Lu Weimin knew that this kiwifruit incident could be a chance for him to make a stunning debut. Perhaps it might provoke some people's dissatisfaction and jealousy, but this matter did not give him much time to act slowly. If Shen Zilie were to be implicated and leave in disgrace, he might have to linger in Nantan County for another one or two years, with little hope of advancement.
If he could use this opportunity to help Shen Zilie stand out, perhaps he could also benefit from the saying, "When one person attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." What if he were to be one of those chickens and dogs?
Especially after learning that Shen Zilie's father-in-law was the former deputy secretary of the Changjiang Provincial Committee and had served as the provincial organization minister for many years, and was currently still the vice chairman of the provincial People's Congress, he was even more determined to take this chance.
"Su Yanqing and I plan to go to Beijing as soon as possible. Su Yanqing graduated from the People's University, so he is quite familiar with Beijing. I also have a classmate working in Beijing. We plan to explore the possibilities there," Lu Weimin paused and then continued, "In addition to Beijing, we also plan to visit Shanghai and Guangzhou if we have the opportunity, but this is still just a preliminary idea."
Zhou Yuming was quite envious of Lu Weimin's series of plans and ideas. This guy really seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
He and Shen Zilie, along with the county party secretary An Dejian and the county magistrate Wang Zirong, had just returned from the region.
After the deputy commissioner of the regional administration, Jiang Guohui, discovered the risks associated with kiwifruit cultivation during his research on Huai Shan County's agricultural production, he reported the potential problem of kiwifruit oversupply in Huai Shan, Futo, and Nantan counties to the regional party secretary Xia Lixing and the regional administration commissioner Shang Quanzhi. This report caught the attention of Xia Lixing and Shang Quanzhi, who then convened a special meeting with the leaders of the three counties to address the issue, urging them to take it seriously and actively help and guide kiwifruit growers in selling their produce.
Upon returning to the county, Party Secretary An Dejian and County Magistrate Wang Zirong realized the severity of the situation and held a special meeting to discuss the sales of Nantan kiwifruit. At the meeting, it was decided that Shen Zilie would be responsible for overseeing the county's kiwifruit sales to ensure that the kiwifruit could be sold smoothly and to prevent significant losses for the growers.
If the establishment of the kiwifruit promotion and sales leadership group was initially due to Shen Zilie's insistence, now the county leaders truly recognized the severity of the situation, especially when they realized that the kiwifruit sales in Huai Shan and Futo counties could pose a significant competitive threat to Nantan, increasing the sense of crisis.
"Xiao Lu, this task cannot be delayed, and the situation has changed. Today, the main leaders of the region convened a meeting with Secretary An, Magistrate Wang, and me, as well as the main leaders of Huai Shan and Futo counties, to discuss the potential sales issues for this year's kiwifruit harvest in our Linyang region. I believe Huai Shan and Futo will soon take action, so we cannot afford any delay. Secretary An and Magistrate Wang have entrusted this task to me. I agree with your plan. We will establish a professional cooperative, and the picking, sorting, and transportation will be handled by Old Zhou. Chang Chunlai will be responsible for implementing the contracts with Factory 195 and Changgang, and will continue to contact Changzhou for promotion and sales. We need to finalize the sales contracts before Huai Shan and Futo, and promote the reputation of Nantan kiwifruit, selling as much as possible in advance."
Shen Zilie was straightforward, "As for Beijing and Shanghai, you should immediately start preparing the promotional materials and have them printed in Changzhou. Once the materials are ready, you should head to Beijing as soon as possible to open up the market there. This task has been elevated to a political level, and it must be done well, with no room for failure. Call me immediately if you need anything."
Lu Weimin had not expected the situation to change so much. He immediately guessed that this might be related to his frequent contact with his cousin Chen Gang from the regional agricultural research institute. Through Chen Gang, he had learned about the impact of Nantan's soil on kiwifruit yield and the initial fruiting estimates, which led him to calculate the total kiwifruit production in Nantan. These multiple contacts inevitably caught the attention of the regional agricultural research institute.
Lu Weimin's guess was correct. His frequent contact with Chen Gang, who came to Nantan to help him analyze the kiwifruit yield, caught the attention of the regional agricultural research institute. After several visits to Nantan, Chen Gang noticed that thousands of acres of kiwifruit would bear fruit this year, with a potential yield of over one million kilograms. The regional agricultural research institute reported this information to the regional agricultural bureau, which then reported it to the deputy commissioner of the regional administration, Jiang Guohui. This led to the current situation.
For Lu Weimin, Beijing in 1990 was unfamiliar, but for Su Yanqing, it was very familiar.
Having been away for just over a year, it felt like a dream to Su Yanqing, a dream that had a profound impact on her life. The former passion and impulsiveness, after being tempered by reality and reflection, made her realize that she could now face the past more rationally.
Many of her former companions had already gone abroad, while others, though still in the country, were quietly reflecting and contemplating.
Her father and uncle had repeatedly warned and reminded her to discard unnecessary impulses and passion, to view the changes in society calmly and rationally. The current society needed political stability and economic reform. If the order were reversed, it would only lead to chaos. Good intentions, if misdirected, could often be worse.
Initially, she did not fully listen, and even after being sent to the remote and poor Nantan County for half a year, she still maintained a cynical and detached attitude. However, as time passed and she calmed down, she began to observe and think more deeply. She realized that perhaps the teachings of her elders were not entirely wrong, and that what she had insisted on might not be entirely correct.
Lu Weimin noticed that Su Yanqing's emotions seemed to be fluctuating. He could sense what was affecting this girl, who had always appeared calm and composed in front of him. After all, the turmoil had only been over a year ago, and it had a profound impact on many passionate and idealistic college students. After that turmoil, China's economy, which had been unstable, began to stabilize and was about to enter a period of rapid development.
"Yanqing, are you feeling nostalgic about something that has been lost and cannot be found again?"
Su Yanqing's gaze turned cold, and she glanced at the calm Lu Weimin, saying coldly, "You seem to like probing into other people's minds?"
"No, I just don't want to see you dwell in the past," Lu Weimin said, his head lowered as he strolled through the square. "The tide of history cannot be reversed. Some things are not clear at the time, and only after ten or twenty years will you realize how naive and impulsive you were."
"Don't use that tone. It ruins my impression of you," Su Yanqing said coldly. "Naive and impulsive? Hmph, why don't you just say 'immature'? What do you know? Do you think you see further than everyone else, that others are simple-minded? What gives you the right to evaluate everything with that tone?"