Chapter 8 New Official Takes Office

The man was a bit overweight, looked to be in his fifties, and was wearing a jacket and trousers, looking like a senior leader. Behind him was a young man carrying a briefcase.

The young man was at least 1.8 meters tall, and his casual outfit made his legs look very long. It turned out to be Lin Zhou, whom I hadn't seen for a long time.

Secretary Liu and Tian Fushun quickly stood up to greet him and shook hands with the middle-aged man. "Minister Li, what brings you here?"

This person is the Minister of the Organization Department of the County Party Committee, named Li Changan.

"I came here today to deliver Comrade Tian Xin's appointment letter as a village official. I've been delayed for so long that your village committee has caused this misunderstanding!"

The appointment letter has finally arrived!

Tian Fushun and Tian Xin both breathed a sigh of relief!

Li Changan took out the appointment letter and said to everyone, "Tian Xin performed very well during the assessment, especially the interview, and left a deep impression on the comrades in charge. I'm here today to officially notify you. This is the appointment letter. The term of office is three years. She will be responsible for cooperating with the work of the village committee."

After Li Changan finished speaking, Liu Chen and Secretary Liu's faces changed immediately.

Why are people from the county coming at this critical moment?

Wasn't this already agreed upon? How come the appointment letter arrived so quickly?

No matter how turbulent Secretary Liu's heart was, he didn't look too upset. After all, he had been a secretary for so long that he understood the ways of the world.

Several people hurriedly asked Tian Xin to come forward. Seeing the red seal, she finally felt relieved.

The day after receiving the appointment letter, Tian Xin started working. She is now full of energy.

In the past few months, everyone has been busy digging wells.

Tian Xin looked around to check the situation.

"Everyone, get to work quickly. Thank you for your hard work during this period." She would shout this wherever she went.

"Xinxin, as a new official, what three things are you going to do?" Uncle Li at the east end of the village asked her kindly.

"Master, let's dig a well first, then plant persimmon trees, and then open a quarry in the village."

"Vegetable market? Why does our village need a vegetable market?" The old man, who was hard of hearing, interrupted.

"It's a quarry. They mine stones, process them into raw materials and sell them for money. It's not a market."

These three initiatives, which Tian Xin later proposed at the meeting, were the village's development plan for the next 5-10 years: digging a well, planting persimmon trees, and opening a stone quarry.

Xiaowan Village is located in the northwest and is subject to perennial drought. The yield of grain crops in the fields is lower than that in other places. So twenty years ago, people planted cold-resistant crops such as Sichuan pepper to increase their income.

However, due to a lack of technical knowledge, most of the land remains uncultivated slopes and deep trenches. Yields have been declining year after year, and even now, most farmers are barely making ends meet. Those who can generate a surplus are either employed and skilled, or have large cultivated areas.

So this well is very necessary, not only for pepper, but also for other crops.

"I know about digging wells, they are used to irrigate the land. But why plant these persimmon trees? No one eats the persimmons planted in our village." asked Uncle San.

"This batch of persimmon trees is a new variety. We're not here to eat the persimmons. We're here to teach everyone how to make persimmon cakes."

"Persimmon cake? Can it be sold for money if it's made into persimmon cake?"

"Yes, not only can it be sold for money, but it can be sold for a lot of money. If it is done well, it is worth more than peppercorns." Tian Xin told everyone the benefits of growing persimmons as they walked.

"That's great, then plant it."

In the previous life, the neighboring county where Tian Xin lived planted high-quality persimmons. After secondary processing, they became a local specialty that was popular all over the country - persimmon cake.

Learning this technique can not only increase income, but also enable the women in the village to have a skill. Even if they go to other people's homes to process persimmon cakes, they can still earn an income and no longer have to rely on men for money to make a living.

"Everyone, work hard. The stone quarry has already started construction and will be officially operational in a few months. If you have any young men looking for work, you can go and see if there are any suitable jobs."

The establishment of the stone factory is to benefit the village. The actual production is outsourced, and a portion of the dividends each year can be used as funds for village activities.

First, open bidding is conducted to the public, allowing capable owners to participate in the bidding. After obtaining the mining license, the stones are collected, processed into clinker, and then sold to the county cement factory.

The working area of ​​the stone factory is divided into two parts: the quarry and the clinker plant.

Whether it is a quarry or a clinker plant, it requires a lot of manpower after opening. Whether it is skilled workers or transport drivers, they all need people.

Tian Xin's original intention was to help the unemployed young people in the village find a job and have a stable income.

Of course, the village had to step in as well. Since Tian Xin was the initiator, she had a name on the factory's list, so if they couldn't find the factory director, they could come to her.

