I'm back in 1990

Chapter 738: The Road

"I'm Back in 1990," a masterpiece by Sijiucai (Four Seasons Leek), is available to read now!

After downing half a jin of liquor, Ding began to talk to his friend about the current situation in Xiajiang County.

"Don't let the fact that the Three Gorges area looks poor fool you; in fact, it really is quite poor!"

Huang Xiaochuan found it hilarious. What was he even saying? It was all utter nonsense! But he knew Ding Yi would definitely have more to say, and sure enough!

Ding Yi continued, "However, the Xiajiang area still has great potential to be tapped. It has abundant water resources, beautiful natural scenery, various minerals, local specialties, and so on. These are all untapped treasures."

Ding Yi became more and more excited as he spoke, perhaps also stimulated by the alcohol. He simply unzipped his shirt, opened his coat, and began to talk at length about the Three Gorges to Huang Xiaochuan.

Before coming here, Huang Xiaochuan had already consulted relevant information to learn about this county, which ranks among the poorest in the country. To be honest, there are quite a few similar counties in the country. The main reason he came to Xiajiang was because of Ding Yi, and part of the reason was that he also wanted to try to see how to help a poor county get rid of poverty and become rich. This was also a practical operation combining theory and practice for him as an economist.

Huang Xiaochuan had several ideas on his way here. For example, the data showed that the county had a population of more than 700,000, which is a typical area with a large population and little land. Human resources are also a kind of resource. Some of the idle labor force can be guided to economically developed areas such as the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. This move can kill two birds with one stone, solving the problem of surplus labor force and also increasing the income of local people.

As for mineral resources, Huang Xiaochuan believes it's best not to touch them. Once they are developed, most of the benefits will only be received by a very small number of people, while ordinary people will not benefit at all. On the contrary, it will cause irreversible damage to the local ecology, and in the future, what will be left for the people will most likely be collapsed land and polluted water sources.

In his previous phone call, Ding Yi had praised the scenery of the Three Gorges to the skies, but after Huang Xiaochuan arrived, he found that it was indeed as Ding Yi had described—a place of exceptional beauty, with verdant mountains, swirling clouds and mist, and stunningly beautiful natural scenery.

That mountain road was really too winding and the road was a bit in disrepair. However, for people who grew up in the plains, this kind of winding road is a unique tourist attraction in itself.

However, the prerequisite is that the road must be repaired, at least widened and leveled, so that driving safety can be guaranteed. But such matters should be handled by the local county government.

Ding Yi talked on and on for a long time, but the central topic was actually just one thing: "the road"!

After Ding Yi finished speaking, Huang Xiaochuan asked him, "Have you contacted Wu Duo?"

Ding Yi's small eyes gleamed with a sly glint; he had been waiting for Huang Xiaochuan to say those words!

He slapped his thigh: "Oh yeah! How could I forget about Old Wu?"

Huang Xiaochuan smiled without saying a word to Ding Yi, not pointing it out. Ding Yi and Wu Duo's relationship had always been better than that of ordinary classmates. Neither of them would take the initiative to seek help from the other. It was only because of Huang Xiaochuan that they maintained a relatively good classmate relationship.

Having lived two lives, Huang Xiaochuan could roughly predict the future career paths of the two men. Although Wu Duo was closely following the big leader, he would probably only reach the level of director-general in his lifetime. The reason was not complicated: his experience of studying abroad caused him to lose points, which was also where he made a mistake.

As for how far Ding Yi will go in his career, Huang Xiaochuan doesn't know. In Huang Xiaochuan's opinion, he will go at least further than Wu Duo. The reason is simple: Ding Yi did several important things that benefited the country during his leave of absence without pay. In addition, with his family background and his own abilities, he is the kind of lucky guy who will rise to prominence when the wind blows. His temporary post in Xiajiang is just the first step in his career.

Huang Xiaochuan saw everything Ding Yi did and couldn't help but laugh and cry. Ding Yi was really shrewd; he had been waiting here all along.

Sure enough, Ding Yi turned to Huang Xiaochuan for help: "Xiaochuan, could you talk to Lao Wu about this for me?"

Huang Xiaochuan feigned ignorance, saying, "Why? Why don't you just go find him directly?"

"To be honest, my relationship with Lao Wu isn't as close as yours. What if he makes up some excuse to refuse if I contact him?" Ding Yi didn't hide his concerns from Huang Xiaochuan.

After pondering for a moment, Huang Xiaochuan said, "I feel it's inconvenient to discuss this over the phone. After I stay with you for a few days to get a feel for the situation, you can come with me to Yanjing. Once you've prepared all the necessary documents, we can talk to him in person. How does that sound?"

"Bang!" Ding Yi excitedly slammed his hand on the table: "Okay, your idea is perfect, we'll do it your way!" From beginning to end, this was exactly what Ding Yi had been waiting for Huang Xiaochuan to say.

After Ding Yi arrived here, he realized that it was not easy to get anything done. It was not as simple as raising donations to solve everything. There were too many places in the county that needed money, and there was also a city above. Even if they borrowed the road repair funds, the road would not be repaired anytime soon. After all, for the county and city, there were many more important things to do than repairing roads.

Therefore, Ding Yi thought of Wu Duo. Through Wu Duo's connections, he could directly obtain a promotion. Otherwise, Ding Yi's abilities as a deputy county head on temporary assignment would not be sufficient for road construction.

Once the project is approved, the funding issue becomes relatively easy to resolve. As long as the project is approved, a special fund will definitely be allocated, and with additional donations from Huang Xiaochuan's foundations, the matter will be settled, and Ding Yi will have achieved a political achievement.

With the important matter resolved, the rest of the conversation became much easier.

Moreover, the table full of wild delicacies from the mountains and the fields had a unique flavor.