Chapter 59: Standing Tall

Chapter 59: Standing Tall

She and Feng Chen had bought quite a few things, all packed in a sack, and she secretly selected some essential items to give to Daya and Zhou Xiaojie.

Daya's eyes welled up with tears, refusing to accept them, "Sister, you saved me; how could I take your things?"

Tang Yuan: "Take them. Life at the Zhou family might not be easy either. If you want to leave, you'll need something to start your own home."

From what Daya said, Zhou Xiaojie’s stepmother wasn’t kind, and his biological father was biased and temperamental. Going to the Zhou family wasn't the best option.

But there were no better alternatives at the moment, so they had to choose the lesser of two evils. At least the Zhou family wouldn't abuse or harm Daya.

She estimated that the two would stay at the Zhou family for a while, but once they found a way to support themselves, they would eventually be on their own.

She asked them about their plans for the future.

Zhou Xiaojie was quite optimistic, "There are many construction sites in the city building houses. I'll start as a laborer, earn a few bucks, and then go to the brick kiln factory to make bricks."

Though he was small, he wasn't afraid of hard work. As a laborer, he could earn forty cents a day, which was enough for food.

Previously, his stepmother wanted him to work at the brick kiln factory making bricks, earning sixty to eighty cents a day even if he wasn't a formal employee. But he was worried about Daya being bullied by his stepfather without anyone to help her.

His stepmother thought he wanted to stay at home and freeload, giving him constant cold looks and inciting his father to beat him.

He planned to work at the construction site first, staying with Daya at home for a while. If his stepmother didn't harm Daya, he would go to the brick kiln factory permanently.

Tang Yuan patted his shoulder in encouragement. Zhou Xiaojie, shorter than her, was going to do hard labor at the brick kiln factory.

Working at the brick kiln factory was extremely tough. Didn't Wu Jin and others get sent there for re-education?

If one wasn't a formal employee, most people wouldn't send their children to work at the brick kiln factory. Others earned four cents for every yuan, but they might only get one cent.

Pure manual labor.

However, for poor children, hardship was normal. The real despair was having no opportunity to earn money through hard work.

With Zhou Donghai warning Li Jinyan and the neighborhood women's committee doing their part, Li Jinyan didn't oppose like Chen Juhua did.

Although she was unhappy about Zhou Donghai bringing back a daughter-in-law for her eldest son without spending any money, it meant at most letting Daya live and eat at home.

Daya was more useful around the house than Zhou Xiaojie, and since Zhou Xiaojie agreed to work at the brick kiln factory to earn money, Li Jinyan found it worthwhile and accepted it.

It turned out that Daya was indeed very helpful, working diligently and helping with chores from the moment she arrived. She ate little and didn't talk much, which pleased Li Jinyan.

That night, she couldn't help but tease Zhou Donghai about Chen Juhua, "Such a fool, not valuing such a capable girl, leaving Xiaojie to benefit instead."

Zhou Donghai naturally defended his son, "Men don't grow up until they marry. With a wife, he'll settle down and know to work at the brick kiln factory to earn money. You won't have to be angry with him anymore."

He was strict with his eldest son but quite kind to Daya.

Li Jinyan: "If he had been willing to work honestly from the start, would I be angry? Wasn't my nagging for his good? A man loafing around is disgraceful. I suggested sending him to the countryside, but you refused."

Zhou Donghai: "Going to the countryside means rural registration, a huge loss. Staying in the city offers more opportunities."

Now working as a laborer at the brick kiln factory can keep his urban registration.

Getting a job at the brick kiln factory also required connections, not just anyone could get it.

There were many unemployed youths in the city who wanted to find work.

Excluding those who feared hardship and didn't want to work at the brick kiln factory, there were still a few willing to do manual labor.

In those days, even if you wanted to do manual labor, you needed connections.

His influence was limited, only able to secure a job at the brick kiln factory. His formal job would eventually be passed on to his younger son.

His love for his eldest son was limited.

That night, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen stayed at the guesthouse again. The next day, when they left, Daya and Zhou Xiaojie came to see them off.

Tang Yuan casually asked Daya how life was at the Zhou family.

Daya still looked timid, but her gaze was no longer as evasive, showing more determination.

She said, "Sister Yuanyuan, Aunt Li doesn't hit or curse harshly."

She knew Li Jinyan didn't like her, looking at her with suspicion and disdain, but she didn't care about that.

As long as she wasn't beaten, cursed at, or harassed by men, she could accept everything else.

