Chapter 679 Young People
Young people gathered around Qi Tongwei, eagerly expressing their desire for job opportunities; the elderly held Hou Liangping's hand and tearfully begged to preserve the farmland and the quaint rural landscape. Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping stood in the middle of the crowd, torn between two completely different demands, and their hearts were filled with torment.
At night, the two dragged their tired bodies back to the temporary office. The dim light reflected two tired faces. Qi Tongwei was the first to break the silence, his voice hoarse: "Liangping, this is too difficult. It feels like there are enemies everywhere. Our strength is too small. You have seen the attitude of investors today. Without capital injection, the industry will die. But the villagers are in a mess. How can we balance it?"
Hou Liangping rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Dongwei, the waters of the officialdom are even more complicated. When we investigated the official who blocked the approval today, the resistance was beyond imagination. The forces involved behind the scenes are intertwined. If we are not careful, not only will the project fail, but we may also lose ourselves. I understand that you are worried about the funds, but we cannot lose sight of one thing while focusing on the other. We must find a balance point that can meet the development needs and take into account the interests of all parties."
Qi Tongwei was a little excited and stood up suddenly: "Balance? How easy is that! You are dealing with officials, and I am running around in the business world. Why are we working so hard? We just want to make our hometown better. But now, it feels like every step forward requires a huge price, and there may not be any reward."
Hou Liangping also stood up and walked to Qi Tongwei, his eyes firm: "Dongwei, I know you are tired, and so am I. But we must not forget our original intention. The old man entrusted the future of our hometown to us, not for us to bow down in the face of difficulties. For the funding problem, we can mobilize the villagers to invest and engage in cooperative management, which will not only solve the funding problem, but also let everyone share the fruits of development; for those parasites in the officialdom, we will continue to dig deep, unite the superiors, and uproot them; for the villagers' disagreements, we will hold a meeting, make the plan transparent, explain the pros and cons, and strive for everyone's understanding and support. There are always more solutions than problems, as long as we don't give up."
Qi Tongwei gradually calmed down after listening to Hou Liangping's words. He sat back in his chair and thought for a long time: "Liangping, you are right. I was too impatient. Our journey has been full of thorns. We can't lose our composure because of a temporary setback."
The dim light flickered in the room. Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping sat opposite each other. The brief calm concealed a turbulent undercurrent. Qi Tongwei, who had just calmed down, tapped the table unconsciously, breaking the silence: "Liangping, although we have set the direction, it is not easy to implement it step by step. Take the matter of mobilizing villagers to invest, for example. It is not easy for villagers to save some money. What if the project loses money? How can we explain it?" He frowned, his eyes full of worry.
Hou Liangping raised his head slightly, took a deep breath, and seemed to be organizing his thoughts: "Dongwei, there are definitely risks, but this is the only way. We should do a good job of research in the early stage, select projects that are sure to make money, and then ask professionals to explain them clearly to the villagers. We should also take the lead in investing and put our fortunes at risk to let everyone see our determination." He looked at Qi Tongwei firmly, trying to convey confidence.
Qi Tongwei smiled bitterly: "Liangping, you think too simply. Professional talents are scarce in our remote area. Where can we find them? Besides, even if we find them, why would they come to our small place to help us wade through this muddy water?" Hou Liangping stood up and paced, crossing his arms: "Everything depends on human effort. I heard that there are several retired agricultural experts in the neighboring county who have always been concerned about rural development. We can visit them, show our sincerity, and impress them with our planning blueprint. Moreover, the Internet is well developed now, and we can also seek help online. I don't believe that we can't find a few like-minded helpers."
While the two were discussing, there was a sudden knock on the door. When they opened the door, it was the village accountant Lao Zhang, who was pale and sweating profusely: "Two leaders, bad news! An investor we contacted before just withdrew his investment! He said that he was still worried about the policy environment here and was afraid that his investment would go to waste." This news was like a heavy hammer, which shocked the two people.
Qi Tongwei clenched his fists, his eyes burning with anger: "These profit-seeking guys! We ran around for them in the early stage, and the policy benefits were negotiated. It's outrageous that they quit at this critical moment!" Hou Liangping also looked solemn, but still analyzed calmly: "Dongwei, don't be angry yet. This shows that our investment environment does have shortcomings, and we must quickly find out and fill them. On the one hand, we will compile the policies and regulations that have been implemented into a book and make them public and transparent; on the other hand, we will establish a special investment service team to provide investors with one-stop services so that they have no worries."
After calming down this storm, the two men immediately threw themselves into the work of anti-corruption in officialdom and communicating with villagers. When digging deep into official corrosives, the resistance was beyond imagination. Every time a clue was investigated, there were always various connections to intercede and put pressure. Once, Hou Liangping received an anonymous letter with photos of his family inside. On the photos were written in red paint, "If you continue to investigate, you will bear the consequences at your own risk." Hou Liangping clenched the letter, his face livid: "Dongwei, it seems that we have touched their core interests, and these people are starting to jump off the wall at will." Qi Tongwei patted him on the shoulder: "Liangping, don't be afraid! We have the law and the trust of the villagers behind us, they dare not do anything. Let's speed up the investigation and strive to eradicate these tumors as soon as possible."
When the villagers' meeting was held, the scene was also in chaos. Young people were dissatisfied with the ecological protection plan, believing that it restricted the speed of industrial development and affected their ability to get rich quickly; the elderly had opinions on the new agricultural planting adjustments, worrying that the harvest would not be guaranteed after changing traditional planting habits. Both sides insisted on their own opinions and argued fiercely. Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping stood on the stage, shouting until their voices were hoarse, trying to calm everyone down and explain the original intention of the plan, but to little avail.
After the meeting, the two of them slumped down in the audience, exhausted. Qi Tongwei looked at the empty venue with a hollow look in his eyes: "Liangping, why are we working so hard? It seems that no matter what we do, we can't satisfy everyone. Did we make a mistake from the beginning?" Hou Liangping turned his head to look at him with a firm gaze: "Dongwei, we are not wrong! This is the inevitable pain of development. Young people are eager for opportunities, and the elderly are nostalgic for traditions. What we have to do is to find a balance. Tomorrow we will visit every household to understand everyone's true thoughts, and then adjust the plan accordingly."