I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

"Why so surprised? I just think that for the village to develop, people need to learn. We can’t go without a primary school. The Commune’s school hasn’t held classes for years, and now the kids are six, seven, even eight or nine, with no place to learn how to read and do arithmetic. I figured this would be a perfect spot for a primary school. This way, no one can accuse me of building it for my own personal enjoyment, right?"

"No one’s going to say that, I can guarantee it. But I’m not surprised you had the idea. I’m surprised you have the audacity to do it! Two more rooms... do you have any idea how much money and materials that’ll take? What gives you the confidence to think you can build it all by yourself?"

Zhao Wendong’s face split into a shameless grin.

"Heh heh, I don’t have any confidence in myself. But I have confidence in our production team, and in you, Secretary Jiang. Surely you all won’t just stand by and watch me toil away all by myself, right?"

"Whoa, hold on. Don’t you come here looking for a handout. The county and the production team really can’t get involved in this. If we did, it would just complicate things, you understand? If this ever gets scrutinized, the story is that you, out of the goodness of your heart, are letting the school use it for free. The house was built by you, so it’s a perfectly defensible story. But if a single brick or tile comes from the production team or the Commune instead of your own pocket, then the whole nature of this affair becomes muddled!"

"Alright, I get it. I’ll just have to rely on my own efforts then!"

Zhao Wendong was just pleading poverty on the off chance he could get something out of it. But even without any handouts, he was confident he could build the house himself. After all, he was a man with a golden touch. Even if the winter harvest from the mountains wasn’t enough, he could just wait for spring and head out to sea. The boundless ocean was his true cornucopia.

Having accepted Zhao Wendong’s fish, Jiang Weimin might have felt a bit bad about sending him away completely empty-handed. He thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "While I can’t give you the materials outright, I can make sure you get them at the lowest possible price. For any future building materials your production team needs, the county will authorize the sale at rock-bottom prices."

"Haha, thank you, Secretary Jiang."

Zhao Wendong was so happy he bowed to Jiang Weimin, who quickly stopped him.

"Wendong, let’s not be so formal, shall we? I wasn’t formal with you when you brought me the fish. This is just normal support for your production team’s construction efforts, what’s there to be so polite about?"

While Jiang Weimin was speaking the truth—in his eyes, this really wasn’t a big deal, as various units in the county built new brick-and-tile buildings every year, so one or two rooms for Dragon King Pond hardly registered—Zhao Wendong was still extremely grateful. This promise from Jiang Weimin meant that, first, he no longer had to worry about sourcing raw materials, and second, he would save at least a quarter of the total cost. That was a huge help.

"I’ve got nothing more to say. Secretary, I’m getting married on the third day of the Lunar New Year. I was wondering if I might have the honor of inviting you to be my witness? I’ll be sure to toast you properly."

"Hahaha, I’ve already heard all about it! Even if you hadn’t told me, even if you hadn’t invited me, I would have shown up anyway! Of course, no problem. We’ll have a good drink together then."

Jiang Weimin agreed without hesitation, touching Zhao Wendong’s heart once more. He gripped Jiang Weimin’s hand and shook it twice—no words were needed. ’I’ll have to make a point not to grumble about him so much in the future,’ he thought. Jiang Weimin just smiled and steered the conversation to another topic.

"Oh, right, Wendong. The rewards for your huge fish catch have been decided. You should prepare to go to the regional office to accept your prize. The rest of us are all basking in your reflected glory, heh heh. Also, about those two friends of yours—the educated youth from Shanghai at the Agro-Tech Station and Comrade Liangzi from the Qianjin Supply and Marketing Cooperative. The county is deciding their rewards, and I wanted to hear your thoughts."

"Huh? My thoughts? I couldn’t possibly have any thoughts on the matter. Secretary Jiang, you should just decide."

"Hahaha, if I’m asking you to speak, then speak! Come on, Wendong, you’re not usually this modest and reserved!"

"Ahem, alright, if you insist. Both of my buddies are talented guys. I think they’re ready for official positions."

This was a question Zhao Wendong felt he had to answer on his friends’ behalf, so he went straight for the big ask: promotions.

"My, you certainly don’t hold back, do you? What kind of positions did you have in mind for them?"

"Well, that’s for the leadership to arrange, of course. But if you’re asking me... the director position at our Commune’s Agro-Tech Station has been open for a while, hasn’t it? And the head of the Commune’s supply and marketing cooperative seems to be getting pretty old, heh heh."

"You... honestly!"

Jiang Weimin just smiled and shook his head, but he didn’t refuse. Appointing cadres for a Commune department really wasn’t a big deal for him. Besides, Zhao Wendong was suggesting internal promotions, which were even easier to manage. It was a bit of a leap, but given their contribution with the fish, it wasn’t an unreasonable request.

Seeing Jiang Weimin’s expression, Zhao Wendong’s heart soared. His two friends were about to take a huge step forward in their careers. He was about to take his leave when he remembered something else. He quickly turned and brought up Guan Yongguang. To his surprise, Jiang Weimin actually knew Guan Yongguang’s grandfather, Guan Xiangying, and slapped his hand on the desk.

"If a boy from the Guan Family wants to serve the people, then have him come to the county. I’ll arrange a position for him."

Zhao Wendong immediately shook his head like a rattle.

"No way! The kid’s still young—he’ll only be fifteen after the New Year. The county is so far from home. With his family situation, how could he focus on his work and serving the people? Besides, I was planning on grooming him to be my brother-in-law! If you send him away, what am I going to do?"

"Hahaha, you... honestly! Then what do you suggest?"

Any normal person, when a secretary offered to arrange a job for them, wouldn’t dare refuse, let alone be picky. But Zhao Wendong did just that. And for some reason, Jiang Weimin totally bought his act. He wasn’t annoyed in the slightest; instead, he was laughing so hard he was doubled over.