Chapter 233: Chapter 233

Gong Ruini was also standing at the door listening; she didn’t expect even Zhao Gang to speak about Xia Hongbo like that.

Sigh, why didn’t Zhao Gang mention it earlier? If he had, Gong Ruini guaranteed she wouldn’t have blown the matter up back then.

Who becomes the commune leader depends on whether they can provide some help, otherwise why get involved in these matters.

Although Ge Yonggen couldn’t be called a good leader and didn’t bring much significant benefits, at least he let everyone live a comfortable and easy life, avoiding all kinds of hardships.

If Xia Hongbo takes power and insists on continuous criticism, would life be any better? Dıscover more novels at NoveI~Fire.net

Especially those young intellectuals next door who are always up for struggle; if they find out Cai Ming becomes a teacher, won’t they cause trouble?

If they see that the village doesn’t intend to help them, might they escalate things, like writing letters to the commune, which would be troublesome?

Gong Ruini thought everything would be stable once Cai Ming waited until September for the elementary school to start, not expecting more significant troubles ahead.

Zhao Xuran didn’t expect to come back and hear about these matters, then felt the small body beside him trembling.

"It’s okay, I think dad won’t overlook these things," Zhao Xuran whispered to comfort Gong Ruini.

Recently, the village has been all peaceful, and Cai Ming’s matter hasn’t leaked out yet. Even if it leaks after the school starts, there’s no need to worry.

Did Zhao Gang really consider all this? Gong Ruini expressed that Zhao Xuran was just trying to give his old man some credit; didn’t he notice the weariness and hint of helplessness in Zhao Gang’s words?

"Rest assured, if we really remove Ge Yonggen’s backing, Xia Hongbo won’t last long either," Zhao Gang asserted that he wasn’t without chances.

Zhao Gang originally wanted to let his wife be touched, knowing that her husband was a capable person, but seeing the worry in his daughter-in-law’s voice, well, he decided to open up.

Ah, Xia Hongbo won’t stay long? Gong Ruini felt a bit confused; didn’t this person just bring down the biggest opponent? Shouldn’t he savor the power of being in charge? Why would he be willing to leave?

Is it because there’s a better position? Gong Ruini pondered and concluded this might be the only possibility.

"Being a commune secretary sounds good, but it’s not as good as being a county secretary," Zhao Gang didn’t expect Xia Hongbo’s ambition to be that big; such a person can really climb, but his foundation is shaky.

Just a slight mistake, and he’ll definitely meet a miserable end. Zhao Gang recalled unintentionally encountering Xia Hongbo before, and the guy was so arrogant. Thinking of this so-called Secretary Xia, Zhao Gang couldn’t help but shake his head, indeed not a person fit for great responsibility, an absolute portrait of a petty person getting lucky.

Oh my, he only just became the commune secretary for a little while with barely any achievements, and now he wants to be the county committee secretary; this promotion speed feels faster than a rocket.

But if this really is the case, Xia Hongbo winning might actually be a good thing, at least he can remove Ge Yonggen and then have someone else take the lead, though who knows how this new leader will be.

Gong Ruini thought they shouldn’t have caused trouble initially, at least mixing with familiar people makes life a bit more comfortable.

Gong Tao and his wife were carrying tools back from work when they saw a group gathered, thinking something happened, they walked over just in time to catch the end of the analysis.

"Xia Hongbo is leaving too?" Cai Meina hadn’t heard the earlier part; she thought Xia Hongbo’s grasp on power was inseparable from their aid.

Cai Meina didn’t expect Xia Hongbo to be particularly good to them, only hoping he could give them some peace, with fewer people to disturb them.

She didn’t expect that before he had a chance to support them, he’d be transferred, to be a county committee secretary, but so what, he wouldn’t remember them, let alone take care of them.

Cai Meina’s voice was a bit too excited, and therefore loud enough that Zhao Gang and his wife inside heard it.

Well, now the eavesdroppers got caught red-handed, they shouldn’t even think about sneaking away.

Seeing the expression of one, two, three, four, five, six people waiting for his answer, Zhao Gang just wanted to say, "I went to town a few days ago, met Uncle Zhang, and he said we did well."

Ah, Uncle Zhang said we did well? What’s that mean? Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Although Zhao Gang later went to the recycling station to buy some scraps, not finding much good stuff, it was cheap, and with a school set to open, he bought a lot, which led to a better relationship with Uncle Zhang.

"I didn’t intend to say this, but remember, if Xia Hongbo really becomes the county committee secretary, the new commune leader will be someone who works diligently," Zhao Gang, of course, wouldn’t miss the opportunity to gather information, and frequently sought Uncle Zhang’s advice.

"Uncle Zhang gave us an answer," even though they didn’t meet much, Zhao Gang trusted Uncle Zhang, believing his words were reliable.

Hearing this, Gong Tao breathed a sigh of relief. They previously analyzed that if Xia Hongbo took power, their lives might not be great, especially after meeting later, which was why Gong Tao was so cautious.

Unexpectedly, such a battle-oriented Secretary Xia would be promoted again due to a struggle. Gong Tao sincerely wished Secretary Xia well. "Then can we plant some corn and sweet potatoes on the mountain?"

Although it’s too late to plant rice, planting other crops is still possible, and with Xiao Jiu-in-law moving in later, along with Hua Miaozhu and two newborns, Gong Tao felt there was not enough food.

Hearing this, Gong Ruini and the rest panicked a bit. Since spring, when Zhao Gang relented on not planting grains on the mountain, under Zhan Jing’s advice, they planted many herbs. Although they haven’t bloomed and borne fruit yet, watching the herbs grow day by day, Gong Ruini was filled with motivation.

Especially in recent days, picking herbal medicine based on some books brought them a little fortune.

This benefit made Gong Ruini and others reluctant to give up such an excellent opportunity, but in the adults’ eyes, nothing was as reliable as planting grain; even with ideas, they could only wait for the adults to discuss results before deciding.

"Let’s plant next year; be honest this year. Actually, herb planting is quite profitable," Zhao Gang felt that planting herbs these years was acceptable; after all, the income wasn’t flashy and was better than grain sales.

Another consideration, "Although Xia Hongbo will be transferred, it won’t be so soon. If we plant grain on the mountain, it’s easy to be spotted, but herbs are different."

It’s not that Zhao Gang underestimated those people’s so-called officers; truthfully, one is more of a fool than the next. They can’t recognize herbs at all, "They’d just think it’s weeds. Without expertise, they wouldn’t report it."

"Even if they report it, we’re not worried. Zhan Jing sometimes uses her personally-picked herbs to help others with ailments," Zhao Gang had already thought about these things long ago.

Amazing, Uncle Zhao Gang was reliable, aside from his not-so-reliable name.

Zhao Guangran sighed in relief upon hearing this, finally having his own small savings. Although the amount wasn’t much, it could gradually grow, provided they didn’t destroy the herbal base.

"Look, if you truly insist on planting grain, those kids might not let you off," Zhao Gang indicated for Gong Tao to check the kids’ reactions; they couldn’t be disappointed.

Almost provoked mass anger, Gong Tao repeatedly apologized. Anyway, considering they still had food in the cellar, they weren’t in dire straits yet.