Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 526 An Ordinary World! Dai Pingwei's Unwillingness!

The sun was setting, and dusk was approaching.

Wisps of smoke rose from the small mountain village.

"Little Wei~ Come back for dinner!"

A familiar, high-pitched call suddenly echoed throughout the mountain village, with a faint echo.

In this mountain village where communication relies on shouting, transportation on foot, and security on dogs, shouting is the simplest and most convenient way to communicate.

Hearing his mother's shout, Dai Pingwei, who was picking up ears of wheat with his father in the field, quickly turned around and shouted back:

"I'm back~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Pingwei felt a sharp pain in his lower back.

I usually work as Zeng Wensheng's secretary in Beijing, where have I ever done such heavy physical work?

These past two days, he's been working from dawn till dusk under the scorching sun, helping his parents harvest wheat, which has already exhausted him.

The constant bending over to pick up fallen ears of wheat during the harvest only exacerbated my back pain.

"Dad, Mom's calling us for dinner. Let's go home!"

"Anyway, there aren't many ears of wheat left on the ground!"

Dai Pingwei rubbed his lower back, truly unwilling to continue bending over to pick up the wheat ears.

He knew that food was precious, and his parents couldn't bear to waste even a single grain.

After the harvest, they also had to go to the field to pick up the leftover ears of wheat and take them home.

But even if you bend down and pick up a few pounds of wheat, how much is it worth?

Let alone the wheat ears that were picked up being worthless, even if all the wheat harvested this year were sold, it wouldn't be enough to pay for a single table of food at Dou Jiansheng and Zeng Weili's wedding banquet.

While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone!

Throughout history, the vast majority of people living in the Heavenly Palace have no idea how difficult life is for ordinary people at the bottom of society.

Those who think "Why don't they eat meat porridge?" clearly cannot imagine, or may not want to imagine, how hard farmers work to grow crops and how difficult it is to obtain food.

Because in their world, money doesn't need to be earned through hard work. Meat, eggs, milk, grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. can be bought directly in shopping malls and supermarkets. How could they understand the hardships of farmers?

"What's the rush? It's not even completely dark yet! Keep your eyes open and pick them up a little longer!"

"Okay... okay!"

Dai Pingwei was speechless.

He originally wanted to say that we'd rather spend half a day picking wheat ears than smoke a pack of cigarettes.

But how could I dare to say such a thing?

Parents who have been frugal for most of their lives are not easily persuaded.

Even after I started working, I still send them living expenses every month, and the amount increases year by year.

But the result?

They still couldn't bear to eat or wear anything nice.

The only change in our family over the past few years has been that we demolished our old house and rebuilt it into a two-story bungalow.

Even so, their original intention was to have a courtyard and a rooftop so that it would be more convenient for them to dry their grain.

Therefore, although the family built a house, they didn't do much decoration. They just painted the walls white and smoothed the cement floor.

As for furniture and home appliances...

Most of them are old items.

Last year, after much persuasion, we finally managed to buy them a large refrigerator.

As a result, they put the cured meat and sausages in the refrigerator and haven't been able to bear eating them even now in May.

The main function of the upper preservation layer is to store leftovers, so they can be easily reheated for the next meal...

With parents so frugal and thrifty, what else could Dai Pingwei say?

No matter how hard or tiring it was, the wheat harvest is finished, and I'll be leaving tomorrow.

So, gritting his teeth and enduring the back pain, Dai Pingwei continued to help his father pick up the wheat ears.

It wasn't until it was almost completely dark that the father and son made their way home in the dark.

The night breeze brushed my face, bringing not only a touch of coolness but also a hint of wheat.

The moon was bright and the stars were few. As I passed by the rice paddies where rice seedlings had already been planted, frogs hiding in the shadows began to croak.

Deep within the dark blue bamboo forest, the lights were dim, and a large yellow dog began barking wildly from afar...

Walking on a familiar country lane.

Listening to the village loudspeaker broadcast, Dai Pingwei felt as if he had returned to his childhood.

Back then, my grandparents were still alive. My parents worked in the fields, and my grandmother was always the one who cooked and tended the poultry at home.

My grandfather was a well-known bamboo weaver in the surrounding area. He could weave various farm tools such as bamboo baskets, dustpans, and hampers to sell for money.

It was precisely because his grandfather had a skill and could earn more money that Dai Pingwei was able to eat better and study more than other children of the same age in the village.

Now my grandparents have passed away, and my parents are getting older.

My childhood playmates, with whom I used to swim in the river, climb trees to catch birds, play marbles, roll hoops, and walk more than ten miles of mountain road to and from school, have long since gone their separate ways and lost contact with each other.

I long to buy osmanthus blossoms and share wine, but it's nothing like the carefree days of my youth!

Dai Pingwei didn't know how much longer he could walk along this familiar country road.

Perhaps after my parents are laid to rest, I might not be able to come back for another year or two.

"Dad, slow down!"

The old father remained silent.

But the pace has clearly slowed down.

The father and son walked one after the other across the field ridges, crossed the stream, and ventured into the dark bamboo forest before returning to the brightly lit courtyard.

The big yellow dog quickly and happily jumped over, stretched out its tongue, licked Dai Pingwei's trouser leg, and wagged its tail wildly.

Dai Pingwei patted the big yellow dog's head, walked to the door of the main room, and unloaded the basket from his back.

Inside the main room, a durable black-and-white television was playing news about Zhao Lichun's deployment of a special campaign to crack down on organized crime...

"Dad, look! That's Zhao Lichun, Zhao Shuji, who's speaking! He's the one who pushed for the abolition of agricultural tax, so that starting this year, hundreds of millions of farmers won't have to pay taxes anymore!"

