Chapter 204: The Butterfly Effect

Suxi Township requested five hundred "agricultural-to-non-agricultural" residency conversion quotas from the county. This was a bombshell that instantly set Chunshan County abuzz. Transforming from a farmer into a town resident was no longer a distant dream; every farmer harbored a city dream in their heart, and every farmer dreamed of becoming a city dweller who wore shoes all year round.

When the agricultural-to-non-agricultural policy was first introduced, the news only circulated in small circles. Those who could process these procedures invariably had a heavyweight official standing behind them. It wasn't an opportunity for everyone, nor was it a problem that could be solved with money alone. How many people stood on the streets at midnight, watching the light flowing from thousands of windows, lost in wild imagination.

A small township could get five hundred quotas; how much benefit could a large town receive? Deng Hanyu drove his newly purchased Honda in high spirits, slammed on the brakes in the County Committee compound, and headed straight for the office of Secretary Guan Peishan.

Guan Peishan was not in. The County Committee Office Director smiled and told Deng Hanyu, "Secretary Guan has gone to the city for a meeting. Town Mayor Deng, you've come at a good time. It's been a long time since I've had a drink at your Haixian Jiulou."

Deng Hanyu had already been frustrated after hitting a wall, and hearing the Director's implication that he wanted to enjoy a free meal at the Haixian Jiulou again, a fire flared up in his heart, and he wanted to curse out loud.

Remembering that the County Committee Office Director was no small fry and that he often needed him to leak information in advance, offending him would be equivalent to offending the entire County Committee compound. As the saying goes, it's easy to deal with the King of Hell, but hard to deal with the little devils! The County Committee Office Director was a typical little devil. So, he plastered a smile on his face, draped an arm around the Director's shoulder, and said, "What do you want to eat? Abalone or lobster?"

The County Committee Office Director waved his hands and said, "No need to go that far. It's just that some relatives from my hometown are visiting. They heard we have an authentic seafood restaurant here. These people have never eaten authentic seafood in their lives and want to have a taste. Just throw together a few dishes; as long as it's something from the sea, that's fine."

Deng Hanyu cursed inwardly, "Screw your mother. What from the sea isn't expensive? Everything shipped to Chunshan is air-freighted; the shipping cost alone is enough to scare people to death. 'Just throw together a few dishes'? Go eat your mother's excrement."

While cursing in his heart, his face still showed a look of complete delight. The County Committee Office Director making this request meant he wanted a free meal.

"No problem, no problem. Order whatever you want to eat. Just put it on my tab," Deng Hanyu waved his hand magnanimously. "When people come from the hometown, how can we just throw something together? This is a matter of face; it's not a joke."

The County Committee Office Director feigned a smile and declined, "How can I put it on your tab? I can still afford to pay for a meal."

Deng Hanyu's expression darkened, and he said deliberately, sounding displeased, "Aren't you being a stranger? What is our relationship? Comrades plus brothers. If you keep being a stranger, we can't even be brothers anymore. Are you looking down on me?"

The County Committee Office Director smiled broadly and said happily, "I'd better obey than decline. If I don't give Town Mayor Deng face, do I still want to survive in Chunshan County?" After finishing, he laughed loudly, causing several heads to poke out from the office. Seeing it was the Director talking in the hallway, they quickly pulled their heads back in.

"Town Mayor Deng came to find Secretary Guan, probably for the agricultural-to-non-agricultural quotas, right?" The County Committee Office Director was an old fox; he had guessed his purpose long ago from Deng Hanyu's distracted demeanor.

"Just passing by, passing by. Dropped in to take a look, no purpose," Deng Hanyu covered up, turning to leave.

"No purpose is good; it worried me. If you, Town Mayor Deng, really had asked, I would have had to think of a way," the Director said, playing hard to get, laughing loudly.

"What way could you think of?" Deng Hanyu smelled something fishy in the Director's words and quickly seized the opportunity.

"Anyway, your Chengguan Town doesn't care about these few quotas. This method should be left for some townships that actually need them," the Director teased Deng Hanyu on purpose, laughing inwardly as he watched his anxious look.

"Something is better than nothing. Director, let's step aside and talk. I'm on your turf, won't you invite me into your office for a cup of tea?" Without waiting for the Director to signal, Deng Hanyu pushed open the Director's door as if he were the host.

Just as he sat down, a young girl entered, holding a paper cup. She placed a cup of steaming tea in front of him, smiled slightly, and went out.

Deng Hanyu stared at her back for a long time and asked hesitantly, "Director, this girl looks unfamiliar. A college student just assigned here?"

The County Committee Office Director smiled insidiously and said, "Trying to have crooked thoughts? This is the County Committee organ, you know."

Deng Hanyu waved his hand and said, "Director, what are you saying? Am I, Old Deng, that kind of person? Can't I look at beauty?"

"God knows." The Director sat down opposite him, sighed, and said, "This is Old Zhu's daughter. The county arranged for her to be in the Youth League Committee, and you know the County Youth League Committee has nothing to do all day long. The girl was bored, so I borrowed her from Secretary Xiao Huang to help in the office first. When there's a good opportunity later, we'll arrange something else."

"Old Zhu from the Martyrs Cemetery?"

