Qi Shuli didn't care about these things. Anyway, these people weren't native locals, but rather modified people sent from other places. Why should they be so polite?

"No enthusiasm? That's easy. Just take them out and give them a few more lectures, and they'll be motivated." Qi Shuli said casually, not taking it seriously. "Anyway, they're here to be fed and cared for. Why would they do any work? They're here for labor reform, which is what they're supposed to do. Besides, the back mountain is our Qi Family Village's back mountain. It has nothing to do with them. Why can't our village accept these things?"

As the second-in-command in the village, Qi Shuli would never miss an opportunity to undermine Secretary Qi, and this time was no exception. He openly and subtly accused Secretary Qi of favoring outsiders and not considering the villagers' interests.

Secretary Qi smiled and said, "I knew you'd say that! Just look at it."

Secretary Qi placed the two sheets of paper in his hand on the octagonal table.

Qi Shuli picked it up and saw that the old man's thin face had turned green.

"Secretary Qi, what do you mean by this? Instead of seeking benefits for your own village, you're only thinking about how to benefit those who have been sent down to the countryside. You've made a serious mistake in your thinking," Qi Shuli said angrily. "That bastard Qi Dazhu, he got that damn certificate in the county town, why didn't he show it sooner! He had to say so much before Qi Dazhu showed it, just to see him make a fool of himself!"

Secretary Qi glanced at Qi Shuli and said, "It is precisely for the sake of the village that I must do this. With this reward, they will be more capable and work even harder to do good things for the village in the future. One should not be too harsh on others."

"You...you..." Qi Shuli's face turned pale and then red. Secretary Qi had already brought the certificate, so even if he was dissatisfied, he couldn't go to the commune to argue!

Second team leader Qi Shuming smiled and said, "Accountant Qi, forget it. Secretary Qi is only thinking about the long term. Think about it, if Comrade Zuo and Comrade Xiang hadn't gone hunting in the mountains this time, our village wouldn't have received three hundred yuan. And this is just the beginning. In the future, the whole village will go hunting together, so there will be no need to divide it. This has shown the village a way to make money. Qi Shulin also said that there are no large wild animals within ten miles of us, which means that we can hunt freely within this area. By the end of the year, every household in our village may be able to receive several tens of yuan."

“Yes, Accountant Qi, things have come to this. We’re all from the same village, we’ll see each other all the time,” Zhao Dajiao also advised. “The days of making money are yet to come! This year we didn’t waste our autumn harvest, we have enough to eat. If we get a bigger payout at the end of the year, it will be a double blessing, much better than other villages.”

After listening, the others agreed that Zhao Dajiao and Qi Shuming were right.

Accountant Qi knew Qi Dazhu's abilities, and now that they had fallen out, he was the one who would suffer.

“Hey! I’m only thinking about our village. Since everyone has said so, I won’t say anything more.” Qi Shuli said, “Secretary Qi, you can’t just take this seventy-five yuan and give it to them directly. Let them come and collect the money! Signatures and fingerprints are required; that’s the rule in our village.”

That's true. Every year when we receive money, we have to put our fingerprints on it.

“Okay, I’ll have them come over to collect the money and put their fingerprints on it,” Secretary Qi said, giving Qi Ergou, who was sitting behind him, a wink.

Qi Ergou understood and, taking advantage of everyone's presence, called Zuo Li and Xiang Rong over.

Qi Ergou rode his bicycle and soon arrived at the livestock team.

Zuo Li and Xiang Rong were very happy. Although it was only seventy-five yuan, it was better than nothing.

Upon arriving at the village branch, Qi Shuli handed the money to Zuo Li and Xiang Rong, his demeanor completely changed. He smiled and said, "Comrade Zuo, Comrade Xiang, this is the money we got from selling the game to the purchasing station. It's a total of 375 yuan. You can take 20%, which is 75 yuan in total. That's 37.5 yuan each. You can count it. If there are no problems, please put your fingerprints here."

"Thank you very much, Accountant Qi," Zuo Li said to Xiang Rong, pressing his fingerprint on the document.

Secretary Qi pointed to the certificate of merit and the commune's approval on the table and said, "This is the commune's recognition of you. Take it back and keep it."

When Zuo Li and Xiang Rong saw the date, it was indeed today, and they knew that Secretary Qi had arranged this for them.

These two simple pieces of paper are more important than seventy-five yuan.

"Thank you very much, Secretary Qi," Zuo Li said gratefully, carefully putting the items into his pocket.

Seeing the two men being so respectful to Secretary Qi, Qi Shuli felt aggrieved and forced a smile at them.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should all go back now. You've all worked hard all day," Secretary Qi said. "Get some rest, there'll be times when I need your help."

"Just let us know if there's anything we can do to help," Xiang Rong said respectfully.

After the two left, Secretary Qi noticed a half-smile on Qi Shuli's face, as if he were looking down on him. He was the one who talked behind people's backs about not paying them, but when they came to visit, he was all smiles and enthusiasm!

Qi Shuli looked embarrassed, and then a little angry.

However, Secretary Qi didn't say anything, which made Qi Shuli angry.

From that day on, Qijia Village dug many traps in the back mountain and hunted a lot of game, mainly wild boar, wild goat, wild rabbit and pheasant. They would go to the commune to sell their game every two days, and each time they could make several hundred yuan.

This good news quickly spread to other villages.

In particular, most villages in Taoyuan County suffered heavy losses this year due to the rain. Some of the good grain was handed over to the government, while the remaining grain became moldy and inedible. When winter came and people stopped working, the porridge they drank was so mushy that you could almost see your reflection in it.

Many of the wives in Qijia Village came from the surrounding villages, and some were daughters who had married into the village. As life improved in Qijia Village, people inevitably told their relatives who were still struggling, and so everyone went hunting in the mountains.

However, those dense forests lacked the powerful village of the Snake King to deter them. They were teeming with large wild animals, including bears, tigers, and countless wolves. Initially, the hunters caught some prey, but as they ventured deeper into the forest, several were killed or injured by the large beasts. This finally deterred the envious hunters from continuing their hunt in the mountains behind their village.

However, the fact that Qijia Village went to the commune every two days to buy game made those people envious. After hearing that there were no large wild animals or wolves in the mountains behind Qijia Village, they secretly went to hunt there. Sometimes, they even took things directly from the traps dug by Qijia Village, which immediately sparked conflict between Qijia Village and other villages. (To be continued.)