Chapter 55: Director Zhao played a positive exemplary and leading role

This rain lasted too long—it poured straight from the beginning of autumn to the end of summer heat.

Even though the rain had stopped, the water hadn’t. The village was celebrating, but those outside still had to remain on guard to prevent any further flooding.

At the same time, they also needed to assess the damage to the crops.

Only when the sky had completely washed away the gloom, revealing a vast expanse of clear blue, did Zhao Ke and the others finally let go of their worries. With heavy bodies but elated hearts, they made their way back to the village.

The village itself was full of trenches and ditches, a muddy mess that was difficult to walk through. But since the flooding wasn’t severe, no one minded anymore.

After exchanging greetings, everyone bid farewell and headed back to their own homes.

As soon as Zhao Ke arrived home, Yu Xiulan immediately rushed up to her. “I’ve already heated the water. I’ll fetch it for you now—go to your room and wash up quickly, then get a good sleep. I’ve aired out your clothes and bedding.”

Zhao Ke was so exhausted that she could barely lift her arms, so she obediently went to her room to wait.

Yu Xiulan carried in the large wooden bath basin, pouring in bucket after bucket of water. After busying herself for a while and checking the temperature, she urged, “Go ahead and wash.”

Zhao Ke stepped into the tub. The warm water enveloped her body. At first, she could still hold on, scrubbing off some dirt, but after a few moments, her head tilted to the side, and she fell asleep.

Worried, Yu Xiulan came in to check on her. “She really knocked out.”

Normally, Zhao Ke had all sorts of particularities—her bath basin couldn’t be the same one used in the household, her face-washing basin couldn’t be the same as her foot basin, and she was obsessed with privacy, not even letting her own mother see her casually.

But now, Yu Xiulan washed her hair, scrubbed her arms, and even massaged her back while she slept through it all.

She even reached in to scrub Zhao Ke’s legs and feet. Only after finishing did she shake Zhao Ke vigorously. “Wake up, I need to fetch another basin of water.”

Zhao Ke was forcibly shaken awake, her eyelids barely opening a sliver, her mind completely foggy.

“Don’t sleep yet,” Yu Xiulan reminded her repeatedly. As she left, she muttered, “If you weren’t so picky, I wouldn’t have to wake you up.”

Zhao Ke, wrapped in a sheet, sat on the kang, swaying back and forth like she was about to topple over but managed to stay upright.

A moment later, Yu Xiulan hurried back in with another basin of water, grabbed her, and ordered, “Hurry up and wash.”

Zhao Ke didn’t move, just staring blankly at her mother.

Yu Xiulan couldn’t help but scold, “I must have the worst luck in life. Fine, I’ll leave, alright?”

But after scolding her, she took one look at Zhao Ke’s now much thinner face and her pale, waterlogged hands and feet, and her heart softened. Her voice became gentler. “Once you’re done, just lie down. I’ll clean up.”

Forcing herself to stay awake, Zhao Ke sluggishly rinsed off for the second time, then changed into clean shorts and a t-shirt. The moment she burrowed into her blanket, she fell into a deep sleep.

This time, no matter how many times Yu Xiulan came in and out, Zhao Ke remained completely oblivious.

Yu Xiulan wasn’t nearly as meticulous when dealing with Zhao Feng, that rough boy.

Right in the latrine, Zhao Jianguo scooped up a ladle of sun-warmed water and poured it straight over his head. Only after watching him wash up did he allow him to go back inside to sleep.

The village remained quiet for a whole day and night before people started moving about again.

In the countryside, fetching water was a hassle, so people didn’t bathe often. But over these past two days, nearly the entire village was washing up—some forcing themselves to bathe before collapsing into bed, while others ignored everything, sleeping first and washing up only after waking.

Perhaps Zhao Ke had gotten used to the past month and a half of hard labor. After sleeping for more than ten hours, her body still felt extremely fatigued, but she wasn’t completely immobilized.

Compared to her first day of work, she had improved.

Outside, the sun was scorching.

Zhao Ke walked around the house but found no one there, so she put on her boots and headed out.

