Hu Hua panicked immediately upon seeing the situation.
He grabbed Ma Baotian’s arm with a serious expression and said.
"Old Ma, the county leadership has specifically requested to see you. This is not the time to throw a tantrum."
Hearing this, Ma Baotian’s heart began to tremble.
He was just an ordinary farmer; meeting the town party secretary was already a rare event in his lifetime.
How could he possibly warrant being summoned by the county leadership?
Ma Tiejun, like Ma Baotian, was famous for his stubborn temper.
But both of them were honest brewers who believed they had never done anything morally wrong.
Now about to meet high-ranking officials, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Hu Hua had no intention of giving them time to think and quickly said.
"We can talk about whatever it is on the way. If you dawdle any longer, it’ll be too late!"
Nodding hesitantly, Ma Baotian followed Hu Hua out of the distillery workshop.
Feeling uneasy, he struck a match to light a cigarette, but Hu Hua snatched the dry tobacco straight from his hands.
"Just don’t smoke for now! You’re about to meet the leadership!"
Ma Baotian snorted in annoyance but didn’t dare to argue.
About half an hour later, the three finally arrived at the office building.
When they stepped into the conference room, Wang Jun, Xu Ruoxuan, Chen Bin, and Ma Juan were already present.
The town mayor, Zhu Chungui, quickly began introductions.
"This is County Committee member Director Xu Ruoxuan. This is County Committee Secretary Wang Jun and his secretary, Comrade Chen Bin."
Seeing so many leaders, the Ma father-and-son pair felt a mix of panic and pressure.
Especially Ma Tiejun, whose expression darkened immediately when he saw Chen Bin standing beside Ma Juan.
He was utterly shocked—he had punched that supposed charlatan, only to now discover he was actually the county secretary’s secretary.
In that instant, a wave of regret surged in his heart.
"Young man, I... I..."
Chen Bin stepped forward quickly and said, "Uncle Ma, don’t worry. I’m not here to give you trouble."
Laughing awkwardly, Ma Tiejun was at a loss for words and chose not to reply.
Meanwhile, Ma Baotian looked at Wang Jun and felt a creeping chill inside.
Thinking about how he’d treated Wang Jun that day, he couldn’t help but frown.
Offending the County Committee Secretary—what on earth were they supposed to do now!
Xu Ruoxuan, who was clearly unaware of the history between them, quickly invited them over warmly.
"Let’s all sit down and talk. Standing isn’t ideal."
Although everyone else had already taken a seat, Ma Baotian and Ma Tiejun stood frozen, not daring to move.
Despite their usual stubbornness, they were still common folk.
Faced with high-level officials, uneasiness seeped into their hearts.
Seeing this, Hu Hua immediately leaned over and whispered to them.
"The leadership already told you to sit, so sit quickly!"
Exchanging glances, Ma Baotian and Ma Tiejun finally sat down hesitantly.
Without beating around the bush, Wang Jun started speaking.
"The main reason we’ve called you here is that the county wishes to use your family’s liquor as the foundation for establishing a winery. This way, not only can we generate revenue, but it will also contribute to the county’s economic development. What do you think of this idea?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Baotian instinctively shook his head.
Xu Ruoxuan quickly chimed in to persuade them.
"The brewing formula and craftsmanship are yours; the county will not force you. But I hope you’ll consider the bigger picture. This is about Qingshi Town’s development, and such opportunities to serve the country don’t come around often."
Wang Jun then picked up the thread.
"Once the winery is established, it will be a state-owned enterprise. Your entire family can be offered official positions, and both of you will hold leadership roles in the wine-making factory."
Hearing the prospect of stable government jobs, both Ma Baotian and his son were momentarily swayed.
However, the formula was an inheritance from their ancestors.
To hand it over just like that felt like a betrayal of their lineage.
Seeing their hesitation, Wang Jun continued.
"There’s no need to rush your decision. I’ll give you a few days to think it over."
Before long, the meeting ended.
After the Ma father-and-son pair departed, Ma Juan immediately followed them.
It seemed she intended, as per Chen Bin’s instructions, to further persuade them.
Meanwhile, Hu Hua silently resolved to impress Wang Jun at all costs.
On the way back to the county, Xu Ruoxuan turned to Chen Bin and asked.
"Do you think they’ll hand over the formula?"
Chen Bin nodded. "I think the odds are very high. The guaranteed job positions are one thing, but since the town officials are also aware of this, no one would miss the chance to show off in front of Secretary Wang."
Xu Ruoxuan nodded slightly, her gaze toward Chen Bin laced with a mix of admiration and acknowledgment.
"You’re quite clever."
After returning to the county seat, Wang Jun patted Chen Bin’s shoulder with satisfaction.
"I didn’t expect you to even manage to get close to Ma Baotian’s granddaughter."
Chen Bin responded with a grin. "My plan is to dismantle them from within. This way, our chances of obtaining the formula will be much higher."
Just as Chen Bin anticipated, Hu Hua brought the town’s leadership to repeatedly work on the Ma family’s mindset.
The first to be won over was Ma Xiangqian, Ma Baotian’s grandson.
Having graduated from high school, he had no interest in continuing the family business and had been working odd jobs elsewhere.
Now, the prospect of securing a stable government position filled him with excitement.
Then came Ma Gang, Ma Xiangqian’s father and the youngest son of the family.
According to ancestral traditions, Ma Gang had no right to inherit the formula.
Rather than always playing second fiddle to his elder brother, Ma Gang saw greater value in working at a factory.
After all, he often felt subordinate at home, a feeling that would dissipate in an external setting.
As for Ma Tiejun, his reasoning was even simpler.
Since he only had one daughter, Ma Juan, and the brewing formula wouldn’t be passed down to her anyway, he figured it was better to offer it to the nation than let it disappear altogether.
However, no matter what anyone else thought, Ma Baotian remained adamantly opposed.
And so, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Early one morning, as soon as Ma Baotian got up, the town police came knocking on their door.
It turned out that the previous night, Ma Xiangqian had gotten into a drunken altercation in the county town, leaving two people seriously injured.
One of them had even been rushed into the emergency room and was just out of surgery.
Hearing how grave the situation was, the Ma family was struck with panic.
Enraged, Ma Baotian hurled his dry tobacco pipe, smashing a hole in the windowpane.
Both Ma Tiejun and Ma Gang were rattled, utterly at a loss as to what to do next.
In the end, it was Ma Juan who took charge. Together, the family headed to the police station.
Their original intent was to check on Ma Xiangqian, but the police refused to let them in.
They were informed that they’d have to wait until after the court’s trial before visiting him in prison.
Hearing this, it felt like Ma Baotian’s entire world collapsed.
Having no other options, he instructed Ma Juan to see if Chen Bin could offer any assistance.
Ma Juan didn’t hesitate and immediately took a cab to the county government.
When she found Chen Bin in his office, she broke down in tears.
Chen Bin quickly leaned in, gently wiping the tears from her face as he asked, "Calm down. Tell me what happened."