Chapter 476: Reversal

Reporting to leaders is a matter where it is very difficult to grasp the right measure. Especially when reporting to a leader whose personality you are not familiar with, every sentence hides mysteries.

Chen Shengzhang is tall and has an amiable appearance. His chin is shaved clean, faintly showing a layer of blue stubble. His eyes are not large, but they reveal a divine light, as if he can see through others at any time. It makes one not dare to be obscure, nor dare to be impetuous.

Chen Shengzhang is also dressed very simply: a wide gray jacket, a pair of black trousers, and a pair of black leather shoes with a little dust on them. Standing in the crowd, he is as ordinary as a neighbor's old man.

"Come over and sit." He beckoned to me again.

A middle-aged man sitting beside him hurriedly stood up and gave up a chair.

I hesitated, not daring to go over. It was my first time meeting such a big leader; I couldn't be reckless, I couldn't get carried away. I warned myself in my heart.

Everyone in this room has a higher position than me. Even those without positions have more money than me, like Liu Misi.

Chen Shengzhang saw my hesitation and laughed heartily, patting the empty chair beside him, "What, are you afraid I'll eat you?"

Everyone in the room laughed. My cousin-in-law laughed very reservedly, and the skin on Liu Qimeng's face twitched. Only Huang Weiwei smiled subtly, but she was able to transmit a burst of energy to me, making my feet move toward Chen Shengzhang involuntarily.

I sat down on the edge of the chair, not daring to look directly at Chen Shengzhang. But in my heart, I was calculating where to start.

As for the accounts of Chunshan County, they were already well-known to me. Since I became the Executive Deputy County Magistrate, I had a clear understanding of the situation in Chunshan County.

Chunshan County's foundation is thin, just like Suxi compared to other townships; Chunshan County is also at the bottom of the entire Hengyue City. After liberation, Chunshan County was a revolutionary base area, with deep roots and red seedlings, but economically it was poor and blank. To take care of it, the state gave it the label of a poverty-stricken county.

Never underestimate this label. Although it doesn't sound good in terms of reputation, it can bring real benefits. Just in terms of taxes, not having to pay the same as developed counties, and relying on various funds allocated by the state every year, it can make many people jealous.

Guan Peishan resolutely removed this label after taking office. Removing the poverty-stricken county label didn't mean the economy had improved, but Guan Peishan felt that wearing this label made him feel a head shorter than others when he went out, and his backbone wasn't straight.

Regarding the issue of removing the label, Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng had several direct conflicts. Liu Qimeng was the one who firmly opposed removing the label. According to him, Chunshan County was still in a period of biding its time and should wait a few more years until the common people really had money in their pockets before removing it.

Guan Peishan argued that Chunshan County's economy was gradually developing and should reduce the burden on the state. Guan Peishan's reason was that Chunshan County's real estate had developed rapidly in recent years, and urban transformation was changing with each passing day; continuing to wear such a label would make others point at their spines and curse.

The development of real estate was brought in by Boss Liang Tianxing, whom Guan Peishan introduced. Guan Peishan provided the land, and Liang Tianxing provided the money. It seemed that overnight, Chunshan County revealed the appearance of a new city.

The two were at a stalemate. After all, Guan Peishan was the Secretary, the head of the family, and his word was final. No matter how many reasons or grievances Liu Qimeng had, he couldn't shake Guan Peishan's attitude. In the end, the poverty-stricken county label of Chunshan County was removed with great joy in the second year after I arrived.

And these stories were all told to me bit by bit by Wei Yan after I came to work at the county government.

Chunshan County also had many industries in the past, such as the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant, the Machinery Plant, and the Bearing Plant. Among them, the largest Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant had thousands of employees, and the nitrogen fertilizer produced accounted for half of the Hengyue region. Later, when agricultural policies were liberalized and foreign chemical fertilizers flooded in, the fertilizer produced by the Chunshan County Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant was no match for others at all.

