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

"With the commune taking the lead and you, Wang Jiakun, in charge, we'll get the kiln fired this winter," Zhou Zhonghai said decisively.

"Yes!" Gao Bing and Wang Jiakun said in unison.

"Minister Zhou, Maojia Village can fire kilns, so can other villages and production brigades also engage in some sideline businesses?"

"Of course you can. I'll give you a heads-up: the economy will be liberalized soon, allowing individual businesses to get rich through their skills. Your commune shouldn't get involved in small businesses, but you need to get on board with the big businesses as soon as possible. You have to be ahead of everyone else in everything you do."

"Minister Zhou, with your words, I, and our Liushan Commune, will get to work immediately."

"As for the money, I'll have Xu Zhengtai allocate some, but you'll also need to figure out your own solutions. Once you see profits, you can invest more. Once it's up and running, it won't be so difficult."

"Yes, I understand."

Gao Bing and Wang Jiakun were so happy they were practically crawling on their butts, and couldn't wait to go and fire the kiln right now.

"Alright, nothing else. Gao Bing, hurry back and arrange the warehouse for storing potatoes and the manpower. We need to fight this first battle well."

"Yes, Minister Zhou." The two bowed to Zhou Zhonghai and then left happily.

Halfway there, Gao Bing and Wang Jiakun smoked a cigarette under the eaves of a thatched hut. Gao Bing asked Wang Jiakun, "How much of what Minister Zhou said is true?"

"It doesn't sound true to me. That kiln hasn't been lit for ten years. How could it suddenly start firing again?"

The two of them felt increasingly uneasy as they walked, so they decided to take a break and analyze the situation.

"Jiakun, something's fishy. Minister Zhou is in charge of agriculture, but what he said to us today is about industry."

"Not entirely, it's more like a side job."

"Kiln firing is a village-run enterprise. Look around, which village dares to run an enterprise? Minister Zhou told me to go all out, so can I set up a vermicelli processing plant? Can I set up a livestock farm? Can I set up a textile factory? Tell me, don't these fall under the category of industry?"

"Secretary Gao, do you still want to set up a textile factory?"

"Why not? Our commune used to have a cloth dyeing workshop. Even though it was eliminated during the 'Four Pests' campaign, their skills are still there. Dye the cloth, add a few sewing machines, and you've got a textile factory!"

"Secretary, even with Minister Zhou's promise, can't we take such big steps?"

"Is this a discussion? Does the Minister of Agriculture have the authority to allow us to open a factory?"

"Probably not, but the vice governor in charge of economic development does."

"Wang Jiakun, I understand, I get it..."

Gao Bing slapped Wang Jiakun hard. The tough guy, a former soldier, almost fell over from the impact: "What do you understand now?"

Wang Jiakun looked completely bewildered. Gao Bing leaned close to Wang Jiakun's ear and whispered, "Minister Zhou will soon no longer be Minister Zhou, he'll be Governor Zhou..."

Wang Jiakun was taken aback, and whispered, "Really?"

"It's 100% accurate, but since the transfer order hasn't been issued yet, Minister Zhou can't say for sure."

In the vast, empty fields, for miles around, there wasn't a soul in sight. Two grown men whispered furtively, their voices rising and falling in excitement, sometimes clapping their hands, as if they had discovered a major secret about the existence of the universe.

Zhou Zhonghai was sitting alone in the west room, drinking tea and smoking, when Grandma Qiaoqiao brought over a thermos of hot water: "Zhonghai, why did Secretary Gao leave? Stay for dinner."

"Grandma, they've gone to do something."

"Your boss has it tough. He came to our house, but left without eating a single bite."

In rural areas, inviting guests to a meal is considered the highest form of hospitality. If a family is too poor, even a simple dish of fried eggs is considered a token of the host's goodwill.

"From now on, you don't need to invite anyone to stay for dinner. There are already so many people in the family, we're always worried about what to cook."

"It would be impolite of us not to eat when you come. Zhonghai, the tea has gone weak, pour it out and make some cold tea. I'll get you a fresh pot of tea."

"Okay, thank you, Grandma."

Grandma Qiaoqiao went out with the teapot. Someone came to the house; it was Jintao's mother.

