The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 188: Old Ma is on the verge of collapse, always helping whoever wins.

The sun was blazing during the day, but the commune still felt a bit chilly on the nights of late spring when the wind blew.

Ma Defu put on his navy blue Zhongshan suit and walked along the muddy path behind the commune compound toward the abandoned farm machinery warehouse.

The moonlight was bright and clear, shining on the ground like streetlights in the city.

He quickened his pace, not at all afraid of stepping into puddles or potholes.

He had walked this path for over a decade; he could find the warehouse entrance with his eyes closed.

The warehouse's iron gate was ajar. Ma Defu gently pushed it, and the gate creaked loudly.

It was pitch black inside. There were a few beams of flashlight beams flickering in the corner, but as the door was pushed open and made a noise, the flashlight beams disappeared, leaving only two dark red cigarette butts.

Then a hoarse voice rang out, its tone full of vigilance:
"Who is it? State your name!"

"Me," Ma Defu answered in a low voice, closing the door behind him.

The flashlight beam came back on and immediately focused on him before quickly moving away.

In the brief light, he could make out the four people in the warehouse:

Li Weiguo squatted in the corner, holding a half-smoked cigarette in his hand; Yu Zhenfeng leaned against a pile of tattered sacks; Accountant Zhang sat on an overturned wooden box with a small notebook spread out on his knees; Wei Quanmin sat on a pile of urea bags.

He was the one who asked the question just now.

"Why are there only four of you?" Ma Defu looked around and then showed a dissatisfied expression.

Upon hearing this, the four immediately began to complain:
"Director Ma, people change when they're no longer in a high position. Before, when you were in a high position, some people behaved very well in front of you, but now that you're no longer the director, their attitude towards you is completely different..."

"Yes, respect the clothes first, then the person. They're not submitting to you, Director Ma, but to the director..."

"Director Ma, things are different now. Do you think Wang Dalong, Zhao Ze'an, and Chen Kai are any good people...?"

Ma Defu felt aggrieved, but he knew why: "What are you all shouting about? Are you afraid no one will know we're having a secret meeting here?"

“Zhao Ze’an and his group are all in the production brigade. They wouldn’t betray me, nor would they dare to. They must not have had time to come, so they didn’t come.”

Li Weiguo muttered, "Since you know the reason, why did you ask us? Why did you get angry at us?"

Ma Defu angrily retorted, "I'm angry because you're not united, I'm angry because you're still thinking about fighting amongst yourselves!"

"If you were united, would Qian Jin have been able to stay in the director's position until now?"

"Director Ma, what's the important matter that you called us here so late?" Wei Quanmin asked impatiently.

Ma Defu didn't rush to answer.

He walked to the center of the warehouse, kicked aside a few empty wooden crates, cleared a space, and dragged a three-legged stool from the wall to sit down.

The stool was unstable, so he had to put his weight on his legs.

“That kid Qian Jin, he’s been jumping around pretty loudly lately,” Ma Defu finally spoke, his voice barely audible, “Damn it!”

The warehouse fell silent instantly, even the sound of breathing became cautious.

Ma Defu knew without even looking that his old subordinates were waiting for his next move.

They were all veterans who had worked with him at the supply and marketing cooperative for over a decade, serving him faithfully ever since he was a sales clerk.

But instead of revealing his own idea directly, he first surveyed his capable subordinates:
"Do you know how disappointed I am!"

"Do you even know what I mean? I thought you had a way to get rid of this kid!"

“Director Ma, Qian Jin was sent down from the city’s general cooperative; he has connections,” Accountant Zhang said with difficulty. “We’re called cadres, but we’re really just farmers. It’s probably not wise for us to confront him head-on.”

Ma Defu sneered: "Background? What is Qian Jin anyway!"

“I’ve inquired around in the city. His father was just a warehouse keeper at the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill, and he died last year. His mother died even earlier. Are you afraid of his background?”

"If we're talking about background, you have to mention me, Ma Defu! For over twenty years, I started as an ordinary worker and eventually became the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. Do you think I don't have a background? You all know my background!"

He revealed the identities of Qian Jin's parents as discovered during the investigation.

However, it did not mention that Qian Jin now wields immense power on Taishan Road and can be considered the godfather of Taishan Road.

