The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

Chen Shi, led by Shi Fu and others, inspected the greenhouse vegetable base.

The greenhouse vegetable base covers an area of ​​more than 800 mu. The terrain is flat and lacks irrigation water. The water source is drawn from a small river that flows through the neighboring village.

The greenhouse vegetable base is situated on higher ground than the neighboring village, making direct irrigation impossible.

When Chen Shi inspected the area, he found that the farmers all looked worried and distressed.

He looked at the farmer standing behind him and said, "Fellow villager, come forward."

The farmer didn't realize what was happening until someone nearby reminded him, at which point he came forward.

Chen Shi asked, "How many acres of land have you contracted to grow vegetables?"

The farmer was a little nervous; it was his first time meeting the deputy county head, whom he usually only saw on television.

"I contracted ten acres, and I'm growing watermelons."

How much does it cost to lease one acre of land?

"800"

"After deducting costs, how much money can you make in a year?"

"It depends on the market conditions. When the market is good, you can earn two or three hundred thousand a year. But if the market is bad and watermelons don't sell, you not only won't make money, but you'll also lose money."

I lost over 200,000 yuan last year, and now I owe the bank over 500,000 yuan, with monthly interest payments of 5,000 to 6,000 yuan.

If you don't come out to inspect the situation, these things will remain unreported while you're sitting in your office.

Chen Shi looked at Shi Fu: "Mayor Shi, the sale of vegetables grown in greenhouse vegetable bases is a big problem. Farmers work hard to grow them, and your town government must find ways to open up sales channels for them. We can't let the vegetables rot in the fields. Farmers work hard all year, but not only do they not make money, they lose money. Your town government has a great responsibility."

Shi Fu took notes and quickly said, "County Chief Chen's criticism is correct. We'll hold a meeting later to discuss and establish a professional team to be responsible for the sale of farmers' vegetables and help them choose sales channels."

Chen Shi looked at the farmers and said, "If your watermelons are not selling well in the future, go to the town government and ask Mayor Shi for help. If he doesn't help you find a market, go directly to the county government and find me. I will find a market for you."

The farmer said excitedly, "Thank you, County Head."

"What other difficulties are there?" Chen Shi asked.

The farmer glanced at the deputy mayor in charge, and Chen Shi raised his voice and said, "Why are you looking at him? If you have any difficulties, just say so. I'm here to help you solve your problems, not to put on a show for the people."

The deputy mayor said, "If you encounter any difficulties, report them to the county head immediately."

The farmers said, "County magistrate, we are facing difficulties right now. The water is being pumped from two kilometers away. The power company has cut off our electricity, and we haven't been able to irrigate for four or five days. The seedlings are about to die from lack of water. If we don't get our electricity back soon, we will suffer heavy losses."

Chen Shi looked at Shi Fu sternly: "What's going on?"

Shi Fuye was confused and looked at the deputy mayor in charge.

The deputy mayor said, "The farmers contacted me about this two days ago, and I'm currently coordinating with the power management office..."

Chen Shi interrupted the deputy mayor: "It's been several days already. We can't go a day without watering; if we don't water for four or five days, large numbers of seedlings will die. Can you take responsibility for that?"

The deputy mayor was covered in cold sweat: "In Chen County, it's normal for the power company to cut off power when farmers don't pay their electricity bills. They're not under the town government's jurisdiction. I told them to give me power first, but they completely ignored me."

Why aren't farmers paying their electricity bills?

A farmer standing nearby said, "County head, here's the situation: the power management office is charging us electricity at industrial rates, which is very unreasonable. We're not running a factory here; we're farming. We use electricity to pump water for irrigation, which consumes a lot of electricity. My ten mu of land cost me over 30,000 yuan in electricity last year, which is a considerable expense."

The deputy mayor chimed in, "I've tried to coordinate this with the power management office. We wanted to charge residential electricity rates, but they wouldn't agree. They said it's large-scale farming and should be charged industrial rates."

