The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 326 Special Envoy Goes to the Countryside, Militia Blocks the Road

The drought is like an invisible giant dragon, stretching for thousands of miles, hovering over the four provinces, sucking up all the moisture in the air, and then greedily sucking up the remaining moisture on the earth.

The June sky was a blindingly blue, and the sun, like a giant fireball, relentlessly scorched the parched land of Anguo County.

The jeep sped along the road, and Qian Jin looked out, his heart heavy.

It's a return visit to a familiar place.

When he last checked the impact of the insect infestation, he focused on Anguo County, and now he's back.

In the wheat field, the wheat seedlings that had once stubbornly survived the insect plague are now withered and fallen in large swaths, their scorched yellow leaves making a hoarse, rustling sound in the hot wind, which is very jarring.

This wheat field is ruined!

It truly lives up to that line from movies and TV shows: even a celestial being descending to earth couldn't save them!

Cracks in the soil spread across the fields like a spider web, as if the earth had opened countless thirsty mouths.

The air was scorching and dry, and Qian Jin had to sip water from time to time while sitting in the car.

The driver, Xiao Sun, asked him softly, "Commander Qian, should we continue turning?"

Qian Jin waved his hand: "Let's go to the command post."

There's nothing more to see if you keep looking.

Just one sentence.

Drought is merciless!

The Anguo County Drought Relief Command Center is located in the county government compound, in a large warehouse.

The space was large, but the windows were too small, which resulted in poor air circulation. The atmosphere inside the command post felt even hotter and more unbearable than the weather outside.

Just like in the city command center, the phone rang constantly, almost without interruption.

Needless to say, every phone call was a desperate cry for help.

Similarly, a map showing the distribution of drought conditions across the county was also hanging on the wall of the command post.

The contents of the picture were densely marked with thumbtacks and lines of different colors, which was shocking; the staff walked hurriedly with solemn expressions.

Qian Jin stopped his car and went inside. Many people noticed and immediately exchanged glances.

Upon seeing him, Liu Changgui, director of the drought relief office and head of the drought relief command center, immediately put down his colored pencils and came over to shake hands in welcome.
"We've been waiting and waiting, and finally you've arrived! With you here, there's hope for our drought relief."

"Commander Qian, you must have arrived in a hurry and haven't had lunch yet? I'll have the kitchen prepare two dishes for you right away..."

"Prepare five, let's have a couple of drinks," Qian Jin said with a smile.

Liu Changgui was taken aback. "Huh? At this time? Isn't this inappropriate?"

"You know it's not good? Then just prepare two dishes. What time is it and you still have to be so polite?" Qian Jin scolded without any politeness.

He was in a bad mood at the moment.

It was inevitable that he would lash out at Liu Changgui.

Because this command post did indeed perform some tasks very poorly:
"From the moment I entered the county government compound, it's only been about half a minute, and there must have been five or six people coming in and out. What are they doing?"

Liu Changgui explained, "That's right, our drought relief work requires coordination among various departments, and they're all out coordinating—sometimes we can't get through on the phone..."

The money went in to check the warehouse conditions.

The warehouse is very large, covering an area of ​​three or four hundred square meters, and contains more than a dozen tables and chairs, making extremely low space utilization.

He then said, "Let's compile a list of our drought relief-related departments and offices, have them come to the warehouse to choose a location, and then have them send someone to work here."

Right now, the priority is disaster relief.

In addition, he was all too aware of the current situation of the officials.

There is a serious problem of overstaffing in various departments and sections; hardly anyone is doing any work and everyone is just slacking off.

The old man plays chess, the old woman knits a sweater, the young man engages in literary creation, and the young woman studies "People's Pictorial" and "Popular Cinema".

And these are already considered to be doing serious work.

What are you busy with if you're not doing anything productive?
Busy with having affairs!
Therefore, Qian Jincai will not indulge them; those who are supposed to come and work must come and work.

The commander-in-chief of the city's drought relief headquarters is the second-in-command, while the commander-in-chief of the county's command post is the head of the water conservancy unit.

Liu Changgui couldn't even get these organizations to send people.

Qian Jin didn't call out himself. He called Zheng Guodong, explained the situation, and after Zheng hung up, the top two officials of Anguo County came running over eagerly.

If you don't come soon, you'll really get punished!

