How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

Meeting Room No. 3, Huixian County Party Committee Compound.

The smoke was thick, like the morning fog over the Taihang Mountains.

The ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts, resembling a miniature mass grave.

County Head Li Jianguo, sitting in the main seat, frowned deeply. He tightened and loosened the lid of his thermos cup repeatedly, making a harsh friction sound.

On either side of the long conference table, the heads of various departments, including public security, transportation, health, market supervision, and culture and tourism, sat upright, not daring to breathe loudly.

The air was filled with the anxious smell of impending doom.

Just ten minutes ago, the county public security bureau chief finished his report.

The core idea is this: Tomorrow, January 14th, it is expected that more than 2,000 private cars and more than 5,000 netizens will flood into Xujia Village, which usually has a population of less than 100.

The reason given was: to help press the pig's head.

"absurd!"

Li Jianguo slammed his hand on the table, causing a few drops of water to spill from the thermos.

"Making such a commotion just to slaughter two pigs? What kind of situation is this? This is a serious public safety hazard!"

"Have you investigated that young man named Xu An? Was he a target of soft infiltration by hostile forces? Is he part of a cult?"

The police chief wiped his sweat, smiled wryly, and pushed a thin file to the center of the table.

"The investigation has been completed; the background is cleaner than distilled water."

"He's just a recent college graduate who came back to the village to take care of his grandfather. He's usually honest and simple, and he's never even run a red light. The reason he posted the video... according to his confession, was that he was afraid the pig was too strong and he couldn't hold it down."

An eerie silence fell over the conference room.

Fearing the pigs wouldn't be able to be controlled, they summoned a division of troops.

Who would believe that reason?

"County Magistrate, the key question now is what to do?"

The director of the transportation bureau was an impatient man. He unfolded the map in his hand and pointed to the winding red line.

"There's only a 3.5-meter-wide cement road leading into Xujia Village, and there's a cliff right next to it. With 5,000 people heading into the mountains, traffic jams are inevitable. If an accident happens, none of us here can bear the responsibility."

He paused, then tentatively suggested, "My opinion is to immediately set up roadblocks and persuade them to turn back."

"Set up checkpoints at highway entrances and national highway entrances in the county town to stop vehicles. The reasons are readily available: heavy fog blocking the mountain roads, or road repairs. Persuade these people to go back and nip the problem in the bud."

Li Jianguo nodded slightly.

This is indeed the safest and most traditional approach to maintaining stability.

The greatest achievement is to avoid any trouble.

"I agree," the director of the Health Commission chimed in. "With so many people gathering, especially in the dead of winter, the risk of flu transmission is high, and the village's medical conditions are poor..."

The tone was about to be set.

Wang Xingbang, the director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, who had been sitting in the corner without saying a word, suddenly stood up.

The chair scraped across the floor with a sharp sound.

All eyes immediately turned to him.

Wang Xingbang's hair was a bit messy, and his eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he had just been woken up from his bed.

But his eyes were frighteningly bright at that moment, like a wolf seeing an oasis in the desert or a hungry wolf seeing meat.

"Don't stop them!"

Wang Xingbang's voice cracked with excitement, "We absolutely can't stop it! This isn't the flu! This is an incredible windfall!"

Li Jianguo frowned: "Old Wang, watch your words."

"County Magistrate, I can't take it anymore!"

Wang Xingbang rushed to the projector, frantically connected his phone, and pulled up a few pictures.

That's the long queue at Harbin Ice and Snow World.

That's the lively atmosphere of a barbecue stall in Zibo.

That was a huge crowd in front of the Tianshui Malatang restaurant.

"Comrades!" Wang Xingbang slapped the screen, heartbroken. "How many years has our county been poor? It's all mountains and rocks, no industry, no resources."

"Our Culture and Tourism Bureau racks its brains every day to promote itself—making promotional videos, organizing harvest festivals, hiring internet celebrities as spokespeople—and how much money has it all cost? We haven't even heard a peep from them!"

"Now, God has brought the food to our mouths!"

He pointed to the still-on video of "Xujiacun Xiao'an" on the screen, his fingers trembling.

