Rebirth of Bloody Romance

Zhong Yuemin has been very free these days. The two little guys, Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen, are as energetic as perpetual motion machines. They play and frolic tirelessly all day long, running east and west as fast as lightning and disappearing in a flash. He doesn't need to spend too much time looking after them.

As a result, he, a grown man, was extremely bored staying at home all day long, and felt like all his bones were rusting.

So, bored Zhong Yuemin slapped his forehead and thought, "Forget it, instead of wasting time like this, I might as well go out for a walk. The garlic market is very lively, so I can go there to join in the fun and kill some time."

There was still a long distance to the market gate when Zhong Yuemin saw from afar a long line of hand-pulled carts and walk-behind tractors. The line was as winding as the Great Wall, and each vehicle was piled with bulging large sacks, needless to say, they were all filled with garlic.

Looking at the crowd again, it was crowded and huge, and at first glance one could not even see where the end of the team was.

Seeing this scene, Zhong Yuemin couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Oh my, it's really not easy to be a farmer! The garlic that I worked so hard to grow has to be sold in such a hassle..."

While thinking, Zhong Yuemin did not stop, and soon he walked into the market. Wow! The scene inside shocked him so much that his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Looking around, I saw people busying themselves. Some were carrying heavy bags of garlic on their shoulders or in their hands, moving them from one side to the other.

The figures coming and going carrying garlic were like shuttles on a loom, interweaving quickly and orderly.

Not only that, there were reporters holding cameras and taking pictures non-stop, with flash lights clicking non-stop, as if they wanted to freeze this busy scene forever.

Zhong Yuemin finally came to Li Kuiyong's side. At this time, Li Kuiyong was burying his head, arranging the piles of garlic in front of him with nimble hands and feet. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, and the shirt on his body, which was originally relatively clean, was now soaked with sweat and stuck tightly to his back.

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin hurriedly shouted, "Kuiyong, stop working! Look at the people lining up to sell garlic. They are so numerous that they almost resemble the stars in the sky! We have to think carefully and come up with a solution!"

Li Kuiyong slowly raised his head and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. His face was full of helplessness, and he muttered, "Yuemin, you know that I am a young lady getting married - this is my first time to harvest garlic. How could I have expected so many people to come, and there are mountains of garlic! With the current situation, I am really overwhelmed and unable to cope with it."

"When we were harvesting garlic shoots a while ago, logically speaking, there should have been quite a few people coming to sell them, right?" Zhong Yuemin frowned slightly and stared at Li Kuiyong sharply, as if he wanted to find some clues from him that could resolve the current problem.

After hearing this, Li Kuiyong waved his hands repeatedly, showing a miserable expression on his face, and responded with a sigh. "Alas, compared with now, it was nothing compared to then. There is no comparison at all! When garlic sprouts were on the market, there were quite a lot of people coming to sell them, but it was definitely not as crowded and shoulder-to-shoulder as it is now! Look at this long line, you can't even see the end at a glance."

Zhong Yuemin stood quietly in the middle of the bustling market, surrounded by noisy sounds, but he seemed to be in another world, turning a deaf ear to them. His deep and wise eyes stared forward, and his mind was rapidly calculating a response strategy.

Yu Guodong and Li Wenbo squeezed through the bustling and noisy market and finally came to Zhong Yuemin's side.

At this moment, Zhong Yuemin was standing there, his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes staring into the distance, immersed in deep thought, as if he was struggling fiercely with an extremely difficult problem in his mind.

Li Kuiyong was explaining to them the whole story. As he spoke, Yu Guodong and Li Wenbo's expressions gradually became serious, and they had a clear understanding of the whole incident.

Yu Guodong's eyes fell on Zhong Yuemin's distressed face, and his heart was moved. He stepped forward without hesitation and said, "Mr. Zhong, please rest assured. This matter is not as difficult to solve as you think."

Zhong Yuemin raised his eyebrows and said noncommittally, "Tell me about it."

