Pushing open the two wooden doors, the small courtyard is dilapidated, but the Wu-style architectural style can be vaguely seen. A gray-haired old man is cleaning the tea-frying stove next to the west room. This stove has three pots connected and operated sequentially, divided into a raw pot, two green pots and a cooked pot. The pots are tilted at 0-0 degrees, and the killing and kneading of green tea are done in one go, which requires a lot of personal skills.
The old man seemed to be having some physical discomfort, his hands were shaking all the time, and he accidentally knocked off the tea-roasting broom beside the stove. He held onto the table and tried to bend down to pick it up, but he couldn't reach it. It was a very cold day, and sweat kept dripping down his forehead.
A slender, clean hand suddenly reached out from behind and picked up the broom. A gentle voice sounded at the same time:
"Old man, let me do it."
The old man turned his head, his wrinkles deep as if cut by a knife. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Wen Liang, then smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you, young man. Are you here to look for someone in the village? What's your name? I know everyone in the village..."
Wen Liang helped him stand up, took two steps back, and said with a smile: "I came here to find you, Uncle Wang!"
Old Wang then noticed the people behind him and asked, "Looking for me? Who are you?"
Wen Liang looked around and asked irrelevantly, "Master, do you live alone?"
Old Wang followed his gaze and looked at his own courtyard. He sighed, "My wife passed away a few years ago. If it weren't for my three sons' filial piety, I, an old man, would have gone to the underworld to meet her. But now, God is blind. Zhuzi and the others also... also..."
As he spoke, dirty tears burst out from his old eyes, and he was shaking violently from his hands to his feet. Wen Liang quickly comforted him, "Uncle, don't be sad. Tell me if you have anything. I won't hide it from you. I came here this time to help you solve the problem."
Hearing Wen Liang's words, Old Wang raised his head abruptly. The young man in front of him was in his early twenties, unlike those leaders who were pregnant with big bellies. The surprise in his eyes turned into doubt, and he said, "You... you can make the decision?"
Yao Shang walked over and introduced, "Wang Qiming, this is Mr. Wen from Biluochun Tea Company. You can make any requests. Whether or not to recycle your tea garden, and how to recycle it, all ultimately depends on him."
Old Wang understood what he heard, and he immediately figured it out. He knelt on the ground, holding Wen Liang's clothes and crying, "Boss Wen, please let my three sons go. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I shouldn't have gone against the government. It has nothing to do with Zhuzi and the others... If you want the tea garden, take it. I don't want a penny. Just let my sons go..."
Green mountains and clear waters are paradise, but is there anything more heartbreaking than the lamentation of a 70-year-old man? This tragedy was caused by officials and businessmen, but it was not caused by officials and businessmen. From ancient times to the present, no matter the dynasties came and went, and the system changed, the people's livelihood was difficult and the people were worried, and there has never been any fundamental change.
Wen Liang bent down, helped the old man up, and sat him on a small stool under the eaves. Then he half-knelt down, took the old man's hand, and said seriously: "Uncle, I apologize to you for not knowing the importance of doing things. Whether the tea garden is sold or not is up to you. We are businessmen, not robbers, so you can rest assured. As for your son... Director Yao, you come..."
Yao Shang followed and stood beside Wen Liang. Wen Liang pointed at her and said, "This is Director Yao from the county government. Her words are more effective than mine. I will release your son today, and I promise that no one will come to embarrass you again."
Yao Shang nodded and said, "I will report to Secretary Fu when I get back. I will let them go tonight at the latest."
Wang Qiming stared at the two of them. Perhaps it was Wen Liang's action of picking up the broom that made him feel that this person could be trusted, or perhaps it was Wen Liang's tone and expression that told him that this young-looking guy would definitely keep his word. Anyway, at that moment, the fear and worry he had been feeling for more than a day seemed to have found an outlet, and he immediately burst into tears and said, "Good people, God has opened his eyes, you are good people..."
After comforting the old man, Wen Liang sent people to find the branch secretary and village head of Donghe Village. At the same time, Xiting Town Secretary and Mayor Zhao Xiaoquan also received the news. Fearing that Wen Liang, Yao Shang and others might get into trouble, he brought the town staff and rushed over. About 10 to 20 people poured into Wang Qiming's house, crowding the already small courtyard. Later, it was the branch secretary Guo Huai who suggested that everyone move to the Mingshan Hall in the village to discuss matters.
Mingshan Hall, as the name suggests, is an old building from the Ming Dynasty. The courtyard walls are covered with mottled white paint and the gate is simple, but it is a different world inside. A long and narrow corridor extends to the north-south entrance hall. There are a living room and a garden on the east side of the gate. The main hall is in the middle and back. The wall of the screen wall is built with polished square bricks at an angle, the roof is covered with small green tiles, and the eaves have dripping tiles. Under the eaves are carvings of auspicious figures, auspicious animals, flowers and plants, and geometric patterns. Various techniques are used to perfection, and the patterns are still clear and bright after hundreds of years.
