Rebirth of a Farmer's Dad

Time always flies when you're at a dinner table. Before they knew it, Luo Feng and Vice Mayor Zhao were both quite drunk as they toasted each other.

One is a seasoned veteran in officialdom, and the other is a seasoned businessman who has been in the business world for many years. The two are evenly matched in terms of drinking capacity. Basically, if one of them wants to pass out first, the other will probably have to kneel down as well.

Actually, as the drinking went on, Vice Mayor Zhao began to regret it. He had underestimated Luo Feng's drinking capacity, or rather, he had overestimated his own.

After realizing that the usual tricks used at the dinner table were no longer effective, Vice Mayor Zhao gradually started chatting with Luo Feng about this and that.

Both of them were quite talkative, and as they chatted, the atmosphere in the room became more and more lively. In the end, even Grandpa Zhou's family joined in, which turned a simple chat between friends into a discussion.

Under these circumstances, Luo Feng briefly recounted his past, focusing on the hardships he faced at the beginning of his business, which moved everyone present to tears.

"To be honest, I was just a small vendor at a street stall back then. I was so poor that I could barely afford to eat, and I was in debt for several thousand yuan. Who would respect me back then?"

“To this day, I still remember the day when the villagers came to our house to demand repayment of the debt. There was nothing I could do. I know that the villagers are also having a hard time. Otherwise, why would they push me to such a point for a little money? Although several thousand yuan in debt does sound like a lot, when it is divided among each household, there is not much left.”

"Yes, yes, life is tough for the villagers. It's been like this all year round. Although there have been some improvements in recent years, the overall situation hasn't changed much. Most people are just barely making ends meet," the old man and his wife said with deep feeling.

"I used to work as a miner in a coal mine in L County. I went down into the mine every day to dig coal. I got all dirty, and I didn't earn much money."

"But I had no choice. My whole family was waiting to be fed, so I had to work day and night. I could only go home once every ten days or half a month. Even so, my family was still sometimes hungry and sometimes full. I remember that my biggest wish at the time was to be able to eat a full bowl of rice!" Perhaps Luo Feng's words resonated with Grandpa Zhou, because he then started to talk as well.

"You're talking about that coal mine in the next county, right? I think I heard someone mention it before, but I don't know why it seems to have been closed down!" Luo Feng thought for a moment, and it seemed like he had heard someone mention it before.

"Pah! I don't know why, it's because there was an accident, and someone even died. Luckily I wasn't down in the mine at the time, or I wouldn't be back." Now, when the matter was brought up again, Grandpa Zhou was full of anger, but then he showed a sad expression, as if he had remembered something painful.

“That mine in the next county is an illegal coal mine, run privately by a coal boss. It didn’t have any approval from higher authorities. I remember that a lot of the equipment there was broken, and the safety measures were completely inadequate. Every time we went down into the mine, we risked our lives to work. We were literally earning a living with our blood and lives!” Grandpa Zhou became more and more agitated as he spoke, and in the end, he even shed tears.

“You old geezer, at least you’ve come back. Poor son of ours! He didn’t even get to see us one last time before he was buried alive.” Grandpa Zhou wept, and his wife beside him also started to cry, even hitting her husband repeatedly to vent her anger.

Seeing this, even if Luo Feng and Vice Mayor Zhao were stupid, they could guess what had happened. But seeing the two old people so agitated, they didn't want to ask them. So they could only turn their attention to a young man sitting to the side.

"You don't know, this is about my brother. He was working down in the mine when the accident happened, and he never came out."

“My mother gave birth to my brother and me. I was weak and sickly from a young age and couldn’t do heavy work. To help support the family and pay for my medical treatment, my older brother and father had no choice but to work in the mines. But we never expected this to happen. If my father’s rheumatism hadn’t flared up that time and he had no choice but to go home to rest, it might not have been just my older brother who lost his life.” The young man sighed sadly as he spoke, seemingly unwilling to talk about these things. He probably only mentioned it on a whim.

Originally, they just wanted to chat about all sorts of things, but unexpectedly, the conversation became increasingly melancholic, even bringing up painful memories from many years ago. This made Luo Feng and Vice Mayor Zhao somewhat embarrassed, and for a moment they didn't know what to say to comfort the two elderly people.

"Is this how all the villagers live?" Vice Mayor Zhao seemed to be asking Luo Feng, but also seemed to be talking to himself.

"There are far more pitiful people in this county than just them!" Luo Feng sighed softly, not even glancing at Vice Mayor Zhao, as if he had just spoken from the heart.

“It’s so late today, it’s not safe for you to walk alone at night, why don’t you squeeze in with me?” Vice Mayor Zhao looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something to Luo Feng, but perhaps realizing that it was inappropriate in the current situation, he held back.

This was exactly what Luo Feng wanted to do. He was only there to stall for time, and as long as he could achieve that goal, nothing else mattered.

Luo Feng readily agreed to the request. At that moment, he couldn't wait to hug and kiss his husband, the mayor. This gesture of providing a timely comfort was incredibly pleasant.

And so, Luo Feng stayed at Grandpa Zhou's house to rest that night. To be honest, he was hoping that Vice Mayor Zhao would have a long talk with him that evening, because if that happened, neither of them would be able to get up early the next morning. This way, the second brother would naturally have plenty of time to work things out, and the plans he had arranged could be executed more effectively.

"Just ask me anything you want to know. I promise you, I won't hide anything I know." Regardless of whether the other party believed him or not, Luo Feng spoke up first.

Both of them were shrewd individuals, and at this point, there was nothing left to hide from each other. However, Vice Mayor Zhao was unsure how to broach the subject and was still pondering what to say.

Next, Vice Mayor Zhao asked Luo Feng about the situation in the county, but no matter how sincere Luo Feng's answers were, he remained skeptical. Ultimately, Vice Mayor Zhao decided to find time the next day to take a closer look; after all, seeing is believing.