The village roads were still wet, and every step left her foot sinking into the mud. The puddles had mostly shallowed, and Zhao Ke trudged through the muck all the way to the commune office. She knocked off the mud at the entrance before pushing the door open.

“Director Zhao, all rested up?”

Zhao Ke couldn’t help but laugh. “Uncle Niu, if you suddenly call me that, I’ll be scared out of my wits.”

Accountant Niu chuckled. “Come, have a seat. Even though we’re in the same village, it feels like we haven’t seen each other in ages. You’ve lost weight.”

“The entire commune has probably shed a layer of skin.” Zhao Ke sat down and asked, “Where’s the team leader and Deputy Team Leader Xu?”

Accountant Niu’s smile faded as he sighed. “They went to check on the crops. After the heavy rain, we’ve got scorching sun—the seedlings can’t take it. Who knows how many more will wither.”

Zhao Ke’s mood also sank slightly, but she quickly pulled herself together and said with a smile, “Let’s look at the bright side. At least our fields don’t have too much standing water, so the seedlings aren’t suffering both from flooding and the sun. Hopefully, they’ll fare a little better.”

Accountant Niu let out another long sigh. “Let’s hope more of them survive.”

Before leaving, Zhao Xinshan had left a task for Accountant Niu—every year, whether it was drought or flood, a report on losses had to be submitted to the commune. This year was no exception.

Zhao Ke dug through the filing cabinet for past records and copied them onto a fresh sheet of paper, leaving blank spaces to fill in the damage statistics later.

Suddenly, a frantic voice shouted from outside, “Team Leader! The grain’s gone moldy!”

Since Zhao Xinshan wasn’t there, Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu exchanged a glance before heading out to investigate.

Zhao Er Nai, Tian Guizhi, and about ten other commune members had arrived at the office, each holding moldy grain in their hands.

The grains were covered in mildew spots, some so badly affected that they had turned black.

After inspecting them, Zhao Ke said, “Grain this moldy is definitely inedible.”

Zhao Er Nai refused to believe it. “Can’t we just wash it? If we wash it, won’t it be clean?”

Zhao Ke replied, “Er Nai, toxins from mold can’t just be washed away.”

“But wouldn’t that be a huge waste?” Er Nai argued anxiously. “Back in the day when food was scarce, people ate all kinds of things, and I never heard anyone say that moldy grain couldn’t be eaten.”

“That’s true, but Er Nai, think about the famine years in the ‘60s. Every household was dirt poor, and grain was more precious than gold. People kept a constant watch over their food—would it have ever gotten moldy to this extent?”

Er Nai stubbornly retorted, “So what? Eating it won’t kill anyone, will it? I’ve never heard of people dying from eating moldy grain.”

“Er Nai.” Zhao Ke’s tone grew serious. “This grain is toxic. We can’t handle it ourselves—are we really going to gamble with our lives?”

The other commune members wore worried expressions. “Then what should we do? A lot of grain has gone bad…”

Zhao Ke asked, “Has all the grain gone moldy?”

“Not all of it…”

Some had spoiled badly, some only slightly, and the rest was just damp but still salvageable if dried properly.

“The moldy grain absolutely must not be eaten. Go home and separate it immediately. Set it aside, and for the damp grain, dry it out as soon as possible.”

She urged them to return home for now.

The villagers trusted her, so even though they looked distressed, they all agreed.

Zhao Ke told them to report the actual situation to the commune after checking their grain carefully and reminded them again, “The commune will find a solution, but whatever you do, don’t eat it.”

The crowd murmured their agreements as they dispersed.

Soon, news of the moldy grain spread through the village. People began sifting through their own stores and reporting their findings to the commune.

Some had been quick-witted, moving their grain onto the kang right after the rain and occasionally lighting a fire to dry it out.  

Some had stored it well, and it was only slightly damp.  

But these were the exceptions. Most households had some degree of mold contamination.

Even Zhao Ke’s own family wasn’t spared.

Looking at the preliminary data, Zhao Ke sighed in reflection. “I didn’t even think about the grain storage issue earlier. If only I had reminded everyone sooner.”

