Feng Qingxue had noticed this situation a long time ago, secretly relieved that Lu’s father hadn’t faced the criticism from the masses as she had imagined, and was also grateful that the children had successfully registered under her name. When the grain was distributed, everyone seemed to know and no one objected. "I thought it was because Uncle Lu handled it well." She naively thought that Lu Jiang’s military service on the front lines and her medical practice had accumulated virtue for them.
Wang Zhengguo laughed once, "If it weren’t for the foundation laid in the past, do you think it would be that easy?"
Feng Qingxue recalled those words of Hongling’s mother from the year they dug wild vegetables - even she, who married out of the family, said that the Lu family was an upright one, which indicated that the Lu’s good deeds had impacted the people’s hearts deeply over time.
While there were still villains causing trouble, shouting about national regulations when their blood was up, most people wouldn’t do it. That was enough.
"I never heard it from my father, and Ajiang never told me." Feng Qingxue gave Lu Jiang a glance.
Lu Jiang responded innocently, "I didn’t know it myself, how could I tell you?" He wasn’t at home at that time and only learned later that their home had been searched. He knew nothing about the specifics, and it was only after his father recently shared his insights that he came to understand the intricacies of that year and the old man’s predictions for the future.
Wang Zhengguo chuckled, "Your father would never sing his own praises."
Uncle Xu poured a cup of wine for Lu’s father, "Brother, let’s not talk anymore, this is to you!"
Lu’s father didn’t stand on ceremony, he drank the wine and then said to Wang Zhengguo, "Keep an eye on your brother. I see that the domestic situation is not good. Within three to five years, there will be a disturbance. There is no shortage of people using the slightest authority to exert control."
Everyone present understood the gist of his last sentence, even though it was not clear whom he was satirizing.
"Can it be taken down with one strike?" Wang Zhengguo asked.
What he meant by "kill" wasn’t to kill Wang Zhengjun, but to prevent him from causing trouble.
Everyone present understood, thought about it, and shook their heads.
This was an era when honest men were extremely diligent, and it was also an era when scoundrels paraded around pompously. If you attack a snake without hitting it at its vital parts, its counterattack would be unstoppable.
"The only method currently is to fight aggression with stillness." Lu’s father said calmly.
Wang Zhengguo sighed, "That’s what I thought too. Meet strength with strength, fight water with earth. I don’t believe he can turn the world upside down. The Wanglou Brigade is not under his control."
Feng Qingxue was worried that he would cause trouble for the Lu family in a few years, "How can the problem of him wanting grain be solved?"
"Your uncle values his face above everything else."
"I remember Auntie once mentioned that on the day my cousin got married, he didn’t contribute any gift money, and he even sat in the place of honour. Isn’t someone who values face so much supposed to not behave that way?" But Wang Zhengjun did dress decently that day.
Wang Zhengguo laughed, "He puts on a high and mighty act in front of us country people as if he’s the best in the world and doesn’t take us country people seriously at all, that’s why he behaved in that way. However, in the city, in front of neighbors, colleagues at work, he behaves entirely differently. He values his reputation greatly and hates losing face. Zhu Dani kicked a fuss up already, he would definitely not let anyone know he is coming here for grain. Aren’t you going to the city tomorrow morning to mail something? I’m also going to the city, I’ll deliver the grain to him!"
He prepared twenty jin of dried sweet potatoes, a few corn cobs, a bundle of dried green beans, a few Chinese cabbages and a basket of spicy radishes. Using the production team’s mule cart, he first took Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue to the post office, then leisurely made his way to the entrance of the mining administration.