Yu Guodong nodded, and began to elaborate in an orderly manner: "Mr. Zhong, the current situation is like this. Everyone has made great efforts to get here in time. Some people even got up early at more than three o'clock in the morning in order to get here earlier. However, when they arrived here after hardships, it was already seven or eight o'clock. Those who had a longer journey spent more precious time on the road..."

Zhong Yuemin listened to Yu Guodong's narration quietly, but gradually, his patience was worn out. He never liked this kind of lengthy and unfocused presentation, so he interrupted Yu Guodong without any hesitation. "Don't talk about these useless things, just get to the point!"

Yu Guodong's heart trembled, knowing that it was time to come up with his brilliant plan. "Mr. Zhong, I have an idea. We can encourage some middlemen to go to the countryside to buy garlic and then sell it to us. As long as we slightly increase their purchase price, even if it's just a few cents, I believe there will be many people willing to do it. In this way, we can solve the problems of the people and let those small vendors make more money. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

Zhong Yuemin actually knew that purchasing through middlemen could make the process more efficient, but he always insisted on letting the people of Jinqiu County get more benefits and directly give the profit that the middlemen might earn to the people.

But it doesn’t matter. Ideals are full, but reality is skinny. Such an idea is indeed taken for granted in actual operation.

At this moment, the July sky suddenly changed unpredictably. It was sunny just now, but in the blink of an eye, dark clouds covered the sky and the sky suddenly became gloomy. Zhong Yuemin looked up at the sky and his heart tightened. This was clearly a sign of heavy rain!

Zhong Yuemin hurriedly shouted to the farmers at the scene, "Quick! Move the garlic to a place that can be sheltered from the rain. Once the garlic gets wet, it will get moldy and you won't be able to sell it for a good price!"

The farmers waiting in line reacted quickly, taking out the plastic sheets they had prepared in advance from their cars and skillfully covering the carts loaded with garlic, covering both the carts and the garlic tightly. It was obvious that they were well prepared for this sudden change in weather.

Zhong Yuemin looked at the busy and orderly scene, feeling both relieved and worried. He understood that if he wanted to maximize the interests of the people, it was not enough to rely on enthusiasm alone, but also required more thorough considerations and more effective measures. This sudden rain may have reminded him that the challenges of reality are always more complicated than imagined.

At this time, a large black cloud hung low in the sky, as if it was so close to the ground that one could touch the wet edge of the cloud with one's hand. The thick clouds circled in the sky, bringing with them a depressing and mysterious atmosphere that made people hold their breath unconsciously.

Several children were running happily in the market. They looked up at the sky and shouted excitedly, "Don't worry about the thunder, the rain is coming in the southwest. Thunder will hit the buttocks of the thunder-makers."

This innocent cry of a child seems particularly carefree in the face of the impending rainstorm.

Zhong Yuemin didn't quite understand what the children were shouting, but he had other thoughts in his mind. He knew that this heavy rain would have a significant impact on the market, especially on the people who had not yet taken shelter from the rain. Looking around, he saw Li Kuiyong and several other people busy helping the vendors move their goods.

"Kuiyong, let everyone go into the warehouse to take shelter from the rain first." Zhong Yuemin shouted loudly. His voice seemed a little weak in the strong wind, but it was loud enough for Li Kuiyong and others to hear clearly.

"Okay!" Li Kuiyong responded, and immediately turned around to convey Zhong Yuemin's instructions to other staff members. Everyone took action and guided the vendors and pedestrians to move to the nearby warehouse.

Sure enough, after a while, heavy rain arrived as expected, with raindrops as big as beans, hitting the ground densely, splashing water. The rain came fiercely, as if it was going to drown the whole world in its roar.

There was heavy rain and howling wind outside the warehouse, but inside the warehouse, people were bustling with people gathered in groups of three or five, whispering about the sudden heavy rain and their next plans.

Zhong Yuemin stood aside, brows furrowed, as if thinking about something important.

Yu Guodong and Li Wenbo approached Zhong Yuemin. "Mr. Zhong, it seems that the money we brought is not enough." Yu Guodong spoke first.

