The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 152: Jealous, Crying Poor_1

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Jealous, Crying Poor_1

Qijia Village had to compete with people from other villages for game every day. Although there were no fatalities, injuries occurred daily. Still, the number of those coming to the back mountain of Qijia Village to hunt was increasing. Anyway, as long as people came, they never left empty-handed, and moreover, there were no large fierce beasts, no danger.

Even if they were stopped by the people of Qijia Village and caught, at most they were beaten, but no one was ever killed.

Furthermore, everyone was from TY County, and more or less could claim some familial relationship with Qijia Village. With such ties, those who came to poach were even more brazen.

As long as they could get some food, a beating was nothing!

Village Chief Qi was also very troubled. The surrounding villages were increasingly jealous and hunted continuously from the back mountain. This could not go on forever; trouble was imminent. Village Chief Qi called for several village cadres to have a meeting at the village branch, but they could not come up with any good solutions. Facing the poachers, they could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

Finally, one time, Qi Ergou’s arm was broken, and the issue completely blew up.

This situation could not continue; if someone were killed, it would be beyond Village Chief Qi’s capacity to handle. While the situation had not yet spiraled out of control, Village Chief Qi could not just sit and wait for disaster.

Village Chief Qi went directly to the county town to find Liu Dahai, seeking help from the county leadership to resolve the issue!

With such a big incident occurring in TY County, the lack of action from the top leadership was clear to Village Chief Qi. Not only were the people around them envious, but even within the county unit, some harbored different ideas, waiting for the issue to escalate.

Liu Dahai was also at a loss and said helplessly, "Comrade Qi, by rights, that back mountain is behind your village and is considered your village’s property. I know what they’re doing is wrong. But you know as well, today the grains of other villages got wet in the rain and a lot was spoiled. They have wild animals in the mountains behind their villages, and they dare not go there. If they want to find something to survive on, they can only go to your side."

Village Chief Qi also understood this reasoning, but the issue was not as simple as just talking about it.

"Leader Liu, to be frank, since we have been hunting and selling game, we have indeed made some money. I’m not greedy; I don’t want to hunt in the back mountain anymore. But the villagers don’t agree, that is our Qijia Village’s ancestral mountain," said Village Chief Qi. He was a good person, but he could not neglect the interests of Qijia Village!

Seeing Village Chief Qi’s agitation, Liu Dahai also felt embarrassed. Those villages lacked food, the county’s finances were not enough, and to avoid starvation, they naturally had to find their own solutions. The game in the back mountains of Qijia Village was something they had inadvertently let slip, diverting the people’s attention.

Indeed, a portion of those with quick wits really went to hunt in the back mountains of Qijia Village. Afterward, they no longer came to the county unit to cry poverty and ask for grain, which greatly relieved the county committee leaders.

But just as they breathed a sigh of relief, the people of Qijia Village came looking. Naturally, Qijia Village was unwilling to give up such a significant advantage.

"Ah, what to do?" Liu Dahai said with a bitter smile, "Honestly, I don’t know what to do!"

Village Chief Qi sighed and said, "Ah, I know it’s difficult for you. Our village has had an easier time this year; even without this game, we would barely have enough to eat. With the game, it’s just icing on the cake, unlike the other villages."

"It’s tough for you to be so understanding," said Liu Dahai gratefully, "You know what the situation was like in our county last year. If people could be fed, they wouldn’t need to steal from your back mountain."

"Understanding is one thing, but what can we do about it?" Village Chief Qi asked, "If we don’t find a solution that pleases both sides, someone will lose their life sooner or later, and by then we won’t be able to cover it up. While it’s only injuries and no fatalities, we need to hurry up and find the right approach."

Liu Dahai knew Village Chief Qi was right, thought for a moment, then tentatively suggested, "How about this: the county steps in, requisitions your back mountain, and the county will purchase all the game caught. We’ll exchange the purchased game for grain and distribute it among the villages, so that those villages hit harder by disaster can have some food."

Village Chief Qi felt aggrieved but also sympathized with the disaster-stricken villages. Also, Qijia Village had already benefited a lot from the back mountain. If he flat-out refused the wishes of the authorities, the county unit would certainly look unfavorably on Qijia Village—and particularly on him as the village secretary.

Qi Ergou was still in the county hospital. He had to give the boy some explanation!

"What about the people who beat someone from our village?" Village Chief Qi asked in a muffled voice. The county had set its sights on their village’s back mountain, coveting the fruits. If he didn’t agree, a continuous stream of "petty actions" would follow against Qijia Village!

"The unit will pay for the medical expenses, and at the end of the year, every family will receive an extra half a pound of oil," Liu Dahai said, "We’re only going to requisition it until the snow falls. Once heavy snow seals the mountain, hunting will stop, allowing the animals to recover and breed. By then, the disaster-stricken villages will have received their grain and will not risk going to the back mountain."

Village Chief Qi thought for a moment and said, "This is a serious matter; I must discuss it with the villagers back home. If I agree directly, some might disagree and would spoil my reputation in the village."

Ever since Jian Guo had reported him, Village Chief Qi didn’t mind letting outsiders know about the internal strife in Qijia Village, especially smart people like Liu Dahai. By sharing this, they would understand his difficulty, hoping that if someone reported him in the future, the leaders would remember his understanding nature and not believe them.

"Well! Let’s do this, Deputy County Chief Niu will go there in person to work with everyone. If we develop our work well, I believe most of the masses are quite enlightened," Liu Dahai said, feeling it was not right to leave Village Chief Qi to handle this matter alone.

Village Chief Qi was a national village cadre, but he was foremost a villager of Qijia Village. If Village Chief Qi were to facilitate this matter single-handedly, villagers would think that he was siding with the authorities, helping outsiders bully their own people. Then, those in the village who harbored ulterior motives could take the opportunity to spread rumors.

Under such circumstances, Village Chief Qi’s position in Qijia Village became very awkward!

"All right, if the unit has a comprehensive plan. As long as the villagers agree, I won’t say anything," said Village Chief Qi. The village had managed to get almost five thousand yuan collectively, with each person sharing about ten yuan—a family of more than ten people would get over a hundred yuan.

This money had come too quickly, and Village Chief Qi felt a little guilty. If the county did not intervene, there would be deaths in Qijia Village eventually.

Qi Ergou was staying in the county hospital, being cared for by his parents. Village Chief Qi returned to convey the intentions of the county. Those village cadres were not happy, but with Deputy County Chief Niu present, nobody dared to dissent.