The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 316: Chapter 316: For the Sake of Economic Development, Be a Little Thick-Skinned

After getting off the train, they transferred to another one right inside the station, heading for Malipo.

The children were in good health and didn’t get sick despite the arduous journey.

After another full day and night on the train, they finally arrived in Malipo County.

The moment they stepped out of the station, two men about Ye Feng’s age holding a sign called out, ”Captain Ye!”

When Ye Feng saw them, he led his family over. ”This way.”

Han Xiaorui held onto Pingping and An’an, while Xiao Zheng, the guard, took charge of Ye Ling and Ye Chen. The rest of the group handled the luggage.

Ye Feng strode over. ”Hong Tian, Pang Gu.”

Seeing Ye Feng, the two men hurried forward to help with the luggage. ”Captain, it’s great to have you and your wife here.”

Ye Feng smiled. ”I hope we aren’t too much trouble. We’re a big group this time.”

Hong Tian waved a dismissive hand. ”Captain, don’t say that. You’re treating us like strangers. We’re brothers-in-arms who fought in the same trenches. There’s no need for formalities between us, ever.”

”Malipo might not be a big city like Shencheng, but we can still offer you good food, good drink, and a comfortable place to stay.”

They had only brought a single jeep. With so many people, Pang Gu immediately went and rented two donkey carts for the family and their luggage.

With so many people, including young children, they were worried the kids might get lost if they stayed at a regular guesthouse.

After some thought, Hong Tian decided to take them to an entire villa at the local sanatorium for retired officials.

It was empty anyway, so letting the captain’s family stay there seemed perfectly appropriate.

Seeing the arrangements, Han Xiaorui asked, ”Ye Feng, aren’t Hong Tian and Pang Gu breaking the rules by doing this?”

Ye Feng lowered his voice. ”Last year, I donated five hundred thousand yuan to build a new academic building for the main middle school in Malipo County. The county government is also hoping to promote local products and tea. Shencheng is a huge market and a major distribution hub, so there’s plenty they need my help with.”

It dawned on Han Xiaorui. ”In that case, we can settle in without any worries. I’ll take a look around later and see what else besides tea could be grown here. If I find something, I can help boost the local economy.”

”When the economy here improves, the government and the community will be able to devote more energy to honoring our heroes and better protecting our borders.”

Ye Feng paused. ”They’ve been selling tea to Shencheng since last year. But the long distance drives up the cost. There’s a profit, but it’s not much—nothing compared to the profit margins on your ornamental fish.”

Han Xiaorui raised an eyebrow. ”Well, of course. My ornamental fish business is primarily for export. I have some domestic sales, but they’re nothing compared to my international sales. I’m confident, though, that as our national economy grows, the domestic market will expand as well.”

”If we want to make this work, we need to see what products from here are in demand overseas. If we can improve the quality and be competitive, we can sell them abroad for a good price.”

After they had unpacked, Hong Tian and Pang Gu introduced two housekeepers who were on staff at the sanatorium.

One would be in charge of cooking, and the other would handle the cleaning.

After they had washed up and settled in, a local official paid them a visit that afternoon. It was none other than County Magistrate Liu, who was in charge of the economy.

County Magistrate Liu brought some local coffee. ”Ms. Han, Mr. Ye, this is our local specialty. When you brew it, the aroma and flavor are exceptionally rich.”

Han Xiaorui took the bag, opened it, and took a sniff. ”It smells wonderful. Not many people in China drink coffee, but it’s very popular abroad. County Magistrate Liu, have you ever considered exporting the coffee beans?”

County Magistrate Liu sighed. ”In the early days of the Reform and Opening-Up, coffee was only grown along the Yunnan-Myanmar Road and in farmers’ backyards. We’ve cultivated new land for it now, and the quality is good, but the yield is low. The biggest problem, however, is that we can’t sell what we produce.”

”Our processing methods are all done by hand, so we lag behind other countries in every respect. It’s difficult to develop, but we have to try. We’re trying to attract foreign investment everywhere, hoping to bring in advanced processing techniques and cultivation technology. I believe that one day, Yunnan coffee will definitely succeed.”

Han Xiaorui considered this and nodded. ”Yes, the geography here is excellent. Yunnan is at a similar latitude to Cuba, which is famous for its coffee beans. But to export successfully, you need the backing of a major corporation.”

Han Xiaorui mused, ”With coffee on one hand and tea on the other, you have two specialty products with strong growth potential. However, agricultural ventures require significant investment and have a long return cycle. Competing for international market share will require long-term policies and technology transfer.”

”County Magistrate Liu, my husband works in electronic components, and my family’s business is in ornamental fish, so we don’t have any direct connections in this field right now. However, we do have contacts overseas, and we’ll keep looking for suitable foreign investors for you.”

County Magistrate Liu hadn’t expected Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng to solve the problem on the spot. After all, this was a massive industry, not something that could be fixed with a few simple words.

”This is certainly a long-term project, and we’re prepared for that,” County Magistrate Liu replied. ”Just knowing you’re willing to help is more than enough. Please, don’t feel obligated.”

Qi Wenxuan, who had been sitting to one side listening, quietly asked, ”County Magistrate Liu, have you heard of Nestle?”

Hearing this, County Magistrate Liu nodded eagerly. ”Of course! They’re a major multinational beverage company from Switzerland. Their instant coffee is quite good, actually. We’ve tried to contact them, but we haven’t heard anything back.”

”Mr. Qi, do you know someone at Nestle? If you do, or if your family has any relevant connections, I would be deeply grateful if you could make an introduction for us.”

To develop the local economy and help the people increase their income, County Magistrate Liu felt it was worth being a bit shameless.

This region is too mountainous. Growing grain brings in little income and the labor is backbreaking. Growing coffee beans, on the other hand, is much more profitable and far better suited to the mountain terrain.

It was a classic case of adapting measures to local conditions.

Qi Wenxuan thought for a moment. ”Last month, I visited my relatives in Germany. I have a cousin who is married to a senior executive at Nestle. I believe he’s a minor shareholder as well. If you get all the relevant information together, I can send it to my cousin and her husband and see if they might be interested in a proposal from here.”

”Of course, I don’t know anything about this industry. I’m just acting as a messenger. If they respond, you can take it from there. If they don’t, then please forgive me for not being able to help.”

Hearing this, County Magistrate Liu’s eyes lit up. He asked quickly, ”Mr. Qi, what’s your cousin’s husband’s name?”

Qi Wenxuan replied, ”Albert Howard.”

The moment County Magistrate Liu heard the name, he knew Qi Wenxuan was telling the truth. The man was real.

”Ah, so it’s Mr. Albert Howard! We’ve done our research—we know who he is. Mr. Qi, you absolutely must invite him to come for a site inspection.”

Qi Wenxuan nodded. ”I’ll write to them and extend an invitation. My cousin hasn’t been back to China in a long time, anyway.”

These days, having connections overseas was no longer a taboo subject. On the contrary, it provided access to advanced foreign technologies and new perspectives.

The technology and information they brought back could often revitalize an entire local economy.

County Magistrate Liu hosted Han Xiaorui, Ye Feng, and their party, making them feel completely at home.