Qian Jin himself set an example by taking the lead. He didn't just motivate his subordinates to work; upon arriving at the command post, he didn't even have time to drink water before plunging headfirst into the most challenging problems—

How can we ensure basic water supply for survival in remote areas where water sources have completely dried up and drinking water for people and livestock is a problem?
In the areas highlighted by red circles on the map, Qian Jin held a meeting with seven high-ranking officers from the command post:
"The Wangjiagou and Lijiawa production brigades of Xiaobieshui Commune, and the Xishan'ao and Beilingzi production brigades of Nanling Commune—these places are not suitable for being painted in red. Change them to black!"

Zhong Jianxin, deputy director of the command post, asked subconsciously, "Black...black?"

Qian Jin said, “Yes, these places are high in the mountains and far away, and the groundwater level is deep. The well-drilling team can’t get water in a short time. The original ponds and water cellars have long dried up, and the crops in the fields have withered and died.”

"Is getting drinking water a major problem for them now?"

Liu Changgui said heavily, "Commander Qian, you guessed right. The people in these areas are now relying on fire trucks to haul water from dozens of miles away, and they can't even guarantee one trip a day!"

"If this continues, I think these places are going to have big problems!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Sun, the driver who came over to pour them water, whispered, "Commander Qian didn't just guess; he went to the countryside to check out these most difficult places before he came."

The group of people sitting around the desk fell silent.

I had long heard that Qian Jin was a capable leader.

Seeing is better than hearing.

Qian Jin frowned, his finger tapping heavily on the red circles on the map: "Water! We must ensure the people have water to drink! That's the bottom line. Comrades, what emergency plans does the command have?"

Liu Changgui and others said helplessly, "The emergency plan is to send water to the countryside, but Commander Qian, you have been to our county before. We are poor here, and there are only a few trucks that can be mobilized in the whole county."

"The main problem is that some of the trucks belong to the factory, and the factory has a heavy production workload, so we need to ensure smooth transportation. We can't just requisition all their trucks," said an official named Xue Lei.

Qian Jin nodded, agreeing that this made sense.

Drought relief is a top priority, but it's not the only thing. As a special commissioner, he can't take his position too seriously and order all the factories and government offices in the county to stop doing anything and just cooperate with him in drought relief.

But there is a way to solve this problem.

Qian Jin slammed his fist on the table and said, "How are you delivering water now?"

“We make phone calls every day to collect information, and then dispatch trucks to deliver water to the areas that are short of water. This is called precision drought relief,” Liu Changgui said.

Qian Jin shook his head: "This won't work, we need to establish a 'water delivery route'!"

"Fixed vehicles and fixed responsibilities. We will concentrate all available water transport resources in the city, with fire trucks and modified trucks as the main force. We will link them one-to-one with each production brigade, and each production brigade must have at least two vehicles for water delivery."

Several officials exclaimed, "Where are all these cars coming from?"

Qian Jin said:

"Why not? First of all, I suggest mobilizing all government agencies, enterprises and institutions with trucks that have cargo beds, so that the drivers can work a little harder and, in addition to their regular work, deliver water to the corresponding production brigade at least once a day."

"In addition, we mobilized agricultural vehicles such as tractors and tricycles. The commune had no shortage of them. Since we didn't have time to modify their truck beds to fit water tanks, we lined them with thick plastic sheeting, fixed them with wooden frames, and made them into simple water delivery trucks."

He then marked on the map: "There is a water outlet to the east of Nanling Commune, about twelve or thirteen kilometers away."

“In this weather, the method of transporting water 25 kilometers round trip by manpower is unreliable, but for tractors, hand tractors or even tricycles, this distance is not a problem.”

Liu Changgui asked, "What about Xiaobieshui Commune and Jinjiawang Commune? There are a few other communes that are too far from the water source, about 40 or 50 kilometers round trip."

"And the roads there are particularly bad; the jeeps we rode in to the countryside were wobbling and shaking..."

“Using a tractor trailer with a plastic sheet to transport water is definitely not feasible; a water tank is necessary.” Xue Lei shook his head.

Then he thought for a moment and asked, "How about we weld the gaps in the cargo beds of tractors and tricycles together and transport water directly?"

"It will spill!" Liu Changgui said with a wry smile. "I've tried it. The tractor made a trip, and it was supposed to carry seven or eight cubic meters of water, but when it wobbled back to the production team, only half of it was left!"

