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

In late September, the walnut trees on the mountain began to shed their leaves, and mushrooms sprouted one after another.

In the conference room of Qingping Township Government, a row of enamel mugs stood. Yang Fan sat at one end of the table, with the reports for the first three quarters spread out in front of him.

The other eight Party Committee members sat around the table. Chen Ming, deputy director of the Party and Government Office, moved a chair and sat against the wall, with a notebook spread out in front of him.

To Yang Fan's left is Ding Guoxing, the township head, 42 years old, formerly the head of the Production Safety Section of the Ningzhou Municipal Bureau of Agriculture, who was just transferred here last month. He has a long, thin face, speaks little, and always has a cigarette in his hand.

Directly opposite Ding Guoxing was Deputy Secretary Han Zheng. Comrade Han had finally risen to the top after many years of hard work.

To Yang Fan's right is the newly appointed Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Meng Huaiyuan, who is 45 years old and was transferred from the position of Deputy Director of the County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Office.

Next, the organization committee member Sun Xiaohong, the publicity committee member Zhou Dequan, the deputy township head Zhao Dayong, the deputy township head Liu Haibo, and the armed forces minister Liu Changhe.

Chen Ming's pen nib hovered over the paper, waiting to be recorded.

Yang Fan looked away and picked up the report.

"The data for the first three quarters has just been compiled and submitted." He placed the report on the table. "GDP increased by 32 percent compared to the same period last year, and the shipment volume of mountain delicacies has nearly doubled—Ruifuxiang in the provincial capital has renewed its contract until the year after next. As for Xiaoguan Tea, Hengtong reported that the channels in Beijing and Shanghai have been expanded, and they will increase the volume next year."

He paused.

"The credit union's deposit balance has risen to 27 million yuan, and the people of Qingping Township are getting richer and richer!"

Zhao Dayong grinned, and Zhou Dequan put down his pen and clapped enthusiastically. A low murmur rippled through the conference room.

"However—" Yang Fan turned a page of the report, "the brand power of mountain delicacies isn't that strong. If we shout 'Qingping Mountain Delicacies' in Ningzhou, people will know. But outside of Ningzhou? In Jingzhou and Lüzhou, it loses its effectiveness, and it's even more so in the neighboring Han River region!"

"The locals don't recognize it! Plus, with the government's policies to increase tax revenue and protect local businesses, it's difficult to expand distribution channels."

Ding Guoxing flicked his cigarette ash. "Secretary Yang is right. When I was in the Agriculture Bureau, I visited several cities and prefectures. Their local specialties all have their own territories, and it's difficult for outsiders to get in. Our Qingping Mountain Delicacies have only just managed to gain a foothold in Handong. Going to other provinces to compete for distribution channels now would be too costly and too risky. Deepening our presence in Handong is what we should be doing right now."

"How do we cultivate the Handong market?" Han Zheng cleared his throat and put down his sketchbook.

"Relying solely on distribution channels won't help consumers remember the brand. Advertising on TV and in newspapers would be too much of a challenge, especially since our mountain delicacies don't have very high profit margins."

Zhou Dequan picked up the thread: "Secretary Han has hit the nail on the head. I've been thinking about publicity. Our 'Eat Qingping Mountain Delicacies, Enjoy a Healthy Life' campaign has been quite effective, but relying solely on newspapers and radio has a narrow reach and puts a lot of financial pressure on us."

"Now that city dwellers are better off, they're more willing to go out on weekends—could we bring them to Qingping?"

"That's right." Zhao Dayong slapped his thigh, his voice making the enamel mug vibrate. "Let them see with their own eyes how our mushrooms grow, how we pick our walnuts, and how we roast our tea leaves."

"After reading it, I'll tell you when I get back, and it'll be more effective than any other guy. Back when I was in the army, when my family came to visit, we'd eat braised pork from the mess hall, and I could brag about it for half a year."

Meng Huaiyuan frowned. He opened his notebook and said in a low voice, "Mayor Zhao, how do we ensure safety? The mountain roads are steep, and with so many people, if something happens—it will affect the overall situation!"