The elderly father hurriedly went into the main room and approached the television.

"So he's Zhao Shuji! He looks so young!"

Dai Pingwei laughed and said, "It's precisely because we're young that we have such courage and are willing to fight and take risks!"

The old father nodded approvingly.

"If only he were a higher-ranking official, we farmers would have a better life."

"Don't worry, I think he'll definitely be able to do something bigger, maybe even the biggest!"

Dai Pingwei said with great confidence.

He believed that as long as Zhao Lichun remained aligned with the people and did everything possible to improve their welfare and promote their development.

With the strong support of his children, he certainly won't stop here; he'll definitely continue to make progress.

"That's good, that's good! If it weren't for him, we would still have to pay taxes this year!"

Seeing his father's happy smile bring wrinkles to his face, Dai Pingwei was deeply moved.

Wheat has ripened thousands of times, but this is the first time farmers have stopped paying taxes.

What does it mean to benefit the people?

Farmers were no longer required to pay "imperial grain tax." Regardless of the amount of grain harvested, it all belonged to the farmers, and they were no longer required to pay a single grain or a single penny.

Creating wealth for the people in this way is naturally a way to benefit them!

"Dad, do you believe it or not, better days are yet to come for us farmers!"

"Aren't there better days ahead?"

Dai Pingwei laughed and said, "Of course. In Handong Province, which was the first to abolish agricultural tax, the rural revitalization campaign has already begun. Not only will every village gradually be connected by cement roads, cable TV, natural gas, tap water and broadband, but the power grid will also be upgraded to reduce power outages. A large number of communication base stations will be built to ensure that there is mobile phone signal at home."

"In addition to these infrastructure improvements, there's no need to worry about children not being able to afford school. Tuition and miscellaneous fees are waived during the compulsory education stage; you only need to pay for living expenses. Rural residents will also have medical and pension security, and families with particularly difficult circumstances will be designated as 'five-guarantee households'..."

"How much will this cost?"

The elderly father couldn't help but ask.

"It will definitely cost a lot of money, but since we have proposed to build a moderately prosperous society and achieve common prosperity, our country will naturally do what it says. It's just that the economic conditions in Handong are better, so we will do it first, while the conditions in our central and western provinces are not as good, so we will be a little later. But poverty alleviation and rural revitalization will come sooner or later!"

At this point, Dai Pingwei pointed to the television.

"Look at the meeting that Zhao Shuji is holding now. It's to deploy the campaign against organized crime. He wants to severely punish those criminals who rely on their powerful connections, gather a group of thugs and hooligans, act violently, bully and oppress the people, and engage in all kinds of illegal businesses, so that we ordinary people can live a peaceful and stable life!"

"Okay, okay, great!"

The old father raised his hand and pointed south.

"Aunt Liu, do you remember her? She was the one who sold pork next to the bus station a long time ago!"

"Yes, I remember all the fattened pigs in our village were sold to her. What happened to her?"

"Not long ago, she was beaten so badly that she became disabled. She reported the case, but the perpetrator has not been found out yet. However, many people say that it was Wang Lao Er from the county town who did it!"

"Wang Lao Er? I feel like I've heard of him somewhere. What does he do? Why did he cripple Aunt Liu?"

"He was a notorious bully in the county. He not only owned coal mines, sand and gravel plants, and brick factories, but also hotels, nightclubs, passenger transport companies, and farmers' markets. He would get involved in any business that made money."

"And then what? Did Aunt Liu offend him in some way?"

"I heard that it was Aunt Liu who bought the pigs and cows. If they weren't sent to his slaughterhouse, Wang Lao Er had already threatened to get rid of her. Some people also said that her son lost money at Wang Lao Er's casino and owed high-interest loans that he couldn't pay back no matter what. They said that if he didn't pay back, they would beat him to death."

Dai Pingwei's brows furrowed in a deep frown.

He knew that wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue and conflict.

My hometown is a small county town, and although it's remote, there are still bad people there.

There may even be a lack of oversight of power due to the remoteness of the region.

In small counties, local bullies form deeply entrenched networks of relationships through shared interests, making them even more unscrupulous and arrogant than those in big cities.

"Where is Aunt Liu now?"

"Her daughter took her to the provincial capital a long time ago. How could she dare to stay in her hometown? Even so, Wang Lao Er sent people to the village to look for her, trying to find out where her daughter was in the provincial capital, but how would we know? Even if we did know, we couldn't possibly tell her!"

"Yes, it's right not to say anything, otherwise he might send people to the provincial capital and do something heinous!"

Dai Pingwei gestured towards the television with his lip.

"So now you know why Zhao Shuji deployed the anti-gang and anti-crime campaign!"

"After years of efforts to combat crime, crimes such as theft, robbery, and rape have decreased."

"But for ordinary people like us, the more hidden and harmful organized crime is becoming increasingly detrimental as the economy develops rapidly."

"They formed cliques, engaged in bullying and monopolistic practices, and committed all sorts of crimes, which not only seriously affected the peaceful lives of the people but also disrupted the market economic order. Therefore, after taking office, Zhao Shuji was determined to crack down on them severely!"

"Good riddance! Those bullies who harass us ordinary people are truly despicable. They should all be imprisoned or even executed long ago!"

At this point, the old father turned his head and glanced at Dai Pingwei.

It is said that an official should bring benefits to the people in his jurisdiction.

"Zhao Shuji has benefited Handong Province, and now he is benefiting our entire Dragon Kingdom. You must learn from him!"