Upon learning that Qian Jin had no powerful connections, the four men were somewhat invigorated.

Ma Defu continued, "Besides, do you think I'm asking you to confront him head-on? I've always said we need to use our wits and brains; you need to set a trap for him!"

"And what did you guys do? Damn it, you didn't do anything, and Fatty Wang even got himself thrown in jail!"

"What a bunch of trash!"

He got so excited as he spoke that the chair wobbled and he almost fell over.

Wei Quanmin quickly stepped forward to help him up, and Ma Defu stood up and began pacing back and forth in the open space.

"Do you know what the supply and marketing cooperative has become?" He suddenly stopped and questioned the four men. "That kid Qian Jin wants to be like me and turn the supply and marketing cooperative into his personal fiefdom!"

"At that time, whether it's a pharmacy or a food store, a buyback station or a joint venture store, who goes up and who goes down is just a matter of his word, isn't it?"

Yu Zhenfeng spat: "Yes, that's right. He knows we are your Director Ma's confidants, so he definitely won't let us go."

Li Weiguo nodded in agreement: "He'll come after us sooner or later!"

Ma Defu's eyes gleamed in the darkness: "So we can't just sit here and wait to die. Qian Jin is trying to cut off our livelihood, so let's make sure he can't stay in this supply and marketing cooperative any longer!"

"Director Ma, do you have an idea?" Wei Quanmin leaned closer.

Instead of answering directly, Ma Defu turned to Accountant Zhang and asked, "Old Zhang, how much working capital do your partner stores have in their accounts?"

Accountant Zhang opened his notebook and looked at it in the dim light of a flashlight: "The book says 1,200, but the actual usable amount is probably 700 or 800."

Ma Defu frowned: "So little?"

Accountant Zhang nodded helplessly: "It's already quite a lot; I've already kept some for myself."

"You have no idea, Director Ma, after he took over as director, he started implementing all sorts of rules and regulations, and completely abolished all the old rules you set!"

"Transfer orders require approval at every level. They won't let us into the warehouse. Anything that wants to enter our store has to be registered. As soon as the money arrives, Zhao Dazhu will take it away!"

Ma Defu said with a gloomy face, "He's doing this to protect himself from thieves!"

Li Weiguo said quietly, "Last week I wanted to go to the warehouse to get two more kilograms of veterinary glucose. Jin Hai thought that he had become Qian Jin's man, and that he was bolder and more confident. He insisted that I write an application and then get Qian Jin's signature."

“In the past, I could just mention Director Ma’s name and that would be it; he wouldn’t dare say anything.”

Accountant Zhang asked Ma Defu, "Director Ma, why are you asking about money?"

"You're not planning to tamper with public funds, are you?"

Ma Defu adopted a mysterious air: "There's no cat in the world that doesn't steal fish. I don't believe Qian Jin is completely honest."

"As long as you keep good accounts, I have a way to get money out of him!"

Accountant Zhang clenched his fist on the spot.

You fucking trying to steal money or mess with me? I think you're planning to hurt yourself a thousand while injuring the enemy eight hundred, right?

And I, Zhang, will be responsible for all of your 1,000!
So Accountant Zhang said without hesitation, "The ledgers can't be touched right now. Qian Jin is the strictest with audits. He's different from you, Director Ma, he really understands the accounts..."

"What do you mean? Oh, I don't understand, do I?" Ma Defu's face immediately fell.

Accountant Zhang thought to himself, "Isn't this as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head?"

However, he didn't dare say that. In the end, he said sullenly, "The bills are a big problem. It's difficult to forge them but easy to verify. I'm afraid it won't be the higher-ups' turn to investigate the accounts. Qian Jin found out the problem first."

"Is that right, Manager Yu?"

Yu Zhenfeng nodded upon hearing this.

He has to stand with Accountant Zhang on this issue.

Since Accountant Zhang is his accountant, problems with Accountant Zhang's bills also indicate problems with his company's finances.

So he said, "Director Ma, what Accountant Zhang said is very true. He is a professional in this area, and we will definitely listen to you. But we can't ignore the opinions of such a professional."

Ma Defu patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I have my own arrangements. You two will be fine."

"The issue of not paying the bill needs careful consideration. We can do something else first."