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Meng Huaiyuan didn't look at Zhao Dayong, but looked down and turned a page in his notebook. Han Zheng paused in his hand as he held the glass of water.

Yang Fan glanced at Meng Huaiyuan.

In both encounters, this person didn't say much, but every time he spoke, he hit the nail on the head.

That last sentence—it wasn't a statement, it wasn't taking sides, it went straight to the point of risk.

Zhao Dayong opened his mouth, then lowered his voice. "Secretary Meng is right, some sections of the mountain road are indeed like that. Could we go and scout the area ourselves, put up warning lines in steep sections, and erect directional signs at intersections?"

"Each picking area is assigned two to three safety officers. I wouldn't dare say we could hold a mass meeting of ten thousand people, but with a few hundred people scattered across the mountain, nothing will go wrong."

Yang Fan took a stack of bound proposals from Chen Ming and handed them to Ding Guoxing. "These are what I had Chen Ming organize. Take a look, everyone. Chen Ming, give everyone a copy."

Chen Ming stood up and handed the proposals to each committee member one by one.

"Let's rent a few tour buses and hold a harvest festival," Yang Fan said, picking up a jar.

"City dwellers come to the mountains to pick mushrooms, walnuts, and tea leaves themselves, and pay on the spot."

"The price should be kept low—don't set the price too high for picking itself. We need to make tourists from outside the city feel that picking directly from the source is a good deal, and it's also clean and hygienic."

"When people come, they need to stay, eat, and buy some local specialties to take home. This is how we make money, but we can't make too much!"

"Any business with an average profit margin not exceeding 30%, or significantly higher than the market average, must rectify this! If they don't rectify it, they can't open another store!"

"The purpose of this harvest festival must be clear: it's to promote the specialties of our Qingping Township and establish its absolute leading position as a mountain delicacy brand in Handong Province! It's not about making a fortune for everyone!"

"As long as we can provide good hospitality, the tourists who return home will talk about it at their workplaces, in their neighborhoods, and at the dinner table—'We went to Qingping Township, and the walnuts were all harvested by ourselves.' Word of mouth spreads, and seeing is believing."

He put the jar down.

Ding Guoxing opened the plan and his gaze stopped on the page of "Emergency Plan".

Six emergency scenarios, six handling procedures. Who is responsible for each step, contact information, and backup plans—everything is clearly marked.

He had worked at the Agriculture Bureau for eight years and had seen quite a few plans. Most of them were just platitudes and piles of numbers, and after flipping through them, you couldn't find any directly actionable steps. Before he came to Qingping, the leaders of the Agriculture Bureau only said one thing: "Cooperate well with Secretary Yang!"

He thought to himself, "I'm forty-two. Why should I be a subservient deputy to a twenty-eight-year-old? I want to leave my mark on Qingping Township!"

However, after arriving, they witnessed Yang Fan's own abilities, coupled with the obedience of the subordinates and the respect of the common people.

This made him realize that if he didn't cooperate with Yang Fan here, he would be unable to move an inch!

So, having given up on his dreams and given up on life, he suddenly realized why he, at forty-two years old, had the honor of catching a ride on Qingping's coattails.

It wasn't just that he had a close relationship with a certain deputy mayor; more importantly, it was his age and the sense of obedience he had developed after years of working in government.

He's here to protect and support us!

His mind raced, but he didn't show it on his face.

Meng Huaiyuan was also flipping through the plan. When he got to the page on "Division of Safety Responsibilities," he frowned for a moment and then relaxed.

He glanced at Zhao Dayong, who was nodding at the plan and muttering something to himself.

Meng Huaiyuan closed the plan and wrote a few words in his notebook.

Han Zheng noted that the section on "Protection of Tourists' Rights and Interests during the Harvest Festival" in the plan cited relevant regulations from the Provincial Tourism Bureau and included legal risk warnings.

The Party Secretary even listed out all the relevant regulations one by one.

He wanted to say something, but felt that anything he said would be superfluous—the plan had already said it for him.

Looking at the detailed plan, everyone had the same feeling: sometimes the difference between people is greater than the difference between people and dogs!