Chapter 59: He Holds Great Weight in the Village Party Secretary’s Heart

When Cao Shujie ran back to the Village Committee Courtyard, not a soul was left inside, and a heavy iron lock had been added to the main gate.

That’s just how it is in the village—when there’s something going on, it’s bustling; when there’s nothing, it’s dead quiet.

It was lunchtime, too. There wasn’t a single person on the main street; even if he shouted at the top of his lungs, it would be pointless.

After thinking it over, Cao Shujie called Cao Jiangang. As soon as the call connected, he got straight to the point: “Uncle, I want to use the Village Committee’s loudspeaker.”

“What for?” Cao Jiangang sounded puzzled.

Cao Shujie explained about needing to hire people for work.

After hearing him out, Cao Jiangang immediately said, “Wait there for me. I’ll be right over.”

Cao Shujie hadn’t expected Cao Jiangang to agree so readily. What he didn’t realize was that, in Cao Jiangang’s eyes, he now carried a lot of weight.

A young man willing to invest hundreds of thousands upfront to lay the groundwork for a large-scale orchard, and who actually gets things done—he was clearly someone to watch.

A few minutes later, Cao Jiangang rolled up on his electric scooter, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Spotting Cao Shujie, he asked, “Shujie, when do you plan to start hiring?”

“Right now. The work up on the mountain is urgent—we’re digging irrigation ditches on my land. It’s not hard labor. I managed to convince them to agree to ten hours a day for forty yuan,” Cao Shujie said.

“That’s not bad!” Cao Jiangang replied.

Out here in the countryside, unless you have special skills, labor isn’t paid much—three or four yuan an hour, on average.

But then, aside from big expenses like social obligations, kids’ schooling, and weddings, daily living costs are low. Grain and vegetables are all homegrown.

“It’s alright. They wanted to offer less at first, but I shamelessly pushed for more,” Cao Shujie said with a grin, already planning to tell Boss Xia later not to mention the fifty-yuan rate.

Cao Jiangang didn’t know the details, but he gave Cao Shujie a big thumbs-up. “Shujie, you’re doing great. If you need anything, just ask your uncle.”

“Will do!” Cao Shujie replied cheerfully.

They walked into the courtyard, and Cao Jiangang led him straight to the office, pointing at the microphone on the long table. “Shujie, I shouted myself hoarse this morning. You give it a try.”

“Is that really okay?” Cao Shujie hesitated.

Cao Jiangang waved him off. “I’m right here watching—who’s going to say no? If they do, I’ll kick their ass.”

The domineering side of a rural Village Party Secretary was on full display.

Hearing that, Cao Shujie burst out laughing. He didn’t stand on ceremony, plugged in the mic, and gave a couple of coughs. The loudspeaker outside echoed his coughs—time to get down to business.

But Cao Jiangang waved his hand. “Play some Peking opera first, let folks know something’s up.”

“At this hour, everyone’s busy cooking. If you just start shouting, who’s going to hear you?”

Experience talking.

…

At the Cao Jianguo household, Cheng Xiaolin was doing laundry in the yard. Mengmeng was dragging her little toy dog in circles around her mom, tireless as ever.

Nearby, Daha and Erha, tied up with ropes, watched with envy in their eyes. They wanted nothing more than to run free, but their little owner wasn’t paying them any attention.

“Owoo, owoo…” Blue-eyed Daha started howling, trying to get Mengmeng’s attention.

But it was no use. Mengmeng just ran faster, dragging her toy dog with a “thump-thump-thump,” not sparing Daha a single glance.

Erha, with his deep brown eyes, turned his head to look at his big brother, giving a soft “woof,” as if to say, “Save your energy, bro. Don’t waste your breath. Next time, be smarter.”

Just then, the loudspeaker started playing the Peking opera “Mu Guiying Takes Command.” Wang Yuelan, who was cooking, instinctively stepped into the yard, muttering, “What’s going on in the village now?”

“Mom, whatever it is, if it costs money, we’re not going,” Cheng Xiaolin said with a laugh.

Wang Yuelan grinned from ear to ear at her daughter-in-law’s words.

She was just about to head inside to check the pot when the opera finished and a familiar voice rang out: “Folks of Cao Family Village, young and old! This is Cao Shujie. I’ve got a few days’ work—two or three days, ten hours a day, forty yuan. I need thirty people. If you’re interested, bring your shovels to the Village Committee. Once we have enough, that’s it.”

Mengmeng, sharp-eared as ever, stopped running at once, pointed at the sky, and shouted, “Mama, Daddy! That’s Daddy!”

“That’s right, that’s your dad’s voice. Go on and play,” Cheng Xiaolin replied.

But Mengmeng didn’t want to play anymore. She perked up her ears, listening intently. When her dad’s voice came over the loudspeaker again, she beamed. “Daddy’s in the sky!”

“Mengmeng, don’t talk nonsense,” Cheng Xiaolin scolded. In the countryside, saying someone’s “in the sky” means they’ve passed away.

But Mengmeng just echoed the familiar phrase, giggling, “Nonsense, climb up high! Hee hee!”

Wang Yuelan, seeing her granddaughter so happy, was delighted too. “Mengmeng, are you hungry? Lunch will be ready soon.”

Right then, Cao Family Village was bustling again. Cao Shujie had work, and that meant money—working a couple of extra hours was no big deal.

Many people didn’t even bother eating lunch. They grabbed their own shovels, hopped on electric scooters or bikes, or just walked, hurrying to the Village Committee Courtyard to claim a spot.

It was the slack season for farming, and plenty of folks had nothing to do at home. Anyone with a bit of drive was eager to earn whatever they could.

“Linlin, what’s Shujie up to this time?” Wang Yuelan wondered aloud.

“Mom, probably digging ditches for pipes,” Cheng Xiaolin said as she finished hand-washing her daughter’s clothes and wrung them dry. “Mom, why don’t you watch Mengmeng at home for a bit? I’ll go lend a hand.”

“What for?” Wang Yuelan objected. “I can’t keep up with Mengmeng anyway. You stay home with her—I’ll go see if there’s any work.”

“Let’s eat lunch first, then go together,” Cheng Xiaolin suggested.

…

At the Village Committee Courtyard, Cao Jiangang hadn’t even left yet when he saw three people coming over with shovels.

They all lived nearby and were straightforward folks.

When they saw him, they greeted him with smiles and asked, “Old Cao, where’s Shujie?”

“Yeah, is there work or not? Haven’t seen him around,” Cao Jianfang chimed in.

Cao Jiangang shot him a look. “Don’t worry, you won’t be left out.”

Finding workers this time was a breeze—they even ended up with six extra people. Cao Shujie couldn’t bear to send anyone home, so he took them all up the mountain and let Xia Changhong sort it out.

The more hands, the better. It wouldn’t cost more than a few hundred extra yuan anyway.

A little after one in the afternoon, Wang Yuelan, shovel slung over her shoulder, headed up to the orchard with her daughter-in-law Cheng Xiaolin and Mengmeng in tow. At a glance, they saw more than thirty people digging ditches together—a truly impressive sight, the kind you only see when the whole village turns out for a job.

“Linlin, keep an eye on Mengmeng. I’m going to help out,” Wang Yuelan said simply. The more she worked, the faster her son’s project would finish, and the less he’d have to spend on labor. She didn’t realize someone else was footing the bill.

Cheng Xiaolin had hoped her mother-in-law would watch Mengmeng, but before she knew it, the older woman had already rushed off to join the work.

(End of Chapter)