"Two pigs, five thousand people, tens of millions of views!"

"This is not just about slaughtering pigs; it's about young people today's ultimate yearning for 'nostalgia,' 'authenticity,' and 'the warmth of everyday life'!"

"If we block the roads and send people back, we're blocking the future of our county! Once this gets out online and people say our county 'can't handle this' or 'takes a one-size-fits-all approach,' our county's reputation will be completely ruined!"

Wang Xingbang took a deep breath and stared intently at Li Jianguo.

"County Chief, if we catch this wave, Xujia Village will be the next Zibo! Our county's GDP this year could double!"

"If I cannot handle this, I, Wang Xingbang, will resign and apologize!"

The meeting room was completely silent.

Even the transportation bureau chief, who had just advocated for road closures, felt his Adam's apple bob.

GDP doubled.

This temptation is too big.

Those are real achievements, and they are the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in the county.

Li Jianguo's fingers tapped lightly on the table.

Once, twice, three times.

The pace is getting faster and faster.

He looked at Wang Xingbang's face, which was flushed with excitement, and then at Xu An's handsome photo in the file.

Finally, he abruptly stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.

"Let's do it!"

Li Jianguo stood up, his previously hunched back straightening instantly, and a chilling, decisive aura emanated from him.

"Not only will we not stop them, we'll welcome them with drums and gongs!"

"This is a battle! A tough battle for our county to turn things around!"

He looked around and began issuing orders at a rapid pace:

"Public Security Bureau! All personnel cancel their leave and get to the front lines! Not to arrest people, but to serve! Unless it's a matter of principle, education should be the primary focus. Special police team, go to Xujia Village to maintain order; don't frighten the pigs, and most importantly, don't injure anyone!"

"Transportation Bureau! Mobilize all construction machinery overnight and head to that broken road in Xujia Village. Is that road too narrow? Level the shoulders and widen it! Not enough parking? Level the threshing ground and wasteland at the village entrance and turn them into temporary parking lots!"

"Market Supervision Bureau! Take people to inspect the hotels and restaurants in the county right now. Anyone who dares to overcharge customers, I'll take their head... no, revoke their license, and fine them until they're bankrupt! Prices must be clearly marked, and there must be no deception!"

"Health Commission! Send two ambulances to Xujia Village, and stock up on cold medicine, hemostatic drugs, and nitroglycerin!"

"Culture and Tourism Bureau!"

Wang Xingbang snapped to attention: "Present!"

"You're the commander-in-chief this time. That Xu An..." Li Jianguo paused, "You must protect him well. He's the apple of our county's eye, the nuclear weapon of this battle. If anything happens to him, I'll hold you responsible!"

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

Li Jianguo waved his hand.

"Meeting adjourned! Let's get moving!"

……

10 PM.

Reception room of the Public Security Bureau's Public Security Brigade.

Xu An huddled in a plastic chair in the corner, his hands still tucked into his sleeves.

He felt like a quail waiting to be slaughtered.

There was a cup of hot water on the table in front of me, but it had long since gone cold.

Neither Lao Zhao nor the intern Xiao Wang were there; they were reportedly called to an emergency meeting.

This made Xu An even more panicked.

"That's it, is it really necessary to hold a meeting to discuss how to deal with me for something as trivial as this?"

Xu An felt a deep sadness.

"I just wanted some pork stew with glass noodles, is that really necessary?"

"I should have released those two pigs back into the wild, so they could be a happy pair of wild boars."

Just as Xu An was lost in thought, wondering if he could bring his grandfather into the prison.

The door to the reception room was suddenly pushed open.

A gust of cold wind swept in a middle-aged man who was acting like a man in a whirlwind.

The newcomer had disheveled hair and green eyes. Before Xu An could even see his face clearly, the large hand had already tightly grasped Xu An's hand, which was tucked into his sleeve.

It shakes up and down.

The force was so great that it almost pulled Xu An off the chair.

"Comrade! You've worked so hard! You've worked so hard!"

Wang Xingbang's voice trembled with excitement.

He looked at the young man in front of him.

The old man tucked his military overcoat into his pocket, his eyes clear yet filled with fear.