Now, it was a case of one disaster piling onto another—no one even knew how the crops had fared yet, and now their stored grain was ruined.

And on top of that…  

Zhao Ke glanced at the moldy walls of the office. Who knew how many houses needed repairs or what other damages had yet to be discovered?

Accountant Niu consoled her, “We all did our best. Everyone was out fighting the flood—it’s understandable that we didn’t think of everything.”

Zhao Ke collected herself and nodded determinedly. “You’re right. Worrying won’t solve anything. What matters now is finding solutions.”

Accountant Niu nodded approvingly and grinned. “That’s the spirit—young people sure have energy.”

Zhao Ke smiled but didn’t say anything.  

What energy could young people have? When they got lazy, no one could compare. The real endurance belonged to the old comrades—like the Production Team Leader and the others, who had gone to the fields and still hadn’t returned.  

But even with the Production Team Leader absent, things couldn’t be delayed. After discussing with Accountant Niu, Zhao Ke decided they should go door-to-door to assess the damage instead of just waiting for people to report it.  

The household with the most severe losses was undoubtedly the Qian family. Accountant Niu knew Zhao Ke didn’t have a good relationship with them and asked, “Are we going over?”  

Zhao Ke replied calmly, “Let’s go take a look.”  

A hint of admiration flickered in Accountant Niu’s eyes.  

It wasn’t just because Zhao Ke had once saved his son—he simply appreciated her character.  

So young, yet willing to take responsibility and uphold fairness. That was rare.  

She had a promising future ahead.  

Unable to hold back, he gave her a few words of advice: “As a cadre, you’ll deal with all kinds of commune members. Just keep things balanced and be more tolerant in attitude. I have high hopes for you.”  

Zhao Ke smiled and nodded. “I understand, Uncle Niu.”  

The road was muddy and difficult to walk on, so they helped each other along.  

Well, mostly, Accountant Niu was helping Zhao Ke.  

They headed straight for the Qian family.  

One section of their old house had collapsed. The entire seven-person household was now crammed onto the two-meter-wide kang in Qian Jun and his wife’s room.  

During the flood rescue, they had used the door panel from the old house. It was still under Old Man Qian, who alone took up a large portion of the space, leaving the others squeezed together.  

In the past few days, both Qian Jun and his wife had been too busy with flood prevention to think much about their living situation. Whenever they returned home for rest, they simply collapsed into sleep.  

Now that the rain had stopped, Li Mei stared at the immobile Old Man Qian and wailed like she was mourning the dead. “Why am I so unlucky, marrying into your Qian family?! The old ones are useless, the young ones are ignorant—I want to go back to my maiden home!”  

Old Man Qian could still lie on the kang, but Granny Qian couldn’t even get up there. She stood below, anxiously trying to console her. “Mei, you can’t go back to your maiden home…”  

Li Mei’s tone was nasty. “Mind your own business!”  

Granny Qian didn’t dare say more, afraid of provoking her, and instead looked anxiously at her son.  

Qian Jun, looking humbled, tried to coax her. “Wife, why are you acting like this? If you leave, what about me? What about the kids?”  

“And what about me?!” Li Mei snapped. “Your father can’t move, he even struggles with relieving himself. Am I supposed to share a kang with your parents forever?”  

Qian Jun, guilt-ridden, said, “I know this is hard for you, but the roof collapsed—no one wanted this to happen. Just bear with it a little longer, I’ll fix it as soon as I can…”  

“With what money?!” Li Mei pointed at the old house. “I can’t stay in this room. Let them move back!”  

“Xiao Mei?!”  

Granny Qian panicked. “Mei, the old house still has a leaking roof…”  

“The weather’s clear now, and it’s not cold. Why can’t they stay there?” Li Mei’s face was cold. “Either they move back, or I go back to my maiden home. Qian Jun, choose.”  

Qian Jun was caught between a rock and a hard place. He finally turned to his mother, speaking in a low voice. “Mom…”  

Granny Qian stared at her son in disbelief, her heart breaking.  

She had endured everything—even being treated like nothing by her husband—but now, her own son wanted to send his parents to live in a house with a leaking roof?  