All the work was carried out in an orderly manner for half a year. When the well was dug, it was the beginning of spring.

It was time to plant trees, but Tian Xin found that some farmers gradually stopped coming to collect the saplings.

Planting trees is crucial; if you miss the deadline, you'll have to wait another year. Tian Xin hurried to the field to check on the situation.

On this day, at a field, someone pulled out the planted persimmon seedlings and prepared to plow the soil.

Tian Xin walked up and asked, "What's going on, Uncle Li? Why are they all pulled out?"

"What's the point of planting this? Not only does it take up space, but it also wastes fertilizer. You guys are just giving orders all day long, telling people what to plant, without caring whether it can be exchanged for money."

"Yes, that's right. You only ask us to complete the work without considering how time-consuming it is. Whether we can make money or not, there is no explanation from the beginning to now."

"That's right, I won't plant anything anymore. I'd rather use this time to grow more peppercorns and grain."

Tian Xin knew someone would think this way, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon! It had just begun, and someone was already backing out!

She had long anticipated that these things would be difficult to handle, and the probability of getting everyone to believe her was too low.

After explaining all morning, her throat was almost burning. She made up her mind and gathered everyone in the wheat field for a meeting.

In the wheat field, the crowds of people were waiting to see what the little girl Tian Xin would say.

"Hello, fellow villagers. We gathered here today to explain to you the purpose of planting persimmon trees." Tian Xin shouted loudly.

The wheat field was empty, and the sound faded away as soon as it was heard. She put her hands to her mouth and shouted until her face was red and her neck was thick.

"I remember the day before I became a village official, it was right here!" She pointed to the ground and continued, "Uncle Li asked me if I could help everyone make more money."

Tian Xin glanced at Uncle Li, who was sitting in the back smoking a pipe. The crowd followed her gaze and turned to look. Uncle Li raised his hand awkwardly.

"I remember saying this!" Tian Xin continued, "As long as I become a village official, I will definitely find a way to help everyone make money!"

She was moved by what she said, and her eyes welled up as she thought of the villagers' expectations of her. "Then planting these persimmon trees is the most suitable planting project I can think of for the long-term development of our village!"

She paused and continued, “I know it will take time for everyone to accept my idea all at once. However, it’s already spring, and if I delay, I’ll have to wait another year.”

Persimmon trees are slow to bear fruit, and my term is only three years. I think I can at least let everyone see the results of the persimmon trees next year.

Planting persimmon trees isn't the goal; turning them into money is. Don't you agree?

When the people below heard what she said, they began to talk.

"Xinxin, it's not that we don't trust you. We're very busy with spring planting every year. We have to plant pepper trees, beans, and sweet potato seedlings."

"After a while, I'll plant corn and seed rapeseed, and I'll also have to spray and fertilize the trees! There's no time to delay either!"

"Everyone just wants to know if what you said is reliable. Do you want to give everyone some reassurance?"

"That's right, I've tried this a few times before, but nothing worked and I ended up spending a ton of money on fertilizer!"

Everyone expressed their opinions at once, and the crowd nodded in agreement.

Tian Xin glanced at Tian Fushun, who was standing at the back, cleared her throat and said, "Okay, then I'll give everyone a reassurance today."

She took a few steps forward, getting closer to everyone.

"First, first"

We planted this persimmon tree not for eating persimmons. I know that no one has eaten the persimmons in the fields in recent years. However, the purpose of planting this is to make persimmon cakes in the future and make it a local specialty! There are two benefits of making persimmon cakes:

First, they can sell it directly. Second, after learning this craft, our aunts and uncles can earn some income even if they process it for others in the future.

"It would be great if this could succeed, but how can you guarantee that it will sell well and make everyone money?" someone shouted from the crowd.

"That's right, has anyone ever seen the dried persimmons you're talking about? If they can't be sold, they'll all be wasted. Who's going to bear the loss?"

Tian Xin laughed when she heard this: "Everyone's worries are justified, I know! You can plant anything, the important thing is to turn it into money and put it in your pocket, right?"

"Hey, that's right! It seems that our Xinxin knows what's going on!" Uncle Li shouted from behind.

Tian Xin raised her chin towards Uncle Li and said with a smile, "Uncle Li is right. Planting is the first step; technology is the second step; and the most important step is sales. I plan to implement the first round of these steps this year. Once October arrives and the persimmons we planted earlier turn red, I will teach everyone how to make persimmon cakes."

"I'll teach you the technology! And I'll sell it! I'll also find merchants and specialty stores. After a few years, I'll be able to sell it to the other side of the world using a computer and an internet connection!"

When the people below heard the words "sell it to the other side of the earth", they all laughed.

