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

This was Zhou Zhonghai's most passionate and inspiring night since returning from the battlefield.

In the army, he saw young faces full of loyalty to the country and a willingness to die for it.

Today, he sees young faces full of enthusiasm and energy, eager to revitalize the national economy.

No matter the era, as long as young people have a sincere heart and a good leader, they have the courage to change the world.

Tonight, the young man in the study was moved by Zhou Zhonghai's tolerant and inclusive attitude.

As a vice governor, how confident is he to support young people, give them opportunities, and provide them with a safety net?

Even Zhou Wenjing, who disliked listening to his father's lectures, would sneak into the study while Annie was asleep to listen attentively.

The young people in this room are all cultured and insightful.

They freely discussed their ideals and suggestions, and even if some of their views were unrealistic, Zhou Zhonghai offered encouragement.

Qiaoqiao thought to herself, spring has arrived in Huailin, no, spring has arrived throughout the whole country.

The passionate discussion that night stayed with the young people for a lifetime. Whenever they encountered difficulties, they couldn't help but recall Vice Governor Zhou's words:

Passion is not just about loving beauty, but also about loving hardship. Who doesn't love a beautiful life? Only those who dare to embrace hardship are the true survivors of life.

They drank pot after pot of tea until Luo Meiyun reminded them that it was too late and they should rest, at which point they reluctantly parted ways.

Qiaoqiao gave Yao Xing and Gu Tong'an a piece of mutton, four catties of beef, and two boxes of ribbonfish.

"This is a New Year's gift from your father. It's a little small, so please don't mind."

Yao Xing and Gu Tong'an hurriedly refused, "No need, how can you take more after eating?"

"Yang Qiao, I... I'm not going back for the New Year. Giving it to me is useless. You have a lot of people in your family, so keep it for yourselves," Gu Tong'an said.

"Not going back? Why not? Where will you spend the New Year?" Yang Qiao asked, puzzled.

Gu Tong'an often stayed at Yao Xing's house, but Qiao Qiao didn't know much about Gu Tong'an's family situation.

"I asked him to come back to my hometown with me for the Spring Festival, but he refused and insisted on spending the holiday in my dilapidated house," Yao Xing said.

"Your home?"

"Hey, Yang Qiao, don't worry, I'm going back for New Year's Eve dinner. I'll just stay at Yao Xing's house. My dad's workplace will also distribute supplies, so I won't need these. You can keep them for yourself." Gu Tong'an had no choice but to tell a lie.

"No matter where you spend the New Year, you still need to eat. Bring your own food; my refrigerator is already overflowing."

Qiaoqiao stopped asking questions, handed the vegetables to Yao Xing, and saw them out of the compound.

"It's dark and the road is slippery, so drive carefully."

"Yes, thank you, Yang Qiao."

After everyone left, Yu Fu stayed in his room on the first floor, Zhou Wenjing and his wife stayed on the second floor, and Yang Zheng, Zhao Jintao and Feng Lin stayed on the third floor.

After settling Zhou Wenhui in, Qiaoqiao sent Zhao Jintao to her brother's room, and she slept in the same bed with Fenglin.

"Qiaoqiao, listening to Uncle Zhou's words feels like a dream. In just three short years, everything has undergone earth-shattering changes." Fenglin, who couldn't sleep at all, said with great energy.

"Yes, I find it unbelievable too. My dad used to get arrested for selling tofu. Now he can do business openly and legally."

The two sisters nestled together, their eyes filled with hope.

"Qiaoqiao, do you know how much money I made repairing torn clothes? Jintao did the math, and it was a full 1500 yuan. I paid you back 500, and I still have 1000 left. Qiaoqiao, 1000 yuan! I never even dreamed of that!"

"Fenglin, it seems like you have a bright future in clothing repair." Qiaoqiao was also happy for her good friend.

"I earned over a thousand yuan, and Sister Sanhua, who helped me sell clothes, also earned over a thousand yuan. I feel like money fell from the sky; it's too unreal."

"Fenglin, that's money you worked hard to earn, it didn't fall from the sky."