Qian Jin said, "Therefore, we need to adopt a two-stage relay method to transport water, and gather all the fire trucks and modified trucks that can be used to deliver water around the clock."

"They specialize in running on rough roads. Each brigade selects a location to set up a meeting point, and the route between the brigade and the meeting point must be flat."

"After the trucks are full, they are transported to the distribution point, where water is distributed to the water trucks belonging to the commune. The water is then handed over, and finally the commune members go to fetch water themselves."

"This will maximize the use of existing transportation capacity and expand the coverage and frequency of water delivery!"

“Okay, this method is feasible.” Liu Changgui immediately expressed his support.

"Let's do it this way!" No one else objected.

Qian Jin said, "I'll take care of the thick plastic sheet."

"Comrade Liu Changgui, you are in charge of the overall coordination of the 'water delivery route.' The traffic control and security departments must fully cooperate to ensure the smooth flow of the transportation route."

"The comrades from the Economic Commission are responsible for mobilizing the trucks belonging to the enterprises and factories to provide assistance. We don't need to use too much of their transportation capacity; we only need their trucks to make one trip to the countryside per day."

When Liu Changgui spoke to the Economic Commission staff who had just moved to the warehouse office, the young man blushed immediately: "I've already tried to persuade them..."

"Are you having any difficulties?" Qian Jin asked from a distance.

The young man nodded dejectedly: "Yes, everyone has difficulties..."

Qian Jin bluntly said, "Then you go and solve the problems. If you can't solve them, then go to the countryside and do the work on the front lines. The work in the county can be done by your leaders."

“If your leader can’t solve this problem either, then he should go to the front line and let the higher-ups solve it.”

"It's alright, if you can't solve it, then I will. If I can't solve it, I'll volunteer to go to the front line!"

In fact, the conditions for money to enter the company are not strictly enforced.

It simply involves factories and businesses using their idle trucks to deliver water once a day.

In fact, all the city's idle trucks have been forcibly requisitioned to deliver water to the surrounding disaster-stricken areas.

This is a political task!

It has been proven that as long as a firm order is given, many tasks can be carried out.

With the strong impetus of the command post, the various "water delivery routes" were quickly established and put into operation.

The roar of cars echoed day and night on the road leading to the water source.

Agricultural machinery stations in various communes began modification work in full swing.

Large quantities of thick, sturdy plastic sheeting were delivered.

Workers at the agricultural machinery station laid huge plastic sheets in the cargo beds of tractors and other agricultural vehicles, and used thick wooden blocks and wires to fix the edges, making simple but practical "earthen water containers".

Several other production brigades were in a hurry for water, so they brought over donkey carts and oxcarts, also wanting to convert them into wooden carts.

Unfortunately, the wooden cart was not strong enough to withstand pressure, and besides, the old ox and skinny donkey couldn't pull several tons of water at a time.

The modification work was completed quickly.

Trucks carrying huge water tanks travel between water sources and distribution points, while farm vehicles wait at the distribution points to immediately receive the water and send it back to the production brigade or even directly to the production team.

The transportation issue has been largely resolved.

Numerous cars kicked up dust as they drove along the roads of the various communes, resembling a spider web with many steel spiders appearing on it.

Together they weave this water network.

At least the problem of drinking water for farmers and livestock in the severely affected areas has been solved.

Qian Jin was stationed at the "Water Delivery Dispatch Center," a temporary command post that had become a mini-war room.

In addition to the disaster map, the wall was also covered with water delivery route maps in various colors and lines, with corresponding timetables next to them.

The phone, which had been ringing incessantly, finally quieted down a bit.

The day after he arrived, Han Zhaoxin called him out of concern: "Xiao Qian, how are things on your end? Do you need any assistance from our command?"

Qian Jin seized the opportunity and quickly demanded vehicles, food, and water.

Han Zhaoxin said, "No!"

Qian Jin was speechless.

Then what's the point of asking?
However, he also knew that the command center was facing difficulties and truly had no extra resources.

He could only sigh.

Han Zhaoxin asked, "Is the situation on your end beyond resolution?"

Qian Jin explained the relay water transport operation and said, "Actually, it's not too bad. The water problem in several severely affected areas can be barely solved now. I still want to have more resources on hand and try my best to help them solve the water problem for their private plots."

