Chapter 184 of "New Urban Farmers" (1o139): Top-Grade Tea
"This kid actually wants to take a position in a township!" Wang Yunyi laughed. The provincial party committee member and the top leader of the municipal party committee was all smiles at that moment.
Although the fat man kept a low profile after taking up his post in the district, and very few people knew who his father was, there were still people secretly observing his every move.
These were all acquaintances secretly arranged by Wang Yunyi.
"Dad, why did you send my younger brother to the countryside? I heard that Zhangba Township is very backward. It might not develop for at least two or three years!" Wang Lin said with some worry after returning home.
Fatty's mother, Zhou Qing, was also somewhat worried as she watched her husband and daughter talking about their son.
Wang Yunyi smiled and said, "You've wronged me. Your brother got Luo Jianhui to agree to his transfer this time through his own efforts. I think it's a good thing! Lack of experience as a local leader will greatly hinder his future development! Since it's his choice, I will definitely support him. We'll see if he's a dragon or a worm after he's been tested!"
Wang Lin asked in surprise, "You really didn't make any arrangements?"
She had assumed her younger brother Wang Kang's transfer to a post outside the capital was their father's decision, but now she realized it wasn't. Could it be that the brat had chosen it himself?
"Did Lao Wang really organize Xiao Kang's affairs on his own?" Zhou Qing asked in surprise.
Wang Yunyi nodded with a smile and said, "However, this time it's all thanks to the help of Xiao Kang's college classmate. Even Sun Zhenfu, the usually neutral Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, actually supported Xiao Kang. I heard that since Sun Zhenfu was hospitalized, this kid has been sending him vegetables and seafood from Green Treasure Pavilion every day. His high blood pressure has now stabilized, and Tong Zhan, the district standing committee member and head of the People's Armed Forces Department, is a friend of Xiao Kang's."
It's clear that Wang Yunyi greatly admires his son's ability to lobby. It's truly remarkable that someone of modest means could gain the support of two Standing Committee members.
It's also remarkable that the city's top official actually remembered the name "Green Treasure Pavilion".
"Oh, is that the store that supplies our family with vegetables and seafood?" Zhou Qing remembered.
"Yes, Mom came to our house for dinner last time, didn't she? His name is Zhang Guodong, he's my younger brother's college classmate and good friend. But Green Treasure Pavilion is basically closed now, and my hotel's supply inventory is about to run out!" Wang Lin said with a wry smile. "From now on, we'll have to eat these kinds of dishes at home..."
"Why isn't it open? This young Zhang seems quite good. Your dad and I have been eating the side dishes they provide since we started using them. The vegetables and seafood are really good quality!" Zhou Qing said in surprise. "If you run into any problems, Old Wang, you have to lend a hand."
"Mom, it's not about that!" Wang Lin said. "I heard from my younger brother that Zhang Guodong is busy with other things. He's often away from the provincial capital, traveling around. I heard he must be making a lot of money, much more than Green Treasure Pavilion, right?" Zhou Qing said regretfully. Not being able to eat good vegetables and seafood is indeed a pity.
"That Green Treasure Pavilion is indeed quite nice!" Wang Yunyi nodded and said. "Xiaolin, later you should bring back some good dishes; in a couple of days, when the governor comes to inspect our home, we should treat him to a family dinner!"
Wang Lin knew this might be very important to her father, so she nodded in agreement.
The vegetables and seafood supplied by Green Treasure Pavilion to Jiahao Hotel won't last much longer. It's estimated that they'll have to sue Cai within a week. The manager has reported this to Wang Lin.
The manager wanted to contact Zhang Guodong, but Zhang Guodong was always elusive and could not be reached by phone, so there was no way to contact him.
He had no choice but to ask the boss for help, knowing that the boss's brother was a good friend of the owner of Green Treasure Pavilion.
After Wang Lin got home and figured out what had happened to her younger brother, she didn't stay at home and quickly went out to call Fatty.
"What's up, sister?" The fat man became serious when he saw it was his concubine's sister calling.
The day before the fat man was riding high, his transfer to another post had finally been confirmed.
