Only a cadre who vies with farmers for a seat on the bench counts as a close friend

I once heard this saying: if a farmer politely dusts off the bench before letting you sit down, it shows there is still some distance between the cadre and the farmer; only when you reach the point of vying with farmers for a seat on the bench can you be considered truly integrated with them, and only then can the work go deeper.

Being able to vie with farmers for a seat on the bench shows they no longer see you as a cadre, but as one of the plain farmers. A county cadre went to a village for an inspection, and the farmers enthusiastically offered him a cigarette, which the cadre took and held in his hand. Later, after walking some distance, he casually tossed it into the field, thinking it was too low-grade, but it happened to be seen by the village cadres and villagers. One can imagine how this cadre hurt the people's feelings. Being so high and mighty, how could he possibly stay close to the people?

How can a cadre's heart draw close to farmers? It is by becoming one of them: knowing the oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea in their homes, knowing that a broken little bridge will affect children going to school, knowing the bottlenecks restricting farmers from selling their produce outside. Walking through villages, if it is "Old Zhang, come sit at my home" and "Old Wang, how do I treat the disease on my tomatoes," and the village's big yellow dog welcomes you gently, it shows you are very familiar with the farmers and that they truly treat you as a close friend. This is the prerequisite for doing all grassroots work well.