"Farmers are too poor. The summer harvest failure is too much for them. If I could, I would really like to help them save some grain, even just some coarse grains so that they can fill their children's stomachs!"

Han Zhaoxin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying, "I'll arrange five trucks for you."

"As for the well-drilling team, I will send two more teams over to try and see if they can find a water source nearby."

"Also, I mainly wanted to ask you today if you need more manpower. You did a great job at the bathing beach the day before yesterday, which inspired many young comrades to actively go to the countryside to support farmers in their drought relief efforts." "Yesterday, the command headquarters made some simple arrangements for them, forming five companies."

Qian Jin calculated that there were approximately five or six hundred people.

Not a lot.

He quickly said, "I need the person too, send them over with me."

Han Zhaoxin laughed loudly: "Dream on, you think I'd give you all the people? Aren't you afraid of overburdening yourself?"

"I'll give you two companies. You can command these two companies. They respectfully call you Brother Qian and strongly request to carry out drought relief work under your command. Some young men even wrote a letter in blood out of excitement!"

The two were talking when the phone rang, and the operator kept waving at him.

Something has happened.

Qian Jin explained something to Han Zhaoxin and hung up the phone, then asked, "What's wrong?"

"The waterway from Datong No. 2 water source to Xiaobieshui Commune is blocked. It must be the work of the Xiamapo Production Brigade of Qianzhai Commune," the operator said irritably.

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin immediately understood.

He has already memorized the route map.

Upon hearing this, Liu Changgui slammed his pencil down and angrily said, "Damn it, how dare you! Arrange a car right now, I'm going down to see what's going on!"

Qian Jin waved his hand: "You know the local situation, so stay here and take charge of the coordination work. I'll go down and see what's going on."

This was expected.

The extreme scarcity of water resources inevitably leads to sharp conflicts.

When it comes to the issue of crop failure, conflicts must have occurred between different regions.

The jeep sped to the scene.

The scene on the dusty dirt road was chaotic.

After the car stopped, Qian Jin stood at the hood to survey the situation from his vantage point.

A truck carrying a large water tank was completely blocked by several oxcarts and many villagers carrying carrying poles and buckets.

The leader was a burly, dark-skinned man, who should be Ma Congli, the militia captain of the Xiamapo Production Brigade who led the road blockade.

Before Qian Jin arrived, the police officers from the security office had already arrived.

But Ma Congli wasn't afraid of them; at that moment, he was excitedly waving his arms and shouting at them:
"I won't move! I'm not moving no matter what!"

"Where's the water? You promised to arrange a water truck for our brigade, and you promised to set up a distribution point for our brigade. Didn't you get that done? My truck has been waiting!"

"Why are they only delivering to Wangjiagou? I've been counting right here; they've made two trips this morning, and this is the third..."

The head of the commune's security office went up to him, grabbed his arm, and said, "Listen to me, isn't there a problem with the hand tractor in your brigade? There's a distribution point, but no vehicle..."

Ma Congli roared, interrupting him: "Lies! You're trying to fool your own children!"

"Where is the distribution point? Huh? Don't think we're easy to fool, don't think we don't know anything! Isn't it just because our brigade cadres usually don't know how to flatter the commune cadres?"

"Is it because I haven't been filial enough? Do you think our brigade doesn't know anything? We've known all along! We've known what Chief Jing said—"

"Aren't those people from Xiamapo usually so arrogant? Don't they think they don't need to be afraid of our commune just because they can grow good crops? Let's teach them a lesson this time, cut off their water supply for a few days..."

The head of the police station gasped, "Don't talk nonsense, you just don't have any cars..."

"Where are the carriages? What are they if not carriages?" Ma Congli pointed to the oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages blocking the road.

“Our wells at Xiamapo have been producing only mud for ages, and the old folks and children are getting sore throats! If we run out of water soon, people will die! Are you officials going to do nothing about this?!”

"You have to have a limit to how much you can restrict us! Why are the commune leaders at the back? Come forward—tell me yourselves if I was just talking nonsense!"

The hot weather and the anxiety caused the police station leader to be covered in sweat.

While trying to calm the burly man down, he tried to reason with him: "Ma Congli, listen to me, you need to calm down! Blocking the road won't solve the problem! The water delivery route was arranged by the county command center! The situation in Wangjiagou is even more urgent..."

"Bullshit!" The veins on Ma Congli's neck bulged, and spittle flew everywhere.

