Chapter 210

Su Xiaoxiao looked at the county leader with a half-smile, half-serious expression. “Head Chen, I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to convey. What do you mean by me instigating my dad to harvest rice early for my own sake? Please explain.”

Head Chen, with the air of an elder advising a younger one, said earnestly, “Xiao Su, I know you’re well-educated. Our Sujia Village, and even our entire county, has gained great fame because of you, the top scorer in the imperial examinations. Everyone is proud of you. But Xiao Su, just because you’ve gained some knowledge doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, right?”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh. Did he really think she was acting recklessly? This Head Chen, was simply absurd!

Su Xiaoxiao always felt that Head Chen had a prejudice against her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she just had a feeling. She said in a calm voice, with her small dimple showing: “Head Chen, you are an official from the county, a public servant of us laboring people. You represent not only yourself but also the leadership of the county. Every word you say not only represents yourself but also the leadership team of the county. I hope you can take responsibility for every word you say, and I hope you will understand the truth of the matter before speaking. Otherwise, it will make me feel that the leadership of our county is unworthy. If you can’t provide a reasonable explanation, I will report the situation to higher authorities and seek an apology from you. Do you have any objections to this?”

“You!” 

This female comrade smiled innocently, her words soft, but with each accusation, not one of them was something he could bear to carry.

A clerk who came along cleared his throat and touched Head Chen’s arm. He also felt that the director shouldn’t speak ill of others without understanding the situation, especially when the person was a university student from the capital and might even hold a higher position than him when transferred back to the county. Even if he didn’t pay attention, he should at least be polite. But this leader was always stubborn and self-centered; where he was present, others had no right to speak.

Head Chen had been crawling in the county for many years. He had interacted with Su Weimin during meetings. Su Weimin was simply an honest farmer who could get things done without causing trouble, which led him to be promoted to the position of branch secretary. He never expected such an honest farmer to raise a daughter like Su Xiaoxiao, who was eloquent and sharp-witted.

“Since you’ve put it so eloquently, let’s discuss it. Did you bring those city kids back to Sujia Village to experience the Double Harvest?” Head Chen asked.

Su Xiaoxiao still smiled lightly and replied, “Yes and no. Sujia Village is my maternal hometown. During summer and winter vacations, I bring the kids back to visit, and if there’s a Double Harvest, I lend a hand. If we miss it, then it’s also fine; it’s not necessary to experience it. Head Chen, why don’t you take a look outside? Facing the earth under this weather isn’t a pleasant experience.”

“Are you planning to take your parents to the capital after the end of the double harvest?” Head Chen continued, “You are so eloquent and worthy of being a top student.”

Su Xiaoxiao frowned. She really didn’t know what medicine Head Chen had eaten. Did he forget to take his medicine today?

“Head Chen, whether or not I take my parents to the capital is my own business. What does it have to do with your accusations against me?”

Chen took a breath. If she wasn’t a university student, he would have exploded long ago. He had never seen such an arrogant person.

“Am I slandering you? Su Xiaoxiao, do you want me to be blunt? Isn’t it because you brought the children back to experience the rural Double Harvest but also hurried to take your parents to the capital, so your father started this year’s Double Harvest half a month early? Isn’t that selfish?

You even made excuses about animals behaving strangely. The weather is hotter than usual this year, so animals are naturally more restless. What does that have to do with the typhoon? Don’t think that just because you’ve read a few books, you can talk nonsense. You can fool those ignorant farmers, but not me! “

Su Xiaoxiao was stunned. What kind of twisted logic was this? How could these unrelated things be connected? And the worst part was that Head Chen actually believed it. How did this person become a leader? Through stupidity?

Head Chen looked at Su Xiaoxiao’s expression and thought she was surprised after being exposed. He snorted and said, “Have nothing to say? Do you know how much grain we’ll lose by harvesting so early? I don’t have time to waste with you. I’ll settle the accounts with you later. I’ll also write to your university to inquire about your teachers’ methods of teaching. Now, take me to the fields to stop them from continuing to harvest rice!”

Su Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and was too lazy to argue with him. “Head Chen, do you dare to make a bet with me?”

Li Yufeng happened to come in from outside. Head Chen didn’t want to talk to Su Xiaoxiao anymore, so he said to Li Yufeng, “Take me to the fields. I don’t have time to waste with your university-educated daughter. Your whole family can expect disciplinary action.”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Head Chen, let me ask you one question. If there’s a typhoon and heavy rain this week, causing a disaster that could have been avoided, can you bear the responsibility?”

Head Chen laughed angrily and said, “Even if you can talk your way out of it, can you explain every anomaly? Can you outdo the meteorological station? Are you more capable than the meteorological station?”

Su Xiaoxiao raised her voice slightly. “Head Chen, do you remember the earthquake two years ago? Did the meteorological station predict it?”

Head Chen stopped in his tracks.

Su Xiaoxiao continued, “Do you know that animals are more sensitive to danger than humans? Do you know how many anomalies that everyone selectively ignored occurred in the area before the earthquake?”

She pointed to the sky. “Our old Su family has been poor farmers for three generations. My dad never needs to look at the clock to tell the time or listen to the weather forecast. He just needs to glance at the clouds in the sky, and the position of the sun, to know the time. He breathes in the humidity of the air, feels the direction and speed of the wind, and looks at the color of the sunset to know if it will rain tomorrow.

