After the meeting, Pan Chiyan returned to his office and made a phone call. The line barely rang twice before it was picked up and Mayor Sun's voice came through the receiver. "Hello?"
"Hello, Mayor Sun. It's me, Pan Chiyan."
The moment he said his name, there was a brief silence on the other end before Mayor Sun responded, "Comrade Pan, do you need something?"
Pan Chiyan didn't bother with small talk and got straight to the point. "Mayor Sun, we might need your help procuring more grain. This time, we need at least 5,000 tons."
The line went quiet before Mayor Sun exclaimed in shock, "5,000 tons?!"
"Comrade Pan, I'm afraid I can't help this time. That amount is far too much, and I don't have the resources to gather that kind of money."
Pan Chiyan let out a small chuckle and said, "Mayor Sun, don't worry about the money. The Capital will find a way to fund the purchase. I'm only calling to inform you. I will handle the negotiations with the middleman myself, but I will need your cooperation to cover my tracks."
Upon hearing this, Mayor Sun immediately understood what Pan Chiyan meant and replied, "Comrade Pan, rest assured. I will help cover up your contact with the middleman."
"I'm glad you understand, Mayor Sun. Since we are both busy, I won't take more of your time. Goodbye."
After hanging up, Pan Chiyan filled out a form for a business trip and submitted it to the Mayor. Given the urgency of the matter, the Mayor approved it in less than an hour.
Before leaving the Capital, Pan Chiyan made sure to complete all his pending tasks. He didn't return home until seven o'clock in the evening.
Seeing her husband come home so late, Bai Xue'er asked with concern, "Husband, why did you work overtime again?"
As he took off his coat, Pan Chiyan replied, "Wife, I'm going to Xie Village tomorrow."
"Why so suddenly? Did something happen?"
"The Mayor has decided to buy grain from the black market. They asked Mayor Sun to help, but I need to go personally to negotiate with the middleman," he explained.
"Will it be dangerous?" Bai Xue'er asked, her tone filled with worry.
Hearing her concern, Pan Chiyan smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. The one selling the grain is one of our own. Nothing will happen."
Bai Xue'er finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Alright. Go take a shower first. I will heat up dinner for you."
"Okay."
While the country was facing a crisis, the 12th production team in Xie Village was shrouded in joy.
Early in the morning, An Xuyuan and the research team members went to check on the growth of the winter wheat in the farmland. After planting, most of the work involved pulling weeds, watering, and occasional fertilizing.
Since there wasn't much to do, the villagers only worked in the fields once every few days.
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