Rebirth in 1958: Getting rich starts from Nanluoguxiang

Chapter 1242 The life of utter darkness finally saw a ray of light.

The workers below the stage could no longer sit still; they all stood up, waving their arms and shouting loudly.

"Down with corruption, down with bureaucracy, down with opportunists!"

Shi Yun strode over to Da Bao and placed two personnel files on his desk. Gai Wenting was filled with excitement and joined the workers in chanting slogans.

Although the city leaders all grimaced and made faces, they still had to put on a show and waved their arms, but their shouts were no different from the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Da Bao looked at the two personnel files and couldn't help but smile. He beckoned Jin Hai to take the microphone.

Da Bao pressed his right hand down, the chanting gradually stopped, and he said with a smile.

"Dear workers, please sit down. I'd like to tell you two short stories..."

The workers now considered Da Bao one of their own. Upon hearing about the story, they all sat down and applauded. Gai Wenting frowned, glanced at Da Bao, and Da Bao gently shook his head, indicating it was fine.

"There was a woman who was born in a rural area. Her family favored boys over girls, and from the age of six, she was made to take charge of cleaning and cooking at home. She wanted to study and go to school, but her family would not give her the money to study."

Every day after she finished cutting pig feed, she would run to school and listen to the teacher's lessons through the window. While the teacher lectured from the platform inside, she would practice writing with a small wooden stick. In three years, she learned hundreds of characters and mastered addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

She was the only girl in their village who could write her own name. When she turned sixteen, her family arranged for her to marry a soldier. Everyone knew that soldiers had to guard the frontier and couldn't live a normal life like us.

She married a soldier and moved to the city, only to discover that her two elderly parents were either seriously ill or disabled, and her two younger brothers-in-law and sister-in-law were still very young.

She didn't complain and began taking care of the elderly and the young. She worked hard during the day and had to do laundry and cleaning when she got home. Gradually, she had two children, and the family grew larger, requiring her to take care of even more people.

But she never complained of being tired or suffering. Her hard work relieved her husband of any worries. When her husband was promoted, his family could join him in his military service, but she didn't go. Fifteen years have passed, her parents-in-law have passed away one after another, and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law have grown up. She used all her savings to help them get married...

Gai Wenting's eyes welled up with tears, and he led the applause.

Da Bao said loudly.

"Sister Wang Meifeng, our good military wife, please come up on stage."

The workers applauded enthusiastically. A middle-aged woman with short hair, her eyes brimming with tears, stood up in the front row, bowed deeply to the workers, and then walked onto the stage.

All the leaders stood up and applauded enthusiastically; no one was unmoved by this woman.

Gai Wenting shook hands with Wang Meifeng and said excitedly repeatedly.

"Comrade Wang Meifeng, on behalf of the government, I thank you..."

Wang Weifeng was so excited that she couldn't speak. After a while, she covered her face and started crying.

After the applause subsided, Da Bao continued.

"Let's tell another short story, also about a lesbian. It's about a poor woman who was born into a family that extremely favored sons over daughters. Her hand was burned by a stove when she was a child, leaving her with a slight disability."

Because of this disability, her parents married her off to a cripple. Ironically, this cripple, who walked with an uneven gait, actually mocked her for being disabled and subjected her to constant beatings and verbal abuse after the marriage.

To help her support the family, the cripple made her work at the factory, while his whole family was idle, lazy, and relied on her wages to survive.

Actually, this job was just a temporary cover for her; when her brother-in-law grew up and got married, she would have to give up the job to him.

This family relies on this woman for sustenance, yet they constantly beat and verbally abuse her. She is always hungry, works during the day, and has to take care of the entire family's needs at night. Ironically, she had to go back to work the day after giving birth to her daughter, or she would be severely beaten.

I find it very strange. The new nation has been established for ten years, so why are there still people who act like landlords and capitalists, oppressing and bullying others? And there are quite a few of these things. These psychologically twisted villains keep saying it's their own family matter, yet they make people wish they were dead.

Therefore, our Four Cleanups and Five Antis Conference was convened. The purpose of the conference was to root out these bad elements and rescue these oppressed people!

Wu Qiufang, Sister Wu, are you still going to endure this? Are you still going to continue living this oppressed life? As long as you bravely step forward, we will stand up for you, Secretary Gai will stand up for you, and I will stand up for you, so that you can break free from these shackles of oppression, live with dignity, and enjoy a happy life!

Before Da Bao could finish speaking, a woman in her twenties climbed onto the stage, wailing and sobbing. She knelt down and began kowtowing frantically. Gai Wenting and Da Bao quickly stood up.

Gai Wenting personally helped the woman up. Everyone knew that this woman was Wu Qiufang from Da Bao's story. The crowd's emotions were stirred up once again, and everyone shouted slogans desperately.

Da Bao pressed his hands down, and the chanting subsided and gradually stopped.

"Now I announce two decisions. First, the corrupt official Zhao Chunhe has been arrested. The affairs of the people should be decided by the people themselves. I hereby announce that these two, Sister Wang Meifeng and Sister Wu Qiufang, will serve as the hosts of our meeting. Does everyone agree?"

The workers in the audience shouted their agreement at the top of their lungs.

Gai Wenting gave Da Bao a deep look, his eyes filled with shock. He had read Da Bao's file and knew that he was only a twenty-year-old youth, but his methods of inciting people were like those of a seasoned veteran of the officialdom. This was truly admirable.

Dabao continued.

"Justice may be delayed, but it will surely come. I hereby announce my second decision: after our careful investigation, the fact that Liu Chang'an's family oppressed Sister Wu Qiufang is true and the evidence is conclusive. They shall pay for the sins they have committed."

Effective today, Liu Chang'an and Wu Qiufang are divorced. Their daughter will be raised by Wu Qiufang. Liu Chang'an, his parents, and his two brothers will be immediately sent to the Heilongjiang Agricultural Reclamation and Construction Corps for labor reform. Their class status will be changed to "bad elements," and they will be subject to the supervision and management of the local government and the Corps.

Upon hearing this, Wu Qiufang burst into tears. She desperately knelt down and tried to kowtow. Her life, which had been shrouded in darkness, had finally seen a glimmer of light, all thanks to this conference...