74: You can't judge a book by its cover.

Lin Zifeng gathered everyone together and said with a smile: "Don't be anxious, my Comrades. The investment promotion conference has just begun. Only one-sixth of the three days has passed, so we still have plenty of time to win the favor of Investors."

"We must not give up until the very last moment."

"Cheer up, everyone. It's already noon, and most of the Investors have gone to eat lunch. We need to fill our stomachs too so we have the energy to continue working."

"Zhongyu and Li Qiang, stay here with me to keep watch. You all go eat lunch first, and after you come back, we'll go eat."

"Secretary, let me stay behind instead. You go eat first!"

Cao Shuang said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Town Chief Cao, just listen to me! It won't make much difference in time, so hurry up and go! We don't have so many formalities here."

"Let's go, Town Chief Cao. We'll finish eating quickly and come back to relieve the Secretary and the others."

Jiang Yufei also spoke up; she felt there was no need to waste time on such trivial matters.

The group then left. Ten minutes later, just as the three were feeling a bit bored, a plainly dressed man nearing fifty years of age strolled up to their booth and began carefully examining their promotional pictures and written descriptions.

Wang Zhongyu was just about to step forward to introduce themselves and strike up a conversation, but Lin Zifeng held him back.

Seeing that the man had finished reading the description and had withdrawn his gaze, he took a few steps forward and enthusiastically extended his hand.

"Hello, are you here looking for investment opportunities? If there is anything you would like to know, I can give you a detailed introduction."

"Young man, I can tell you're a Comrade who hasn't been working for long. I walked from east to west, stopping to observe every booth for a while, and you are the only one who took the initiative to come up and talk to me."

"Do you know why that is?"

The middle-aged man shook his hand and said with a smile on his face.

"I would like to hear the details."

"Because those people determined that I wasn't their target based on my attire."

The middle-aged man said very freely.

"It's not like the word 'Boss' is carved on your face. Are you implying that I lack experience and have poor judgment?"

"I don't think so. As you can see, we don't even have a proper booth; we can only set up this makeshift stall in this corner."

"There are few visitors to begin with, so even if you aren't a boss, I still want to promote our town to others."

"If you happen to be a hidden Investor, then I might have just struck gold! Either way, I don't lose out, don't you agree?"

"Haha, you're casting your net regardless of whether there are fish or not, aren't you? This kind of work ethic is truly commendable!"

"How about this: tell me properly about your 3,000-mu peach orchard project. Clearly explain the specific plans for recruiting a cannery or fruit beverage processing plant, as well as the relevant preferential policies, and I will listen carefully."

The middle-aged man said with a loud laugh.

"Alright! How about this? There is a lounge a few dozen meters away. The sun is strong at noon, so why don't we go inside and talk slowly?"

"Aren't you afraid of wasting your time on me for nothing?"

The middle-aged man teased.

"I'm not afraid. Please, this way."

He made a gesture inviting the man to proceed, then turned to Wang Zhongyu and said, "Zhongyu, go get two bottles of mineral water and bring them over."

He then walked with the middle-aged man toward the lounge ahead.

The two sat facing each other at a table in the corner of the lounge, and Wang Zhongyu quickly walked in with the water.

He placed the water on the table, said, "Secretary, I'll head out now," and turned to leave.

The middle-aged man's expression shifted. "Young man, why did he call you Secretary? We've been chatting for a while, and I still don't know what you do."

"It was my oversight. I am the Party Secretary of Heping Town, Yushu County. My name is Lin Zifeng. May I ask how to address you?"

"So young, and already a Party Secretary of a town. Please forgive my lack of insight earlier."

"My name is Gao Shengli, and I am the owner of the Shengli Food Processing Plant."

Upon hearing the introduction, Lin Zifeng was overjoyed. An owner of a food processing plant—wasn't that the perfect match for the cannery project he was trying to attract investment for?

Thinking of this, he quickly stood up and shook hands with the man again, saying happily, "I really have struck gold."

"General Manager Gao, you are truly too humble and unassuming. My apologies for the disrespect."

"Isn't Secretary Lin also full of surprises? I thought you had just started working, and I never expected you to be a Party Secretary of a town."

"I've seen countless people, yet I still misjudged you. Secretary Lin, let's get back to the main topic!"

"Alright, General Manager Gao. Before I introduce this project to you, I must clarify a fact."

"The 3,000-mu peach orchard mentioned in our promotional pictures is actually just for promotional effect, intended to attract attention."

"In reality, the peach orchards that are already bearing fruit only just reach 1,500 mu. There is some exaggeration in those figures."

"However, please rest assured. As long as you truly decide to invest and build a factory in our town, I can guarantee that within three years, it will exceed 3,000 mu."

"Heping Town has a lot of mountain land. As long as we can bring substantial income to the common people, they will actively plant fruit trees without me needing to mobilize them."

"Secretary Lin, you are quite candid. Aren't you afraid that I might walk away because of your false advertising?"

"If you hadn't brought this up, even if we went for a site inspection, it would be difficult for us to determine the exact acreage of your peach orchards. Have you thought about the pros and cons of this?"

Gao Shengli looked at him with an amused expression and said.

"I believe that the premise of any cooperation should be based on integrity. If you use deceptive means to achieve your goals, all sorts of problems will arise later."

"Once trust is lost, what cooperation is there to speak of? General Manager Gao, do you think I'm right?"

Lin Zifeng said with a sincere expression.

Gao Shengli nodded with an expression of appreciation and then continued, "Please proceed, Secretary Lin."

Following this, Lin Zifeng enumerated the preferential policies for investment attraction as well as the basic conditions for cooperation between both parties.

Finally, he added, "General Manager Gao, to tell you the truth, when I first took office, I heard that a small portion of the fruit farmers' peaches were sold at low prices, while a much larger portion, due to a lack of long-term storage facilities, could only be left to rot in the fields or taken home to feed livestock. I was very anxious!"

"This has become a heavy burden on my heart."

"If you invest and build a factory in our town, whatever you can't process immediately can be stored in cold storage, so there will be no issues with storing the finished products."

"Not only can we provide you with various preferential policies, but we can also provide you with land for the factory for free. I believe this is absolutely a mutually beneficial and win-win project for both of us."