The products produced couldn't be sold, and Liu Qimeng led a team to promote them everywhere. Unfortunately, the product quality was too poor. The reason it could account for half of the market before was because there was no comparison. Now that there was a comparison, the fertilizer produced by Chunshan County found no buyers even at half the price of the past.

Two years later, the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant hadn't sold a single bag. The warehouse was full of goods, and there was no other way but to stop production and let it die.

Chemical fertilizer couldn't be sold, so wages couldn't be paid. The leaders of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant had no choice but to use fertilizer to pay wages.

Among the employees of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant, half were "half-side households" (part-time farmers). Without wage income, they could return to the township. Some people received fertilizer and happened to have fish raised at home, so they poured the fertilizer into the fish ponds to feed the fish. By the end of the year, the fish in the whole pond were fat and plump, very nourished.

This crooked approach almost brought the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant back to life. Unfortunately, the fish raised on this fertilizer tasted bland and tasteless. When a fish was put into a pot to boil, the meat and bones often separated when it was fished out. Regardless of how it was eaten, there was always a taste of chemical fertilizer.

Besides the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant, there were no other leading enterprises in Chunshan County.

After the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant closed down, Chunshan County almost had no industry.

Although Chunshan County is an agricultural county, a county lacking an industrial foundation can never become rich.

Although it is an agricultural county, the agricultural foundation is not necessarily better than other places. Chunshan County is located deep in the mountains. Except for mountains, there is not much good farmland. The irrigation system built in the early days of liberation was basically abandoned after the household contract responsibility system.

Some people say that having mountains is not bad. Rely on the mountains to eat from the mountains. Unfortunately, most of the mountains in Chunshan County are weathered rocks, where trees cannot grow, only shrubs and similar plants.

The only place in the whole county that can be called a forest is where Pan Xiaoqin's old home is. In recent years, it has been severely logged. Although a few people have been caught, the reality of continued illegal logging has not been stopped.

These accounts made me restless day and night when I first took office.

Chen Shengzhang beside me was still waiting for my report, and the whole room was silent.

I sorted out my thoughts and thought about how to report. Just as I was about to speak, Liu Qimeng spoke first: "Deputy County Magistrate Chen, report properly."

I didn't understand the meaning of his words. I looked over, and Liu Qimeng was still expressionless.

Yu Xianzhang sitting beside him was twisting his body in pain, as if there was a nail under his butt.

I suddenly realized that when reporting such big things to higher-level leaders, I must not overstep my bounds. Especially when they were all on the scene, it was not my turn to report.

I said seriously to Chen Shengzhang, "Governor, our Secretary and County Magistrate are both here. They have rich work experience and know the situation in the county like the back of their hands. I have only been in office for less than two years, and many things are still in the familiarization stage. I think this report must be made by Yu Xianzhang."

Chen Shengzhang said "Oh," his eyes swept to Yu Xianzhang, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Old Yu, you talk too."

Yu Xianzhang sat upright, lowering his eyebrows and eyes. Hearing Chen Shengzhang call his name, a layer of smiles immediately piled up on his face.

Yu Xianzhang was clearly prepared. He opened the notebook in front of him, cleared his throat, and prepared to speak.

Chen Shengzhang waved his hand and said, "Old Yu, can you speak without looking at the notebook?"

Yu Xianzhang blushed, hurriedly closed the notebook, and stammered, "Governor, I need to refer to some data."

Chen Shengzhang said expressionlessly, "Chunshan County has a population of 1.03 million, 110,000 urban residents, and 920,000 rural households. The county governs nine towns and four townships, with a land area of 2,600 square kilometers. There are 3,400 cadres. I don't know if I'm right or wrong?"

Chen Shengzhang said these data in one breath, without any error. I was secretly shocked. To be honest, I couldn't necessarily say these data about Chunshan County.

He is indeed a big cadre! I praised in my heart, and my eyes were immediately filled with admiration and respect.

Yu Xianzhang's face turned red and white, and his body withered under Chen Shengzhang's gaze.

