Chapter 540: Worldly affairs are like a game of chess

Three men and one woman drank three bottles of dizzying Daqu liquor.

When it came to the last glass, Liu Quan sighed and said, "After drinking this time, I'm afraid there won't be another chance to drink this wine again."

I asked in surprise, "Why wouldn't there be a chance?"

Liu Quan let out a deep sigh and said, "This distillery has already been annexed by someone else and turned into a beer factory. Although they still produce white liquor, it's no longer produced by them. They drag raw mash from Sichuan, blend it, change the brand, and raise the price. It's said that even the cheapest bottle costs over two hundred yuan."

"Can't afford to drink it anymore!" He slammed his glass heavily onto the table, looked at me, and said, "Come, Xiao Chen, you tell me, you've come for research this time, do you have any thoughts?"

I diverted the topic and asked, "Old Secretary, was the distillery annexed and reorganized, or what?"

Liu Quan frowned and cursed, "Annexed, my foot! This bunch of people nowadays, they eat a person without even spitting out the bones. The distillery was sold off, the original workers were all laid off, their seniority bought out, and they were kicked out. It was such a good distillery; how many people in the Hengyue region grew up drinking their wine? A bottle of wine cost five yuan, and every family could afford it. Now it's good, the factory is gone, and the workers are laid off. A property that was originally worth ten million was sold for a few hundred thousand. If you want to buy their wine, sorry, bring money. Bring big money!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and his face, originally full of wrinkles, suddenly smoothed out.

He slapped the table with one palm, stared into my eyes, and said, "Chen Feng, the common people are suffering!"

I nodded with a forced smile and said, "Old Secretary, I understand."

"As long as you understand, tell me, what exactly are you researching this time?"

I hesitated for a moment; some things were confidential. For example, our research this time looked grand on the surface, but we all knew that the result of the research was just a reference. Whether it could truly be realized depended not only on heaven's will but also on luck.

Before things were officially settled, I couldn't give people too much hope.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. If hope truly turned into disappointment, it would be more painful than death.

"What? Can't you say?" Liu Quan was clearly displeased.

"I can say it, why wouldn't I be able to?" I laughed it off and said, "In front of the Old Secretary, is there anything I need to hide? No, I trust the Old Secretary. You are my guide, my role model."

Liu Quan was brushed into a beaming smile by my flattery, tapped the table, and said, "You brat, I was just seeing if you had forgotten your roots."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" I said repeatedly, giving a rough outline of the purpose of our research.

Liu Quan listened carefully, then slapped the table, giving us all a fright.

"This is a monumental matter!" I said with wide, angry eyes. "This is a major event that will be written into history!"

Zhu Hua Yu laughed, "Old Liu, what are you getting excited about? You've already stepped down, can you even manage this?"

Liu Quan glared at him and said, "Who said I stepped down? I've only retired to the second line."

Zhu Hua Yu smoothed things over, "Fine, fine, fine. You are a capable person; you need to continue contributing your remaining energy."

Liu Quan laughed heartily, and after laughing, he stared at me again, making me feel uneasy.

"Brat, you tell me, is this thing for real, or are you just saying it to get it over with? Putting on a show, letting the common people have empty joy for nothing?"

I said seriously, "Old Secretary, this is for real. The country attaches great importance to it and has discussed it many times; we are just waiting for the national research data to make a decision."

The first half of the sentence was what I imagined, and the second half was basically me talking nonsense. For such a major policy, as a trainee, what the hell would I know!

"What do you think?" Liu Quan asked, looking at me with interest.

"It is indeed as the Old Secretary said, it is a major event, a historic major event." I cleared my throat and said, "Since our ancestors had a social system, they have always had to pay various taxes, among which the agricultural tax has existed for thousands of years. In every dynasty, no matter who was the emperor, their eyes were first fixed on the agricultural tax. Without this tax revenue, the country would perish. Therefore, the first thing people who farmed thought of when they opened their eyes was that out of ten stalks of rice in the field, eight had to be imperial grain."

"The common people worked themselves to death, and the grain they exchanged for with their sweat and blood had to be handed over to the public because of the agricultural tax. It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt, but what could they do about the pain? Our ancestors lived like this too, so just accept your fate."

"Now it's better; with reform and opening up, there are more opportunities to make money outside, so people don't farm anymore and all go out to work. With no one to farm the fields, let alone not being able to pay the agricultural tax, if this continues, even having food to eat will become a problem."

I talked eloquently, the intoxication grew stronger, and my interest in speaking grew higher.

Looking at Liu Quan and the others, they were actually listening with great interest.

