booktalesy Chapter 380 The Soong Sisters 5
Chapter 380 The Soong Sisters 5
The convoy followed a winding country road into a mountain valley.
The area is situated at a high altitude, with villages scattered across the hillsides. Chestnut groves and walnut trees can be seen everywhere, both in front of and behind the houses.
Liu Jingjing introduced, "President Song, this is one of the main production areas of mountain products in Wuhe Town."
Almost every household grows chestnuts and walnuts, and wild shiitake mushrooms and wood ear fungus grow on the mountains.
The car stopped at the grain drying ground at the entrance of the village.
Several elderly people sat in the sun by the wall, while chestnuts were drying in the threshing ground.
Song Ya-wen grabbed a handful of chestnuts.
The chestnuts are not large, but they are glossy and heavy.
She peeled one open, revealing the golden flesh, and put it in her mouth to chew slowly.
"It's very sweet and chewy. The quality is really good."
The old man next to her said, "Young lady, it seems you know your stuff."
These chestnuts aren't sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers, so they don't fetch a good price. When vendors come to buy them, they only get a few cents a pound. In the city, they'd sell for at least a few dollars.
Song Yawen looked at Wu Zhiyuan: "County Chief Wu, the profit distribution in the industrial chain is seriously unbalanced."
The production side bears the greatest risk, yet only gets the smallest slice of the pie.
Wu Zhiyuan nodded and said, "Therefore, we must retain the added value through deep processing and branding so that farmers can truly benefit."
He Yeshan interjected, "This area is all chestnut forest, and over there are wild walnut trees."
Further in, there are also large areas of wild mushroom farms.
If a modern processing plant were located here, grading, sorting, and packaging these products, or processing them into more refined products like chestnut kernels, walnut powder, or mushroom soup packets, the added value could increase several times over.
Next, we visited several other places.
Song Yawen said, "Wuhe Town has excellent basic conditions in terms of location, transportation, land, water and electricity."
However, these hardware facilities alone are not enough for agricultural product logistics and processing.
The core issues are twofold: first, a standardized, large-scale, and stable upstream supply chain;
Secondly, there's the downstream market channels and brand premium capabilities.
As we just saw at the cooperative, the products are good, but they are too scattered, have inconsistent standards, unstable quality, and no brand.
If we want to build an industrial park here, we must start from the source.
A traceability system and standard operating procedures must be established covering the entire process from seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, planting techniques, harvesting, sorting, testing, packaging, warehousing, and transportation.
After a pause, Song Yawen continued, "My initial idea is that the park can be built in three phases."
The first phase involves the construction of high-standard multi-temperature zone cold storage, sorting and processing centers, testing centers, and information platforms.
First, we need to solve the problems of storing and transporting agricultural products, and at the same time, establish quality control standards.
The second phase involves building deep-processing production lines for pre-cleaned vegetables, central kitchens, snack foods, and health product extraction to increase added value.
The third phase will include the construction of an e-commerce incubation base, a live-streaming base, a research and development center, and a training center, aiming to create a regional public brand and expand online and offline sales channels.
Liu Jingjing listened attentively and tentatively asked, "President Song, if the blueprint you just described were to actually come to fruition, what would the approximate scale of the investment be?"
Song Yawen smiled faintly: "The total investment is probably around a billion yuan."
Of course, this is a phased investment, dynamically adjusted according to market conditions and project progress. The initial investment will be at least 300 million.
Over a billion!
Liu Jingjing was overjoyed.
Since its establishment, when has Wuhe Town ever seen such a large project?
Not to mention Wuhe, even in the entire Qingyan County, there are very few investment projects of this scale.
Wu Zhiyuan remained calm.
He knew all too well the strength of the Song Group.
The Song Group is a leading enterprise group in Country A. Although it cannot compare with the behemoth-sized enterprises in China, the group's total assets are still in the tens of billions, and its annual revenue is also in the tens of billions.
