PCJ – Chapter 288 Unacceptable Ideas

Working in the countryside is quite relaxed and doesn’t offer many perks, given how impoverished rural areas are. So, bringing back some local specialties becomes a small incentive for officials working in the countryside. Meizi’ao’s bamboo tube black tea, which won a provincial gold award, naturally became a specialty of Gezhuping Town and even Xintian County.

Both Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin live in the city. When relatives and friends learn that they work in Yidu Shui Township, they inevitably ask, “Aren’t you working in Gezhuping Town? Isn’t the bamboo tube black tea a specialty from there? Can you get some for us to try?” Although everyone knows bamboo tube black tea is expensive, people subconsciously think that since they work in Yidu Shui, they should be able to get some for free.

In reality, it’s not that easy. No officials from Yidu Shui Township had managed to get any bamboo tube black tea from Meizi’ao’s horticultural farm. Sometimes, even visiting Meizi’ao’s farm is problematic. With dozens of mountain dogs guarding the place, visitors are often chased away before they even get close. Moreover, they dare not act aggressively towards the horticultural farm because it is officially affiliated with the Zijiang Tea Factory.

Zhao Jinyuan had already considered this. A sign at the entrance of Meizi’ao’s horticultural farm reads, “Zijiang Tea Factory Meizi’ao Tea Production Base.” Additionally, this horticultural farm is a collective asset of Meizi’ao Village. Even if Yidu Shui officials were bold, they wouldn’t dare to interfere with Meizi’ao’s horticultural farm. The most important point is that as long as someone isn’t completely oblivious to the outside world, they would know that Meizi’ao’s small owner has an uncle working in the Xintian County Public Security Bureau, and that uncle is very supportive of his nephew.

“Secretary Dechun, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Actually, I still have some matters to trouble Zhang Jiaohua with,” Tu Chunlin complained a bit.

“Specialist Tu, I suggest you forget about the bamboo tube black tea. Even if others were willing to give it to you, how could you accept it? A single tube of tea costs hundreds of dollars. It’s quite embarrassing to take it,” Zhang Dechun sarcastically replied.

“Look at what you’re saying. When did I say I wanted to ask him for tea?” Tu Chunlin’s face reddened slightly as he tried to cover up.

“If it’s not for tea, then what else could it be?” Zhang Dechun asked disdainfully.

“Of course, it’s for other matters. Actually, it’s not for me. Secretary Li mentioned in the last meeting that bamboo tube black tea is our Yidu Shui Township’s signature product. The township needs to keep some bamboo tube black tea on hand so that we can offer it during inspections by higher-level leaders. This would showcase our Yidu Shui,” Tu Chunlin explained.

Zhang Dechun snorted coldly, “Whether it’s your intention, Secretary Li’s, or Mayor Wang’s, if the county wants to get their hands on the black tea, it won’t happen. Do you think Secretary Li or Mayor Wang is more powerful than County Chief Deng? I advise you not to have any ideas about the horticultural farm. Some consequences are too severe for you to bear. Don’t come back to blame me if something goes wrong.”

Hearing Zhang Dechun’s words, Tu Chunlin fell silent, and Wu Tong’an was relieved that he hadn’t said anything. Although these matters weren’t publicly discussed, as an official of Yidu Shui Township, it was impossible not to know about the past issues with Meizi’ao’s horticultural farm. County Chief Deng had left in disgrace and had to make concessions, eventually partnering with the Zijiang Tea Factory to set up a tea base.

“Secretary Dechun, rest assured. We’re here to collect the grain, not to ask for tea. Bamboo tube black tea is such a valuable item, people like us can’t afford it,” Wu Tong’an said, hoping to avoid any trouble before completing the grain collection.

After seeing off Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin, Zhang Dechun remained worried and specifically went to Zhang Jiaohua’s home.

