In addition to Secretary Hao, Mayor Chen, and Vice Mayor Qiu, some other department leaders were also present at the meeting. They were mostly members of the Standing Committee.

Because Secretary Hao is retiring, he doesn't manage many things anymore. Apart from periodic work summary meetings, he doesn't participate much in the work of his subordinates.

Mayor Chen first explained the recent situation in the city. "The situation is very stable, with no major problems. The only issue is food. I suggest we report the situation to higher authorities and try to get as much relief grain as possible. As for using our mining resources to exchange for grain with other provinces, I don't think that's a long-term solution. If the situation is bad this year and we can't meet our production targets, we won't be able to explain it to our superiors."

“Relief grain is finite, and with so many people relying on the higher-ups, the pressure on them is immense,” Vice Mayor Qiu immediately voiced his opposition.

Mayor Chen gave him a disapproving look. "Old Qiu, do you have a good idea?"

"I wouldn't call it a good solution, but we can't just stand by and watch the people go hungry. I've been visiting various mines these past few days to check on the living conditions of the workers. These workers are doing alright, but I heard their hometowns aren't doing so well. Although the communes below are managed by the regional government and not under our jurisdiction, I feel that they are all ordinary people, and we should help them as much as we can."

Secretary Hao said, "Feel free to share your ideas; we'll all take them into consideration."

Mayor Qiu said, "Let Song handle this matter; he was the one who proposed the idea."

Secretary Hao nodded. "Song, you may speak."

Secretary Song then stood up and looked at everyone solemnly. "Recently, while accompanying the leaders on their inspection tours, we discovered something. The villagers occasionally manage to obtain some fish or wild game. Once these items are found, they are divided equally among the entire team. Since everyone has so little meat, each person doesn't even get a sip of soup. Therefore, Mayor Qiu and I suggested that the production teams collect wild game and mountain produce after the busy farming season, pickle them, and then take them to other provinces to exchange for grain. As far as I know, in big cities like Shanghai, these kinds of wild game and mountain produce are still in high demand."

Secretary Shi raised his hand to speak, and Secretary Hao called on him, asking, "Does Secretary Shi have any comments?"

Secretary Shi laughed and said, "I have no objection, but I have a question. Everyone is hungry. If there were any mountain produce or wild game, they would have been caught long ago. Comrade Dongzheng's suggestion may not be very practical."

Secretary Song nodded. "That's a good question. I was just about to explain it."

Just as Secretary Shi was about to laugh, Secretary Song said, "The question that Secretary Shi just raised does not exist."

"..."

"Just like what I just said, if a member of the production team finds a pheasant, they have to hand it over to the team to share equally. They might not even get a drop of soup. And without the team's permission, the members can't even pick up a single piece of firewood. Who would dare to risk hunting wild animals? Besides, as far as I know, there are even wild boars and the like in some mountains. So if you want to hunt them, there are bound to be some. Many hands make light work. If everyone catches these wild animals and gathers mountain produce, we'll be responsible for exchanging it for grain, which can help alleviate their difficulties to some extent."

"Will that help our city?" Mayor Qiu asked.

"Yes, on the one hand, it solves our meat supply problem, and on the other hand, these wild game can also be supplied to Shanghai. A few days ago, some comrades from Shanghai came over, and we made contact. Some international friends there are interested in our local products, which can be used to earn foreign exchange."

The moment people hear the words "foreign exchange," their eyes light up.

Foreign exchange can be used to purchase things from abroad. For example, if a country needs to purchase scientific instruments from abroad, it will need foreign exchange to do so.

Secretary Song concluded, "We can use foreign exchange to purchase grain from the higher-ups. This way, we won't cause trouble for them, and we'll also be contributing to the country. However, the feasibility of how much foreign exchange we can obtain from international friends is another matter."

To put it bluntly, how much money they can swindle depends on their skills. Of course, we can't say that directly; we're not running a capitalist business, we're not in it for the money.

Su Yu clearly sensed that Secretary Hao was interested. It seemed he was interested in foreign exchange.

The country is truly poor right now. Everyone is duty-bound to offer any help, especially when it comes to helping the people.

Secretary Hao paused for a moment, then addressed everyone, "Does anyone have any objections to Song's idea?"

Mayor Chen said, "I'm just worried that it won't align with the policy's core principles."

Vice Mayor Qiu asked, "What aspect is inconsistent with the policy?"

Mayor Chen fell silent. He felt that no one had ever done this before, that they were the first to try and figure things out, and he was always worried about problems arising.

Vice Mayor Qiu firmly stated, "Personally, I believe that we should do anything that benefits the country and its people. We can give it a try; within the limits, we can still control it."

Mayor Chen said, "I think we should prioritize stability. We can't afford any more setbacks right now."

Secretary Hao said seriously, "Alright, this is a big deal after all, and we still need to consider it. Let's leave this topic aside for now. I'll go back and think about it, and everyone should go back and think it through. We'll decide on it at the next meeting."

...

After the meeting, Secretary Hao silently returned to his office. Su Yu followed behind with a serious expression, without greeting anyone.

Back in the office, Su Yu quietly poured him hot water to make tea. Then she organized the meeting minutes for the day.

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