Tian Xin also laughed a few times: "Please rest assured, since I can bring this up, I am confident that I can help you sell it! No matter how difficult it is, as long as I can help you make money, I will do my best."

"Everything is difficult at the beginning, I know! Everyone knows this too! I'm not saying this to flatter or fool you!

I've already started working on the agricultural products company! Once it opens, we'll officially list it, register the trademark, and package and sell all the dried persimmons uniformly, so we won't miss out on any of them!

"Good!" Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. Before Tian Xin could see who it was, someone started applauding: "Well said!"

The applause grew louder and louder.

Tian Xin raised her hand to stop them: "Thank you everyone, but there's more I want to say!"

"Go on, everyone's listening!" Tian Fushun shouted. Everyone turned around and saw the village director was there, and they all raised their hands to greet him.

Tian Xin cleared her throat and continued, "Wait until all the persimmon trees have grown up and are bearing fruit, which will be at the latest by the year after next."

She paused, then said loudly: "I want to build this place into a 'Ten Thousand Mu Persimmon Manor' and develop tourism! Then, we can open B&Bs, restaurants, and do fruit picking. Whatever can make money, as long as everyone dares to think and dares to do it! There are plenty of opportunities!"

But the prerequisite for all this is to first get these things going and earn some capital. Once the dried persimmons are sold, we will have the confidence to do anything. What do you think?

These few sentences completely ignited everyone's emotions.

"Are you serious? You're not just exaggerating! Have you ever heard of what you're saying? You wouldn't even dare to think about it!"

"That's right, Xinxin is young, and young people are full of energy."

Tian Xin listened to everyone's comments with a smile and said, "Is it just wishful thinking? Everyone will know when the persimmon cakes are made this year! Don't worry, I still say the same thing!"

As long as everyone believes in me, I will do my best!

Most of you here came to see me off on my first day at university. I'll always remember what they said to me: "I'm your pride!"

It was for this sentence that I became a village official. First and foremost, I love you, this village, and this land. This is my original intention, and it will never change.

Even if I stop being a village official in the future, I will make sure everyone’s pockets are filled before that!

Please believe me!"

After saying this, she bowed deeply to everyone and did not stand up for a long time.

Li Dongmei, the women's director, came over, helped her up, turned around and said to everyone, "Do you believe in Xinxin?"

There was a lot of noise down there just now, but after hearing this, there was a sudden silence!

Everyone looked at each other, and no one dared to speak.

After a few minutes, a voice suddenly came from the crowd!

"Believe! I believe in Xinxin!"

Uncle Guo stood up, looked at everyone and said, "I've watched this kid grow up. I was the one who went with him to sell Sichuan peppercorns last time! Who among us would have thought of selling Sichuan peppercorns in three grades?"

No one said anything, everyone listened quietly to what Uncle Guo said.

"No one thought about how Xinxin helped us when we were begging the merchants to raise the price! What was she trying to do at that time? What was she trying to do? What did our village have?

We're so poor, what else is there to be afraid of? We're afraid of tigers in front and wolves behind. Even if the God of Wealth comes, we can't catch the loose change! I believe in Xinxin! I've even planted a persimmon tree in my house! I don't care whether you believe it or not, I believe in Xinxin, I'll be the first to support her!

Uncle Guo's "impassioned" speech attracted many people to agree with him.

"Yes, that's right! We've all been helped by Xinxin! If we can sell Sichuan peppercorns, we can sell dried persimmons! I believe in Xinxin, too!"

"Then I believe Xinxin too! I'll go back and plant some trees!"

“I plant it at home too!”

The crowd's voices grew louder, and then everyone applauded, and the applause lasted for a long time! Everyone looked at Tian Xin, their eyes filled with expectation, admiration, and even more love!

Tian Xin turned her back, wiped her red eyes, and bowed deeply to everyone again!

From then on, Tian Xin began her long journey to become a village official.

She knew that the road to Shu was as difficult as climbing to the sky!

But she will definitely keep her original intention, protect this land, and use her own strength to do practical things for them!

Everyone dispersed, and Tian Fushun and Li Dongmei came over and patted her. Tian Fushun smiled and said, "Do a good job! We believe in you!"

"That's right. Even if other people in the village committee try to make things difficult for you, the director and I will trust you!" said Li Dongmei.

"Okay, I will do my best!" Tian Xin said solemnly to the two of them.

Everyone left the wheat field to go back to work. Tian Xin went over to pick up the cigarette butts thrown on the ground. She shouted for a long time, her throat almost smoking!

She had just sat down to take a breath when Xiao Liu, the security guard at the clinker factory, ran over in a hurry and told her breathlessly: There was an accident in the factory.