“Jiaohua, even though I warned them today, you can never be too careful. From their words, it’s clear that many people are interested in the bamboo tube black tea. They don’t have an excuse now, so there’s no immediate worry. But if something happens in the future, they will come at us like a pack of wolves,” Zhang Dechun regretted bringing Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin to Zhang Jiaohua’s house.

“Grandpa Dechun, don’t worry. I’m not afraid of them,” Zhang Jiaohua said confidently.

“Well, I should have known better than to bring them to your house,” Zhang Dechun said, patting the back of his head.

“Whether they come or not, they will still be thinking about it. If worst comes to worst, we can stop contracting the horticultural farm. What can they do to me? I’m just a kid. Can they arrest me or something?” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

“True. They can’t interfere with the horticultural farm. It’s our village’s collective asset, and their hands can’t reach it,” Zhang Dechun was quite confident about this.

Meanwhile, Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin were riding bicycles back to the township.

“Zhang Dechun is becoming more and more arrogant!” Tu Chunlin was very dissatisfied with Zhang Dechun.

“Yeah, village officials are getting increasingly difficult to manage,” Wu Tong’an agreed with Tu Chunlin.

“It’s just a matter of a tube of tea. Before I even said anything, he bombarded me with a bunch of arguments,” Tu Chunlin became more vigorous in his criticism with Wu Tong’an’s agreement.

“Zing!”

Just as Tu Chunlin finished speaking, a sharp sound of the tire bursting was heard. Looking down, the rear tire was flat.

“Damn it!” Tu Chunlin dismounted his bicycle, finding that the tire had suddenly deflated. Upon closer inspection, he discovered a nail had punctured the tire.

Wu Tong’an got off his bicycle, “Chunlin, what happened?”

“Trouble. The tire is ruined,” Tu Chunlin said glumly. They still had ten miles to go to the township government. Moreover, they had already traveled nearly half of it, so whether they went forward or back, it would take a long time.

Wu Tong’an, laughing and crying, said, “Don’t panic. I’ll walk back with you.”

“No, no, Mayor Wu, you should go back first. It’s not far, I’ll walk slowly,” Tu Chunlin said unconvincingly.

Just as Tu Chunlin finished speaking, a wolf’s howl echoed in the distance.

“Woo woo…”

“Wolves!” Wu Tong’an’s face changed. He had heard about wolves attacking Meizi’ao during the New Year but hadn’t taken it seriously. Unexpectedly, they encountered a pack of wolves on the road.

The road was surrounded by mountains! If they encountered wolves, would they both end up perishing here?

At this point, Tu Chunlin, trembling, asked, “Mayor Wu, what should we do?”

“Don’t panic. It’s still early, wolves don’t come out this early. Although the sound seems close, it’s actually quite far. It’s possible they haven’t seen us. How about this? I’ll return to the township and organize a team to come and get you,” Wu Tong’an said, preparing to get back on his bicycle.

Tu Chunlin quickly grabbed Wu Tong’an’s bicycle rack, “I’ll leave my bike here and come back for it tomorrow. Let me ride with you.”

Tu Chunlin suddenly felt quite clever.

“Guess we’ll have to do that,” Wu Tong’an nodded.

Tu Chunlin hid the bicycle in the roadside bushes, covering it with branches and marking the spot.

The two of them got on the bicycle and hurried towards the township government. As they descended the slope, their speed increased, and it became harder to control. When Wu Tong’an tried to brake, he found the brakes were ineffective.

“Ah! Ah!”

The two of them screamed as they skidded off the road and plunged down the hillside.

In front of them was a pond, and both were relieved for a moment.

“Luckily, there’s a pond.”

Boom! Like a bomb, both fell into the water simultaneously. Water splashed everywhere.

After a while, they clambered out of the pond, drenched and disheveled, ignoring the ruined bicycle and sitting on the roadside.

They looked at each other, both seeing a shared sense of bewilderment in the other’s eyes: why was today so unlucky?