Chapter 150: Queen of Tea Mountain
The atmosphere in the meeting room of a department of the Ministry of Agriculture was serious.
Facing several serious-looking department-level cadres, Shen Lingning felt a little nervous, but more of a determination to give it a try.
She did not begin by complaining about resources, but first clearly reported the basic situation of the Songtaogou military tea plantation: the scale of the land owned, emphasizing that it was military reclamation and utilization of wasteland;
In terms of employee composition, the emphasis is on military status and stability, as well as the initial processing capabilities already possessed, with emphasis on new production equipment and, most importantly, the foreign exchange results already achieved.
"Leaders, please look, this is our foreign exchange order contract and remittance voucher."
The data was solid, the language was concise, and there was no unnecessary clichés, which immediately aroused the interest of the leaders present.
Then, she changed the subject and frankly pointed out the core bottleneck encountered in the current development: insufficient raw materials, especially the lack of high-quality base tea and scented flowers, which restricted the expansion of production capacity and product upgrades, and also affected the stable fulfillment of foreign exchange orders.
Then, she put forward her core proposal: "Dear leaders, although our tea mountain is small, we have several advantages: First, we have a military background, strong execution and strict discipline, which makes us suitable for piloting new technologies and new models;
Second, we already have a preliminary market foundation, such as a steady stream of foreign exchange orders, and the results are tangible and visible;
Third, our factory is located in southern Qin, making it representative of the region. We understand that the Ministry is preparing a 'National Tea Production Improvement Collaborative Group,' and we sincerely request to join as a grassroots pilot unit!
She further elaborated on the value that tea mountains can bring as pilot sites: "We can serve as test fields for new varieties and new technologies, and successful experiences can be promoted to areas with similar conditions;
We can explore the development model of military-affiliated enterprises + foreign exchange agriculture; more importantly, through the collaborative group platform, we can establish direct contact with major production areas and learn advanced experiences;
It is also possible to find new ways to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results in resource allocation, rather than simply asking for help from superiors.”
She did not just talk about ideals, but focused on practical issues that the country was most concerned about, such as foreign exchange, technology promotion, and model exploration, and cleverly integrated the needs of the tea mountains into the overall national agricultural development. Her attitude was "cooperative contribution" rather than "begging."
The speech was logically clear and goal-oriented. It not only addressed practical difficulties but also provided a blueprint for development, demonstrating a vision and pattern that went beyond that of ordinary grassroots cadres.
Several leaders from the Ministry of Agriculture exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Finally, the director general stated:
The situation in Chashan is very unique and is worthy of consideration as a candidate pilot unit for the collaboration group. The Ministry will study it as soon as possible and make a decision after sending people to conduct on-site inspections.
This is a huge breakthrough! It means the door to cooperation has been opened a crack!
Shen Lingning returned to Qinnan with the preliminary results, waiting for the inspection of the Ministry of Agriculture.
But she also knew that the real test was yet to come - how to make the inspection team see the irreplaceable value of the tea mountains?
At the same time, Zhou Weiguo made significant progress in his recovery and was able to walk independently. He proposed to go back to the tea mountain with Shen Lingning, which was undoubtedly a great spiritual support to Shen Lingning.
After returning to the tea mountain, Shen Lingning immediately plunged into the intensive preparations for the inspection by the Ministry of Agriculture.
She not only requires the workshops and tea gardens to be clean and orderly, but also focuses on preparing to showcase the "soft power" of the tea mountain:
The high morale of the military families, strict quality control procedures, detailed production records, and precise grasp of foreign trade standards.
A few weeks later, the inspection team from the Ministry of Agriculture arrived as scheduled.
The team was led by Mr. Yang, an experienced tea expert and technical advisor to the company. The inspection team observed the growth of the tea garden. The tea trees, irrigated by water from the interstellar stream that Shen Lingning quietly introduced, were particularly lush.
I visited the newly installed equipment and carefully checked the production process and the quality of the finished tea.
Mr. Yang was particularly surprised by the tea mountain's ability to quickly resume production after the fire and meet export standards.
After tasting the Jingui black tea roasted using the new technology, they were full of praise, believing that its aroma and taste were quite unique and had strong market competitiveness.
During the inspection, Zhou Weiguo also accompanied him on crutches.
Although he is a man of few words, his calm military temperament and understanding of the tea mountain's situation left a deep impression on the inspection team and indirectly proved the reliability of the tea mountain's management team.
At the final discussion, Shen Lingning did not say much. Instead, ordinary military families such as Aunt Sun and Liu Jinfeng used plain language to describe how they grew from housewives to industrial workers, how the tea mountains changed their lives, and how they were proud to earn foreign exchange for the country.
These expressions of true feelings are more convincing than any report and can better move these old leaders and veterans who have fought through the War of Resistance.
After the inspection, Mr. Yang took Shen Lingning’s hand and said, “Director Shen, it’s not easy for you, but you have a solution!
Although the tea mountain is small, it has great potential. Your model of military families starting businesses and targeting the international market is particularly valuable for promotion. When I return, I will report this truthfully to the Ministry and actively recommend you to join the collaborative group."
Soon after, good news came: Chashan Military Factory was officially included in the first batch of pilot units of the "National Tea Production Improvement Cooperation Group"!
What followed was a batch of urgently needed adjustment indicators for high-quality tea tree seedlings, as well as coordinated supply channels for some jasmine resources!
Although the quantity cannot fully meet the demand, it is undoubtedly a timely help and solves the urgent needs of the tea mountains. More importantly, it opens up a long-term and stable resource support channel!
The raw material crisis has been initially alleviated, and the tea plantation's development has entered a new stage. Standing side by side on the tea plantation, Shen Lingning and Zhou Weiguo look at the vibrant tea gardens and busy workshops, full of confidence in the future.
However, a letter from overseas broke the peace - a foreign businessman who had been in contact with the company at the Canton Fair proposed to come to the tea mountain for an inspection in person and was interested in negotiating a larger-scale cooperation, but the other party had a complicated background and his requirements were quite strange... New opportunities and challenges came at the same time.
With the crisis resolved, the reconstruction of the tea mountain is in full swing, and Funing Tea Talk's corporate strategy in Chang'an is also gradually being implemented.
In order to successfully expand all milk tea shops in the future, Shen Lingning will devote more energy to improving tea varieties and expanding production.
She quietly introduced space stream water into the irrigation system and conducted grafting experiments using space tea branches.
The newly cultivated tea seedlings grew exceptionally vigorously, and the quality of the tea was far superior to before. The brewed tea was fragrant and mellow, with an excellent refreshing effect. It once again attracted a rush of foreign businessmen at the Canton Fair, and orders increased significantly.
The military dependents factory became more and more profitable. Not only did it pay off the loan, but it also accumulated considerable collective funds, improving the lives of all military dependents.
Shen Lingning's prestige reached its peak and she was affectionately called the "Tea Mountain Queen" by foreign media.
Zhou Weiguo's recovery is progressing smoothly, and he can now walk slowly with the help of a cane. The family's time together is warm and precious. Fubao is even more intelligent and adorable, becoming a little star in the compound.
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