Doing more work and eating less didn't bother her.

Tang Yuan: "Keep an eye out for yourselves and try to save some money. If others look down on you in the future, you can move out and start your own household."

She wasn't inciting them, but the Zhou family was clearly biased, keeping jobs and money for the younger son. Zhou Xiaojie wouldn't get anything.

If the money from hard labor at the brick kiln factory went to his stepmother, he and Daya would never have a chance.

Zhou Xiaojie nodded, "Right, Daya, don't just do housework at home. When you have free time, go to the street to make matchboxes and keep the earnings."

Making matchboxes didn't earn much, only one cent for ten boxes, but it was a welfare job arranged for impoverished families, not available to everyone.

Even if she earned five to ten cents a day, it was her own money.

Zhou Xiaojie suggested that Daya make matchboxes when his stepmother wasn't home.

Daya smiled and nodded. As long as she was away from the environment that made her anxious, her mind was focused on finding ways to earn money.

"There are many workers at the construction site, and some of them don't have their wives from other places with them. I can help with washing clothes and mending. It's harvest time now, and I want to go to the fields on the outskirts to pick up some corn kernels and grain stalks. I can also dig for sweet potatoes."

No matter how careful the villagers are, there will always be some grains left in the fields, especially sweet potatoes and peanuts, which often get missed after harvesting.

Those who need more food can take small hoes and dig in the fields; they can usually find a couple of pounds of small sweet potatoes by the end of the day.

Unconsciously, they reached the outskirts of the town. Tang Yuan asked them to stop, "Daya, if you have time, you can come visit me in Tangjia Village. In autumn, you can gather herbs and pick wild fruits in the mountains."

She extended an invitation to Daya so that if Zhou Xiaojie wasn't home and Daya faced any trouble at the Zhou family, she could come to Tangjia Village to find her.

If she didn't invite her, Daya might not dare to come.

Daya agreed, knowing that Sister Yuanyuan was kind and genuinely wanted to help her.

She would work hard herself and surely be able to support herself.

She and Zhou Xiaojie stood at the crossroads, waving goodbye to Tang Yuan and Feng Chen until they were out of sight.

Thinking about how just two days ago they were waiting at this very crossroad, hoping to see Brother Feng, filled with uncertain hope for help, today she had managed to escape her stepfather's control.

It felt like a whole different world.

As long as no wolves were watching, if she worked hard, she could live a normal life, right?

She clenched her fists, determined to make it happen.

Approaching noon, Chen Juhua sat at the table with a gloomy face.

She had deliberately driven Daya away. Whether it was to prevent her daughter from competing for a man or to protect her from being harmed, she hadn't seriously considered what she truly wanted.

All she knew was that she needed to maintain her current life.

She had given birth to a daughter for Zhang Shengli, and this family was hers!

Zhang Shengli's job couldn't be lost; it was the main source of income for the household.

Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine, unsure why she felt so uneasy.

To suppress this anxiety, she quickly busied herself.

"Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law!" A series of hurried footsteps approached the house.

A male worker covered in blood rushed over and shouted, "Sister-in-law, Brother Shengli accidentally injured his finger with the machine. He's at the County Hospital; you should go there quickly."

With a "smash," the bowl in Chen Juhua's hand fell to the ground, and her face turned pale with panic. "What happened?"

The male worker sighed, "Yesterday's incident must have affected Brother Shengli quite a bit. He seemed distracted at work, and you know how dangerous it is when we're not focused while operating machines."

Chen Juhua hastily packed some items for the hospital, locked the door, and asked a classmate's parent to pick up her child before rushing off to the hospital.

On the way, a thought suddenly crossed her mind: Could it be that her mother-in-law was right, and she was bringing bad luck to her husband?

No, no, it wasn't her; it was Daya, that cursed girl!

She instantly hated Daya to the core. If it weren't for that cursed girl making a public complaint, how could Shengli have been distracted?

Any lingering resentment towards Zhang Shengli vanished, replaced only by hatred for Daya.

Tang Yuan was unaware of the commotion in the city. She and Feng Chen traveled leisurely and spent the night in another village, returning to Tangjia Village the next afternoon.

The villagers were busy harvesting in the fields—picking corn, digging peanuts, and gathering cotton—a bustling scene everywhere.

A breeze blew, and Tang Yuan caught the scent of ripening rice, taking a deep breath and saying to Feng Chen, "Do you smell that? It's so fragrant!"

This was the aroma of ripe rice.

