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

The 180,000 yuan in embezzled funds was transferred from the bank to the provincial finance department.

The Minister of Finance was so happy he couldn't sleep all night; this was a windfall!

The Ministry of Education needs money, the Ministry of Health needs money, and the Ministry of Public Facilities needs money.

This money can solve our immediate problem.

However, the joy lasted only one night. Vice Governor Zhou Zhonghai called and said that the Ministry of Finance would add another 20,000 yuan, making a total of 200,000 yuan, which would then be given to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Minister of Finance was furious. He said the Ministry of Agriculture was a bottomless pit, and no amount of money was ever enough. Not only did they give all 180,000 yuan to the Ministry of Agriculture, but they also had to pay 20,000 yuan back. Good heavens, this is so unfair!

A higher-ranking official can have absolute power; he had no choice but to give it to them. Zhou Zhonghai had brought the money back from Huaihai City himself.

The Minister of Finance, deeply displeased, couldn't help but report to the Governor: "Governor Feng, you need to keep an eye on Vice Governor Zhou. In his heart, industry, agriculture, and commerce are his own sons, while education and healthcare are like stepchildren. He wishes all the fiscal revenue went to his own sons."

Upon hearing this, Feng Shiguang thought, "Hey, that kid really is from the military. He's pretty good at catching spies; he catches them one by one."

Feng Shiguang blamed the Minister of Finance: "What biological mother and stepmother? Once he becomes the governor, they'll all be biological mothers."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Finance fainted on the spot. "My God, is Zhou Zhonghai going to succeed Governor Feng?"

He has a bad temper, is arrogant and rude, and will come to anyone's door with a gun if they don't get along with him.

So, are there still good days ahead?

When the 200,000 yuan was transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture, Xia Lei was completely stunned.

At this point, he was overwhelmed by a massive debt of ten cents. (Most people have three-quarters of their debt, but he has ten cents.)

Agriculture across the province was distributed to individual households, and 80% of the new wheat seeds allocated by the Ministry of Agriculture were purchased on credit.

What does this mean?

When Zhou Zhonghai first piloted the program in Tonggang County, the amount of wheat and corn seeds purchased on credit in that county was around 80,000 yuan. There are 61 counties in the province. If we assume that each county purchased 50,000 yuan on credit, that would amount to more than 3 million yuan.

What a terrifying number! The Ministry of Finance has only allocated 500,000 so far, and Xia Lei has to figure out the rest himself.

They rob Peter to pay Paul, and in the end, even after all the walls were torn down, there was still a huge financial hole.

The 200,000 yuan that Zhou Zhonghai sent wasn't much, but it was still relief.

Xia Lei dialed Zhou Zhonghai's number; they hadn't spoken since their last argument.

"Vice Governor Zhou, hello, the Ministry of Agriculture has received the money."

The call connected, and Zhou Zhonghai greeted him. Xia Lei choked up a little.

"Why are you crying?"

Zhou Zhonghai softened his tone. Xia Lei, who used to chase after him every day asking for money, would cry?

"No, I'm just happy. Thank you, Vice Governor Zhou, for remembering our Ministry of Agriculture," Xia Lei quickly composed himself and said earnestly.

"Xia Lei, I'm sorry to have put you in this difficult position, but there was no other way. Agriculture is a vital sector for the province, and I wouldn't feel comfortable letting anyone else become the Minister of Agriculture if I left. Only you, I understand you, you have no selfish motives."

Now that the land is about to be distributed to individual households, the people are happy; they'll have white flour buns to eat. We're having a hard time, but the people are having an even harder time. Let's hold on a little longer, and by next July, when the wheat harvest is bountiful, we won't have to borrow money everywhere anymore.” Zhou Zhonghai sighed, truly feeling sorry for Xia Lei.

"Vice Governor Zhou, with your words, I, Xia Lei, would go through fire and water without hesitation." Xia Lei was somewhat emotional.

"Xia Lei, I came from the Ministry of Agriculture, so I know about your current funding shortfall. Huailin's economy is already semi-open. By the end of the year, I must get you another 200,000 yuan from Sanjun. We can't let the comrades at the research institute go hungry during the New Year, can we?"

"Vice Governor Zhou, thank you so much!"