You might say, We’re all farmers, and there are many generations of poor people. Why did only my dad notice it and not others? Let me tell you, it’s because my dad was once the brigade leader and is now the branch secretary. He’s responsible for this land, this brigade, this commune, and all the farmers who depend on the weather for a living. So he’s more attentive than others, able to observe the subtle things others overlook. I believe in my dad’s judgment because this time even my mom and I noticed something unusual.”

Su Xiaoxiao paused for a moment and walked forward. “I don’t know who came to talk nonsense in front of you. They made up a ridiculous excuse to slander me, saying that my child wants to experience double robbery and that I want to take my parents to the capital in advance. What’s even more absurd is that you believe it.” Su Xiaoxiao looked at the clerk and said, “Do you believe it?”

Su Xiaoxiao paused and walked forward. “I don’t know who came up with the nonsense to accuse me of bringing my children to experience the Double Harvest and wanting to take my parents to the capital as a ridiculous reason to defame me. Even more ridiculous is that you actually believed it.” Su Xiaoxiao looked at the clerk and asked, “Do you believe it?”

Su Xiaoxiao continued, “If you use your brain a little, you’ll realize that neither I nor my children have school until September. We have plenty of time. Even if I want to take my parents to the capital, I wouldn’t mind waiting ten days or half a month. My dad knows better than anyone else how much grain will be lost by harvesting early. He cares more than anyone else!

But there’s no way. No one can guarantee that a typhoon will definitely come early. But someone has to take precautions, right? If the county blames him for it, he’ll bear it. He’s willing to take the risk of being blamed by the county, even losing his position as branch secretary, just to do what he thinks is right. That’s my dad, a farmer branch secretary who always puts the interests of the members and the public first. And yet, you, these high-ranking officials, dare to accuse us of acting for our own selfish interests? What a joke.”

Su Weimin didn’t say anything; his call for everyone to harvest rice was brief. Many blamed him; didn’t he know what responsibility he’d bear if he judged wrongly? Of course, he knew. But he was casual, acting first and reporting later what he thought was right.

In the end, he was stabbed in the back by his own people and sent to the county, which made her very sad for her father.

Head Chen has always harbored prejudice against intellectuals who have high self-esteem. When he saw someone report Su Xiaoxiao this time, his first reaction was that these intellectuals were pretending to be knowledgeable and went here to cause trouble without even thinking about any logical issues. He subconsciously concluded that it was the intellectuals who came back to cause trouble. Now that Su Xiaoxiao said this, he felt a sense of enlightenment.

Head Chen wasn’t the kind of unreasonable official. He sat back at his desk, considering his reputation. He asked again, “Are you really not acting for your own selfish interests?”

Su Xiaoxiao descended the steps. “Head Chen, no one would do such a thing if they had a brain. As long as their head is on their neck, even if they’re knee-deep in water, they’d know this reason doesn’t hold water.”

The clerk coughed lightly, indicating Su Xiaoxiao had said enough. Head Chen also wanted to save face.

Head Chen said, “Even if Su Weimin makes a wrong judgment and is blamed by higher-ups, can he bear that responsibility?”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “Even if he didn’t report to the county first, he did it to prevent further complications. Whether he can bear it or not, he’ll bear it. My dad has calculated that losing a few bowls of rice per mu won’t starve anyone. But if there are only a few bowls of rice left per mu, many people will starve.”

Head Chen suddenly stood up and pointed at the clerk, saying, “You, go to the county and have someone bring the most authoritative meteorological expert over. Then, go to several nearby villages and invite some of the most experienced farmers to come over. It’s important to be quick, and they must be ready for me in the afternoon. I don’t want 50% certainty; I want 100% certainty that a typhoon is coming!”

Su Xiaoxiao felt that Head Chen’s image was crumbling pretty quickly. He didn’t seem as much of a simpleton as she had initially thought. He had some courage in handling matters.

Head Chen then said to Li Yufeng, “You go to the fields and call Su Weimin back. Don’t alarm anyone else. I have something to ask him.”

Li Yufeng looked at her daughter and nodded before turning to leave, almost bumping into a few kids coming back from outside.

“What’s going on?” Li Yufeng picked up Xiao Tangyuan from Zhuzi’s back and looked carefully.

Zhuzi shook his head. “Grandma, Xiao Tangyuan is fine. Xiao Roubao just got his pants dirty from stepping into the swamp, so I brought him back to change.”

Li Yufeng finally calmed down and said, “That’s good. Xiao Roubao can change into clean clothes. Oh, Zhuzi, help grandma carry some sour plum soup over. Everyone must be thirsty.”

After giving a few instructions, Zhuzi didn’t even enter the inner room but turned to follow Li Yufeng to the kitchen to serve the sour plum soup.

The clerk in the room heard this and glanced at the sour plum soup on the table. He picked it up and took a sip.

The sour plum soup hadn’t completely cooled down yet; it was still a bit warm, but it tasted exceptionally good. He thought Su Weimin’s family was quite nice. At least they sent sour plum soup to the workers in the field to cool off. However, he still had some reservations about Su Xiaoxiao.

Firstly, Su Xiaoxiao was very beautiful, and her dress was fashionable, like that of a city girl who forgot her roots. Secondly, “a woman without talent is a virtue,” and when a woman studies too much, she’ll have too many ideas. A comrade who should be taking care of her family at home shouldn’t be contradicting him with her clever arguments. It was very annoying.

…..

T/N: TBH, this chapter or mini-arc is annoying for me. I really hate incompetent officials.