Chapter 47: Letting Rice

My sponsorship money I am not in a hurry, even if I can't pull it, I can bear this sponsorship fee myself.

Electricity and road, two projects started at the same time, is a grand event that Suxi Township has never had. In the early years, the whole people repaired water conservancy, dug air-raid shelters, Suxi Township was also carried out with the village as the establishment, now the whole township is mobilized, the momentum cannot be not magnificent.

Liu Quan called on all villages in the township to mobilize, he held a meeting in the big courtyard at the door of the township government, the venue was full of red flags, a banner in the middle, written "Suxi Township Electricity and Road Project Opening Ceremony".

Representatives from all villages spoke, Liu Quan described the beautiful future of Suxi Township in the meeting, in his description, Suxi Township will be the last paradise, just tourism, can increase tens of thousands of income for each family. For the Suxi people whose average annual income is less than 1,000 now, ten Battalion Commander are the dream they dream of, electricity and roads, Suxi will no longer be a rural area shrinking in the mountains, but a place that city people dream of.

The representatives spoke very excitedly, Pan Shurong of Gude Village was full of red light. Today's scene, he only saw it when he went to the front line that year. At that time, he was still a small soldier, and had no chance to say a word at the meeting.

The meeting clarified the responsibilities of each village, except for digging electricity pole holes for electricity, everyone else went on the road, opening roads in the mountains, building bridges in the water. The township established two groups, namely the Electricity Office and the Road Command Office. He was the leader of both groups, township party committee members were deputy leaders of the two groups, and I was the office director of the two groups.

The list of group members was announced on the spot, this list was authorized by Liu Quan and came from my hand. When writing the list, I found a strange thing, Zhu Shizhen, the chairman of the people's congress, was not in either group.

The township government did not leave meals, the representatives of each village returned to the team on their own, and went back to organize the start of work.

Busy all morning, I invited Pan Shurong to eat, there was no restaurant, only to eat in the cafeteria. Old Wang said that the bowl rice was not enough, the township cadres all had people eating in the cafeteria, and now there were only two bowls left, and Secretary Liu hadn't eaten yet.

Pan Shurong twisted his hands, his face red and said: "Secretary Chen, I'd better go back and eat."

My heart ached, Gude Village is more than twenty miles of mountain road from the township government, the key is that this road has been broken in several places, and it takes more than ten miles to go around a mountain, go

I said, "We'll eat right here." I begged Lao Wang to cook us some noodles. I knew that one bowl of rice wouldn't even be enough for Pan Shurong to line his stomach, let alone me, who hadn't eaten yet.

Lao Wang seemed very flustered by my request. I usually treated him well, and even though I only ate one meal a day at his place, over the past two years, we had forged a deep bond. Lao Wang had cooked for the township government his whole life and had originally wanted his son to take over his position, but who knew that the succession system had now been abolished? He was currently deeply troubled by this matter.

Before we could eat, Liu Quan strode in, followed by Zhu Shizhen, who sat down opposite him without a word, staring at Liu Quan.

Liu Quan saw us and nodded. Lao Wang hurriedly brought over the food and wiped a pair of chopsticks on his apron before handing them to him. Liu Quan saw that there was only one bowl of rice on our table and asked me, "Xiao Chen, have you eaten?"

I said, "There isn't enough rice, I'll just have Lao Wang cook some noodles."

Liu Quan glared at Lao Wang and said, "Lao Wang, what am I supposed to say to you? We're holding a big meeting today; couldn't you have prepared more rice?"

Lao Wang said aggrievedly, "The township government doesn't provide meals."

"Doesn't everyone have relatives and friends? If the township government doesn't provide meals, can't the cadres provide meals?" Liu Quan brought the food over to us and said, "Lao Wang, starting today, prepare at least six extra servings of food every day."

Lao Wang nodded repeatedly and went to the side to fire up the stove and cook noodles for us.

Pan Shurong was so nervous when he saw Secretary Liu that he broke into a cold sweat; he didn't know whether to accept the food Liu Quan brought over or not.