"At least their Wangjiagou has a well that can see some water! We in Xiamapo only have muddy soup!"

"Don't think I don't know what's going on! Isn't it true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease? Someone from Wangjiagou has an official position in the county—this is favoritism! This is bureaucracy! Nobody's getting past this waterwheel until it turns around and goes to Xiamapo!"

The villagers behind him were outraged and shouted, "Yes! Go to Xiamapo! We won't let you leave if you don't go!"

The atmosphere at the scene was tense, with the security guards' hands on their holsters and their expressions tense.

The police chief cursed.

Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, he gritted his teeth and said, "Ma Congli! You are inciting a crowd to cause trouble and disrupting the drought relief efforts! Arrest him!"

Two security guards immediately stepped forward to restrain Ma Congli.

Ma Congli stood tall, showing no fear:
"Arrest us! Arrest us all if you dare! I'm waiting for you to arrest us! If you arrest us all, your police station won't let us die of thirst, will it? You'll have to provide us with water then!"

He turned around, waved his arms, and called out to the others, "Go, call everyone, young and old, over here."

"Arrest us first, then arrest them. It would be best to bring the chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep along too, and arrest them all at once!"

Qian Jin clapped his hands high outside: "What a man!"

"I thought you were a bit dim-witted, but it turns out you're a top student. You've got a good head on your sleeve!"

He pushed through the crowd and strode quickly to the middle of the two opposing sides.

A reckless villager reached out and shoved him, asking, "Who are you?"

"This is Qian Jin, the highest-ranking leader in the county's drought relief office and the deputy commander of the city's command center!" the driver quickly introduced.

The men who were about to confront Qian Jin immediately backed away, one of them asking as he did so, "Are you really Qian Jin? Did you buy those foreign medicines that were delivered to our brigade?"

Qian Jin said, "The government bought the medicine, but I led the team to select it and negotiate the price."

He glanced at Ma Congli, whose arm was being twisted by the police, then at the station chief who looked helpless and angry, and finally his gaze swept over the villagers who were pale, thin, and had chapped lips.

He waved his hand and said, "Release the people first. Internal contradictions among the people should not be resolved by violence."

The security guard was taken aback and looked at the station chief.

The director hurriedly said, "What do you care about me? Listen to the leaders!"

The security guard quickly released his grip.

Ma Congli rubbed his sore arm and glared at Qian Jin, asking, "I know you. You're the one who planned this waterway?"

Qian Jin said, "It's me."

Ma Congli was probably taken aback by his quick agreement and was momentarily stunned. Then his anger flared even more: "Fine! The bigwigs are here! You be the judge! Why is Wangjiagou given priority for water? Are we Xiamapo not human? Are we just supposed to die of thirst?"

Qian Jin did not answer immediately, but instead looked at the water buckets tied to the oxcart and the chapped lips of the commune members.

He paused for a few seconds, then said to Ma Congli and the commune members, "Blocking the road won't solve the water problem; it will only waste more time and leave more people without water."

Then he said to the director, "Arresting people won't solve the problem; it will only exacerbate the conflict."

"The problem is still the water problem."

Ma Congli immediately said, "You're absolutely right, it's all about the water..."

"It's not just a water issue, it's also a matter of fairness and justice," Qian Jin added.

Ma Congli blinked: "Yeah, you're being unfair and unjust..."

Qian Jin smiled and said, "That's why I'm here, to solve this water problem fairly and justly."

"Don't block the way. The water truck has already been delivered here. Let them take it over."

Ma Congli was very stubborn and not afraid of Qian Jin at all: "No way! Don't even think about it! This water truck is ours! It's our turn!"

Qian Jin said, "If you hadn't blocked the road, this water would probably be yours, but since you blocked the road, this water can't possibly be yours."

"Otherwise, if word gets out, all the brigades will know that as long as they block the road, they can get water. Then it'll be like the squeaky wheel gets the grease!"

"But from what you're saying, you think the disaster in Wangjiagou was less severe than yours, and that someone is behind it all, taking away the water that belongs to you, right?"

Ma Congli stiffened his neck to answer, but someone behind him hurriedly pulled his arm back.

But Ma Congli flung him away, shouting, "Damn it, I'm only afraid of my wife, I'm not afraid of anyone else!"

