He was now kicking his shoes, holding his old opium pipe, heading straight for Er Ya's house.

Along the way, some people who got up early saw him and greeted him: "Village chief, you got up early today."

"Yes, village chief, what brings you here? You shouldn't come here if you don't have anything to do."

Lin Fugui glared at him: "What are you talking about? I have to go around and check every day to see if there's anything going on."

Realizing he had misspoke, the man quickly explained, "Oh dear, I'm just clumsy with words. Village chief, please forgive me for being so uncultured."

Another person asked, "Village chief, are you feeling hot-tempered? Look at those two blisters on your face. I have some herbs to clear heat; let me brew you a bowl."

Lin Fugui touched his face. No wonder it hurt so much. Sure enough, there were two blisters on his face. He shook his head and said, "You guys go do what you need to do. I'm going to take a walk over there."

"Alright, village chief, take care."

Seeing Lin Fugui head towards Lin Jianguo's house without looking back, the people who were spying behind him whispered, "This Lin Lao Er has really struck it rich. Didn't you see that old man Lin Fugui following him like a cat smelling fish?"

"That's right. Last time, I went to his house to find him because of the irrigation issue. I called for more than an hour, but no one came out to pay any attention. I saw his wife come home with my own eyes."

The person who had just been scolded quickly pulled the other person aside and whispered, "Shh, don't let him hear this. He'll remember this and you'll be in for it later."

The man boasted, "Why be afraid of him? He's just a small village chief. What's with all the arrogance?"

"Let's go, let's go, let's not cause trouble so early in the morning."

The three-person team suddenly scattered, leaving him alone. He touched his chest with lingering fear. He only dared to rush at Niu after seeing Lin Fugui walk away. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to say that even if he had eight times the courage. He looked around and quickly ran home.

Lin Fugui banged on Er Ya's door, waking up Da Hei, who started barking. The yard became lively again.

Lin Jianguo, wearing his clothes, came over and scolded Dahei: "Dahei, stop barking. If you wake Erya up, you'll be in big trouble."

Er Ya stood quietly at the doorway and said, "You've already woken me up."

Big Black quickly ran back to its den, closed its eyes, and pretended to be asleep.

Lin Jianguo opened the door and saw Lin Fugui. He asked in surprise, "Village Chief? So early. Come in quickly."

They welcomed Lin Fugui into the house, then quickly went back inside to get dressed. They also woke up Jiang's mother, since she was so early; she would probably have breakfast there.

Er Ya was woken up and couldn't fall back asleep. She got dressed and went into the main room, where she saw Lin Fugui smoking listlessly.

Had I misread the time? Not believing it, I went out to check the sky again before running back to ask, "Grandpa Village Chief, you're here so early?"

Lin Fugui said worriedly, "After you left yesterday, I couldn't sleep well all night. Lin Xiao suffered such a great injustice. I wanted to scold Lin Shitou right away. Look, I have blisters on my face."

Indeed, Lin Fugui had two large dark circles under his eyes, and looked several years older overnight, with stubble on his beard.

Although, there really is no need to do it so early. You can't just go to someone's door and talk about dividing the family property while they're sleeping. It's not always better to do this sooner rather than later.

Er Ya quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Lin Fugui: "Grandpa Village Chief, thank you for your trouble with Brother Lin Xiao's matter. Please have some hot water first."

Lin Fugui waved his hand: "Where's Lin Xiao? Let's call him and go quickly. The sooner this matter is settled, the better."

Seeing Lin Fugui about to leave with his hands behind his back, Er Ya quickly stopped him: "Grandpa Village Chief, isn't it too early? People might still be sleeping."

Lin Fugui glared at him and said, "Sleep? What time is it? How can he sleep if his son hasn't come home all night? I'll go and watch him sleep."

Er Ya tried to persuade Lin Fugui: "Grandpa Village Chief, please calm down and let me finish. Think about it, we went too early and made a scene, but no one will see us. Everyone is sleeping."

"Why do we need anyone to watch this? It's too embarrassing."

Er Ya said earnestly, "Think about it, after we finish eating, everyone will be free, and it'll be a good time to watch the excitement and let them all see how responsible our village chief is."

He devoted himself to the harmony of this village, and then publicized it, making him famous. Who knows, the higher-ups might even send him a banner of appreciation.

Lin Fugui asked incredulously, "Really? There's even a banner for doing this?"

"Of course we have them. If they won't give them to you, I'll get you one. I'll definitely get you one."

Lin Fugui was overjoyed at the empty promise: "Haha, okay, then let's wait a while, I'll go home and have dinner before I come back."

"No, Grandpa Village Chief, please do us a favor and have a meal at our house this morning."

Jiang's mother also changed her clothes and came out, saying, "Yes, village chief, it's rare for you to come. I'll cook something, and you can eat before you leave."

Running back and forth is indeed troublesome, but it's just a regular meal anyway, and no one will say anything if we eat it. Lin Fugui thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, then I'll trouble you. Just make something simple."

Jiang's mother replied, "Please sit here for a while. I'll go cook now, it'll be ready soon."

I just finished making braised pork yesterday, so it's a ready-made meat dish. Add some scrambled eggs or something and it makes for a pretty good meal.

Jiang's mother was busy in the kitchen, and Er Ya, worried that her mother would get tired, came out to help out.

Lin Fugui and Lin Jianguo were left staring at each other awkwardly for a long time. Then Lin Jianguo pushed his cup and said, "Village Chief, have some hot water."

After a while, he poured another cup: "Village chief, have some more hot water."

Lin Fugui rubbed his stomach, which had just drunk two glasses of water, and thought to himself: Is Lin Jianguo afraid that I'll eat too much of his food later? Oh well, his family isn't rich either. I'll just have a few bites later. He picked up the glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing that Lin Fugui had finished his water in one gulp, Lin Jianguo hurriedly poured another cup: "Village Chief, have some more."

"…………".

Lin Fugui couldn't drink anymore, so he stood up, pretending to be tired of sitting, and tapped his pipe: "I'm going out for a walk, to go to the toilet."

"Hey, hey, the toilet's in the corner of the yard, I'll take you there."

Lin Fugui quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, I can go by myself."

To be continued!