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

"Comrade, the wheat from both companies is of similar quality and dryness. Why is the first one substandard while the second is?" Zhou Zhonghai asked sternly.

"Oh, so you're paying grain taxes too?"

"Yes, we've been waiting for hours. You're so slow. Is delivering grain really that troublesome?"

"Public grain is grain handed over to the state, so of course we have to inspect it carefully. Who will be responsible if there are any problems? Go to the back and wait, don't disturb my work."

The grain-collecting official said it in a boastful tone.

"Comrade, you still haven't answered me. Why is it that the quality of the two companies is similar, but the first one is substandard?"

"Who said they're about the same? They're far from it. His is definitely not good enough; he has to be taken back and dried in the sun again."

"I saw the second shop put something in your pocket. Did they give you money?" Zhou Zhonghai asked sharply.

"Who are you? Why are you so nosy? Do you need to find out if I slept with your wife...?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Zhonghai threw a punch, and a shrill scream and nosebleed appeared at the same time.

"What the hell did you say? I'll beat you to death!"

"Guards! This is outrageous! Everyone get back home today, no more grain inspections!"

Soon, several men came out of the grain depot. Seeing that Zhou Zhonghai was accompanied only by a little girl, they shouted, "So, you dare to hit a state cadre? Arrest him and send him to the police station!"

Zhou Zhonghai was a division commander, and several men couldn't get close to him. Qiaoqiao was so frightened that she backed away.

The people who were handing over their grain were unhappy and accused Zhou Zhonghai: "Who are you? Stop causing trouble! We brought our grain in the middle of the night, and they won't inspect it. What are we going to do?"

The comrades at the grain depot immediately called the police, stopped collecting the wheat, and herded those at the front of the line back: "Get out of here! Are you trying to rebel? Fine, fine, tonight's heavy rain will ruin all your wheat..."

"Get out of here! Aren't you leaving yet?"

The honest farmer had no choice but to call his family to carry the wheat back home, because if it rained, all that wheat would be worth a lot of money.

Zhou Zhonghai jumped onto the pile of wheat and shouted, "Everyone, don't panic! The grain station must give an explanation for what happened today. They're withholding wheat quality information, not because your wheat is bad, but because you didn't bribe them. This kind of corrupt practice must not be tolerated. Trust me, I will definitely give everyone justice."

Some people wanted to leave, while others hesitated. They had come all this way, only to have to take it back – it was truly frustrating.

A short while later, the police arrived. The police officers did not recognize Zhou Zhonghai and were about to make an arrest.

Gu Quan arrived with Gao Bing. Gao Bing's legs went weak. He had worked diligently on the front line all year, even sleeping with his eyes open. He never expected that at the last moment, he would be cheated by these damn grain depots.

"Minister Zhou... what are you doing at the grain station?" Gao Bing stammered.

"If I weren't here, you guys would be in complete chaos! Gao Bing, you should try the wheat from these two places yourself."

Zhou Zhonghai jumped down from the wheat pile, took a spade and scooped out two handfuls of wheat, then let Gao Bing taste them.

"Bad, about the same."

"Almost? Why did the first one fail but the second one pass? They traveled over ten miles, picking the samples before dawn, and you just say they're not up to standard and make them take them back? Are you government officials even human?" Zhou Zhonghai roared, his eyes red.

The comrades at the grain station were dumbfounded. Minister Zhou... This is terrible!

"Minister Zhou, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't expect... my subordinates would dare to be so bold?" Gao Bing was on the verge of tears.

"Aren't all the police officers here? Take them all away. I'll interrogate them. I want to see who gave them the guts. The farmers have just had a good harvest, and you're already trying to squeeze every last drop out? I'll see who dares to do anything to them now."

Zhou Zhonghai was furious. The police officers didn't dare to move, and Gao Bing shouted, "Take him away! What are you standing there for?"

The people at the grain depot called the police, and when they arrived, they arrested him.

Everyone was taken away, but the grain tax still had to be paid. Zhou Zhonghai pointed at Gao Bing and said, "Go and get more people. If this grain tax isn't dealt with today, you fucking go back to your hometown and farm."

"Yes, yes."

The people cheered: "Minister Zhou, our good leader!"

"Minister Zhou, you are an upright and just official."

The first uncle to pay his grain tax grabbed Zhou Zhonghai's hand and said, "Leader, it wasn't you; I have to take it back."

"Your wheat is excellent, plump and dry. Those who harvest the grain have no conscience. Don't worry, I won't tolerate this. I will definitely give everyone an explanation."

