Chapter 87

Xiao Yuanhang had not yet figured out how to steer the conversation towards economic development when Ma Wanli asked from the side, "Brother Xiao, how much do you earn as a train conductor each month?"

Xiao Yuanhang replied, "I used to earn about 50 to 60 yuan a month, and after becoming a conductor, I earn about 60 to 70 yuan."

Ma Wanli, puzzled, asked, "Aren't salaries fixed? How can you have such fluctuating amounts like 50 to 60 and 60 to 70 yuan?"

Xiao Yuanhang explained, "In most units, bonuses for different positions are fixed, but we have an additional income bonus for our work on the train. This bonus is determined by the amount of ticket money we collect each month. If we collect more, the bonus is higher; if we collect less, the bonus is lower, hence the fluctuation."

"Ah, I see!" Ma Wanli said with a sigh, "It's so much better now. You, a young man, can earn 60 to 70 yuan a month after just two years of work. When I started, my monthly salary was only 18 yuan, and it stayed that way for three years. It only increased to 22 yuan in the fourth year. It was tough!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yuanhang's mind stirred. This was the perfect opportunity to bring up economic development. He asked calmly, "Brother Ma, how much do you earn each month now?"

Ma Wanli replied, "I'm still a deputy director, and I earn about 70 to 80 yuan a month, which is about the same as you, a young conductor who has only been working for two years!"

Xiao Yuanhang chuckled and said, "Brother Ma, this is just temporary. With the country's reform and opening up, the economy will develop better and better. As the country grows stronger, our salaries will rise accordingly. I believe that in less than ten years, our monthly salaries will reach 600 to 700 yuan, or even over 1,000 yuan!"

"Ah!" Xiao Yuanhang's bold "prediction" not only surprised Ma Wanli, Guo Xiaoquan, and Cheng Zhimin, but even Xu Wenbo was taken aback and refused to believe it!

"It's impossible!" Ma Wanli waved his hand and said, "Brother Xiao, what makes you think that in less than ten years, we'll earn 600 to 700 yuan a month? Isn't that just empty talk?"

"Exactly! It's absolutely impossible! In ten years, even if we earn 150 yuan a month, I'd be satisfied!" Guo Xiaoquan chimed in.

Xu Wenbo remained silent, looking at Xiao Yuanhang thoughtfully, waiting to see how he would respond...

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Brother Ma, I can't provide concrete evidence right now, but we can see if my prediction comes true in ten years. However, I can analyze it for you. Listen and see if it makes sense."

"Alright, go on, we're listening!" Ma Wanli said, maintaining his usual style.

Xiao Yuanhang continued, "Before the reform and opening up, a family with over 1,000 yuan in savings was considered very wealthy. Now, just two years into the reforms, the economy has become more active, and people can freely do business. Without going into details, even in our Guhe, there are at least 500 to 600 households with over 10,000 yuan. This was something we couldn't even imagine two years ago, and it has become a reality in just two years, and not just a few. You have to admit this, right?"

After listening to Xiao Yuanhang's argument, Ma Wanli thought about it and realized he was right. If someone had said two years ago that a family could have over 10,000 yuan in assets, he wouldn't have believed it. Now, there are many such households in Guhe, and 500 to 600 is a conservative estimate. He nodded and said, "Yes, I admit it."

Xiao Yuanhang continued, "Reform and opening up mean bringing in and going out, introducing advanced foreign technology and capital to participate in our economic construction, and aligning our economic development with the world. Our country is vast and rich in resources. After thousands of years of isolation, we have been living in poverty despite our wealth. We need advanced foreign technology and capital, and they need our abundant resources and low labor costs. I believe that with the deepening of reform and opening up, our country will enter a period of rapid development, with GDP growth accelerating, possibly even maintaining double-digit growth for several years!"

Xu Wenbo listened to Xiao Yuanhang's grand speech with great interest, secretly agreeing with his analysis. However, he only agreed because what Xiao Yuanhang said was the current state of China, nothing particularly special. When Xiao Yuanhang mentioned GDP, Xu Wenbo began to view him differently. Under the planned economy, the economic status of a province or county was measured by the amount of tax revenue, not GDP, which ordinary people knew nothing about!

"Stop, stop!" Ma Wanli interrupted Xiao Yuanhang, waving his hand, and said, "Brother Xiao, I admit your analysis is quite reasonable, but it's about national policies, which are too distant from us. If you're going to analyze something, analyze Guhe, that would be the most convincing. Oh, by the way, what did you mean by GDP?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Brother Ma, GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product, the abbreviation of the English term 'gross domestic product.' It refers to the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a year. The faster the GDP grows, the better the country's economic development!"

Ma Wanli said, "You're even using English terms. I don't understand this. This is useless to me. Just tell us about Guhe. How can we develop the economy in Guhe?"

The conversation had veered off course, but this was exactly what Xiao Yuanhang had hoped for. He glanced at Xu Wenbo, who was deep in thought, and cleared his throat, saying, "For any place to achieve rapid economic development, it must find its position and adapt to local conditions. First, determine the direction and strategy, and then move forward unwaveringly in that direction!"

"Then tell us how Guhe should position itself and adapt to local conditions," Xu Wenbo finally spoke up. He had just taken over the role of deputy secretary in charge of the economy and was in the research phase, without a clear direction for Guhe's economic development. He wanted to hear what Xiao Yuanhang had to say.

Xiao Yuanhang, realizing that Xu Wenbo agreed with his views, felt a surge of joy. He organized his thoughts and said, "To determine how Guhe should position itself and adapt to local conditions, we must first analyze Guhe's current situation, its advantages and disadvantages in economic development. Only by understanding these can we accurately position Guhe's economic development!"

Seeing that Xu Wenbo was looking at him without speaking, signaling him to continue, Xiao Yuanhang went on, "Guhe has no large mineral deposits, no heavy industries, and no large state-owned enterprises. This is a shortcoming in our economic development. Due to the severe lack of water resources, it is not suitable for large industrial and mining enterprises to settle here. These are our disadvantages. However, we have an advantage that many places cannot surpass: our well-connected transportation network!"

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PS: Thank you to the readers "fangniqifei," "chktchkt," "liujun," "shuyou13033....," "xibaitu," and "mantianfengshuang" for your support. Please give me more recommendations!~

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