Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

"Yes!" came the unanimous reply from the hall.

After the meeting, Gu Mingyuan kept the secretaries of several key townships behind.

"Secretary Wang of Yunwu Township, what are your tea cooperative's plans for next year?"

Wang Dashan said confidently, "Secretary Gu, we plan to expand the tea garden area by 1,000 mu, build a tea processing plant, and develop deep-processed products such as tea beverages and tea food."

"Okay! But we must pay attention to ecological protection and not destroy forests for farming."

"Rest assured, we follow the path of ecological tea gardens, planting green manure under the tea trees, raising chickens to control pests, and using no pesticides or chemical fertilizers."

"Secretary Li of Qingshi Township, how's your livestock farming going?"

Li Qiang, the Party Secretary of Qingshi Township, reported: "This year, the township raised 500,000 native chickens and 50,000 black pigs, with an output value exceeding 30 million yuan. Next year, we plan to expand the scale, build a slaughtering and processing plant, and create the Liping Mountain Delicacies brand."

Gu Mingyuan nodded approvingly: "That's the right approach. But remember, while scaling up, quality cannot be compromised. Our agricultural products must take the high-end route and win by quality."

"yes!"

Gu Mingyuan didn't get home until 9 p.m.

Zhong Xiaoai was still waiting for him, with food that had been reheated on the table.

"Why are you up so late again?" Zhong Xiaoai said with concern.

"It's almost the end of the year, there's a lot to do." Gu Mingyuan took off his coat and rubbed his frozen hands.

"Where's Pengpeng?"

"She's asleep. Before falling asleep, she kept saying that Daddy didn't keep his word again." Zhong Xiaoai shook her head with a smile.

Gu Mingyuan felt guilty: "Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll definitely spend more time with him."

"You always say that," Zhong Xiaoai said as she served him rice.

"Oh, by the way, Dad called today."

"What did my father-in-law say?"

"When I asked you how work was going at the end of the year, I said you were so busy you didn't even have time to eat. He told me to take care of myself and said..." Zhong Xiaoai paused.

"What else is there to say?"

"They also said that if Liping could shed its label as an impoverished county, it would be a great achievement."

Gu Mingyuan smiled: "My father-in-law seems quite concerned about Liping's development. Xiao Ai, do you think Liping can be removed from the poverty list this year?"

"We definitely can," Zhong Xiaoai said firmly.

"You've given so much, and Liping has changed so much, why can't you?"

His wife's trust warmed Gu Mingyuan's heart.

Yes, why not?

With the people of Liping working so hard and the officials putting in so much effort, there's no reason why they shouldn't succeed.

On December 25, a working group from the Provincial Bureau of Statistics quietly arrived in Liping.

The team was led by Deputy Director Liu Ming, a bespectacled, stern-faced middle-aged man.

Gu Mingyuan received them in the county party committee meeting room.

"Director Liu, welcome to Liping to guide our work." Gu Mingyuan shook hands warmly.

"Secretary Gu, you're too kind. We're here to verify the data," Liu Ming said, getting straight to the point.

"The province attaches great importance to the year-end statistics of various regions and requires us to conduct on-site verification to ensure that the data is true and accurate."

"Of course, we will cooperate fully," Gu Mingyuan said frankly.

"How does Director Liu intend to conduct the verification?"

"Random sampling, on-site inspection." Liu Ming took out the list.

"We selected five townships, ten villages, and one hundred households. We didn't look at reports, we just looked at the actual situation."

"Okay, I'll go with you."

For the next three days, Gu Mingyuan accompanied the working group to all the sampling sites.

In a tea garden in Yunwu Township, Liu Ming randomly asked a tea farmer, "Fellow villager, how's your tea income this year?"

Tea farmer Grandpa Wang said with a smile, "It's great! My five mu of tea garden sold for more than 60,000 yuan, which is 20,000 yuan more than last year."

"Is there a record?"

"Yes, yes, yes, the cooperative has ledgers, and my family keeps accounts too." Grandpa Wang took out a crumpled notebook from the house.

Liu Ming examined the records carefully and found them to be indeed detailed: the tea picking time, quantity, price, and income were all clearly recorded.

At the breeding farm in Qingshi Township, Liu Ming checked the breeding records, sales contracts, and bank statements.

"Is it accurate that this farm's sales reached eight million yuan and profits reached one million two hundred thousand yuan this year?"

The manager pulled out a thick stack of documents: "Director Liu, these are all the documents. Sales contracts, invoices, bank receipts, they're all here."

Liu Ming flipped through the pages, nodding occasionally.

Beside the newly built highway in Baiyan Township, Liu Ming measured the road surface thickness and inspected the construction quality.

"How much investment is needed for this road? What are the sources of funding?"

The director of the transportation bureau reported: "The entire length is 15 kilometers, with a total investment of 4.2 million yuan. Of this, 2.8 million yuan is a subsidy from higher authorities, 1 million yuan is a matching fund from the county, and 400,000 yuan is raised by the local people."

Was there any coercion involved in the fundraising efforts by ordinary citizens?

"No, it was all voluntary. We have a fundraising ledger, and every household signed and put their fingerprints on it."

After three days of investigation, Liu Ming's attitude improved.

At the feedback meeting, he said, "Secretary Gu, we have seen a lot and asked a lot of questions these past few days."

"Overall, the data from Liping is authentic and reliable."

"Not only is it authentic, but it's also solid."

"The tea plantations are real, the livestock farms are real, the roads are real, and the smiles on the faces of the people are real."

Gu Mingyuan felt a weight lifted from his heart: "Thank you for your affirmation, Director Liu. We in Liping do not falsify accounts or play number games. We report exactly what we have and what it is."

"That's good." Liu Ming rarely showed a smile.

"Secretary Gu, Liping has done a great job this year."

"This is the result of the joint efforts of cadres and the masses."

After seeing the working group off, Gu Mingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

The confirmation of the data's authenticity means that Liping's achievements can withstand scrutiny.

On December 28th, news came from the province: Liping County had successfully shed its label as an impoverished county!

When the news reached Liping, the entire county was in an uproar.

In the county government compound, the cadres hugged each other with excitement, and some even shed tears.

Yes, after so many years of waiting, Liping has finally taken off that heavy hat.

Gu Mingyuan stood by the office window, looking at the jubilant crowd in the courtyard, his eyes welling up with tears.

He recalled the scene when he first arrived in Liping: the dilapidated county town, the impoverished villages, and the apathetic people.

In just one year, everything has changed.

With roads opened, industries flourished, people smiled, and hope was restored.

Secretary Chen rushed in: "Secretary Gu, Secretary Pei is on the phone!"

Gu Mingyuan answered the phone, and Pei Yihong's excited voice came from the other end: "Mingyuan! Great news! Liping has been removed from the poverty list! The province has just officially approved it!"

"Secretary Pei, I heard you." Gu Mingyuan's voice was choked with emotion.

"Mingyuan, you did a fantastic job!" Pei Yihong exclaimed.

"To lift a poverty-stricken county out of poverty in just one year—that's a miracle!"

"It is the result of the joint efforts of the cadres and the masses in Liping."

"You don't need to be modest," Pei Yihong said.

"Next week, the municipal party committee will hold its year-end summary meeting, and I want to give special praise to Liping, and to you."

"I want to promote the concept of 'Liping Speed' throughout the entire city!"

After hanging up the phone, Gu Mingyuan was unable to calm down for a long time.

Just then, his phone rang; it was Chung Cheng-kuo.