Chapter 46: Visitors from the Commune

"Brother, although this is our first meeting, we have long heard of your legendary reputation," Qiao Shuai said as he stood up and spoke respectfully.

"Indeed. To be able to discover a diamond in the rough like Hunter Zhang, Secretary Qiao truly is a veteran revolutionary tempered by the fires of war," chimed in the two commune cadres behind him, quickly offering flattery in unison.

Zhang Tiejun could sense that something felt a little off in their words. It appeared his achievements had already been neatly carved up and divided among them. Fortunately, he did not care much for such empty glory. As long as he could secure some tangible benefits for Qiao Village at this juncture and ensure his own family had food on the table, that in itself was already quite good.

The four individuals present could all be said to possess a thousand crafty tricks in their minds; the only one who appeared somewhat naive and unversed in worldly affairs was Qiao Dafang.

"Zhang Tiejun, the pledge you made to the production brigade was for one thousand catties. How much have you actually hunted?"

"A little over six hundred catties."

"Falling short by that much, and you still have the nerve to bring it up? Get back out there and hunt more immediately."

"Hunters do not go up the mountain before the Lunar New Year. That is the rule of the trade."

"What kind of damn rule is that? This is Qiao Village!"

The corners of Zhang Tiejun’s mouth curved upward slightly. Yes, everything had gone according to his premeditated plan.

They wanted to use his battlefield fruits to trade for personal favors? Not a chance!

Since this game of chess had already reached a dead end, he would simply muddy the waters himself.

Just as Zhang Tiejun had anticipated, the simple-minded Qiao Dafang was thoroughly provoked by his words.

In Qiao Dafang's eyes, his stern tone was a demonstration proclaiming his authority, but in the eyes of the two commune leaders, such an irritable and impulsive outburst appeared rather immature and unstable.

No one was a fool, especially commune leaders who spent year-round dealing with grassroots officials. At a single glance, they could conclude that Qiao Dafang was not suitable to be entrusted with the heavy responsibilities of a brigade secretary. However, considering Qiao Shuai's presence, the two found it inconvenient to express their opinions outright, so they simply lowered their heads and sipped their large bowls of tea.

"Dafang! What are you saying?" Qiao Shuai, noticing the strange expressions on the two men's faces, immediately interrupted, "No matter how much is brought back, it shows skill and sincerity. Brother, thank you very much."

Qiao Kangzhan also felt that he was losing face, especially since he had just spent considerable effort singing the praises of this treasured son of his in front of the others.

"Brother Tiejun, you've worked hard. Go back and get some good rest first. In a few days, it will be the New Year, so spend more time with your mother. You don't need to worry about the brigade's affairs for now. If there are any special matters, I will have someone send for you," Qiao Kangzhan maintained his usual amiable demeanor.

After Zhang Tiejun departed, Chu Guoping and Mu Sanjiang exchanged glances. Mu Sanjiang then spoke up, "It's getting late. Shall we be heading back?"

"Don't rush off," Qiao Kangzhan hurriedly blocked their way. "The New Year is right around the corner. Let's officials and citizens celebrate and enjoy the lively atmosphere together, and incidentally taste some of our authentic farmhouse cooking."

Chu Guoping shook his head. "We won't be eating here. There is another meeting in the city tonight, and we need to hurry and familiarize ourselves with the materials."

Such excuses naturally could not fool Qiao Shuai, who was also a member of the commune's Party committee.

"Isn't Secretary Lin the one attending that evening meeting?" Qiao Shuai inquired. "Those are matters for the top leaders, so why should we worry ourselves so much over them?"

"Old Chu and I don't have it as easy as you do. With natural disasters being so severe right now, and the borders remaining restless, everywhere people are waiting for rice to be cooked. Since the two of us are respectively in charge of economy and agriculture, we naturally have to share some responsibility for Secretary Lin," Mu Sanjiang explained.

"No wonder the two of you are so highly regarded by Secretary Lin," Qiao Shuai praised. "Older comrades are truly dedicated to their work and serve as role models for younger cadres like us to emulate. Work is certainly important, but you must also mind your health. The two aunts specifically told me that both of you suffer from hypoglycemia. If anything were to go even slightly wrong, I wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility. Besides, the food is already cooked, so stay for a couple of bites before leaving."

"We truly cannot stay for the meal, and since Qiao Village has also suffered from disasters, if we were to eat here, wouldn't we just be adding to your burdens?" Chu Guoping glanced at Qiao Shuai and said, "Rest assured, we will certainly report certain matters upward with discretion."

"Then I thank the two elder brothers very much." Qiao Shuai stopped pressing them and simply gave Qiao Kangzhan a meaningful look.

Understanding instantly, Qiao Kangzhan reached beneath the edge of the brick kang and pulled out a stack of cured tobacco leaves.

"The wine and meat have already been loaded into the car. I heard our commune ran out of tobacco these past few days? We still have a few mu of tobacco grown right here in Qiao Village. It's just a small token of our appreciation, please don't refuse."

Hearing Qiao Kangzhan say this, Chu Guoping and Mu Sanjiang looked somewhat startled.

"Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?" Chu Guoping picked up a bundle of tobacco leaves, held them beneath his nose to inhale deeply, and immediately praised, "This is top-quality Guandong leaf tobacco! Secretary Qiao, this is..."

"These are just local specialties. Take them back and roll them into cigarettes to smoke. If you like them, we have plenty more right here," Qiao Kangzhan disregarded their objections and directly shoved the tobacco into their hands.

After the off-road vehicle drove far away, Qiao Kangzhan finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Dad, why didn't they stay to eat?" Qiao Dafang asked.

"Do you even need to ask? They just didn't want to handle things for our family," Qiao Kangzhan said with smug self-satisfaction. "I don't mind if they refuse a banquet invitation; I only care that they remember who we are."

While the father and son were chatting idly, Chef Cai sauntered out leisurely and asked, "Secretary, the dishes are ready. When shall we be seated?"

"Seated? Seated for what? People have already left! Old Cai, it's not that I want to scold you, but you're at your age—how can you be so slow at stir-frying a few dishes?" Qiao Dafang interrogated.

Old Cai wore an aggrieved expression as he replied, "I didn't dare delay for even a single second after receiving the word."

"You can't blame Old Cai for this," Qiao Kangzhan intervened. "Alright, go back and continue cooking. Keep some for yourself, and send the rest to the brigade office."

"Understood." Chef Cai did not dare show his anger on the spot, but as he turned around, he pursed his lips in quiet resentment.

Back in their office, Chu Guoping and Mu Sanjiang sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Mu Sanjiang slowly spoke, "Old Chu, what do you think of this situation?"

"Alas, if Qiao Kangzhan were to continue serving, although I would have some objections, it would still be acceptable. But if we let Qiao Dafang succeed him, I'm afraid the two of us wouldn't be able to answer to the organization," Chu Guoping said helplessly. "In recent years, the grievances among the common people of Qiao Village have been growing louder by the day, especially regarding that Qiao Dafang—there is already a tall stack of anonymous complaint letters against him, not just from within this village, but from neighboring villages as well. If it weren't for Qiao Shuai..."

"Alright, let's not discuss the rest," Mu Sanjiang interrupted. "I think we'd better figure out how to report this to Secretary Lin."

"And this tobacco?"

"Missing a couple of days of smoking won't kill us. Just consider it quitting."