Chapter One

  After seeing her daughter-in-law and grandson walking far away, the old lady asked Tian Tingyu: "I said Xiaoyu, when did this messenger come?"

  "It's agreed then, at 8 o'clock." Tian Tingyu glanced at her watch and said: "Grandma, it's only 7:30, there's still half an hour left."

  "It's all because of Yun Tian that the child was delayed. I had asked him to perform a ritual and chant some superstitions, but he just said 'Communists don't believe in superstition.' Otherwise, my precious grandson would have been cured long ago!"

  Behind the main entrance of the Sports Committee, in addition to this building, there are also athlete dormitories, canteens, training grounds and other buildings. Compared with other residential areas, it is relatively quiet here. The comrades from the Municipal Party Committee's Service Center arranged the homes of the main leaders here, and quietness was one of the main factors. At the same time, the security work here is solid, which is another major factor. The Sports Committee's security personnel are on duty 24 hours a day, patrolling. Generally speaking, tourists or people exercising cannot pass by the athlete dormitories, even if you have great skills, you can't get close to this building. Moreover, the environment here is beautiful: except for weeping willows and Chinese scholar trees on both sides of the road, everything else is flowers and grass.

  Tian Tingyu pushed the old man across the "forbidden zone", and the security personnel smiled at them, which was considered a greeting. On time, Tian Tingyu punctually pushed the old lady to the roadside about 300 meters away from the gymnasium. It was very lively here, with a blue basketball court on the east side, where many people were playing basketball enthusiastically. Next to the basketball court was an athletics track, where professional athletes wore beautiful red, white and blue striped sportswear, while non-professionals were elderly people who came to exercise their bodies, as well as women and children. They were running seriously in circles towards the finish line. The closest place to them was a row of ping-pong tables, with many people gathered around each table, watching the intense battles between the two sides that were jumping and colliding...

  On the west side of the road are various sports equipment for exercising arm strength, and many retired old men are shouting "hai" and laughing continuously, practicing with great enthusiasm.

  A seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy with a clear brow and bright eyes stood smiling in front of the old lady. The old lady asked, "Are you looking for Xiaoyu?"

  "Uh-huh." The boy asked Tian Tingyu: "Are you Xiaoyu?"

  Tian Tingyu nodded: "You are Wang Shenyuan's apprentice?"

  The boy squatted on the ground, took out two bottles of medicine from his bag and handed them to Tian Tingyu: "This is the divine water that Chen Wenyuan asked for. Except for the child's grandmother, no one else can see it. If they see it, it won't work."

  Tian Tingyu asked: "Can't I see it either?"

  The boy said: "Except you."

  "Will drinking holy water cure my grandson's illness?" The old lady was concerned about how to talk about superstitious things: "Is there anything else?"

  "Yes." The boy said: "Wang the immortal said that your grandson is a dog, and you need to invite a godfather to hit him with a silver lock and chain, and it will be fine."

  "Ah yo!" The old lady exclaimed with surprise: "Really a living god, my grandson is indeed a dog. This is easy to handle, I'll let my son find someone and have my grandson recognize a godfather."

  "No way! No way!" the boy said: "Wang Shennian said that this matter is hard to come by. Tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock, you two bring Chen Wenyun downstairs and head west, bump into good luck, whoever you meet will be the child's godfather."

  "Going west?" Tian Tingyu was startled: "Can we go east? Going west is the back door, it can't be opened."

  "Don't talk nonsense! Xiaoyu, listen to Wang Shensheng and open the back door towards the west!"

  The old lady said, taking out 5 brand new 100-yuan bills and handing them to the boy: "Take it, let Wang Shenxian prescribe some medicine for my grandson. I heard from Xiaoyu that Wang Shenxian's medicine is very effective."

  The boy hesitated for half a day and finally took the money. He said that Wang Shenshan had said that as long as he followed his prescription to take medicine, if the illness was not cured, no payment would be collected.

