Chapter 228: The Old-Fashioned Village Party Secretary

Menqian Town is the location of Factory 760. The day after the Nan Hui Township Industrial Park was inaugurated at Factory 760, Zhou Ming and Su Han visited the Menqian Town Party Committee, where they were received by He Qi, the Party Secretary and Town Mayor.

After sitting down in He Qi's office, He Qi asked someone to prepare tea for them. Zhou Ming took the cup and expressed his thanks. He got straight to the point without beating around the bush: "Secretary He, you should know that the establishment of the Nan Hui Township Industrial Park is meant to integrate resources and accelerate local development. I want to get the framework of the industrial park up and running as soon as possible, and I hope you can help."

"Of course. The township industrial park is a newly established project, planned by the city and given significant attention by county leaders. It must be done well," He Qi sighed. "But, Mr. Zhou, as a local, you must be aware of our town's situation. The surrounding villages are very old-fashioned with rigid thinking, so implementing this might be difficult."

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "I understand, which is why I came to you, Secretary He. You are an experienced and respected secretary in Menqian Town, so I hope you can help us by communicating with the village officials."

"Mr. Zhou, your proactive attitude is commendable, but some things need to be done gradually. Moreover, our town has many things to attend to. With spring approaching, I also have to manage this year's spring plowing," He Qi said.

"Precisely because of the upcoming spring plowing, we should finalize things before it starts! Secretary He, you probably know about our factory's Eight Treasures Porridge product. To build the township industrial park around this product, we need to change the farming practices in the surrounding villages so they grow the crops our factory needs," Zhou Ming said.

He Qi frowned, "This could be difficult. Since our town implemented the household responsibility system, farmers have decided for themselves what to plant. It's their freedom, so how can we intervene and tell them what to plant? That would be regressing."

"But Secretary He, we're not trying to force them. It's a cooperative operation. They grow the crops we need, and we'll pay them accordingly. Since we process the food products, we can pay them slightly higher than market prices. Not only would they earn more for the same labor, but they also wouldn't have to worry about selling their crops. Isn't that a good thing?" Su Han explained.

He Qi shook his head lightly, "Mr. Zhou, Manager Su, I understand what you're saying, but understanding and being able to do it are two different things. Besides, the town's rural roads are rough and difficult to navigate, so it's not easy to get there."

Su Han was anxious and wanted to say more, but Zhou Ming stopped her. He said to He Qi, "I noticed the same thing when I arrived. The town's condition isn't great. Secretary He, how about this: to support the town's development, Factory 760 will donate a Crown car to the town."

He Qi finally smiled, "Mr. Zhou, this might not be appropriate, don't you think?"

Zhou Ming knew what He Qi meant and said, "It's no problem, Secretary He. Factory 760 is a part of Menqian Town, and now that it's the core of the township industrial park, it naturally needs to contribute to the town's development."

He Qi no longer declined, "Alright then, on behalf of the town, I thank you for your generosity, Mr. Zhou. Please wait a moment while I handle some town affairs, then I'll accompany you."

After He Qi left the office, Su Han looked at Zhou Ming, confused and displeased. She didn't care about the car itself, but she didn't understand why Zhou Ming agreed to what felt like extortion.

Zhou Ming explained, "There's no choice. Different levels require different approaches. Grassroots issues are the hardest to manage, and grassroots officials can be the most troublesome. It's better to solve things with money if possible."

Su Han silently nodded. Zhou Ming was merely stating a reality: at various stages of government, officials have different mindsets. In the most grassroots places like townships, where the civil service system hasn't fully developed, township officials are often local elder statesmen, used to throwing their weight around. You can't expect high political awareness or sensitivity from them. For them, immediate benefits are what matter most.

These people, though they still fear higher authorities, do so out of habit. As long as they're not ambitious and just want to stay in their current positions until retirement, even if they clash with the county, the county can't do much about it. After all, if they haven't committed a crime, you can't remove them without reason, especially when they have strong connections in the town and county.