"Hey Lao Yu, you're in charge of contacting Chen Gongqiao from the Da Chen production brigade. The whole Da Chen family is united, and this guy has a bad temper but he's one of our own. Just say that the new leaders of the supply and marketing cooperative are blocking their urea and pesticide quotas, and let them make a fuss."

Yu Zhenfeng grinned: "That's a great idea. Director Ma is really capable; he always comes up with brilliant ideas. Captain Chen has such a temper; he's quick to anger."

“However, it’s not appropriate for me to get involved in this matter. Pesticides are Station Chief Li’s job. Why don’t we let him take charge of this?”

Li Weiguo immediately became agitated: "You son of a bitch! Yu Zhenfeng, how dare you disobey Director Ma's orders? I think you're trying to rebel!"

“Old Li, don’t worry, this matter should be handled by Lao Yu. You have other plans.” Ma Defu then turned to Li Weiguo.

“Go to each of the double-item stores and tell them that our people should ‘accidentally’ mix up the labor protection supplies for the educated youth and the farmers. Especially for those educated youth from the capital and Shanghai, give them the worst quality.”

Li Weiguo nodded knowingly: "The educated youth are already delicate, and if they make a fuss, they'll definitely come after Qian Jin for an explanation."

Ma Defu finally looked at Wei Quanmin and asked, "Doesn't your wife have relatives in the Women's Federation?"

"Tell her to tell her relatives to bring it up at the women's representative meeting, saying that the new director of the supply and marketing cooperative looks down on rural women and intercepts the best fabrics and resells them to the families of leaders and cadres in various units in the county."

Wei Quanmin rubbed his hands together: "This is a ruthless move. If the women cause a ruckus, Qian Jin will be in serious trouble."

Ma Defu looked at his old subordinates with satisfaction, as if he could already see Qian Jin in a state of utter distress.

He took out a match, lit a cigarette for himself this time, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke that swirled and rose in the darkness.

"This is just the first step." His voice turned cold. "When the internal and external conflicts erupt together, and Qian Jin can't handle them all, someone in the county will naturally speak up. Then, hehe!"

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood.

Yu Zhenfeng said enthusiastically, "We've been enjoying the profits from our own supply and marketing cooperative for over a decade, and we're not going to give it up easily to some outsider who just parachuted in."

“Director Ma,” Accountant Zhang suddenly asked, “what if Qian Jin discovers our conspiracy?”

"He seems to be very willing to hit people."

Ma Defu laughed: "That would have to be first if he noticed. Don't be afraid, if he dares to hit you, I will help you get justice."

“He’ll hit you too,” Li Weiguo said in a low voice.

This is the truth.

The other three grinned.

A silent laugh.

Ma Defu threw his cigarette butt at him: "Trying to impress me? You think you're the only one with a mouth?"

“Let me tell you, what does a young man from the city know about the ways of the countryside? The supply and marketing cooperative is a deep and murky place. Qian Jin hasn’t even gotten his feet wet, yet he wants to be in charge?”

"The sky won't fall down for our supply and marketing cooperative. Even if it does, I, Ma Defu, will hold it up. With me here, what are you afraid of?"

Several dogs suddenly barked outside the warehouse, and the group of people held their breath at the same time.

Ma Defu gestured for everyone to stay still, then tiptoed to the door and peeked out through the crack for a while.

"It's alright, it's just a stray dog." He breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the others and said, "That's enough for today. Everyone go your separate ways and don't let anyone see you. Remember, only the five of us know about this."

Everyone nodded, stubbed out their cigarettes, and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Li Weiguo hesitated for a moment: "Director Ma, are we really going to make such a big deal out of this? Is there any way to exchange some benefits with him for money...?"

Ma Defu's eyes suddenly turned sharp: "Old Li, have you forgotten who pulled strings to get your son into the commune's grain station three years ago? Now that we're facing some difficulties, you want to cower like a coward?"

Li Weiguo's expression changed, and he finally lowered his head: "That's not what I meant..."

“Then let’s proceed according to plan.” Ma Defu’s tone softened. “Once the money is gone, the supply and marketing cooperative will still be ours. We won’t treat you unfairly then.”

As everyone left one by one, Ma Defu was the last to go.

He stood at the warehouse entrance, gazing at the lights in the supply and marketing cooperative compound in the distance.

