Rebirth of a Farmer's Dad

Vice Mayor Zhao's sudden remark sent a chill down everyone's spine. But no matter how much turmoil they felt inside, they couldn't show it on the surface, so they could only pretend to be clueless and act as if they knew nothing.

"Vice Mayor Zhao, I don't know what you're talking about?" The county head had to play dumb to the end. He had no idea what Vice Mayor Zhao actually knew, so he could only grit his teeth and deny it.

"Heh, alright, you're all putting on an act for me, treating me like a fool, huh?" Deputy Mayor Zhao sneered at everyone's similar reaction and said to them.

"Do you really think I don't know anything? You wanted to set up a factory, but you encountered obstacles in getting a loan, and then rumors started circulating. It's obvious to everyone that something fishy is going on. Tell me, if I don't come back, what are you planning to do next?" Although Vice Mayor Zhao spoke calmly, everyone could sense that he was suppressing his anger.

They never expected things to develop to this point, but there was no other way now. The county magistrate and Luo Feng exchanged glances and decided to tell the truth about the matter.

"Oh, Vice Mayor Zhao! Please don't be angry. We have no choice. We hope that the higher-ups can understand the difficulties we are in!" The county head sighed, his tone filled with helplessness and humility.

"No matter what, that's no excuse for you to falsify information. If everyone below you acted like this, how could I possibly carry out my work?" Vice Mayor Zhao suddenly slammed his fist on the table and shouted at the county head. Although he was addressing the county head, everyone was clearly startled and trembled. They didn't even dare to sit properly on their stools, with only half of their buttocks resting on the chairs.

"Yes, yes, I know what I did was wrong and I've put you in a difficult position. I'm willing to accept any punishment from my superiors, but I also ask them to do their best to help our poor fellow villagers." As the county magistrate said this, he straightened up and lowered his head, like a primary school student who had made a mistake.

"Vice Mayor Zhao, since we've come this far, could you please listen to what we have to say?" Luo Feng asked tentatively, then glanced at Vice Mayor Zhao to observe his reaction.

"Just say what you want to say, don't be so hesitant, it makes me uncomfortable too," Vice Mayor Zhao said, waving his hand to signal Luo Feng to continue.

"Actually, I'm very clear about the situation in our county. There used to be a small steel plant in the county, but it was demolished not long ago. Now, the able-bodied men in the county have nowhere to go except to stay at home and farm. It's not that they're lazy or unwilling to work, it's just that there's really no work to do, and there's simply no suitable place to put them."

“I come from a farming background, and I know that farming is hard work. The main problem is that we can’t make much from our small plot of land. Moreover, there are many mountains and little arable land here, so it’s a problem to make ends meet by farming!”

"Yes, yes, at least the other counties have a factory to keep them afloat. Although the factories aren't big, they at least solve the problem of where able-bodied men can find work, and people can earn a little money to improve their lives. But we really have nothing here. Everything has to start from scratch. Our county head has been working himself to the bone over this, so we sincerely hope that Vice Mayor Zhao won't blame him too much." As soon as Luo Feng finished speaking, Old He seized the opportunity to take over, introducing the basic situation of the county and pleading for the county head's life.

"Alright, alright, I understand the general situation you've described, but you also need to understand the difficulties the higher-ups are facing! This time, the support funds from above were squeezed out of their own pockets. Although there is some money, it's not much, and there are too many wolves and not enough meat to go around!"

"And as you all know, from our perspective as higher-ups, we have to consider the overall situation! We can't sacrifice the big picture for the benefit of a small unit; that's typical parochialism, and we've already criticized that from above." Now everyone started complaining, and Vice Mayor Zhao also began to pour out his grievances, telling everyone that those above also had their own difficulties.

"I know everyone's having a tough time, but who's having it harder than us? These days, most people in our county are just toiling in the fields; it's impossible to find any side jobs. Especially after the steel mill was demolished, we business people have found it increasingly difficult to do business. There's nothing we can do; everyone's short of money, and even more so, short of ways to make money. So the county's economy is like stagnant water, unable to flow, and naturally, it lacks vitality." This time, it was Boss Zheng speaking. His analysis was thorough, directly outlining the chain reaction of the steel mill's closure on the county's economy, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"Stop pouring out your grievances to me. Let me tell you, it's useless. You don't even need to think about it; other people would say the same thing. This is a tactic you use all the time, so don't show off in front of me." Vice Mayor Zhao didn't want this conversation to turn into a grievance session, so he could only try to dampen everyone's spirits first.

A few warm words were like a Siberian gust of cold wind, instantly extinguishing most of the enthusiasm in everyone's hearts, and for a moment the expressions on everyone's faces became somewhat dejected.

“Vice Mayor Zhao, in principle I shouldn’t pressure you as the leader, but we absolutely have to get this money. Just tell me, how can we get this subsidy?” The county head saw the changes in everyone’s faces clearly. In order not to disappoint everyone, the county head gritted his teeth and stomped his foot before saying this.

"Xiao Li, what am I supposed to say to you? You're a veteran in officialdom, how can you be so clueless? The biggest problem now isn't that I'm unwilling to allocate the funds, but that I can't silence the gossip! Tell me, if I allocate all this money to you, how am I supposed to explain this to the others!" Vice Mayor Zhao hadn't expected the county head to suddenly interrogate him. Although he was initially furious, he suppressed his anger and explained to everyone.

The room fell silent again. When the servants saw that it was the county magistrate and Vice Mayor Zhao, who were considered the most powerful people, they dared not speak. They sat quietly to one side, eyes downcast, not uttering a sound.