Hanging up the phone, the smile on Wan Zhongshan's face vanished. He immediately passed the buck.
"Deputy head, you arrange for those forty disabled retired soldiers."
"When you issued those iron plates, their employment relationships were already transferred to the poverty alleviation office of Ling County."
"Hahaha, what is this called? This is like picking up a rock only to drop it on one's own feet. Their wages, social security, and medical insurance are all the responsibility of the poverty alleviation office."
"I just don't know if the Ling County poverty alleviation office can afford it. Hahahaha."
The deputy head glared at Wan Zhongshan. "All you do is cause me trouble."
Wan Zhongshan shrugged indifferently. "More than ten years ago, I had no prior dealings with Captain Tian, yet she took on forty retired soldiers in one go."
"Now, more than ten years later, when Captain Tian encounters trouble, I can't force her to continue supporting those forty people..."
The deputy head took out his phone. "I'll pass it up the chain too."
...
After hanging up, Tian Jing felt a heavy heart. The nursery's closure didn't bother her, but she was worried about the forty retired soldiers.
She stood up. "Zheng Ge, let's go see Wei Xiaoyong and the others."
Li Zhengguo got up. "Alright."
It had been two days since the incident. Since they had labeled him as someone who disregarded discipline, he had directly submitted a leave request and gone home.
Whether the leave was approved or not was irrelevant. At worst, he would be fired from his public office.
However, he knew that since the county intended to use his prestige over the past decade in the town to facilitate the relocation plan, they wouldn't fire him. Thus, he felt emboldened.
He hadn't tried to placate his furious wife.
Why placate?
If they had promised him retirement after he successfully completed the relocation plan, he might have, out of helplessness, made his final efforts.
But now, heh...
When Tian Jing and Li Zhengguo arrived at Li Daniu's house and learned that Wei Xiaoyong was next door, they asked Li Zhengguo to go with them.
Upon seeing that, besides the two on duty, all thirty-eight others, including Wei Xiaoyong, were present, Tian Jing knew they were in a meeting.
She smiled. "What meeting are you having? Can I join?"
Wei Xiaoyong had married into the Li family, effectively establishing a foothold in Kushan. He was essentially the leader of these forty people.
Regarding the unfounded accusations against Town Chief Li, the forty of them were not only angry but also felt a sense of shared misfortune, like rabbits dying and foxes mourning.
Town Chief Li, like them, had once been a soldier...
They wanted to help, to help Town Chief Li break free from the net ensnaring him...
However, their strength was too limited, and their innate pride prevented them from begging. Therefore, their discussion had led to the idea of contacting the reporter from last time to expose the matter and blow it up.
Wei Xiaoyong was hesitating. He felt that this matter should be discussed with Captain Tian. He hadn't expected Captain Tian and Town Chief Li to show up.
He stood up, dragged two folding chairs from the wall with his right hand, and said, "We're having a small meeting. Captain Tian, Town Chief Li, please sit."
Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing each took a folding chair, unfolded it, and sat down beside everyone.
In truth, Tian Jing could guess what these people were meeting about, but she didn't need to. These men just wanted to live peaceful lives.
"Everyone, the nursery planting base may be suspended. I've requested leave from my superiors, and they've agreed."
"I don't know how your futures will be arranged by the higher-ups."
"But I don't think any single place can accommodate all forty of you at once."
"If you don't want to be separated, I have a suggestion."
Thirty-eight strong men were startled. Had Captain Tian also been implicated?
"Captain Tian, you?"
Tian Jing shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine. The nursery planting base was the cannon fodder under my resistance, but you have become cannon fodder of cannon fodder. I am very ashamed, so I've come to apologize to you."
As she spoke, Tian Jing stood up and bowed to the men.
While the men breathed a sigh of relief, they also felt flustered and guilty.
Flustered by Captain Tian's apology, and guilty for being a burden to Captain Tian.
Initially, their physical conditions made them feel inferior, unwilling to go out and see people. Some had even given up on themselves.
After coming to Kushan, they hadn't seen any looks of pity or disdain. Under the villagers' gaze, which treated them like ordinary people, they learned to work with their stumps and use scooters for transportation.
In Kushan, they regained everything they had lost and once again became the pillars of their families.
All of this was because Captain Tian and Town Chief Li had been willing to accept them more than ten years ago, when they were a considerable burden.
Although they had contributed their labor and received compensation.
But now, when Captain Tian wanted to resist, they had again become Captain Tian's burden. They were the ones who should be apologizing.
Wei Xiaoyong spoke on behalf of everyone. "Captain Tian, you owe us nothing."
"No, I do," Tian Jing stood up straight. "I once said that I would let you work at the nursery until retirement. I broke my promise, so I've come to compensate everyone."
Wei Xiaoyong glanced at everyone. In their eyes, just like his, there was no resentment towards Captain Tian. "Please sit down and tell us."
After Tian Jing sat down, she looked at the thirty-eight men.
"I know you won't resent me, but I don't want to break my promise or carry guilt and regret."
"My compensation is not monetary. Monetary compensation at this time would be charity to you."
"My compensation is a suggestion..."
Tian Jing suggested that the forty retired soldiers jointly establish a direct-sale fruit and vegetable supermarket.
They could find another place or rent land in Kushan to build new greenhouses.
She would provide them with fruit and vegetable seedlings of even higher quality than those in Kushan, ensuring that the fruits and vegetables they grew would be better than those sold from Kushan.
They could enter the sales market in their hometowns, open chain fruit and vegetable supermarkets locally, and even hire their own friends and relatives as employees.
"...When your employment relationships were officially registered with the Ling County poverty alleviation office upon receiving the special plates."
"If you don't adopt my suggestion, it's also fine. Your medical insurance, social security, and wages are basically guaranteed..."
"We are willing!" more than thirty people said in unison.
Wei Xiaoyong stood up and bowed slightly to Tian Jing, thanking her. "Thank you for Captain Tian's support and suggestions."
"Since the nursery is suspended and you've requested leave, it must be based on the grounds that your body is no longer suitable for seedling cultivation."
"But if you continue to provide us with seedlings..."
"It's alright," Tian Jing waved her hand at Wei Xiaoyong. "The higher-ups know my leave is a form of resistance, an excuse. If I don't want to do it, it will be difficult for them to force me, unless they no longer care about my other identity."
"Then that's fine," Wei Xiaoyong stood up straight. "If Captain Tian provides the seedlings, she will hold twenty percent of the shares in our fruit and vegetable supermarket."
"We agree!" the thirty-seven men immediately agreed with Wei Xiaoyong.
Tian Jing quickly waved her hands. "No, no, you just need to pay for the seedlings."
The men disagreed. They couldn't feel at ease without giving Captain Tian shares.
After much back and forth, Tian Jing only agreed to contribute seedlings as shares, holding five percent of all the chain fruit and vegetable supermarkets.
The forty men would each hold two percent, and the remaining fifteen percent would be distributed among Wei Xiaoyong and a few others who were in better physical condition and suitable for operational management.
Tian Jing offered to lend them money, but Wei Xiaoyong refused. "We can do it ourselves."
Tian Jing then stopped inquiring. These men had strong willpower and had learned a great deal during their more than ten years in Kushan.