155: Chapter 155 Lake Mining Township Enveloped in Bonuses

A single resolution from the Municipal Party Committee saw one billion in special funds for road upgrades quickly distributed.

The whole city was treated as a single game of chess, with each county and district receiving allocations based on their needs.

Changyuan County was allocated 300 million, the highest amount in the city, far exceeding the county's expectations.

After returning from the meeting in the city, Secretary Yang Wei called Xu Weidong before his car had even come to a full stop, his excitement impossible to suppress.

He told Xu Weidong about the 300 million provided by the city specifically for road repairs, asking Xu Weidong to prepare on his end, as the county planned to provide an additional 50 million in matching funds.

Xu Weidong held his phone, leaning back in his chair without any change in his expression.

300 million plus 50 million—350 million poured into the roads of Changyuan County; this was an unprecedented investment in the history of Changyuan County's transportation.

He knew where this money came from. It wasn't because he, Xu Weidong, was particularly capable, but because his surname was Xu.

Xu Weidong did not decline, nor was he overly modest.

Having spent quite some time at the grassroots level, Xu Weidong was naturally no longer as naive as he had been in school.

The County Government subsequently issued a document establishing a leading group for the road upgrade and renovation project, with County Head Secretary Wei Kuan personally taking the helm as group leader, and Xu Weidong named as the deputy group leader.

The document wrote "named," but everyone knew that this "name" was not just for show.

At the mobilization meeting, Secretary Wei Kuan said in front of the heads of all townships in the county: "Hukuang Township is the benchmark for the entire county. Comrade Weidong has worked in Hukuang Township for less than a year, and his achievements are obvious to all."

"For the road upgrade and renovation, Hukuang Township must lead the way."

This was said straightforwardly—so straightforwardly that the township heads present all began to calculate in their hearts that they would need to change their attitude when dealing with Hukuang Township in the future.

After returning from the meeting in the county, Xu Weidong called Wang Jianguo to his office, spread out the map of Hukuang Township, and used a red pen to mark several main roads one by one.

After he finished drawing, he put down the pen and leaned back in his chair.

Meanwhile, the planning for the Hukuang Township Modern Agricultural Industrial Park was also proceeding intensively.

The 100 million investment from Tianmu Group was the core support for the industrial park, featuring a deep-processing production line for hanfu apples, a cold-chain logistics center, and an agricultural product quality testing center.

The three projects were launched simultaneously, located on that stretch of saline-alkali land in Shiqiao Village that had been left fallow for many years.

Zhang Tianmu sent a project team to be stationed in Hukuang Township. The technical director was a woman in her early forties who was decisive and efficient in her work.

After coordinating with Xu Weidong a few times, she went back and reported to Zhang Tianmu that this young man was not easy to fool; he understood everything, asked about everything, and managed everything.

Zhang Tianmu laughed on the other end of the line and said nothing.

After all, it was originally a job of currying favor; many companies wanted to curry favor but couldn't find the way.

He merely invested a few hundred million there, and in turn, he received orders from many large companies.

Even banks proactively provided his company with higher loan amounts, so some things didn't need to be said too clearly—those who understood, understood...

Four months—it's not long, but it's not short either.

The changes in Hukuang Township were like a movie with the fast-forward button pressed; every day was different.

The roads were the first to be worked on; the construction team arrived in May, and by July, the road surface was paved.

The newly built cement road extended from the Township Government all the way to the most remote Kaoshan Village, the road surface wide and smooth, with roadside trees planted on both sides.

Previously, it took twenty minutes to drive from the Township Government to Shiqiao Village, and the road conditions were so bad that it felt like your bones were about to fall apart. Now, you can get there in ten minutes.

The common people stood by the roadside, looking at the newly built road. Some squatted down to touch the cement surface with their hands, saying they had never walked on such a good road in their lives.

An old man held the hands of the construction team, his eyes red, saying that his son worked in the county town and used to only come back once a month because the road was difficult to travel. Now, he comes back every week and can even make a round trip in the same day.

The construction of the modern agricultural industrial park was even more bustling. The Tianmu Group construction team arrived in July, and in three months, they had completed the main structure of the factory buildings.

The equipment for the apple deep-processing production line arrived one after another, and workers were working overtime to install and debug them.

The cold storage of the cold-chain logistics center had already been topped out, and workers were working on the exterior wall insulation.

The main frame of the agricultural product quality testing center had been erected, with red bricks and grey tiles, standing out strikingly on the wasteland.

The villagers of Shiqiao Village would stop and watch for a while every time they passed by, pointing and talking. Some said that in the future, they wouldn't have to worry about selling apples; others said the young people in their families wouldn't have to go out to work; and some said that this Secretary Xu was truly capable—having brought such a large project here in less than a year.

The renovation of the old mining area was also advancing simultaneously. Hukuang Township got its name because of the mine, and it also declined because of the mine.

In those years when the coal mine was booming, all the able-bodied laborers in the township worked in the mine; money came quickly, and it was spent just as quickly.

Later, the mine closed, the people dispersed, leaving behind scarred, abandoned mine pits and patches of land where not even a blade of grass would grow.

When Xu Weidong first went to the old mining area for an investigation, he stood by the edge of that huge mine pit, looking at the turbid water accumulated at the bottom, and remained silent for a long time.

After returning, he called Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming to his office and said that the old mining area could not remain desolate like this anymore; he wanted to turn it into a tourist attraction.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was stunned for a moment, thinking Xu Weidong was joking.

An abandoned mine pit—what kind of tourist attraction could it turn into?

Xu Weidong did not explain much, only saying one sentence: "Go find experts from the planning and design institute to come and take a look."

The planning and design proposal came out in August: the mine pit would be transformed into an artificial lake, the gangue mountain would be covered with soil and greened, the abandoned mine factory buildings would be converted into an industrial heritage museum, and hiking trails and viewing platforms would be built as supporting facilities.

The proposal was beautifully made, and Hukuang Township on the renderings was as beautiful as a painting.

After reading the proposal, Xu Weidong only raised one suggestion: a wall must be reserved in the museum to display the history of Hukuang Township, so that future generations would remember what had happened here.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming submitted the proposal to the county, the county approved it, and the province also provided special funds.

In September, the construction team arrived, the mine pit began to be dredged, the gangue mountain began to be covered with soil, and the factory buildings began to be reinforced.

On the construction site, machines roared and dust flew, but no one complained, because everyone knew that this ruin, which had been forgotten for many years, was becoming the future of Hukuang Township.

In four months, the appearance of Hukuang Township had taken on a brand-new look.

The roads were clean and tidy, and the newly built cement roads were like grey-white silk ribbons, connecting the villages scattered in the mountain gullies.

The roadside trees were newly planted; although they were not very tall yet, their leaves were bright green, rustling in the autumn wind.

The streetlights were also newly installed, their solar panels shimmering with blue light under the sun. When they lit up at night, the entire location of the Township Government was brightly illuminated, and the pitch-black scenes of the past were gone forever.

The people in the village said that now they dared to go out at night; they weren't afraid of falling, nor were they afraid of the darkness.

Some old ladies sat under the streetlights to cool off, pulling passing people to talk, saying that this life felt like a dream—something they wouldn't have even dared to imagine before.