The next morning, Niu Peng didn't convene a mass meeting but instead went to each household very respectfully to do the work personally. He began by praising the villagers of Qijia Village for their high awareness and strong abilities; then he talked about the good times Qijia Village had this year, not only having enough food but also being able to distribute a fair amount of money; and finally, he described the dire straits of other disaster-stricken villages, with nothing to eat or drink, almost to the point of having to eat "Guanyin clay."
With the atmosphere set, Niu Peng took the opportunity to discuss the commune's difficulties and broke down in tears again.
The villagers, simple and sincere, saw such a high-ranking official working himself to the bone for the common people, almost to the point of death, and so they agreed to let the unit manage the back mountain of Qijia Village until the heavy snow sealed off the mountain.