The visitor was slightly overweight, appearing to be in his fifties, wearing a jacket and trousers, looking like a superior leader. A young man carrying a briefcase followed him from behind.
The young man was at least 1.8 meters tall, his casual attire highlighting his long legs, surprisingly it was Lin Zhou, whom they hadn't seen for a long time.
Secretary Liu and Tian Fushun quickly stood up to welcome them and shook hands with the middle-aged man: "Minister Li, what brings you here?"
This person was the head of the county party committee's organization department, named Li Chang'an.
"I'm here today to deliver the appointment certificate for Comrade Tian Xin as the village official. It was delayed for a long time, causing this misunderstanding with your village committee!"
The appointment certificate finally arrived!
Tian Fushun and Tian Xin both breathed a sigh of relief!
Li Chang'an took out the appointment certificate and said to everyone: "Tian Xin performed excellently during the assessment period, especially during the interview, leaving a deep impression on the colleagues in charge. I am here today to formally notify you. This is the appointment certificate, with a three-year term, responsible for assisting with various village committee work."
After Li Chang'an finished speaking, Liu Chen and Secretary Liu's expressions immediately changed.
Why did people from the county come at this crucial moment?
Wasn't this matter agreed upon? Why did the appointment certificate come so quickly?
No matter how turbulent Secretary Liu's heart was, his face didn't look too bad. After all, having been a secretary for so long, he understood human interactions and social conventions.
They quickly asked Tian Xin to step forward. Seeing the red seal, she finally eased her mind.
The day after receiving the appointment certificate, Tian Xin began her work. She was now full of energy.
In the past few months, everyone had been busy drilling wells, bustling with activity.
Tian Xin went everywhere to check on things.
"Everyone, keep working hard during this period, it's a bit tough." Whenever she reached a spot, she would shout this sentence.
"Xinxin, as the new official, what are the three fires you're going to ignite?" Uncle Li at the east end of the village kindly asked her.
"Uncle, we'll first drill the wells, then plant persimmon trees, and finally open a stone factory in the village."
"Vegetable market? What's the need for a vegetable market in our village?" The old man, being hard of hearing, misheard.
"It's a stone factory, to process stones into materials for selling, not a vegetable market."
These three measures were the future 5-10 year development plans for the village proposed by Tian Xin later at the meeting. They were drilling Tian wells, planting persimmon trees, and opening the Stone Factory.
Little Bay Village is located in the northwest, with perennial droughts, where the field crops yield less than other places. So twenty years ago, everyone planted the cold-resistant pepper tree to increase economic income.
However, due to a lack of technical knowledge, most of the land remains undeveloped slopes and deep trenches. The yield decreased year after year. By now, most farming households only managed to fill their bellies, with surpluses being rare, coming either from those with jobs and skills or those with large planting areas.
Therefore, the wells are extremely necessary, not just for pepper trees, but also for other crops.
"I understand drilling wells, for irrigation. But why plant these persimmon trees? Nobody eats persimmons in our village," Third Uncle asked.
"This batch of persimmon trees is a new variety, not for eating persimmons. It's to process into dried persimmons."
"Dried persimmons? By making dried persimmons, we can sell them?"
"Yes, not only can we sell them, but they can also be very profitable. If done well, they are worth more than pepper," Tian Xin explained the benefits of planting persimmons as she walked.
"That's excellent, let's plant them."
In her previous life, the neighboring county where Tian Xin was from planted high-quality persimmon varieties, which, after secondary processing, became a kind of local specialty in demand nationwide—dried persimmons.
By mastering this technique, not only would it increase income, but it would also give the women in the village a skill. Even if they worked as guest workers drying persimmons, they could earn an income rather than relying on men for money.
"Everyone, let's work harder. The Stone Factory has already started construction. In a few months, it will be officially operational. For families with young people looking for jobs, they can check if there are suitable positions."
The establishment of the Stone Factory is a benefit for the village, with its production outsourced. Each year, a part of the dividends can be used as funds for village activities.
First, public bidding is open to capable bosses. After obtaining the mining license, stones are collected, processed into finished materials, and resold to the county cement factory.
The Stone Factory has two main areas: the quarry and the finished materials factory.
Whether it's the quarry or the finished materials factory, once established, they will require a large workforce. Both technical workers and transport drivers are needed.