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

On June 12, 1997, the award ceremony for the "One Village, One Product" competition in Handong Province was held in the provincial government auditorium.

The audience was filled with key leaders from various cities and counties in Handong Province. The front row was occupied by people from the Provincial Agricultural Commission and the Provincial Economic and Trade Commission, while several provincial leaders sat on the dais.

Yang Fan sat in the fifth row by the aisle, next to Ma Zemin, the deputy county head of Anyang County.

Ma Zemin leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Yang Fan, do you think Qingping has a chance of being selected?"

Yang Fan did not respond.

Ma Zemin added, "Let me tell you, Ningzhou City hasn't won this award in over a decade. If you can secure it, Secretary Wu will be laughing in his sleep."

On the stage, the director of the Provincial Agricultural Commission had already begun reading the list.

Zhangjiaji, Linshan County, Anzhou City.

Hekou Township, Jinshan County, Lüzhou City.

The names of the two towns flashed by.

Ma Zemin placed his hands on his knees, then put them down after a short while and changed his posture.

"as well as--"

The person on stage paused.

Qingping Township, Anyang County, Ningzhou City.

The auditorium fell silent for a moment.

Then a buzz of discussion arose.

"Qingping? Which Qingping?"

"In which mountain valley in Anyang County?"

"Ningzhou hasn't won an award in over a decade, so why is it like this year—"

"Didn't you look at the data? Their GDP has increased many times over in the past few years."

Yang Fan stood up.

He buttoned up his Zhongshan suit and walked out from the fifth row, near the aisle.

"With apple bagging, the percentage of first-grade fruit in the township's 23,000 mu of orchards has increased from 18% to 87%."

The host read out the reasons why Qingping Township won the award.

"The mountain delicacies industry has achieved annual sales exceeding 30 million yuan. The 'Qingping Mountain Delicacies' brand has entered major markets in all cities of the province, increasing the average household income by 17,000 yuan."

"The tea industry, with its century-old tea trees driving the transformation of 8,000 mu of tea gardens across the township, has made 'Qingping Yunwu' tea in small containers in high demand!"

"The township's GDP exceeded 60 million in 1996."

"The per capita net income has increased from 200 yuan in 1994 to 4,800 yuan last year."

In the audience, Ma Zemin clapped enthusiastically, his eyes a little red.

At the next table, someone from some county gasped and whispered, "Four thousand eight hundred per person? Really?"

"Was that the township party secretary who went up on stage to receive the award?"

"Is this the person? He looks like he's almost thirty?"

"You don't know? Graduate students from Handong University went to Qingping after graduation. Back then, the average salary was only a little over one hundred yuan."

"A little over a hundred? So now it's four thousand eight?"

"More than forty times."

"hiss--"

The murmurs spread from the back row to the front, buzzing like distant thunder.

Yang Fan stood on the podium, surrounded by a sea of ​​people staring at him. Zheng Guoliang, the governor of Handong Province, took the certificate from a staff member, turned around, and looked at Yang Fan.

Zheng Guoliang is in his fifties, tall, with a square face. He speaks softly, but every word he utters carries weight.

He handed over the certificate.

Yang Fan accepted it with both hands.

Zheng Guoliang patted him on the shoulder.

"Comrade Yang Fan, well done."

Yang Fan raised his head slightly.

"Qingping is developing very well!" Zheng Guoliang said. "I hope they will continue their efforts and create even more miracles!"

Yang Fan gripped the certificate tightly: "Thank you, Governor!"

Zheng Guoliang took a step back.

The audience fell silent.

Yang Fan walked to the podium, placed the certificate on the side of the podium, and then looked up at the people below the stage.

"I am Yang Fan, the Party Secretary of Qingping Township, Anxiang County, Ningzhou City."

He paused, his voice coming through the microphone and echoing through the auditorium.

"What I want to say today is that nothing is impossible for a willing heart. The development of our township in recent years is not the achievement of one person, but the result of guidance from the city, leadership from the county, and close cooperation between cadres and the masses..."

"Xiaoguan Tea is a product of Hengtong Group's investment of 60 million yuan in collaboration with our township. Last year, it was produced in limited quantities, and this year, production has been expanded by 8,000 mu. Some people have asked me if selling it for 98 yuan a box is too expensive. I just want to say that a couple of days ago, someone from Beijing called to pre-order next year's stock—next year's stock."

……

"Distinguished leaders and comrades, Qingping Township has grown from an average income of less than 200 yuan to what it is today thanks to the hard work and dedication of its 12,000 residents!"

He paused for a moment, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Thanks."

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Yang Fan took the certificate and walked down from the podium. He returned to his seat with the certificate on his lap. Ma Zemin hadn't even sat down yet; his hands were red from clapping, and he leaned over, muttering something under his breath.

Yang Fan didn't hear what he was muttering. He looked up at the row of leaders sitting on the platform.

Zheng Guoliang sat slightly to the left of center, with the director of the Provincial Agricultural Commission to his right and the deputy director of the Provincial Economic and Trade Commission to his left. Further to the right, several vice governors and vice chairmen of the Provincial Political Consultative Conference were lined up. Among them was an elderly man with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses, sitting in the first seat to Zheng Guoliang's right.

Liang Qunfeng, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Handong Province.

He was tilting his head to listen to what the deputy director of the Economic and Trade Commission next to him was saying, a faint smile on his lips. He nodded and then slowly turned his head away.

His movements were so slow that it was almost impossible to tell that he was someone who had held the entire political and legal system of Handong Province in his hands for decades.

But the instant his eyes met someone's, Liang Qunfeng turned and met Yang Fan's gaze, their eyes meeting briefly before looking away.

Yang Fan lowered his head and flipped the certificate over and over again.

A thought flashed through my mind.

Liang Qunfeng has the same temperament as Gao Yuliang.

He is refined, easy-going, speaks slowly and deliberately, and when he smiles, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes resemble the turned pages of a book.

Given Liang Lu's personality, one might seriously doubt whether she's Liang Qunfeng's child.

Looking at it this way, it's no wonder that Gao Yuliang later caught Liang Qunfeng's eye.

Like attracts like; it's not something he did intentionally, but an instinctive attraction. He wasn't looking for a successor bureaucrat, but a shadow who could perpetuate his own spirit and temperament.

When it comes to investing, it's all about the rate of return.

After Gao Yuliang, a man almost identical to him, was chosen as his successor.

Liang Qunfeng used his last few years of political energy to promote Gao Yuliang to the pinnacle of the provincial-level position—Secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee!

On one hand, it was about inheritance; on the other hand, it was about personal gain. After all, he was about to retire and needed a powerful figure to protect the Liang family. With Gao Yuliang, the future of the Liang family would be secure.

The Han University Gang, formed by Gao Yuliang's students in the Department of Political Science and Law at Handong University, can ensure the Liang family's prosperity for at least twenty years through its operations in the political and legal field. This deal is worthwhile no matter who you are considering!