Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

"I will keep Secretary Liu's teachings in mind."

The conversation lasted for an hour.

At the end, Liu Huanzhang shook Gu Mingyuan's hand and said, "Work hard. There is hope for Liping, and there is hope for you too."

As he stepped out of the room, Gu Mingyuan took a deep breath.

Tonight's conversation made him feel both pressured and motivated.

Back in his room, he sent Zhong Xiaoai a text message: "The conversation is over. Secretary Liu was very kind and gave me a lot of encouragement."

Soon, Zhong Xiaoai replied: "I'm happy for you, but don't be arrogant. Get some rest, you have an inspection tomorrow."

Gu Mingyuan put down his phone and looked out at the night sky.

Tomorrow will be the real test.

July 23rd, inspection day.

At six o'clock in the morning, Liping County was already awake.

The inspection team was ready—ten minibuses, without police escorts, road closures, or clearing of the area; only traffic police were directing traffic at key intersections.

Gu Mingyuan accompanied Liu Huanzhang, Qiu Long, Pei Yihong and other leaders in the first car.

On the bus, he briefly introduced the arrangements for the inspection route.

"We've arranged three routes today, and the delegates will be divided into groups for the site visits," said Gu Mingyuan.

"Line A focuses on industrial development, including tea gardens and industrial parks in Yunwu Township, and breeding bases in Qingshi Township."

"Line B focuses on infrastructure construction, including tourist roads, water conservancy projects, and communication base stations."

"Route C focuses on improving people's livelihoods, including schools, hospitals, and resettlement sites. Secretary Liu, Governor Qiu, and Governor Pei can choose their own routes."

Liu Huanzhang glanced at the itinerary: "I'd like to see all three routes, but time is limited. How about this: in the morning I'll follow Route A, focusing on industrial development. In the afternoon I'll follow Route C, focusing on improving people's livelihoods. Governor Qiu, Comrade Yi Hong, what do you think of the arrangements?"

Qiu Long said, "I follow Line B in the morning and Line A in the afternoon."

Pei Yihong laughed and said, "Then I'll watch Line C in the morning and Line B in the afternoon, so we can see both."

With the plan finalized, the representatives boarded the buses in groups.

Gu Mingyuan accompanied Liu Huanzhang and his entourage to Yunwu Township.

On the bus, he continued, "Yunwu Township is the main tea-producing area in Liping County, with 5,000 mu of tea gardens and 1,200 participating households. Last year, the total income from tea was 18 million yuan, with an average increase of 15,000 yuan per household. However, there are also prominent problems—insufficient deep processing and inadequate brand influence."

Liu Huanzhang asked, "How do you plan to resolve this?"

"We've brought in food processing companies and built a deep-processing plant for tea. We've registered the Liping Yunwu regional public brand. We're also collaborating with the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences to develop new products," Gu Mingyuan replied.

"The goal is to make tea a pillar industry and 'Liping Yunwu' a well-known brand."

The convoy stopped at a tea plantation in Yunwu Township.

In the height of summer, the tea gardens are lush and green, and tea farmers are picking summer tea.

Township Party Secretary Wang Dashan was a little nervous, but remembering Gu Mingyuan's instructions, he quickly calmed down.

"Secretary Liu, leaders, welcome to the Yunwu Township Tea Garden," Wang Dashan began his introduction.

"Our township began developing the tea industry on a large scale in 1994. Currently, we have 5,000 mu of tea gardens, all of which are high-mountain cloud and mist teas, pollution-free and of high quality..."

He followed the method taught by Gu Mingyuan, first talking about achievements, then problems, and finally plans.

The data is accurate, and the language is simple.

Liu Huanzhang listened attentively, asking questions from time to time: "How do tea farmers join the cooperative?" "How is the tea sold?" "Who provides technical guidance?"

Wang Dashan answered one by one: "Tea farmers invest their tea gardens as shares, and the cooperative manages, processes, and sells them all in a unified manner. We have established direct supply channels with supermarkets in the provincial capital and have also developed e-commerce sales. In terms of technology, experts from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences are stationed there to provide guidance."

