The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

For the rest of the time, Li Kaixin and Secretary Qin mostly chatted.

Qin Huaijiu sat to the side, occasionally refilling their tea.

Li Kaixin also learned from Secretary Qin that he had received commendation from his superiors because of him.

This explains why Secretary Qin rushed over to see him as soon as he heard that he had come to Qin Family Village, and his attitude was even more attentive than last time.

Coincidentally, Li Kaixin also knew Secretary Qin's superior.

He is the father of a friend whom Mr. Liu made at his birthday banquet yesterday.

Li Kaixin didn't hide anything and directly explained the relationship, hoping to increase her standing in Secretary Qin's eyes.

Qin Huaijiu was startled by their conversation and secretly rejoiced that he had invited Li Kaixin over today.

The problem of food shortages in the village should be much easier to solve now.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.

Li Guilan brought out several dishes, greeting them with a smile, "Secretary Qin, Kaixin, the food is all ready, please eat while it's hot!"

There were four dishes on the table: a plate of scrambled eggs, a dish of cured meat, a bowl of stewed tofu, and a pot of stewed cabbage with vermicelli.

Secretary Qin glanced at it and said politely, "This is too lavish, Village Chief Qin, you've really gone to great lengths."

"Don't bother! I'm overjoyed that you and Kaixin came to visit!"

As Qin Huaijiu spoke, he turned his head and instructed, "Wife, quickly go and bring those two bottles of Erguotou from home. I want to have a good drink with Secretary Qin and Kaixin."

Upon hearing this, Li Guilan immediately ran into the house.

Secretary Qin did not stop him; if Li Kaixin hadn't been there, he really wouldn't have drunk this wine.

A short while later, Li Guilan came running out carrying two bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

Qin Huaijiu didn't hesitate, stood up, opened a bottle, and poured some for the two of them:

"Kaixin, Secretary Qin, please don't look down on it. This is all the wine we can offer from our rural village."

No, no!

Secretary Qin smiled and waved his hand, "I usually drink bulk liquor, so it's already pretty good that I can drink this."

"Uncle Huaijiu, this wine is already quite high-end in my opinion," Li Kaixin echoed.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaijiu's smile deepened.

He raised his wine bowl, his gaze sweeping over the two men:

"Come on, let's have a toast! I'm so happy to have Secretary Qin and Kaixin here today!"

Seeing this, Li Kaixin and Secretary Qin also picked up their wine bowls.

The three clinked their bowls together and each took a big gulp.

The strong kick of the liquor hit him hard, and Secretary Qin immediately put down his bowl and took a bite of the cured meat:

"This cured pork tastes good. Did your wife cure it herself?"

"She did it herself!"

Qin Huaijiu chuckled and sat down again. "Secretary Qin, if you like, you can take some back with you later."

"That won't do. If you eat it and then take it, what kind of behavior is that?"

As Secretary Qin spoke, he looked at Li Kaixin and said, "Comrade Kaixin, you should try some too."

After hearing this, Li Kaixin picked up a piece with his chopsticks and found it to be savory and delicious, much better than the cured meat he had eaten before.

He looked up and couldn't help but praise, "Uncle Huaijiu, Aunt Guilan's skills are impeccable; the cured meat is so fragrant!"

Qin Huaijiu immediately beamed with joy and quickly poured more wine for the two of them.

After a few more drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Seeing that the time was right, Qin Huaijiu began to complain:

"Secretary Qin, you also saw the situation in the village this morning."

"The harvest is bad this year, and winter is just a month or two away. I don't even want to think about how many people will go hungry."

"I know all of that!"

Secretary Qin put down his chopsticks and sighed:

"It's not just your village; in our Red Star Commune, apart from Lijia Village, all the village chiefs have come to see me these past few days."

Qin Huaijiu's eyes lit up, and he asked Li Kaixin, "Kaixin, doesn't your grandfather's village have a food shortage?"

"We can barely get through the winter!"

Li Kaixin quickly explained, "It's mainly because Lijia Village is located near the mountains, and the village organizes hunting trips, which helps to make up for some of the losses."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Qin Huaijiu's eyes. He then looked at Secretary Qin, his tone earnest:

"Secretary Qin, I've heard that when winter relief grain arrives, could you prioritize our village?"

Seeing the topic shift to relief food, Li Kaixin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The secrets in Li Family Village are too great. In the future, we still need to remind Third Grandfather and the others not to be too conspicuous in the villages.

Upon hearing this, Secretary Qin looked troubled: "Village Chief Qin, if I give the relief grain to your village first, what will others think? This is a difficult matter!"

"Is there really no other way?"

Qin Huaijiu grew anxious. "I can't just stand by and watch the villagers starve to death!"

He knew in his heart that the relief grain allocated from above was limited, and if they waited until the end, he didn't know if there would be any left.

Li Kaixin understood what Secretary Qin meant: it was difficult, but that didn't mean it was impossible. He was about to ask a question.

Seeing that he was about to speak, Secretary Qin quickly changed the subject: "However, although this is really difficult, I will take the risk for Comrade Kaixin's sake."

After saying that, he glanced at Li Kaixin again.

He originally intended to make things seem more difficult so that Li Kaixin would remember this favor.

But then he thought of the people Li Kaixin had mentioned earlier, and realized that food probably wasn't a problem for him either, so he started to feel uneasy again.

"Really?"

Qin Huaijiu's anxious face immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly stood up:

"Thank you, Secretary Qin! Thank you, Secretary Qin! You are our village's benefactor!"

"You're welcome."

Secretary Qin chuckled, his gaze falling on Li Kaixin. "This is all thanks to Comrade Kaixin; if you want to thank someone, thank him!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaijiu immediately turned to Li Kaixin and bowed, saying, "Kaixin, thank you!"

"Uncle Huaijiu, you mustn't!" Li Kaixin quickly stood up and grabbed Qin Huaijiu's arm.

He couldn't help but curse Secretary Qin in his heart as a cunning old fox, but this time he had no choice but to accept this favor.

Then, without changing his expression, he said sincerely, "Secretary Qin, I will remember this favor. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, I will definitely not refuse."

"Let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this!"

Secretary Qin was overjoyed, but put on a nonchalant expression: "Comrade Kaixin, let's sit down and eat, let's eat."

Yes, yes!

Qin Huaijiu also called out, then turned and shouted towards the kitchen, "Wife, cook two more dishes for Secretary Qin and Kaixin!"

After a response came from the kitchen, the sound of chopping vegetables could be heard.

Finally, by the end of the meal, all the food and two bottles of wine on the table had been completely devoured.