Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife-Chapter 1450: Desperate Solution ( 2 )

Inside a government meeting room, the leaders sat around the table, weighed down with concern over the ongoing food shortage. Every few days, they gathered to discuss the crisis, hoping—so far in vain—to find a viable solution. freēnovelkiss.com

But at this time of year, only the autumn planting had just begun, and there would be no harvest until next year.

The surplus grain from the summer harvest had already been used up, and they had even resorted to buying from middlemen. Still, the quantity was far from enough to support the entire country.

After a long silence, the new Mayor finally asked, "Is there really no other solution? Delaying the rations any longer is not an option. The pile of complaint letters on my desk is almost touching the ceiling."

Though everyone in the room knew he was exaggerating, the truth behind his words was undeniable. Under the Mayor's stern gaze, the officials lowered their heads. They could wrack their brains for days, but they couldn't conjure grain from thin air.

Ten minutes passed in heavy silence before the Mayor lost his patience. He slammed the table and demanded, "You are all supposed to be the best in your fields, yet not one of you can come up with a solution?"

Pan Chiyan sat stiffly, thinking hard. After a long moment, he clenched his fists and spoke up, "Sir, what if we contact Mayor Sun and ask him to help procure more grain?"

The Mayor frowned deeply at his words and asked, "You mean Mayor Sun—the one who was punished last time?"

Pan Chiyan nodded and replied, "Yes. We were only able to secure grain last time because of his help. He has the connections and channels. Why not use them?"

When they heard his words, everyone was taken aback. They had assumed the grain came from reserve stores in Mayor Sun's jurisdiction. Unexpectedly, it had actually been sourced from the black market.

At that moment, aside from the new Mayor, none of the others were aware of this detail.

They all turned to Pan Chiyan with frowns, and one of them said sternly, "Comrade Pan, private trading is a crime. Since you knew about this, why didn't you report it to the leadership?"

Hearing his righteous tone, Pan Chiyan smiled and calmly countered, "Comrade Wang, between feeding starving people and punishing Mayor Sun, which do you think is more important?"

Before Comrade Wang could respond, Pan Chiyan added, "Right now, we don't have the luxury of pointing fingers. Even if laws are bent, we must make exceptions when the country is in crisis. Otherwise, public riots are only a matter of time."

He paused, then looked directly at Comrade Wang as he said, "If Comrade Wang has a better solution, feel free to enlighten me."

Comrade Wang was left speechless by his words. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and his face flushed red with anger. He had only spoken up to find fault with the younger man out of jealousy, he hadn't expected to be countered so directly.

Seeing the tension rise, the Mayor rubbed his forehead and said, "Enough. This is not the time for arguments. We already have a mountain of problems. do you want to add more to the pile? Or are you trying to work overtime for the rest of the year?"

Sensing the Mayor's irritation, the room finally fell quiet. After a moment, the Mayor turned to Pan Chiyan and said, "Comrade Pan, contact Mayor Sun. Ask him to procure more grain. If possible, we need at least 5,000 tons by the end of the month."

Pan Chiyan hesitated, then said, "Sir, I'm afraid getting that much might not be possible."

"Are the supplies insufficient?" one of the leaders asked.

Pan Chiyan shook his head and replied, "I'm not sure about the black market's inventory. The bigger problem is the price."

"Last time, the grains were paid for by Mayor Sun, his subordinates, and donated funds collected from the people. This time, we can't ask them to foot the bill again."

Hearing this, the Mayor nodded and said with a hint of surprise, "I didn't expect Mayor Sun to be so generous."

Then, sweeping his gaze across the room, he asked, "Since the issue is funding, who here is willing to donate toward the grain purchase?"

One of the leaders raised a practical question, "Comrade Pan, how much is the grain?"

After a moment's thought, Pan Chiyan replied, "The cheapest is 3 yuan and 50 cents per kilogram." He added 30 cents to cover the delivery fee.

A collective gasp filled the room. Compared to state-owned grains and supply stores' prices, black market grain was over 200% more expensive.

Comrade Wang slammed his palm on the table and said angrily, "Those criminals are going too far! How dare they take advantage of a national crisis to hike prices!"

Though no one responded to his outburst, their expressions made it clear they agreed.

Pan Chiyan let out a cold laugh and replied sharply, "Comrade Wang, we have no other choice. Even if the price increased by 500%, we still needed to find a way to buy the grain. Not to mention the citizens, at this rate, even government workers and leaders might starve to death."

He looked around the room and added sarcastically, "If you think the price is too high, why don't you go negotiate with the black market's middlemen yourself? Maybe they will be so moved by your righteousness that they will surrender and turn themselves in."

The sarcasm hit hard. Everyone knew that in their current situation, they couldn't afford to offend the black market middlemen. If those people were arrested, there would be no one left to source the grain.

Comrade Wang recognized this point too, but pride kept him from acknowledging his mistake. He gritted his teeth and looked away.

Sensing the tension could escalate into a fight, the Mayor sighed and said, "I will speak with the higher-ups and try to get the money."

Even as he said it, the Mayor wasn't sure whether they could gather enough funds in time. After all, to buy 5,000 tons of grain at that price would cost 17.5 million yuan.