The system only arrives when you're old? Then let's create a super-rich family!

Looking at Shi Hao's shocked and utterly bewildered expression, Chen Jun felt a surge of indescribable satisfaction.

He smiled faintly, and casually strode past Shi Hao in front of him, his tone relaxed and carefree.

"Brother Shi, let's go and continue our visits."

With Mount Tai to lean on, I walk with more confidence.

Just as his right foot was dangling in the air and about to land, Shi Hao's helpless voice slowly sounded from behind, instantly freezing him in place, and he almost couldn't hold back his hearty smile.

"Chen Jun, you've gone the wrong way. The path to the right is a deserted road leading up the mountain, with no inhabitants. Wa Village is on the left."

awkward!

Extremely embarrassing!

Chen Jun's foot abruptly stopped in mid-air, his foot hovering neither up nor down, his posture extremely strange.

The composure and domineering aura that had just risen was instantly shattered.

He quickly coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, pretended to be nonchalant, steadily stopped, and naturally turned to walk towards the country road on the left.

"Ahem, I misread it for a moment."

Shi Hao, watching his slightly flustered back, didn't expose him, but just suppressed a laugh and followed behind.

The two walked slowly along the uneven dirt path.

The mountain road was narrow and rugged, with weeds growing on both sides. The wind rustled through the grass, and there was no trace of modern construction in sight. All that could be seen was a barren and dilapidated mountain landscape.

After walking for four or five minutes, passing through two vegetable fields and around a mountain valley, the two finally arrived at the first villager's house they had visited that day.

The sight before him made Chen Jun's heart sink slightly.

An old mud-brick house stands quietly at the foot of the mountain, its walls mottled and cracked, with large pieces of plaster peeling off to reveal the yellowish mud bricks inside.

The wooden door of the house is old and blackened, with pitted and wormhole-filled surface. The edges have been eaten away by termites and are incomplete. It seems that wood chips will fall off with the slightest touch.

The courtyard had no brick or stone walls; instead, it was simply enclosed by countless thin bamboo poles of varying thicknesses and lengths, forming a low bamboo fence that barely enclosed a small courtyard.

Inside and outside the fence, lush green pumpkin and gourd vines climbed all over, and under the layers of leaves hung many round gourds and fruits, all of which are the easiest to grow, store well, and eat in the mountains.

Shi Hao stepped forward and gently patted the old wooden door.

"Aunt Ma! Are you home? We've come over for a visit!"

Soon, hurried footsteps echoed from inside the courtyard, accompanied by simple, honest responses.

"Here he is! Here he is! Secretary Shi is here!"

With a creak, the dilapidated wooden door was pulled open from the inside.

A petite rural woman walked out quickly.

She had a faded, slightly discolored pink cloth headscarf wrapped around her head, covering her full head of black hair.

Years of hard work under the sun and wind have made her face dark and rough, with deep wrinkles covering her cheeks, giving her a weathered look, comparable to the protagonist in the famous painting "The Father".

Even though life was hard and time had taken its toll, Aunt Ma still wore the most simple and sincere smile on her face.

Her eyes were full of enthusiasm, and she quickly stepped aside to open the door, warmly welcoming the two of them into the house.

"Come in and sit down! Come in and sit down! It's cool inside!"

After entering the house, Aunt Ma took out two clean, coarse porcelain bowls, poured two bowls of cooled boiled water from the kettle on the stove, and placed them in front of the two people.

"Secretary Shi, have some water! Young man, you drink some too!"

At this moment, Aunt Ma's smile was sincere and warm, as if seeing Shi Hao and Chen Jun was the happiest thing in her life.

In these impoverished and isolated mountain villages, the cadres who come to visit the villages are their only hope in their impoverished lives.

Shi Hao showed no disdain for the simplicity of the rough porcelain bowl, nor did he look down on the farmer's plain water.

Under Aunt Ma's expectant and watchful gaze, he calmly picked up the porcelain bowl and gently sipped the warm water.

