Me! A high-ranking official!

"But..." he changed the subject, extending an olive branch: "If you're willing to cooperate with me and successfully acquire the land, then even if you're dismissed from your post because of Zhiyong's actions, I'll guarantee you a stable job in the village! I'll guarantee that no one in Luo Family Village will dare to look down on you to your face!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming abruptly raised his head, his face a mixture of entanglement and pain.

"Go back and think it over carefully. Do you want to follow Luo Shuishan and become cannon fodder, or do something practical with me, Zhao Jianguo, to leave a way out for your descendants? This is your only chance." He waved his hand: "Alright, you can go now."

Luo Ming slowly stood up, his body limp. He turned around as if he had lost his soul and dragged his heavy steps toward the door.

He stopped abruptly the moment his hand touched the doorknob.

The meeting room was deathly silent.

A few seconds later, Luo Ming suddenly turned around, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice tinged with a bitter despair: "Secretary... I don't want to go against you, and I'm also afraid the people of Luo Family Village will talk behind my back..."

He took a deep breath and finally confessed completely: "After the meeting last night, Luo Shuishan came to my house in the middle of the night. He told me to take the lead and go against you when it comes to land transfer. He said he had already contacted several relatives he was close to and asked them to stick to their guns and drive up the land price so that you would be unable to continue..."

Luo Ming scratched his head in anguish: "He also said that if you hadn't insisted on calling the police, Zhiyong wouldn't have gone in. He said you were an enemy of the Luo family and asked me to help him get you out of there... I, I did hate you, but I also know in my heart that this isn't your fault. It was that little bastard Zhiyong who made a fool of himself! Besides, the fact that you didn't expose me and my wife for protecting him is already a huge favor to us..."

At this point, Luo Ming seemed to have a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, panting heavily as he said, "Secretary, you're right. I have to save up some money for Zhiyong so he can face people with his head held high when he gets out. I can't follow the village chief and do such a heartless thing!"

Seeing that he had finally come to his senses, Zhao Jianguo smiled faintly.

"Director Luo, I know you're an honest man by nature, and honest people shouldn't be bullied and taken advantage of like this." He stood up, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, what I said just now is absolutely true! As long as you work hard with me, everything from before will be forgiven. Once the medicinal herb base is built, I will strongly recommend you and Zhu Yan to be team leaders, each responsible for a section of work!"

Upon hearing the word "team leader," Luo Ming's gloomy face couldn't help but show a surge of excitement.

Since the incident of his son Luo Zhiyong raping his cousin's wife came to light, although it hasn't spread widely outside, there have been many rumors circulating in the village. During this time, he has found it almost impossible to move around in the village. He is even afraid of being pointed at and gossiped about when he goes out to smoke a cigarette. His prestige has plummeted to rock bottom.

He knew better than anyone that he would lose his position as village chief sooner or later, but if he could take advantage of the medicinal herb base to become the group leader in charge of dozens of people, he would not only keep his job, but also save face in the village!

Moreover, since he's the team leader, his salary must be higher than that of ordinary helpers. While others earn three thousand a month, he should at least earn four thousand, right? That adds up to tens of thousands a year. This money is not only stable, but he also doesn't have to put up with any mistreatment. It's enough for him to save up a substantial fortune for his son!

"Secretary... thank you! Thank you so much!" Luo Ming's lips trembled with excitement, and his hands clenched into fists.

Zhao Jianguo looked at him, his voice gentle yet full of strength: "Common prosperity means leaving no one in the village behind. The law has already punished our son for his mistakes, and this mess can't be held against you as his father. Just go ahead and do your job, measure the land properly, and appease the villagers. I'll back you up!"

Upon hearing the words "I'll support you through everything," Luo Ming, who had endured countless scornful looks and lived in constant fear, could no longer contain his emotions. The man in his fifties had tears welling up in his eyes, and he nodded repeatedly, as if swearing allegiance to Zhao Jianguo, or as if encouraging himself for the rest of his life.

After Luo Ming left, the office fell silent again. Zhao Jianguo sat alone behind his desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface, his eyes growing colder.

That old bastard Luo Shuishan, he really can't change his ways! If Luo Shuishan was interfering to gain some huge economic benefit for himself, I could at least understand the logic of such greed, even though I despise him. But Luo Shuishan was purely doing it to vent his personal anger and to maintain his pitiful desire for control. He didn't care at all about the lives of hundreds of people in Luo Family Village or the future of the village!

Having such a person in the position of village party secretary is like a malignant tumor; it will only bring harm to the villagers.

"Raising rents, disrupting construction..." He pondered the information provided by Luo Ming. This matter had to be prevented in advance. He couldn't let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch and disrupt the entire work plan when the land transfer actually started.

Just as I was pondering a solution, I heard the sound of a car engine outside the window.

He looked up and saw a black minivan parked in the uneven courtyard of the village committee. The door opened and a young white-collar worker, a man and a woman, dressed very formally, got out, carrying briefcases.

Upon seeing this, he guessed that it was a staff member sent by the other company to discuss the details of the planting base. He immediately put aside his thoughts, got up and went out to greet them.

"Is this Secretary Zhao?" The female staff member smiled professionally and extended her hand to introduce herself: "Hello, I am Zhou Min, the business manager of Qingman Pharmaceutical. This is my colleague, Hu Zhiwei. We are here on behalf of the boss to discuss the preliminary details with you."

"Welcome, welcome, please come in." He warmly invited the two into his office and poured them tea.

After both parties were seated, Zhou Min took out several printed documents from her briefcase and handed them over. The documents detailed the initial planning and cooperation terms of the project: the first phase of land transfer involved 500 mu of land, requiring the village collective to handle the transfer and sign a long-term lease agreement. In return, the company promised to provide 30 to 40 fixed jobs, and during the peak harvest and planting season, priority would be given to hiring villagers from Luojia Village and the surrounding area.

He carefully reviewed the terms and conditions, finding them generally fair. After a while, he pointed to one clause and asked, "Manager Zhou, this mentions fixed job positions. I'd like to confirm how the workers' social insurance and housing fund are arranged?"

Zhou Min and Hu Zhiwei exchanged a glance and said somewhat awkwardly, "Secretary Zhao, it's like this, because the turnover rate of workers in agricultural planting is often quite high, the company's current preliminary draft does not have any plans to pay insurance for ordinary workers other than management."

He shook his head, his attitude firm: "Supervisor Zhou, since these are fixed positions, they are equivalent to industrial workers. The villagers go to work not only to earn that fixed monthly salary, but also to ensure they are cared for in their old age and have access to medical care when they are sick. Therefore, I have a strict requirement: these 30 to 40 fixed workers must have basic social insurance paid."