36: Chapter 36 Raising Money to Repair the Road

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian nodded repeatedly. "Rest assured, Township Magistrate, leave this matter to me!"

He paused, a look of worry appearing on his face. "It's just... the funding for the road construction..."

Li Dakang waved his hand dismissively. "I'll take care of the funding! Tomorrow, I'll go to the county to report to the leaders and strive to get it finalized as soon as possible!"

He pondered for a moment and added, "Although there's no pay for building the road, we must guarantee the food. The Township Government will advance this money first, and we'll deduct it from the accounts once the Food Processing Plant becomes profitable."

After working hard all morning, the money was finally collected.

Except for a few families who were truly struggling, almost every household had bought shares.

The minimum was ten yuan, and the most was surprisingly over a thousand. In total, nearly thirty thousand yuan was raised, which was even better than Li Dakang had expected.

This was hardly surprising; after all, Zhengjia Village had been poor for too long.

Now that they finally saw a glimmer of hope, the villagers would naturally do everything in their power to seize it.

Moreover, the vision Li Dakang painted was so alluring; let alone these simple-minded villagers, even the knowledgeable college students in the city would be moved by the 'grand promises' painted by their bosses, wouldn't they?

Li Dakang had already calculated the accounts: purchasing machinery, equipment, and raw materials would require about forty thousand, and another ten thousand needed to be kept as working capital.

Because the payments from those large enterprises in the city couldn't be settled daily but were instead settled monthly—and that was only as a favor to him—otherwise, it would usually drag on to a quarter or even half a year before settlement.

This meant that the Food Processing Plant would have no income in the first month.

The remaining gap of over twenty thousand would be covered by the township finances. Once the plant became profitable, the township would also receive a considerable income, which would be a strong supplement to the tight township finances.

After finishing lunch in the village, Li Dakang returned to the Township Government with a dozen carefully selected young people.

"Zheng Shijun."

He said to Zheng Shijun, "You take them to Mingzhou by train today. I've already arranged everything over there, and there will be someone to meet you. Contact me immediately if anything comes up."

This group would head to a private Food Processing Plant in Mingzhou for half a month of training to learn about factory management, hygiene standards, and other knowledge.

This had been arranged by Cao Yong at the request of Li Dakang.

Zheng Shijun had attended university in Mingzhou and was familiar with the area, so it was most appropriate for him to lead the team.

"Rest assured, Township Magistrate, I'll set off right away!" Zheng Shijun nodded solemnly.

Watching the backs of these young people as they walked away with their bags, Li Dakang felt a sense of emotion; they carried the future hopes of Zhengjia Village.

...

Early the next morning, Li Dakang rushed to the County Party Committee Compound. The purpose of this trip was very clear: to ask County Party Secretary Yuan Kai for money!

After Secretary Luo announced his arrival, Li Dakang was able to meet with County Party Secretary Yuan Kai smoothly.

"Comrade Dakang, what brings you here today? How is the work in the township progressing?"

County Party Secretary Yuan Kai asked with a smile, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Secretary Yuan, you are criticizing me for not being proactive enough in reporting my work," Li Dakang said half-jokingly.

"I've been visiting and conducting research in the village for the past half month. I had to get a clear grasp of the situation first before I could prescribe the right remedy."

County Party Secretary Yuan Kai nodded, admiration showing in his eyes. "Hmm, your pragmatic style is commendable. Did you encounter any difficulties today?"

"Secretary Yuan, it's like this..."

Li Dakang reported in detail the whole story of discovering the advantages of Zhengjia Village's tofu and the plan to open a factory, especially emphasizing the daily order of ten thousand jin and the potential for a future annual output value of ten million.

The more County Party Secretary Yuan Kai listened, the brighter his eyes became. Finally, he couldn't help but slap the table and exclaim, "Good! This idea is very feasible! Since you have an idea, you must be bold in exploring and testing it! What do you need support from the county for?"

County Party Secretary Yuan Kai was truly moved.

In this era, let alone an enterprise at the ten-million level, even one at the million-yuan scale would be considered a key enterprise in Anjiang County.

If such an enterprise could really be established in Guantian Township, which was famous throughout the city as a poverty-stricken township, as the County Party Secretary, he would certainly add a brilliant stroke to his record of political achievements!

Li Dakang was waiting for exactly these words from County Party Secretary Yuan Kai.

"Secretary Yuan, the biggest difficulty we are currently facing is the road problem."

Li Dakang looked sincere. "You know the road conditions in our township; it's 'covered in dust on sunny days, covered in mud on rainy days.' Do you think the county could provide some support in this regard?"

Upon hearing this, a meaningful smile appeared on County Party Secretary Yuan Kai's face. "You rascal, Li Dakang, so this is where you were waiting for me!"

Li Dakang rubbed his hands, his tone humble. "Secretary Yuan, I have no other choice. If our township wants to develop, we can't do it without your strong support."

County Party Secretary Yuan Kai nodded slightly, his gaze turning to the window, as if weighing the pros and cons.

The office fell silent for a moment, with only the ticking of the wall clock clearly audible.

"Comrade Dakang."

County Party Secretary Yuan Kai finally spoke, his voice steady. "The county's finances are indeed not abundant, but if the township wants to develop, the county cannot offer no support at all."

He pondered for a moment and tapped the table lightly with his right hand. "How about this: I will take the responsibility to approve three hundred thousand for you. However, you will have to find a way to solve the remaining gap yourself."

Hearing this number, Li Dakang was overjoyed, but he remained respectful on the surface. "Thank you very much, Secretary Yuan, for your support of our township's work."