That's the kind of "great wisdom appearing as foolishness" quality!

He remained calm and composed in the face of overwhelming traffic, and remained composed even when in a police station (in reality, his legs were so weak he couldn't stand up).

A master!

Xu An was stunned by the sudden enthusiasm and tried to pull his hand back, but found that the other person's grip was ridiculously strong.

"Um... Boss, I... I'll confess."

Xu An stammered, "I really didn't organize any pyramid schemes, and I didn't take any money from them. I'll disband those groups when I get back..."

"Disband?"

Wang Xingbang's eyes widened. "Disband what? We can't disband them! They're a valuable asset to our county! They're our seed users!"

He plopped down next to Xu An, his eyes filled with affection as if he were looking at his own son who had been admitted to Tsinghua University.

"Xiao Xu, let me introduce myself. I am Wang Xingbang, the director of the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau."

"Ah... Chief?"

Xu An's mind went blank.

How come the level is getting higher and higher?

They were police officers just now, and now even the chief of police is here.

Could there be some state secret hidden in those two pigs?

"The county party committee and county government attach great importance to your matter!"

Wang Xingbang patted Xu An on the shoulder, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, we'll slaughter this pig beautifully! We'll slaughter it with a bang!"

Xu An blinked, completely unable to understand.

Can you really slaughter a pig loudly?

Was it killed with C4 explosives?

At this moment, Wang Xingbang noticed the broken cell phone that Xu An had placed on the table.

The screen was shattered into a spiderweb pattern, and the body was also somewhat deformed.

"This is your tool for committing crimes... no, your tool for creating art?" Wang Xingbang asked.

Xu An lowered his head in shame: "Um... my computer just crashed and I can't turn it back on."

"This won't do!"

Wang Xingbang frowned deeply, heartbroken.

This is a hero of our county!

He single-handedly boosted the county's economy, yet he himself is still using this garbage!

How impoverished they were! How simple and frugal they were!

It's so touching!

Without saying a word, Wang Xingbang turned around and waved to his secretary who followed him in.

"Give me that new phone I just bought in my car! Quickly!"

Less than a minute later.

A long, black box with gold trim was placed in front of Xu An.

Huawei Mate 60 Pro RS Extraordinary Master.

"For me?" Xu An stared at the gold lettering on the box, too afraid to even reach out his hand.

How much would that cost?

Even if he sold sweet potatoes for a year, he probably couldn't afford this thing.

"Take it!"

Wang Xingbang forcefully shoved the box into Xu An's arms.

"This is an order from the organization! Your current task is to keep communication open and interact with netizens at any time."

"We need you to do a live stream tomorrow. You must use the highest resolution to show the beauty of our Xujia Village and the warmth of the people of Henan, in its entirety!"

Xu An held the heavy box, feeling as if he were carrying a time bomb.

He wanted to refuse.

What is this?

Reverse bribery?

Or... is there a GPS tracker installed in this phone so it can be used to catch me later?

Xu An looked into Wang Xingbang's eyes, which were filled with "expectation" and "encouragement".

He got it.

Only by cooperating with the government to put on this show and appease the netizens can one avoid punishment.

"I...I understand."

Xu An took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry, boss, I will definitely do a good job with the live stream."

"I will never cause trouble for the government."

Wang Xingbang was deeply moved when he saw Xu An's resolute expression of "ready to die".

Take a look!

This realization!

That's a real sense of responsibility!

Despite being terrified, he gritted his teeth and stepped up for the sake of his hometown's development and the county's honor!

That's what you call a childlike heart!

"Well done!"

Wang Xingbang's eyes were slightly red as he patted Xu An's back forcefully.

"Come on! I'll drive you back to the village myself!"

"The county's construction team has already started work. We need to pave that 'road to prosperity' for you before dawn!"

Xu An was half-pushed and half-pulled out of the police station by Wang Xingbang.

A cold wind blew.

He shuddered.

Looking at the row of police cars with flashing lights outside the door, and the excavators rumbling past in the distance.

Xu An looked up at the sky, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.

"Master..."

"Our pig this year..."

"It's likely to be recorded in the county annals."