149: Chapter 149 Investment Comes to Your Door

When the motorcade of Zhang Tianmu drove into the territory of Hukuang Township, Xu Weidong was in his office reviewing documents.

When Wang Jianguo pushed the door open to enter, his pace was a few beats faster than usual. The expression on his face was as if he had won the lottery, and his voice carried an irrepressible excitement.

"Secretary Xu, people from Tianmu Group are here! Chairman Zhang Tianmu is leading the team in person. The motorcade has already passed Shiqiao Village and will arrive in another twenty minutes!"

Xu Weidong put down the documents in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and his face showed no change in expression.

Tianmu Group was a leading agricultural enterprise in Fengtian Province, a listed company with annual revenue in the tens of billions, and was famous throughout the province and even the whole country.

Such an enterprise might not even give face to the county level usually, yet now the chairman was leading a team to visit a backwater like Hukuang Township. It would be no exaggeration to call it a pie falling from the sky.

But having worked at the grassroots level for so many years, he was no longer the greenhorn who would light up at the mere mention of investment.

Pies do not fall from the sky, and even if they did, they wouldn't land on Hukuang Township. There must be a reason for this, and this reason was highly likely related to him personally.

"Notify Township Head Jiang, as well as the deputy township head in charge of agriculture and the station chief of the Agricultural Technology Promotion Station. Tell them to wait at the entrance."

Xu Weidong stood up, straightened his collar, and spoke in a measured tone.

"The visitors are guests; do not neglect them."

Wang Jianguo acknowledged the order and turned to run out.

Xu Weidong stood by the window, looking at the fields of April outside, while running through the information about Tianmu Group in his mind.

This enterprise started in the southern part of Fengtian Province, making its fortune through pig farming and agricultural product processing. Later, it expanded into multiple fields such as the dairy industry, feed, and biotechnology, and was now the benchmark enterprise for the agricultural sector in the province.

Chairman Zhang Tianmu, who started from scratch, was a heavyweight in the business world of Fengtian Province.

For such a figure to suddenly come to Hukuang Township—if one were to say it was just because he took a fancy to the hanfu apple and hazelnut here, that would be too naive.

But he had no time to think too much; the motorcade had already arrived.

When Xu Weidong went downstairs, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng was already standing at the entrance.

His complexion was a bit better than a few days ago, but his eye bags were still heavy. A smile hung on his face, but no matter how one looked at it, it carried a forced quality.

The two men stood side by side at the entrance, with the executive deputy township head in charge of agriculture, Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen, behind them, and further behind were the station chief of the Agricultural Technology Promotion Station and several heads of the stations.

The display wasn't grand, but the people who needed to be there were present.

Zhang Tianmu's car was a black Maybach. In a place like Hukuang Township, such a car was more eye-catching than the arrival of the county magistrate.

The car door opened, and a man in his early fifties stepped out. He was wearing a dark gray jacket, his hair was graying but combed meticulously, and his face carried the shrewdness and composure unique to a businessman.

His gaze swept over the Township Government building, then landed on Xu Weidong. The corners of his mouth curled slightly as he walked over quickly and extended his hand.

"Secretary Xu, I have long admired you. I am Zhang Tianmu of Tianmu Group."

If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, Zhang Tianmu would have wanted to let Xu Weidong call him Little Zhang.

Although there was an age gap between the two, the class gap was, after all, not to be ignored...

Xu Weidong went up to meet him and shook his hand, his smile just right.

"Chairman Zhang, welcome to Hukuang Township to guide our work. You are a very busy person; it is our honor that you could come to our small place."

Zhang Tianmu waved his hand and said with a smile, "Secretary Xu is too polite. Although Hukuang Township is remote, it is quite famous."

"I heard about it while in the province—they say the hanfu apple in Hukuang Township is of good quality, the hazelnut is fragrant, and the cashmere of the Cashmere Goat is also top-notch."

"I came today just to take a look on-site and see if there is any possibility of cooperation."

These words were watertight, neither praising Hukuang Township too much nor revealing his true intentions.

Xu Weidong understood this in his heart, but it did not show on his face. He turned to the side to lead the way, taking Zhang Tianmu and his party toward the conference room.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng followed behind, the smile still hanging on his face, but his eyes were a bit vacant, as if he were thinking about something.

He knew that Zhang Tianmu had not come for him. Having stayed in Hukuang Township for more than a decade, never had any chairman of a listed company come to visit on their own initiative.

