After the breakup, I joined the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection

Xia Donglai's interruption was just a trivial episode in the fields on the dam, not even as exciting as guarding against thieves.

As expected, such a large-scale taro digging indeed attracted the covetousness of other villages. From time to time, people would look at the edge of the field, but when they saw the kind eyes of the villagers of Lugang Village and the hospitable hoes and shovels in their hands, they consciously retreated one by one.

Normally, even the most rude and arrogant people in the surrounding area would not dare to come here at this time, because the weapons in the hands of these old farmers can really make holes in their heads.

All in all, the entire taro digging activity went very smoothly, and everyone was almost unaffected and continued to devote themselves to the vigorous taro digging business.

I dug and dug in the small field on the dam...

With the hard work of all the villagers, the carts parked on the ridges of the fields were gradually filled up.

Looking at the piles of taro on the cart, the secretary and the village chief smiled and said, "Great! What a good harvest year!"

Dudu!

Suddenly, a horn and the roar of an engine were heard not far away. Looking further, I saw a Jiefang truck swaying along the dirt road.

Seeing Da Ka, the secretary and the village chief all smiled brightly: "Today is really a day of good fortune!"

Village chief Zhou Youkun even shouted: "Comrades, work harder, Boss Hu is coming to the fields to give us money!"

Hearing this, the villagers of Lugang Village immediately swung their hoes more vigorously.

A Jiefang truck stopped on the side of the road. A fat man wearing sunglasses and a striped shirt, who looked very honest, opened the door and jumped out, then walked towards the field with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

The secretary and the village chief came forward in a hurry, shook hands with the boss and said hello enthusiastically: "Hey! Boss Hu, you are here. You are the one who takes the best care of our Lugang Village. Hey, don't come over here. The fields are full of mud. Don't dirty your leather shoes. Let's talk outside..."

What’s going on with Boss Hu?

Lu An didn't understand at first, but after asking Su Qinglian he found out that this Boss Hu was named Hu Zhongrong, a well-known big boss in the surrounding area, who often went to the countryside to collect various agricultural products.

"Originally, we pulled so many carts here just to dig up taro and deliver it to Boss Hu, but we didn't expect Boss Hu to drive a big truck here. It seems that the secretary and the village chief must have notified Boss Hu yesterday." Su Qinglian said.

"You must be joking! That's Boss Hu. I heard he's a descendant of Hu Xueyan. How can we compare to him in terms of ideological awareness?"

No one knew when Xia Donglai came out. He put his hands on his waist and held his head high. If he wasn't covered in mud, he would have really looked like someone who was giving orders.

Lu An glanced at him and said, "How come you've finished your work? Forget Hu Xueyan. He's a feudal landlord, a big mountain weighing on the people, a class enemy. Why are you trying to attract his attention here? You're still a cadre in the town, but your ideological awareness is this low?"

Xia Donglai's face turned red as he hurriedly explained, "What's wrong with my ideological awareness? I... I am responding to the country's call for a new era and focusing on economic construction. Don't try to attack me with your backward ideological values!"

Xia Donglai thought of something else as he spoke: "I also heard that Boss Hu has college students working for him. It seems that this is the fate of college students!"

This time Xia Donglai learned his lesson. Knowing he couldn't win the argument, he didn't give Lu An a chance to fight back. After he finished speaking, he took the initiative to go up to Hu Zhongrong and say hello.

He even pretended to be serious: "I am Xia Donglai, a cadre of the town. On behalf of the town, I would like to thank Boss Hu for his care and support for Lugang Village!"

Su Qinglian was furious: "Who is this person? He is using a chicken feather as a token of authority!"

But Su Qinglian knew Xia Donglai's background, but Hu Zhongrong didn't. When he saw a young town official coming over, he greeted him with trepidation and took the initiative to give Xia Donglai cigarettes.

Hu Zhongrong also praised Xia Donglai for being worthy of being a people's cadre and taking the initiative to work in the fields. His active leadership role made him see the shadows of many good cadres such as Jiao Yulu and Kong Fansen.

Xia Donglai was flattered and said proudly that he had always set a benchmark for himself.

"One day I want to be a role model for people's cadres!"

After saying this, Hu Zhongrong complimented him again.

The secretary and the village chief were watching with disgust, but they couldn't say anything. Firstly, this was the idiot in their village, and secondly, Xia Donglai was right to some extent, he was really a "cadre" in the town.

So Secretary Lu Maocai interrupted them and said, "Boss Hu, let's talk about the purchase of taro first."

Hu Zhongrong nodded and said yes. He held up three fingers and said, "As usual, fill up the car, three cents per pound."

Village chief Zhou Youkun exclaimed, "Boss Hu, this is not right. Didn't we always charge four cents per pound before? Why are you trying to lower the price for us?"

"Oh my! God knows, Secretary Lu and Officer Xia are here, how dare I bargain for you!"

Hu Zhongrong immediately complained: "It's the season for taro now. There are taro for sale everywhere, so the price has dropped. If you don't believe me, go to the city and ask around. I can only get five cents at most. If I'm unlucky, I'll have to pay for the car and gas."

Seeing that Lu Maocai and Zhou Youkun were still skeptical, he simply used his last trick.

Hu Zhongrong spread his hands and said, "If you don't believe me, just go find another place to sell it. I won't stop you."

Lu Maocai and Zhou Youkun were still hesitating, but Xia Donglai became anxious first.

He grabbed Hu Zhongrong's arm and said, "Boss Hu, please don't. Where can we find another boss? You are the only boss we know!"

Xia Donglai turned back to help persuade Lu Maocai and Zhou Youkun: "Secretary and Village Chief, we can't let Boss Hu go. Who else can we sell these tens of thousands of kilograms of taro to if not Boss Hu? Won't it all rot and sprout if we leave it in the fields or at home?"

Xia Donglai also said: "What Boss Hu said is true. Taro is not only found in our village. There is taro everywhere in the surrounding villages. If all the taro is piled up in the city, isn't it normal that the price can't be raised?"

Hu Zhongrong held Xia Donglai's hand and cried, "The town cadres really understand the hardships of us businessmen! The ideological awareness and realm of these cadres are beyond our reach!"

After being flattered by Hu Zhongrong, Xia Donglai felt that he was particularly good at this moment!

So he straightened his chest and said, "Secretary and Village Chief, I am also from Lugang Village and a town cadre. Don't you believe me? How about I be your guarantor? If I find out that Boss Hu is lowering the price indiscriminately in the future, I promise to help our village get the money back!"

Hu Zhongrong also followed behind and seemed to sincerely assure that he had offered the highest price. They had all been businessmen for such a long time, and reputation was paramount.

Lu Maocai and Zhou Youkun exchanged glances a few times, and finally they could only grit their teeth and nod: "Okay, three points is three points!"

"If we find out later that you've been trying to lower the price for us, we in Lugang Village will not let you go!"

Hu Zhongrong was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly to indicate that if anyone had any evil ideas, he would be ready to kill or chop them up at any time!

This scene made Lu An stunned...