To outsiders, Zhang Tianxing was undoubtedly successful.
Young and promising, he held the position of president of the Crayfish Association, owned Zhang Ji Barbecued Crayfish and a seafood store, and was making a fortune.
However, Zhang Tianxing knew very well that he had merely seized the first-mover advantage.
In the market, the early bird catches the worm, and the latecomer sips the soup – this is an immutable principle.
The crayfish industry was an emerging sector. As a wise man once said, things progress through twists and turns, and the crayfish industry was no exception.
Zhang Tianxing felt his progress had been smooth, without any major setbacks.
Therefore, Zhang Tianxing was preparing to change careers, believing in the adage of not putting all one's eggs in the same basket. He couldn't place all his hopes on crayfish.
Alas, this was the downside of being fickle, always wanting what was in front of you, what was in the basin, and what was in the pot – wanting everything and possessing everything.
He felt tired just thinking about it. Food must be eaten one bite at a time, and wealth must be accumulated step by step.
His achievements in the past two and a half months of hard work were already good. After all, he was a self-made man.
However, once he returned to school, the shop and the shrimp ponds would be handed over to his family.
This meant relying on past success. Thus, Zhang Tianxing decided to plan ahead and prepare for the future.
Since he had an outlook for the future, he should make it count and diversify his ventures.
Coincidentally, Wu Jiuping was looking to sell a bottling machine at a low price, intending to offset some losses.
Wu Jiuping had planned to enter the beverage industry but met with misfortune and suffered losses in the crayfish industry, which infuriated his family.
Wu Jiuping was forced to scale back all his operations and find ways to cover his previous losses.
The 100,000 yuan invested in the Crayfish Association and the money invested in crayfish farming had essentially gone down the drain.
The local township leaders were in a panic. Wu Jiuping was acting irresponsibly, withdrawing his business so abruptly.
The most critical issue was that Wu Jiuping had not paid his contract fees. At the time, the Yan Cun Township leaders assumed that the Wu family, being a prominent family in Zhonghai City, would not be concerned about such a small sum.
So, they turned a blind eye. Little did they know that Wu Jiuping would pull this stunt.
He had effectively put the leaders on the spot. How would they resolve this? How would they handle the contracted shrimp ponds? This had become the top priority for Yan Cun Township.
The achievements had already been reported to the district. If there was now a misreporting, would the leaders lose their positions? This was not a matter to be taken lightly.
Therefore, the Yan Cun Township leaders' first thought was Zhang Tianxing. However, they had no prior dealings with him.
To ensure Zhang Tianxing would take over, the township leaders adopted a "roundabout strategy." They first approached Liang Cheng, as Liang Cheng was a local with many connections.
Director Li brought two bottles of liquor and approached Liang Cheng: "Brother Liang Er, I've come to you for help. It's an emergency. You must help me."
Liang Cheng was startled. This was just the local official; what was this approach? Liang Cheng was unsure of what was happening.
"Director Li, please speak plainly. Don't be like this; I can't bear it. Just tell me what you need." There was no choice; when under someone else's roof, one had to be humble. His five hundred mu of land next year depended on this Director Li.
"It's like this, Brother Er. That Wu Jiuping really didn't act properly. He just withdrew, leaving those one hundred mu of shrimp ponds abandoned. So, I have an idea..."
Before Director Li could finish, Liang Cheng was stunned. "What do you want to do? I can't make this decision; it has to be Zhang Tianxing."
After several recent incidents, Liang Cheng realized he didn't know enough about crayfish. Therefore, he dared not make a decision.
After all, this was not a small sum, especially considering the potential yield of crayfish. If the yield was good, it would be manageable; it would just be a matter of profit.
But what if they lost money? It was only in adversity that problems could be discovered.
Seeing Liang Cheng's reaction, Director Li was helpless, but the problem had to be solved. If it couldn't be solved, the higher-ups would deal with him.
Director Li spoke sincerely to Liang Cheng: "Brother Liang Er, I'll be honest with you. You'll benefit from me being here. Think about it, when you contracted land, did I make any demands? You said you wanted to contract land, and I directly handled the paperwork for you. Whichever you wanted, I gave you. Is that not so!"
Liang Cheng nodded repeatedly. He remembered Director Li's kindness but felt this matter was beyond his capabilities, and he didn't know how to proceed.
"How about this, Director Li, I'll go find Zhang Tianxing right now and see how this can be resolved. As long as there's a slight possibility, I'll have him take it. What do you say?"
Upon receiving Liang Cheng's reply, Director Li was not entirely satisfied but felt it was acceptable since he hadn't outright refused. Director Li comforted himself.
"You must persuade him well. If I'm not here, and someone else takes over, what if they don't process your paperwork? Or what if you want land on the east bank, and they make you contract land on the west bank? I've said enough. I'm leaving."
After speaking, Director Li simply left. He had said what he needed to say, and there was no point in him staying any longer.
"Oh, and one more thing. The city has just issued a document supporting the development of household industries. Crayfish farming can be considered a related sector, and you might be able to apply for some subsidies if possible," Director Li said with a smile, waving goodbye.
The person in charge here was still that young man, Zhang Tianxing. It was no wonder Wu Jiuping had failed last time. Director Li had studied Zhang Tianxing in his spare time.
Every move Zhang Tianxing made had meaning. Others thought it was just his luck, but Director Li saw something different.
Many things were done by Zhang Tianxing in advance, which led to later opportunities, such as the publication of articles about crayfish in the newspapers.
All these could be attributed to the massive appeal of crayfish, a highly sensational topic.
As long as Zhang Tianxing agreed, the township would find a way to reduce his contract fees. With this promise, Director Li believed Zhang Tianxing would be tempted.
This was a win-win situation for both parties. It would bring Zhang Tianxing numerous benefits, expanding his shrimp pond area and allowing him to scale up this year.
Their township had made preliminary estimates. Liang Cheng had been quite successful in his business lately, especially in exports to foreign countries. He had pioneered this in the local area, becoming the first individual trader to export abroad.
This had caused a stir in Yan Cun Township. It could be said that Liang Cheng and Zhang Tianxing now had considerable influence in the Yan Cun Township area, benefiting from local celebrity status.