The County Governnt was highly efficient in its actions. Once the eting had concluded, orders were issued, and all the factories and communes promptly responded. When it ca to flood relief, everyone was united, recognizing that ti equaled life—delivering supplies one day sooner could save another person.
Shen ng wasn’t idle either. After returning ho in the evening, she took stock of her resources in the space. Except for so purchased items that she couldn’t touch, the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, as well as fruits and grains, could all be used for disaster relief—after all, her space was almost overflowing.
It was easy to take things out, but explaining them was difficult. She hesitated in her space for a long while, unable to co up with an excuse. After washing up in the space, she turned her head upon erging and saw a headband hanging on the wall. Her eyes lit up with an idea.
She went straight to the County Governnt first thing the next morning.
When she arrived, Li Chuan was in a eting. Secretary Guan saw her and brought over a cup of hot water.
"Why are you here so early? The Secretary is in a eting, the conference room is full of people, and it probably won’t be over for a while. You’ll have to wait!"
"I’m here about sothing important, sothing very critical. Rember Jesse, Old John’s daughter? Her companion, a foreign man nad Mark who is her fiancé, is a farm owner—by our standards, a landlord. He once ntioned to the possibility of exporting grain to our side. At the ti, I didn’t grasp his aning and didn’t respond. After returning to the bus company yesterday, I called the number Jesse gave . It turns out Mark’s n had smuggled grain over here, afraid to get caught. Now, the grain is piled up near the Provincial City. Mark’s n have already fled, and he has decided to abandon the grain since no one knows about it anyway, leaving it there. He boarded the plane with Jesse this morning, and I thought, since the grain is already there, why waste it when no one else would notice?"
"Grain? Actual grain? Are you serious?"
Shivering, Shen ng replied, "What are you shouting for? How would I know if it’s true or not? Jesse was complaining about it to , saying it was a drunken confession from Mark. Keep your voice down. Let’s... let’s go have a look first. If it’s there, we can report to Mr. Li, alright? Otherwise, it’s just false hope."
Secretary Guan chewed his fingernail in a fluster, pacing back and forth twice before saying to Shen ng, "Okay, I’ll ask for leave right away and apply for a car. Let’s go take a look."
Shen ng hesitated for a mont, her face full of regret, causing Secretary Guan to sense that sothing was off.
"What’s wrong? If there really is grain, it would solve a huge problem! Mr. Shen, why do you look so troubled? If you don’t want to go, give the location, and I’ll take a look myself."
"Secretary Guan, it’s not that I don’t want to go. You need to understand that Mark originally wanted to export his farm’s grain to our country. If his clandestine actions get exposed, he might not be able to work with our country anymore. When Jesse told , she kept begging to keep it secret. But she also wanted to solve this problem for her fiancé through word of mouth, because the grain... it hasn’t cleared customs. There’s no paperwork from the customs, which complicates things greatly. We’re just small fish here and can’t call the shots."
"What are you worried about at a ti like this? Let’s find the grain first. As for the rest, we’ll talk later. Nothing is more important than human lives—save people first, and everything else is minor."
"Okay."
Watching Secretary Guan, Shen ng felt that this guy had a bright future ahead, being the Secretary to the County Party Secretary, and would clearly hold significant posts in the future. She had wanted to build a good relationship with Secretary Guan, but since she returned, he had been busy with Mr. Li in the Provincial City with no ti to socialize. Now was an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties.
After Secretary Guan took his leave, he picked up Shen ng in a jeep from the compound. It wasn’t until they reached the main road that Secretary Guan had a mont to ask.
"Mr. Shen, you earlier ntioned a large quantity of grain—how much exactly?"
"Jesse said about five... five hundred tons or sothing like that, I can’t quite rember. I was puzzled; how could they bring so much grain quietly? It’s astonishing."
"Heh, what’s there to be surprised about? Why do you think the black market smugglers are so persistent? You’ve got your trick, and they’ve got their ways. But for them to just abandon so much grain is indeed hard to fathom."
Shen ng said nothing in response. She had called Jesse that morning, and knowing they were on a flight, she dared to wave their big flag. If they were still in the country, she would have to think of another way.
After driving for two hours, they finally arrived at their destination.
The mountain village was deserted, ntioned by Shen ng in an incidental conversation with Lu Zhenping after a mission, praising the chili powder she provided had proven effective.
"Such a big village, and not a soul in sight?"
"Never mind that for now. Jesse ntioned it was here, but she didn’t give exact details. Let’s split up and search."
"No, what if sothing happens? How would I explain to the Secretary?"
Frowning, Shen ng glanced at him disapprovingly. "Mr. Guan, ti is life. Stop dawdling and start looking for the grain. That’s what matters."
With that, she ran inside, checking each house. Secretary Guan hurried after her, but before he could catch up, he heard Shen ng scream.
"Lord above, there’s really grain! Secretary Guan, co quick, over here!"
Secretary Guan ran over and was stunned to see not just grain, but an overwhelming abundance of it; so much so that he didn’t know what to say. There were both known and unknown fruits, basket after basket, sack after sack, dazzlingly plentiful.
Not only was one house full, but several other houses were also packed to the brim, the doors barely able to close.
"This is like a grain disaster!"
"Now’s not the ti for that, Secretary Guan. Call Mr. Li, have him dispatch trucks to transport it. Do it quietly in batches. If we make a big scene, it won’t end well."
"Right, right, you’re correct. I’ll call now."
The two took action separately. Secretary Guan told Shen ng to hide in a secluded spot while he called and drove over to pick her up. Shen ng lay low in a ditch, invisible unless one looked closely.
Seeing her well hidden, Secretary Guan felt relieved and hurried off in the vehicle.
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