"Who else could it be!" The Director picked up his cup and took a sip of tea. "This Old Zhu, he was a cadre his whole life, but in the end, his stance wasn't firm, and he fell before sugar-coated bullets. It's a pity. It doesn't matter that he fell, but his daughter is still a rural resident. She doesn't even have a chance to marry into a good family."

"The county has agricultural-to-non-agricultural quotas, why wouldn't Old Zhu think of a way to solve one?" Deng Hanyu cursed angrily. "This Old Zhu is harming his daughter."

"Town Mayor Deng, you make it sound easy. Do you think solving an agricultural-to-non-agricultural conversion is that simple? Right now, the power to approve the characters is still in Secretary Guan's hands. Even if County Magistrate Liu signs off, the County Public Security Bureau might not necessarily process it." The County Committee Office Director stayed by the leaders' side every day and understood the leaders' intentions clearly.

"We can't be farmers for a lifetime, can we? Besides, it's not decent for a farmer to work in the County Committee Office," Deng Hanyu said helplessly. "If it were in my town, even if I had to break my head, I would solve this problem. For a girl, without a good status, even getting married becomes a problem."

"Let's not talk about her anymore." The Director waved his hand and said, "You dragged me in here, surely you have more to say. If you want to say it, say it quickly. Don't dawdle. I don't have time to waste with you."

Deng Hanyu accompanied him with a smiling face and said, "The Director is busy with a thousand tasks, how would I dare to delay your time? In one word, help me think of a way to also solve five hundred agricultural-to-non-agricultural quotas." He stared at the County Committee Office Director with a half-smile, toying with the paper cup in his hand.

"You want my life." The Director stood up, shaking his head like a duck that had just been slaughtered.

"I wouldn't dare." Deng Hanyu took over, placed the paper cup on the coffee table, took out a cigarette, and respectfully handed one to the Director.

"I don't smoke, and I won't go to tonight's meal either. I'm afraid that if it goes down the throat, it will be hard to pass through the anus." The Director pushed the cigarette back firmly.

"Just a joke, you took it seriously?" Deng Hanyu accompanied him with a smiling face.

"This joke of yours is a big one. Town Mayor Deng, you don't know, but my threshold has been worn down three inches in the last few days. All the townships in the county have come here to beg for quotas. Secretary Guan is not home, where am I supposed to find quotas for them? Even if Secretary Guan were home, quotas aren't something you can get just because you want them." The Director sighed. "These Party Committee Secretaries all have their eyes fixed on the quotas, but they don't see the Party member's coat they are still wearing. Sad, truly sad."

"Director, don't take offense. Everyone knows you are half of the Secretary's brain. If you, Director, say it can be solved, there is nothing that cannot be solved." Deng Hanyu seized the opportunity to flatter him.

"Don't flatter me; even if you do, you're just patting a horse's hoof." The Director laughed. "Everything else is easy to talk about, but only regarding this agricultural-to-non-agricultural matter, I don't dare to say even half a word. You know Secretary Guan's temper. Serving a monarch is like serving a tiger; if I were to be a busybody, I wouldn't even know which day I would die."

"If even you don't dare to speak, who else can have a say in this matter?" Deng Hanyu lamented.

"Let me tell you, these past few days I've seen these township Party and government cadres going crazy looking for Secretary Guan. Secretary Guan going to the city for a meeting is just an excuse. To be honest with you, Town Mayor Deng, you are the last one to come. Now that you've come, this matter is basically clear. All twenty-four townships in the county, not one missed, all present. Except for Suxi Township, which took five hundred quotas and went off to act like a big shot, the other townships haven't had a single one approved yet." The Director sat down again, took out his own cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.

"I don't want to trouble the County Committee," Deng Hanyu said sincerely. "Quotas are definitely limited. If everyone thinks about this good thing and uses the quotas to exchange for money, who will work with peace of mind? Don't you think?"

"Exactly." The Director blew a smoke ring and said, "Do you know about the butterfly effect?"

Deng Hanyu shook his head and said, "I understand a little bit of the meaning, but not too clearly."

"The so-called butterfly effect means that a slight move in one part may affect the situation as a whole. It was originally an invention of the Chinese, but the Americans changed the wording, and it became their patent. To put it simply, a butterfly in Asia flapping its wings a few times is a trivial matter, but by the time it reaches the Americas, it could turn into a tornado. By the same token, this agricultural-to-non-agricultural matter is a fart in the County Committee, but in the township, it's a matter of heaven-shaking importance."

Deng Hanyu nodded and said, "Now this butterfly is not us, but Suxi Township. It has already flapped its wings, so we must be prepared for the typhoon."

"Good that you understand. If this wind gets too strong, it might destroy everything. So, you'd better wait and see what the result is after the wind passes. Fishing for floating wealth in the water when the time comes is not a bad thing."

Deng Hanyu smiled knowingly, said goodbye to the County Committee Office Director, and turned back at the door, saying, "Director, I'll be waiting for you and your relatives from the hometown there."

The Director waved his hand to indicate he understood and said no more.

As soon as Deng Hanyu turned around, he bumped into someone. Looking down, it was Zhu Hua Yu, who had just brought the tea in. Zhu Hua Yu was bumped into a stagger by him, her face flushed red, not daring to look at him, and she quickly ran into the Director's office, hugging the wall. ===== CHAPTER 205 =====