He knew that place all too well; it was where his former office was, but now it had been taken over by someone else.

but it does not matter.

Qian Jin, this arrogant young man, will soon learn that in this land, some rules are more powerful than official documents!

Ma Defu tightened his collar and stepped into the night.

The wind rustled through the poplar trees by the roadside, and he felt that it sounded like the commune members were whispering and spreading news about various troubles that Qian Jin couldn't solve.

For the next three days, the commune was peaceful.

Things are going very differently in Ma Defu.

He was treated like an idiot by Qian Jin.

Today he carries urea, tomorrow he does a thorough cleaning. Qian Jin has nothing to do, so he keeps an eye on him and makes him practice.

He now understands how those employees he ostracized back then felt.

Sin!

What a torment!

On the third night, he couldn't resist any longer and summoned his men again.

He overheard Qian Jin and Jin Hai's conversation when he got off work today.

Jin Hai said, "Director Qian, several bottles of pesticide have expired."

Qian Jin asked, "What happened? How can pesticides expire?"

Jin Hai said, "These are all things that Ma Defu intercepted before. It's been too long and he didn't make any arrangements for them, so I didn't dare to touch them and ended up forgetting about them."

"But is it okay if pesticides expire? We're worried about people dying from expired cookies and sugar, but pesticides are meant to kill pests, so wouldn't they be even more effective after they expire?"

Qian Jin said, "No, things that are edible become inedible after their expiration date, and things that are inedible become edible after their expiration date."

Jin Hai said, "Then why don't I just test these pesticides on pests?"

Qian Jin said, "What are you looking for? It was Ma Defu who produced this shit, and he's the one who has to clean up the mess."

"Okay, tomorrow we'll find a reason to force him to taste the pesticide, and see if he dies or not, that'll be the end of it."

"If he doesn't die, this medicine will be wasted. If he does die, we'll say he couldn't accept the dismissal benefits from the organization and committed suicide..."

Ma Defu was terrified when he heard this.

He's much more ruthless than me!
We have to get him out of here right now, or I'll lose my life!

So that night, in the dilapidated warehouse, the flame of the kerosene lamp flickered in the draft, casting eight faces onto the mottled earthen wall, like a distorted shadow puppet show.

More people came.

Ma Defu slammed his enamel mug onto the old eight-immortal table, splashing the clear, pure grain liquor out and creating circles of varying sizes on the surrounding tabletop.

"Are they all mute?" Ma Defu's roar shook the dust off the roof beams.

"What's going on? I'm not Director Ma anymore, so you don't have to listen to me anymore?"

"I told you to deal with Qian Jin right away, what have you been doing? Huh? Tell me what the hell you've been doing!"

Everyone sighed and said, "Director Ma, it's not that we don't listen to you, it's just that we need to find an opportunity..."

"Go to hell!" Ma Defu cursed. "Are you trying to fool an idiot?"

"Yu Zhenfeng, you're trying to fool me!"

Yu Zhenfeng was extremely aggrieved: "How could I dare, Director Ma? I'm innocent! My loyalty to you is as clear as day..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Why haven't we heard anything from the Da Chen Production Brigade?" Ma Defu said angrily.

Yu Zhenfeng said, "The main problem is that Qian Jin arranged for us to distribute all the fertilizers and pesticides needed for spring plowing to the various production brigades some time ago. The Chen family doesn't need to come to collect anything these days, so how am I supposed to pass on the message?"

Ma Defu glared angrily at Li Weiguo again.

Li Weiguo immediately said, "I'm different from Yu Zhenfeng. I'm just a loyal follower of Director Ma's arrangements."

“I relayed your instructions to the Shuangdai stores of each brigade early the day before yesterday. You can ask Zhao Ze’an and the others if you don’t believe me.”

Zhao Ze'an, smoking a cigarette, said in astonishment, "I didn't receive it. Da Long, Chen Kai, did you receive it?"

Wang Dalong and Chen Kai shook their heads repeatedly and pointed at Li Weiguo, saying that he was lying through his teeth.

Li Weiguo was furious: "You guys have no shame..."

"Shut up! Don't make a fuss, are you afraid no one will know we're here?" Ma Defu glared at the crowd.

His gaze finally settled on Wei Quanmin.

