Official title: Refused to stay at the university, started his career in a rural town.

Ma Zemin's car had already driven over the dirt road in Qingping early in the morning. This time, instead of going directly to the township government, he turned into the township's guesthouse. Zhao Wendong had just finished breakfast in the restaurant, and hadn't even finished the thin porridge in his enamel bowl, when Ma Zemin pushed open the door and came in.

"Mr. Zhao, did you have a good meal last night?"

Zhao Wendong put down his bowl and wiped his hands. "County Chief Ma, you're up so early; it seems you have good news."

Ma Zemin didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in the chair.

"The county held an emergency meeting last night, and Secretary Wu stated that Anyang County will fully support the Hengtong project. There's also another piece of news."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "After hearing that you had confirmed your investment, the county head set off for the city this morning specifically to help you secure funding for the infrastructure development."

Zhao Wendong raised an eyebrow.

"County Chief Ma, that's quite a force!"

Ma Zemin laughed. "President Zhao, we see your sincerity in personally coming all the way to Qingping. The county's sincerity should also be shown to you!"

Zhao Wendong picked up the enamel bowl and finished the last mouthful of porridge. A smile played on his lips as he put the bowl down. "Alright! Let's settle this today."

The atmosphere in the meeting room was much more relaxed than last time. The Hengtong people sat on one side, and Sun Weiping spread a thick stack of evaluation reports on the table.

On the county side, Ma Zemin was accompanied by several officials from the County Planning Commission, the County Economic Commission, and the County Agriculture Bureau. Ma Liangchen and Li Chang'an sat on either side, while Yang Fan sat in the back row, holding a notebook.

Zhao Wendong cut to the chase. "County Chief Ma, the evaluation results are in. The quality of the century-old tea trees is fine, and the surrounding soil and climate are suitable for large-scale cultivation. Hengtong has decided—to invest."

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room. Although it had been mentioned while drinking last night, this was the first confirmation in a formal setting.

Zhao Wendong changed the subject. "But the investment amount depends on the progress of the infrastructure development (water, electricity, land leveling, and site preparation) and the level of policy support. County Chief Ma, we need to reveal our cards!"

Ma Zemin didn't hesitate either; he pulled a document from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Zhao Wendong.

"Three years of exemption and two years of half-taxation. The first three years are exempt from corporate income tax, and the tax will be reduced by half in the following two years. As you can see, Mr. Zhao, Qingping is a mountainous area, and it has no value for developing commercial housing for the next ten years or so. Therefore, the county has decided to transfer the land at a symbolic price of one yuan. Of course, the larger the investment, the larger the land-related supporting facilities will be."

Zhao Wendong picked up the document, flipped through two pages, and his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses revealed no emotion.

Ma Zemin continued, "In addition, the county requires that tea gardens, land, and supporting funds be used as shares in the new enterprise. All departments in the county are fully cooperating with Hengtong, and as long as it is reasonable, compliant, and conducive to development, no project will be rejected."

"This level of support is just as strong as that from foreign investment!"

Zhao Wendong put down the document and tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"County Chief Ma, I, Zhao Wendong, will remember the county's sincerity. Hengtong has decided to invest 30 million yuan in the first phase to improve production and expand the scale of tea plantation."

Thirty million!

Everyone in the conference room gasped in shock.

Just as Ma Zemin was about to speak, Zhao Wendong raised his hand to interrupt him.

"County Magistrate Ma, this amount—"

"Mr. Zhao," Ma Zemin smiled, pulling another document from his briefcase. "Take a look at this first. Last night, the county held an emergency meeting to carefully study the Xiaoguan Tea brand plan submitted by Qingping Township. The county thinks this plan is excellent and fully supports it. You should also take a look."

Zhao Wendong took the plan and turned to the first page.

Brand positioning: High-end gift tea. Packaging specifications: 4g x 10 cans/box. Suggested retail price: 98 yuan/box.

He flipped through the pages: tea garden management, harvesting standards, processing techniques, packaging design, distribution channels, brand promotion—each section densely packed with information. Limited-edition strategies, tasting event formats, three-year volume expansion plans. Zhao Wendong stopped at the last page. A line of handwritten text read: "Centennial tea trees, century-old brand."

He closed the proposal, looked up, and glanced at Yang Fan in the back row.

"County Chief Ma, you have a real expert here! Let me guess, could it be this Township Chief Yang?"

Ma Zemin nodded. "Haha, Mr. Zhao, I can't hide it from you after all. Our county and township fully support Mayor Yang's plan!"

Zhao Wendong placed the project proposal on the table and remained silent for a few seconds.

"County Magistrate Ma, Hengtong has added 10 million, bringing the initial investment to 40 million."

Ma Zemin's eyes lit up, but he didn't say anything. Zhao Wendong opened the project plan again and pointed to the four words "Centennial Tea Tree".

"This plan is excellent! Within three years, depending on the tea plantation's situation, we will gradually add at least 20 million, with no upper limit! We'll spend 60 million to build this brand."

The meeting room fell completely silent. Sixty million! And there was no upper limit! Sixty million in 1995!

The county planning commission director dropped his pen again, but this time he didn't pick it up; he just stared at Zhao Wendong.

