Yangcheng County Committee Office, Fang Youliang's brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was having trouble making a decision.
In the end, Fang Youliang gave a bitter smile and said, "Forget it. I don't care who is right or wrong. I stand with the people. Yangcheng cannot be without crayfish."
"Secretary Shi, come in!"
Secretary Shi strode in, "Secretary Fang, what are your instructions?"
"It's like this. Zhonghai City is going to hold an international trade fair. Our county has six spots for participating products. Give one of those spots to Zhang Ji Crayfish Shop so they can participate as one of Yangcheng's representatives."
"That would be great. The crayfish at Zhang Ji Barbecue is good," Secretary Shi praised casually.
"What do you think about crayfish representing Yangcheng at this international trade fair?"
Secretary Shi knew that Secretary Fang was testing him. He thought carefully and replied, "It's just a formality. The crayfish in our county are all wild-caught. There's no farming at all now, so I'm not optimistic about this. Without a production base, we won't sell much!"
Fang Youliang fell into thought. Regardless of anything else, crayfish were currently at the center of public opinion. It would be good for them to go out and see.
Let that kid Zhang Tianxing go out and broaden his horizons, so he wouldn't think he could look down on the world just because he had spicy crayfish.
There were many talented people in the world, and a mere spicy crayfish was nothing. Public opinion alone could suppress the sales of crayfish.
It was also a way to help his daughter. Letting Zhang Tianxing participate in the international trade fair would help his future growth.
A temporary failure was nothing. As far as Fang Youliang knew, as long as the few dish names in Zhang Tianxing's hands were registered as trademarks, he would be set for life.
The prospect of crayfish was very good. For this reason, he had specifically consulted a professor from Zhonghai Medical University.
Professor Wen had given a definitive answer: "Crayfish are edible, but the head is not. Additionally, eating more crayfish is beneficial to the human body."
Hearing his father-in-law's words, Fang Youliang understood some things.
Where there was smoke, there was fire. All public opinion in this world was manufactured by people.
Once it was hyped up, what people said or did was no longer important.
It mainly depended on the direction of the hype. This was clearly someone trying to reap the benefits of someone else's labor, and judging by the methods, it must be a major family that was making a move.
He had no relation to Zhang Tianxing. Helping him get into this international trade fair was to give Zhang Tianxing a couple of days off. Whether he could break through the deadlock depended on Zhang Tianxing himself. Heaven helps those who help themselves.
It was time for Zhang Tianxing to understand some things. Young people, when they had no other options, might as well take a step back. A step back opens up a broader view. Go back to school, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
With the top leader's instructions, the subsequent matters became much easier.
Last time, Xiao Li from the Agricultural Bureau had visited Zhang Ji Barbecue. This young boss Zhang was not simple. He was academically gifted, and there were leaders above paying attention. This time, the matter could not be mishandled.
He smiled as he entered, "Boss Zhang, I have good news for you. The county is preparing to let you participate in the Zhonghai International Trade Fair. You will be exhibiting your products in three days. This is also a benefit for participating in the Ministry of Agriculture's green food certification."
There was such good news. Zhang Tianxing was currently worried about how to break the deadlock, and an international trade fair had come at the perfect time.
He would go and see at the exhibition. If domestic sales were not working, he could see if he could export. If he exported, he could also earn foreign exchange for the country.
Zhang Tianxing's heart stirred. Chinese crayfish were just beginning, while foreign crayfish had a long history.
Perhaps this international trade fair was a platform for Chinese crayfish to go international.
Thinking of this, Zhang Tianxing couldn't help but chuckle. His own shrimp pond was only fifty mu, so how many crayfish could it produce?
Right, he needed to go to the shrimp pond and tell them about his upcoming trip to the international trade fair.
Besides, his mother and second uncle must have been worried sick these past few days. He needed to stabilize their morale. If the rear was in chaos, he would completely lose his say in crayfish.
On the way to Yan Village Township, Zhang Tianxing overheard some rumors.
"Er Lengzi, why are you still catching crayfish? Don't you know about the current problems with crayfish?"
"I know, but Liang Cheng has been buying crayfish all this time. Other places are also buying crayfish now."
"What if they stop buying? Why don't you go to the factory with us to make screws? The wages there are stable, and the factory won't go bankrupt."
"Hey, you guys go first. When no one is buying crayfish anymore, I'll come and find you. I can earn more catching crayfish for a day than you can in a week. Besides, Liang Cheng's shrimp pond is still feeding them."
"Liang Cheng, he's clueless. He's going to be ruined by his nephew this time."
"Who isn't saying that? Crayfish were quite popular, and they were even featured in the People's Daily. Who knew that after this carcinogen news leaked, crayfish would be doomed."
"But Liang Cheng is still buying. I just saw him sending crayfish to Yangcheng. Is he really not afraid of death?"
Hearing these words, Zhang Tianxing almost burst into laughter. What kind of people were these? They were all people who loved to watch the show and stir up trouble.
His second uncle had performed admirably this time. Without saying a word, he had gritted his teeth and persevered, not stopping the purchase of crayfish.
It seemed he had returned at just the right time. Otherwise, his second uncle would probably have come to discuss matters with him.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Tianxing saw his mother and second uncle and quickly walked over.
Seeing his mother's hesitant expression, Zhang Tianxing couldn't help but smile, "Mom, just say what you want to say. There are no problems with the store."
Comrade Liang Juan looked at Zhang Tianxing with a hint of disbelief, "I'm still a little uneasy, Xiao Xing. Let's dig up all the crayfish from the shrimp pond and sell them while people are still buying. I'm scared every time I hear people talking, afraid that we won't be able to sell so many crayfish."
"Mom, sales have been okay these past few days, and they haven't dropped too much. I'm planning to go to Zhonghai these few days to participate in an international trade fair."
"You're going where?" Liang Juan and Liang Cheng's eyes widened.
"To participate in the trade fair with crayfish!" Zhang Tianxing explained briefly.
"Xiao Xing, let's not go. Everyone is criticizing crayfish now, saying we're making dirty money."
"Second Uncle, I know about this too. But now, we can only do our best with the crayfish and let facts speak for themselves. The more we say, the more it sounds like we're just making excuses." Zhang Tianxing felt a little helpless. This feeling of being cyberbullied wasn't pleasant, but it was okay for now.
If it were like the cyberbullying in the future, people with less resilience would want to die at any moment. People's tactics were still much less sophisticated now.
"I plan to go and see, to see the outside world, and to see if we can find our own opportunities through this international trade fair."