Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 992 Laying out the Heji City

Eight Horses Tea House.

As soon as he got out of the car, Qi Tongwei saw Gao Yuan waiting for him at the door.

After getting out of the car, the two shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries. Gao Yuan then made a perfunctory gesture of invitation.

Qi Tongwei didn't stand on ceremony and led the way into the teahouse.

Each has its own perspective. He can be a student in front of Gao Yuliang, but he doesn't need to lower himself in front of Gao Yuan.

Bama Tea House is a mid-to-high-end tea house with prices that fluctuate greatly, ranging from tens to thousands of yuan.

Since it was afternoon, there weren't many people drinking tea.

To be precise, in this day and age, there aren't many people who go to high-end teahouses to drink tea.

Tea is a consumer product with a rich history, especially in this era when basic needs have just been met.

Unlike the general public who come to teahouses to quench their thirst and relieve fatigue, those who come to teahouses today generally need to meet three conditions.

Time, money, and a certain level of education are required.

The first two are easy to understand: a person who can afford to drink tea must have enough wealth to not have to worry about making a living and be able to support this consumption.

The latter point is more like a dividing line that distinguishes people of this era.

Those who become wealthy first, having satisfied their material needs, begin to pursue spiritual fulfillment; of course, this does not exclude those who merely seek to appear cultured.

This is a reflection of our times.

After all, the term "nouveau riche" doesn't sound pleasant.

Therefore, it needs to embellish itself with something that represents a rich history and culture, and tea is a very good example of that.

The two chose a private room facing the street. As soon as they sat down, two attractive tea masters dressed in cheongsams followed them and handed them hot towels and tea menus.

Similar to the menu, it is filled with a dazzling array of items, from teaware to tea leaves, and even "tea masters," arranged in low, medium, and high-end categories.

Qi Tongwei casually ordered a set of teacups and tea leaves, which cost around two hundred yuan. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't expensive either; it was roughly equivalent to a worker's weekly wage.

As for the tea master, he was not ordered.

Tea masters are nothing more than a frivolous business disguised as elegance.

There's no way around it; where there's demand, there's a market. Being too sophisticated won't make you money; only when elegance is wrapped in vulgarity can you truly make a fortune.

Soon, the tea master brought out the tea set and tea leaves.

A dazzling display of tea-making skills was displayed, and in the blink of an eye, a pot of steaming hot tea was placed in front of the two.

Qi Tongwei took the teapot, poured tea for Gao Yuan, and without even glancing at the tea master, said, "You're not needed here anymore, you can leave."

The two tea masters exchanged a glance, feeling unwilling to give up, and quietly left after putting down what they were doing.

Gao Yuan raised his teacup. "Tongwei, thanks to you for what happened last time. Here, let me toast you with tea instead of wine."

Qi Tongwei picked up his teacup and clinked it with the other person's in an awkward manner. "It's too polite to say such things. We're all serving the people. Talking about gratitude would be too formal."

"Yes, yes, yes." Gao Yuan's face was full of admiration.

If someone else had said these words to him, he would have felt disgusted and thought that person was just spouting slogans. But when Qi Tongwei said these words, he felt that they were very sincere.

Because that's what they do.

Not to mention a casual idea, it has brought tangible benefits to countless ordinary people.

Just the fact that he came to their door begging and they took out a large sum of money without a second thought reveals his character.

Having grown accustomed to those who spout official jargon but are utterly stingy, Gao Yuan felt that Qi Tongwei was worlds apart from him.

After putting down his teacup, Qi Tongwei inquired about the disaster relief situation in Heji City.

When Qi Tongwei went to Europe for an inspection, he called Gao Yuan, but at that time one was busy raising funds and the other was busy attracting investment, so he only got a general idea of ​​the matter.

Gao Yuan said that with the support of several provincial leaders, the fundraising went very smoothly. Although it fell short of the final goal, the overall results were quite good, and the lives of the people in Heji City have basically returned to normal.

"That's good." Qi Tongwei nodded. "This is a lesson. Through this incident, we have also seen the shortcomings of Heji City."

The industry is too singular, the ability to resist risks is weak, and it is dependent on the weather.

When natural disasters or man-made calamities strike, ordinary people are helpless, and a year's work is wasted.

Gao Yuan sighed, "Yes, but there's not much we can do. Heji City is located on a plain and is the main granary of the Han River. Farmland is a basic red line, so it's impossible for us to vigorously develop secondary and tertiary industries like other cities and counties."

The only option is to focus on the primary industry. Judging from the current development situation, without good policies, Heji City's economy will definitely lag behind in the rankings in a few years.

Qi Tongwei deeply agreed with this.

The reason why Hebei City has achieved its current economic ranking of fifth in the entire province is due to the Hanjiang River Basin.

Firstly, it is located in the center of the six southern cities and serves as a transit hub, allowing it to reap some benefits along the way.

Second, the dividends of the times.

In the 1980s and 90s, when people were barely able to make ends meet, grain was a precious commodity. In addition, the surrounding cities were scrambling to buy it, giving it a price advantage.

If we wait a few years, as transportation becomes more developed and grain production increases, grain prices will become more affordable, so an economic downturn is inevitable.

"We need to hurry and find a way to make a breakthrough in the primary industry, otherwise it's hard to guarantee that this won't happen again."

If ordinary people lack the ability to withstand risks, the burden will ultimately fall on the government.

Gao Yuandao said, "It's easier said than done. We have to ensure that everyone in the province has enough to eat, and at the same time, we have to find a way to make a breakthrough. It's tough."

Qi Tongwei said, "There is always a glimmer of hope in everything, it's just that we haven't found the right method. Isn't our reform about exploration? If we explore more, we will eventually find a way out."

"That's true, Tongwei. You've always worked in a segmented way, so your thinking is more comprehensive than ours. Do you have any good ideas?"

"A good idea?" Qi Tongwei took a sip of tea and put himself in the position of the mayor of Heji City to think about it.

The situation in Heji City is actually similar to that of Hekou County in Handong back then. Both cities had to provide support for other sister cities and were left behind in their development.

The difference is that Haji City is larger.

However, the arable area along the Han River is much smaller than that along the Handong River in the entire province.

That's why Haji City is so highly regarded by the Han River, and there are examples of officials from the Food Service concurrently serving as deputy mayors.

With limited arable land in the province, Heji City bears an even heavier burden.

It would be even more difficult to switch to something else.

However, having some prior experience, Qi Tongwei quickly came up with a few ideas after a moment's thought.

“Didn’t you buy the barley sprouts from the local people last time? I think we could try supporting a few liquor brands in Heji, whether it’s beer or baijiu.”

Gao Yuan shook his head and said, "No, we've tried everything, from making wine and food to feed and aquatic product processing. To be honest, we've spent a lot of money over the years, but there's never been any progress."

"Have we found the reason why it's not showing results?"

"One problem is that the general public doesn't buy into it, and the other is that we started late. Now the liquor market in Hanjiang has long been divided up by brands from other provinces, and the one that occupies the majority is a brand from your Handong, called Hekou."