Liu Quan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Lao Pan, you are the Party Secretary of Gude Village; your task is the heaviest."

Pan Shurong was so nervous he couldn't even nod; he could only stare blankly at Liu Quan.

Liu Quan said, "Go ahead and eat, Lao Pan, I'm going back to eat."

After Liu Quan finished speaking, he left the canteen, and Zhu Shizhen got up and followed him.

With two bowls of rice, two basins of stir-fried white radish with meat slices, and a bowl of egg noodles, Pan Shurong declined at first, but then polished off a bowl of rice in a few bites. I took another small bowl and ate a bit of noodles.

After the meal, I took Pan Shurong to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought a few pounds of white sugar and some candies, gave some to Pan Shurong, and asked him to take some to Pan Xiaoqin's mother. I also took out two hundred yuan and gave it to him, saying it was the sponsorship money for Pan Xiaoqin's family.

After seeing Pan Shurong off, I stood alone by the side of the loess road, looking at the faint, shadowy figures on the distant mountain; they were digging holes for utility poles, and they were also digging for hope.

The project had started just like that. Liu Quan's impatience to get it underway must have had its reasons. One had to know that the county's funds hadn't arrived yet, and the Electric Power Bureau hadn't officially sent anyone either. Bringing electricity to Suxi Township wasn't just about stringing up lines; it also required a transformer station. And all of this was like a vow written in the wind!

Liu Quan was taking a desperate gamble by starting the work; there was too much in this that I couldn't understand.

My thoughts were in chaos. Lately, many things had kept me from finding peace. Ever since the oil press factory, I hadn't had a moment of quiet. I had originally intended to live out the rest of my life as a Suxi local who was half-official and half-merchant, but I never expected a cousin to suddenly appear, to meet County Magistrate Liu Qimeng, to visit Organization Department Minister Huang Shan, Bureau Chief An of the Development and Reform Bureau, and Bureau Chief Yi of the Electric Power Bureau. Huang Qishan, Guo Wei, and Huang Weiwei—these people swirled in my mind like a revolving lantern. My head was splitting with pain, and I wished I could find a pool of clear water and plunge my head into it.

The phone in my pocket rang; it was my aunt calling to tell me that my uncle would be bringing his troops to Suxi Township for exercises next week.

My uncle coming for exercises? A mere battalion commander like him, could he have such great authority?

I said, "Why are they coming all the way to Suxi Township for exercises?"

My aunt said on the phone, "Every piece of land is part of the motherland, and the People's Liberation Army has a responsibility to protect it. Suxi Township isn't a foreign country, so of course they should go."

"There's no river or sea here, what can they practice?" I was completely baffled.

"A bridge-building unit—they open roads through mountains and build bridges over water. Don't you understand yet?" My aunt hung up the phone, and I suddenly understood. My beautiful and clever aunt, thank you!

I must tell Liu Quan this good news right now, I thought.

If the bridge-building unit comes in for exercises, the heavy equipment needs a road to travel on. If there's no road, they'll have to build one. Building roads and bridges is truly a piece of cake for them!

My aunt is extremely clever; her idea solved my worries about heavy machinery.

As for whether to report this news to County Magistrate Liu Qimeng, I think this is a matter for Liu Quan to decide.

My mood suddenly lightened, and it was an incomparable lightness. It was as if the chaotic clouds before my eyes had suddenly cleared to reveal a bright moon and a gentle breeze.

Bringing electricity to Suxi Township could still overcome construction difficulties, but building a road required a professional engineering team. Just the task of blasting through mountains alone would be enough to worry a whole group of people to death.

The Suxi Township road expansion project, which was originally an impossible task, now seemed to be easily solved.

I don't know what method my aunt used, nor do I know what method my uncle used. Mobilizing troops for exercises is not something a small battalion commander can do. My uncle's bridge-building unit coming here was suspicious and sudden, which instantly calmed my previously agitated mood.

I am not the one leading the road construction in Suxi Township, but I am participating in this project, and it is the first visible thing I have done since coming to the countryside—a feat that benefits the present and lasts for generations. This matter cannot tolerate the slightest mistake!