Feeling guilty, Qian Jun lowered his head and quickly explained, “Mom, I’ll fix the roof as soon as possible. It won’t take long…”  

The more he spoke, the more uncertain his voice became. “We can’t really let Xiao Mei leave for her maiden home…”  

But if the roof would be fixed soon, why not let his parents stay a few more days?  

Granny Qian looked at him, filled with disappointment.  

Li Mei, emboldened, pressed the issue. “Hurry up and move! Right now!”  

Qian Jun hesitated but still reached out to lift the door panel under his father.  

But the moment he moved it, Old Man Qian woke up from the pain. Before even opening his eyes, he weakly cursed, “Unfilial son!”  

The father’s authority still held some weight—Qian Jun didn’t dare argue back. But Li Mei had already seen through the situation. The old man was paralyzed and had lost his power. She immediately dropped her previous “dutiful daughter-in-law” act and started arguing with him.  

“What unfilial? What else do you want? Look at how filthy you are!”  

“You wretch! You wretch! I’ll have Qian Jun divorce you!”  

Granny Qian just stood to the side, watching all this unfold, her expression blank.  

Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu had already heard the commotion from outside the courtyard, so they didn’t bother announcing themselves before walking in.  

“What’s all the racket?”  

Standing at the doorway, Zhao Ke’s sharp voice cut through the argument.  

Li Mei stopped, crossed her arms, and sat at the edge of the kang.  

Old Man Qian was still cursing, even trying to reach out and hit someone, but his waist was bound to the board, and he couldn’t move.  

Qian Jun, ashamed, said, “Director Zhao, Accountant Niu, I’m sorry you had to see this joke…”  

Accountant Niu asked what they were arguing about.  

Qian Jun, knowing this wasn’t something that sounded good when said aloud, kept his mouth shut.  

Li Mei, on the other hand, had no such concerns. She immediately started complaining: “This room’s kang is only so big, and my father-in-law takes up almost half of it. How are we supposed to squeeze in with the kids? And look at his temper—he even refuses to call out when he needs to use the latrine! How are we supposed to sleep?”  

So that explained the smell in the room.  

Both Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu instinctively raised their hands to cover their noses.

Zhao Ke’s resentment grew heavier as she spoke. “I’ve put up with this for days—I’ve had enough! If they don’t move back, I’m going to my mother’s house!”  

As a daughter-in-law, having grievances about this situation was entirely understandable.  

Accountant Niu cast a disdainful glance at Old Man Qian and scolded Qian Jun, “Back then, when Director Zhao urged everyone to repair their houses, weren’t you all acting tough? Now, when your family should be pulling together, you’re making a scene instead!”  

Qian Jun responded awkwardly and even apologized to Zhao Ke, “Director Zhao, we were ignorant and ungrateful. Please don’t hold it against us.”  

Zhao Ke frowned, unable to stay in this stifling room any longer, and said in a muffled voice, “Stop moving him for now, let’s go outside to talk.”  

Qian Jun reached for Li Mei, who shook him off. He grabbed her again, and after some tugging, the couple followed them outside.  

Inside the house, Granny Qian remained motionless, listening to Old Man Qian’s constant cursing.  

Once outside, Zhao Ke finally lowered her hand and turned to Qian Jun with a stern expression. “That house still leaks. If you and your wife force the elders to move in now, how is that any different from throwing them out of the house? Are you two ready for the entire village to criticize you behind your backs?”  

Qian Jun certainly didn’t want that, but… he glanced hesitantly at Li Mei, looking troubled.  

Zhao Ke had no patience for his attitude and called him out directly. “You’re a grown man, but when it’s time to step up, you don’t? Now, suddenly, you’re letting your wife call all the shots? If she’s in the wrong, then tell her so! Instead of acting all conflicted, who exactly are you trying to please here?”  

Li Mei was displeased. “Why am I in the wrong—”  

“You shut up for now! I’ll get to you later!”  

Li Mei, now properly scolded, sulked but stayed silent.  

