How did things get so out of hand?
Nan Sheng didn’t want to laugh, but since she started working here, she had never seen Jia Bing look so disheveled.
Before stepping out, she already had a solution in mind—bluffing with authority!
"Enough arguing! The comrades from the Revolutionary Committee have been disturbed by your commotion. Do you not want to live peacefully? Would you rather be sent down to labor in the fields?"
Nan Sheng shot a glance at the two comrades, and they immediately fell into their roles.
"What’s all this noise? Have you memorized the Chairman’s quotations? Causing a scene at the town government office—are there enemy spies among you? Everyone, come inside for questioning!"
Honestly, you had to admit—this felt exhilarating!
The two Revolutionary Committee clerks even seemed to revel in it.
The sudden appearance of so many government officials naturally intimidated the crowd. Moreover, though the Revolutionary Committee hadn’t been active lately, the fear it instilled hadn’t faded. The crowd immediately fell silent.
Some even turned and ran, afraid of being arrested.
A few who recognized Nan Sheng and Du Tang mustered the courage to plead.
"Comrades, we’re not enemy spies! We just came to seek justice from the town head. Please don’t take us in for questioning!"
Thank heavens—Du Tang finally got a chance to speak without having to shout, "Quiet, everyone, quiet!"
"Whether Old Huang is fit to remain village head is for the town head to decide. By gathering here to pressure the government, you’re making it hard not to question your motives.
If you don’t leave now, we’ll have no choice but to summon the Revolutionary Committee and the militia to take you away for investigation. The choice is yours!"
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances before reluctantly agreeing to disperse.
"But, comrades, when will the town head resolve this for us? At least give us a timeframe. And can we take our village’s ice blocks back with us?"
Du Tang explained the situation inside and urged the crowd to remain patient.
"The town head is currently investigating. A resolution will come within a day or two. Go home and wait for news. If anyone causes trouble here again, we won’t be so lenient!"
After packing the ice blocks, Nan Sheng handed them to an elderly woman and reminded her,
"Take these back to the village headquarters. If you’re worried, assign someone to keep watch. Only use them if absolutely necessary—ice is cold in nature, and overuse can make you sick."
With the Revolutionary Committee’s presence looming, the villagers from Xiaoguan Village—whether young men, elderly, women, or children—were on their best behavior, speaking in hushed tones.
"Yes, thank you, comrades! We’ll head back now!"
"Please make sure the town head replaces Old Huang as our village head—he’s no good!"
Not everyone left immediately. Some lingered nearby, curious about the outcome, but Nan Sheng and the others paid them no mind.
The group walked back to the office, chatting amiably. Du Tang thanked the Revolutionary Committee clerks, "We really owe you one. This could’ve dragged on forever without your help."
Behind them, Jia Bing seethed with resentment and anger. She blamed Du Tang for abandoning her to deal with those troublemakers alone, and she resented Nan Sheng for having a plan but not stepping in sooner.
Before Nan Sheng arrived, Du Tang had always looked out for her. Now, he did everything with Nan Sheng—even Peng the clerk and those two Revolutionary Committee clerks, Zhu Yi and Wang Xian, were friendlier with her.
How shameless!
Zhu Yi and Wang Xian might not have looked entirely trustworthy, but their words were reassuring. "We’re all comrades serving the people. Just call on us if you need help."
Transferred to the town over two years ago, they had been sidelined ever since—their superior included. The fear of making a misstep and ending up like their predecessors kept them cautious.
Neither had been particularly upstanding in the past, but two years of inactivity had mellowed them. They no longer dared to act high and mighty.
The swift dispersal of the Xiaoguan Village crowd surprised the secretary. "They left just like that? Du Tang really has a way with people!"
Peng the clerk leaned in and whispered, "It wasn’t Du Tang. He asked Nan Sheng for help. She even brought those two from the Revolutionary Committee into it."
The secretary muttered cryptically, "Bold move."
There was no stopping Yu Feng’s promotion now. Why didn’t he have someone as capable as Nan Sheng on his side?
Peng thought the secretary could easily win Nan Sheng over to their faction. From what he’d observed, this female comrade likely wouldn’t follow the town head if he moved up.
She took her work seriously but remained detached, rarely appearing in the town head’s office—unlike Jia Bing. She didn’t seem ambitious.
The secretary said, "No rush. Let’s wait."
For the right moment.
After work, Nan Sheng was surprised to see Xiao Yi waiting not far from the government office.
"Nan Sheng, I heard there was trouble at noon. Need any help? Just say the word."
He rode his bike at a slight distance, keeping their interaction casual.
"Nothing major. Just replacing Xiaoguan Village’s head. It won’t be an issue anymore. Did you need something?"
Xiao Yi never visited without a reason. Today, he wanted to know if the government planned to crack down on the black market soon.
"Grain prices are skyrocketing. People have just stocked up on their first batch, but they’ll need second and third rounds soon."
Xiao Yi was running low on grain. Remembering his verbal agreement with Nan Sheng, he decided to ask for her insight.
Nan Sheng found it awkward to talk while riding, so she stopped and walked alongside him.
"The government’s hands are tied for now. The black market’s helping bridge the grain shortage. But once the drought ends, expect a major crackdown on profiteering."
Xiao Yi relaxed slightly. The earliest the next harvest would come was next autumn. If he stopped a month or two in advance, he’d be safe. Having connections in the government really paid off.
"Nan Sheng, my purchase costs have gone up, so I’ll have to raise prices too. But don’t worry—I’ll keep it to double the profit, just enough to get by."
True to his word, Xiao Yi hadn’t raised prices until now. Nan Sheng trusted his promise.
With the information he needed, Xiao Yi rode off—he still had grain to procure elsewhere.
Before leaving, he handed Nan Sheng two cloth bags: one filled with pork, the other with pastries and candy.
Nan Sheng stored the candy in her system space—she still had plenty from earlier stockpiles. The pork and pastries, however, were exactly what her household needed.
At home, her two children rushed out to greet her—one pushing the bicycle, the other clinging to her leg.
Sizhe’s eyes lit up at the sight of the meat and pastries. No wonder Mom was late—she must’ve gone to the black market.
Siqi was thrilled too. After showering her mother with affection, she dashed to the kitchen to inspect the haul.
Her eyes widened at the pork. So much meat!
They’d never finish it all!
Sizhe studied the cuts on the cutting board—at least fifteen or sixteen pounds of pristine, marbled pork belly.
"Mom, should we fry some up for dinner?" he asked.
Nan Sheng smiled, relieved. Her son was finally learning not to hoard every last bite.
"Eat up. Mince some pork and shrimp—we’ll make stuffed eggplants with pork and stuffed peppers with shrimp paste for dinner. Later, we’ll send some over for your grandparents to try."
In their household, meat appeared on the table roughly every two days. As for Father Lin and Mother Lin, she made sure to deliver something delicious about once every ten days—sometimes meat, other times fish or shrimp.
She could confidently say she was the most filial daughter-in-law in all of Xiangyang Village!
