1970s Gangster Couple NOT MTL

39

Secretary Qin has been staying in Chengkou County these past few days. In addition to inspecting Xiaojian Village, he also visited other villages, and like Xiaojian Village, all of them are severely affected by drought. Anxious and clinging to a faint hope, he awaits the situation of the Jiji grass.

When he left Xiaojian Village, he explicitly stated, "As soon as the Jiji grass starts to sprout, report it to the county immediately."

In his mind, Xiao Xiao clearly stated that it would take about ten days for the Jiji grass to fully grow. Now it's already the fifth day, and it should have at least grown halfway, he thought.

He waited until yesterday evening, but there was still no report from Xiaojian Village. Unable to wait any longer, he headed towards Xiaojian Village with people even before dawn.

When they reached the entrance of Xiaoqian Village, the day had just dawned.

When Xu, the accountant, knocked on the door to wake people up, Wang Desheng had just gotten out of bed. "Captain, Secretary Qin and the county chief have come again. They must be here to inspect the situation of the Jiji grass. But there's no movement in the fields at all. What should we do?"

Wang Desheng took a deep breath and said, "What can we do? At worst, we'll face criticism." The hope in his eyes gradually faded.

At first, reason told him that what Xiao Xiao and Wang Wei said was too fantastical to believe. However, with famine looming, he felt like a person whose foot had already stepped to the edge of a cliff, facing desperation. Any bit of hope would be grasped like a straw for survival.

"There cannot be another famine!" Thinking of the hellish scenes of people starving to death in the village during those years of famine, Wang Desheng was enveloped in panic and despair.

He stayed in the fields until midnight yesterday, holding a torch and examining inch by inch, hoping to see the Jiji grass sprout as Xiao Xiao had said. But there was nothing, not a single sign of movement.

Wang Desheng knew that the last glimmer of hope had also shattered.

"Let's go, let's go and greet them." Regardless of the situation, he couldn't afford to offend these high-ranking officials. The harvest this year, even if it reaches only ten percent of previous years, would be a blessing from heaven. He dared not offend the county chief. When the time comes, he will have to find a way to persuade the county to leave behind the meager harvest, as it would be a matter of life for the entire village!

Just as the two of them walked out of Wang Desheng's house, the village head also received the news and rushed over.

He sighed bitterly, "Let's go." The Jiji grass was something they had presented, and Secretary Qin valued it so much. Now that it had failed, they would definitely face criticism from Secretary Qin and the county chief.

But now, there was no time to worry about that. If the Jiji grass didn't grow, everyone would go hungry, and whether they could survive this winter was uncertain. With lives on the line, who would care about facing criticism?

They hurried to the village entrance, and when Secretary Qin met them, without waiting for the county chief to speak, he anxiously asked, "How is it? Has the Jiji grass sprouted?"

Wang Desheng hesitated, the face weathered by wind and frost now filled with despair. He struggled to speak, "Secretary Qin, I'm sorry. We have disappointed you. There is no sign of the Jiji grass."

Although it was the most likely outcome, Secretary Qin couldn't help but feel disappointed, his heart sinking rapidly. As the provincial party secretary, equivalent to a high-ranking official in ancient times, he dealt with numerous public affairs daily and was involved in many core national matters.