Wei Quanmin's fiery temper subsided, and he chuckled awkwardly, "The county's women's representatives didn't hold a meeting, really, Director Ma..."

"You son of a bitch!" Ma Defu raised his voice.

He's a shrewd man; how could he not see that these people were paying lip service to him while secretly going against his wishes?
"You think you're all grown up now, and I can't boss you around anymore? You all need to remember, if it weren't for me back then, would you be where you are now?"

Li Weiguo huddled at the very edge of the bench, sighing.

The kerosene lamp cast his hunched shadow on the wall, making him look just like a boiled shrimp.

“Director Ma…” Accountant Zhang’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, his expression troubled as if he were constipated. “These tricks look clever, but they probably won’t be so easy to use in practice.”

Ma Defu grabbed Accountant Zhang by the collar, and the synthetic cotton fabric made a tearing sound.

"So you've learned to spout high-sounding nonsense now, huh?" Ma Defu spat in the other man's face. "Did you feed all the profits from last year's tung oil resale to the dogs?"

Yu Zhenfeng suddenly started coughing violently. The warehouse manager of the supply and marketing cooperative buried his face in his palms, and his phlegm-filled breaths escaped between his fingers.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to break free from Ma Defu's entanglement, Accountant Zhang went up to Yu Zhenfeng to pat him on the back and ask, "Old Yu, how are you?"

He waited for others to ask Yu Zhenfeng what was wrong.

As a result, no one asked any questions; everyone just stood by and watched coldly.

He could only cough and say, "Sigh, Lao Yu and Qian Jin don't get along at all. Qian Jin always comes to our store to cause trouble, which makes Lao Yu exhausted, angry and upset. Recently, the temperature has been fluctuating between hot and cold, which has ruined his health."

The others cursed inwardly upon hearing this: "What a shameless bastard! Yu Zhenfeng is the most shrewd man. How could he not get along with Qian Jin?"
The kerosene lamp popped and emitted a spark.

Wei Quanmin squatted on the threshold smoking, the cigarette butt illuminating his swollen eye bags in the flickering light.

He suddenly stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette on the sole of his shoe, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing: "Director Ma, let's forget about it."

"Forget it?" Ma Defu couldn't hold back any longer, his roar like a cannon blast, "Who are you telling me to forget it with? You want me to forget it with you guys?"

Wei Quanmin had an even more fiery temper than him, and he jumped up and said, "Who do you think you are? We're all members of your Ma family army. What have we done to wrong you that you have to hold us accountable?"

"Don't play dumb. You know when I said 'let it go,' I meant to tell Qian Jin we're done. We can't beat him!"

"Director Ma, you don't need to boss us around like that. Everyone knows Qian Jin beats you up like a father beating his son. Do you have any ideas on how to deal with Qian Jin...?"

This is like pulling down Ma Defu's underwear and flicking a rubber band on his genitals.

Ma Defu picked up a nearby wine bottle and smashed it on the ground.

With a loud bang, he rushed at Wei Quanmin, grabbed Wei Quanmin's clothes, and was about to throw a punch: "What did you say? You want to rebel? Wei Quanmin wants to rebel..."

Once Wei Quanmin gets carried away, he doesn't care if you're Director Ma or Director Qian; in his eyes, all that matters is whether you can win the fight.

Knowing he could beat Ma Defu, he punched Ma Defu in the chest first.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Ze'an quickly went up with Wang Dalong like bodyguards to hold back Wei Quanmin.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ma Defu wildly threw punches, relentlessly aiming for Wei Quanmin's face: "You dare hit me? You've rebelled! You bastard, you actually dare to throw punches at me..."

Zhao Ze'an roared at the others, "What are you all doing? Are you all just watching a show? If something happens, we'd all die together!"

Chen Kai realized what was happening and went to pull Ma Defu away.

Wei Quanmin's mouth was controlled, yet he could still output:

"Ma Defu, what makes you think you can take me on? Everyone knows about your attempt to frame Qian Jin a few days ago."

"You're really something, coming up with the idea of ​​slapping yourself on the shoulder and then framing Qian Jin! You even hired Cao Lihua to do it, everyone knows Cao Lihua is Qian Jin's bitch now..."

"You say you can't beat Qian Jin, fine, but you can't outsmart him either! All you do is talk about going against him, how are you going to do it? You say you want to teach him a lesson, how are you going to teach him a lesson..."