Wen Liang looked at these buildings filled with the vicissitudes of history, thinking of Wujiang's developed cultural tourism industry in later generations, and sighed: "These are all treasures. If they are well repaired and combined with the tea gardens in the village, they will definitely attract many people..."
Zhao Xiaoquan is about 30 years old. He is short and fat, and has a bald spot on his forehead. His appearance can only be described as wretched. His eyes are always narrowed into a slit, and no matter whether he looks at a man or a woman, it's as if he is stripping off their clothes. At this time, he was accompanying Wen Liang. When he heard this, his eyes lit up and he said, "Mr. Wen means that this place can be developed into a tourist attraction? But there are so many shabby old houses in the town, and no one is interested!"
Wen Liang smiled but said nothing. Yao Shang refused to give in and said angrily, "How can you keep people on suspense when you are talking halfway? If you don't tell me the truth, Mr. Wen, be careful that Wu Jiang will label you as persona non grata and expel you from the country!"
After she finished speaking, she covered her mouth and laughed, showing the charming and graceful demeanor of a Jiangnan beauty. Zhao Xiaoquan's eyes almost popped out of his head. How could he not know Director Yao Shang, who had just been transferred to Wujiang County not long ago? Although he had not had much contact with her, he had heard that she was serious and was a first-class dignified young woman in the county party committee office. How could she be so familiar with the young General Manager Wen
Taking advantage of Zhao Xiaoquan leading the way, Wen Liang slowed down his pace, moved closer to Yao Shang, lowered his voice and smiled, "It doesn't matter if Wu Jiang doesn't welcome me. As long as Director Yao welcomes me, I'll be satisfied."
Yao Shang's face turned red, she gave him a coquettish look, lowered her head, ignored Wen Liang, and quickly walked into the main hall.
Wen Liang looked at her swaying figure and smiled faintly. What was his intention? He used tea as a fulcrum to cut into the county economic circle of Wujiang, and then took Wujiang County as the center to vigorously integrate the tourism resources of the area around Taihu Lake. Finally, he used culture as a stage to play a role in the economy, conquered Wuzhou, and radiated the whole province, thus deeply stepping into the bones of Suhai Province and unable to pull it out.
So let alone meeting Yao Shang for the first time, even if there were ten Yao Shangs standing naked in front of him, it would be extremely difficult to ask him about his plans.
Seeing that the environment here was acceptable and the area was large, Wen Liang instructed Guo Huai to take the members of the village committee and the heads of each village group to notify the villagers who had caused trouble yesterday and ask them to elect ten representatives to attend the meeting. At the same time, he also asked the villagers who had signed the purchase contract to elect ten representatives to attend.
Security Minister Fan Bo and others still don't know how Wen Liang plans to solve this incident, but considering Uncle Wen's usual performance of planning everything, they are still waiting on the side with peace of mind. Yao Shang and Zhao Xiaoquan are not so calm, especially Zhao Xiaoquan, who is one of the parties who personally experienced the riot yesterday. Once bitten by a snake, he is afraid of the well rope for ten years, and he is afraid of causing any more trouble. He said: "Let's hold a meeting to discuss it first. The village representatives are not in a hurry to notify..."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will never make things difficult for Director Yao and Mayor Zhao. Not only will there be no trouble today, but the people will also be grateful to the two leaders."
This was a big boast, Zhao Xiaoquan certainly didn't believe it, he smiled awkwardly and found a seat. Yao Shang was curious about what methods Wen Liang used to convince these tea farmers, so he kindly reminded them: "Don't be stubborn, if you really can't solve it, just push the responsibility to us."
"Secretary Fu must be very lucky to have a subordinate like you who is so treacherous. Aren't you afraid that Secretary Fu will cause trouble for you?"
Yao Shang smiled sweetly, looking calm, and it was obvious that she didn't take Fu Minzhi seriously.
This woman is not simple, interesting, really interesting!
Wen Liang touched his chin and fell into deep thought.
About an hour later, Guo Huai brought representatives elected by the villagers into Mingshan Hall. The chattering never stopped until Wen Liang took the loudspeaker handed to him by Guo Huai, stood on the steps of the main hall and coughed twice, and everyone quieted down.
"Fellow villagers, let me introduce myself first. My last name is Wen, and I am the general manager of the tea company you have been scolding since yesterday. What is a general manager? It means that the boss is always reasonable! Yesterday, because of our mistakes at work, we caused trouble to the leaders of Xiting Town and the villagers of Donghe Village. On behalf of Wujiang Biluochun Tea Company, I would like to apologize to everyone."
