33: Chapter 33 Good News Arrives in the Village, Road Construction and Factory Development

Secretary Chen Bin waved his hand, "My dear brother, you are too polite. Mayor Guo has always emphasized supporting the development of township enterprises; I am merely implementing the leader's instructions."

He checked his watch, "By the way, if you run into any difficulties with road construction, you can go find Director Wang at the Municipal Transportation Bureau and just say that I referred you."

Li Dakang felt a warmth in his heart, knowing this was another valuable resource provided by Secretary Chen Bin, "Alright, I will definitely keep that in mind. Take care on the road, Brother Chen."

Watching Secretary Chen Bin's car drive away, Li Dakang let out a long sigh of relief. The May sunlight shone on his slightly weary face, but it could not hide the excitement in his eyes.

A daily order volume of ten thousand catties, calculated at a wholesale price of thirty-six cents, meant an income of three thousand six hundred yuan per day.

For impoverished Guantian Township, this was undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

But amidst the excitement, Li Dakang also knew that the real challenge had just begun: road construction, building the factory, production, transportation... every link could not afford to fail.

Returning to the Guantian Township Government, Li Dakang did not even enter his office, instead calling Zheng Shijun directly to head toward Zhengjia Village.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the dirt road in the countryside, as the bicycle wheels rolled over potholes, kicking up a cloud of fine dust.

The back of Li Dakang's shirt was already soaked with sweat, yet he couldn't spare a moment to rest, his heart only focused on bringing the good news back to the village as quickly as possible.

From afar, Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian caught sight of Li Dakang's figure and hurriedly trotted over to meet him, his face filled with anticipation, "Township Head, how is the situation?"

Li Dakang wiped the sweat from his forehead, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, "It went quite smoothly. I've reached an agreement with several large enterprises in the city; they've placed an initial order of ten thousand catties per day."

"Ten... ten thousand catties?!"

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian's eyes widened abruptly, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg. After a long while, he stammered, "Good heavens, this... how much tofu would that be?"

He had originally thought that selling a few hundred catties would be good; this number was simply like a dream.

However, after a brief moment of shock, Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian's brow furrowed again, "Township Head, with such a large quantity, even if the whole village worked together without sleeping, we couldn't produce it!"

"Relying solely on stone mills definitely won't work," Li Dakang nodded.

"We need to use machinery for large-scale production."

"Machinery?"

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian scratched his head, looking troubled, "But nobody in our village knows how to use that stuff!"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Li Dakang patted his shoulder, "I will arrange for people to go to the provincial capital for training."

After speaking, he said solemnly, "Party Branch Secretary Zheng, go and call the other village cadres over now; I have important matters to arrange."

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian dared not delay and immediately ran off to call people.

Before long, several village cadres hurried over, their faces filled with confusion and anticipation.

Li Dakang explained the city's order and the plan to set up the Bean Products Factory in detail. After listening, everyone's eyes widened, and they looked at each other in dismay.

"Township Head, how much... how much does this tofu sell for per catty?" one village cadre asked cautiously.

"The wholesale price is thirty-six cents."

Everyone quickly calculated in their heads: the wholesale price of soybeans was thirteen cents per catty, and one catty could produce three to four catties of tofu.

Including labor, transportation, and other costs, the cost of one catty of tofu was about fifteen cents, with a net profit of around twenty cents.

Ten thousand catties a day meant two thousand yuan, sixty thousand a month!

Once this was calculated, the breathing of several village cadres quickened.

"Township Head, but where will the money to buy machinery and soybeans come from? The village can't afford that much!" another village cadre said anxiously.

Li Dakang smiled slightly, "The funds will be resolved in two parts: part will come from villagers pooling their money for shares, and the rest will be covered by the township treasury."

He paused, his tone solemn, "This is an opportunity to lead the whole village to prosperity. You must go back and explain it clearly to the villagers, mobilize everyone to invest voluntarily, and distribute dividends at the end of the year based on shares."

"Township Head, can we village cadres invest too?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Of course you can," Li Dakang nodded.

"As long as they are from Zhengjia Village, anyone can invest, starting from a minimum of ten yuan, with no upper limit."

Speaking of this, he changed the subject, his expression serious, "But the most urgent thing now is to fix the road from the village to the township! Otherwise, the tofu cannot be transported out, and everything will be just empty talk."

"Fix the road?" one village cadre looked troubled.

"Township Head, the money for road construction is not a small amount..."

"I will find a way for the money," Li Dakang said decisively.

"But the roadbed must be leveled first; mobilize the villagers to contribute their labor, the sooner the better! If the township provides the funds and materials, are the men of Zhengjia Village willing to roll up their sleeves and build the road themselves?"

The main room suddenly became so quiet that one could hear heartbeats.

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian's lips trembled, and after a long while, he blurted out, "Even if it costs me this old life, I will lead everyone to build this road!"

Other village cadres also expressed their stance one after another, "Yes, Township Head, just watch us!"

Li Dakang nodded in satisfaction, "Good, you all mobilize the villagers over the next two days, and I will come back on Monday to arrange the specific work."

Before leaving, he added, "By the way, select a dozen or so sharp young people; I will send them to the provincial capital for training. Zheng Shijie will be one of them."

After Li Dakang left, Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian discussed it with a few village cadres, then immediately ran to the village office, turned on the large loudspeaker, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Attention, men, women, and children of Zhengjia Village! After dinner, everyone gather at the threshing floor! There is an important announcement!"