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

As soon as it was light, Du Yuming's car drove out of the county government compound.

Instead of going to the Shuangqiao Town government first, he had the driver stop the car at the fork in the road, then got out and walked along the field ridge.

The gate to Zhang Degui's house was open.

He was squatting on the threshold smoking, with a notebook spread out in front of him.

"Uncle Degui."

Du Yuming called out.

Zhang Degui looked up, and after recognizing the person who had come, he quickly stood up:

"County Magistrate, what brings you here? Please come in and have a seat."

He turned to walk towards the main room, but Du Yuming stopped him:

"Right here, to avoid trouble."

After saying that, he sat down on the low stool next to him and squatted down in the yard facing Zhang Degui.

Du Yuming glanced down at the notebook, which was filled with densely packed data.

"What is recorded here?"

Zhang Degui sighed: "Seeds, waste materials, labor, and loans..."

Du Yuming asked, "How much money did you borrow?"

"120,000."

Zhang Degui's voice was a little hoarse.

"I borrowed 80,000 from the credit union and another 40,000 from relatives. I poured everything into it—seedlings, fertilizer, land rent. If the price of ginseng drops to last year's level, I'll lose everything..."

Du Yuming did not respond immediately.

He reached out and took the notebook from Zhang Degui, flipped through a few pages, looked at the numbers, and then returned it.

Did you see the news about the guaranteed price?

"I saw it."

Zhang Degui took the notebook and casually closed it.

"It's been shared in the group chat and it's been broadcast on TV."

But County Magistrate, I've been farming for twenty years; I've seen far too much.

He paused for a moment, as if unsure how to continue.

"I'm afraid that in the end, it will all be for nothing again..."

Du Yuming advised, "Uncle Degui, the contract terms for Guangjitang have already been filed with the county."

After you sign the contract, the credit union where you apply for the loan will be able to see your order.

Some banks allow loan repayment extensions; specific policies are still being finalized, but the general direction is clear.

Zhang Degui looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then spoke:

"What if the price just doesn't come up?"

"The guaranteed price is the guaranteed price."

Du Yuming repeated himself, his tone even more certain than before.

"They buy it at 80 yuan per kilogram. When the market is good, they buy it at a higher price than the guaranteed price."

No matter how bad the market is, once the contract is signed, not a penny can be less.

Zhang Degui's gaze lingered on the cover of the notebook for a moment, neither saying it was good nor bad, but simply asking:

"When will you sign?"

"The village will organize a centralized signing ceremony starting this afternoon. Just bring your ID card and the contract."

Zhang Degui nodded, took out his phone, and made a call to his nephew next door.

"People from the county are here. The guaranteed price is real. We'll go to the village committee this afternoon to sign the contract. Tell your dad."

Du Yuming didn't linger and said goodbye to Zhang Degui.

Instead of going to the town government, he had the driver turn around and go to a more remote village in Shimen Township.

Dawan Village, Shimen Township

That's the village where the conflict occurred during the last door-to-door publicity campaign by the officials.

The car stopped at the village entrance, but the village road was too narrow to go in, so Du Yuming got out of the car and walked in.

Dawancun is more remote than Shuangqiao Town, and the cell phone signal is not very stable.

After entering the village.

He noticed that the chimneys of several houses were not yet smoking, and the gates of the houses were ajar, making it difficult to see what was inside.

The village officials had been notified in advance and were waiting at the village entrance.

Seeing Du Yuming walk in, he quickly went to greet him:

"County Head, you've arrived. Several elderly households in the village haven't signed the guarantee agreement yet, mainly because they don't have smartphones and didn't know the announcement had been issued. A few other households don't believe it."

Du Yuming stopped in his tracks:

"What's the reason?"

The village officials hesitated for a moment: "They felt that the county had previously said it would guide planting, but then prices rose and fell again. They were unsure how long the guaranteed price would last."

Du Yuming offered no comment, only saying, "Take me to see it."

The village official led him into the village lane and they went to the first house.

An old man in his early seventies was sitting in the yard shelling corn kernels.

They saw the village officials leading people in.

He paused for a moment, put down the corncob in his hand, and stood up.

Du Yuming didn't rush to talk about the guaranteed price. He first squatted down and chatted with him for a while, asking about the harvest and his health, before slowly explaining the contents of the announcement.

After listening, the old man remained silent for a while, then asked:

"County magistrate, do we need to pay money for this contract you're talking about?"

"No need, you don't need to pay a single penny."

The old man nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The village official took out his phone and repeated the signing time and the required documents.

After listening, the old man said:

"Then I'll go take a look this afternoon."

After leaving the first house, Du Yuming went to the second and third houses.

Some farmers' households only have elderly people who cannot understand overly complicated policies;

Some farmers do not believe that the county will provide a safety net, feeling that it is another case of "saying one thing and doing another";

Some simply hid from everyone, peeking out from the crack in the door a few times before retreating back inside.

Du Yuming didn't speed up; he went into every courtyard and sat on every bench.

Village officials followed behind, recording the specific details of each household in their notebooks.

When we reached the end of the village.

Du Yuming stopped and looked around.

The houses are separated by an open space, quite far apart.

He didn't say much, but just turned and glanced at the village official:

"Is the village loudspeaker still working?"

"It works. It was just fixed the day before yesterday."

"Then go back and broadcast it three times, once an hour apart, and make sure to clearly explain the key information about the guaranteed price—who signs, when they sign, where they sign, and what materials they need to bring. Don't miss anything."

The village official responded and turned to walk back quickly.

Du Yuming stood there for a while, then turned around and walked out along the way he came.

When I got to the village entrance, I heard the loudspeaker blaring.

The village official's voice came from the village entrance, crackling with static:

"Fellow villagers, the county government and Guangjitang have signed a contract for the guaranteed price this afternoon at the village committee..."

Du Yuming slowed his pace, listened for a few minutes, and then continued walking towards the parking area at the village entrance without stopping.

It was already evening when we got back to the county.

The car stopped in front of the county government building. Du Yuming got out of the car but didn't rush inside.

He took out his phone, opened He Ying's WeChat, and typed a line:

"Secretary, I visited Shuangqiao Town and Shimen Township today, and the farmers' emotions have basically stabilized."

Guangjitang's guaranteed price provided a safety net, preventing further panic.

The signing rate is still being tallied, but the trend is stable.

After sending the message, he put his phone back in his pocket, turned around, and walked into the office building.

A while later, my phone vibrated.

He glanced down and saw He Ying's reply:

"Thank you for your hard work. Please have all townships organize the signing of contracts as soon as possible to secure the farmers' contracts."

"it is good."

He replied with a single word, then sent a group message to the heads of various townships:

"At 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, all townships will simultaneously launch centralized signing."

The signing rate is reported every half day, and any abnormalities are reported promptly.