Zhou Fuqing came to inquire about the preparations for the crayfish association.
Zhang Tianxing elaborated and shared his considerations, emphasizing the issue of membership fees.
Hearing this, Zhou Fuqing was a bit puzzled as to why Zhang Tianxing brought up this matter.
However, Zhang Tianxing quickly provided his answer: the money would be collected uniformly by the association, and expenditures would be governed by regulations, with no individual having the right to misappropriate funds.
This was essentially operational funding for the crayfish association.
After all, in Zhang Tianxing's vision, the crayfish association would play a significant role, firstly by establishing industry standards.
Secondly, as an industry authority, it must attract talent, and only ideals and money can truly win over talented individuals.
In the not-too-distant future, if possible, Zhang Tianxing even hoped to establish a crayfish academy dedicated to studying all aspects of crayfish.
However, the immediate priority was to attach a cultural veneer to crayfish. Without cultural heritage, it was impossible to imbue crayfish with new spiritual connotations.
Zhang Tianxing pondered for a long time, searching through historical texts to find the origins of crayfish in Chinese legends.
This consumed an immense amount of brainpower. Wang Shizhen of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Fen Gan Yu Hua" (分甘余话): "Pao, a large sea shrimp, is two to three zhang long. When swimming, it raises its whiskers, which can be used as curtains, hence its name."
The earliest record can be found in the Spring and Autumn period's "Er Ya - Shi Yu" (尔雅—释鱼).
By the Ming Dynasty, in "Min Bu Shu" (闽部疏), the term "Long Xia" (龙虾, literally "dragon shrimp") finally appeared!
The book states: "The most wondrous is the dragon shrimp; even when placed on a plate, it still writhes. It can be about a foot long. Its whiskers writhe in four directions, half the length of its body. Its eyes bulge, with two horns hidden above. Its shell is proud and majestic, its body resembling a small dragon. Behind its tail, it expels red roe, its color surpassing that of pomegranate flowers, truly a marvelous species."
These could all serve as evidence of crayfish's existence, although it seemed crayfish might be an introduced species. Nevertheless, Zhang Tianxing couldn't concern himself with that much.
Its historical presence proved that crayfish had historical origins. Ultimately, its mention in history was primarily to highlight the nutritional value of crayfish.
Only by doing so could the fame of crayfish be spread far and wide.
What people eat is not just culture, but health.
This way, the culture of crayfish would become deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Although he felt it was a bit far-fetched, Zhang Tianxing encouraged himself, stating that all of the above was historically verifiable.
He hadn't fabricated anything. Writing this down, Zhang Tianxing felt ninety percent satisfied, leaving ten percent for others to critique him.
After reading Zhang Tianxing's article, Zhou Fuqing was amazed. Then, Zhou Fuqing asked a core question.
"Do you still need to pay the membership fee?"
Zhang Tianxing was taken aback: "Treat everyone equally. Either everyone pays, or no one pays. I cannot be an exception."
"In that case, I'm relieved. I initially thought you wanted to swindle people out of money," Zhou Fuqing said with a chuckle.
Zhang Tianxing feigned mystery, doing his best to appear unfathomable: "Let me tell you in advance, upon joining, there will be a mysterious gift package."
Zhou Fuqing's curiosity was piqued: "What kind of gift package? Can you tell me beforehand?"
"The Buddha says: it cannot be spoken. You will understand when the time comes. I can only hint that it is related to crayfish and extremely valuable."
Zhou Fuqing pondered: "Brother Zhang, with these conditions, I'm afraid many people from my side will hesitate. Primarily, your membership fee is a bit too high."
Zhang Tianxing shook his head. Opportunity knocks but once. Zhang Tianxing would not offer free rides. If one boarded the crayfish express train this time, a lifetime of food and clothing security could be guaranteed.
Many things could not be explained in advance because Zhang Tianxing himself did not know how far he would go.
In real life, plans are perfect, but reality is cruel. Such situations are commonplace.
Zhang Tianxing was very busy during this period and could not personally handle many matters, so he entrusted the task of establishing the crayfish association to Zhou Fuqing.
They also tentatively drafted the association's charter.
Then, the two began their arduous journey between the Agriculture Bureau and the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Founding an association was truly fraught with hardship and tribulations.
The crayfish association was finally declared established.
There were nineteen members present at the time of its formation.
Zhang Tianxing, Liang Cheng, Zhou Fuqing, and Yan Ruyu, who came from Zhonghai with fame, were among them.
After the crayfish association was officially announced, Zhang Tianxing, as the first president, distributed a mysterious gift to the attendees.
That was "One Hundred and Eight Ways to Make Crayfish."
Upon seeing this book, the atmosphere reached a crescendo.
"I never expected Zhang Tianxing to be so extraordinary, possessing such foresight to contribute this secret recipe."
"No wonder this young man was featured in the China People's Daily. He is truly an exceptional talent, and Zhang Tianxing's achievements are bound to be extraordinary."
"This two thousand yuan was well spent. It seems this crayfish association has some real substance."
"Whoa, the requirements for becoming a director of this crayfish association are so strict. Without relevant academic works or being an industry leader, it's practically impossible for an ordinary person to become a director."
"I feel the status of this crayfish association is so high that it makes me feel a bit unworthy."
"And crayfish farming. Are there any farms now? I haven't heard of any."
"Your news is outdated. It's said that Zhang Tianxing has leased fifty mu of shrimp ponds, stocked them with many wild juvenile crayfish, and feeds them daily."
"To be honest, the spicy crayfish cooked by President Zhang Tianxing are unparalleled in the world. As for artificially farmed crayfish, I think it's difficult."
Liang Cheng looked at the members of the crayfish association. Most of them were giants in the catering industry, many of whom he had only heard of before. He never expected to see them in person today.
The formal establishment of the crayfish association was a shot in the arm for the crayfish market.
In the past few days, crayfish sales had significantly increased, making Li Fang, Gao Tianming, and the others smile from ear to ear.
Being so busy every day, it was evident that the earnings during these days would be substantial.
Zhang Tianxing was extremely busy. Seeing Wen Qing pass by, he immediately pulled her over and asked her to temporarily serve as the accountant.
He had Wen Qing calculate the income for the past few days. It was truly astonishing to discover the figures.
These five high school graduates had inadvertently become "ten-thousand-yuan households." This was also thanks to the publicity from the China People's Daily, which had led to a qualitative leap in crayfish sales.
From being renowned in Yangcheng, they became famous nationwide.
However, other regions of the country could not enjoy fresh crayfish, so they could only lament.
Zhang Tianxing also published his article on crayfish culture in the Zhonghai Daily. There was no other choice. It would have been better to publish it in the China People's Daily, but unfortunately, his writing skills were still slightly lacking.