Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife

"The Li family risked their lives, spending a lot of time and energy to harvest those grains. Even if they had reported it, do you think anyone else would have been willing to go up there?" An Xuyuan asked.

His words silenced the room. After a pause, he continued, "I have discussed the seed matter with Comrade Li Chenmo, and he has agreed to provide them to us."

Everyone was taken aback. Given the ongoing food shortage, even with a surplus, few would willingly give away grains for free.

"Vice team leader, we don't have any grain to exchange with him," one staff member said.

"I know. So I offered to exchange work points instead," An Xuyuan nodded.

Another staff member spoke up, his voice laced with concern, "But the Li and Lu families raise a lot of pigs. They are already earning many work points. If we give more to Li Chenmo for the seeds, won't others complain?"

"So, are you suggesting we take the seeds for free?" An Xuyuan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't mean that," the staff member quickly said, shaking his head.

Looking around at the staff, An Xuyuan said firmly, "Everyone in the brigade knows that raising pigs earns you work points. But over the years, how many people have been willing to do it?"

"Now that the Li and Lu families are doing the hard work to help us get more meat, what's wrong with rewarding them fairly? They have earned every work point with their own hands."

"Right now, we are the ones asking them for grain. Shouldn't we compensate them for that? If you think others will object, then tell them to contribute their own grains. Let's see how many would be willing."

Silence fell over the room after he finished his words. Everyone lowered their heads, no one daring to speak further.

An Xuyuan let the moment settle before continuing, "I hope you all understand the fact that it was us who asked the Li family for help, not the other way around."

"When we ask for help, we must show sincerity. I don't want to hear another complaint about their work points. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Vice Team Leader," they replied in unison.

An Xuyuan nodded and said, "Aside from the rice seeds, I also want to inform everyone that Comrade Li Chenmo and his wife have found a way to improve composting."

"They currently have 300 sacks of compost and are willing to donate them to the production team to improve the soil's condition. Comrade Han, please arrange for people to pick it up."

"Understood," Han Jinhe said as he jotted down a note.

"Vice team leader, what about the seeds? When should we collect them?" he asked.

"Comrade Li said he needs to speak with his brothers and gather more seeds. We will collect them once he notifies us," An Xuyuan replied.

After a pause, he added, "Since these seeds will be used for next year's planting, prepare a separate granary to store them. If all goes well, we will receive around 8,000 kilograms of seeds from the Li family."

Everyone was stunned by this information. They had expected maybe 500 kilograms at most, not 8,000 kilograms. That amount could feed a family for years.

Seeing their expressions, An Xuyuan said, "Comrade Li Chenmo is generous and always thinking of ways to contribute to the country and the people. He went to the mountains and harvested these grains not just for his own family, but to help others."

"If his family has enough food, he even plans to donate more to the elderly, widows, and orphans during distribution. So I ask all of you, do not spread rumors that could damage his reputation."

At his reminder, the staff recalled how Li Chenmo had previously donated grain to elderly villagers and orphans. Those who had questioned the fairness of giving him extra work points now felt ashamed.

Seeing that there was nothing more to discuss, An Xuyuan said, "Meeting adjourned."

Afterward, Han Jinhe quickly arranged for people to go to Li Chenmo's house. Meanwhile, An Xuyuan hooked a cart to his bicycle and headed to the Zhang family's house.

By the time he arrived, the sky had turned a dusky gold as the sun slanted toward the west.

Before he could even park his bicycle, the front gate opened, and Zhang Yulan called out, "Brother An, you are finally here. I thought you weren't coming today."

An Xuyuan pushed his bicycle into the yard and replied, "I had something to take care of and just finished."

Zhang Yulan hadn't meant anything by her words, so when he explained himself, she said lightly, "If you are busy, you didn't have to come today."

"It's fine. I have free time now," he said. "But I might not be able to grind the wheat until tomorrow."

As he began loading sacks into the cart, Zhang Yulan moved to help. But before she could lift one, he stopped her. "Yulan, it's heavy. You might hurt yourself if you are not careful. Let me do it."

Coming from a farming family, Zhang Yulan was no stranger to hard labor. It was the first time someone had treated her like a delicate woman.

She froze for a moment, then chuckled as she said, "Brother An, I'm not that delicate. I have been doing heavy work since I was little."

"Even if you are used to it, there is no need for you to do it when I'm here," An Xuyuan replied calmly.

Zhang Yulan felt a flicker of confusion when she heard his words. His words seemed to hold a deeper meaning, but no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't figure it out.

Since he insisted, she didn't push it. It was nice to rest for once and watch someone else do the work.

After loading the wheat onto the cart, An Xuyuan handed her a basket of vegetables.

Surprised, she asked, "Brother An, why are you giving me this?"