  Comrade Chen Yun Tian waved a document in his hand and said: "Comrades, this is an investigation on the burden of farmers conducted by Comrade Tang Xueqiang from the Municipal Procuratorate when he went to Jinchi County to handle cases in rural areas. I think it's extremely valuable. There's a saying that goes 'not in one's position, not planning for one's affairs'. Comrade Xueqiang is engaged in legal work, and while doing his job well, he also participated in other work of the municipal party committee and government to varying degrees. This is a spirit that we should learn from."

  Chen Yuntian handed the materials to the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee beside him: "After the meeting, you all take a good look at it and form a practical plan for the next municipal party committee standing committee meeting!"

  Chen Yun continued to say that regarding the issue of alleviating the burden on farmers, the municipal party committee's attitude has always been resolute and has never wavered. We must follow the central government's spirit and do our best to reduce the burden on farmers. In reality, if we can truly implement the central government's policy of replacing business tax with value-added tax, reducing the burden on farmers should not be a problem and will have immediate results.

  Comrade Xueqiang made an estimate in this material, proposing that the burden on farmers be reduced by 35% based on current levels. I think this is feasible. We also compared the government's statistical data with Comrade Xueqiang's investigative data to see the difference. The numbers I have and Comrade Xueqiang's numbers are roughly the same.

  From the current situation, it seems that the burden on farmers has been reduced, but in reality, farmers feel that their burden has not decreased, or even increased. Why is this? Because some cadres at the grassroots level have only reduced agricultural taxes and "three deductions and five unified fees" (public accumulation fund, public welfare fund, management fee, education fee, militia training fee, family planning fee, traffic control fee, health prevention and treatment fee, etc.), but these are not the main burden on farmers. The actual burden is still around 180 yuan per farmer.

  I think these can be reduced. But in reality, they have not been reduced. What about other fees such as pig slaughter, grain circulation, river embankment construction, water fees? Have they been reduced? No. How much are these? Approximately 50 yuan per person. If it were just this, farmers would not object.

  So what is making farmers unbearable? One is the various departments' chaotic collection of fees, which is as numerous as cow hair. Another is that we have more and more idle personnel, with fewer people but more officials. Last year's public statistics in Jinchi County showed that agricultural taxes and "three deductions and five unified fees" totaled over 80 million yuan. Comrade Xueqiang said it was far from this amount, approximately 200 million or even more.

  For example, the water conservancy bureau of Jinchi County has a staffing of 21 people, but actual expenditures are for 189 people! Everyone thinks about it, with 21 staff members and 189 people receiving salaries, where does the money come from? The numbers above are rigid, one radish per hole, not even an extra cent. What to do? Can only find it below.

  In addition, these personnel also need to eat, take cards, and want more. Some are even corrupt, taking bribes, eating kickbacks, this part of the money is invisible. Where does it all come from? Of course, still from below!

  The township cadres who know these situations best, how much do they need to support a large number of idle personnel in the townships? Which township leader doesn't have numbers in their heart? Jinchi County's bank deposits grew rapidly last year, were they farmers' deposits? Of course not.

  Let's take a look at some village and township cadres' residences and clothing. Where does this money come from? According to last year's data from Jinchi County, the average pure income of farmers was over 1,800 yuan. Comrade Xueqiang conducted a special investigation, visiting many farmers, one farmer told Comrade Xueqiang that planting wheat costs 90 yuan for base fertilizer, 20 yuan for plowing, 70 yuan for seeds, 15 yuan for sowing, 80 yuan for water fees, 5 yuan for weeding and pest control, 10 yuan for topdressing, 30 yuan for harvesting, and 10 yuan for tax reform. Miscellaneous expenses added up to over 600 yuan per mu.

  One mu of land produces 1,000 jin of wheat, sold at an average price of 0.8 yuan per jin, approximately 800 yuan per mu. After deducting the cost of 600 yuan, there is a remaining 100-200 yuan. This does not even include personal costs and labor. Even if other economic crops are added, with an additional 200 yuan per mu, it would only be over 300 yuan.

  So how did this farmer's pure income of nearly 2,000 yuan come about?