Chapter 9: Taking the Bait
Returning to the main matter, Ji Ling took the identification certificate issued by the village chief and, carrying two large bags of fodder, went to Wang Family Village.
The one in charge of Wang Family Village was Secretary Li Guofu, a cunning old fox.
Ji Ling stated her purpose clearly. Li Secretary sipped his tea leisurely and said, “Little girl, I’m not trying to be difficult, but we don’t have many livestock here, and the grass from our own village is enough. But tell me, why did your village suddenly decide to plant fodder?”
Ji Ling pretended not to catch the underlying meaning behind his words and smiled gently. “Secretary Li, the two bags of fodder I brought today are a gift, free of charge. To be honest, planting fodder isn’t our main goal. We want to raise livestock too, and livestock need to eat. If the feed is good, the animals will fatten up nicely.”
“Our village even made the newspaper. The officials are coming to inspect soon. Our village chief thought, since we’re brother villages, we should look out for each other whenever possible. So he wanted to use this gift of fodder to bring our two villages closer.”
Li Secretary was startled at first, then inwardly sneered. That old man Hua, hiding benefits while pretending otherwise—he must have some ulterior motive. Turning around, he hurried to find today’s newspaper, as he had been busy all morning and hadn’t yet read it.
Holding a magnifying glass, Li Secretary carefully scanned the paper. Suddenly, his eyes widened when he saw the bold letters “Shixi Village.” Upon closer inspection, he also saw Chief Hua’s name attached to the article, and with a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment, he spat quietly, “That old bastard!”
“Th-this… you wrote this?” Li Secretary pointed at the author’s name on the article: “Ji Ling?”
“Yes, that’s me. I just briefly talked about our village’s thriving spirit and high morale. I didn’t expect…” Ji Ling couldn’t help but smile as she spoke.
Li Secretary looked at the smile on Ji Ling’s face and felt a sour pang in his heart. Their village was wealthier than Shixi, and at community meetings, Chief Hua was always at the bottom of the list. But now, Hua might finally have a chance to raise his head proudly.
And as for morale—they had that too.
Li Secretary glanced between the newspaper and Ji Ling, then leaned in slightly. “Ji girl, look, we really do have enough fodder here, but since you’re just starting out, as brother villages we should lend a hand. How about we buy some of your fodder? What do you think?”
Ji Ling saw the faint glint of calculation behind Li Secretary’s forced smile. “Secretary Li, the two bags of fodder I brought are a free gift. We’re not selling them.”
“Then, then, what do you need? Anything we have, just say the word.” Seeing Ji Ling wasn’t taking the bait, Li Secretary anxiously tried offering a different lure.
After all, a newspaper mention and an official inspection were far greater incentives than any bait. He worried this one might slip through his fingers.
“Secretary Li, I do have a small favor to ask. Since this is our first time planting fodder, I was wondering if your livestock keepers could record basic information about the animals when they feed them our fodder—things like weight, coat condition, appetite, and so forth. Also, the livestock being fed this fodder would eat only this kind, to make the data easier to compare.”
Ji Ling glanced at this shrewd man and pressed her advantage. “Our village chief has already agreed to arrange a segment showcasing our fodder quality when the officials come to inspect.”
Li Secretary caught the implication—that during the fodder presentation, it would be wise to have the officials also inspect the livestock raising situation in Wang Family Village. That would all depend on the skill of their keepers.
From now on, they would have to not only feed the animals carefully but serve them with utmost attention.
That old man Hua really was like a golden opportunity falling from the heavens right into his hands.