Chapter 159 - 159 158 Selection

Words : 1996 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

159: Chapter 158 Selection 159: Chapter 158 Selection The middle-aged man who was peering gleefully from behind the wall, just about to see Zhao Mingjie strip down and get to work, suddenly saw Liu Hun flash to the peephole like he was having a seizure. Before the words “Not good” could even escape his lips, an iron-like fist smashed through the wall, landing squarely on his face. Liu Hun pried open the wall and pulled over the middle-aged man, whose eyes and nose were now askew from the punch. It was only then that the waitress realized her ruse had been exposed. Just as she let out a shriek, Zhao Mingjie scolded her at the top of her lungs, “Shut up! Get over there!” Zhao Mingjie’s fury was truly frightening—it was no ordinary anger! Liu Hun threw the middle-aged man to the ground, and without bothering to ask any of the hundred and twenty possible questions, he went straight in with two of them. The middle-aged man couldn’t take it. He clung to Liu Hun’s legs like a traitorous lackey, begging and willing to say anything. “Speak! Who’s the seller? What’s the name?” Liu Hun demanded, looking down at the middle-aged man who was now a sniveling mess. The middle-aged man stuttered out three words amid his sobs! “It’s actually him!” Zhao Mingjie was stunned upon hearing the name that came from the middle-aged man’s mouth, never imagining that person would be involved in such dealings! Feeling thoroughly chilled by the name, Zhao Mingjie repeatedly quizzed the middle-aged man, and the same name came up every time. Seeing his tears and fearful eyes, she believed his words were likely true. “This is now beyond what I can handle!” Zhao Mingjie said to Liu Hun, her face taut as if preparing for battle. “What do you plan to do now?” Liu Hun asked Zhao Mingjie. Her reply was simple, “Report up the chain of command!” The two of them took the unconscious middle-aged man and the waitress, knocked over a few watchdogs, and left the nightclub. They handed them over to Zhao Mingjie, along with Sister Hong. Whatever Zhao Mingjie planned to do next, Liu Hun respected her decision. In any case, they had caught everyone they could. His help ended there; although he was filled with ire, he needed to calm down and participate in the agricultural and sideline products competition organized by the County Committee the next day. The next day, Liu Hun arrived at the County Committee building at the appointed time and boarded a coach bus, accompanied by delegates from various towns and villages under Anchang County’s jurisdiction, to the competition venue at the Labor Square. Situated along the Anchang River, the square was spacious and beautiful. The County Committee’s Propaganda Department had arranged the competition site, preparing the grounds and ensuring that reporters from all of Anchang County’s media were present. Then, it was time for the big shots, Li Tianyang and Xiao Yanzi, to make their appearance. Xiao Yanzi wore a lady’s suit, embellished with various accessories that added charm to her already dignified and authoritative air as the female county head. With Xiao Yanzi’s commanding presence and her dashing appearance, her arrival drew much admiration and speculation from the crowd. As the top leader of Anchang County, it was naturally Li Tianyang’s turn to speak at such an event. After a lot of bureaucratic platitudes, he finally got to the point, “This selection contest involves representatives from twenty towns and villages of Anchang County. Out of the twenty-four towns and villages, we will select the most outstanding to represent our county at the agricultural fair in Yuhua City! The competition rules and judges will now be announced by our County Head Xiao!” Xiao Yanzi smiled politely at Li Tianyang, then addressed the microphone, “This time, the twenty-four towns and villages of Anchang County will be divided into three rounds of competition, judged by three judges. The highest scoring winner will be our county’s representative! If, in the end, there are two or more individuals with the same score, then the Standing Committee of Anchang County’s County Committee will vote collectively to ensure openness, fairness, and justice!” “This method seems to be quite good! It looks like the county leaders really value this competition! I heard that last year, not even the two big shots showed up, and not even a single member of the Standing Committee attended, it seemed like it was hosted by the head of the Agriculture Bureau!” “That’s why you don’t get it! In previous years, Yuhua City’s agricultural fair didn’t really have anything worth participating in, but this year is different! The Central government has major plans for our province! I’ve heard several investment projects worth hundreds of millions, even billions! This agricultural fair is one of them! With Central’s help in promotion, well-known enterprises nationwide will attend! Just showing your face and fighting for glory at this fair can count as a political achievement!” “You lad only know the surface! This time, the big push from the Central to promote what they call ‘One Point Leading to All Sides’ means that if this agricultural fair grabs enough attention and eyeballs, then projects from the city, province, and Central will be lined up and ready to go!” “...” What seemed like a simple agricultural fair selection contest was subtly fraught with tremendous interests and power games, not to mention the struggle between the two teams of party and government within the County Committee. Xiao Yanzi then proceeded to introduce the three judges for the selection contest, “Next, I am honored to introduce the three judges to all the guests and town representatives present! The first is the president of the Chinese Agricultural and Gourmet Culture Exchange Association, Mr. Wan Qiliang! Welcome, Mr. Wan!” The