Liu Huanzhang walked into the tea garden and talked with the tea farmers who were picking tea.

"Fellow villager, how's your tea income this year?" Liu Huanzhang asked.

Tea farmer Li recognized Gu Mingyuan. Upon seeing the provincial party secretary, he was both nervous and excited: "Everything's great! My family's five mu of tea garden earned over 2 yuan last year, and this year it's estimated to reach 3 yuan."

Is tea picking hard work?

"It's hard work, but it's worth it," Grandpa Li said with a simple, honest smile.

"Before, growing corn only earned us a few hundred yuan per mu. Now, growing tea earns us over a thousand yuan per mu. Since Secretary Gu came, the roads have been repaired, and the tea has been sold. Our lives have become much better."

Liu Huanzhang nodded and then asked, "Is there any difficulty?"

"The problem is that we don't have enough manpower during the tea-picking season, so we need to hire more people. Also, it would be great if we could use machines to pick tea."

As Liu Huanzhang left the tea plantation, he said to Gu Mingyuan, "The tea farmers are very honest and speak the truth."

"The issue of machine tea picking can be studied, but it should be noted that it may not be suitable for mountainous terrain with its complex terrain."

"We are currently investigating, but it doesn't seem appropriate at the moment. We need to think of other solutions," Gu Mingyuan replied.

The second stop was the industrial park.

Eight companies have already moved in, and some have begun trial production.

The industrial park's manager explained, "The industrial park covers a planned area of ​​1,000 mu (approximately 67 hectares) and will be constructed in three phases. The first phase will house eight companies, primarily engaged in agricultural product processing. The second phase will include the construction of a cold chain logistics center and a research and development center. The third phase will focus on developing supporting industries."

Liu Huanzhang walked into a tea processing company. Inside the workshop, the newly installed production line was being tested.

The company representative reported: "Our company has invested 30 million yuan to build a deep-processing production line for tea. The first phase will produce finished tea products, and the second phase plans to develop tea beverages and tea-based food products. It is estimated that after production begins, the annual output value will reach 50 million yuan, creating 100 jobs."

"Where do the raw materials come from?" Liu Huanzhang asked.

"We mainly source our tea from Liping, and we have signed long-term contracts with ten tea cooperatives."

"How is the price determined?"

"We will raise the price by 10% above the market price to protect the interests of tea farmers."

Liu Huanzhang nodded in satisfaction: "This model is good; it benefits both businesses and farmers."

He turned to Gu Mingyuan: "How was the land issue for the industrial park resolved? I heard that some farmers are unwilling to relocate."

Gu Mingyuan reported truthfully: "Indeed, five households initially disagreed, mainly because they were attached to their old houses. We repeatedly worked with them, explaining the development prospects and formulating a reasonable compensation and resettlement plan. In the end, all five households agreed and have now moved into the new resettlement site. One household has even found a job in the industrial park."

"You need patience and empathy when doing grassroots work," Liu Huanzhang said.

"You did the right thing; you both advanced the project and protected the interests of the people."

The third stop was the breeding base in Qingshi Township.

This area adopts a "company + farmer" model, where the company provides seedlings, technology, and sales, while the farmers are responsible for raising the animals.

The farm is very large, with neatly arranged chicken houses, and automatic feeding and manure removal.

The farm manager explained, "Our company supports 500 households in the township in raising livestock, with an annual output of 200,000 free-range chickens and 20,000 black pigs. The company provides unified disease prevention, feed, and buyback services, so farmers only need to be responsible for daily management. The average household's annual income increases by 8,000 to 10,000 yuan."

Liu Huanzhang carefully examined the breeding records, disease prevention files, and sales contracts, asking very detailed questions.

"How can we solve the environmental problem?" He was particularly concerned about this question.

"We built biogas digesters. After the manure ferments, it produces biogas for farmers to use, and the biogas slurry and residue are returned to the fields as organic fertilizer. This achieves resource recycling," the farm manager replied.

Liu Huanzhang said to Gu Mingyuan, "The biggest fear in the aquaculture industry is pollution. Your circular model is excellent and worth promoting."

The morning's inspection ended at noon.