Chapter 338: Jin Taihe invites them to drink?

Hu Chengwen diligently poured rice wine for everyone. Min Zhiqiang pushed his wine bowl away and said, "I can't drink; I still have to drive."

Hu Chengwen said, "Boss Min, it's fine. This is rice wine; it won't make you drunk."

Min Zhiqiang still shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Director Hu, I can't drink it even if it doesn't make me drunk. Traffic rules must be obeyed. Rules are rules and cannot be violated casually. Besides, this concerns the safety of everyone in the car."

Hu Chengwen couldn't help but look at Su Xinghui. Su Xinghui said, "Director Hu, Boss Min is right. Obeying traffic rules is a duty. It's not just traffic rules; we should obey all rules."

Hu Chengwen could only smile and say, "Then I have neglected Boss Min."

Min Zhiqiang smiled and said, "What neglect? It is I who should apologize."

Min Zhiqiang's performance made Su Xinghui nod secretly. Although this matter was small, it showed that Min Zhiqiang was a person who strictly followed rules. Such a person was also someone worth trusting.

In his past life, although he and Min Tong were university classmates and he knew Min Tong's father was a businessman, Su Xinghui really didn't know much about his character. Through this incident, Su Xinghui gained some insight into Min Zhiqiang's character.

On the table was a fish head hotpot. The fish head was enormous, looking to be at least five or six jin. With just one head that large, the fish must have weighed at least a dozen jin.

This is one of the most common types of fish in Hudong Province—the bighead carp. Here, it is also called the flower carp or fat-head fish. The name "fat-head fish" is the most fitting; the weight of this fish's head accounts for almost half the weight of the entire fish, and the head is also the most delicious part.

This pot was also quite unique. A large iron pot was hung from the ceiling beam by an iron hook. A large hole was dug in the middle of the dining table, with a brazier embedded inside. Charcoal burned in the brazier, the roaring fire licking the bottom of the pot, making the fish head soup inside churn incessantly. It was steaming hot, and paired with red chili, green garlic, and white tofu, it looked very appetizing.

Min Tong asked, "Director Hu, this hotpot is quite unique. What is it called?"

Hu Chengwen said, "This is our Meng Hu Ling's unique hanging pot. You can stew anything in it. With this iron pot and charcoal, it cooks up very fragrantly."

Su Xinghui smiled and said, "This is only because you are here. Otherwise, when they eat by themselves, they burn firewood under the hanging pot, and they stew whatever they have in the pot. They just throw in whatever leftovers they have, and it all tastes delicious."

Hu Chengwen laughed, "You are all honored guests; how could we neglect you? Burning firewood creates smoke and soot; I wouldn't want to make our guests' eyes red. Today, we are burning green oak charcoal, which is a local specialty. It burns without any smoke at all."

Everyone couldn't help but look at the charcoal burning in the brazier. Sure enough, not only was the fire vigorous, but there wasn't a trace of smoke. The ash produced was also a very fine white ash, looking extremely clean.

Hu Chengwen said, "Everyone, eat quickly. This fish head is from a fat-head fish caught in that mountain pool. It tastes much better than those fish raised in ponds."

Everyone reached out with their chopsticks and picked up some fish meat. Indeed, the meat tasted sweet and clean, without any earthy or fishy smell. Moreover, it melted in the mouth and was extremely tender.

Hu Chengwen said, "How is it? Not bad, right? Try this vegetable stalk stir-fried with cured meat. This pig was raised by us, not fed with commercial feed. It was slaughtered during the Winter Solstice, cured with salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and rice wine, and then hung over the fire pit over there to smoke every day. It has been smoking for the whole winter."

Everyone looked at the fire pit in the corner of the room. Sure enough, a few slabs of cured meat were still hanging above it, already smoked to a golden yellow.

They ate a piece of the cured meat. It was indeed delicious, carrying the fragrance of pine branches and fruit wood. The vegetable stalks were crisp and sweet, infused with the savory fat of the cured meat; they were even better than the meat itself.

On the table, there was also a plate of braised fish chunks and several wild vegetables, all of which were delicious. Everyone ate very happily.

Min Zhiqiang asked, "Can anyone fish in that pool of yours?"

Hu Chengwen said, "There isn't a strict rule against it, but everyone is very self-disciplined. We don't fish without restraint. Every spring, we add some fish fry to the pool. Anyway, any fish that grows up in this pool tastes good."

Su Xinghui said, "This is their hometown, so naturally they will cherish the environment here and won't overfish."

Everyone nodded. This principle is very simple, but few people understand it; otherwise, there wouldn't be the idiom "draining the pond to catch the fish." But clearly, the people of Meng Hu Ling still understand this principle.

After the meal, everyone thanked Hu Chengwen and boarded Min Zhiqiang's car to visit several other villages. These villages were all planting fruit trees. Although the saplings were still small, one could already imagine the lush greenery that would appear in over half a year.

Min Zhiqiang was very satisfied with the conditions here, and the beautiful natural scenery of Meng Hu Ling also made Bao Wenting and the others very happy.

In the afternoon, the group returned to the township government and sat in Su Xinghui's office drinking tea. Su Xinghui asked, "Uncle Min, you've looked around for a whole day. What do you think of the conditions in Meng Hu Ling? Is it suitable for investment?"

Min Zhiqiang asked with a smile, "What do you think my answer will be?"

Su Xinghui said without hesitation, "You must think our conditions here are quite good."

Min Zhiqiang said, "Why do you think so?"

Su Xinghui said, "Because I have confidence. I believe that Meng Hu Ling will definitely develop very well in the next few years. By then, I'm afraid investors will be fighting to come here to invest. If they invest now, they can seize the opportunity. It would be impossible not to make a fortune later!"

Min Zhiqiang nodded with a smile, "You're right. That's exactly what I think. I feel that the conditions in Meng Hu Ling are very good, even exceeding my expectations. I didn't expect that in such a small county like Shangjun, in such a remote township like Meng Hu Ling, there could actually be an outlier among officials like you. It is precisely because you are such an outlier that I feel investing here is a good thing."

Su Xinghui was overjoyed and said, "Does that mean Uncle Min, you are willing to help me contact investors?"

Min Zhiqiang nodded, "After I go back, I will help you contact a few friends to see if they are interested in building a factory here."

Su Xinghui said happily, "Then thank you, Uncle Min."

Min Zhiqiang said, "Don't be polite. Even if you weren't Min Tong's classmate, just for the fact that there is a Deputy Township Head like you here, I would be willing to help you!"

That afternoon, Min Zhiqiang and his group of five returned to Jiangcheng, while Su Xinghui was so happy in his office he didn't know what to do.

To be honest, Min Zhiqiang's appearance was truly an unexpected gain for Su Xinghui. Since Min Zhiqiang could build such a large business, his connections in this area must be quite extensive. Having him introduce investors was much more reliable than Su Xinghui running around Jiangcheng like a headless fly.

As long as Min Zhiqiang could bring investors to Meng Hu Ling, Su Xinghui was very confident that he could keep them there. In the current Meng Hu Ling, as long as investors built a factory here, they were guaranteed not to lose money. ===== CHAPTER 340 =====