There was no other way; it was already like this, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

"Mayor Liu, please sit down first. Next, let's discuss the future development direction of Tangcheng."

Ruan Ruan thought back on Tangshan's future pillar industries. The best one was steel, followed by manufacturing, then maritime port trade, and then emerging industries such as energy conservation, environmental protection and new energy. However, this is not realistic at the moment, so let's not talk about it for now.

Seeing Ruan Ruan's serious expression, Mayor Liu immediately sat up straight and then looked at his old partner, Secretary Xu, both of them waiting for Ruan Ruan to speak.

"Secretary Xu, Mayor Liu, let me ask you something first. Before the earthquake, how did Tangcheng make its profits?" Ruan Ruan had some understanding of future industries, but she knew nothing about Tangcheng's current economic situation, so it was best to find out first. Otherwise, she might pretend to know something she didn't and make a fool of herself.

"Currently, we have cement plants, coal plants, steel plants, ceramic plants, machinery manufacturing plants, textile plants, and food processing plants. That's about it for now." Secretary Xu didn't understand why Comrade Ruan Ruan was asking this question, but he still answered honestly.

After listening to Secretary Xu's detailed list of industries, Ruan Ruan felt more confident. Steel and ceramics were industries that would continue to exist in the future. However, Ruan Ruan hadn't yet visited a food processing plant. She hadn't seen Tangcheng-processed food anywhere else, whether in Yuncheng or Shencheng. Ruan Ruan suggested that she could go and take a look first.

"Secretary Xu, I wonder what kinds of food your food processing plant processes?" Ruan Ruan remembered that she had eaten a lot of small-packaged seafood in the future. If these kinds of food were used and exhibited at the exhibition, it should bring in a lot of orders.

"Our food processing here is all ordinary food, nothing particularly novel?" It was indeed a question for Secretary Xu and Mayor Liu.

Tangcheng has always prioritized heavy industry; as for other aspects, as long as they don't lose money, that's fine with them.

"How much do you know about porcelain and textile factories? What kinds of porcelain are there? What kinds of patterns do textile factories make? Do you know?"

Ruan Ruan learned that foreigners really like some of our country's retro items, like fabrics with a touch of ethnic style, and porcelain, such as replicas of ancient bowls, plates, and vases—they absolutely adore them. If the factory could produce these things, then they could definitely apply to participate in trade shows, and with a couple of quick-witted people who speak foreign languages ​​to explain things to them, securing a few orders shouldn't be a problem.

Mayor Liu and Secretary Xu didn't understand what Ruan Ruan meant by asking this question. They really hadn't paid attention to it before, so they genuinely couldn't answer it now.

Lan Chaoyang, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, immediately sensed Ruan Ruan's intention when she asked about these factories. Yes, the best way to make money quickly is to do business, but what kind of products are consumed the fastest? Well, that would be food.

As the old saying goes, clothing, food, housing, and transportation are the most important things for people nowadays. What they eat and how they eat it are not so important.

"Secretary Xu, Mayor Liu, as you both know, although I am a doctor, I am more of a businessman. The leaders value me, gave me land, and agreed to let me build a factory and do business. Today, they have entrusted me with such an important matter. So, I will definitely not let them down."

I have an idea now, and I'd like to share it with you so we can see if it's feasible.

Ruan Ruan's initial idea was to build a garment factory in Tangcheng and cooperate with the textile factory to boost the profits of both parties. However, she learned from Secretary Xu that Tangcheng's current focus was on the cement factory, steel factory, and coal factory. Of course, Ruan Ruan also knew that these factories would be the pillars of Tangcheng's economy in the near future. In that case, she had ideas for the food factory, the textile factory, and the ceramics factory.

"Comrade Ruan Ruan, just tell us if there's anything we can do to help." The mayor and secretary's only thought right now is to restore Tangcheng's economic development as quickly as possible.

Another point is that Ruan Ruan's pharmaceutical factory and furniture factory have generated considerable profits in the past two years. She is clearly a natural businesswoman, so they are very willing to listen to her opinions.

"My idea is that I will design new styles for food factories, textile factories, and ceramic factories. However, I will take a 20% stake in their profits for these new styles. Another thing is that I have decided to build a clothing factory in Tangcheng. The most important point is that when I sell my designs, I will only use cash, not receipts."

Ruan Ruan had thought it through. In two years, when the economy opens up, the ration coupons will be useless. At that time, there will be many people going into business. She is just taking advantage of the situation now.

In other cities, she wouldn't dare suggest selling without tickets, but now she's in Tangcheng, and to revive the economy as quickly as possible, she needs to have an advantage over other places. She's considered this advantage: competing on price is unrealistic, but selling without tickets is still an option.

"Comrade Ruan Ruan, we can accept the 20% profit share you mentioned, but not requiring votes is a bit difficult to handle!" Secretary Xu and Mayor Liu originally thought that a 20% profit share was quite high, but when they heard that no votes were required, they couldn't accept it. Compared to the latter, they preferred the former.

"Secretary Xu, Mayor Liu, please don't rush to refuse. Let's think about it from a different perspective. If we compare prices for the same product, we are not at an advantage. But if we raise the price of the product a little, for example, a piece of clothing that costs 10 yuan plus a two-foot cloth ration coupon elsewhere, and a piece of clothing that costs 12 yuan but doesn't require the cloth coupon, which one would you prefer to buy?"

"Of course, it's the one without the cloth ration coupon!" Mayor Liu made his choice without even thinking.

"Secretary Xu, to put it bluntly, Tangcheng needs to quickly revive its economy, which requires reform. Moreover, given Tangcheng's current situation, as long as we can find a way to quickly generate profits and recoup today's money in a short period of time, the leaders won't blame us."

Ruan Ruan understood what Secretary Xu was worried about, but now that the higher-ups had spoken, they had to recoup their investment as quickly as possible. In the process, they could use some special methods, and the higher-ups wouldn't say anything.

"Comrade Ruan Ruan, we understand what you're saying, but we need to have a meeting to discuss this. We'll get back to you in a while. What do you think?"

Even if Secretary Xu and Mayor Liu agree with what Ruan Ruan said, they still need to inform other departments about the situation and make a decision after discussion.

"Okay, then I'll wait for good news." Ruan Ruan knew that since Secretary Xu and Mayor Liu had given their approval, the matter was basically settled.

They're just going through the motions right now.

After leaving the meeting room, it was almost noon. Ruan Ruan explained the situation to Lan Chaoyang, and the two headed to the cafeteria.

I sat there all morning, constantly thinking; it was quite mentally taxing.