"Stop talking!" Zhao Ze'an looked utterly hopeless.

Ma Defu was jumping around and howling like he'd eaten rat poison, his eyes bloodshot and bulging, and even white foam was coming out of the corners of his mouth.

He's never been this angry before!

His deepest wounds were exposed by his subordinate, whom he had treated like a door dog. He flew into a rage, his blood pressure soared, and he was held back from venting his anger. In the end, he collapsed into Chen Kai's arms.

Chen Kai panicked: "Director Ma has fainted, he's fainted..."

Director Zhang hurriedly went up and pinched the philtrum.

Yu Zhenfeng watched coldly from the sidelines.

Li Weiguo lowered his flashlight, its dim yellow light shining on the broken glass of the wine bottle on the ground.

Several messy figures were reflected in the large shards of broken glass.

Li Weiguo discovered that his reflection happened to merge with Ma Defu's, so he hurriedly used his foot to push the glass shards away.

We will have no contact with each other from now on.

Ma Defu was in good health; he was simply overcome with anger and quickly calmed down.

After recovering, he did not attack Wei Quanmin again, but instead slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the dark corner of the wall.

"Old Director, please calm down." Yu Zhenfeng handed over the enamel mug containing the liquor.

Ma Defu suddenly gave a sinister laugh: "Hehehehe..."

He looked at Yu Zhenfeng and said, "Old Yu, did you think I just fainted?"

"Actually, no, I was actually thinking about what's going on between us."

“I know you think I can’t do anything to Qian Jin, that I can’t beat Qian Jin, so you want to switch sides.”

"But do you think you can actually change it?"

He pulled out a palm-sized red leather notebook, the gold-embossed word "award" on the cover missing half of its shape.

After opening it, he said, "Station Chief Li, you're the furthest away from me. I understand, I understand. You want to distance yourself from me."

"Hehe, this is your second year as the head of the medical station, 68, right? That year, the grain in the commune's granary wasn't stored properly. What happened? I investigated and found that the fumigant chloropicrin used by the grain station was mixed with lime powder. The grain fumigant chloropicrin, which was supposed to be the right weight, ended up being half medicine and half lime powder..."

The flashlight in Li Weiguo's hand suddenly fell to the ground with a 'clatter'.

Yu Zhenfeng, who was nearby, also looked very unwell.

He saw the notebook filled with dates, quantities, and codes, and the sweat on the back of his neck instantly soaked through his detachable collar.

"And you too." Ma Defu pointed his finger at Yu Zhenfeng in time. "Now you know to come to me and pretend to 'calm down'? If you all had just listened to me obediently, would I have gotten so angry?"

"Old Yu, I don't even need to look at the ledgers. Just take the two tons of fertilizer that were destroyed by flooding in your warehouse last summer when the typhoon hit. That wasn't urea, it was fertilizer, which is worth a hundred or two hundred yuan a ton on the black market..."

He then pointed to Accountant Zhang: "The year before last, the purchasing station collected 1,200 jin of sesame seeds, but it turned into 700 jin..."

Wei Quanmin, who had been forced to sit on the limping chair, suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the muddy ground with a screeching sound.

He unbuttoned his faded Zhongshan suit, revealing a centipede-like scar on his waist.

"Ma Defu!" Wei Quanmin's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Don't go too far! Do you want to force us to our deaths? Have you thought about what will happen to you?"

"Look at me, look at this scar. Where did it come from? It's from when I took a knife for you!"

He pointed at the crowd and said, "What are you all afraid of? Will being afraid solve anything now?"

He then pointed at Ma Defu: "Director Ma, none of us are fools. We're all shrewd. Let's speak frankly."

“If you can handle Qian Jin, we’ll definitely help you deal with him. But we all know you can’t handle him at all. What are we supposed to do? Follow you like moths to a flame? Can’t we just live our lives peacefully? Why do we have to fight him?”

"At worst, we can quit working in the commune or go back to the production team to be peasants."

“You’re much better off than us. You have a good wife and a good father-in-law. At worst, you can be transferred to another supply and marketing cooperative. Who knows, if you lick your father-in-law’s boots, he might even let you continue as the director of the supply and marketing cooperative…”

Zhao Ze'an went up and covered his mouth, "Stop talking, stop talking!"

