Era: Starting from the local police station

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenghua instantly recalled a scene from his past life.

An old man, smoking a pipe, squatted at the door and said, "Back then, the higher-ups assigned a mandatory task: everyone had to donate scrap iron to support construction. Some people had no choice but to smash their pots and melt down their shovels to make steel. But what happened in the end? All they got was slag."

In the end, the old man looked helpless and regretful.

Jiang Zhenghua then remembered that his family had three working members and one student, all of whom needed to set an example.

My father works in a machine factory, so he should be able to get some scrap metal to take home and hand in for future needs.

Just as I was about to speak, a mechanical voice sounded in my mind.

[Friendly Reminder: As a public official, you must not blatantly exploit legal loopholes, otherwise it will affect your daily behavior assessment. If any illegal activity occurs during operation, the Great Power System will take measures and report it to the relevant departments.]

The words that were about to come out were immediately swallowed back.

He roared inwardly, silently chanting the system's commands.

The system interface appears.

He silently asked himself, "Would it be feasible to buy grain from the countryside?"

The interface flickered.

[Violations of the unified purchase and sales policy, and speculative activities.]

"If someone else figures it out on their own, can I just leave it to them?"

Judging from the current situation, this behavior falls into a gray area. If the resale doesn't occur, there's no problem. However, if resale does happen, law enforcement officers must stop it and fulfill their duties.

Jiang Zhenghua felt a sense of relief and sighed inwardly.

The older brother said incredulously, "Is life in the countryside really this extravagant now? We wouldn't dare to live like that."

The older sister-in-law glanced at the simpleton: "What, you envy life in the countryside?"

The eldest brother actually fell into deep thought, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Looking at his eldest son's simple-minded appearance, Jiang's father said irritably, "Why don't we transfer your household registration back to the countryside? Your second uncle is still in the village, so we can definitely transfer it back."

The eldest brother recalled his second uncle's family's situation and smiled sheepishly: "I didn't expect that. When Shun'an came to our house for the Spring Festival this year, he was so thin he looked unrecognizable."

Jiang's mother scolded, "You're about to become a father, and instead of thinking about making money, you dare to think about all sorts of nonsense. You're just wasting your time."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhenghua thought of his second uncle's family in the suburbs and a thought struck him: "Dad, how are my second uncle and his family doing now?"

Jiang's father sighed, "What else can we do? It's definitely better than before Liberation. At least we can eat something every meal, but it's just enough to keep us from starving. When we got married in Shunyi before the New Year, we even had to borrow ten catties of grain from them to hold the banquet."

Upon hearing this, the living room fell silent, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Jiang Qinghe suddenly said, "Second Brother, Second Uncle is borrowing grain to eat, but Sister-in-law says that people in the countryside eat wheat flour every day. Is this...is this really a rural area?"

Jiang's father and mother exchanged a glance, their faces showing unease and worry.

The eldest sister-in-law's smile froze. She glanced at everyone and saw that only the youngest sister was puzzled, while her husband was still smiling. The smiles of the other three disappeared.

A surge of anger welled up inside her. How could she have ever fallen for such a simpleton?

She suddenly remembered what happened during the day: "When I was chatting with my colleagues today, I heard some news. I heard that some people are secretly going to the countryside to buy grain, and those commune members who don't want to hand over their grain to the canteen are secretly selling it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenghua felt a sense of relief.

Now we've finally gotten to the point.

Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang's eyes lit up immediately, and they exchanged a silent glance.

Jiang's father seemed to have thought of something and immediately looked at his youngest son: "Zhenghua, aren't you going to do anything about this?"

Everyone was startled and immediately looked at Jiang Zhenghua.

He smiled slightly: "Although the current policy of unified purchase and distribution strictly prohibits the resale of grain, it does not prohibit exchanging goods with others for personal use. So everyone turns a blind eye."

Just as Jiang's mother was about to say something, she saw her husband shake his head slightly and immediately swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Jiang Zhenghua noticed the elderly couple's subtle actions and immediately understood what was going on.

He got up and walked to the small bed, rummaged through his bundle, and took out a small cloth bag.

Jiang's mother asked, "What are you looking for?"

Jiang Zhenghua walked to his mother's side and handed her the small cloth bag: "This contains some money I've saved over the years, about four hundred yuan. Please take it; there will be many expenses for the family in the future."

Jiang's mother said with surprise, "Didn't you send thirty yuan home every month? How come you still have more?"

Jiang Zhenghua said with a smile, "In the army, I didn't need anything except smoking, so I saved up some."

Jiang's mother hesitated for a moment: "Why don't you keep it yourself? There's still some savings at home."

Jiang Zhenghua stuffed the cloth bag into his mother's arms: "Keep this, in case the family needs it urgently. Make sure to prepare plenty of food in the future, as your sister-in-law is pregnant and needs to get proper nutrition."

Jiang's mother was about to say something.

Jiang's father had a sudden thought: "If you're going to give me the child, then take him."

Jiang's mother then gripped the cloth bag tightly: "You've given it all to me, do you have anything left on you? You're a leader now, you should always keep some for emergencies."

Jiang Zhenghua walked to the side, taking something out of his pocket as he said, "I've received my salary for this month, a full seventy-seven yuan. I won't give it to you for now."

Jiang's father looked at his youngest son with a look of satisfaction and pride.

The elder sister-in-law and elder brother's eyes flashed with envy, but there was no jealousy.

Jiang Qinghe said with a smile, "Dad, isn't my second brother more capable than you? He just started working, and his salary is already about the same as yours."

Looking at the slightly drafty cotton-padded coat, Jiang's father smiled and said, "No matter how capable he is, he's still my son. Besides, each generation is always better than the last, isn't it?"

He paused, then continued, "If you ever get into university and become a cadre, that would be truly impressive."

Jiang Qinghe stuck out her tongue.

Seeing her youngest son still rummaging through things, Jiang's mother asked, "What are you looking for now?"

"I'll find a summer uniform to bring to the station and wear it tomorrow. This one's all sweaty and has salt stains on it."

"Why don't you change your clothes and I'll wash them for you?"

"Mom, no need, I'll wash it myself tomorrow."

"Is there anything I need to bring? Like a washbasin or something?"

Jiang Zhenghua put the uniform into a cloth bag, looked up and said, "The institute has issued washbasins, toothbrushes, and blankets today."

The older brother exclaimed in surprise, "Zhenghua, are the benefits in your police force really that good?"

Jiang Zhenghua chuckled: "This is a privilege only city police chiefs enjoy. Otherwise, why would everyone want to become an official?"

After saying that, she suddenly remembered what happened that evening: "Mom, where's the lunchbox I brought back? I need to take it with me, otherwise we won't have anything to eat. It's not good to always use the spare tableware at the institute."

Jiang's mother got up and walked outside: "There are two new lunchboxes your father brought back that are just sitting in the kitchen. You can take them. The ones you brought back are already deformed."

Soon, Jiang's mother returned carrying two lunchboxes and handed them over: "Here, why don't you stay at home tonight? Let Qinghe squeeze in with us."

Jiang Zhenghua packed the lunchbox: "It's already been agreed upon. The accommodations there are spacious, so don't make Qinghe feel uncomfortable."

After saying that, he picked up his things and walked out.

As soon as he stepped into the yard, he heard Jiang's father's voice from inside the house: "Eldest son, don't bother looking for work tomorrow. Go to the countryside."

The older brother asked, puzzled, "Where are you going?"

Jiang Zhenghua smiled and walked briskly towards the institute.