Chapter 24

"What do you mean?" Yan Wangsong, who had been through decades of political ups and downs, was naturally not a fool. His eyes turned stern, and the way he looked at Xu Junran was different.

Having worked as a grassroots official for decades, rooted in Wude County since the liberation, Yan Wangsong had experienced too many things—various movements, changes up and down. These experiences had honed his nerves and made him politically cautious.

As soon as Xu Junran finished speaking, Yan Wangsong's first reaction was to look at him with a serious face. "Junran, do you know what you just said?"

After saying this, he stood up, walked to the door of the office, opened it, looked outside, then closed the door and came back to Xu Junran, saying seriously, "Junran, let's pretend I didn't hear what you just said. Grandpa tells you, don't mention this again unless you want to be stuck in Wude County for the rest of your life."

A warm feeling flashed through Xu Junran's heart. He, of course, understood what Yan Wangsong meant.

This old man, who had weathered many storms, was afraid that he would be influenced by the current unclear situation. If he accidentally became a typical capitalist, his life would be ruined. That's why he scolded him so severely.

"Grandpa Yan, where are you going with this?" Xu Junran stood up, helped Yan Wangsong sit down in the chair, and then said with a smile.

Yan Wangsong was taken aback. "Junran, tell me, what's going on?"

Yan Wangsong held Xu Junran in high regard. Young and educated, he was a promising talent. With proper cultivation, he would surely achieve great things. But perhaps because he was educated, his thinking was so open. He had only been back in the county for a few days and had already caused such a big mess. Not only did he privately promise the Li Family Town Commune and the Da Wangzhuang Commune, but now he was even thinking about taking the capitalist road to make money. Wasn't he asking for trouble?

Although the central government was now advocating the development of individual economies and reform and opening up, Yan Wangsong knew it wasn't that simple. Although the documents had been issued, there was little action below. Few places had truly taken action, and everyone was watching, afraid that the previous turmoil would happen again.

Decades of continuous movements had left officials with the greatest lesson: to be cautious. Not only when choosing sides but also when doing things, they had to be extremely careful.

"Grandpa Yan, I didn't mean to do anything in the county. My idea is, can we form a construction team in our county?"

Xu Junran explained to Yan Wangsong with a bitter smile.

"A construction team?" Yan Wangsong looked at Xu Junran suspiciously. "What does this have to do with your fish farming plan? This morning, Li Qiankun came to the county committee asking for support, saying he wanted to do rice field fish farming. I guessed it was your doing! Tell me clearly! What did you say to Yang Weitian?"

He was really worried. Xu Junran had only been at work for less than a day and had already caused so many problems, which made Yan Wangsong, who had high hopes for him, very anxious.

Xu Junran said helplessly, "Grandpa Yan, you're asking me so many questions at once. How can I answer them all?"

"Brat!" Yan Wangsong, angry, tapped Xu Junran's head. "Answer one by one. Today, I won't do anything; I'll just listen to you explain. You're not allowed to leave until you explain clearly."

Rubbing his head, Xu Junran was speechless. The old men in Li Family Town, his master, and even Yan Wangsong treated him like a child.

"Grandpa Yan, let me explain. I have a classmate who works in the construction committee of Pengfei City in Lingnan Province. He was taken by his unit half a year early. When he came back to get his graduation certificate, he told us that Pengfei City is now under construction, with a lot of projects that need people. Moreover, these are all national projects, so there's no worry about being owed wages."

Xu Junran sat opposite Yan Wangsong and said with a smile.

Yan Wangsong listened quietly to Xu Junran's words. After a while, he said, "If that's the case, what about the rice field fish farming?"

Xu Junran explained the plan he had told Long Yin Yue and others again, and finally said, "This is simple. I can go to Beijing and ask my classmates from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences to help us set up a test field in our county. What do you think?"

Having been an official for so long, Xu Junran understood what Yan Wangsong was worried about, so he came up with this idea.

"Have you talked to County Chief Yang about this?" Yan Wangsong asked.

Xu Junran shook his head. "No, I only told him about the plan to help the people of Li Family Town have food to eat."

Nodding, Yan Wangsong was satisfied. After all, Xu Junran still considered him as one of his own, and the reasons Xu Junran gave were sufficient. Everything was tied to Beijing, making it hard for Yan Wangsong to doubt or say anything.

"I still need to think about this," Yan Wangsong said after a moment of silence.

Xu Junran understood his cautious thoughts and said after a moment, "Secretary Yan, how about this? Let Li Family Town start a pilot project first. Once it shows results, we can promote it throughout the county. Even if there are problems, it won't cause chaos in the county."

Yan Wangsong was silent. "I'll think about it."

This matter was neither big nor small. No matter how persuasively Xu Junran spoke, Yan Wangsong dared not easily agree. He had to think it through.

After a while, Yan Wangsong waved his hand. "You go back first. I'll think about it."

Xu Junran stood up and said before leaving, "Secretary Yan, actually, you can discuss this with County Chief Yang and bring it up at the Party Committee meeting. After all, collective decisions are easier for everyone to accept."

Yan Wangsong was taken aback but didn't say anything. Instead, he watched Xu Junran's back thoughtfully.

Picking up his pipe, Yan Wangsong rolled a cigarette and smoked silently for a long time. Finally, as if making a decision, he stood up, went to the door of the office, and called out, "Old Chen, Old Chen."

A man in his thirties poked his head out of an office. "Old Secretary, what's up?"

Yan Wangsong said, "Go to the government side and ask County Chief Yang to come over."

Just as Xu Junran had said, if they were going to take the risk, they might as well do it together.

Soon, Yang Weitian, looking puzzled, followed Old Chen to Yan Wangsong's office. He rarely came here, as the government and the party committee were in the same compound, but he always felt that he, as the county chief, was a step below Yan Wangsong. So, unless there was something important, he wouldn't come.

"County Chief Yang, please sit, please sit." To Yang Weitian's surprise, Yan Wangsong was very polite to him.

"Hehe, Old Secretary, you're too kind," Yang Weitian said, though he didn't understand what Yan Wangsong, the old fox, was up to. He didn't dare to be careless, as he had suffered many losses at Yan Wangsong's hands in the past year. After a few times, he had learned to be cautious.

(Seeking collections, recommendations, and clicks! Thank you to Li Yifeng, Xiao Feng Xi Yu, Jin Mu Can Chen, and Huang Mo Yi Seng for your support. I am very grateful!)

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