Chapter 84: I Only Believe in Chairman Mao

Zhu Daodong's livestock farm was in full swing. In just ten days, he had received over 150,000 yuan in share capital, with Jinsha Village and Houjiatang Village contributing more than 120,000 yuan. These two villages not only contributed a lot but also did so early. This time, Jinsha Village was determined to compete with Houjiatang Village. Secretary Hu only mentioned the matter casually when he returned to the village, and before the village assembly was even held, his house and the village accountant's house were surrounded by villagers eager to contribute money to the livestock farm.

The share capital from Dashan Village was also quickly delivered to Zhu Daodong. Dashan Village had 275 households, each contributing 10 yuan, including the village secretary Ma Mingyi, totaling 2,750 yuan. This was delivered to Zhu Daodong after ten days, which was the fastest speed Dashan Village could achieve. It's worth noting that for the villagers of Dashan Village, even contributing 10 yuan was a struggle for some. If not for Ma Mingyi's foresight in reserving over 200 households for the livestock farm in advance, it might have been difficult to get even 10 yuan from each household. Despite this, a few households remained stubborn, believing that the livestock farm would not make money and was just a waste of funds. To complete the task, Ma Mingyi had to cover the costs himself.

When Zhu Daodong heard about this, he found it hard to believe. He had already set the share capital to the lowest possible amount—just 10 yuan—yet some families still couldn't afford it. To Zhu Daodong, 10 yuan was a small amount; his monthly salary had already exceeded 800 yuan. He couldn't imagine the situation in Dashan Village. Since coming to Shumu Ridge, Zhu Daodong had visited few villages other than Jinsha Village and Houjiatang Village. After receiving the share capital from Ma Mingyi, he decided to visit Dashan Village to personally experience the atmosphere there.

At the entrance of Dashan Village, Ma Mingyi was waiting early. Zhu Daodong's motorcycle couldn't drive directly into the village, so he had to leave it at the entrance. Following Ma Mingyi, Zhu Daodong walked into Dashan Village.

When Zhu Daodong truly entered Dashan Village, he finally understood why the villagers were so reluctant to contribute even 10 yuan. Dashan Village was surrounded by mountains, barren stone mountains. Out of the 275 households, almost all the able-bodied men had left to work elsewhere, as staying in the village meant they couldn't find wives. It was better to go out and try their luck, perhaps even bringing a woman back.

The village raised a few sheep, a poverty alleviation project from the government. The villagers had almost never eaten mutton but often quarreled over a few pieces of sheep dung, which they used as fuel.

"Old Ma, what is the average annual income per household in your village?" Zhu Daodong asked, feeling a deep sense of sorrow as Ma Mingyi introduced the village. Although Dashan Village had telephone access, more than half of the households did not turn on lights at night, and some did not even have electricity, as they didn't know how to use it and saw no need to install it.

"The annual reports from the township always say around 800 to 900 yuan," Ma Mingyi said with a smile, glancing at Zhu Daodong.

"I'm asking for the real number!" Zhu Daodong's ears tingled, a sign that someone was lying. He couldn't believe that the annual income in Dashan Village was 800 to 900 yuan.

"The average annual income per household is less than 200 yuan," Ma Mingyi sighed. Although Zhu Daodong was the youngest official in the township, Ma Mingyi respected him the most. Zhu Daodong had led Houjiatang Village to prosperity, and that alone earned Ma Mingyi's respect.

Ma Mingyi had also visited the tofu factory in Houjiatang Village. Seeing the tofu being produced like a conveyor belt, Ma Mingyi's mouth had watered. How wonderful it would be if the tofu factory were in Dashan Village! But after hearing the investment required, he could only admire it. The tofu factory required an average investment of 150 yuan per household, which Dashan Village could never afford. Even 15 yuan per household was a stretch.

"Is it that low?" Zhu Daodong was silent. An average annual income of less than 200 yuan meant that without external help, no household in Dashan Village could afford to eat properly. No wonder a significant portion of the annual relief grain, relief funds, and poverty alleviation funds flowed into Dashan Village. Without these, people would starve to death!

"Hmph!"

Zhu Daodong's hearing was extremely sharp. On his first visit to Dashan Village, he hadn't controlled his hearing, so when he and Ma Mingyi were walking through the village, he suddenly heard a cold snort. Following the sound, he saw an elderly man in a grass-green military uniform standing about 60 to 70 meters away. The snort had come from him. The man had been scowling, but when he noticed Zhu Daodong's gaze, their eyes met. Neither backed down, and Zhu Daodong's stance even provoked a challenge, causing the man to glare at him fiercely.

"Old Ma, who is that?" Zhu Daodong averted his gaze. He was there to understand the situation, not to quarrel.

"You mean that old man? His name is Li Shun, a war hero from the Korean War. He still has a bullet in his buttock. He's stubborn, proud, and has a foul mouth. The township leaders are a bit afraid of him. You need to be prepared, Zhu Township Chief," Ma Mingyi said, his brows furrowing. Because of this old man, he had received many scoldings from the township leaders. With Li Shun's status, no one dared to challenge him, and the leaders could only vent their frustration on Ma Mingyi.

"Xiaomingzi, bringing officials back to corrupt again?" As they approached Li Shun, he sneered, seeing Zhu Daodong in a jacket, dress pants, and leather shoes.

Xiaomingzi? Zhu Daodong was taken aback for a moment before realizing it was a nickname for Ma Mingyi. This old man's mouth was indeed foul. Fortunately, Ma Mingyi had a good temper; otherwise, Li Shun would have faced consequences.

"Old man, this is the new township chief, Zhu. He's here to inspect the work, don't talk nonsense," Ma Mingyi introduced, not taking Li Shun's words to heart.

"What work is there to inspect in Dashan Village?" Li Shun sneered.

"Old man, Dashan Village has reported many households for the livestock farm. As long as everyone works hard, getting rid of the poverty label in one or two years is not a problem," Zhu Daodong said with a smile. Although the old man was proud, he was not unreasonable, and Zhu Daodong needed to reason with him.

"Everyone can talk big. You've been saying you'll help us get out of poverty for years. How many years have you said it? Which year did you actually achieve it? It doesn't matter if you don't feel ashamed saying it, but I can't bear to hear it anymore," Li Shun sneered and turned away.

"You don't believe me?" Zhu Daodong asked.

"You're just a young man, inexperienced. How can I believe you?" Li Shun glanced at Zhu Daodong, took out his pipe, and puffed on it.

"Then who do you believe?" Zhu Daodong asked again.

"I believe in Chairman Mao, but unfortunately, he's no longer here," Li Shun said, raising his head.

Zhu Daodong laughed in spite of himself.

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