf, held it to his nose, and smelled it: "Fragrant and mellow, this is good tea. Why doesn't it fetch a good price?"

"First, the packaging is rudimentary, just a plastic bag. Second, there's no brand, so people don't recognize it. Third, transportation is difficult; by the time it gets to the city, the freshness is gone."

"These problems can all be solved." Gu Mingyuan turned to the director of the Agriculture Bureau.

"Director Li, please contact the experts at the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences and ask them to provide guidance on tea improvement and refined processing. Hire a professional company to design the packaging, highlighting the 'high mountain mist' characteristics. For transportation, once the roads are completed, establish a cold chain logistics system."

He then said to Wang Dashan, "Old Wang, select a few young people who are technically skilled and enterprising to establish a tea cooperative, with unified standards, a unified brand, and unified sales. The county will provide start-up funding."

"That's great!" Wang Dashan said excitedly.

"County Chief Gu, you've shown us the right path!"

"The road is one that we all walked together." Gu Mingyuan looked at the rolling tea mountains.

"Once the spring tea season arrives, I'm going to take our Yunwu tea to the provincial capital and even Beijing to promote it. I want people all over the country to know that Liping has excellent tea!"

On the way down the mountain, we met some old tea farmers.

Hearing that the county magistrate had arrived, everyone gathered around.

"County magistrate, can you really help us sell our tea?"

"Sir, I assure you, as long as the tea is good, it will definitely sell and fetch a good price."

"What about the road repairs? Are they really going to do it?"

"We really need to fix it. We'll start construction after the New Year, first building the road from the township to the county seat, and then the roads connecting the villages."

The old tea farmer was so excited he kept wiping away tears: "We've waited our whole lives, and finally it's happened! County Magistrate, if you can really build this road and sell our tea, we'll erect a monument in your honor!"

Gu Mingyuan quickly waved his hand: "Grandpa, we can't put up a monument. The road is the government's responsibility to build, and the tea is what you all worked so hard to grow. What we need to do is to fix the road and sell the tea well. That's our responsibility."

It was already evening when we left Yunwu Township.

On the way back to the county town, Gu Mingyuan asked the driver to stop on the side of the road.

He stood on the ridge, gazing at the mountains in the twilight, a surge of heroic spirit welling up within him.

This land may be barren, but it is full of hope.

The people here are poor, but they are resilient.

What he needs to do is ignite this hope and inspire this power.

January 20th, the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the festive atmosphere of the New Year is gradually getting stronger.

Gu Mingyuan was reviewing documents in his office when his secretary, Xiao Chen, came in and said, "County Chief Gu, Secretary Pei is here!"

Gu Mingyuan was taken aback, and quickly got up to go out to greet him.

Pei Yihong had already entered the courtyard, followed only by his secretary and driver.

"Secretary Pei, what brings you here? You didn't even tell us beforehand so we could have prepared."

"What are you preparing? I just came to see how your New Year's preparations in Liping are going." Pei Yihong smiled and shook Gu Mingyuan's hand.

"I heard you've come up with a three-year action plan. I'm interested, so I'll come and take a look."

Gu Mingyuan invited Pei Yihong into his office and gave him a brief report on his work.

Pei Yihong listened attentively, occasionally asking questions such as, "How well is the public accepting of this tiered fundraising method?"

"Currently, the majority of the people support it. We adhere to the principle of voluntariness and do not resort to coercion. For impoverished households, we adopt a work-for-relief approach, which solves the labor problem and increases their income."

"The idea of ​​specialty agriculture is great, but how do we establish sales channels?"

"I plan to go to the provincial capital after the Spring Festival to discuss cooperation with several large supermarkets and agricultural wholesale markets. At the same time, I will explore e-commerce sales. Although the Internet is not yet widespread, it is the trend."

Pei Yihong nodded: "Your thinking is forward-thinking, but you also need to be down-to-earth. Here's what I'll do: I'll contact the Provincial Department of Commerce for you. They have a farm-to-supermarket project that you can try to get involved in."

"Thank you so much, Secretary Pei!"

"No need to thank me, it's because you did a good job." Pei Yihong patted Gu Mingyuan on the shoulder.

"Mingyuan, you've done a very solid job lately. Your research was in-depth, your thinking was clear, and your measures were practical. I'm at ease leaving Liping in your hands."

He then changed the subject: "However, I must remind you that there are countless tasks to be done in the county, and you need to learn to play the piano well. We must both promote development and maintain stability. We must be bold in our endeavors, but also proceed with caution. Especially around the Spring Festival, we must care about the lives of people in need and ensure that everyone has a good holiday."

"Secretary Pei, rest assured, we have already arranged Spring Festival visits and condolences. All county and township officials have gone down to ensure that every impoverished household can receive condolence money and New Year's goods."

"Okay." Pei Yihong stood up.

"Come on, take me to see your county town."

The two walked on the streets of Liping.

Although simple, it was clean and tidy, and red lanterns were hung on both sides, giving it a festive atmosphere.

At the farmers' market, Pei Yihong stopped and chatted with the farmers selling vegetables.

"Hey folks, how's the harvest this year?"

"It's better than last year. Since County Chief Gu came, people from the agricultural technology station often come down to provide guidance and teach us how to grow vegetables scientifically."

"Are the vegetables selling well?"

"Sales are good! The roads have been repaired a bit, more vegetable vendors are coming, and prices have gone up."

Pei Yihong then inquired about prices, income, and other details, to which the farmers answered one by one.

As Pei Yihong left the market, he said to Gu Mingyuan, "The people's feelings are the most genuine. They say that since you came, the roads have been repaired and the vegetables are selling better. That's an achievement. No amount of praise is as valuable as the people's word of mouth."

"I haven't done enough," Gu Mingyuan said sincerely.

"No rush, let's take it one step at a time." Pei Yihong glanced at his watch.

"I should go back now. Remember, if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to call me. The Municipal Party Committee is your strong support."

After seeing Pei Yihong off, Gu Mingyuan felt a warmth in his heart. The trust and support of his superiors were his greatest motivation.

On January 28th, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Gu Mingyuan brought gifts to the most remote mountain village in Qingshi Township.

The mountain road was too rugged for a jeep to drive on; one had to walk.

Two hours later, we finally saw dozens of houses nestled in the valley.

Upon hearing that the county magistrate had arrived, the village chief excitedly ran over: "County Magistrate Gu, what brings you here? This road is so difficult to travel!"

"No matter how difficult the journey, we have to come." Gu Mingyuan wiped his sweat.

Happy New Year to everyone!

He entered the home of a family in dire need.

Inside the earthen house, an old man lay on the bed, while a teenage girl cooked.

"Grandpa, I've come to see you." Gu Mingyuan sat down on the edge of the bed.

The old man struggled to get up, but Gu Mingyuan held him down.

"How are you feeling?"

"It's an old problem; I can't walk anymore," the old man said weakly.

"This is my granddaughter, Xiaofang. Her parents have gone out to work, so it's just the two of us at home."

Looking at the bare walls of his house, Gu Mingyuan felt a pang of sadness.

He took out the condolence money and said, "Grandpa, this is a small token of the government's appreciation. Please accept it and have a good New Year."

The old man accepted the gift with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face: "Thank you, government, thank you, county head..."

Gu Mingyuan then inquired about his granddaughter's studies and learned that she had dropped out of school after graduating from junior high due to poverty.

"Do you want to continue your studies?"

Xiaofang lowered her head: "I want to, but I don't have the money..."

"I'll figure out the money," Gu Mingyuan said to his secretary.