As soon as I stopped, Liu Quan clapped and praised, "Well said! Thorough! You didn't go to the provincial capital for nothing!"

Zhu Hua Yu on the side had been smiling without a word; she had already tidied up the table, brewed a cup of fragrant flower tea for each of us, and sat quietly by my side, listening intently.

"If this thing is accomplished, it will accumulate hidden virtues!" Liu Quan sighed.

Zhu Hua Yu laughed, "Old thing, why are you saying this? You don't even think about what kind of status you have."

Liu Quan smiled honestly and said, "I'm just speaking my mind."

After a pause, he asked me, "I heard the county specifically formed a group to assist your research?"

I said yes, and told him that County Magistrate Yu was personally serving as the group leader.

Liu Quan pondered for a while, then said with a face full of smiles, "Xiao Chen, do me a favor."

I said, "Old Secretary, please give your instructions."

Liu Quan pointed at Zhu Hua Yu, then pointed at himself, and said, "Go to the county and talk to them, have me and my little niece transferred to the group to assist you in your research."

I was stunned for a moment. If this had been in the past, I could have settled it in one sentence. Now, I was also an outsider god; if the local Earth God didn't agree, even if I poked a hole in the sky, I would still have nowhere to exert my strength.

Liu Quan saw my dilemma and waved his hand, saying, "You don't need to worry about me; I'll go talk to Secretary Liu myself. Niece Hua Yu, you need to pay attention. She used to follow you, and now that you're gone, she has nowhere to go. Now that you're back, if you don't help her, who will? Besides, she followed you for so many years, she's familiar with everything, and it'll be handy for work."

My heart stirred, and I glanced at Zhu Hua Yu. She was lowering her head, smiling at us without saying a word.

I thought for a moment and said, "Old Secretary, I will do my best."

Seeing the time, it was already very late, so I stood up to take my leave.

Liu Quan still wanted to play a few games with Zhu Hua Yu while the alcohol was still in his system, so I had to excuse myself and prepare to return to the Huihuang Hotel.

Zhu Hua Yu saw me out, walking by my side without saying a word.

After walking for a distance, I stopped and said, "Don't see me off anymore, you go back."

Zhu Hua Yu smiled, wanting to say something but stopping.

I smiled and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. We aren't outsiders."

She smiled sweetly and said, "Don't take Uncle Liu's words to heart just now. I'm actually doing very well now. I'm not working, but they still pay me my salary. Do you know? I'm also a person with an official position now."

"Is that so?" I felt a burst of excitement. The personnel exam I had Xie Tian organize back then had resulted in some people being punished due to cheating, but I didn't expect that in the end, it was still implemented according to my ideas.

"It was Secretary Liu who personally approved my position," Zhu Hua Yu said with deep gratitude. "Without him, I would still be a farmer."

I laughed, "Hua Yu, don't look down on the status of a farmer; perhaps before long, even if you want to be a farmer, you won't have the chance."

She looked at me in surprise and asked, "Really? Is there still anyone in this world willing to be a farmer? Don't try to fool me."

A gust of wind blew, and my whole body began to fill with chill.

Winter comes early in the mountains; after autumn, winter arrives in the blink of an eye. People hadn't yet felt the joy of the autumn harvest before they were urged by the chill to wrap themselves up tightly.

Zhu Hua Yu seemed very cold; by the faint light, I could see her nostrils slightly quivering.

"No matter how good being a farmer is, I still want to be a city person," Zhu Hua Yu said stubbornly.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Because if I become a city person, I won't have an inferiority complex when I'm with you."

I felt a pang of sadness. In fact, in my heart, there had never been a distinction of status. For example, when she was still a farmer, I had asked her to be my secretary.

Actually, people at my level don't have dedicated secretaries, but Liu Qimeng was happy to do a favor and gave me Zhu Hua Yu as a high-level appointment.

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked away.

I stood still and called out in a low voice, "Hua Yu, if you have a chance, go talk to Huang Qishan; after all, you once loved each other deeply."

Zhu Hua Yu stopped. With her back to me, she said softly, "If I told you a fact, would you believe it?"

I nodded and said, "No matter what you say, I believe it."

She turned around, her face full of smiles like a flower. She walked back a few steps, leaned into my ear, and said, "I am still a pure body, do you believe it?"

I was stunned for a moment, not understanding the meaning of her words.

Her face turned red, and she covered her face and stomped her feet, saying, "You are bullying me."

I said inexplicably, "How did I bully you?"

"I even told you this." She was too shy to look at me.

I immediately understood the meaning of her words and sighed in my heart, Huang Qishan, that brat, is still a gentleman! ===== CHAPTER 541 =====