I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The tricycle carrying two dark-skinned farmers stopped in a courtyard. The driver said in surprise, "Brother, your relative must be a high-ranking official."

"It's alright, it's alright. Can we drive it in? I can't carry these bags of potatoes." Zhou Zhonghai jumped off the tricycle and asked.

"If they let me in, I can go in." The driver pointed to the soldiers standing guard at the entrance with guns.

"Wait a moment, I'll go ask."

Zhou Zhonghai approached the gatekeeper, about to salute, when the guard's car was already pointed at his chest: "What are you doing!"

"I……"

"Get out of the way, no strangers allowed near," the guard shouted sternly.

Everyone knows Beijing is heavily guarded, but is it really this tight? They're not even letting people visit relatives anymore?

"Comrade, I'm looking for Chairman Pu Shizhong."

Zhou Zhonghai raised his hand helplessly.

Back in the army, Zhou Zhonghai could freely go to Commander Pu's office to drink tea and steal tea leaves, but now he has to be forced to meet him at gunpoint.

"Work ID!" The guards did not lower their guard just because of Commissioner Pu's name.

Zhou Zhonghai took out his work ID from his jacket pocket and handed it to the guard with both hands.

"The provincial...Minister of Agriculture?" The guard frowned.

"This can't be fake," Zhou Zhonghai hurriedly explained, "Don't I look like a minister?"

"Wait a minute, let me call Committee Member Pu to verify."

"Yes, yes..."

Although being blocked at the door is quite annoying, I have to say the security is pretty good, much better than the provincial agricultural department. Those county party secretaries can easily block his office door.

A short while later, the guard, holding a gun in one hand and saluting with the other, said, "Minister Zhou, I'm sorry, please come in!"

"Then, my things?"

"The driver is not allowed in; the supplies need to be inspected."

"Okay, okay!"

The bags were opened one by one, revealing potatoes, peanuts, and soybeans, which made the guards frown.

After half an hour of fussing, Zhou Zhonghai and Gu Quan, carrying several bags of local specialties, finally entered the courtyard.

"Gu Quan, you're carrying potatoes, my back is killing me."

"Yes, Minister Zhou."

"Here are the soybeans, you give me the eggplant peels. If I had known it would be this troublesome, I should have brought less."

"It's alright, Minister Zhou, I can take it."

An old man and a young boy arrived at Pu Shizhong's doorstep, panting heavily.

"Haha, Zhou Zhonghai, what good stuff did you bring me?" Pu Shizhong received the call and was waiting at the door.

"These are all good stuff, local specialties. Could you help me with this?"

"I'm too old to carry this. Thank you for your trouble, Minister Zhou." Pu Shizhong had a sly grin on his face, but he refused to help.

This is a detached small building, clean, solemn, and spacious.

In the living room on the first floor, Zhou Zhonghai began to introduce the local specialties: "The potatoes from the sandy soil taste completely different from the potatoes you eat. Soybeans, they make delicious soy milk. And my daughter-in-law makes pickled cucumbers, which she brought all the way from Huailin. Eggplant peel, stir-fried with pork belly, is enough to make you eat five bowls of rice."

Zhou Zhonghai rattled off the list with great familiarity, while Pu Shizhong chuckled, "You came all the way to Beijing just to bring me local specialties?"

"No, I missed you, so I came to see you."

"You miss me? You think you can just bring me this stuff? You could at least buy me a few pounds of fruit."

"These are free, aren't they? I'm poor, I'm drowning in debt," Zhou Zhonghai said, playing the victim.

"So poor you can't even afford a few pounds of fruit? Tell me, what brings you here?"

"Hehe, Commander Pu, you have such keen insight! I really have something to ask of you."

The three sat down, and the nanny poured tea and took the potatoes, peanuts, and soybeans to the kitchen. Zhou Zhonghai called out, "Big sister, I'm hungry, could you please steam some potatoes?"

"Shall I cook you a dish?"

"No need, just eat potatoes, I like them." Pu Shizhong gestured to the nanny to go and steam the potatoes.

"I heard that Tonggang County has had a bumper wheat harvest," Pu Shizhong said slowly.

"So, you know about Tonggang County even in Beijing?"