In order to finish all the damaged clothes before the New Year, Fenglin worked overtime until his eyes were bloodshot.

She never mentioned the hardships she endured.

"Back in Dashui Village, wasn't it tough too? We earned less than two hundred yuan a year, and my mother took it all. She wouldn't even let us buy a pack of toilet paper."

"My family is in an even worse situation. My grandmother is sick, and we don't even have money to buy her medicine."

"Qiaoqiao, it's all in the past now, we're all doing well. Oh, right, I was busy all night, I brought you a wool coat, but I forgot to give it to you."

"Fenglin, I said I don't want it. Stop thinking about me all the time; you need to think about yourself. You don't even have a house. If you have any spare money, buy one in the provincial capital. I think the bungalow Yao Xing bought is quite nice; it only costs five hundred yuan."

"Buying a house is a big deal, and it won't happen anytime soon. Besides, I went to the garment factory to learn how to make clothes, wasn't it so that I could make beautiful clothes for you? You're a college student, and you have a great figure. Good clothes look good on you; it would be a waste for me to wear them."

"Fenglin, you can't say that. You're clearly very beautiful, why do you always deny yourself?"

"You are all so outstanding, it's normal for me to feel inferior."

"You are more outstanding than us, even Dad praises you. The Yao Xing you see today, he got into university by taking the entrance exam for someone else, but was expelled from school and was very frustrated at the time. Now look at him, he runs the disinfection factory so well."

Fenglin, going to university doesn't guarantee excellence; there are bad people in university too. Fenglin, no matter what situation we're in, let's not underestimate ourselves, okay?

"Okay, Qiaoqiao, thank you."

Fenglin burst into tears for no apparent reason. She was from the countryside, uneducated, and lacked skills, and was inherently insecure.

Qiaoqiao's words of advice helped her straighten her back. Yes, I earn my living through my own abilities, so why should I feel inferior?

No matter what situation you are in, never underestimate yourself!

In another room, Zhao Jintao and Yang Zheng also couldn't sleep.

"Jin Tao, after a year apart, I'm very impressed with you. Some of the suggestions you made tonight were comparable to those of a composed veteran cadre."

"No, it's all thanks to Uncle Zhou's excellent guidance. When Uncle Zhou was still at the Ministry of Agriculture, he took me to the counties to investigate corrupt officials, where I met all sorts of people and witnessed the various difficulties faced by people at the grassroots level. When I had free time, I would think about how to solve these problems. The more I thought about it, the more solutions I came up with."

Zhao Jintao smiled modestly.

"Is County Chief Guo still corresponding with you?"

"Yes, I receive a letter from him every month. County Chief Guo followed our example of contracting out land to farmers, and their county's economy took off immediately. The last time he wrote to me, he said they had a large quantity of apples, but because they had no sales channels, they were all stuck in the cellars."

I was thinking, could we trade our vegetables for their apples? Our province needs apples, and they need vegetables. Wouldn't that be a good way to make things work?

"Jin Tao, this is a brilliant idea! Have you mentioned it to Uncle Zhou yet?"

"No, I mentioned it to Minister Xia. It's just that our vegetables won't be available until after spring. Uncle Zhou is too busy; he'll handle some small matters himself if he can."

"Jin Tao, your mind is too active. In a few years, you should be the governor," Yang Zheng laughed.

"Yang Zheng, don't talk nonsense. We may be clever, but we can still be good at being commune secretaries."

"What, are you afraid I'll bother you if you become an official?"

"It's good that you bother me, I'm just afraid you won't tell me anything at all."

"Alright, then I'll trouble you this once. Come with me to Master's house tomorrow."

"Okay, I'd also like to meet your master."

"After my master was injured, he stayed at home. I brought the equipment for making prosthetics and wanted my master to set up a small private prosthetics office in Huailin. This way, he could help disabled people, have something to do, and earn a little money."

"Yang Zheng, that's excellent, I agree. Old comrades have worked their whole lives, and suddenly having nothing to do can easily make them sick."

"Yes, let's go together tomorrow to persuade Master and help him get out of his distress."

"good!"