When the two arrived at the commune, there were still two brigades ahead of them before it was their turn.
"Su Qingqing, you've finally arrived! I was just about to send someone to look for you. You can't run off again this time." The brigade leader was relieved to see the two of them return.
He was counting on Su Zhiqing to finally get his revenge. Su Ti smiled at the brigade leader and stared at the two brigades in front of him.
"Not dry enough." The people from the commune grabbed a handful of grain, chewed it, and then started picking at it.
"The weather has been good these past few days, and we've dried the grain thoroughly. Comrade, please try this bowl of millet." The brigade leader in front of us was used to this.
He calmly turned around, scooped a bowl of rice from the basket on his back, and handed it out.
The man took the bowl of grain and poured it into his backpack, and then the cart of grain passed by.
The others followed suit, making up various excuses, and only after the brigade leader had distributed all the grain in his basket did they finish inspecting everything.
If they encountered any dissatisfaction later, the grain on those carts was rudely unloaded and scattered all over the ground.
The brigade leaders' eyes reddened with heartache, and their rough hands carefully picked up the grain from the ground.
Suti turned around and glanced at their brigade. The brigade leader was also carrying a basket on his back. It seemed that everyone did the same.
Suti had no intention of breaking any rules, and she wouldn't meddle in other people's business; she just needed to mind her own business.
"Comrade, we are from Yangliu Brigade. This is our brigade's grain. Please inspect it."
When it was their brigade's turn, the brigade leader handed over the slip of paper first.
After the grain tax was paid, the official seal had to be affixed, and this receipt also had to be submitted to the commune for filing.
"This amount isn't enough." The man looked up at them and said something that was pretty much the same as what they were saying: there wasn't enough food for any brigade.
Suti looked at their bulging bags and the many bags behind them, guessing that these people would eventually divide them up.
That amount of grain looks like enough to feed one person for more than half a year. These people don't have to do anything; they just need to talk.
Not to mention that this job is paid, no wonder everyone says it's lucrative. Suti handed over the grain to the brigade leader.
“Your Yangliu Brigade delivers the least grain every year compared to other brigades. You never seem to learn your lesson.”
The man put the grain into a bag, still looking disgusted.
"Comrade, our brigade has a small population, and our grain production certainly cannot compare with those brigades with larger populations."
The brigade leader felt it was quite a lot; they had all handed over half, and each brigade was supposed to hand over half of their production output, so he hadn't shortchanged himself.
"Why are there so many people in other brigades, but so few in yours? Isn't it because you, the brigade leader, are not doing your job?"
The man clearly remembered the Yangliu Brigade, except that the brigade leader used to be slovenly, but this time he looked much cleaner.
"Comrade, how am I, as the brigade leader, supposed to manage this population issue? There are few young men in our brigade, but those who get married have had quite a few children."
The captain didn't mention that he had just taken office this year, which felt like he was shirking responsibility.
"What kind of attitude is this? You only give one answer after another. As if you have no problem at all and it's all someone else's fault?"
The man didn't mean anything by it; his words already carried a hint of disdain, so he just said a few more words.
If he had just lowered his stance, it would have been fine, but he refused to budge, which immediately made the man furious.
"Comrade, no, that's not what I meant." It was the first time the brigade leader had come to transport grain.
Even though the people from the brigade headquarters explained the rules to him before they arrived, he was still completely confused.
Little did he know that these people had been praised too highly over the years, and had become so used to everyone agreeing with them.
They couldn't accept any rebuttal; the captain's words made them feel that he didn't understand any rules.
"Comrade, that's not what our brigade leader meant. He just saw that it was getting late, and our brigade is in a remote area. He was worried that something might happen on the way back if we went too late."
When Wei Baichuan saw the brigade leader step forward like this, he understood the reasoning behind it, as he had delivered grain with Wei Changgen before.
These people are seasoned veterans; arguing with them is a waste of time, and in the end, you still have to pay your grain tax.
Those who can do this job usually have a certain status in the commune, and if a dispute arises, the commune won't side with them.
"Hmph, just because he's in a hurry doesn't mean we're not. And who are you? Do you even have the right to speak?" Upon hearing Wei Baichuan's words, the man also recalled what had happened two years ago.
The reason why the brigade always brought out a lot of strong men when delivering grain was because they had encountered robbers a couple of years ago.
Some brigades arrived late and had to take the grain back before they finished delivering it that day. They were robbed on the way, and the incident caused quite a stir in the commune.
The man glanced at the large group behind him; it was getting late, and he was worried that if he didn't finish, something bad might happen later.
However, Wei Baichuan still wouldn't let it go.
"I'm just an ordinary team member. Today I'm accompanying my wife to the Publicity Department to check on their mission progress, and I just happened to come here to take a look."
Wei Baichuan knew they had reservations, so he added fuel to the fire.
The man then looked up and took a closer look at Wei Baichuan, noticing the watch on his wrist, and then glanced at Su Ti standing over there.
Suti looked at them with disdain, his face arrogant, and there was a pile of packages at his feet, which showed that he was not an ordinary person.
The propaganda department is a department that only exists in county towns. Even the propaganda department can't control them, but if they say anything to the commune in the future, they will be criticized.
"Alright, the grain is fine, you can go now." The man quickly finished weighing the grain, and then poured the bowl of grain that the brigade leader had given him back.
The captain stared in disbelief at the scene. It was only after someone next to him reminded him that he dazedly carried the full basket away.
"My man is amazing." Su Ti watched as Wei Baichuan put the package on the car and pushed it himself. After they had walked a few steps, Su Ti gave him a thumbs up.
Wei Baichuan felt a sense of satisfaction seeing his wife's proud expression, and he didn't do anything.
I've dealt with these people many times and know what they're afraid of. I also used his wife's influence to silence them.
"Wei Lao Er, we really owe you a lot this time. I'll give you half of this basket of grain." The brigade leader only came to his senses after walking a long way away.
If it weren't for Wei Lao Er and his brigade, they would have been in trouble. Now, they can save the effort of preparing this basket of grain.
All the other brigades handed over their money honestly, but their brigade didn't hand over a single penny. He saw the envious looks on the faces of the brigades waiting behind them.
Wei Lao Er deserves a reward, and Su Zhiqing is also a good example. The two of them are truly treasures of the brigade!
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