slightly corpulent Wan Qiliang had quite a few wrinkles on his face, despite appearing busy with something all the time, he rose and bowed courteously. “The second is Vice Chancellor Xue Pingshan from the Provincial Agricultural University. Welcome, Chancellor Xue!” After Xiao Yanzi introduced him, the scholarly-looking Xue Pingshan also stood up and bowed. “Last but not least is General Manager Gu Feng from Ding Sheng Agricultural Biotech Company. Welcome, Manager Gu!” Xiao Yanzi introduced the final guest, and although he was the last to be introduced, compared to the previous two, Gu Feng was actually the most useful. The money for this selection event was provided by Ding Sheng Agricultural Biotech Company. Gu Feng stood up with a smile on his face and bowed to the audience in a refined manner, making it clear that he had risen to his position through technical skill. Then, the publicity minister Chen Kang successively introduced the representatives from the townships under Anchang County’s jurisdiction and announced the start of the competition. Since this was a selection for agricultural and sideline products, the twenty-four townships were divided into three major categories. The three judges were then assigned one category each to judge, and then they would select three winners for the final evaluation. Liu Hun, who represented Taiping Town, was naturally placed in the fruits and vegetables group, and their judge was Chancellor Xue Pingshan. Publicity Minister Chen Kang, accompanied by Chancellor Xue, went from table to table, scoring each, while the representatives from the competing townships displayed their products on the tables in front of them, arranged into two facing rows. Liu Hun stood behind the table labeled with Taiping Town, with a cloth covering the fruit basket on it. A dark-skinned fellow next to him bent down to read the writing on the table in front of Liu Hun and, with a mix of certainty and doubt, said, “Tai... Taiping... Big brother, are you from Taiping Town?” Liu Hun nodded with a smile, saying, “Yes, I am. Are you from Shiwa Town?” “Wow!” The dark-skinned man instantly split into a smile so wide it almost blinded Liu Hun with his white teeth. He grabbed Liu Hun’s hand without any hesitation, heartily saying, “Finally, I’ve met someone from Taiping Town! Big brother, do you know there’s a village in your town called Wanbao Village?” This dark man’s enthusiasm made Liu Hun somewhat embarrassed as he replied, “I am from Wanbao Village.” This was like throwing dry wood onto a roaring fire, and the man’s enthusiasm surged as he clutched Liu Hun’s hand, asking, “So, the veggies you brought are from Wanbao Village? Do you know that capable man Liu Hun from Wanbao Village? What does he look like? I heard he’s got some serious skills!” Now Liu Hun grew even more embarrassed, and imitating the lingo from stage plays, he said, “You flatter me, it is indeed me!” The dark-skinned man’s eyes lit up, and it was precisely in this moment that Liu Hun felt something different about this man. What exactly was different or where it was different, he couldn’t say, and the moment was fleeting, so he didn’t dwell on it. The man, with a smile as if he had stepped into a temple and seen the true Buddha, excitedly said, “So it’s you! What a coincidence! You don’t know, but whenever Wanbao Village’s vegetables reach our Shiwa Town, getting even one is an achievement! Many vegetable sellers would pay extra, and they’d even set up stage plays for free viewing, everyone loves it!” This was Liu Hun’s first encounter with people from other townships under Anchang Town, so the two stood there and chatted for quite some time. As they were chatting, a commotion suddenly arose from a table about two meters across from them, accompanied by exclamations and admiration. It was followed by a flurry of camera flashes from TV and newspaper journalists. “Absolutely incredible, Minister Chen! I would have never expected Anchang County to produce such fruit! This is truly top-notch! I’m sorry to say, but many officials’ special supplies aren’t even this good!” Xue Pingshan exclaimed as he admired them, not caring about his image as he picked one up and bit into it. Hearing this, Chen Kang could not contain himself either. He picked up an apple and began to munch. It was crisp, sweet, juicy, and meaty, simply exceptional! Even though the people around them couldn’t have a taste, they weren’t idle—in line with the leadership’s delight, they lavished compliments generously. “Big brother, look at these fruits from Qingshui Ditch! Each one is so fresh and juicy! I heard Qingshui Ditch is right next to your Wanbao Village, and I think it’s managed by Xiping Town, right? Big brother! Big brother, what’s wrong?” The dark-skinned man had been talking to Liu Hun for a while, like playing the lute to a cow, not noticing any reaction from Liu Hun, so he reached out and poked him. Liu Hun suddenly snapped back to reality, smiling and saying, “Oh, nothing! Nothing! I was just admiring and got a bit lost in thought.” The dark-skinned man grinned as he fixated on the fruits from Qingshui Ditch and spoke eagerly, while Liu Hun’s eyes gradually sharpened as he watched the representative from Qingshui Ditch. Others might not recognize that representative, but Liu Hun not only knew him but had also given him a sound thrashing. He was none other than Sun Xing, who had previously tried to harm Luo Xiangjun and ended up being scared away with firecrackers, mistaking them for monsters. Liu Hun had not expected to encounter Sun Xing here, who had not dared to come back to Wanbao Village, but what Liu Hun did not expect even more was that he cautiously peeked under the cloth covering the fruit basket on the table in front of him, and in place of the supposed fresh and juicy fruits was—dead chickens!

Chapter 159 - 159 158 Selection

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