Chapter 36

The next morning, the three of them set off very early, but it was almost noon by the time they finally arrived at the Menghuling Township Government. There was no help for it; Jiangcheng was over a hundred kilometers away from Menghuling, and the road was difficult to travel.

In the morning, Su Xinghui called Chen Hongfu at the bus station to tell him that an expert and a merchant were coming to the township for an inspection. Chen Hongfu was very happy; he had not expected that Su Xinghui would have already made progress on several matters after only two days in Jiangcheng.

When Su Xinghui brought Professor Rao and Yu Gaoshan to the township government, Chen Hongfu received the two of them grandly in his own office.

By a grand reception, he meant he had pulled in Township Head Dong Jianshu and Deputy Township Head Li Maofare, who was in charge of the economy. After all, Chen Hongfu was the Party Secretary, and these specific matters still had to be handled by the Township Head.

In short, this could already be considered the highest-standard reception in Menghuling Township.

Dong Jianshu and Li Maofare had already heard about this from Chen Hongfu. They knew that Su Xinghui had gone to Jiangcheng this time to engage in special aquaculture in Yezhugou. They felt a bit uncomfortable in their hearts because Su Xinghui had not consulted them before handling this matter.

Besides, if a small clerk could get this done, wouldn't they, as township leaders, appear somewhat incompetent?

However, the discomfort was only a fleeting thought. After all, engaging in special aquaculture was a good thing; it could not only increase the farmers' income but also have great benefits for the township's fiscal revenue. Therefore, both of them perked up to receive the two guests.

After the group chatted for a while, the Director of the Party and Government Office, Wei Bingyi, came over to inform them that the dishes at the restaurant had been ordered and invited the guests to dine there.

There was only one restaurant in Menghuling Township, and the owner's name was Zhang Pangzi, so the restaurant was named after him. The restaurant had only two employees: Zhang Pangzi and his wife. One was the owner and chef, and the other was the cashier, server, and kitchen assistant.

Menghuling Township was truly too poor, and few people could afford to eat at a restaurant. Those who could dine here were the cadres who came to Menghuling on business. However, Menghuling was too far and too remote, and not many people were willing to come down to the countryside here, so one restaurant was enough to meet the demand.

Chen Hongfu stood up and, along with Dong Jianshu and Li Maofare, led Professor Rao and Yu Gaoshan to Zhang Pangzi's restaurant, which was not far away. Of course, Su Xinghui also attended the welcome banquet; this was his first time eating here since his rebirth.

Zhang Pangzi's restaurant was very small. A slightly larger room could fit three or four tables, while another small room could only fit one table; this was considered the private room.

Now, a table of wine and food had already been set in the private room. Chen Hongfu greeted the guests and had them sit down at the table, then asked with a smile, "Professor Rao, Boss Yu, shall we have some wine?"

Professor Rao waved his hand hurriedly and said, "I don't drink. You all go ahead."

Yu Gaoshan was also prepared to decline, but Chen Hongfu said, "Professor Rao is older, so that's fine, but Boss Yu, you are so young, it wouldn't be right not to drink, would it? Have some, have some. Our county's Shangjun Daqu is quite good."

Yu Gaoshan was also a drinker at home. Seeing Chen Hongfu so enthusiastic, he nodded and agreed to have a little.

There was no wild boar meat or bamboo rat meat on the table today; these two things were considered rare in the township. However, there were wild rabbit and pheasant, as well as some home-style country dishes, all of which were quite delicious. Chen Hongfu urged Professor Rao to eat and toasted Yu Gaoshan, telling them to eat and drink well.

The atmosphere at the wine table quickly became lively. Chen Hongfu, Dong Jianshu, Li Maofare, and Wei Bingyi toasted Yu Gaoshan frequently, all calling him the God of Wealth for Menghuling and insisting on keeping him company well. Yu Gaoshan could not hold up even if he could drink, so he could only say that he still had to go to Yezhugou in the afternoon to take a look, and if he drank too much, he wouldn't be able to go.