Zhao Ke turned back to Qian Jun. “And you’re feeling wronged? You’re their son, but you’re ready to send your parents out into the cold? Do you have any idea how much that must hurt your mother? Instead of figuring out a solution, what’s your plan—just dump all the blame on your wife and act like it’s not your fault?”  

Li Mei immediately shot Qian Jun a glare.  

Qian Jun’s face turned red with shame. “Director Zhao, that’s not what I meant…”  

“There are plenty of other families in the village that need to rebuild. You and your wife can go join forces with them, talk to people nicely, and ask them to fix your roof first. It’ll take three to five days at most—is that so difficult?”  

Zhao Ke then turned to Li Mei. “You can’t even wait three to five days? You’d rather hand people the perfect excuse to gossip about you?”  

Li Mei still stubbornly held her ground. “I can’t take even one more day of this! I want—”  

“You want to go back to your mother’s house, right? Li Village is right next to ours—we all suffered from the same flood. You think your family fared any better? Even if they have enough to feed you for now, how long can they keep you? And here you are, using ‘going home’ as a threat… Do you really think your family will back you up when they find out you’re forcing your in-laws to live in a leaking house?”  

Zhao Ke was seriously tempted to grab Li Mei by the head and shake some sense into her—what was even going on inside there?  

“I— I…” Li Mei faltered, unable to argue anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started crying in frustration. “Easy for you all to say—you’re not the ones dealing with this! Why am I so unlucky—sob, sob, sob…”  

Inside the house, Old Man Qian’s curses rang out loud and clear, some of his words outright vulgar.  

Zhao Ke raised her voice and called into the house, “You can’t move right now. Instead of focusing on your recovery, you’re putting on this whole act—what exactly are you trying to achieve? Annoying everyone until they refuse to take care of you? Are you trying to get yourself abandoned?”  

Inside, Old Man Qian froze for a moment before erupting even louder. “They wouldn’t dare!”  

Zhao Ke’s voice carried back, “If you keep acting without any decency and your son and daughter-in-law really stop caring for you, do you think anyone in the village will stand up for you? The village just went through a disaster—we’re too busy handling everything else to waste time settling your family’s personal drama!”  

“Why should they stop caring for me?!” Old Man Qian, unable to move his body, pounded his fists weakly against the door panel beneath him and glared at his wife with difficulty. “If you dare neglect me, I’ll beat you to death!”  

He looked both pathetic and completely devoid of his former authority.  

Granny Qian murmured under her breath, “And how exactly are you going to beat me now…?”  

“What did you say?! Say it louder!”  

Outside, Zhao Ke shook her head. She felt no sympathy for Old Man Qian’s plight and turned to Qian Jun and Li Mei. “The other villagers are busy reporting their damages—meanwhile, you two are here bickering. Do you think arguing will solve anything? Go sort things out properly.”  

After scolding them, Zhao Ke called for Accountant Niu, and the two of them left the Qian household.  

Qian Jun and Li Mei, thoroughly chastised, hung their heads and dejectedly walked them out.  

Once they were outside, Accountant Niu chuckled. “You’re still young, so sometimes you have to be tough. You can’t be too polite, or some of these difficult villagers will just take advantage and make things impossible to manage.”  

Zhao Ke had always been tough, but handling things this way was different—it was about adjusting to the situation as needed.  

The two of them continued visiting each household, both inspecting the damage firsthand and reminding those who hadn’t yet reported their losses to go inform the village committee.  

Since they had started at the Qian family, they began their survey from the southern part of the village.  

The general situation in the south was that houses that had been repaired more recently were mostly fine, while older ones had varying degrees of leaks and water damage.  

The educated youth point was especially rundown—after this rain, it absolutely needed repairs.  

As they moved north, they passed by Second Uncle Zhao and Second Aunt Zhao’s house—the same couple who had fiercely argued with Zhao Ke about fixing their home before. Now, they seemed completely deflated.  

And Zhao Ke wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but their old house looked like it was leaning even more than before.  

She turned to Accountant Niu and asked for confirmation, “Uncle Niu, what do you think?”

Accountant Niu took a step back to get a better look and said uncertainly, “It does seem a little tilted.” 