Feng Chen naturally smelled it too, but he didn't know what it was, a scent he had never encountered before.

So it was the fragrance of rice!

He turned to look at her, "Is our rice ready to harvest?"

Tang Yuan nodded, "Yes, the rice in the village can be harvested and threshed now. The rice in the mountains will need a bit more time."

They could start by helping the village harvest the rice, then head to the mountains afterward, and then plow the fields for winter wheat.

The rice paddies of the Forward Brigade were planted under Dad Tang's guidance, and he followed Tang Yuan and Ji Hongyue's instructions during the tillering period, draining the fields and regularly removing weeds and diseased plants to prevent widespread infection.

Dad Tang worked diligently and reliably, believing that hard work brings good results. If you slack off, the field knows; if you don't remove weeds and pests, the yield will be less.

Under his careful management, Tangjia Village's first attempt at growing rice was quite successful.

The once tall and proud plants were now bent under the weight of heavy rice heads, their green leaves turning lighter, and the brown grains dotted among the yellow-green stalks looked particularly pleasing.

Dad Tang, Tang Bingde, and Uncle Tang were observing the rice fields when they saw Tang Yuan and Feng Chen return and immediately called them over.

Tang Bingde asked, "Yuanyuan, did the fish spirit say when to harvest the rice?"

Pretending not to understand the implication in his tone, Tang Yuan pinched a few grains of rice to test their hardness, "It's ready. We should drain the water tonight and let the fields dry for two days before harvesting."

Rice has an advantage over wheat in that it doesn't suffer from over-ripening and shattering during harvest, so a few days either way doesn't matter.

When harvesting rice, it's best to drain the fields completely so that the ground is firm, making it easier to enter and plow.

This rice field was in a low-lying area, making drainage difficult, so Tang Yuan designed drainage ditches for Dad Tang.

They dug trenches around the rice fields and a pond at a lower elevation to collect the water.

Fish fry were also placed in the pond, so when planting rice next year, they could catch some fish to distribute to the villagers as a benefit.

Hearing Tang Yuan say this, Dad Tang immediately arranged for the members of Team Two to clear the drainage ditches and drain the water from the rice fields.

Listening to the sound of rushing water, everyone felt particularly relieved.

Captain Chen from the Leap Forward Brigade and Captain Shan from the Xiangyang Brigade both came to visit.

Their brigades suffered heavy losses to their wheat crops in May and failed to meet their grain quotas this year, needing to make up for it next year.

During the early summer when the Xiangyang Brigade was short on food, they had come to Tangjia Village to seek help from Tang Bingde.

Taking advantage of the situation, Tang Bingde sold them all the old grain, asking them to repay with new autumn harvest.

If they couldn't pay back in one go, it didn't matter; they could continue paying the following year, as the two brigades were close by.

The two captains huddled around Tang Bingde, looking enviously at the bountiful rice fields.

"Big Brother Tang, how many jin do you think this rice will yield per mu?"

Tang Bingde: "A conservative estimate would be two or three hundred jin."

Captain Chen thought to himself: Big Brother Tang isn't being honest here; is he afraid we'll borrow his rice?

Captain Shan, however, went straight to the point. "Captain Tang, our brigade also has a low-lying area that easily floods. We've filled it with soil but haven't fully improved it. As soon as it rains, it floods, making any crop risky. Can we also grow rice?"

Tang Bingde cursed under his breath: "Damn, these two want to borrow rice too? Our brigade wants to taste rice this year."

He said, "The sun's setting, it's getting dark. Everyone should go home and have dinner. We can talk about it later."

He quickly got on his bicycle and pedaled away.

Captain Shan and Captain Chen looked at each other, thinking Captain Tang was being too slick now!

They didn't want to leave, eyeing Tangjia Village's rice and wanting to ask Dad Tang more questions.

But Dad Tang, seeing his daughter and future son-in-law return, hurried home to talk with them, leaving even Uncle Tang without much conversation.

Captain Chen glanced at Captain Shan. "Captain Shan, if I heard correctly, didn't you mock my brother Tang for growing rice earlier? Who said, 'What, growing rice in our place? Following the southerners' fads, better not end up with nothing'?"

Captain Shan denied it outright. "Who's spreading rumors? It wasn't me. I always follow Captain Tang; he's always been advanced."

He secretly competed with Chen Fada, thinking your Leap Forward Brigade doesn't suit rice cultivation; you can only envy us.

The two left in a bad mood, both determined to curry favor with Tang Bingde.