Seeing the expectation and respect that Aunt Ma couldn't hide in her eyes, Chen Jun felt a slight stirring in his heart. He also picked up the bowl and took a small sip, matching her sentiment.

Seeing that both cadres had drunk the water she had poured, Aunt Ma's smile grew even brighter, her eyes radiating genuine joy.

Before Shi Hao and Chen Jun could ask about the local conditions, she couldn't contain her excitement and stepped forward, asking in a cautious yet expectant tone.

"Secretary Shi, if I may be so bold as to ask, the whole village was buzzing last night, saying that a very wealthy man is going to invest a lot of money in our Wa Village and Qingshui County for a major construction project! Is that true?"

The news of Zhenshi Group's trillion-yuan investment in Qingshui County has already spread to every corner of Qingshui County.

Even Aunt Ma, a villager who spends her days buried in farming, rarely uses her phone, and doesn't understand the internet, sat on a small stool at the village's grain-drying ground last night, listening to the village's young people talking on their phones for most of the night.

For the first time, they learned that the outside city was filled with high-rise buildings and had convenient transportation, and that ordinary people could earn five or six thousand yuan a month working in factories.

Compared to their own lives of earning just over a thousand yuan a month and struggling to make ends meet, the entire village was both shocked and envious. They spent a sleepless night filled with anticipation for the future.

Shi Hao turned to look at Chen Jun, who was sitting calmly beside him, and nodded emphatically with a sincere smile in his eyes.

"It's true. Someone is indeed going to invest a lot of money in Qingshui County. When the project is completed, Ma Zi can find a job with a salary of five or six thousand. After a few years, once he has saved enough money, Uncle Ma's illness can be cured."

After speaking, Shi Hao pointed at Chen Jun, his smile was incredibly sincere, and his eyes showed obvious gratitude.

"Aunt Ma, you might not know this, but the person who invested so much money was his father-in-law. Our Qingshui County was able to have this opportunity entirely because he begged his father-in-law for it!"

"What?"

Aunt Ma froze on the spot, her eyes suddenly reddening, her face filled with disbelief and shock.

Monthly salary of five to six thousand!

My spouse's illness can be cured!

These two pieces of news were things she never dared to dream of in her entire life!

Over the years, my husband has suffered from severe lumbar strain accompanied by lower limb paralysis. He has been bedridden for many years and unable to take care of himself. A complete cure would require surgery costing over 100,000 yuan.

However, the family's annual income was meager, and Ma Zi earned at most two thousand yuan a month at the factory.

She farms at home and sells some mountain products to barely make ends meet. Her husband needs to take medicine every month, which also costs money. The surgery fee of over 100,000 yuan is an astronomical figure for them.

Uncle Ma has been bedridden for many years, suffering from illness every day. A perfectly healthy farmer has been confined to his bed, enduring hardship day after day.

Aunt Ma secretly shed tears countless nights, thinking that her husband was destined to lie in bed until the end of his life, with no possibility of recovery.

This sudden surge of hope shattered her strong will.

Completely losing control of her emotions, Aunt Ma immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Chen Jun to express her gratitude.

Chen Jun was startled by the sight and reacted quickly, stepping forward to firmly hold her arms and stop her.

"Auntie, don't get agitated, get up! You mustn't!"

Chen Jun was covered in sweat. He helped Aunt Ma sit down on the long bench, and only then did his heart begin to settle down.

Aunt Ma's eyes were red-rimmed, and hot tears streamed down her dark cheeks. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, and her voice was choked and hoarse.

"Young man, thank you so much! You're truly a great benefactor to our village!"

"My husband's back is broken and his legs are useless. He's been bedridden for years. The family relies on my son's earnings. His medication costs a lot every month, and we can't save much money in a year. The surgery will cost over 100,000 yuan, which we'll never be able to save up in our lifetime..."

"I truly thought he would spend the rest of his life lying in bed, suffering until he died, never to stand up again... Thank you, thank you for giving our family a way to live, thank you..."