Luo Jianhui's sudden proposal to convene a meeting of the district party committee standing committee to discuss the personnel issues of the top two leaders of townships was something everyone knew was related to the power struggle among various parties.
However, Secretary Zhou did not expect that Secretary Sun of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, who was about to retire, would appear and suddenly put forward a personnel appointment proposal, suggesting that Comrade Wang Kang, the secretary of District Mayor Luo Jianhui, be appointed as the deputy secretary of the Party Committee and acting mayor of Zhangba Township.
Everyone was stunned, and Secretary Zhou, as the top leader, felt even more annoyed.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this was probably Luo Jianhui's idea, right? But Secretary Sun is usually a neutral party who votes for whoever makes the most sense. Why is he teaming up with Luo Jianhui this time?
But Luo Jianhui was also innocent; he knew about it, though he had considered it himself. However, the fat man was his confidant, and suddenly suggesting it would hurt his subordinates' feelings. Nevertheless, if he were to be transferred out, it would be a win-win situation.
Offending Wei Shao and the personnel appointments in the township have kept him up at night for the past few days. He's saying that while he's only the district head and wouldn't be affected by trivial matters, Wei Shao's father is a member of the municipal party committee and vice mayor. It's no problem for Wei Shao's father to cause him some trouble. Now, Secretary Sun's surprising proposal is very tempting for Luo Jianhui.
If it succeeds, it will be a win-win situation!
The joy that flashed in Luo Jianhui's eyes was obvious to everyone. Now everyone's guesses were all mixed up. Was it really unrelated to Luo Jianhui?
Secretary Zhou felt that the meeting was in danger of getting out of control.
As expected, Luo Jianhui immediately expressed his support as soon as Sun Zhenfu made the suggestion. This was to show his two supporters that he had four votes! Secretary Zhou was taken aback, but as the top leader, he had to maintain that composure.
Luo Jianhui's appointment failed to pass with four votes, which was less than a majority. As expected, Secretary Zhou's faction opposed it with all four votes, and their reasons were quite valid. The fat man's promotion time and seniority became reasons for rejection.
However, to everyone's surprise, Tong Zhan, the district standing committee member and head of the People's Armed Forces Department, who had only attended the meeting and mostly abstained, unexpectedly said briefly: "I agree with Secretary Sun's proposal. Although Comrade Wang Kang is young, he has experience serving under District Chief Luo, so it is entirely appropriate for him to be promoted to the second-in-command position. Moreover, he is young and should be given more opportunities to develop. Give them different opportunities! However, the rank should not be too low... Good!"
Compromise support!
The votes decided the final victory!
The fat man was overjoyed upon hearing the news. Although his rank wouldn't be adjusted and he would remain a section chief, at least he was being transferred out.
Not the top leader, but a true second-in-command! And still, they can achieve results.
"Little brother, Dad has a task for you! In a few days, Dad is going to invite Governor Ying to dinner, so I need to ask your classmate to get some good stuff!" Wang Lin said.
"Did Dad really tell you to do this?" the fat man asked cautiously.
“You dare doubt your older sister’s words? Huh?” Wang Lin said.
The fat man chuckled and said, "Sis, I'm just flattered! Dad actually assigned me a task, hehe!"
The family required him and his older sister to be self-reliant, so this was a rare assignment. Wang Lin also found it strange that her father had asked her younger brother to do something this time.
"You're smart! I need your help with something, little brother," Wang Lin said. "You see, Jiahao's food supply is about to be cut off. Could your friend get another batch of food for Jiahao?"
Upon hearing this, the fat man hesitated, saying, "Sister, Guodong basically doesn't run shops anymore. A small amount is fine, I'll tell him he'll help, but if it's too much..."
"Oh? Well, you decide what to do then!" Wang Lin decisively hung up the phone. The fat man was dumbfounded. His older sister had actually gone back on her word? This left him speechless, both amused and exasperated.
The fat man shook his head helplessly, intending to go find Zhang Guodong and ask him about it. He figured he should share the good news with his brothers before thinking about his sister. However, when he tried to call, Zhang Guodong's phone was switched off.