Tang Yuan and Feng Chen returned home, where Mother Tang and Grandma Tang were digging sweet potatoes in their plot of land.

Feng Chen: "Grandma, Auntie, leave it to me; I'll finish it all tomorrow."

Mother Tang: "You focus on your work; this small patch of sweet potatoes isn't a big deal."

She wanted to dig them up early so she could till the land; after some rain, it would be good for planting wheat.

She had already asked Ji Hongyue to buy some new wheat seeds for the family; she wanted to plant them.

Farmers' ideal state is to plant and then forget, without having to weed, catch pests, or water—just add fertilizer occasionally.

Unfortunately, currently, everyone was tied to the land by their crops, unable to rest throughout the year.

According to Little Ji, this new wheat variety was more drought-resistant, less prone to lodging, and better at fighting pests and diseases. Of course, they should plant it.

Watering the fields was such a hassle these days.

For dinner, Grandma Feng cooked a pot of sweet potatoes, slowly simmering them for a long time until the water evaporated, caramelizing the sweet potatoes and producing a thick syrup. Opening the pot released a sweet aroma.

There was also a pot of corn porridge to go with the sweet potatoes.

Dad Tang was eager to check the draining situation in the rice fields. "When will Cadre Ji return? He said he wanted to help us harvest the rice. If he comes back late, he might miss it."

He would harvest the rice as soon as his daughter said to, without waiting extra.

But Ji Hongyue had expressed a strong desire to participate in the harvest because it was his first time personally leading people to grow rice, which had significant meaning, and he needed to record data.

Tang Yuan: "It's fine; we'll harvest ours, and I'll record it for him."

After dinner, Feng Chen took a flashlight to accompany his future father-in-law to check the draining in the rice fields. They met Tang Da Ge at the door.

Dad Tang: "Wen, what's up?"

Tang Da Ge smiled. "Second Uncle, Feng Chen, nothing much. I'll go with you to see the rice."

Dad Tang was delighted and started explaining about the rice.

Liu Laosan, along with several brothers from the Liu family, was overseeing the draining. He feared Liu Youfa might cause trouble and kept a close watch.

After Dad Tang became the second team leader, the rice fields were included in Team Two's tasks by Tang Bingde.

Dad Tang selected diligent workers who learned quickly to maintain the rice fields.

He wanted to cultivate a specialized team for rice cultivation, working efficiently to increase the acreage in the future.

Although they hadn't eaten rice before, rice yielded more than wheat and tasted better than sorghum, beans, and corn. Therefore, they should plant as much as possible.

As his daughter had said, the prerequisite for growing rice was water, not temperature. As long as he controlled the water supply, there wouldn't be a problem.

Liu Laosan greeted them and brought over a bucket containing palm-sized fish.

This was based on Tang Yuan's suggestion that rice fields could be used for fish farming. Dad Tang wanted to try it and asked Tang Bingde to bring in some medium-sized fish.

Most of the fish swam into the reservoir with the draining water, while a few got stuck in the mud or among the rice roots, which they picked up.

Liu Laosan smiled and said, "Release the fish fry earlier next year, and by the time we harvest the rice, they'll be even bigger."

They chatted while Feng Chen rolled up his pants and went to observe the rice fields, helping to clear the ditches.

Uncle Tang waited for Liu Laosan to leave before saying to Dad Tang, "Second Uncle, I'll work with you from now on."

Dad Tang: "Sure, why?"

Uncle Tang was the captain of the first team's third squad, so naturally, his family worked under him.

The elder brother smiled and said, "Nothing much, it's just that I learned to plant rice with Second Uncle. Now that it's harvest time, I should follow along."

Dad Tang: "Wen'er, do you want to transfer to our second team? You need to find someone to swap with."

Tang Bingde had many rules; teams couldn't be mixed casually. To transfer from the first team to the second, an equal laborer needed to move in the opposite direction.

He also had to find someone himself to swap with, without involving the captains to prevent them from abusing their power.

The elder brother said, "Second Uncle, Liu Youfa is quite unhappy with you and your squad. He wants to transfer to the first team."

Dad Tang: "Fine, if he's willing to swap, you can transfer over."

It didn't matter whether it was the first or second team, as long as they earned the same work points.

The elder brother smiled when Dad Tang agreed.

Actually, transferring to the second team wasn't a big issue for him, but his wife wanted it.

Back when Second Uncle and Second Aunt were around, Dad Tang would assign the hardest and dirtiest jobs to them first to maintain fairness. Now that they were gone, these tasks fell to him and his wife.

