At Tian Shouyi's house, just as the father-in-law and son-in-law returned, Zhang Guilan rushed out of the house, looking anxious and asking: "Old man, what's going on? Did you get it done?"
As long as this matter is done, the son-in-law's quota as a worker, peasant or soldier will be almost certain.
"Don't mention it. We almost got into a fight."
Tian Shouyi threw his coat onto the stool, sat down on the ground, picked up the pipe behind him and started smoking.
Zhang Hongwei also sat down beside them. The whole family had sad faces, like eggplants hit by frost.
Zhang Guilan poured them both a cup of tea, then sat down next to the old man and continued to ask, "What did they say? Why did they start fighting out of the blue?"
Tian Shouyi kept shaking his head, looking like he didn't want to say more. Only then did Zhang Hongwei slowly tell him what had just happened.
After hearing this, she immediately sat up from the ground, looking as if she wanted to settle the score with someone.
"What can they do? Still don't agree?"
"Humph, their village's harvest is always the worst in the entire commune. I think they're holding back on releasing the water this time because they're jealous of us and deliberately trying to lower our harvest so they don't end up last every year."
"Old man, you can't give in. You've fallen into their trap. This floodgate must be opened. Otherwise, what authority will you have as the secretary in the future?"
Tian Xiuzhu saw that her father looked unhappy and was afraid that he would vent his anger on her mother, so she quickly pulled her arm and asked her to calm down.
Then he interrupted, "Mom, Dad and the others have been outside all day and must be hungry. Have you prepared dinner?"
"Oh, look at me, I forgot about this. Just wait, I'll just fry some potatoes and be done with it."
After walking a few steps, she turned back and repeated, "Old man, we can't just let this go. We have to irrigate the crops below, otherwise they will surely dry up."
Seeing her daughter waving at her, she went back to the kitchen.
Zhang Hongwei then said, "Dad, maybe there are too many of us here today, and they think we're trying to bully others by relying on our numbers. I don't have classes tomorrow, so why don't we take a respected person from the village and some wine with us to have a good talk with them."
When asking someone to do something for you, regardless of whether they agree or not, the party asking must first express their attitude.
This way, they won't be at a loss when people talk about them in the future.
Tian Shouyi sighed and nodded, indicating that this was the only way for now.
The next morning, Zhang Hongwei went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few bottles of wine and a few boxes of tobacco. Then he had breakfast at home and went with his father-in-law.
Although Tian Shouyi did not bring a bunch of people with him this time, he called all the people with the surname Tian from his family. Even people like Tian Saner went with him. I wonder what the use would be if someone like him went there.
Zhang Hongwei was so angry when he saw these people who couldn't even do a single word.
They went there to reason with others. The Tians always relied on being the local boss and acted in a condescending manner. With their arrogant attitude, it would be strange if others would agree with them if they went there.
But he couldn't offend his father-in-law in front of so many people, so he could only endure it.
There were fewer people going this time, and as soon as they entered the next village, someone came out to ask them to go back and said they were not welcome.
Tian Shouyi's temper almost broke out, but Zhang Hongwei stopped him. After much persuasion, he let them go to the village office to discuss the matter with the leader.
Zhang Hongwei was afraid that his father-in-law would do something bad, so he whispered to him on the way that when they got there, he should try to talk less to avoid another unpleasant ending.
After all, they came this time and brought things, which means they are starting to bow their heads. In the end, they took a step back. As long as they lower their attitude, there may be room for improvement.
The secretary of the village next door is surnamed Li. He is a big and strong man with a bad temper. But judging from what happened yesterday, the young man next door is still the real boss of their village. So if we want to settle the matter today, we will probably have to win over this person.
When they arrived at the place, Zhang Hongwei suggested talking to the man alone, fearing that the two sides would fight again due to a disagreement like yesterday.
The others just sat outside staring at each other.
Inside the room, Zhang Hongwei stood up and shook hands with the man, introducing himself: "My name is Zhang Hongwei. I'm an educated youth from Shanghai, and now I'm also a part of Tianjiaba. We're all straightforward people, so I'll just say what I want to say."
The man didn't expect him to get straight to the point. He nodded in surprise and motioned him to continue.
"I think you also know that even if you block the sluice gate now, when we bring this to the attention of the commune, the commune leaders will definitely agree for the sake of the overall situation. Rather than being punished and blamed, it's better to do a favor now. That way everyone will benefit."
After hearing what he said, the man sarcastically said, "Everyone is good? What good is that?"
"The water has been released, your fertile fields have been irrigated, and when the harvest comes, you will happily share the food. We have no idea, and when the time comes, no one will remember our kindness."
Although this person did not say it explicitly, Zhang Hongwei understood the meaning of his words. He wanted them to give him some benefits when the time comes, otherwise the floodgates might not be opened so easily.
"So what do you want?"
"It's very simple. We will release water to you every year, but when the harvest comes, your village must give us 500 kilograms of grain every year as a subsidy."
"Five hundred kilograms? Why don't you just go and rob it?" Zhang Hongwei glanced at him and felt that this man was asking for too much.
"At most 300 kilograms. If you don't agree, we'll go directly to the commune leaders tomorrow. I believe they will help us solve this problem."
The man thought about it for a few minutes and finally gritted his teeth and agreed.
The two also signed an agreement privately, writing each other's names and pressing their fingerprints on it, in two copies, one for each person.
When Zhang Hongwei came out, the villagers immediately stood up and surrounded him, all eager to know the final result.
He smiled and nodded at them. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the matter was settled.
Everyone who went with him was very happy, especially Tian Shouyi, whose face was full of joy at this moment. He patted his shoulder with a look of satisfaction, nodded repeatedly, and said proudly: "You scholars are really capable. You can get people to agree with just a few words."
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