Chen Shi asked, "How much is the difference in electricity charges between residential and industrial users?"

The deputy mayor quickly said, "It's a difference of 100%. Residential electricity costs 50 cents, while industrial electricity costs 1 yuan. I've organized the staff from the power management office to coordinate with the farmers, but neither side is willing to budge, and we simply can't reach an agreement."

The deputy mayor wanted to say, "I'm caught in the middle, it's very difficult. Nobody listens to me. The power company is fearless. If you don't pay your electricity bill, I'll cut off your power."

The farmers collectively refused to pay their electricity bills, trying to coerce the town government into resolving the issue. He was at his wits' end, unable to solve it at all. If something went wrong, he would still be held responsible. It's not an easy job for a township official.

Chen Shi said, "The electricity bill is indeed too high. If you can't coordinate it, why don't you report it to the town?"

The deputy mayor really wanted to complain, so I reported it to the authorities. The town held a meeting to discuss it, but it still ended up being left to me, the deputy mayor in charge, to find a solution.

Shi Fu looked at the deputy mayor, who knew that he had to take the blame himself.

Telling the truth now won't solve the problem. Once the leader leaves, I don't want to be the deputy mayor anymore.

Chen Shi looked at the deputy mayor and said, "You must treat the problems that farmers encounter as your own major issues and solve them. If I don't come to inspect, how long will you continue to drag this out? Large areas of vegetables have died, and farmers have suffered heavy losses. Who is responsible for this, you or the town government?"

The deputy mayor lowered his head; at this moment, anything he said would be wrong.

Chen Shi sternly criticized the deputy mayor, then looked at Shi Fu: "Mayor Shi, this problem can't be delayed. How do you plan to resolve it?"

"I went to the person in charge of the power management office to discuss with them and ask them to arrange power supply first."

"The root of the problem hasn't been solved yet. I'll call their manager and ask them to charge for electricity according to residential rates."

Chen Shi took out his phone and called Qin Jiang.

Qin Jiang is now the deputy director of the power supply bureau. He previously served as the director of the power management station in Heyuan Town. The current director is the person he recommended.

Upon seeing Chen Shi's call, he quickly answered it.

Chen County

"Director Qin, I'm inspecting the greenhouse vegetable base in Heyuan Town. The water source here has to be pumped from a place two kilometers away."

The power management office in Heyuan Town charges industrial electricity rates, which is too high. People don't earn money easily. Could you please charge them residential electricity rates?

The power outage has lasted for four or five days; let's restore power to them first.

"Chen County, I will arrange it."

Qin Jiang hung up the phone and called the director of the Heyuan Town Power Management Office.

"Old Cao, Chen County is going to inspect the greenhouse vegetable base in Heyuan Town. Farmers are doing planting, not running factories. You should submit a report to the power supply bureau and charge them the electricity fees as residential electricity."

"We'll supply them with electricity now. The greenhouse vegetables can't go without irrigation for a long time; we can't afford the losses."

Old Cao knew about Qin Jiang's relationship with Chen Shi. He knew that Qin Jiang was half credited with becoming the deputy director, so he quickly agreed.

Not long after Chen Shi hung up the phone, power was restored to the greenhouse vegetable base, and the farmers cheered. This deputy county head really did solve the problem.

Chen Shi looked at the deputy mayor: "I've already spoken to their leaders. You should go find the relevant person in charge at the power management office and ask them to charge for electricity according to residential rates."

The deputy mayor nodded repeatedly. The county magistrate is indeed the county magistrate; his words carry weight.

After Chen Shi finished inspecting the greenhouse vegetable base, it was getting dark, around six o'clock.

Shi Fu said, "Chen County, we have prepared a meal in the town. Let's go back to the town to eat first."

Chen Shi waved his hand: "I won't eat. I'm here to inspect the situation and mainly to solve problems."

Shi Fu tried to persuade him to stay, but Chen Shi insisted on leaving. He said that he couldn't leave without getting drunk after having dinner with the township officials.