Ma Liangchen put down the enamel mug, the bottom of which hit the table with a dull thud. Li Chang'an rubbed his hands vigorously.

Zhao Wendong leaned back in his chair. "County Chief Ma, I've already stated the investment amount. Let's discuss the shareholding."

Ma Zemin suppressed his excitement and maintained a calm expression. "Please speak, Mr. Zhao."

"Hengtong will take 80%, and the county will keep 20%." Zhao Wendong held up three fingers. "But there's a condition—a signed guarantee. The government will not interfere with the company's normal operations. Aside from the 20 million I promised, if there are subsequent additional funds to expand the scale, they will be invested proportionally according to the shareholding ratio. Whoever doesn't contribute will have their investment diluted."

Ma Zemin did not answer immediately, but turned to look at the director of the county planning commission, who nodded slightly.

"President Zhao," Ma Zemin turned back, "I can agree to this proposal, but it still needs to be reported to the county party committee, and even the municipal party committee, but we will do our best to push this matter forward."

In Ma Zemin's eyes, the government values ​​tax revenue, employment, and GDP; the issue of shares is not worth arguing about. If he were to alienate the people from the outset, Anyang County would lose its chance to take off, and the nearly 800,000 people of Anyang County would trample him into the dirt.

Zhao Wendong glanced at Ma Liangchen.

"Secretary Ma, what do you mean?"

Ma Liangchen quickly waved his hand.

"The township has no objections; everything will be done according to the county's instructions."

At this moment, Ma Liangchen had a smile on his face, but in his heart he was cursing, "You're asking me this question? What did I do to offend you and make you look bad?"

Zhao Wendong extended his hand.

"County Chief Ma, it's a pleasure working with you!"

Ma Zemin grasped his hand.

"It's a pleasure working with you!"

A round of applause erupted in the meeting room. Sun Weiping spread out the draft letter of intent and reviewed it line by line.

The county planning commission stamped the document, Hengtong stamped it, and the township government stamped it. Three copies were made, and the bright red stamps glistened on the paper.

Ma Liangchen stood up, holding the enamel mug, but then realized his hands were trembling and put the mug down again. Li Chang'an slapped his thigh hard. "Sixty million! Our Qingping is incredibly lucky!"

Ma Zemin smiled and shook his head. "Mayor Li, you can't say things like that."

Everyone laughed.

When the meeting ended, Zhao Wendong walked over to Yang Fan. The two walked side by side out of the courtyard.

"Mayor Yang."

"Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Wendong looked at the green hills beyond the courtyard wall. "If you took that business plan to the provincial capital, you could easily find an investor to contribute their technology as equity, and they'd get at least five percent. At 60 million, that's three million. Wouldn't you be making a profit?"

Yang Fan paused for a moment.

"Mr. Zhao, if you give me this money, what can I do with it besides saving it?"

Zhao Wendong looked at him.

Yang Fan pointed to the dirt road beneath his feet. "If the government makes money, it can build more roads, more schools, and more clinics. In the end, it all goes back to the people. This money is more meaningful in the hands of the government than in my hands."

Zhao Wendong stared at him for a long time, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses shifting from teasing to serious.

"Mayor Yang, I've never met anyone like you in all my years in business. I hope our government will have more and more officials like you!"

Yang Fan did not respond.

Zhao Wendong patted him on the shoulder, said nothing more, turned and got into the black Audi. As the car door closed, he rolled down the window.

"Xiao Yang."

"Um."

"When the small-sized tea is finished, remember to send the first batch to Jingzhou."

Yang Fan nodded. "Definitely."

A black Audi rolled down the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust. Yang Fan stood in the yard, watching the taillights recede into the distance. The old yellow dog lay at his feet, its tail wagging.

Ma Zemin walked over from behind and stood next to him.

"Xiao Yang."

"County Magistrate Ma."

"You deserve a lot of credit for today's matter." Ma Zemin took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff. "I will give Secretary Wu a detailed report. The county will not let those who have made contributions go unrewarded."

"This was all done under the leadership of the township committee and the township government, and in..."

Yang Fan hadn't finished speaking.

Ma Zemin stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can, interrupting, "Alright, everyone knows what's going on. Go get busy, the tea plantation business has just begun."

"Remember, as long as you stay true to your original aspirations and always keep the people's development in your heart, they will surely hold you in high esteem!"

"Got it!"

Yang Fan returned to his office, opened his notebook, and wrote a line on the latest page: "The road in Qingping will be different from today!"

After finishing writing, he paused, then added: "Hengtong?" It seems this wasn't mentioned in the TV series! Disappointing!

The shouts of villagers could be heard outside the window. Old Geng was leading his men up the mountain. The sound of hoes digging in the tea garden echoed through the valley of Qingping.

Yang Fan closed his notebook, stood by the window, and gazed into the distance. Outside the courtyard wall, the mountains of Qingping shimmered with a lush green light in the sunlight. From today onward, this mountain was worth at least 60 million.

In a year, he visited every village and every mountain. The treasures were hidden deep in the mountains and deep within the people!

How can you know if a place is suitable or not if you don't dig around?

Developing the economy and benefiting the people is the right path forever, and he will never go astray!