Investing over a billion yuan is not impossible for the Song Group, nor is it an unbearable burden.
Of course, Wu Zhiyuan was well aware that Song Yawen was willing to invest heavily not only because the project was worth investing in, but also because they were friends.
This major project was a congratulatory gift from Song Ya-wen to the newly appointed county magistrate.
Wu Zhiyuan said to Liu Jingjing and He Yeshan: "The three-phase plan proposed by President Song has a clear direction and a steady approach."
From infrastructure development to processing and value-added services, and then to brand expansion, this is a truly effective solution to turn the green mountains and clear waters of Qingyan into gold and silver mountains.
Our county and town governments must fully cooperate and provide excellent service and support.
Liu Jingjing quickly replied, "Rest assured, County Chief Wu, rest assured, President Song, Wuhe Town will do its utmost!"
"Once the project is implemented, we'll cooperate with whatever you need without hesitation!"
He Yeshan nodded repeatedly: "Our town has set up a special team to specifically handle this project."
"Mr. Song, please feel free to make any requests. We'll do what we can right away, and for what we can't do for the time being, we'll find a way!"
Liu Jingjing couldn't help but exclaim, "President Song, it's a blessing for the people of our small town of Wuhe to be able to attract an international giant like the Song Group. It's also the greatest source of confidence for our town to escape poverty and achieve prosperity."
Song Ya-wen smiled slightly: "Small places have great resources; the key is how to develop and utilize them."
I heard that Qingyan County will soon be incorporated into Jiangzhou, and will then become part of the provincial capital.
The combination of policy benefits from being a poverty-stricken county and the locational advantages of being a provincial capital is indeed very attractive.
Wu Zhiyuan continued, "President Song, once the road is completed next year, it will only take half an hour to get from Wuhe to the provincial capital."
At that time, Wuhe will no longer be Qingyan's "leftovers", but Jiangzhou's "back garden" and "vegetable basket".
Once this positioning is established, the space for development will open up.
At noon, they ate lunch at the town government canteen. In the afternoon, Wu Zhiyuan accompanied Song Yawen to visit the tourism resources of Wuhe Town.
According to Wu Zhiyuan's vision, once the road is built, the logistics industrial park is completed, and a wildlife park is introduced, combined with tourism development, Wuhe Town will take off.
He Yeshan introduced: "President Song, there is a village called Shiyan in the north of our town. It is an ancient village from the Ming and Qing Dynasties that is very well preserved."
There is also an ancient road in the village that leads to the waterfalls in the mountains.
The county government evaluated it a few years ago, calling it "Qingyan's most beautiful village".
The problem is the inconvenient transportation; it hasn't been developed yet.
The Soong sisters were very interested in this.
Twenty minutes after the car left the town, it stopped in a ravine.
Before you lies an ancient village built against the mountainside, with winding bluestone paths and well-preserved Ming and Qing dynasty buildings on both sides, featuring gray walls, black tiles, and upturned eaves.
At the entrance of the village stand more than a dozen enormous ancient camphor trees, their trunks so thick that it would take several people to encircle them.
There are several blue stones under the tree, polished smooth and shiny.
He Yeshan explained: "Shiyan Village is said to have been founded in the mid-Ming Dynasty, and has a history of several hundred years."
There are still more than 300 households living in the village, most of whom are surnamed Shi.
Many of these old houses have retained their original appearance.
The group entered the village along the bluestone path.
The village was very quiet.
The winter sun shines on the mottled wall, a few chickens are scratching for food by the roadside, and a big yellow dog is dozing on the doorstep.
Song Ya-wen carefully examined each old house.
Some houses have exquisite wood carvings, brick carvings, and stone carvings. Despite the passage of time, the craftsmanship of those days is still evident.
