January 1983.
Road construction teams from all over are returning to H County one after another.
The county paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages over and over again, but after the final calculations, it was found that the county had overspent by more than 600,000 yuan.
This was despite the fact that all the counties along the route provided strong support in terms of logistics and materials from the very beginning.
But no one in the team said a word.
Because it’s so worth it!
A new map, larger than the one in Huang County, now hangs on the wall of the small conference room in the H County government office.
Deputy Secretary Zhou Ji held a steaming cup of tea, hummed a Northwestern tune, and stared at the red line on the map with eager eyes, refusing to blink.
"What a shame," Yang Huaisheng actually smoked his pipe today. He had always cherished the tobacco his wife had cut for him, but today alone he had already smoked three pipes. He squinted his eyes and knocked on the table with his pipe. "No one is allowed to start construction within 200 meters of the foundation of the Longhai Line Auxiliary Highway."
"Or we can just connect to the Longhai Line, tsk tsk tsk."
Zhang Hongcheng, who was wearing a cotton coat and warming his shoes by the fire, smiled when he heard this.
"You, don't worry!"
"Within half a month, someone will take the initiative to connect the Longhai Line to our dirt road."
Zhang Hongcheng smiled a little wickedly.
"Hehehehe, and that half-worn iron frame bridge of the W County garrison next door, sooner or later it will be ours too!"
Geng Tongpeng was changing the coal stove. Hearing this, he looked up at Zhang Hongcheng curiously.
"Zhang Xian, have you dug up some information for the comrades stationed there... and figured it out?"
"I've seen that iron bridge. Although it's a bit old and can't easily carry tanks, it would be a great thing for our county!"
"We'll see," Zhang Hongcheng said with another simple smile, "we and the comrades stationed here will definitely be close friends in the end."
"To be honest, I'm a bit greedy," Deputy Secretary Zhou finally stopped humming, took a sip of tea, and sighed, "If this road were all paved with cement, how beautiful would it be?!"
"You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry," Yang Laoshuji commented. "We have limited manpower, time and budget now. If we had machinery, ten times the budget and time, maybe I would dare to think this way."
"Come on, let's put this matter aside for now and talk about Liao Yuan's situation."
"Deputy County Liao, hehehe."
Jin Fengchun laughed.
"He's almost become the director of our county's office in Pengcheng."
"All the factories in Pengcheng will be closed for the holidays at the end of January, and our 600-plus people will have to come back together. I heard that Deputy County Magistrate Liao is already working like crazy over there."
After hearing what Jin Fengchun said, Deputy Secretary Zhou also remembered something.
"Zhang Xian, I heard that you sent a long telegram to Liao Yuan a few days ago, asking him to purchase some rare goods from the south?"
Zhang Hongcheng nodded.
"Although our northern dirt road has not yet connected to the Longhai Highway, it has already connected the villages in the north of each county, so I plan to open an open-air New Year's market in Dafeng Village, five miles north of the county seat."
"Don't think that people in our county are poor, because there are already many rich people in the neighboring counties and cities."
"But their spending is still restricted by the local ticket policy. What if Liao County brought back some trendy goods from the south that didn't require tickets..."
Jin Fengchun asked subconsciously.
"Nothing's going to happen...?"
"No, we purchase in the name of the county supply and marketing company, and the basis for the purchase is the document from above about revitalizing the connected market this year."
"It's a designated channel, a designated sales location, and it's not private interference. We're a poor county, so don't we have preferential policies? This should be in line with policy."
Deputy Secretary Zhou began to frown habitually again, still calculating things in his mind.
"We don't have much money left..."
Zhang Hongcheng answered casually.
"We don't need to pay Liao County. I have a good relationship with the leaders of the Pengcheng Development Zone, and Liao County has also been getting along well with some bosses these days. So I asked him to find those manufacturers who are short of workers and buy goods on credit. Firstly, the purchase price is low, and secondly, we can help them open up the northwest market in advance."
Jin Fengchun was worthy of being the office director, and he gave him a compliment without hesitation.
"I wonder if it's because you, Zhang Xian, hold a high position in the hearts of those Hong Kong businessmen?"
It would be best if he didn't have to pay for it, but Deputy Secretary Zhou still asked one more question.
"Aren't the companies afraid that we'll default on our debts? Our reputation in this area, in terms of borrowing money, cough cough cough, hehehe."
"They're not afraid," Zhang Hongcheng said, his smile becoming habitually honest. "The hundreds of people who went this year probably made a lot of money. I'm afraid many will follow suit next spring."
"Governments elsewhere are still waiting and watching, or haven't considered this at all. They are still very strict in controlling population movement. This is our opportunity, and it also gives us confidence in front of those employers who are short of workers."
Zhang Hongcheng then delved into the topic.
"I just have a suggestion."
"Before the Lunar New Year, we'll mobilize the idle population of each commune to show off their skills in making Spring Festival couplets, lanterns, and New Year snacks. The big market office we've established in the county will actively purchase them."
"I think we can also purchase some New Year's supplies from the supply and marketing systems in the surrounding counties and cities and sell them," he smiled. "We can't let outsiders take away the money that those migrant workers have earned."
Deputy Secretary Zhou frowned again as if he was singing an opera.
"That would have to be real money. Well, we still have to spend money."
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