Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1333 has many problems.

Xiao Wei frowned and thought for a moment: "Then it seems that, as you said, Brother Huang, it's not very realistic to designate a piece of land here?"

Minister Huang said, "From a long-term perspective, we are indeed not as good as these two places. Theirs are real natural grasslands, born to be used as pastures. Ours is a weapons testing ground, and we have to consider security and confidentiality. The requirements are different."

"It's alright. Once I decide on the location, I'll designate the land. It's all within our military region's jurisdiction, so it's not difficult. It's not like we're not paying the local government, right?"

Chen Hui said, "That's true, but that would increase land costs."

Minister Huang waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about that. We own 40% of it. The land and infrastructure are ours. You just need to decide on the location."

Chen Hui gave a thumbs up: "Awesome."

Minister Huang lit another cigarette: "But speaking of which, you need to think carefully about the market from now on. Don't underestimate Yili Capital just because it's not as good as yours. It has a huge reputation in the dairy industry, and the market isn't so easy to compete for."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "This is not a problem at all. Our supermarkets and convenience stores have covered the entire Northeast and Beijing-Tianjin area. We use our own channels and have counters in our own shopping malls."

"Right now, Yili mainly relies on us to sell in these areas. I haven't thought about competing for the national market; it's pointless. It's just about adding a few stable proprietary products to the local shopping malls."

Chen Hui nodded and said, "We're not that greedy, nor do we have that much ambition. We're basically focusing on developing and expanding within our existing industries. Trying to do too much at once will only lead to failure. Right now, we'll add a few high-selling, fast-moving consumer goods to the mall whenever we have the chance."

Minister Huang said, "This is already good enough. What more do you want? It's a market in several provinces. I really admire you. You're amazing. You've done it all so quietly."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "We're not a state-owned enterprise, where we have to stand out and make a name for ourselves to get promoted and make money. What we need is a solid market, healthy operations, and real sales. We're pursuing something different."

Minister Huang paused for a moment, then nodded and smiled wryly: "Yes, I was overthinking it. You guys don't care about politics. Yes, fame and fortune are shackles. If you're always scheming for rank, how can you have any interest in doing marketing?"

Chen Hui said, "So my dad said that the separation of government and business is a good thing, allowing people to do what they're supposed to do and not spend all their time thinking about useless things. But I feel it might not be as useful as he thinks. No matter how many changes are made, it's still the same thing; officials are still officials."

Minister Huang said, "It's not that absolute. We're currently conducting competitive recruitment for positions, so let's take it one step at a time. Things will get better eventually."

Chen Hui curled his lip: "I'm afraid that if we do competitive selection now, people will get restless once the system becomes popular, and in the end, it will still come down to rank and background resources."

There are always some people who are good for nothing but reaping the benefits and taking advantage of others. They end up making a mess, then walk away unscathed, getting promoted without any problems. Our biggest flaw is the system of only promotions, no demotions, and a system where once an official, always an official.

Xiao Wei coughed and took a sip of tea: "I'm getting off-topic. Brother Huang, you have more experience than us. You can raise cattle, horses, and sheep together without any problem, right? Maybe pigs, chickens, and ducks too. I reckon in the end, we'll probably have almost all of those."

Minister Huang said, "I don't know about chickens and ducks, but they should be fine. Ducks need water, so we might have to dig a pond. Chickens are fine, free-range chickens are even better. As for pigs, the main problem is manure disposal; that pollution is too severe."

Chen Hui said, "Let's enclose a large area and build a residential area there, complete with pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and processing plants. The grasslands will have cattle, horses, sheep, and pasture, plus a tourist area. The tourist area and the residential area should be kept far apart."

Minister Huang said, "Garbage disposal needs to keep up. The vastness of the grasslands can make people feel that it doesn't matter if they throw something away, plus the wind is strong. We don't want to end up with trash flying everywhere. We won't be able to pick it all up."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's restrict the entry of plastic products, like bags and packaging. Then do some public awareness campaigns, impose hefty fines, and keep a close eye on things. What else can we do?"

Chen Hui pointed at Xiao Wei: "Fire. And cigarettes. We need to figure out a way to deal with smoking. You can't just forbid it, but letting people smoke and litter indiscriminately is a big problem."

Minister Huang thought for a moment and said, "Riding a horse is also a problem. Riding a horse is not that simple. How to ensure safety is one aspect, and in addition, the damage that horses' hooves do to the grassland is also significant. Grass cannot grow in places where they run all the time."

"In the future, whether we designate a specific area for horse racing or move to different areas for grass as needed, we need to plan ahead. The length also needs to be specified; if it's too short, people won't feel satisfied; if it's too long, they won't be able to get off and will be unable to walk."

Chen Hui smiled and said to Xiao Wei, "It feels like once you bring this up, problems arise everywhere, and there are a lot of troubles. What do you think, should we add some large amusement park rides? We need at least a few fun and attractive ones, right?"

Minister Huang said, "You have to take the climate into account. Summers are short and winters are long on the grasslands, and the winds are strong. The time that people can comfortably enjoy outdoor activities is actually not long, or rather, quite short. How can we make people willing to come and have fun, and avoid a sharp drop in visitor numbers due to the climate?"

Chen Hui said, "Beidaihe has grass skiing, we can do that here too. In winter, we can do skiing, and some other snow activities. I can't think of any ideas for spring and autumn."

Xiao Wei said, "Our main business is running a ranch. First, we need to cultivate the pasture and develop the grassland. Then, we need to raise horses, cattle, and sheep to ensure the supply of milk, dairy products, and fresh meat. That's our main business."

This includes ensuring sufficient raw materials for these processing plants to supply the market. Only under these circumstances should we consider tourism; we can't confuse the primary and secondary priorities. Right? The supplementary matters are easy to handle; Hongliang can discuss them with the travel agency later.”

Chen Hui said, "What do you think? How about we build a resort area? Like in Hainan, where you can see the sea there and admire the grasslands here. We could build a cluster of villas next to the residential area, only for rent, not for sale. Wouldn't that attract people?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. People inland want to see the sea, and people by the sea definitely want to see the grasslands. People in the north want to experience the warmth of the south, and people in the south want to see the snow. This is only human nature."

"Brother Huang, it would be best if our land had a river and a lake nearby; that would make future development much easier."

Minister Huang nodded and said, "Yes, we'll look into it then. Let's see what your experts say first, define the general area, and then I'll go look."

Chen Hui said, "How do we find it? By driving around? Or by drawing it on a map?"

Minister Huang looked at Chen Hui: "The military region still has a few helicopters. We can fly them around a few times, take some pictures, and bring them back for everyone to choose from, okay?"

Chen Hui chuckled a few times: "Okay, definitely okay, Brother Huang is awesome."

After chatting for more than an hour, Liu Hongliang finally arrived, accompanied by two professors from the Agricultural University, one who studies plant forage grass and the other who studies livestock breeding.

Right now, researchers are lacking funding and practical training bases.

The 1990s were a time when those who made missiles were less well-off than those who sold tea eggs. Numerous research institutions in China were shut down or merged, many projects were halted or stalled, and many researchers had to switch careers or even set up roadside stalls. It was a truly tragic situation.

(End of this chapter)