He Qi was this kind of town official, already nearing sixty and close to retirement. He clearly had no intention of advancing his career. Such a person wouldn't give you face if he didn't want to, so Zhou Ming had to accommodate him for the greater good.

Seeing that Su Han was still somewhat unhappy, Zhou Ming said, "Don't take it too seriously. Our town really is underdeveloped, and it's normal for Secretary He to want a decent car."

"Just consider it a way of getting rid of a beggar," Su Han pouted.

He Qi returned to the office and took Zhou Ming and Su Han out. They first went to Shenglian Village, the village closest to Factory 760. According to the original plan, a large part of Factory 760 still fell within Shenglian Village's boundaries.

They went directly to the home of the village Party Secretary. The Party Secretary, a middle-aged man in his fifties named Wang He, warmly greeted He Qi first. He Qi said, "Comrade Wang He, I think these two need no introduction. They are the owner and general manager of Factory 760 and are responsible for the township industrial park. They want to implement their work plan in Shenglian Village, and we hope you can cooperate."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed in Wang He's eyes, but he remained polite, "Mr. Zhou, Manager Su, you're back. It seems your work enthusiasm is high, but I must say again that your approach may not be suitable for Shenglian Village."

Zhou Ming frowned slightly because this wasn't the first time they had approached Wang He. In fact, before the township industrial park was officially established, they had already visited Shenglian Village to survey the situation, and the response was not promising. Shenglian Village had been impoverished for a long time and had just become prosperous through the household responsibility system. When they heard about unified production planning, they instinctively thought it was a return to the old collective system and refused. Among them, Wang He was the most resistant.

Wang He became the village Party Secretary five years ago, mainly because he vigorously promoted the household responsibility system. For him, this system was the foundation of his survival, and he was adamant about it.

Moreover, there was a natural tension between Factory 760 employees and village farmers. In the past, when the factory was thriving and the surrounding rural areas were poor, the factory workers tended to look down on the rural people. Some villagers, out of desperation, stole from the factory and sold the goods in the county, leading the factory to strengthen its security, further exacerbating the conflict.

Although the factory's performance had declined over time, these mutual perceptions were not easy to change. So when Zhou Ming proposed integrating the factory with the village for joint development, the villagers instinctively thought the factory was trying to exploit them and refused to cooperate, no matter what Zhou Ming said.

It was precisely because of these previous setbacks that Zhou Ming decided to first approach the town's senior official, Wang He, hoping he could pressure the stubborn village Party Secretary.

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and said, "Secretary Wang, it's not about whether it's suitable or not. The township industrial park was established for unified planning, and it just requires some effort to convince the villagers."

"But that's exactly what's difficult!" Wang He said. "Mr. Zhou, you know that Shenglian Village adopted the household responsibility system, and it was through this system, where people could plant what they wanted, that the village's living standards improved. Now you're asking them to give up the household responsibility system and return to a collective system. They won't agree to that."

"That's why I'm asking you, Secretary Wang, to help with the ideological work. This is a group industrialized production, different from the old collective system," Zhou Ming said.

Wang He wanted to argue further, but He Qi interrupted, "Comrade Wang He, the township industrial park was planned by the city and strongly supported by the county. Even Secretary Gu Ping personally took on the role of committee director. As grassroots officials, we should support it, no matter what."

Wang He glanced at He Qi and smiled, "So, Mr. Zhou even brought a persuader. Fine, since Secretary He has spoken, I'll accompany you to do the ideological work with the villagers. But I advise you not to get your hopes up too high."

Zhou Ming replied, "There must be hope. I believe our friends in Shenglian Village are forward-looking and desire a prosperous life, and I can provide them with that."

"Let's hope so," Wang He said with a forced smile.

Wang He then led them out. Su Han, walking beside

 Zhou Ming, worriedly asked, "Zhou Ming, it seems he still doesn't want to cooperate. What should we do?"

Zhou Ming shook his head, "There's no immediate solution. We can only take it one step at a time. After all, many ideas are not easily changed just by talking."