I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

Three days later, in Shuangqiao Town.

A middle-aged man who came to buy salt was standing in front of the cashier waiting for his change when he casually remarked:

"I heard that the price of Codonopsis pilosula dropped today, by five percent."

Bai Jiangfei, without pausing, handed over the change and said:

Take care.

After the middle-aged man left the store, he took out his phone, found Wang Yan's number, and dialed it.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

Bai Jiangfei skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point:

"The price of Codonopsis pilosula has started to drop. Today is the first day, and it's already down five points. If your boss has any stock, he should sell it."

Wang Yan paused for a moment on the other end of the phone before asking:

Are you sure it's five points?

Bai Jiangfei's tone was very certain:

"Confirmed. The news has already spread throughout the town."

Wang Yan asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Bai Jiangfei chuckled and made up a reason on the spot.

"Because...you are my woman..."

"I like hearing that reason."

Bai Jiangfei urged again, "Stop hesitating and hurry up and tell your boss to dump the stock, otherwise you'll not only fail to make money, but you'll also lose money."

Wang Yan didn't ask any more questions, and said only:

"knew.".

Then he hung up the phone.

Bai Jiangfei put his phone back in his pocket, stopped standing in front of the cashier, and turned to walk back to the small warehouse.

This wasn't the first time he'd done something for Jiang Dongmei, but he knew this time was different—

The market was rising before, and everyone made money together;

The market is falling now; those who get out early will survive, while those who get out late will lose everything.

Jiang Dongmei asked him to contact the boss behind Wang Yan to ship the goods, not to help the other party, but to drive the price down even faster.

The steeper the fall, the faster the market collapses.

This is exactly what Zhao Yike and Jiang Dongmei wanted to see.

He felt no remorse; he was simply following orders.

……

The price of Codonopsis pilosula continued to fall the next day, with a larger drop than the first day.

Ten percent, which wiped out most of this month's gains.

The trading market in Shuangqiao Town suddenly became deserted.

The stalls that were previously crowded with out-of-town buyers were now empty.

Several local farmers squatted at their doorways smoking, and no one spoke.

Some buyers left overnight, leaving behind even the scales on their stalls.

On the morning of the third day.

More than 30 farmers gathered in front of the Shimen Township government building.

They didn't come to petition; they came to demand answers.

The price of Codonopsis pilosula is still falling, and they are on the verge of defaulting on their loans.

Some people squatted on the steps smoking, some stood at the door talking loudly, and most people didn't speak, just stood silently.

Township head Bai Changxi walked out of the office building and stood at the door, trying to explain:

"The county is already trying to find a solution, so please don't worry."

But the sound was quickly drowned out by the noise.

He was surrounded for over an hour, and his voice became hoarse from shouting before the crowd dispersed slightly, but they didn't actually leave.

The news reached the county town around 9 a.m.

After listening to the report from Shimen Township, Du Yuming did not hesitate, grabbed his coat, and went out.

It was almost 11 o'clock when we arrived at Shimen Township.

When he pushed open the car door and got out, the farmer squatting at the door recognized him.

Du Yuming did not enter the office building.

He stood on the steps in front of the township government building, facing the farmers.

Someone spoke first:

"County Magistrate, with the price of ginseng so low, what will happen to our loan?"

Du Yuming stood on the steps without moving, and did not accept the cigarette offered by anyone.

"The county has already negotiated a guaranteed price with Guangjitang, which is significantly higher than the current market price. As long as farmers have signed a contract, Guangjitang will purchase their produce at the guaranteed price."

The agreement will be issued tomorrow, and signing will begin simultaneously in all townships.

He spoke slowly, without using official jargon, and pronounced each word clearly.

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, then someone asked:

"County magistrate, are you telling the truth?"

Du Yuming looked at him, patted his chest, and promised, "I keep my word."

There was a moment of silence in the crowd.

The farmer who asked the question stared into Du Yuming's eyes for a few seconds, then lowered his head and didn't ask any more questions.

An older farmer squatted on the edge of the steps, stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, and stood up.

He didn't look at Du Yuming, but simply brushed the dust off his pants and said to the person next to him:

"Since the county magistrate has said so, let's wait and see tomorrow."

With someone taking the lead.

The people who were squatting began to stand up, and the people who were standing began to turn around. Some people were whispering something, but their voices were much quieter than before.

The farmer who had spoken first was at the back of the crowd. After a few steps, he stopped, looked back at Du Yuming, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"County Magistrate, it's not that we don't trust you, it's that we're afraid."

Then he turned around and walked away quickly.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

The area in front of the township government building has quieted down again.

Bai Changxi walked over to Du Yuming and whispered something:

"County Magistrate, what happened just now..."

Du Yuming raised his hand, not letting him finish speaking:

"The announcement will be issued tomorrow, and the signing will begin simultaneously. You should distribute the notices to all villages this afternoon, and have the village-level cadres visit each household first thing tomorrow morning."

Bai Changxi nodded: "Okay."

Du Yuming didn't say much, turned around and walked down the steps to the car parked by the roadside.

He paused for a moment as he opened the car door.

He glanced back at the empty entrance of the township government building, then bent down and got into the driver's seat.

……

That evening, He Ying received a call from Du Yuming in her dormitory at the Party School.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he recounted the situation in Shimen Township that day and the market decline, then said:

"We have to issue an announcement tomorrow; otherwise, it will be too late."

He Ying was silent for two seconds:

"It will be released tomorrow. Please confirm with General Manager Liu that the announcement should be concise and not too elaborating. Just clearly state the minimum guaranteed price."

In addition, signing ceremonies will begin simultaneously in all townships tomorrow, with all cadres going down to the villages to explain the policies to each household.

She paused, her voice slightly softer than before, but her tone remained unchanged:

"County magistrate, we'll get through this together."

Du Yuming was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, then said, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone.

He Ying scrolled to Mr. Liu's WeChat and sent a message:

"Mr. Liu, can the announcement of the guaranteed price be released tomorrow?"

Mr. Liu quickly replied: "Yes, the announcement has been drafted and will be released first thing tomorrow morning."

……

The next day, at 7:30 in the morning.

Li Xuemei arrived almost an hour earlier than usual.

She sat at her desk and read the announcement over and over again, confirming that the title, signature, date, and official seal were all correct.

Then, she picked up the landline on the table and dialed Du Yuming's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Minister Li?"

"County Chief, the announcement has been confirmed and will be released promptly at 8:00 AM."

Du Yuming was silent for two seconds, then said two words:

"Send it."

At 8:00 AM sharp, the official account of the Publicity Department of Qingshun County Party Committee released an announcement titled "Announcement on Guaranteed Purchase Price of Codonopsis pilosula in Qingshun County".

The main text is less than 300 words, but the core information is clearly stated: the contracted farmers will be guaranteed to purchase the Codonopsis pilosula at a minimum price of 80 yuan per kilogram.

Guangjitang promised to purchase without limit. The announcement was stamped with the official seal of Guangjitang Pharmaceutical and the confirmation seal of Qingshun County Government, and the date was the same day.

The number of clicks was in the single digits in the first minute after it was published, but it started to rise in the second minute.

In various township work groups, screenshots began to be forwarded with the following caption:

"The minimum price has been announced."

Then, this sentence was passed around quickly like a relay baton, from the township to the village, from the village to the group, and from the group to the household...