I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s-Chapter 276: This Guy Has Potential

The County Government was highly efficient in its actions. Once the meeting had concluded, orders were issued, and all the factories and communes promptly responded. When it came to flood relief, everyone was united, recognizing that time equaled life—delivering supplies one day sooner could save another person.

Shen Meng wasn’t idle either. After returning home in the evening, she took stock of her resources in the space. Except for some purchased items that she couldn’t touch, the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, as well as fruits and grains, could all be used for disaster relief—after all, her space was almost overflowing.

It was easy to take things out, but explaining them was difficult. She hesitated in her space for a long while, unable to come up with an excuse. After washing up in the space, she turned her head upon emerging and saw a headband hanging on the wall. Her eyes lit up with an idea.

She went straight to the County Government first thing the next morning.

When she arrived, Li Chuan was in a meeting. Secretary Guan saw her and brought over a cup of hot water.

"Why are you here so early? The Secretary is in a meeting, the conference room is full of people, and it probably won’t be over for a while. You’ll have to wait!"

"I’m here about something important, something very critical. Remember Jesse, Old John’s daughter? Her companion, a foreign man named Mark who is her fiancé, is a farm owner—by our standards, a landlord. He once mentioned to me the possibility of exporting grain to our side. At the time, I didn’t grasp his meaning and didn’t respond. After returning to the bus company yesterday, I called the number Jesse gave me. It turns out Mark’s men had smuggled grain over here, afraid to get caught. Now, the grain is piled up near the Provincial City. Mark’s men have already fled, and he has decided to abandon the grain since no one knows about it anyway, leaving it there. He boarded the plane with Jesse this morning, and I thought, since the grain is already there, why waste it when no one else would notice?"

"Grain? Actual grain? Are you serious?"

Shivering, Shen Meng replied, "What are you shouting for? How would I know if it’s true or not? Jesse was complaining about it to me, saying it was a drunken confession from Mark. Keep your voice down. Let’s... let’s go have a look first. If it’s there, we can report to Mr. Li, alright? Otherwise, it’s just false hope."

Secretary Guan chewed his fingernail in a fluster, pacing back and forth twice before saying to Shen Meng, "Okay, I’ll ask for leave right away and apply for a car. Let’s go take a look."

Shen Meng hesitated for a moment, her face full of regret, causing Secretary Guan to sense that something was off.

"What’s wrong? If there really is grain, it would solve a huge problem! Mr. Shen, why do you look so troubled? If you don’t want to go, give me the location, and I’ll take a look myself."

"Secretary Guan, it’s not that I don’t want to go. You need to understand that Mark originally wanted to export his farm’s grain to our country. If his clandestine actions get exposed, he might not be able to work with our country anymore. When Jesse told me, she kept begging me to keep it secret. But she also wanted me to solve this problem for her fiancé through word of mouth, because the grain... it hasn’t cleared customs. There’s no paperwork from the customs, which complicates things greatly. We’re just small fish here and can’t call the shots."

"What are you worried about at a time like this? Let’s find the grain first. As for the rest, we’ll talk later. Nothing is more important than human lives—save people first, and everything else is minor."

"Okay."

Watching Secretary Guan, Shen Meng felt that this guy had a bright future ahead, being the Secretary to the County Party Secretary, and would clearly hold significant posts in the future. She had wanted to build a good relationship with Secretary Guan, but since she returned, he had been busy with Mr. Li in the Provincial City with no time to socialize. Now was an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties.

After Secretary Guan took his leave, he picked up Shen Meng in a jeep from the compound. It wasn’t until they reached the main road that Secretary Guan had a moment to ask.

"Mr. Shen, you earlier mentioned a large quantity of grain—how much exactly?"

"Jesse said about five... five hundred tons or something like that, I can’t quite remember. I was puzzled; how could they bring so much grain quietly? It’s astonishing."

"Heh, what’s there to be surprised about? Why do you think the black market smugglers are so persistent? You’ve got your trick, and they’ve got their ways. But for them to just abandon so much grain is indeed hard to fathom."

Shen Meng said nothing in response. She had called Jesse that morning, and knowing they were on a flight, she dared to wave their big flag. If they were still in the country, she would have to think of another way.

After driving for two hours, they finally arrived at their destination.

The mountain village was deserted, mentioned by Shen Meng in an incidental conversation with Lu Zhenping after a mission, praising the chili powder she provided had proven effective.

"Such a big village, and not a soul in sight?"

"Never mind that for now. Jesse mentioned it was here, but she didn’t give exact details. Let’s split up and search."

"No, what if something happens? How would I explain to the Secretary?"

Frowning, Shen Meng glanced at him disapprovingly. "Mr. Guan, time is life. Stop dawdling and start looking for the grain. That’s what matters."

With that, she ran inside, checking each house. Secretary Guan hurried after her, but before he could catch up, he heard Shen Meng scream.

"Lord above, there’s really grain! Secretary Guan, come quick, over here!"

Secretary Guan ran over and was stunned to see not just grain, but an overwhelming abundance of it; so much so that he didn’t know what to say. There were both known and unknown fruits, basket after basket, sack after sack, dazzlingly plentiful.

Not only was one house full, but several other houses were also packed to the brim, the doors barely able to close.

"This is like a grain disaster!"

"Now’s not the time for that, Secretary Guan. Call Mr. Li, have him dispatch trucks to transport it. Do it quietly in batches. If we make a big scene, it won’t end well."

"Right, right, you’re correct. I’ll call now."

The two took action separately. Secretary Guan told Shen Meng to hide in a secluded spot while he called and drove over to pick her up. Shen Meng lay low in a ditch, invisible unless one looked closely.

Seeing her well hidden, Secretary Guan felt relieved and hurried off in the vehicle.