The second old farmer, who was handing over his grain tax, stammered, "Sir, I just gave him five yuan. Can I take it back?"

"Yes, you can go to the commune tomorrow and ask Secretary Gao for it."

"Really? That's great! Five dollars is enough for my family to eat for a week."

Qiaoqiao watched from the side, tears welling up in her eyes. The poor farmers, covered in sweat, planted a little grain, and after finally getting a good harvest, they were still being treated harshly by those public officials. How hateful, how utterly hateful!

Luckily, her father-in-law was here today, otherwise, Qiaoqiao would have given them five yuan too.

Gao Bing was also decisive and efficient. He had made such a big mistake and was caught red-handed by Minister Zhou. He had to correct his attitude immediately.

With one phone call, the commune office's accountant and secretary were all transferred over to collect public grain, while he himself picked up a spade to inspect the grain.

They acted impartially, passing through each shop in just a few minutes, and the long queues quickly shortened considerably.

Zhou Zhonghai arranged for Gu Quan to help Qiaoqiao's family move wheat, while he himself went to the Public Security Bureau.

Damn it, all those guys, get them all fired.

Zhou Zhonghai hated the people who were corrupt and traitors the most. In his eyes, there was no difference between corruption and traitors.

A few grain station cadres, wielding a tiny bit of power, are bullying the farmers. I'll make sure they get their asses shattered.

Of course, we can't be impulsive anymore, and we can't scare them with fake guns. As Commissioner Pu said, we need to change our personality.

"Let's make the changes," Zhou Zhonghai said. He went to the Public Security Bureau and made a phone call that summoned Xu Zhengtai, the county party secretary.

The obstruction of grain rations and the manipulation of official documents cannot be a phenomenon confined to one commune. To fundamentally solve the problem, the county party secretary must step in.

Several grain station staff members sat trembling in the interrogation room. For many years, they had made a small fortune every year by smuggling public grain. This year, with a bumper harvest from the people, they thought they could make a fortune. But in just a few days, they were caught.

How did the Minister of Agriculture of the province end up in Liushan Commune?

What a tragic fate!

Inside the interrogation room, the four comrades from the grain station, the police chief, and Zhou Zhonghai stared at each other, none of them speaking.

Zhou Zhonghai didn't want to talk about it, afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and would throw another punch.

If Zhou Zhonghai doesn't speak up, the police chief doesn't dare to either. Last time, when the village woman blocked the car, he didn't mediate well and made Minister Zhou pay 500 yuan. If he harbors resentment, his position will be in jeopardy.

Isn't it making things difficult for such a big shot to come to such a small place?

Ugh……

The public officials at the four grain depots trembled with fear, unsure of what their fate would be.

An hour later, Xu Zhengtai rushed over and greeted Zhou Zhonghai with a forced smile: "Minister Zhou, it's my fault. I didn't manage my subordinates well."

Zhou Zhonghai pointed to the grain inspector whose nose was bleeding and said, "Go search his pockets."

Where can I ask the county party secretary to search?

The police chief immediately stood up, and in a short while, he had a pile of loose change in his pocket, including five-cent coins, one-yuan coins, two-yuan coins, and five-yuan coins.

"These are our cadres! Farmers get up in the dark, carry the grain to the commune's granary, and wait all day. And our comrades? They'll let you pass with just five yuan. If they don't give you the money, no matter how good or dry your wheat is, they won't let you pass."

How many households are there in Liushan Commune? There are over thirty households in Dashui Village. If each household pays five yuan, how much is that? Xu Zhengtai, look at this. To ensure the farmers have enough to eat, I've gone into debt everywhere. You grassroots cadres have also worked diligently, but in the end, you've been defeated by these parasites.

"Arrogant and domineering, you think the farmers are just ants in your hands, to be dealt with as you please. Who gave you the audacity? Xu Zhengtai, investigate! Not just Liushan Commune, but the entire county! Investigate everything—this year's cases, last year's, and the year before's. If the amount exceeds one thousand, dismiss them from their posts and send them to jail!"

Zhou Zhonghai spoke calmly, each word carrying immense authority.

"Yes, Minister Zhou, we will definitely give you an explanation."

Upon hearing this, the four grain depot workers were paralyzed with fear and pleaded, "Minister Zhou, we will never dare to do it again, please give us another chance."

"Opportunity? Humph, people like you will never have a chance."

Zhou Zhonghai got up and left, handing over the authority to Xu Zhengtai.