Chapter 147 The Empty City Stratagem! Grinding the Village Chief Hard
Upon hearing this, everyone panicked.
The village chief was so frightened that he stood up abruptly, exclaiming, "How can that be?! No way!"
His wrinkled face showed obvious fear. The villagers were all honest, hardworking old men who had farmed all their lives and had little education.
As the only person in the village who had received a few years of schooling, he was well aware of the power of Jiang Anchao's words.
The reason why Xishan Village was able to implement the household contract responsibility system in early 1980 was because two martyrs came from the village, and they died with first-class military merit.
These two are Ma Jianguo and his spouse. The couple has dedicated themselves to protecting the people and safeguarding their home for many years. The plaque for their "Honorary Family" is still hanging brightly on their door.
It is precisely because of such outstanding achievements that the county has paid attention to them and given priority to the villagers of Xishan Village for this opportunity.
Over the years, everyone has devoted themselves to the planned labor of the production team. All the land has been merged into one place, and everyone works at the same time every day. Some people slack off while others go off on their own.
This led to a situation where nobody cared about grain production, and whether the land could produce grain depended entirely on the weather.
If the sun shines brightly and the harvest of wheat and rice is plentiful this year, everyone will complain about how much more they have to live.
After all, no matter how much or how little work was done, the amount of grain received was fixed, and no one was as simple and conscientious in managing the fields as before.
The reason why the household contract responsibility system can be implemented now is entirely because grain production has gradually decreased, and every household is struggling to make ends meet. There is not enough food to eat, and even cornbread and sweet potato leaves cannot be taken home.
At this critical moment, the household contract responsibility system is the only hope and must not be terminated!
The village chief looked at Jiang Anchao with pleading eyes, "We agreed on the land distribution, and we've already spoken to the county about it. I know you're officials, but you can't just do whatever you want, can you? It's not easy for us ordinary people to have enough to eat!"
Others quickly echoed his sentiments.
"Yes, yes! Why can't you let us get some land?"
"You city folks can get enough to eat, but who cares about the farmers? They finally got their land allocated, and this is all they have to hope for!"
Jiang Anchao curled his lips, completely unmoved by their sob stories and complaints. "When you were beating people and bullying children, why didn't you feel sorry for yourselves? Now that your own interests have been harmed, you start crying and wailing?"
Since they are so greedy, always wanting more than they have, and their own food hasn't even warmed up yet, they're already trying to take away what Su's parents left behind, then let's just overturn the table and stop everyone from eating.
Ma Jianhua stared at the shattered glass so close to his face, his pupils trembling, before he cautiously spoke: "Let's talk this over. Could you please take this thing off my neck first?"
"cannot."
Jiang An glanced at her and bluntly said, "If you do things so badly, don't blame others. If the higher-ups find out that you even dare to embezzle the belongings of martyrs' families, let's see who will still trust your Xishan Village. Just wait for the village to be designated as an impoverished village in ten years, and you'll never get ahead in life!"
After saying that, he kicked Ma Jianhua hard, causing him to bend over in pain, sweating profusely, and unable to utter another word.
"No! No!" The village chief slammed his hand on the table, his brow furrowed and burning with anger. "This matter concerns the future of Xishan Village. No matter how much power you have, you can't overstep the county's authority. Why should you be able to decide our life or death with just a word!"
Jiang Anchao raised an eyebrow, a nonchalant look on his face. "You can go to the county and ask around. Do you really think we would come here alone without any preparation?"
Zhizhi watched from the side, silently thinking to herself, "Actually, they came all by themselves."
The older brother ran out in such a hurry that he was too busy picking up the child to notify nearby units to provide support.
The little cub looked at its father with a worried expression.
Is Dad trying to pull a trap?
She could tell that this was a time of power struggle between the two sides. If the village chief went to the county to verify the facts, her father's lie would be exposed.
At that time, they will definitely be put on the defensive and become completely at the mercy of others.
But Dad was betting that the village chief wouldn't dare make that phone call.
Because the village chief was also afraid that the disgusting things he had been hiding would really get to the county level. If Su's parents' status was really revoked and they were accused of bullying the children of martyrs, Xishan Village would absolutely not be able to welcome this new wave of reform.
My dad is so smart. He may seem reckless, but he's actually very meticulous. What a handsome man!
The village chief stood up and went straight to his office desk to pick up the phone and dial a number, just as he was about to make the call.
Ji Yanjing deliberately breathed a sigh of relief from the side.
His voice was very low, and those around him couldn't hear what he was saying at all.
However, his deliberate whispering to Jiang Anchao only amplified the village chief's suspicions.
After hearing this, Jiang Anchao nodded in agreement. And so, the two men stood side by side, smiling as they looked at the village chief.
"Didn't you say you were going to make a phone call? Go ahead and make it."
The village chief frowned suspiciously, unable to press the dial button.
Ji Yanjing fanned the flames from the side, "Don't you know the county's phone number? When I was inspecting the surrounding villages and towns in Beijing, didn't the people from the county hear the commotion and rush over very quickly? Actually, it's fine if we don't call. I guess they'll get the news and come over on their own soon. We'll have plenty of time to argue then."
"You...you're from the capital?"
The village chief suddenly realized why he had felt something was off when he looked at Ji Yanjing earlier.
This person exuded silent authority just by standing there, and it seemed that he held a high position.
Especially their accents. People from Suzhou rarely use retroflex consonants or diacritics, but Ji Yanjing speaks with a fluent northern accent.
Oh no!
The village chief's mind raced; he wished he could start recalling the details the moment these people entered the door.
Could it be a leader from Beijing who's come to implement new local policies?
Jiang Anchao had heard of him; he was the regimental commander of the Suzhou war zone, a high-ranking position.
If he obeys this superior so obediently, his position must be even higher.
As the saying goes, "An imperial envoy inspects the land, a general goes on an expedition..." The fact that someone could come all the way from the capital to this place speaks volumes about their status.
The village chief was startled and quickly put the phone away.
His tone was extremely stiff. "I made a solemn pledge to the county government to allocate land for contracted management. This was originally a secret operation, and if it were leaked, it could cost me my head. I can't go to the county to confirm it now. You... you're deliberately trying to make me ruin this new policy, aren't you?"
The village chief thought about it more and more and felt that his guess was correct.
His lips turned deathly pale in an instant. “We can discuss the land division. This opportunity is hard-won. If things really escalate, it will be bad for Gansu and for both of us. We don’t need to make things so bad that we both suffer.”
"Village Chief!" Ma Jianhua called out to him anxiously.
The village chief glared at him and scolded him in a low voice, "Shut up! If you don't make a fuss, you'll still get what you're entitled to. If you do, you'll get nothing. You'll just be recorded as having work points for the rest of your life, earning 12 cents a day!"
Ma Jianhua had never seen the village chief speak so sternly before, and he was stunned for a moment.
He felt a growing sense of unease in his chest, and even began to carefully consider whether he had truly crossed a red line.
Jiang Anchao chuckled and calmly put away the glass bottle in his hand. "At least you're a sensible person..."
He pulled out a chair and sat down, openly stating his conditions, "I don't want to argue with you anymore about the contributions Su's parents made, let's just get straight to the point... The child will stay with me, the household registration can't be changed, but the house and land, they must be his! Give me a written agreement, with the whole village signing and affixing their fingerprints!"
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