He didn't mind, but his wife couldn't handle it.

Tong Xue was pregnant and couldn't do much work, and Tang Xiang often took days off, leaving little work done. But Dad and Mom still wanted more work points and couldn't directly give them extra points, so they assigned more work to his wife.

Helping out once or twice was fine, but doing it every day was too much for her.

She dared not challenge her in-laws, so she complained to him at night.

He had a good temper and never scolded his wife. At first, he tried to persuade her not to worry, but she became even more upset and complained more.

Since his wife was genuinely unhappy, he decided to find a solution.

He discussed transferring to the second team to follow Second Uncle, and his wife was very happy about it, urging him to talk to Second Uncle quickly.

Knowing the rules for transferring teams, he first approached Liu Youfa.

Liu Youfa was currently at odds with Liu Laosan. He had caused trouble a few times, but Liu Laosan always suppressed him, making him very unhappy and wanting to transfer.

Going to the first team was better than dealing with Liu Laosan.

Seeing that Second Uncle agreed, the elder brother was very happy. "Second Uncle, I'll go tell Grandpa Qi."

Tang Bingde had no objections.

Although Liu Youfa tended to slack off, it depended on who supervised him. Under his watch, no one dared to slack off.

But he hit a snag with Uncle Tang.

After transferring teams, the elder brother mentioned it casually to Uncle Tang that evening, thinking his father wouldn't mind.

To his surprise, Uncle Tang exploded.

In the middle of the night, he raised his voice, "Elder son, have you grown wings? Are you trying to fly solo like your Second Uncle?"

Ever since his younger brother became the second team captain, Uncle Tang's temper had worsened due to his psychological imbalance.

He didn't expect his eldest son to abandon him for his younger brother. Was he jealous that a small squad leader wasn't as prestigious as a production team captain?

The elder brother smiled and said, "Father, there's nothing like that. I learned to plant rice with Second Uncle, so I shouldn't miss the harvest. Next year, I'll be experienced enough to take charge of the rice fields."

Uncle Tang frowned. "What's the point of planting southern rice in this place where nine out of ten years are droughts? It's just a waste of effort. We got lucky this year, but next year will be different."

This was just nitpicking. Although the area was generally dry, it received plenty of rain, and the reservoirs and wells never ran dry.

The elder brother was unhappy that his father was talking down the success of the rice planting.

The cadre and the team leader were both pleased, and Second Uncle's team had put in so much effort, achieving great success.

Why... Ah, Father was jealous of Second Uncle.

He tried to reason, "Father, Second Uncle was elected by everyone..."

"So what? You think your father wasn't elected because no one wanted me?" Uncle Tang exploded. "I'm telling you, Tang Wen, you don't get to mock your father!"

Tang Wen was shocked. When did he ever mock his father?

Aunt Tang was in the east room looking after Tong Xue, who was always feeling unwell and demanding special treatment. The second son's wife was overly pampered, and Aunt Tang had to make extra efforts to cater to her, even making her an egg flower soup after dinner.

There weren't many eggs in the house, so she gave them all to Tong Xue instead of her grandson, which made the elder daughter-in-law very unhappy standing at the door of the west room.

Aunt Tang was very annoyed.

When her second son was unmarried, she prayed for a wife for him, asking for nothing else.

Now that he had a wife, she wanted her sons to be harmonious and their wives to be filial to her.

Hearing the man and the eldest son arguing inside the house, she rushed back to mediate.

Of course, she was taking sides. Although it was Uncle Tang scolding the eldest son, she pushed him, "Wen, everything your father does is for your own good. Why are you still angry with him?"

The eldest son felt wronged too. Does the second son get all the attention just because he knows how to cry? Ever since he was little, the second son could always cause a fuss and get more than his share.

Mother would always say, "Oh, his crying gives me a headache. Just give him what he wants so he'll stop crying."

Now the second son protects his wife by making her work harder. Once or twice is fine, but not every day.

Isn't it true that one cherishes their own wife?

Seeing the eldest son silent, Auntie also got angry and joined Uncle Tang in scolding him, "Eldest, don't think I'm wrong to say this, but lately you've been getting a bit too big for your boots. You seem to have forgotten who your father is."

Grandma Tang in the west room originally didn't want to get involved. She was old and everyone saw her as a burden. An old and deaf person shouldn't meddle in family affairs. It was better for her to mind her own business and live a few more days.

But seeing both the eldest son and his wife scolding the eldest grandson, she couldn't stand it anymore.

