Obviously, Charles Lawson was not in agreement with the old man's decision. Today was the old man's eightieth birthday, and the main central leaders would all come in person to offer their congratulations. Naturally, Comrade Grace would also be among them. However, these were all ceremonial visits. On such a day, discussing such serious topics with Comrade Grace, in Charles Lawson's view, was not very appropriate. If one were sensitive, it could even be interpreted as the old man being somewhat dissatisfied with Comrade Grace's work.

Comrade Grace was exactly ten years younger than the old man, and it could be expected that he would remain in his current leadership position for a longer period. If Comrade Grace were to misunderstand, it would clearly not be good news for Charles Lawson.

“Hmm!”

The old man nodded heavily, his expression growing even more serious. As a veteran revolutionary and founding father of the nation, the old man's political wisdom was beyond doubt. But his revolutionary stance and steadfast party loyalty were even more unquestionable. He was, of course, well aware that Charles Lawson was highly regarded by Comrade Grace, but that did not prevent him from expressing his own opinions to Comrade Grace.

Moreover, with the illustrious reputation of the Liu family, as long as the old man was alive, there was no need to look at anyone else's face.

Charles Lawson furrowed his brow. He knew the old man's mind was made up, and no one could change this decision. At this thought, Charles Lawson glanced at William Lawson, his expression tinged with displeasure.

You young brat, what are you trying to show off for?

Unexpectedly, the old man actually began to take an interest in this grandson, saying, “William, you've been working in the countryside for a year now. Any new stories? Tell me about them.”

It sounded like a casual chat between grandfather and grandson, but in a family like this, it could never be taken so simply. What should be said and what should not be said had to be carefully considered. William Lawson also did not believe the old man was truly interested in trivial neighborhood gossip. But at the moment, he was the only one in the Liu family working in the countryside; everyone else was in the capital or other big cities. If the old man wanted to know the real situation in the countryside, it seemed he could only ask William Lawson.

William Lawson was also a bit caught off guard.

Although he wanted to start changing everything from now on, the old man questioning him so soon still left him a little unprepared. But delaying too long was clearly not an option.

This opportunity had to be seized no matter what.

After a brief pause to compose himself, William Lawson said, “Grandpa, I’ve been working at Qingfeng Agricultural School for less than a year, so my understanding isn’t very comprehensive yet... But based on what I know, let me give you a report... After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the central government decided to implement reform and opening up, and introduced the land contract responsibility system. This policy is very good, and the farmers are very supportive; everyone’s enthusiasm for production is high, and there have been bumper harvests year after year. But several consecutive years of high grain yields have gradually revealed a problem, namely ‘low grain prices hurt farmers.’ As reform and opening up deepens, not only has the countryside undergone earth-shaking changes, but the whole society is in the midst of dramatic transformation. There are more people doing business, more self-employed individuals, and a great circulation of goods. The wages of state employees have increased year after year, which has also driven up prices. This is not an isolated issue, but a systemic one. The abundance of agricultural products has led to falling prices. Moreover, agricultural products are all fresh and not suitable for long-term storage; over time, they rot and spoil, so farmers can only lower prices to sell before spoilage. This further drives down the prices of agricultural and sideline products...”

William Lawson spoke fluently and confidently. Before his rebirth, he had been an associate researcher at the Chunan Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, so he was quite familiar with these matters. He often dealt with official documents and government officials, and knew how to speak appropriately. Therefore, he was very careful with his wording, striving to reflect the issues objectively and fairly, without adding his own commentary. This pragmatic and realistic attitude was most likely to win the old man’s approval.

As soon as William Lawson began to speak, everyone was immediately stunned.

Was this really the speech of a twenty-two-year-old who had just graduated from university?

William Lawson deliberately made a brief pause.

This was also a speaking technique—to observe others’ reactions and to draw further attention to his words.

“Hmm... go on!”

The old man was clearly captivated and urged him to continue.

“When the prices of agricultural and sideline products can’t rise, farmers have no ability to increase their investment in the land. Fertilizer, seeds, plastic film, and other supplies are all getting more expensive, so the cost of farming each mu of land keeps rising, profits are getting smaller and smaller, and their enthusiasm for tending the land is waning. If this continues, rural development will be in serious trouble. Not to mention mechanized farming or increasing yields—even maintaining the current model will be difficult. The long-standing policy of industrial-agricultural price scissors and the household registration system have severely restricted rural development. So now, in the Qingfeng area, many young and able rural laborers have given up farming and gone out to find work, earning some cash to supplement their families. Correspondingly, the ranks of cadres keep expanding, more and more people are in management and on the state payroll, the privileged class is growing, and the burdens on the countryside and farmers are getting heavier and heavier. Social contradictions will continue to accumulate... So, Grandpa, I am very worried that these contradictions will erupt in the near future and become a very serious social problem.”