"You say you're not targeting Chen Chang, but you've sent him so far away. We used to see him once a week, and now we can't even see him once a month. Do you still have any respect for the elders of the Chen family?"
Chen Feng's aunt stared intently at him.
"Aunt, please don't worry, let me explain. You can ask your cousin. Although he went to another place this time, hasn't his official position been promoted?"
Chen Feng patiently explained.
"His official position was promoted, but so what? You're already the Vice Mayor of Mingshan City. Couldn't you have promoted your cousin within Mingshan City? Why did you have to send him so far away?"
Chen Feng's aunt questioned him aggressively.
"Aunt, you're not involved in the political arena of Huaxia. The political arena is deep and treacherous. If I had openly promoted my cousin within Mingshan City, it would not only have harmed him but also myself. Is this something that can be done? No."
"Then tell me, as a Vice Mayor, is promoting someone really that serious?"
Chen Feng's aunt asked with confusion.
"Of course, it's serious. For example, if our village head openly took bribes for his son, how would you feel?"
Chen Feng calmly retorted.
"We'd definitely be angry."
Chen Feng's aunt's thoughts were being led by Chen Feng.
Chen Feng's aunt was a rural woman, while Chen Feng was a seasoned veteran of the political arena. They were not on the same level. With a little trickery from Chen Feng, his aunt obediently followed his line of thinking.
"Just angry?"
Chen Feng asked deliberately.
"Of course not. If the village head really gave all the benefits to his son, we would definitely cause a scene. Why should his son get all the benefits?"
Chen Feng's aunt replied indignantly.
"Aunt, that's exactly it. People in the provincial capital's political circles are not fools. If I were to openly give benefits to my cousin in the provincial capital, they would definitely have opinions. If the opinions were minor, I, as the Vice Mayor of Mingshan City, could still suppress them. But if the opinions were major, I really wouldn't be able to."
Chen Feng continued, seizing the opportunity.
"If you can't suppress them, then don't! Are you afraid of them? Stand firm."
Chen Feng's aunt replied resentfully.
"We can stand firm, but how many times? Eventually, we won't be able to. In the end, both my cousin and I will suffer losses. That's why I sent my cousin to another place. I have friends there, so don't worry, my cousin will still be taken care of."
Chen Feng explained calmly.
"Well, now that you've explained it, your uncle and I feel much better."
Chen Feng's aunt followed the path laid out for her.
After chatting about some trivial matters, Chen Feng's uncle and aunt left.
After a short rest, Chen Feng went directly to see his uncle, Chen Tao.
"Chen Feng, I know you're back."
Chen Tao said directly.
"Uncle, I didn't intend to come, but I thought I should. If others misunderstand me, I don't care. But if you misunderstand me, I will care a lot. It's not about me, it's about you. I don't want you to be upset or hurt."
Chen Feng said truthfully.
"Chen Feng, you still underestimate me. Although I haven't worked in the political arena and don't understand the relationships and customs of those people, I understand Chen Chang. I've watched this child grow up. He has a rebellious spirit, and only you can tolerate him continuously. Moreover, when you couldn't tolerate him any longer, you didn't get angry but sent him to another place. Anyone else would have sent this rebellious brat to prison long ago. From this perspective, your tolerance is exceptional, and you are material for great things."
Chen Tao said excitedly.
"Uncle, hearing you say that, you won't blame me?"
Chen Feng asked with relief.
"The fault lies entirely with Chen Chang. Why would I blame you?"
Chen Tao smiled faintly.
He had long been indifferent to his nephew, Chen Chang.
To be precise, if this nephew died tomorrow, he wouldn't feel any sorrow.
Misfortune brought upon oneself cannot be forgiven; self-inflicted misfortune cannot be survived.
From childhood, Chen Chang has committed too many wrongdoings.
"Uncle, my cousin even schemes against me. Such a person in the political arena will eventually cause major trouble. I advised my cousin to leave the political arena, but he wouldn't listen. I really had no choice..."
Chen Feng continued.
"It's fine. Chen Chang's fate has already been decided. A person can be bad, but they must have a bottom line. This kid is not only thoroughly bad but also has no bottom line. If he doesn't die, who will? Don't blame yourself too much. By the way, what is your real purpose for returning to your hometown this time? With your vision, you certainly wouldn't run around just for a scumbag like Chen Chang."
Chen Tao said seriously.
"Uncle, ginger is still spicier when it's older. You saw right through it. In fact, the main reason for my return to the rural hometown this time is not related to my cousin's affairs. The provincial supervision team has come to Mingshan City these past few days, so I thought I'd come to the grassroots to do some work. On one hand, it's to show my performance to the provincial supervision team. On the other hand, I haven't returned to my rural hometown for a long time. I came back to see if there's anything I can help with. No matter which official it is, there's always a sentiment to do something for their hometown."
Chen Feng replied truthfully.
In front of his uncle Chen Tao, Chen Feng felt there was no need to play games; he would be straightforward.
"Well, if you want to do great things, you indeed need to go to the front lines for field investigations regularly. Just like Chairman Mao, as great as he was, he also went to the countryside for investigations and wrote investigation reports frequently. Since you're back this time, let me offer a suggestion. In recent years, most young people have gone to other places. There's no one to cultivate the land. The elderly in the villages have limited strength and cannot cultivate so much land. Therefore, the abandonment of farmland in rural areas is severe. If this situation continues, it will be very detrimental to Huaxia."
Chen Tao said with a serious expression.
"Uncle, I've also noticed this situation. I've been thinking about this problem in Mingshan City. After much thought, I've come up with a solution. Since there's so much land being abandoned in the countryside, why not contract it out to contractors to cultivate? If the contract fee is too high and no contractor is willing to come, then lower the contract fee."
Chen Feng said excitedly.
"Chen Feng, your statement shows that you've never thought about conducting field investigations yourself before using the severe abandonment of rural land as an example. Contracting it out is indeed a good method. But the problem is, this method is only suitable for the flat areas in northern Huaxia. Sanshui Province is a hilly region in Huaxia, where the land is divided into small plots. Who will you lease it to? And who would be willing to come and cultivate such land?"
Chen Tao retorted.
Chen Feng was momentarily speechless.
"Uncle, to be honest, before meeting you, I thought I had made a lot of progress over the years. However, in some situations, I am still very naive."
Chen Feng admitted with embarrassment.
"This is very normal."
Chen Tao said with satisfaction.
"Uncle, this phenomenon of abandoned land in hilly areas that you mentioned, I've thought about it, and it's very tricky..."
Chen Feng asked with a difficult expression.