In the conference room, both sides took their seats.

Five people came from Tianmu Group; besides Zhang Tianmu, there was a vice president, an investment director, a technical director, and a secretary.

The lineup was tidy; it didn't look like they were just here to take a casual look.

Xu Weidong sat in the main seat, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng sat on his right, Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen sat on his left, and behind them were the station chief of the Agricultural Technology Promotion Station and several heads of the stations.

"Chairman Zhang, let me first briefly introduce the basic situation of Hukuang Township."

Xu Weidong opened his notebook and spoke in a measured tone, as if chatting with an old friend.

"Hukuang Township has a total area of 187 square kilometers, with 32,000 mu of cultivated land, and the forest land area is larger, at 120,000 mu."

"The entire township has a population of over 16,000, with the agricultural population accounting for more than 90%. The main crops are corn, soybeans, and peanuts. The cash crops are mainly hanfu apple and hazelnut, and the livestock industry is mainly based on the Cashmere Goat."

Zhang Tianmu listened very carefully, nodding from time to time, his gaze lingering on Xu Weidong's face much longer than on the notebook.

This detail was noticed by Township Head Jiang Tiansheng, and the indescribable feeling in his heart grew stronger.

Xu Weidong continued, his voice having a bit more confidence than usual, as if he were painting a beautiful blueprint for a trusted friend.

"The hanfu apple is our township's signature product, with a planting area of 3,200 mu and a production of 4,800 tons last year."

"The characteristics of this variety are cold resistance, storage resistance, and good taste, making it very competitive in the market. We are currently applying for green food certification, and brand building is also underway."

"The planting area for hazelnut is 1,800 mu, and the dry fruit production last year was 260 tons."

"The inventory of Cashmere Goat is over 6,000, and the quality of the cashmere is top-notch in the whole county."

Hearing this, Zhang Tianmu interjected. His voice was not loud, but every word carried the precision of a businessman.

"Secretary Xu, what are the main sales channels for your hanfu apple currently?"

"Mainly the fruit company in the county, and a portion is handled by fruit farmers contacting outside merchants themselves."

Xu Weidong replied, neither hiding anything nor exaggerating.

"Regarding price, the acquisition price at the field last year was between 2.5 and 3 yuan, slightly lower than Red Fuji, but because the maturation period is late, it avoids the time of concentrated market listing, so the fruit farmers' income is relatively stable."

Zhang Tianmu nodded, lost in thought.

The vice president beside him took a few notes in a notebook, moving quickly as if capturing some important information.

Xu Weidong changed the subject, his tone carrying a kind of drive unique to young people.

"Chairman Zhang, the agricultural products of Hukuang Township are of good quality; that is a fact. But the problems are also very obvious: the industrial chain is too short, and the added value is too low."

"Apples are sold as soon as they are picked, and hazelnuts are shipped away as soon as they are harvested. The common people earn hard-earned money, while the big chunk is taken by middlemen."

"We have always wanted to engage in deep processing, cold chain logistics, and brand building, but we lack funds, technology, and leading enterprises to drive it."

"Tianmu Group is the benchmark for the agricultural sector in the province. If you could come to Hukuang Township to invest, for us, that would be like providing charcoal in snowy weather."

These words were straightforward, so straightforward that everyone present was slightly stunned.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng turned his head to look at Xu Weidong, his gaze carrying an indescribable complexity.

He had worked with Xu Weidong for almost a year, and rarely had he seen him speak so directly, as if he were laying his cards on the table with an old friend, rather than negotiating with a businessman he was meeting for the first time.

Zhang Tianmu smiled, and that smile carried a sense of satisfaction.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone unhurried, as if he were making a perfectly normal decision.

"Secretary Xu is straightforward, and I like that. Tianmu Group has been laying out its presence across the province all these years, and deep processing of agricultural products is one of our key directions."

"The apple, hazelnut, and Cashmere Goat of Hukuang Township are indeed of good quality. With this foundation, we have room for cooperation."

"I didn't come here today to discuss one or two deals. My idea is that Tianmu Group can establish a long-term strategic cooperative relationship with Hukuang Township."

"Whatever you produce, we will purchase."

"Not only will we purchase, but we also plan to build an agricultural product processing plant here, with an initial investment of 100 million, mainly for apple deep processing and cold chain logistics."

"After the project lands, it will be able to solve employment, increase tax revenue, and raise the added value of Hukuang Township's agricultural products."