"Teacher Wang, I've been working in grassroots government, helping your friend solve village problems. It's not a big deal. But the question is, you're a history teacher, how do you have friends in the village? And solving village problems has become a practical course for Chinese history research?"
Chen Feng didn't hide anything and directly posed his three questions.
"My friend was originally in the capital's government. To gain political capital, he had to go to the grassroots to help. As for rural issues, asking why they've become a practical course for Chinese history research is quite amateurish. China is vast and has abundant resources, with rural areas accounting for two-thirds. How can one research Chinese history without studying Chinese rural areas?"
Wang Ziwei replied calmly.
Chen Feng was stunned for a moment and felt convinced.
A short while later, Wang Ziwei took Chen Feng to Wangjiazhuang, a village on the outskirts of the capital.
"Ziwei, why are you here?"
Wang Yonghao, the head of the Capital Water Conservancy Bureau and Wang Ziwei's friend, asked in surprise.
If it weren't for gaining experience and continuing to climb the political ladder, he would never have come to the countryside to suffer.
Wang Ziwei, a history teacher at Capital University, didn't need to go to the countryside to gain capital.
"Yonghao, we are friends. You've encountered difficulties here, so I came to see if I could help," Wang Ziwei replied directly.
"Ziwei, you haven't changed at all. You care about your friends' affairs more than your own. By the way, who is this?" Wang Yonghao asked curiously, looking at Chen Feng.
"This is Chen Feng, one of my auditing students. His current job is as a grassroots government official, so I brought him along to see if he could help you." Wang Ziwei didn't conceal anything.
"Ziwei, forget it. You should take Chen Feng back," Wang Yonghao said, taking a deep breath.
"What's wrong? Yonghao?" Wang Ziwei asked, confused.
"Ziwei, the problem in Wangjiazhuang this time is quite tricky. I've been here for a month and haven't found any solutions. Do you think your auditing student Chen Feng, being so young, can handle Wangjiazhuang's issues?" Wang Yonghao looked at Chen Feng dismissively.
"It's alright, let Chen Feng try. If young people don't try, they won't know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is," Wang Ziwei said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yonghao didn't try to stop them any further. Since Wang Ziwei's intention was to see Chen Feng make a fool of himself, he would let Chen Feng try.
Chen Feng didn't hesitate and immediately started to act.
First, he spent a day investigating the ins and outs of the Wangjiazhuang village situation.
It turned out that Wangjiazhuang village had too many single men, which had seriously affected the stability of the village. Not long ago, two young men from Wangjiazhuang village were imprisoned for rape. Therefore, the village cadres of Wangjiazhuang village asked the assisting cadres if they could help solve the problem of single men in Wangjiazhuang village.
"Chen Feng, you've investigated for a day. Do you have any solutions for the problem of single men in Wangjiazhuang village?" Wang Ziwei asked intentionally.
"Teacher Wang, the problem of single men in Wangjiazhuang village is not unique to Wangjiazhuang village; it's a common phenomenon. It's the same in rural areas in the north and the south. Frankly, when I was the village head in Wulin Village before, I also encountered this problem."
"Hmm, that's interesting. Continue," Wang Ziwei prompted.
"There are two main reasons for the large number of single men in rural areas: first, girls from rural areas marry into wealthy places outside; second, rural men are too poor. Nowadays, poverty is the original sin. If you are poor, you can't get a wife." Chen Feng explained earnestly.
"Chen Feng, from what you're saying, the problem in Wangjiazhuang village cannot be solved?" Wang Ziwei continued to ask intentionally.
"The problem in Wangjiazhuang village is very tricky, but it's not unsolvable," Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Then tell me, what's your solution?" Wang Ziwei asked curiously.
Wang Yonghao, the head of the Water Conservancy Bureau, who was in charge of rural water management, had no good solution for Wangjiazhuang's problems. Could Chen Feng, a deputy town mayor, solve it?
"Just make the rural areas rich," Chen Feng replied crisply.
"Chen Feng, let me remind you, turning poor people into rich people is not as simple as just saying it," Wang Ziwei said with a frown. She was increasingly feeling that Chen Feng was all talk and no substance.
"Teacher Wang, you know I worked in rural areas before, so I have some experience in how to make rural areas rich. As long as Wangjiazhuang village becomes rich, the problem of single men will be easily solved," Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Chen Feng, then tell me, how do you plan to make Wangjiazhuang village rich?" Wang Ziwei pressed.
"Develop based on local conditions," Chen Feng replied unhurriedly.
"Develop based on local conditions?"
"Yes, that's right. Wangjiazhuang village is located in the suburbs of the capital. Not utilizing such good conditions would be a waste?" Chen Feng stated the facts.
"Chen Feng, hold on. I need to remind you that I have already tried the approach of developing based on local conditions, and it didn't work. The capital's development direction is not towards the northern suburbs, but towards the southern suburbs. Therefore, the villages in the southern suburbs have become rich one by one. Investment in the northern suburbs is decreasing, and they can't even get a share of the capital's investment." Wang Yonghao interjected, refuting Chen Feng.
"Elder Wang, your analysis is reasonable. The northern suburbs are not the capital's investment focus; this is a fact. It's not easy for Wangjiazhuang village to get rich through external conditions. However, it's fine; if external conditions are not good, we can utilize internal conditions," Chen Feng said calmly.
"Internal conditions? The internal conditions of Wangjiazhuang village are very poor. Apart from barren mountains and treacherous waters, there is nothing else," Wang Yonghao continued to refute.
"Elder Wang, have you ever thought of turning barren mountains and treacherous waters into golden mountains and silver mountains?" Chen Feng countered.
"Chen Feng, are you kidding me? It's already barren mountains and treacherous waters! How can it be turned into golden mountains and silver mountains?" Wang Yonghao glared at Chen Feng fiercely.
"Elder Wang, I have already investigated. The mountains in Wangjiazhuang village are typical limestone mountains in the north. Using this kind of stone to make cement results in very high quality," Chen Feng explained.
"Chen Feng, I seriously doubt if you are in government. If you were, you would know that China has long restricted cement factories. Old cement factories are closing down, and you're still thinking of opening a new one?" Wang Yonghao fiercely retorted.
"Elder Wang, I haven't forgotten the regulations of the Chinese government," Chen Feng smiled calmly.
"You haven't forgotten, yet you're speaking nonsense? Forget it, I don't want to argue with you anymore. Hurry up and leave Capital University. With your kind, staying at Capital University is a disgrace to the university." Wang Yonghao directly asked him to leave.
"Elder Wang, don't get too excited. I haven't finished speaking. What I mean is, traditional cement is indeed not feasible, but we can use high-tech cement..." Chen Feng said unhurriedly.
"What? High-tech cement?" Wang Yonghao was stunned.
"Yes, high-tech cement. Actually, it's not very cutting-edge high-tech cement. Japan has been using it for several years now – zero-pollution cement."
"Chen Feng, let me remind you, I often go abroad for inspections. Don't think I've never been abroad and speak nonsense. If there was such high-tech cement, China would have used it long ago. How could it still not be in use?" Wang Yonghao stared intently at Chen Feng.
"Elder Wang, the issue you mentioned is directly related to the international politics course I'm taking at the capital," Chen Feng continued with a smile.
"High-tech cement is related to international politics? Can you be any more ridiculous?" Wang Yonghao looked at Chen Feng with contempt.