She knocked on the door with her walking stick, "What's all the noise about? Wherever Wen goes to work, isn't it for the family's benefit? Is he going to keep the points for himself? Tang Bingde values rice cultivation now, and whoever goes to plant rice is doing a good deed. Wen going to plant rice is a good thing; why are you holding him back?"

When Grandma Tang started scolding, Uncle Tang fell silent.

Although Auntie was unhappy, she didn't openly argue with Grandma Tang.

She had two other daughters-in-law below her. If she argued with her mother-in-law, wouldn't she be setting a bad example for them to follow?

In the east room, Tong Xue whispered to Tang Wu, "Look, even your elder brother is worried you might benefit from his efforts."

Tang Wu: "What benefit? I earn full points too."

Tong Xue: "That means they look down on you and don't want to work with you in the same team."

Tang Wu, being straightforward, immediately became upset and rushed out of the east room to the main house, "Elder brother, Snow said you look down on me and don't want to work with me in the same team. Is that true?"

This question left everyone speechless.

The eldest son did indeed have issues with him, but could he say it outright?

Wouldn't that lead to a complete falling out?

Uncle Tang and Auntie stopped arguing with the eldest son and instead thought the second son was being overly impulsive.

The eldest daughter-in-law in the west room gave a heavy cold snort, while Tong Xue in the east room felt her face burning with embarrassment.

This Tang Wu was truly reckless, completely lacking any tact. When I whisper something to you, you should just listen and understand it. Why go out and confront them?

How awkward!

How can I face the eldest sister-in-law and brother-in-law now?

On the day the second team was harvesting rice, Tang Yuan heard from the eldest sister-in-law about the drama at Old Tang's place and was left speechless by Tang Wu's actions.

Couples always talk privately, saying things about others is normal, but you shouldn't repeat them.

The eldest sister-in-law had left her father-in-law's team and joined the second uncle's team. The second uncle was fair and assigned tasks based on each person's strengths. Even though there were still tough and dirty jobs, she was happy.

She and Mother Tang and the other capable women came to help with the rice harvest.

She smiled at Tang Yuan, "Yuan, my family gave me several pairs of shoe soles. One pair is a bit bigger, and I think it fits you perfectly. Tomorrow I'll attach the uppers, and you can wear them into the city."

Tang Yuan quickly declined.

But the eldest sister-in-law insisted, almost as if she wouldn't feel at ease unless Tang Yuan accepted them.

Tang Yuan understood her intention. She felt indebted to her father for transferring to the second team and wanted to repay her.

Tang Yuan had a good impression of the eldest brother. After the division, the eldest brother often came to chat and helped whenever he could, always showing respect to their parents. She didn't mind being close to the eldest brother and sister-in-law.

The eldest brother was universally considered a good person, and everyone liked to befriend him.

He had his own ideas, knew how to avoid harm and seek benefits, and was willing to do good deeds. If she had a way to prosper, she wouldn't hesitate to teach him. Thus, whether in the original plot or reality, the eldest brother would continue to improve.

After two days of harvesting rice, Section Chief Zhao suddenly came to supervise the autumn harvest.

He approached Tang Bingde, "Captain Tang, according to regulations, you need to hand over the rice to the grain management office."

In the past, Tang Bingde would have hesitated to argue with the commune cadre and eventually compromised.

But now, with the support of the fish spirit and Cadre Ji, he felt confident, "Has Section Chief Zhao discussed this with Secretary Liu?"

Section Chief Zhao laughed dryly, "Captain Tang, this is the decision of the commune. Secretary Liu doesn't oversee the commune."

Tang Bingde mentally spat at him. Aren't you all in cahoots?

Your decision is Liu Guangming's decision. Can Liu Guangming make decisions without his father's approval?

This time, Tang Bingde was mistaken. It really was Liu Guangming's decision.

He knew that Ji Hongyue wanted to build his political career through the paddy fields of Forward Brigade, which displeased Gao Sheng. Naturally, he wanted to create trouble.

It would be best if all the rice were collected, leaving nothing for Ji Hongyue to show off.

However, they hadn't expected that since the wheat harvest, Tang Bingde had gained support and no longer feared Secretary Liu or Liu Guangming.

He said, "Section Chief Zhao, these rice seeds were approved by Cadre Ji from the city. There's an agreement with the city. We must first hand over our portion to the city. If you want some, you'll have to wait."

If you want it? Dream on!

With the city's support, we're standing strong!