Uncle Zhao and his family were all panicked. “That can’t be, right? It held up fine during the heavy rain; it should be okay.”  

Zhao Ke gestured for them to take a closer look. “If it really is tilting, the fact that it didn’t collapse during the storm and that you noticed it now just means you’re lucky.”  

Perhaps influenced by her words, Aunt Zhao stared at the house and felt it looked even more crooked. She wailed, “Lucky?! If the house collapses, how are we supposed to live? We won’t be able to rebuild it…”  

Building a new house in the countryside required years of preparation—saving money and gathering materials. If their house collapsed, their family would suffer the heaviest loss in Zhao Village.  

Zhao Ke reassured them, “As long as no one is hurt, that’s what matters most. Move your belongings out quickly to minimize the damage, and don’t lose hope—our brigade will come up with a plan.”  

“What plan could there be? If the house falls, our grain molds, and the crops dry out under the sun, what will we eat…?”  

Aunt Zhao’s eyes were dull with despair, barely able to stand without support from her husband and son.  

Accountant Niu frowned deeply.  

Zhao Ke, however, was getting irritated. She couldn’t take it out on the elders, so she smacked their eldest son, Zhao Weidong, on the arm. “Enough with the doom and gloom—start moving things out. And don’t forget the pigs!”  

Oh, right! They still had pigs!  

Aunt Zhao’s spirit lifted a little. “Zhao Ke, our family also invested money in the cooperative. Will we get a bigger share at the end of the year?”  

Zhao Ke didn’t want to crush her hopes but had to be realistic. “The pigs haven’t fattened up enough this year, so they might not sell. But it’s not at the point where you have to despair. You have hands and feet—how could you starve?”  

Fortunately, with the pigs as a fallback, Aunt Zhao wasn’t as hopeless. “If we can’t sell them this year, we can sell them next year. But next year will be even harder…”  

Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu exchanged glances.  

Yes, next year would be the real challenge.  

Zhao Ke encouraged them, “Hurry up and pack. The whole village is dealing with flood damage, and the brigade has other plans. If you don’t act now, we might not have spare hands to help later.”  

Uncle Zhao and his family all stared at her. “What plans?”  

“You’ll find out when the time comes. Just take care of your household first.”  

After giving them instructions, Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu moved on to the next house.  

As they walked toward Old Wang’s house, Accountant Niu asked, “So, do you have an idea already?”  

“We haven’t reported to the commune yet, so we don’t know what their plans are. But in the meantime, we can organize people to forage in the forest.”  

To Zhao Ke, it didn’t make sense to sit idle when they had such a vast forest at their disposal. Worst case… “It’s still early in the season—we could try planting something.”  

Accountant Niu seemed thoughtful. “We might still have time to plant cabbage and radishes, but they won’t be very filling.”  

Zhao Ke had been thinking that even unripe crops would be better than nothing. Hearing that cabbage and radishes were still an option, she immediately pressed him for details.  

They discussed it as they walked, only pausing when they reached Old Wang’s courtyard.  

The Wang family was also in a difficult situation.  

Their house was still standing, but their grain was the problem.  

They had secretly sold off a good portion of their stock before, leaving just enough to get by. But now, a lot of it had gone bad, and they wouldn’t last through winter.  

And they had no money.  

Everyone in the family wore anxious expressions.  

Zhao Ke couldn’t say much, so she just offered words of encouragement and told them to wait for the brigade’s instructions.  

At this point, the pigs in the cooperative had become Zhao Ke’s go-to morale booster—and they were proving effective.  

She and Accountant Niu naturally had to go check on them. From a distance, they saw a crowd gathered near the pigpens, some carrying sacks.  

As they approached, Accountant Niu asked, “What are you all doing?”  

Zhao Er Nai patted the grain sack beside her. “The grain’s gone moldy, right? We can’t let it go to waste, so we’re feeding it to the pigs! If they fatten up, we can sell them for more money.”  

Several villagers nodded in agreement, eagerly eyeing the pigs.  

Zhao Ke: “…”  

Why are they so clever?  

