The reason he spoke on the road was that he didn't want other people from the village to know his thoughts after they returned. However, Qi Ergou was an exception, and so was Zhao Dajiao, who was Village Chief Qi's maternal cousin; the two families were close and always stood by each other. But it was different with others—although there were no major conflicts on usual days, the villagers were not completely united.
Things are chaotic now, so it's best to be cautious and not give anyone the chance to stab you in the back.
Village Chief Qi opened his yellowed notebook and said softly, "According to the document conveyed, meetings will be held every half month and self-criticisms must be written every week."
Upon hearing about meetings, several people couldn't stop shivering; they were scared of being tormented!