"So what if Wangjiagou produced a cadre at the county grain station? I grow my own grain and eat it myself. Why would I be afraid the grain station won't give me any? They've never given me a single grain of food in the first place!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin immediately replied, "Okay."

"Let me put this out there: if anyone dares to smuggle their dirty hands into our command post during this critical time of drought relief, then forget about the grain station chief, even if it's the county head, I'll take care of him!"

"Come on, take me to your brigade now and let me see what's going on."

He pointed to several equally anxious commune cadres and public security bureau leaders beside him: "Follow me, we're going to Wangjiagou right now! Let's see for ourselves just how serious the drought is in Wangjiagou!"

"After we go to Wangjiagou, let's go to Xiamapo to see if what Ma Congli said is true or false!"

"If what Captain Ma said is true, then I, Qian Jin, will not only adjust the water supply for them on the spot, but also deal with the relevant responsible persons!"

He glared at the commune cadres: "You'd better not get involved, or you'll all be dealt with!"

Sweat streamed down the cadres' foreheads.

Then Qian Jin glared at Ma Congli and said, "If you fabricate lies and falsely accuse someone, I will punish you just the same way! You are obstructing drought relief work, which is a serious crime!"

"Good!" Ma Congli was a straightforward man, slapping his thigh. "Commander Qian, you said it, and all of us men, young and old, at Xiamapo will remember it!"

"If you dare say that, then I, Ma Congli, will submit to you! Let's go! Let's go to my brigade right now!"

One of the cadres hurriedly said, "Yes, let's go to Xiamapo first and take a closer look..."

"Let's go to Wangjiagou first!" Qian Jin said decisively.

Ma Congli subconsciously said, "You talk a good game, but you always think of Wangjiagou first in everything?"

Qian Jin gave a wry smile: "I thought you were quite intelligent, but it turns out you're just a clever fool."

“If we go to your brigade first, and someone goes to notify Wangjiagou to prepare in advance, will we see the actual scene when we go to Wangjiagou?”

Ma Congli suddenly realized: "That's right."

He said to those around him, "No wonder he became a high-ranking official at such a young age. Heh heh, he's just so smart, he's the real genius, while I only have petty cleverness!"

Qian Jin's boomerang-like speed in the secret passage is truly remarkable.

Some officials began to panic.

Qian Jin stared at him coldly.

The man's legs buckled, and he only managed to stay upright by holding onto the jeep.

Trucks led the way, followed by jeeps and police tricycles, the convoy kicking up clouds of dust as it headed straight for Wangjiagou.

The closer you get to the village, the more shocking the scene becomes.

The trees along the roadside were dying, and the fields were a scorched yellow, with not a trace of green in sight.

A few people sat idly in the shade of the trees, seeking respite from the heat.

It seems the situation is indeed not good.

As the truck arrived.

People under the shade of the tree dusted themselves off, stood up, and excitedly lined up to get water.

Qian Jin got off the bus, and the commune cadres who were riding with him wanted to get off as well. He slammed the door shut and said, "You all behave yourselves."

The commune cadres looked at each other in dismay. As soon as Qian Jin mingled into the crowd, someone cried out in alarm, "Oh no!"

Some cadres still harbored a sense of侥幸 (a sense of luck or侥幸心理): "It's okay, it's okay, we haven't violated any discipline. The situation in Wangjiagou is also very bad."

Others complained, "You know perfectly well that the situation on the uphill and downhill slopes is even worse!"

The cadre who had spoken earlier exclaimed in grievance, "Who knew the command post would be so resourceful? No, I mean, this Qian Jin is quite resourceful. He actually came up with a method of segmented water delivery, which greatly improved the efficiency of water delivery!"

"You didn't expect that now almost all the brigades can deliver water, did you? Huh?"

"We initially thought the county only had a few water trucks, which could only supply water to a few communes and brigades, so we named it Wangjiagou. We never expected it to turn out like this!"

The cadres sighed and lamented:
"Stop talking nonsense, forget it, just wait to get scolded."

"They're not really going to shave our heads, are they?"

“He doesn’t have that much authority. I know what he does. He’s a cadre in the supply and marketing cooperative, not a civil servant like us. He’s just trying to scare us.”

The cadres offered each other a few words of comfort and then looked out of the car.

Qian Jin chatted enthusiastically with local farmers outside the car.

Seeing the broad smile on his face, the cadres felt a sense of relief.

so far so good……

(End of this chapter)