The torrential rain that had lasted for thirteen days finally stopped on the fourteenth day.
The sun finally showed its long-awaited face, hanging bright red in the sky.
People weren't happy at all, because they knew the wheat in the fields was all ruined.
With a foreseeable famine looming ahead, no one had the will to rush to the fields to harvest the sprouting wheat.
Almost simultaneously, the captains of more than 300 brigades in Huichuan County developed mouth ulcers—from internal heat.
"Hurry up and bring the wheat down from the field! If you bring it down, at least you'll have some wheat to eat! If you don't, what will you eat?"
"The wheat sprouts are so long in the ears! What's the point of harvesting them? We're like cows, we eat the sprouts!"
"We still have to harvest it! How can we plant corn if we don't harvest it? If the wheat doesn't work, and we don't harvest the corn, we'll really starve!" The brigade leader was so anxious he was jumping up and down.
"The water in the field is knee-deep! How can we plant corn? You're all just giving me bad advice! Heh heh, giving all this advice, working yourself to the bone all year round, and then eating nothing but the northwest wind..."
The commune members didn't listen to the brigade leader at all. They already had no food to eat, and now they had to work in the fields. What would they eat when they were hungry?
Are we really going to starve?
...
Mayor's Office, Dongfang City!
Deputy Director Zhang's face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat covered his forehead and temples. He dared not wipe his sweat, his hands hanging limply at the seam of his trousers, standing ramrod straight, not daring to move an inch.
An elderly man with gray hair sat at his desk, looking down as he reviewed documents.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Suddenly, there were three crisp knocks on the door.
"Enter!"
The old man took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose where the glasses had pressed against it.
A refined-looking young man pushed open the door and came in. "Mayor, Secretary Donglai is here and waiting outside."
"Hmm, let Donglai in!"
As he spoke, he picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of tea.
Liu Donglai walked in quickly, his expression resolute, but a slight excitement appeared in his eyes when he saw the old man.
"Mayor Zhang! Hello! I'm Liu Donglai!"
"Donglai! It's been years since we last met!"
Mayor Zhang stood up, walked around the desk, and went to Liu Donglai, patting him on the shoulder affectionately.
"It's been two years and three months. The last time I saw you was in Yibai Mountain."
When talking about those years, Liu Donglai seemed to have returned to those days.
"Yes, back then we were all farming at the foot of the mountain! Donglai, I started working two years earlier than you. Now if I send you to Huichuan County, you won't think it's too small, will you?"
"How could that be? No matter how small the place is, it is still part of China. The purpose of our work is to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment."
If someone else had said this, Mayor Zhang might have had to consider whether it was true or not, but since Liu Dong said it, he believed it!
"But some people, despite coming from the countryside, completely disregard the growth patterns of crops and the actual conditions in rural areas, giving orders haphazardly and recklessly!"
Mayor Zhang's tone turned stern. "Director Zhang, let me ask you, is this you in the newspaper?"
As he spoke, a newspaper was slammed onto the table, with a large photograph on it showing Deputy Director Zhang confidently pointing out the direction of the country in a wheat field!
"Are you using your brain to sing your own praises? Huh? Didn't you have combine harvesters? Didn't you achieve full mechanization in the county? How come the wheat in Huichuan County is rotting in the fields this year?"
Mayor Zhang had already investigated and found out that Deputy Director Zhang had spent 3,000 yuan to hire a harvester, 600 yuan to buy newspaper space, and many other things.
"You can't even care about the common people? Do you deserve to be the head of a county? You scoundrel!"
Liu Donglai knew that Mayor Zhang was furious. He wasn't one to say harsh things, which showed just how angry he was.
Deputy Director Zhang's face paled even more, and he wished he could skin Jia alive, tear him apart, eat his flesh, and drink his blood!
Mayor Zhang didn't want to look at this fool who was harming the country and its people again!
"Donglai, the national economy is not good right now. This heavy rain has caused a complete crop failure in Huichuan County, and other counties have also suffered from the disaster to varying degrees."
Liu Dong looked at Mayor Zhang; he knew what Mayor Zhang was going to say.
Sure enough, Mayor Zhang gave him a guilty look.
"Besides reducing the amount of grain tax due, the city has no other way to help the people of Huichuan County. Donglai, you have to take responsibility for this mess!"
Liu Donglai stood up straight, his expression solemn, and promised, "I will do everything in my power to help the people of Huichuan County weather this disaster!"
"Good, good! This isn't a natural disaster, it's a man-made one!"
After saying that, he walked up to Deputy Director Zhang and said, "You've given me a good wake-up call! How many good-for-nothing gamblers like you have entered our cadre ranks over the years! It's something to think about!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room knew.
Deputy Director Zhang, that's it.
...
Liu Donglai arrived in Huichuan County that same day.
The luggage and such can only be packed by family members, who will come over later.
The city's transfer order hadn't come down yet, and the punishment for Deputy Director Zhang was still pending. Mayor Zhang originally wanted to have his office director call Huichuan County to explain the situation, but Liu Donglai persuaded him against it.
He personally called a number in Huichuan County, said a few words, and then hung up.
He wanted to see the real situation in Huichuan County!
Coming from Dongfang City, passing through Xiaocheng County and Jingtao County, most of the wheat in the fields had been harvested, with only a few patches of wheat still growing in the stubble.
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