Li Xiangdong didn't know why He Yanwang had never come to Huichuan County in his life. The position of the top official in Huichuan County had been vacant for a long time, but now Liu Donglai was about to arrive.
Indeed, when Li Xiangdong came out to peel garlic, he overheard a conversation among several people. He knew that Liu Donglai was about to take up the post of Secretary of the Huichuan County Party Committee and Director of the Revolutionary Committee.
That's why he talked so much to someone he'd only known for half a day.
He wanted to test the attitude of the top leader. If Liu Donglai was the same kind of person as He Yanwang, then his plan to plant Chinese medicinal herbs would have to be postponed. He would have to think carefully about how to lead the villagers away from poverty.
Now it seems like a blessing from heaven. Liu Donglai and He Yanwang are clearly not the same kind of people, and can even be said to be completely different people!
This county party secretary is the kind of official who doesn't serve the people and would rather go home and sell sweet potatoes. He has an idealistic glint in his eyes and is pained when he hears that the people are starving!
That makes things much easier!
Li Xiangdong breathed a sigh of relief. If he could really bring the spring breeze of reform to Huichuan ahead of schedule, he would rather not have to pay the several thousand yuan that Liu Donglai owed him!
"Uncle Liu, just for those words, I'll toast you with tea instead of wine!"
Li Xiangdong picked up the bitter and astringent tea brewed from large tea leaves and drank it all in one gulp.
"Okay! I'll do it too!"
Looking at Li Xiangdong, who was very excited but trying to calm himself down, Liu Donglai picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
This is our people. No matter what suffering they have endured, as long as someone stands up for them, they will repay all their trust.
Look at this child! He was so moved that his eyes filled with tears when he heard someone say that if he didn't stand up for the people, he might as well go back to farming at the foot of Yibai Mountain!
What can we do to repay them?
Around 3 p.m., Li Xiangdong was about to leave with a stack of tickets and several hundred yuan in his arms. Huang Guimei, Uncle Yan, and Liu Donglai all strongly urged him to stay for dinner. Li Xiangdong smiled and said, "Uncle Liu, why don't you stay tomorrow? I'll come back to chat with you after I finish my business tomorrow!"
"Heh, you little rascal, all you ever do is chat with your Uncle Liu! I've never seen you come here specifically to chat with me."
Factory Director Yan felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Li Xiangdong talking intimately with Liu Donglai.
That kid is such a traitor! I introduced him to a money-making genius, and he's already forgotten all about me!
Huang Guimei covered her mouth and smiled, "Your uncle is jealous."
"Hmph! Who's jealous of this kid!" Factory Director Yan glared and puffed out his cheeks.
"Oh dear, Uncle, how many days will Uncle Liu stay at our house? He's a guest, so I have to take good care of him for you!"
Li Xiangdong and his brother Li Jiabao have now learned quite a bit of the art of flattery and saying nice things.
Li Xiangdong kept saying "this is our family" and "I'll take care of you," which made Director Yan so happy he was dizzy. He waved him away and didn't forget to tell him before leaving, "Come early tomorrow!"
Alright!
Li Xiangdong gave a loud reply, then slung his wicker basket over his shoulder and ran off in a flash.
"Brother, if you think this kid is good, why not adopt him as a godson? That way, he can bring joy to you and your wife in the future," Liu Donglai suggested, looking at the Yan couple who were watching Li Xiangdong's retreating figure.
"Let's talk about it later! Testing jade requires three days of burning, and discerning talent requires seven years of waiting!" Director Yan's gaze was profound.
Over here, in Lijiapo Brigade, Li Jiabao and Li Ping were carrying a large basket of freshly cut pig feed, huffing and puffing as they walked into the yard. As soon as they entered the gate, Li Jiabao let go of the basket and sat down on the ground.
Li Ping, startled by the sudden movement, nearly tripped and fell. After steadying himself with the basket, he sat down on the ground.
"You two little rascals, you've gotten your perfectly good clothes dirty from the dirt on the ground. You'll have to wash your own clothes later, I'm not going to wash them for you," Zhao Sufang scolded as she went out to empty the dirty water.
Seeing her two children sitting on the ground, sweating profusely from exhaustion, she couldn't bear it and quickly invited them to eat some cleaned melons.
"Mom, why are there melons here?!"
Li Jiabao picked up the biggest one, took a bite, and juices burst out.
"I found it when I went to the river to gather pig feed. There was a wild melon vine with four or five melons growing on it, and they were all ripe, so I picked them and brought them back."
It's estimated that someone ate the melon and then defecated by the river, and the melon seeds sprouted the following year.
The riverbank was far from the village, and only diligent people like Zhao Sufang would walk several miles to the riverbank to gather pig feed in order to give the pigs more food.
"Mom, why do we have to run so far to cut pig feed? I see that the aunties and grandmas just cut some grass and vegetables on the edge of the village, chop them up, and feed them to the pigs." Li Ping frowned her delicate eyebrows and asked her mother in confusion.
"The wild grass and vegetables on the edge of the village can't compare to the fertile soil by the river."
Zhao Sufang turned the basket upside down, rummaged through it, picked out the wild grass and vegetables that the pigs didn't like to eat, washed the rest with clean water, and then squatted in the yard to chop the pig feed into pieces with a cutting board.
"Xiaoping, go check the pot for cooking pig feed inside. Is the water boiling yet?"
Li Ping ran into the house, lifted the wooden pot lid, looked at the boiling water in the pot of pig feed, and shouted to her mother, "The water's boiling, Mom!"
"Put the pot lid aside and add more fire to the stove."
Zhao Sufang poured a basin of washed and chopped pig feed into the pot, then turned around and poured in the leftover swill, and even lavishly sprinkled some bran on top.
"Mom, you're the only one in the whole village who feeds pigs like this!"
Li Jiabao helped Zhao Sufang scoop the steaming hot pig feed into a large iron basin. As he scooped, he complained, "Mom, didn't you see how the other people in the village feed their pigs? They just grab a handful of wild vegetables and throw them into the trough. If they're good, they add some swill, and if they're not, they just pour some cold water on them and feed them to the pigs."
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