Zhong Yuemin glanced at the two of them and raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean? How much is left?"

Li Wenbo did not directly answer Zhong Yuemin's question, but instead said, "Mr. Zhong, I heard from County Magistrate Zhou that there are about 8 households growing garlic in Jinqiu County. Each household has about three to five acres of garlic, and each household can sell it for about US$700..."

"Seventy-eight fifty-six, damn! Is there still so much short?" Zhong Yuemin couldn't help but swear. To be honest, he had never calculated it carefully. He originally thought that more than 1000 million would be enough, but he didn't expect it was just a fraction.

Yu Guodong and Li Wenbo nodded, confirming Zhong Yuemin's guess. They looked at Zhong Yuemin, waiting for his decision.

Zhong Yuemin looked around and confirmed that no one noticed their conversation before he whispered, "We came all the way to Jinqiu County. Do you know why?"

"For County Magistrate Zhou's achievements," Yu Guodong and Li Wenbo said in unison. They understood that Zhong Yuemin brought them to Jinqiu County not just to help local farmers sell garlic. The deeper reason was to support County Magistrate Zhou's achievements and pave the way for his promotion in the officialdom.

Zhong Yuemin nodded, confirming the two's answers. "That's right, I have never thought about making money from purchasing garlic, as long as I don't lose money. More importantly, we have to help Jinqiu County's garlic industry grow bigger and stronger, and become a highlight of my wife's political achievements. Do you two understand what I mean?"

Li Wenbo and Yu Guodong nodded at the same time and said in unison, "Understood."

Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly and then asked, "Then you know what to do?"

The two nodded again, and Li Wenbo said, "Mr. Zhong, don't worry, this matter will be handed over to the two of us. We will raise funds as soon as possible to ensure that the plan can proceed smoothly."

Yu Guodong also agreed. "Yes, Mr. Zhong, we will definitely not let you down."

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion at the door, and Zhong Yuemin heard someone shouting loudly, "Hello, County Mayor Zhou." The voice was particularly clear in the noisy environment and immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the warehouse.

"County Magistrate Zhou, why did you come here in the heavy rain?" someone asked with concern.

"County Magistrate Zhou, please come in quickly."

"I'm here on behalf of the county government to check on you all and make sure you're all safe." A gentle but firm voice answered. It was Zhou Xiaobai.

Then, there was another round of greetings and pleasantries, and Zhou Xiaobai asked about everyone's situation with concern.

"County Magistrate Zhou, we are all fine and have no losses." People responded one after another, their voices filled with gratitude and respect.

Zhong Yuemin stood in the crowd, watching his wife Zhou Xiaobai walk in with a smile. Her appearance instantly relaxed the tense atmosphere. Zhou Xiaobai also saw Zhong Yuemin, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Yuemin, when did you come?" Zhou Xiaobai walked up to Zhong Yuemin and asked softly.

Zhong Yuemin smiled and helped Zhou Xiaobai take off his raincoat. "I came here before it rained."

Zhou Xiaobai looked around at the many people gathered in the warehouse, and couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in her heart. She sighed softly and said, "It's not easy for the people. The road is even more difficult to walk on after the rain. You can imagine how hard they are working."

Zhong Yuemin was also moved when he heard his wife's sigh. He proposed his own idea. "Wife, why don't we let the middlemen go to the village to buy garlic and then sell it here. In this way, the people who grow garlic don't have to work so hard to transport the garlic here. But, the price issue..."

Zhou Xiaobai's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she patted Zhong Yuemin's shoulder excitedly. "This is a good idea! This way, it can really reduce the burden on the people. As for the price, you don't have to worry. We can announce the purchase price openly and transparently so that everyone can understand it clearly. As long as the price is fair, I believe the people will understand."

Zhong Yuemin agreed with Zhou Xiaobai's words. He nodded. "Well, my wife, what you said makes sense. Then let's plan a specific implementation plan."

"it is good!"