Xia Lei felt an urge to burst into tears. His colleagues at the research institute were all his students, and they hadn't received their salaries for three months.

No, he hasn't received a salary since he was the Minister of Agriculture. All the new varieties were used to support him, and he didn't receive a single penny in cash.

I thought things would be better at the research institute now that my teacher had become a high-ranking official, but instead, we went from having two meals a day to just one.

Xia Lei felt guilty, never expecting that Zhou Zhonghai, no, Vice Governor Zhou, was still thinking of them.

"Xia Lei, this will all pass quickly. Next summer, you will hear the cheers of the people and see white steamed buns on every family's table. You will be proud of your perseverance today."

"Thank you, former boss."

Zhou Zhonghai hung up the phone, and Xia Lei finally stopped calling him a villain.

A word of concern and understanding rekindled the flame in Xia Lei's heart.

The autumn harvest is here, and the people have had a bumper harvest of peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. They need to hurry up and gather them back so that Zhao Jintao can make another trip to Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou before winter.

It's not too bad; no matter how much crop there is, it can be sold. This is the backup plan Zhou Zhonghai left for him.

Zhao Jintao didn't get home until dark, and Fenglin had already prepared dinner.

"Why are you so late?" Feng Lin was getting a little anxious.

"I went to the teacher's office. Fenglin, if I don't come back, just eat first and don't wait for me," Zhao Jintao said with concern.

"How can I eat if you don't come back? Wash your hands. I made stir-fried shrimp with chives today, your favorite."

Upon seeing Zhao Jintao, Feng Lin felt completely relieved.

"Does the vegetable store sell small shrimp? They must be very expensive."

"I didn't buy them from the vegetable shop, Jintao. Have you noticed how many more street vendors there are? A pound of small shrimp is only 50 cents. The lady selling vegetables said her child drowned in the ditch, and there was a whole basketful. She couldn't bear to eat them herself, so she sold them to buy kerosene."

"Huailin already has individual business licenses, and the provincial capital will be soon too."

"Jin Tao, since you're doing this privately, will you not be arrested?"

Fenglin sells hair ties, small bags, and underwear in the workshop, which is also a private business. She is very worried that someone will report her and she will be fired.

"No, once one city opens up, other cities will quickly follow suit. Look at our Dashui Village, it's only been a year since we implemented the household contract system, and now the whole province is doing it. My good friend, County Chief Guo, hasn't even received the official notice from his province yet, but he's already secretly taking action. It's always a good thing to let people earn their living through their own labor."

Zhao Jintao washed his hands, sat down at the dining table, and first served Feng Lin a bowl of stir-fried shrimp with chives.

Then, he took a bite himself, squinting his eyes contentedly: "Fenglin, it tastes just like the millet shrimp from our village, delicious."

Feng Lin smiled and casually asked, "Jin Tao, are you homesick?"

Zhao Jintao paused for a moment, then said, "My home and your home are in this little house."

"Don't change the subject. Actually, I miss my parents too. We can't stay away from them forever, can we?" Feng Lin secretly glanced at Jin Tao.

"Then when we go back home for the New Year, you can stay at your place and I'll stay at mine, so my mother won't have to keep you waiting."

"Really? I wonder if Qiaoqiao is going home for the New Year?"

"Are you homesick or missing Qiaoqiao?"

"I want to pay her back. When I was in the hospital, I still owed Qiaoqiao five hundred yuan. I've saved three hundred, so I'll pay her back first," Fenglin said with a smile.

"Fenglin, you're still weak. Don't just think about saving money; you need to eat better. I'm going to Shanghai in a few days, and I have 100 yuan for travel expenses. I'll bring you some Shanghai specialties."

"No, please don't. I don't like food from Shanghai. Jintao, pay Qiaoqiao back first. She's been so kind to me. I can't keep owing her money just because she's been good to me. We'll buy her something nice to eat after we pay her back."

The five hundred yuan debt weighed heavily on Feng Lin's mind; he couldn't bear to owe both a debt of gratitude and a financial debt.

Zhao Jintao nodded silently. They didn't know that, in addition to the 500 yuan medical expenses subsidized by Qiaoqiao, his mother had also extorted 500 yuan from Zhou Wenhui.