Wei Quanmin pushed him away: "Why wouldn't I say so, Lao Zhao? I'm fucking saving our lives!"

"Can't you see Qian Jin's capabilities? In the past, both the county and the city have sent plenty of people here, and every single one of them has been thoroughly subdued by Director Ma."

"But what about Qian Jin? He's been here for two months, and he's already... he's already taken us all!"

Zhao Ze'an and Wang Dalong went up to pull him away, saying, "Old Wei, forget it, forget it..."

“Let him speak!” Madford sneered.

Wei Quanmin, without any politeness, put his hands on his hips and said in a strong voice, "You want me to say it, right? Then don't be in such a hurry!"

“Don’t think you’re the only one with connections in Haibin City. Don’t think we farmers can’t find out anything in the city. I also found out he made money.”

"We don't even need to mention his situation in his neighborhood. Just say that he works at the supply and marketing cooperative or his workplace. He's the captain of the Jiagang transport team, and his subordinates are completely obedient to him."

"We all know what kind of people the movers are, they're a bunch of troublemakers, but he managed to keep them all under his thumb. What does that say? It means this guy is damn amazing!"

"He's not just ordinary capable; he's arrested smuggling gangs, robbery gangs, and even murderers. He also saved the city from a major fire in Jiagang, earning a great merit."

"I asked someone to investigate, and they sent me several copies of the newspaper! Ma Defu! He's been in the newspapers, several times over!"

"You only told us to deal with Qian Jin, but did you tell us who Qian Jin is?"

"No, not at all! You're really tight-lipped! You keep telling us to charge into battle! No, no, no, you're telling us to charge into battle? You're telling us to go and die!"

He spoke in rapid succession.
The warehouse was silent.

Everyone was looking at Madfu.

"Good, very good..." Ma Defu grinned maliciously, a smile more like a grimace. "So, Qian Jin has been feeding you all along, hasn't he?"

"But remember this! You are my dogs, I raised you, and now you want to recognize your owner? It's no use!"

"You think Qian Jin would dare to use you? Bullshit! He wouldn't dare, but he'd definitely make things difficult for you!"

"Also, this time I'm actually testing you!"

Someone couldn't help but laugh.

fling in teeth.

The situation has turned out to be a test for us?
Ma Defu remained calm: "You think I'm trying to save face? Hehe, then I'll tell you the real inside information!"

"Anyone can find the same information you can find. It's completely useless!"

"What did I find out? Do you know why I came back? Because I know that Qian Jin will be transferred back to the city soon, and then I'll be in charge of this supply and marketing cooperative again!"

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat upon hearing this.

Accountant Zhang asked instinctively, "Then why are you still working for him? Why don't you just wait patiently for him to be transferred back?"

Ma Defu cursed, "Who wants to work with him? He's the one who insists on working with me, he's the one who insists on working with me!"

He took a deep breath and said, "I just want him to know that I, Ma Defu, am not someone to be trifled with!"

Wei Quanmin slowly buttoned up his Zhongshan suit, covering the scar.

He shook his head and said, "Director Ma, don't say anymore. My wife is sick, and I have to go back and check on her."

"See you later."

Yu Zhenfeng suddenly started coughing.

Accountant Zhang said, "Director Yu, how about I accompany you to the health center? Your cough has been acting strange these past two days."

Yu Zhenfeng nodded reluctantly and left with his help.

Others followed suit, finding excuses to flee.

Ma Defu neither stopped nor tried to persuade him; he blew out the kerosene lamp, allowing the moonlight filtering through the window to shine even brighter.

The window frame divides the ground into strips of light and dark.

Standing at the boundary between light and shadow, the left half of his face was hidden in shadow, while the muscles on the right half of his face twitched incessantly.

These people don't believe me at all!
"Get out! All of you, get the hell out!" He kicked over the old eight-immortal table, filled with rage.

"You'll regret it someday, you'll come crawling back to me on your knees! You think I'm finished? You think I'm talking nonsense? You're all blind!"

Li Weiguo was the last to leave.

He heard these words, but he didn't believe a word of them.

In his eyes, Ma Defu is now like a stray dog ​​that has been chased away after losing a territory battle.

It's still an old dog!

(End of this chapter)