Seeing the woman's tearful and sincere expression, Chen Jun felt a pang of sadness and became even more determined to make this investment and benefit the people.

Aunt Ma wiped away her tears, as if she suddenly remembered something, and turned around abruptly, rushing into the inner room.

A moment later, she walked out quickly, carrying several pieces of dry, moldy, smoked pork belly in both hands, and stuffed them into Chen Jun's arms without saying a word, her tone warm and earnest.

"Young man, your auntie doesn't have anything fancy, but this is homemade cured pork from the local pigs, smoked in the twelfth lunar month. It's the most valuable and delicious thing in the house! Take it and try it!"

Seeing this, Chen Jun quickly declined with both hands, his face full of embarrassment.

He could see clearly that this family was poor and struggling to make ends meet, with every aspect of their lives—clothing, food, and shelter—being difficult. These few pieces of carefully smoked cured meat were definitely the most precious and presentable treasures in their household.

He just couldn't bear to accept it!

Moreover, as a grassroots cadre within the system, he has a strong sense of ideology and a clear sense of principles and bottom lines.

He kept work discipline firmly in mind and would never take a single needle or thread from the masses. He would never accept even a single egg or a bunch of vegetables from a villager, let alone cured meat.

Faced with Aunt Ma's insistence on stuffing cured meat into his hands, Chen Jun was at a loss and quickly turned to look at Shi Hao beside him, casting a pleading look in his eyes.

Shi Hao understood immediately, stepped forward, gently separated the two, and soothed them with a tender yet earnest tone:

"Aunt Ma, we appreciate your kindness, but please keep this cured meat for yourself."

"There are strict regulations within the system that cadres are absolutely prohibited from accepting anything from ordinary people in private. If Chen Jun had accepted your cured meat, he would have been criticized and punished by his superiors when he got back."

"They've worked so hard to bring great things to our village and county, benefiting countless people. If you do something good but end up doing something bad, causing them to be criticized and punished, that's not right. How can that be considered repaying a debt of gratitude? Right?"

These words instantly enlightened Aunt Ma.

The joy on her face vanished instantly, replaced by embarrassment and awkwardness. She looked at Chen Jun helplessly and quickly apologized.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, young man! I don't know any better and almost got you into trouble! I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, Auntie." Chen Jun smiled gently, completely easing her embarrassment. "I truly appreciate your kindness; it's more precious than anything else."

To prevent Aunt Ma from dwelling on the matter further, Shi Hao changed the subject and opened his visit logbook.

"By the way, Aunt Ma, have you dug up any dried mountain products or medicinal herbs this month? If so, I'll register them and contact someone to come and buy them all."

"Also, Uncle Ma's medicine is almost used up, right? I'll bring it over for you next time I go to the countryside."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Ma instantly shook off her embarrassment, nodded in agreement, and her face lit up with joy once again.

"Yes, yes! The weather's been sunny this month, so I went up the mountain and dug up a lot of eucommia and honeysuckle, and I've dried and prepared them all!"

"My husband's medicine is almost finished. Could you please bring me two more bottles, Secretary Shi?"

"Okay, I've got it." Shi Hao quickly wrote it down, then closed the notebook, stood up, and politely declined any further offers to stay. "Aunt Ma, we still have quite a few residents to visit, so we're in a bit of a rush. We'll come to your house for dinner another time!"

"Okay, okay! You must come next time! Auntie will stir-fry some cured pork for you!"

Aunt Ma quickly saw them off at the front door, and as she watched the two figures leave, she waved enthusiastically and invited them back loudly, her eyes full of anticipation for the future.

The two continued along the mountain path, heading towards the next house.

As he walked, Chen Jun looked at the dilapidated villages and barren land along the way and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Shi Hao, there must be quite a few families like Aunt Ma's in Wa Village, struggling to survive in poverty, right?"

Shi Hao looked up at the endless barren mountains, shook his head gently, and spoke with a deep sense of helplessness and sigh.

"Wa Village is just one example; in the entire Qingshui County, there are countless impoverished families like this."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jun was filled with emotion and deeply shocked.