"You continue." Chen Shengzhang smiled and said, "We Party cadres must do these basic homework at all times. If you don't have an account in your heart, how can you be a good head of the family?"

Chen Shengzhang didn't say much, but every sentence made us sit on pins and needles.

A layer of fine sweat had already appeared on Yu Xianzhang's forehead. Wei Yan beside him handed him a tissue, but Yu Xianzhang didn't dare to reach out to take it, directly wiping the sweat with his sleeve.

"Old Yu, take your time, don't be nervous." Chen Shengzhang laughed, and the atmosphere in the room relaxed a lot under his laughter.

Yu Xianzhang stammered, and didn't make a sound for a long time.

"Forget it. Let Xiao Chen talk about this tourism project." Chen Shengzhang turned his head and smiled at Liu Misi's boss, "Mr. George, what is your opinion?"

Only then did I know that Liu Misi's boss was named George, a typical American man.

George didn't understand Chinese and stared with big eyes, looking at Chen Shengzhang suspiciously.

Huang Weiwei, who was sitting behind George, immediately translated it.

As soon as Huang Weiwei opened her mouth, I was both surprised and happy. We had been together for so long, and I didn't know she was so proficient in foreign languages. She not only articulated clearly but also fluently.

After George finished listening to Huang Weiwei's translation, he gave a thumbs up and said, "Very good."

George said this in Chinese, and we all understood. When foreigners speak Chinese, their tongues are big.

Everyone laughed, and Chen Shengzhang also laughed, saying to Huang Weiwei, "Translator, translate a sentence for him: 'Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar?'"

Huang Weiwei translated it without hesitation. George gave a thumbs up again and said, "Very good."

Liu Misi on the side stared at Huang Weiwei, as if a claw was about to reach out from his eyes.

I felt very unhappy in my heart, secretly stretched out a leg, and touched Liu Misi's leg.

Liu Misi seemed to wake up suddenly, looked at me, and said to Chen Shengzhang, "Chen Shengzhang, this lady is not a translator; she is from your Hengyue City."

Chen Shengzhang said "Oh," and looked at Huang Weiwei, his eyes full of appreciation.

"Are you from Hengyue City?"

Huang Weiwei hurriedly nodded and said softly, "Chen Shengzhang, hello."

Chen Shengzhang asked with interest, "University teacher?"

Huang Weiwei shook her head and said, "Chen Shengzhang, I work at the Hengyue City Youth League Committee."

Liu Misi hurriedly took over the conversation and said, "Miss Huang was invited by me. Our Mr. George doesn't understand Chinese. Only Miss Huang can correctly convey the content of our conversation."

Chen Shengzhang praised repeatedly, "Not bad."

"It's a pity that Miss Huang is already taken!" Liu Misi actually used an idiom.

However, his words made the originally dull conference room suddenly much more relaxed and lively. It is a huge thing for the Governor to come down to inspect, and everywhere is in a serious and tense atmosphere.

Only a foreign man like Liu Misi, who doesn't understand China's national conditions, would speak so recklessly.

Chen Shengzhang smiled and said, "Liu Misi, have you taken a fancy to our Chinese girl?"

Liu Misi sighed and said, "Chen Shengzhang, your Chinese women are beautiful, generous, intelligent, and virtuous."

Chen Shengzhang nodded and said, "Liu Misi, it seems you know China very well."

Liu Misi said confidently, "If I didn't know, would our company come to invest?"

He suddenly pointed at me and said, "This Miss Huang is the fiancée of this little County Magistrate Chen. So, I have no chance."

Liu Misi's words gave me a fright. You son of a bitch, you can't say this in front of the Governor! I was just about to stop him, but Chen Shengzhang's gaze had already swept toward me, with a hint of inquiry: "Xiao Chen, is that so?"

I didn't know whether to shake my head or nod. Like Yu Xianzhang, a layer of fine sweat appeared on my forehead. ===== CHAPTER 477 =====