Chapter 23: Reporting

Zhou Yimin went to find the old village secretary and shared his plans.

“Sure, take as many as you need,” the old village secretary nodded.

It wasn’t a big deal. That batch of mud bricks was left over from building the village canteen. Technically, it was village property, but since Zhou Yimin was only using them temporarily and would replace them later, no one could find fault with it.

If he couldn’t even grant such a small request, what was the point of being the village secretary?

Seeing Zhou Yimin expanding his house, the old village secretary was actually pleased.

It showed that Zhou Yimin still cared about Zhoujiazhuang and would likely return often in the future.

That was good news for Zhoujiazhuang. After all, it meant they had a connection in the steel factory—one who worked as a procurement officer. That could be very useful in the future.

Moreover, given how Zhou Yimin had helped the village several times already, both emotionally and practically, the old village secretary had every reason to support him.

“If you need anything, just come to me,” he added.

“Alright! Thanks, old village secretary.”

The old man waved his hand and went off to his tasks.

Up ahead, a group of children were playing a game where they mixed mud with their urine, shaping the mud into different forms to see who could make the best one. Laifu and Laicai were itching to join in. If their big brother hadn’t been around, they would have already dashed over.

“Hello, Sixteenth Grandpa!”

…

The children noticed Zhou Yimin and turned their heads to greet him.

“If you want sunflower seeds, go wash your hands,” Zhou Yimin told them.

The kids immediately scattered, racing toward the nearest water source.

Sunflower seeds?

That was a rare treat, usually only available during the New Year!

Peanuts and sunflower seeds were typically only supplied during the Spring Festival and weren’t easy for regular folks to buy.

Originally, there were seven kids washing their hands, but by the time they returned, there were twelve. No need to guess—someone had spilled the secret.

Hoping little kids could keep a secret? Their mouths were looser than a widow’s waistband.

Everyone already knew the routine.

Without needing instructions, they lined up in front of Zhou Yimin.

The adults working nearby chuckled. “Sixteenth Uncle is giving the kids treats again.”

“Sixteenth Uncle is generous—no wonder he’s living the good life in the city.”

“Hey, where are you going? Damn it! Get back here! How old are you? Have some shame!” The team leader, seeing an adult trying to sneak off for a share, immediately cursed them out.

Zhou Yimin pulled sunflower seeds from his pocket, handing each child a small handful.

Everyone was too focused on eating to notice anything unusual. No one questioned how his pocket could hold so many sunflower seeds.

Hearing these kids call him “Sixteenth Uncle” and some even called him “Sixteenth Grandpa..”

Zhou Yimin was speechless.

Since the sunflower seeds were five-spice flavored, the kids, having never tasted something so fragrant, even chewed on the shells instead of spitting them out. They slowly ground them down with their teeth, reluctant to swallow too quickly.

Damn! Eating sunflower seeds without spitting out the shells.

Just as Zhou Yimin was about to take Laifu and his siblings home, he spotted Village Chief Wang from Shangshui Village approaching with a group of people.

Aside from a wild boar, they were also hauling in a black bear—at least 300 jin (150 kg). Zhou Yimin’s eyelid twitched at the sight.

“Village Chief Wang, everything go smoothly?” Zhou Yimin asked cautiously.

Village Chief Wang smiled bitterly. “Someone broke a leg, sigh!”

The old village secretary rolled his eyes—this guy was playing the sympathy card again!

He was actually a little envious. A black bear that big could be exchanged for a huge amount of sweet potatoes and potatoes!

As for the injured person, they could just compensate him a little more. Going into the mountains to hunt meant accepting the risks of injury or even death. If it were completely safe, they would have gone hunting long ago instead of waiting until they ran out of food.

No one died, so that was already a pretty good outcome.

Zhou Yimin handed out cigarettes and said, “That black bear is way too big for me to take back alone. Could you help transport it to the steel factory?”

“There’s a lot of meat this time. Are you still exchanging for sweet potatoes and potatoes?”

Village Chief Wang nodded. “Sweet potatoes and potatoes are fine. No problem! I’ll have them deliver it.”

Having food was already lucky—there was no reason to be picky. Besides, he knew those two crops could be traded for even more food.

Without delay, Zhou Yimin headed home to fetch his bicycle.

The old village secretary called out after him, “Yimin, don’t forget about the hand pump well!”

Curious, Village Chief Wang asked, “What hand pump well?”

A young man from Zhoujiazhuang proudly boasted, “Never seen one before, have you? It’s a well that lets you pump water easily. We…”

Before he could finish, he felt a chilling gaze on his back. Turning around, he met the old village secretary’s glare and shuddered. Quickly, he said, “I’m off to work!”

Then he bolted.

The old village secretary chuckled, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. That kid’s brain hasn’t been right lately.”

Village Chief Wang stared at his old friend. “…”

Who the hell are you trying to fool?

Shangshui Village’s river had completely dried up, and Village Chief Wang was desperate for a water source. The moment he heard about an easy-to-use well, he wasn’t about to let it go.

“Old Zhou, don’t keep this to yourself! Even if we dig wells in Shangshui Village, it won’t affect Zhoujiazhuang, right?”

The old village secretary thought about it and realized he had a point.

“Alright, I can’t explain it well anyway. Come with me and see for yourself.”

With that, he led Village Chief Wang to Zhou Yimin’s grandfather’s house.

Upon arriving, Village Chief Wang greeted the elderly couple warmly before checking out the so-called hand pump well.

Watching Old Zhou pump it a few times and seeing clear water flow steadily from the iron pipe, he widened his eyes in shock, his body trembling with excitement.

“Old Zhou, how do you build one of these? How deep do you need to dig? What’s the process…”

A flood of questions poured out.

The old village secretary repeated what Zhou Yimin had told him earlier about groundwater and such.

“Old Zhou, are you out of your mind?!” Suddenly, Village Chief Wang exclaimed in frustration.

The old village secretary was dumbfounded. Me? Out of my mind?

Village Chief Wang continued, “Don’t you realize there’s a water shortage everywhere? Do you not understand how important these hand pump wells are? Why haven’t you reported this yet?

“If you report this, Comrade Xiao Zhou will definitely receive an award—maybe even be recognized as a model worker! Why wouldn’t you report it?”

That snapped him out of his daze!

The old village secretary smacked his forehead. “Damn! I hadn’t thought of that.”

He simply hadn’t considered how much this could benefit Zhou Yimin.

“Come on, let’s report this right now!”

Village Chief Wang was in a hurry!

His village desperately needed water!

If they reported this, the higher-ups would surely push for these pump parts to be manufactured and distributed across villages and communes.

The old village secretary first explained everything to Zhou Yimin’s grandparents and asked for their consent.

Hearing that their grandson might receive an award—possibly even be recognized as a model worker—how could they refuse?

In an era that valued contributions and honor, being named a model worker was an incredible achievement.

Old Grandpa Zhou felt like his ancestors were blessing them from the grave.

“Hurry up and report it! What kind of village secretary are you? Where’s your awareness?” he scolded.

If not for Village Chief Wang’s reminder, his grandson might have missed this opportunity. How could he not be furious?

The old village secretary was thoroughly exasperated—this old man was scolding him just because of seniority!

(End of Chapter)