"To be honest, I had prepared myself mentally before coming here, knowing that this place was poor, but I never expected it to be this backward. It's unheard of."

"Even in the most remote and impoverished county in the country, working in a factory or in the service industry can earn you around 3,000 yuan a month, which is enough to support your family."

"I really can't imagine how so many people in Qingshui County, who earn only one or two thousand a month year after year, manage to survive."

"Are the higher-ups just sitting in their offices enjoying air conditioning and reading written reports? After all these years, they haven't even been able to implement the local minimum wage standard; they haven't done a single practical thing?"

Filled with indignation, Chen Jun couldn't help but voice his doubts.

The sun hung high in the sky, its rays blinding and scorching. Shi Hao looked up at the blazing sun and uttered a sentence that left Chen Jun completely baffled.

"It's not the fault of the higher-ups; there are people who prevent them from doing real work."

"Huh?" Chen Jun was taken aback, assuming it was just a casual excuse, and retorted with a smile, "You're really good at making excuses for them. An official's duty is to benefit the people in their jurisdiction; who can stop an official from doing practical things?"

Shi Hao suddenly stopped, slowly turned around, his expression extremely serious, and stared solemnly at Chen Jun.

"Chen Jun, you've been in office in Qingshui County for so long, do you really know absolutely nothing about the true situation here?"

Chen Jun frowned slightly and replied frankly, "Before I came here, I expected that this place would be backward, but I didn't expect the situation to be so severe."

"I'm not talking about poverty," Shi Hao said, his voice heavy and clear, each word distinct.

"I mean, you really didn't know that the Shi family had completely taken control of Qingshui County and ruled it with absolute power?"

"Does the Shi family control Qingshui County?"

Chen Jun frowned. This was the second time he had heard this statement. Combined with what he had seen and heard in the past two days, a chill instantly rose in his heart.

"You mean, the reason why officials sent to Qingshui County in previous years haven't dared to get things done is because the Shi family won't allow it?"

Shi Hao nodded solemnly, his tone resolute.

"That's right. No one can implement any project or policy in Qingshui County without the Shi family's approval. I always thought you knew about this when you came here."

"How is this possible?" Chen Jun exclaimed in disbelief. "How could a local family have such power to override the official system and block the development of an entire county?"

"You don't understand the ins and outs."

Shi Hao explained:

"Qingshui County is located deep in the mountains, with poor transportation and a closed terrain, naturally isolated from the outside world. The Shi family has been rooted here for thousands of years, and the clan's power is deeply rooted and complex."

"For over a century, the Shi family has continuously placed its members and cultivated its cronies in key positions within the system, controlling power layer by layer. Over time, they have completely monopolized the power, economy, and people's livelihood of the entire Qingshui County, forming their own little world."

"In various parts of the Dragon Kingdom, there are many clan forces that control their own territories."

At this point, Shi Hao's eyes were sincere and his tone was candid.

"To tell you the truth, I am a member of the Shi family myself, and I know far more inside information than outsiders."

"But I am not one of them, and our ideologies are completely different. The Shi family only wants to completely imprison the people of Qingshui County, block out opportunities from the outside world, trap everyone in these mountains, and let them control and manipulate them to consolidate their hegemonic position."

"But I always believed that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, leave the mountains, and escape poverty. It is precisely because of this that I completely broke with my family and was deliberately sent to this most remote village to be a powerless village party secretary."

Hearing these words, Chen Jun was shocked. He immediately recalled the extremely serious warning given by his senior Chen Wenbin when he first arrived in Qingshui County, and he also remembered what his father had mentioned to him in private.

His heart tightened, and he quickly asked, his tone tinged with seriousness.

"Were the previous three county party secretaries who were sent to other counties all involved in trouble in Qingshui County? Were they also behind that?"

"yes!"

Meeting Chen Jun's gaze, Shi Hao nodded emphatically without any attempt to hide anything.

hiss--

Chen Jun gasped instantly, his scalp tingling, and a cold sweat inexplicably broke out on his back.