She sighed. “If humans can’t eat it, how can pigs? You can’t feed them moldy grain—what if they get sick and die?”  

Zhao Er Nai was upset. “This isn’t allowed, that isn’t allowed—are we supposed to just throw it out? Wasting grain will get us struck by lightning!”  

The other villagers also felt reluctant to discard it and voiced their agreement.  

Zhao Ke waved them off. “Didn’t I tell you to report your losses to the brigade? First, take your grain to be registered properly. Otherwise, how can we keep track?”  

The villagers realized she had a point. If the brigade had a plan, they didn’t want to miss out. So, they quickly shouldered their grain sacks and headed toward the brigade office.  

Just then, from the other side of the drying field, Zhao Rui shouted, “Director Zhao! Accountant Niu! The Production Team Leader is calling for you!”

Zhao Xinshan and Deputy Team Leader Xu had returned from the fields!  

Now, they knew the situation of the crops.  

Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu didn’t have time to check on the pigs and hurried back.  

In the office, Zhao Xinshan and Deputy Team Leader Xu already looked deeply worried, and seeing the commune members bringing in so much moldy grain only made them more anxious.  

On her way past Zhao Xinshan’s house, Zhao Ke called Zhao Yunyun to come to the brigade and help storekeeper He Dongsheng weigh and record the moldy grain before she entered the office.  

“Uncle, how is it?”  

Zhao Xinshan said, “A third of the crops are definitely ruined, and about another third have yellowed leaves. We don’t know if they’ll survive.”  

If only they had known earlier…  

But even if they had known, without experiencing it firsthand, would they have dug drainage channels in advance?  

Probably not.  

But Zhao Xinshan was sure that seeing so many crops rotted by the floodwaters had made everyone deeply regretful.  

However, Zhao Ke had a different mindset after hearing this.  

She was thrilled and said, “So that means we’ve at least saved a third of the crops!”  

Zhao Xinshan, Deputy Team Leader Xu, and Accountant Niu were all momentarily stunned.  

Thinking about it, she was right.  

Without the drainage channels and nearly half a month of effort from the entire brigade, they might not have even saved that third of the seedlings.  

They were well aware of the situation in the other brigades within the surrounding ten miles. Since those brigades didn’t have drainage channels, they had endured the heavy rains, hoping they would stop. By now, their fields were probably still flooded.  

And in fact, they weren’t wrong. When the damage reports from each brigade were submitted to the commune, it became clear that Zhao Village’s Production Team had suffered the least losses.  

Many brigades had lost all their crops.  

Except for Zhao Village’s Production Team, every Production Team Leader was now lamenting to Secretary Duan and Director Wu: “We won’t be able to meet our grain quotas for the autumn harvest…”  

Before coming here, Zhao Xinshan had been deeply worried, but now he seemed strangely out of place. Just as he was wondering whether he should cry too—otherwise, their brigade might suffer losses—Secretary Duan called his name.  

“Comrade Zhao Xinshan, please share with everyone how your Zhao Village Production Team managed to save half of your crops.”  

Under the envious and confused gazes of the other Production Team Leaders, Zhao Xinshan regretted not bringing Zhao Ke along. She would’ve explained it far better than him and could have made Zhao Village’s brigade truly stand out.  

But Zhao Ke wasn’t here, so he could only dryly recount how all the commune members of Zhao Village, under the leadership of their young cadres, had overcome countless difficulties to protect their crops.  

Zhao Xinshan loved power, but he wouldn’t take credit for Zhao Ke’s contributions.  

Besides, Zhao Ke was part of their Zhao family—his niece—so he had every right to feel proud here.  

And indeed, in front of the commune leaders and other Production Team Leaders, he proudly boasted:  

“Our brigade isn’t like some others that don’t make good use of educated youths or hesitate to promote young cadres.”  

“For example, the young Women’s Director I personally promoted played an outstanding role in setting an example. Every commune member fulfilled their duties, fully utilizing everyone’s strengths, which allowed us to preserve as much of our collective assets as possible.”  

This self-promotion didn’t sound boastful at all—it was highly strategic.  

Not a single word was wasted, and the key points were emphasized.