The audience was in an uproar. For so many years, they had only seen respectable people who would kick you when you were bullied. Who had ever heard of someone apologizing to ordinary people? They gathered together and whispered to each other. Some were surprised, some were confused, some were moved, but they were all still half-believing and half-doubting.
Wen Liang first bowed deeply, then stood up and said with a smile: "Of course, some people say that there is no point in apologizing. The people have been arrested and the tea garden has been confiscated... Yes, apologies are indeed useless, but I also promise everyone that the people who have been arrested will be released today, and the tea garden will be returned to everyone today. Our company doesn't want it anymore!"
Zhao Xiaoquan was very anxious. My ancestor, is this what you came up with? The tea farmers will calm down after a few days of making trouble. As ordinary people, there are many ways to deal with them. But if you want to abandon your responsibilities and walk away, won't I be eaten alive by Fu Lao Da, who is only interested in attracting investment
He thought Yao Shang and Wen Liang had a good relationship, so he quickly winked at Yao Shang, asking her to stop Wen Liang from talking nonsense. But Yao Shang sat still, shook her head slightly, signaling Zhao Xiaoquan to calm down and continue listening to Wen Liang.
Zhao Xiaoquan was like a man in a state of panic who met a slow doctor. His little eyes were almost crying from blinking, but Yao Shang didn't move at all. He had no choice but to sit dejectedly in his chair, thinking about how to deal with Fu Minzhi's anger. He didn't even hear what Wen Liang said next.
The audience looked at each other in bewilderment. To be honest, everyone knew the current situation. If the tea garden was left in their hands, it would be doomed sooner or later! If the distributors could not sell their tea, no one would buy their tea. Without tea, there would be no income. What was the point of guarding a broken tea garden? It would be better to grow some wheat and rice. At least they would not starve to death all year round!
Ordinary people have their own thoughts. Some people really don't want to be like Wang Qiming, who treats the tea garden as an object handed down from their ancestors, intending to pass it down from generation to generation as a family heirloom; but some want to take advantage of the trouble to raise the price, and try to sell it for as much as possible; and some are fence-sitters, who will sell if everyone else sells, and will join in the fun if everyone else cheers. Anyway, I won't stand out, but don't ignore my existence either. This kind of people is generally known as shit stirrers, they don't have much power, but they are enough to disgust people.
With these three types of people, there will be disagreements, and with disagreements, things will be easier to resolve. As soon as Wen Liang finished speaking, a man walked out of the crowd and said, "It's someone else's business if they don't sell. My tea garden has signed a contract with your company. You can just say you don't want it. How can it be so cheap?"
Another person rushed out, pointed at the man and cursed: "Liu Laosan, what did everyone say last night? You little Bi Yangzi is just talking nonsense, you are a fool, and you just like to wear a wallet on your forehead!"
Wu Zhou spoke quickly and urgently, Wen Liang was confused and turned to look at Yao Shang. Yao Shang raised her chin proudly, with an expression of "you don't understand", which was very cute.
Liu Laosan looked ashamed after being scolded, but he still said stubbornly: "I'm selling my garden, you have no right to interfere! It's already in such a bad state, why don't you sell it? If you don't sell it, will it rot in your hands?"
Each of them had his own supporters, and the courtyard immediately became a scene of quarrel. Having successfully provoked internal conflicts among the people, Wen Liang was still approachable and honest. He pressed his hand, motioning everyone to be quiet, and said, "It turns out that someone still wants to sell! Let's put it this way. Since I came to Wujiang to invest, I naturally want the people of Wujiang to benefit. Originally, the company must acquire 7,000 acres to make a profit, but we can't just watch everyone lose their livelihood, right? Then I'll give you an idea. Listen to it. If it's suitable, we can continue to discuss it. If it's not suitable, I will leave immediately without saying anything, and I will never bother you folks again."
An elder-looking man came out with a cane. He must be very famous in the village. Liu Laosan and the man who scolded him became very respectful. The elder said, "Boss Wen is a man of great achievements. He will not cheat ordinary people like us. I will be arrogant for once and listen to Boss Wen's ideas on behalf of all the villagers. If it is appropriate, I also promise that no one in the village will deliberately cause trouble again."
Wen Liang walked down, took the old man's hand and stood on the steps together, saying: "Okay, my idea is actually very simple, that is, to establish the Xihe Village Tea Farmers Cooperative, which is self-managed, democratically managed, voluntary to join, and free to withdraw..."
(Well, for security reasons, I took the word Wu from Wuzhong District and chose Jiang, but I forgot that there is really a Wujiang County in Suzhou... I bow and apologize to the readers of Wujiang... This book is purely fictional and there will be no similarities!) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)