Two stone tablets stand at the entrance of the ancestral hall. The inscriptions are faded and mottled, but they can still be vaguely identified as having been erected during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
Song Yawen walked into the ancestral hall, looked up at the exquisite beams and brackets, and asked Wu Zhiyuan, "County Chief Wu, how many ancient villages like this are left in the whole county?"
Wu Zhiyuan said, "There are probably five or six. They are scattered in different towns."
But they all face the same problems—inconvenient transportation, lack of funds, and inadequate protection.
In some villages, many old houses have collapsed because no one lives there, which is truly a pity.
After leaving the ancestral hall, I walked along a small path into the mountains. Ten minutes later, I could faintly hear the sound of water.
After rounding a bend in the mountain, a breathtaking view suddenly appeared before us—a waterfall cascaded down a cliff dozens of meters high, splashing water and refracting rainbows in the sunlight.
Song Yating exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! So beautiful!"
She took a picture with her phone.
Song Ya-wen was also shocked.
Although this waterfall is not as spectacular as those in famous mountains and rivers, it has a unique and serene beauty in this quiet valley.
He Yeshan is very familiar with the town and introduced it: "Go further in, there are several waterfalls, which the locals call the Nine-Tiered Waterfall."
It's even more spectacular during the rainy season when the water volume is high.
Now that it's winter, the water level is lower, but that has its own unique charm.
Standing in front of the waterfall, Song Yawen said thoughtfully, "County Chief Wu, the development potential of Wuhe Town is even greater than I imagined."
This place not only boasts high-quality agricultural resources, but also such precious ancient villages and natural scenery.
If these resources can be integrated and developed systematically, it is entirely possible to forge a unique development path combining agriculture and tourism.
What Wu Zhiyuan couldn't say was that once the merger of Longcheng was officially announced, he would do everything in his power to secure the Jiangzhou Wildlife Park project for Wuhe Town.
By then, Wuhe Town will not only have a modern agricultural logistics park, but also tourism and a wildlife park. Only with these three driving forces advancing in tandem can it truly achieve leapfrog development.
However, these are all still just ideas and need to be implemented step by step. The prerequisite is that the road connecting to Jiangzhou be opened up.
Dinner was at Qingyan Hotel, hosted by the county government.
Last night's gathering was a private affair; tonight's event is the formal official reception.
Liao Shanshan, as the hotel's deputy manager, was in charge of the banquet reception.
She was dressed in a well-fitting navy blue suit, her hair styled in an elegant updo, and a smile on her face as she moved about inside and outside the private room, directing the waiters to serve dishes and pour drinks, all in an orderly manner.
Liao Shanshan glanced at Wu Zhiyuan every now and then, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
This young county head is not only decisive, capable, and insightful, but also possesses such a powerful network of connections—the president of the Song Group personally came to inspect the area and immediately offered an investment of over a billion yuan.
She recalled her two visits to Wu Zhiyuan's house and could sense that Wu Zhiyuan was distant from her.
Did he guess her motive?
Indeed, Jiang Xiaohua asked her to do some things.
But she also thought that she would be willing to become Wu Zhiyuan's lover.
She didn't even want to betray Wu Zhiyuan.
By all accounts, Wu Zhiyuan has more potential for development than Yuan Jin.
Why insist on hanging yourself on Yuan Jin's tree?
However, Wu Zhiyuan was not easy to approach.
But the more this happened, the stronger Liao Shanshan's competitive spirit became.
Having worked at Qingyan Hotel for so many years, Liao Shanshan has seen too many county leaders who have come to Qingyan to take up their posts.
Some are greedy for money, some are lustful, some are eager to achieve political success, and some just want to coast through life.
She always manages to find their weaknesses and then, through appropriate means, seeks to benefit herself and others.
But Wu Zhiyuan is different.
Since he came to Qingyan, he has had almost no personal hobbies besides work.
Such a person seems to be invincible.
But Liao Shanshan didn't believe that there really were men in this world who were invulnerable to swords and spears.
She needs patience, she needs to wait, and she needs to find the right opportunity.