"Where did Guodong go?" The fat man shook his head. He didn't know where Zhang Guodong was either. Green Treasure Pavilion? He definitely wasn't there unless he went out on business, otherwise he wouldn't have turned off his phone.
At that moment, Zhang Guodong was far away in a farmhouse in Qingmu Township, Qingyang County, watching Dunzi and Gou Dan shovelfully adding jade slag into the tower.
The weather was quite hot, and the two of them were drenched in sweat, but they worked with great enthusiasm.
"I never imagined that jade essence could be extracted in this way, it's truly amazing!" Zhang Guodong looked down. The ceramic refining jar had a small opening, and strands of milky white liquid flowed out from the pipe and into the underground pit, where it quickly condensed into a clump upon encountering cold water.
These clumps of milky white substance were the jade essence that Zhang Guodong ultimately needed. Under the influence of the purple sand, it directly turned into liquid when the jade fragments burst open.
At this moment, Zhang Guodong realized how lucky Elder Yi was to have found the miraculous purple jade. Without it, the jade essence would have been impossible to extract.
The two were sitting in recliners with a large parasol over their heads. There was a table and cold drinks in front of them, but Old Yi's favorite drink was tea.
Cold drinks make you thirstier, but hot tea is a real treat.
Upon hearing this, Elder Yi simply smiled, clearly pleased to receive Zhang Guodong's praise. The wondrous uses of purple jade and sand were indeed something he had figured out. Although he had inherited his ancestors' research on elixirs.
"Guodong, where did you buy this tea? What's it called?" Old Yi took a sip from the small teapot, closed his eyes, and waited a moment. Although the tea leaves had undergone simple roasting, their color remained vibrant. The brewed tea was fragrant, rich, fresh, and delicious, leaving the whole body feeling comfortable and unique. Absolutely top-quality.
"Mr. Yi, this tea hasn't been named yet. It wasn't bought; a friend grew it himself, and I roasted it myself—the method is quite rough, and it's only for my own consumption!" Zhang Guodong said modestly. "If you like it, I'll bring you half a jin later, but it's all fresh green leaves, so you'll have to roast it yourself."
"Oh? You roasted it yourself? No wonder," Old Yi said in surprise. "This tea is clearly top-grade, even comparable to Lion Peak and Longjing, and perhaps even superior. It's a pity the roasting technique was a bit lacking! Otherwise, the taste would be even better!"
Zhang Guodong was momentarily stunned. He thought it was a compliment from Master Yi, but it turned out to be a critique!
However, he didn't really know much about tea processing; he just dried out the excess water. Even so, he thought it tasted no worse than the finest Longjing tea, and even better.
Mr. Yi's comments were indeed not an exaggeration.
"Mr. Yi, are you very familiar with the processing of tea?" Zhang Guodong asked curiously.
"Not exactly, but I've had Longjing tea before, and some medicinal teas from the mountains also require processing. I know a bit about tea, so I can tell. Your tea processing is quite rough, a bit of a waste of such good tea!" Old Yi said with a smile. "Good tea, if processed properly, will have an even better taste and quality!"
Zhang Guodong smiled sheepishly and nodded. The tea leaves were picked from century-old tea trees in Taoyuan, so their quality was naturally good. However, his processing was quite rough. Frying tea requires precise control of the heat. Achieving a balance of color, aroma, and flavor was beyond his capabilities.
"You're an expert, I'll bring you some freshly picked tea leaves later and help me process some, even if it's just for my parents!" Zhang Guodong flattered.
"Haha, no problem. It's been so many years since I've had such good tea. It's good to stretch these old arms and legs!" Old Yi said with a good laugh.
As the two were chatting, Liu Neng, sweating profusely, hurried over from the countryside.
"Boss!" Liu Neng stopped at the courtyard gate. Ordinary people weren't allowed in here. He glanced at the tall tower where the refining was taking place, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"Go ahead, Xiao Liu, he probably has something urgent to attend to," said Old Yi.
Zhang Guodong nodded, got up, and walked over.
"What's the matter?"
"Boss Zheng, the township head, is coming to inspect our place soon. I heard that someone reported us for polluting the environment!" Liu Neng said, slightly out of breath.
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