Rebirth of a Farmer's Dad

As the saying goes, speak of the devil, and he appears. Just as Luo Feng was pondering this, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

Needless to say, the county magistrate must have returned.

Luo Feng quickly stood up from his seat and turned his head to see the county magistrate's familiar face.

"Don't be shy, make yourself at home," the county magistrate said to Luo Feng, noticing his nervous expression.

Although Luo Feng cautiously agreed, he still looked very nervous.

Seeing Luo Feng's attitude, the county magistrate didn't press the matter. After all, it was Luo Feng's first time visiting his home.

Then Luo Feng and County Head H chatted about many things in the county. During the conversation, Luo Feng found the county head to be very approachable and unpretentious, so he gradually relaxed as well. The county head didn't mention a word about his son, which Luo Feng found strange. Wasn't he supposed to be here to talk about his second son? Why wasn't the county head saying a word about his own son?

However strange it was, Luo Feng didn't ask any further questions. After all, it was best not to meddle in other people's family matters.

Since the county magistrate was willing to chat with him, it meant he had caught the magistrate's eye. Naturally, Luo Feng was very pleased. In China, given the country's complex political climate, no matter what business you're in, you can't operate without official support. Therefore, maintaining good relationships with influential figures is extremely important. Luo Feng, of course, had to handle this carefully.

As they talked, the county magistrate's words completely dispelled Luo Feng's confusion. The reason he'd been called in today wasn't about his second son. The magistrate had also figured out the boy's situation. He just wasn't cut out for studying; forcing him wouldn't work. It was best to let him develop naturally. Seeing how quickly Luo Feng had achieved so much in the county, the magistrate deduced that Luo Feng must be a man of substance. The magistrate had long wanted to have a chat with him. After all, Luo Feng was one of the few businessmen in the county with considerable wealth. The second son's situation was merely a pretext.

They are currently an impoverished county, though in later generations. Some people even feel proud to wear the label of "impoverished county." But right now, poverty alleviation is the main priority. The county head summoned Luo Feng today not because of his second son, but to hear Luo Feng's opinions on the county's future economic development.

It must be said that the officials of this time were truly diligent in their duties! They were far better than the mediocre officials of later generations. From the conversation with County Magistrate H, Luo Feng could conclude that the county magistrate was a good one, but limited by the times, he lacked foresight. Although the county magistrate sincerely hoped to improve the lives of the people in the county, he was hampered by a lack of funds and feared failure, thus he dared not make large-scale, risky investments.

There's no other reason than that, once you reach his position, one wrong move can lead to total defeat; a single misstep can have far-reaching consequences!

In truth, Luo Feng only had a superficial understanding of economic development. His only advantage over people of his time was his vision, which transcended the constraints of his era. As someone with experience, Luo Feng knew which investments aligned with the general trend and which were profitable.

Tonight's conversation with County Head H left Luo Feng with many thoughts. It must be a matter of perspective. Previously, his view was limited to a single village or town. In his mind, only his own township in the entire county could be considered poor. But he never imagined that the situation in the whole county was hardly any better.

Luo Feng originally wanted to tell the county head that to get rich, you must first build roads. But building roads requires a large sum of money. Where would the initial funding come from? Besides, many people in the county are currently unemployed. How can the economy develop if these unemployed people aren't dealt with first?

After much deliberation, Luo Feng offered several suggestions to the county head. He suggested starting with the county's existing businesses, supporting their further expansion and strengthening. Their industries could then be used to create jobs and address unemployment. Once unemployment was resolved, the lives of the people would improve significantly. With more disposable income, the county could undertake infrastructure projects, such as road construction, to facilitate the transport of local produce. This would provide additional income for the farmers who toiled in the fields day and night, gradually improving their lives.

When the time is right, the county can take the lead in getting everyone to pool their money and set up several agricultural product processing plants. Based on Luo Feng's understanding of the industry in the future, he knew that as long as they could seize the opportunity first, they could very well make the county's agricultural and sideline product processing business bigger and stronger.

And most importantly, this isn't just one industry; it's a complete industrial chain. It includes many stages: planting, management, processing, transportation, sales... How much labor can so many stages support?

The county magistrate was clearly stunned by the perfect blueprint Luo Feng had drawn up. He truly couldn't imagine what the lives of the people in the county would be like if that time truly came. In any case, it should be much better than it is now. No, it should be said that such a life would be incomparable to what it is now.

But when he realized what he meant, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "If you want to get information out of me, just say so. Why beat around the bush like this?"

Luo Feng simply smiled and remained silent.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything? You still want me to support the merchants? Aren't you a merchant in this county?" The county head asked Luo Feng with a smile.

"I do want to get some benefits for myself. But the path I pointed out to you is indeed feasible, don't you think?" Luo Feng knew he couldn't hide it from the county magistrate, so he simply spoke frankly.

"Whether it's feasible or not, let me and my colleagues study it before making a decision. However, it is indeed a good plan," the county head suddenly said with a serious expression.

"The plan is good, but someone has to implement it, right?" Luo Feng chuckled as he approached the county magistrate and lit him a cigarette.

"Alright, alright, just say what you want, stop beating around the bush," the county magistrate said impatiently.

"Isn't there a high school in our county?" Luo Feng said.

"That's right, what do you want to do?" the county magistrate asked.

"I heard that the county high school cafeteria is putting out a tender, and I'm thinking of submitting a bid," Luo Feng said. He overheard the conversation between some customers at the restaurant.

"That's right, there really is such a thing. What, you want to get involved too?" the county magistrate asked.

"Yeah, I'd like to give it a try too. When it comes to business, everyone wants their business to grow bigger and bigger." As he spoke, Luo Feng scratched his head.

"I see you're a straightforward person, so why don't you go by yourself? Why did you come to me?" the county magistrate asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I don't have any connections, and I'm not familiar with the high school principal. I was hoping you could introduce me to him." After saying this, Luo Feng looked at the county magistrate.

"What do you mean? You want to use my connections to get into the school?" The county head was immediately displeased.

"No, look at what you're saying, how could I dare to do that? I just want you to introduce me to someone. You don't need to worry about anything else. In business, we all earn our living through our own abilities." Luo Feng didn't want the county magistrate to misunderstand him, so he quickly explained.

"Oh, I see. I can help with that." The county magistrate nodded. But before Luo Feng could even feel happy, he added, "An introduction is fine, but you absolutely mustn't gamble with the children's health. If anything happens, I won't let you off the hook." This was his way of putting the unpleasant truth upfront.

"How could that be? We merchants rely on our conscience and skills. If we were to make money through dishonest means, this business would never last long," Luo Feng immediately stated, afraid that the county magistrate might change his mind.

"Don't give me that nonsense. If someone complains about you, you'll see how I deal with you." After saying this, the county magistrate waved his hand, indicating that Luo Feng could leave.

Seeing that the county magistrate had given him the order to leave, Luo Feng didn't want to linger. He got up to say goodbye and prepared to go home. After all, he still had to take his daughter to school the next day.