At this moment, he was truly shocked by the Shi family's ruthlessness and lawlessness.

What alarmed him even more was that he had just arrived in Qingshui County and knew nothing about it. He had even taken the initiative to visit the Shi family, handling the situation calmly and ultimately escaping unscathed.

Looking back now, it was like venturing into a den of wolves and tigers, putting ourselves in a deadly situation!

He couldn't help but marvel at his luck, which was simply outrageous.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Chen Jun suddenly remembered the trillion-dollar investment. His expression turned urgent, and he quickly asked:

"Brother Shi, since you're a member of the Shi family and know so much about the inside story, can you obtain crucial evidence of the Shi family's illegal and disorderly conduct? Let's bring them down in one fell swoop and eradicate this cancer completely!"

Shi Hao shook his head slightly, his face full of helplessness and bitterness.

"Although I come from the Shi family, I have long been marginalized by the family and have no access to the core secrets."

"Moreover, even when the central government sent a special investigation team down there, they couldn't find any evidence. So many years have passed, even if there was any remaining evidence, it's likely that the Shi family has cleaned it up."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jun sighed heavily, his heart filled with an immense sense of unease.

"So, does that mean the Shi family has been in charge of Qingshui County from beginning to end? Doesn't that mean my father-in-law's trillion-yuan investment was essentially giving money to the Shi family?"

Shi Hao nodded and frankly revealed the cruel truth.

"Yes, the Shi family must have pocketed a lot of the money behind the scenes. However, with such a big news and public opinion, they wouldn't dare to openly take all the money. They would still need to do some projects and construction to appease your father-in-law, the higher-ups, and the people."

Even so, it did not prevent the Shi family from making a fortune from this.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Chen Jun's face instantly turned ashen, his anger surging within him, and his tone became extremely resolute.

"This trillion-yuan investment was personally requested from my father-in-law. It's meant to save the people of Qingshui County and drive local development! Why should the Shi family sit back and reap the benefits?"

"I must ensure that every penny of investment is truly used for the development of Qingshui County and benefits the people!"

He turned to look at Shi Hao, his eyes resolute.

Looking at Chen Jun, who was full of enthusiasm and fearless like a newborn calf, Shi Hao felt helpless. He couldn't help but admire Chen Jun's courage, but he also couldn't help but worry about him.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"If you dare to openly investigate the Shi family, the news will reach their ears within half a day. Those three county party secretaries are a cautionary tale for you!"

Chen Jun's face was extremely ugly, filled with resentment and unwillingness.

"What can we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch? My father-in-law invested a trillion, and even if the Shi family secretly pockets a hundred billion or several hundred billion, I cannot accept it!"

Shi Hao gently patted his shoulder and comforted him:

"Investing in Qingshui County and paying tribute to the Shi family is an unwritten rule, and it doesn't matter who comes."

"It's not just your father-in-law's Qin family; all outside businessmen and companies that want to set up projects and do business here must pay tribute and share profits with the Shi family, otherwise the projects simply cannot proceed. This money is a sure-fire source of income for them."

Chen Jun's face was stubborn, and his tone was firm: "I can't control what others do, but they can't take a single penny of my father-in-law's investment for nothing!"

"If all else fails, I'll personally contact my father-in-law and have the Qin family take action first to completely eliminate the Shi family before investing!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes filled with helplessness and a sense of reality.

"Chen Jun, I know your father-in-law is very wealthy and has immense resources."

"But you have to face reality. Even the official central government and the special investigation team can't do anything to the Shi family. Your father-in-law is just a top-tier tycoon. How could he possibly shake the Shi family's power, which has been rooted for thousands of years, with just his wealth?"

Chen Jun froze instantly, his enthusiasm suddenly cooled, and an endless sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

He slowly lowered his head, murmuring softly, his voice filled with resentment and dejection.

"You're right... My father-in-law's family is just rich; they can't really do anything to the Shi family..."