"I know exactly what you're doing and what you're trying to do. Tonggang County is your county, and it's also my county."

"Yes, yes, I am yours too."

"What do I need you for? Look how dark you are, you've lost all the demeanor of a teacher."

"Minister of Agriculture, it's really tough work. For half a month before the wheat harvest, I was stationed in Tonggang County, worried about rain, wind, and the wheat not being ready for harvest on time. Now that the wheat is all home, I can finally come to Beijing to see you with peace of mind."

"Tonggang County has successfully distributed land to individual households, and the people are able to eat their fill. We should immediately implement the land distribution system nationwide. Zhou Zhonghai, I'm also waiting for your good news." Pu Shizhong took a sip of tea.

"Old commander, let's go all out! Tonggang County's income this year is double that of last year. After paying the grain tax, every household has white flour steamed buns to eat, and there are also soybeans, peanuts, and potatoes—all harvested in abundance."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, especially the potatoes. You just saw them, they're big and yellow. Try them when they're steamed. They're much higher in starch than regular potatoes. My little grandson wants to eat them every day."

"Okay, very good."

"What's so good about it..."

"Isn't a bumper harvest a good thing?"

"Hundreds of thousands of kilograms, who are we going to sell them to?"

We finally got to the main topic.

"Sell it to the cafeteria, you'll save so much money for the cafeteria."

"You make it sound so easy. Tonggang County has hundreds of thousands of kilograms of potatoes grown in sandy soil, and other farms also have hundreds of thousands of kilograms of potatoes. They are all sent to the canteen. The canteen serves potato shreds and potato slices every day."

As they were talking, the nanny had already steamed the potatoes—three big, golden potatoes, their aroma filling the air.

"I buy groceries every day, and I've never seen potatoes that smell so good. Could it be that the potatoes are different?" the nanny asked, puzzled.

"Big sister, it's different. Just like sweet potatoes, some are bland and tasteless, while others are sweet and soft. Potatoes are the same; different varieties and different growing environments result in different tastes. Come, big sister, you should try them. Old commander, you should try some too."

A large potato, broken in half, one half for the nanny and the other half for Pu Shizhong.

One bite, and it's soft, sweet, and fragrant—even the potato is sweet?

Take another bite, and you'll notice the potatoes at home have a slightly bitter taste, but this is the aroma.

"Wow, this is delicious! Potatoes without enough oil and moisture taste astringent, but this one isn't astringent at all!" the nanny exclaimed in surprise.

Zhou Zhonghai stared nervously at Pu Shizhong. Pu Shizhong silently ate a few bites, then looked up at Zhou Zhonghai: "Weren't you hungry? Why aren't you eating?"

"Oh, old commander, just tell me, aren't the potatoes from our Tonggang County delicious?"

"It's delicious. I'm getting old, so I need to eat more potatoes; it's healthy."

"That?"

"How much are you planning to sell it for per pound?"

"One cent."

"Are you crazy? Potatoes are eight cents a pound at the market, and you're asking for ten cents wholesale?"

"Sir, let me tell you this: potatoes with this texture are only found in Tonggang County. Even if I brought them to Beijing, you couldn't buy them for a dollar a pound. Scarcity drives up prices, so you have to help Tonggang County build its brand. I also have regular potatoes, five cents a pound, as many as you want."

"You... how about this, I'll bring the potatoes to the cafeteria tomorrow so the leaders can try them. If everyone is satisfied, I'll help you find a market for them."

"Oh, old commander, I knew you cared about me the most. With just a word from you, I wouldn't have to worry about having too many potatoes."

Then she turned to the nanny and said, "Sister, do you have any noodles at home? I'm hungry, I haven't eaten all day, please cook two bowls of noodles."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't eat anything else but potatoes?" Pu Shizhong smiled disdainfully.

"I don't care what I eat, the main thing is Xiao Gu. He's only eaten two steamed buns from last night to today. Young people need nutrition, and potatoes make him hungrier the more he eats."

"You old rascal, you're still so cunning."

"No, no, it's all thanks to your excellent teaching."

"You... hurry up and cook some noodles, add some shredded meat, and fry two eggs."

Gu Quan thought to himself, "Our minister is the best at digging holes."