Hearing Yu Gaoshan say this, the three of them slowed down the pace of toasting him, but their target shifted to Su Xinghui. Chen Hongfu toasted Su Xinghui first, saying that he was a great contributor to Menghuling for inviting an expert and a boss so quickly.

Next, Dong Jianshu raised his glass to Su Xinghui and said, "Little Su, you're quite capable, aren't you? You've done such a great thing for the township without a sound. Come, I'll toast you!"

Su Xinghui heard the hidden dissatisfaction in Dong Jianshu's words. He raised his glass to Dong Jianshu and said, "Township Head Dong, that day in Yezhugou, I just had an idea. Going to Jiangcheng this time was just to scout the path; I didn't think I would get this done, so I didn't report it to you. I was thinking of reporting it to you once there was some progress. It was also thanks to Professor Rao and my brother Gaoshan being willing to help and coming with me; this can be considered the township's luck! I will punish myself with three cups as a self-criticism."

After finishing, Su Xinghui drank three cups of wine in a row. Each cup was five qian, so the three cups added up to one and a half liang.

Su Xinghui's words untied the knot in the hearts of Dong Jianshu and Li Maofare, and also made Dong Jianshu wonder if he had been a bit petty, actually haggling over this with a subordinate who had just started working.

Dong Jianshu poured himself another cup of wine and laughed, "Little Su, don't take it to heart. I didn't mean anything else; your work is proactive, which is a good thing. If this matter is successful, you will indeed be a great contributor to the township. Come, Maofare, I'll join you in toasting Little Su again."

Li Maofare also picked up his glass and drank it down with Dong Jianshu, which made Su Xinghui repeatedly say he didn't dare.

Chen Hongfu watched this scene with a smile. Su Xinghui being able to resolve the dissatisfaction in the hearts of Dong and Li made him very satisfied. After all, they would have to handle the specifics of this matter in the future, and it would not be good if they had any dissatisfaction in their hearts.

Chen Hongfu also looked at Su Xinghui with new eyes again. This young man was very mature; how could he have misjudged him at the beginning?

Rao Songnian and Yu Gaoshan were also quite surprised by Su Xinghui's performance. Was this the performance a young man in his twenties should have? Yu Gaoshan was very familiar with Su Xinghui, but now he felt that he couldn't quite understand him. Was he too good at talking now?

However, this was certainly a good thing, so the two of them were just surprised and didn't take it to heart.

After the meal, Chen Hongfu had Wei Bingyi take the two guests to the township government's reception room to rest for a while before going to Yezhugou in the afternoon.

After Wei Bingyi took the two to the reception room, he had Dong Jianshu, Li Maofare, and Su Xinghui enter his office to discuss the matter of special aquaculture. This matter had progressed too quickly, leaving them psychologically unprepared.

After entering the office, Su Xinghui took the initiative to pour water for the three of them, poured a cup for himself, and then sat down in the lower seat.

Chen Hongfu asked, "Little Su, is this Boss Yu your cousin?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Yes, my aunt's son."

Chen Hongfu said, "Then that's very close. Do you think the possibility of him signing a guaranteed sales contract with the farm is high?"

Su Xinghui said, "There shouldn't be any problem. He has always been in the fish-trading business, delivering fish to restaurants of all sizes in Jiangcheng. He has many connections in this regard, and it's easy to guarantee the sales of such a small amount of game. By then, I'm afraid our farm won't even be able to supply enough."

Dong Jianshu asked, "How is the market? We can't afford to lose money."

Dong Jianshu also knew about farmers losing money on special aquaculture in the past, so he was a bit worried.

Su Xinghui laughed, "Township Head Dong, don't worry. My cousin went to inquire; the price of wild boar meat is at least two or three times that of domestic pork, and the price of pheasant meat is about the same. Bamboo rats are even more expensive, at least several dozen yuan per jin. The cost of raising these things won't be very high, so it's definitely profitable."