"Auntie, is Minister Zhou home?" Jin Tao's mother asked loudly.

"What are you doing in my house? I'm not here, get out, get out..."

"They extorted 500 yuan and still have the nerve to come to Minister Zhou?" Grandma Qiaoqiao was very displeased.

"You old hag, I'm not looking for you, I'm looking for Minister Zhou."

Jin Tao's mother completely ignored Qiao Qiao's grandmother's disdain.

"This is my home, you're not welcome here, you troublemaker, get out, get out..."

Grandma reached out to shoo her away, but Jin Tao's mother was so agile that Grandma couldn't catch her at all.

Zhou Zhonghai came out, and asked sullenly, "What do you want?"

"Oh, there you are, Minister Zhou. I'm here to ask you for my son and daughter-in-law. You've kidnapped them. They're delivering grain now, and there's no one at home. You have to bring my son and daughter-in-law back." Jin Tao's mother was full of twisted logic.

I rushed back to the provincial capital last time and didn't have time to argue with Jin Tao's mother. I didn't expect her to come looking for trouble again.

"Really? What evidence do you have that I abducted your son and daughter-in-law?" Zhou Zhonghai asked with a half-smile.

"Was it you who took Fenglin to the hospital? Did you sign the consent form for Baoda's treatment? They went to the hospital and never came back. Did you find Fenglin a job in the provincial capital? Did you encourage them not to go home? A minister like you, interfering in other people's family affairs! I'm going to sue you!"

"Hahaha, okay, what are you going to accuse me of?"

"I'm suing you for making me lose my grandson!"

"My son gave you five hundred yuan, and you promised not to cause trouble again. You took the money and then turned your back on us. What, do you think I, Zhou Zhonghai, owe your family a lifetime?"

"Even if it were two lifetimes, you still owe my family. Now that my family has no able-bodied people, we can't do the work in the fields, so you have to help me." Jin Tao's mother started to act shamelessly.

"What if I don't do it?"

"I...I'm going to sue you! I'm suing you for being an incorruptible official who harmed my whole family..."

"Fine, fine, Jin Tao's mother, I'll let it slide for Jin Tao's sake. You want five hundred yuan? I'll give you five hundred yuan. I didn't expect you to try and cheat me. Fine, you're going to sue me, aren't you? Gu Quan, Gu Quan, is he back?"

Gu Quan, who was parking his car outside, heard the shout and rushed in: "Minister, what's the matter?"

"Zhang Cuilian wants to sue me, and since I happen to have time, I'll take her to court. This time, she has no choice but to sue."

After saying that, he pulled Jin Tao's mother towards the yard. Jin Tao's mother tried to break free, but Zhou Zhonghai's expression turned cold: "If you don't sue, give me back the five hundred yuan. If you do sue, forget about the money, we'll go to court."

Jin Tao's father, who was waiting outside the door, saw Zhou Zhonghai grabbing Jin Tao's mother and trying to get her into the car. He became anxious and said, "Minister Zhou, please let her go. She's all talk and no action."

"You old bastard, sue me if you want. I'm in the right, what are you afraid of?"

Ignorance breeds fearlessness. Jin Tao's mother got into the jeep, and Zhou Zhonghai and Gu Quan got in as well. They drove straight to the county court to file a lawsuit.

Grandma Qiaoqiao was frantic. What could she do? They'd already gone to court. She went to the fields to find Qiaoqiao's father and had to come back to mediate.

Qiaoqiao's father was working hard in the field, sweating profusely. Hearing the news, he was also very anxious, but Qiaoqiao remained calm: "Grandma, you can go back now. Everything will be alright."

"Jin Tao's mother is suing your father-in-law!" Grandma was very anxious.

"Grandma, Dad, we have to sue. If we don't, they'll think our family is easy to bully. My father-in-law doesn't like to argue with women. But if he really does argue, he'll cut off the trouble. Otherwise, with Jin Tao's mother coming to make trouble every few days, who can stand it?"

"Mother, Qiaoqiao is right, we should sue."

Qiaoqiao's father thought it made sense, so he wasn't in a hurry anymore and continued planting soybeans.