"You guys came along to buy things?"
This is a pointless statement, but for people who are already somewhat unfamiliar with each other, even a pointless statement can start a conversation. Besides, Wang Hongmei is known for being talkative.
"Yes, yes, haven't we just had some new educated youth arrive? We took leave to come along with the truck and buy some seasonings."
This is…
She had five or six children in front of and behind her, making them impossible to ignore.
Which one is your child?
Based on the simple timing of the wedding, the least likely scenario is the most probable.
Sure enough, he simply pointed to the only little girl.
"This naughty little devil is my daughter."
As he spoke, he pulled the little girl who was climbing onto the counter down.
"Get down here. Tell your brother what you want to eat. Don't climb up here by yourself."
"Mommy, I can't see, I need to go higher."
Qin Jing reached out and took the child from him.
"Third Aunt, give her to me, I'll hold her."
"Okay, here you go. Be careful, don't let her kick you."
"It's okay, it's okay, little sister, be good, you can't."
Wang Hongmei was stunned. This nagging and repetitive manner was a stark contrast to her usual efficient and decisive self.
"You've changed so much!"
Simply shrug.
"What a brat! There's nothing we can do, we can't beat him every day! Look at how naughty he is."
As they were talking, the little boy, held tightly in Qin Jing's arms, leaned forward quite a distance to reach the items on the counter.
Qin Shao and Qin Guan supported her from the side, afraid that she would fall.
She simply covered her head, unable to bear the sight, and knowing that Qin Jing and the others couldn't let her fall, she simply stopped looking.
"How are you all? Is everyone alright?"
Wang Hongmei looked away, her smile fading considerably.
"I don't know if you've heard, but the commune has a new Party Secretary,"
"I overheard something, saying that this Party Secretary is, well, very proactive, right?"
Wang Hongmei's lips twitched.
"That's a very tactful way of putting it."
He didn't correct her, but he lowered his voice; it was clearly sarcastic.
"Yes, their attitude is very positive, but the villagers' lives are indeed getting worse and worse. Not only have the mountain products and handicrafts that you worked so hard to negotiate been forced to stop, but also..."
"Those vegetable greenhouses... if it weren't for the county committee officials suddenly coming the day before yesterday, saying the village's greenhouses were a pilot project and they wanted to see the results, as if they were going to roll them out everywhere, and the Party Secretary was stunned, those greenhouses would have been smashed."
A simple eyebrow raise,
"Have people from the county come to talk about the greenhouses?"
"Yes, it was someone from the Agricultural Bureau. Oh, and there was also the secretary of the county party secretary. Right, they didn't take it seriously at first, and the secretary even wanted to kick him out, but when he found out that the person was the secretary of the county party secretary, he didn't dare to. However, he was unhappy the whole time, but at least those greenhouses were saved."
Otherwise, if they were all smashed, I reckon the villagers would be furious. They've kept those greenhouses meticulously maintained over the years, keeping them spotless, and the vegetables are growing exceptionally well. Without any other produce, these greenhouses are their only source of extra income besides farming, so they're very protective of them.”
This is something Jian Dan really doesn't know. The county party secretary's secretary is probably that Xiao Zheng or Qin Qingjiang. But why? Did they also notice something was wrong here? Or is it because of her that they are still giving this place special treatment?
"Isn't that great? The greenhouses are saved, which means the income is saved. Everyone's happy, right?"
Wang Hongmei nodded.
"I'm happy, but I don't know how long this will last. Personally, I feel like they're a bit crazy, single-mindedly trying to make a name for themselves or something. Let me tell you, they're having the village report false production figures. The village hasn't made a fuss about it. I overheard the village chief talking to Uncle Liu."
However, in recent years, when it comes to mountain products, every village knows that they have benefited from Liujiatun. Those village cadres are actually pragmatic. They think very simply and realistically, just wanting the villagers to live a good life. Moreover, thanks to the foundation of seeking truth from facts laid by Secretary Lin, they would not dare to make false reports. During that period, many village chiefs and elderly people from the surrounding villages visited them.
Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu, and a group of old men gathered together with worried faces. They didn't want the villagers to panic, but in fact, not only us educated youth, but many villagers had also noticed. After all, rumors about this had been circulating for a long time, so how could they keep it a secret?
When I first arrived, things were alright. Last year's harvest was already low, so even if we reported the actual amount, let alone falsely, after paying the grain tax, the amount left in our hands was not much. I was quite diligent, and with the grain I was allocated, the vegetables I grew myself, and the wild vegetables and mountain produce I would occasionally go up the mountain to store, I still almost ran out of food by spring.
This past spring and summer, from the time the wild vegetables sprouted until now, I've gone up the mountain every day after work. Even if I only need to dig up a handful, I have to go, otherwise I'll go hungry, you know?
Perhaps because she hadn't had anyone to confide in for a long time, Wang Hongmei started talking non-stop.
"I heard today that more educated youth are coming. I'm actually a bit numb to it. With harvests like this, what's the point of coming to the countryside? Aren't they hungry enough in the city?"
His voice trailed off, and he gestured to the group of people nearby who were selecting daily necessities; these were the new educated youth he had met that day.
"Look at them, it's not that I look down on them, but I feel like they're not even as good as I was back then. The autumn harvest is just around the corner, how can they possibly adapt?"
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