Xu Mingyang hadn't expected Xu Xinning to protect him so much; his heart felt as if it had suddenly been filled with sunshine and warmth.

It seems like no one has ever so openly protected me since I was a child.

He used to like this cousin quite a bit, but that liking was mostly due to the influence of Xu Yaozu and Yang Chunqin. He admired and respected Xu Yaozu and Yang Chunqin, so he liked what they liked.

However, Xu Xinning herself is quite likable. She is good-looking and has a good temper. Unlike other spoiled children, she doesn't throw tantrums.

But things are different now. He feels that this niece is his salvation, and he can feel hope and vitality in her.

And it was touching!

Xu Mingyang: "Sister-in-law, where do we put the things we unloaded?"

Yang Chunqin: "Uncle Scarface, come and help unload the goods."

Scarface: "Coming!"

Scarface, whose real name is Xu Ba, is the team's scorekeeper. He is called Scarface because of a very obvious scar on his face.

Scarface's family were rich peasants and were not well-liked in the village before. However, he was quite cultured and had beautiful handwriting. After Yang Chunqin became the brigade leader, she gave him an important position. His family was extremely grateful to Yang Chunqin and could be said to be Yang Chunqin's most loyal supporters in the village besides her own family.

Scarface greeted Xu Mingyang and Xu Xinning happily, but upon seeing the tractor-trailer full of stuff, he asked curiously, "What are all these things?"

Yang Chunqin: "Mingyang went to great lengths and incurred favors to obtain good grain seeds."

Scarface: "The kind of grain that produces more and tastes better?"

Scarface's beady eyes widened instantly.

Yang Chunqin smiled and nodded.

Scarface: "Mingyang, Mingyang, you're something else!"

Scarface rubbed his hands together happily.

Scarface: "Don't just stand there watching, come and help!"

Scarface pointed to a few young men peering out of the village committee office and called out.

Scarface: "Mingyang, you and Ningning have worked hard. Go and rest. These guys can handle this job."

Yang Chunqin: "Okay, I'll take them to see if the loudspeakers from the power department have been installed. You guys take good care of the seeds, and you can put the fertilizer in the outer room. We should start raising seedlings tomorrow."

Scarface: "Got it, sister-in-law!"

In fact, the so-called loudspeaker control room was just Yang Chunqin's office, except that there was a button and a microphone covered with red cloth on the table.

Xu Xinning had seen this microphone during a performance by the cultural troupe.

When the technician from the power company saw Yang Chunqin enter, he smiled and said, "Captain Yang, it's all set."

When Yang Chunqin heard that it was installed, her joy was like that of a child who had received candy. She unconsciously rubbed her hands together, exclaiming, "It's installed already!"

The power company technician replied with a smile, "It's installed. There's nothing technical about it."

Yang Chunqin: "The way capable people speak is different. What is simple for you is amazing for us laymen."

Power company technician: "Captain Yang, why don't you give it a try?"

Yang Chunqin: "Try...try?"

Actually, Yang Chunqin was a little scared at this moment. Although she was naturally bolder than most people, she was very unsure of herself when she first encountered something so "high-end" and was afraid that she might accidentally break it.

Power technician: "Try it, try it boldly. Press this button and you can speak into the microphone and the loudspeaker outside will play. Pressing this button means to turn it off."

Yang Chunqin's mind suddenly seemed to freeze: "What are you saying?"

Xu Xinning: "Mom, tell everyone that Uncle went through a lot of trouble to get the new grain seeds. It made all the villagers happy."

Yang Chunqin: Yes, yes, that's what I'm talking about.

Yang Chunqin walked to the microphone, her hands clenched into fists nervously. She had never been so nervous, not even when she spoke on stage for the first time.

Xu Xinning also looked curious and followed closely beside Yang Chunqin, joining in the fun.

Xu Mingyang was also curious, so he walked closer to observe this rare object carefully.

Power company technician: "Captain Yang, are you ready? If you are, press this button."

Yang Chunqin carefully extended her finger.

Xu Xinning saw that the fingers were trembling; this was the first time she had seen Yang Chunqin so insecure.

From childhood to adulthood, apart from the time Xu Xinning was kidnapped by robbers, Yang Chunqin seemed to be an all-powerful and fearless modern woman in her eyes. However, this small loudspeaker made Yang Chunqin feel restrained.

In the two years since Yang Chunqin took office, the village has been undergoing continuous changes under her leadership.

What was once a stinking pond has now been transformed into a lotus pond, where fish are raised. When the flowers bloom, the wind carries their fragrance throughout the village. The beautiful flowers are so stunning that one loses track of where they are, not to mention the increased profits they bring to the village.

Xujia Village has a great geographical location, backed by mountains and overlooking the sea. It is close to the county and provincial capitals, and has a pleasant temperature. It is a land of fish and rice.

Despite its excellent geographical location, the area had always suffered from food shortages under the rule of those stubborn old regimes.

Yang Chunqin was bold and could even go so far as to complain about being poor and unreasonable to her superiors. When she first took office, after making a work plan with the cadres in the brigade, she would spend every day in the commune chasing after the leaders to complain. When she got emotional, she would cry. She really cried, and her tears fell without restraint.

They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease—a wise saying indeed!

Yang Chunqin was the only female brigade leader in the commune, and the commune leaders were helpless against her. In the end, they all unknowingly fell into the trap that Yang Chunqin had dug.

The changes in Xujiacun Brigade in just two short years are astonishing.

After pressing the button, Yang Chunqin cautiously said "Hello!"

The "hello" didn't seem very important in the control room, but the echoing "hello" from the loudspeaker outside stunned Yang Chunqin, leaving her bewildered for a while.

This "hello" shocked all the members of the brigade.

Normally, it would be quite unusual for the village to have power lines installed today. Every household had someone on hand to wait for the installation, while the able-bodied men were working in the fields. Some children and elderly people were curious about the newly installed loudspeaker in the village, and many villagers gathered around it to watch the spectacle. Then, an unexpected shout of "Hello!" drew everyone's attention. Many people gaped, unable to believe that such a loudspeaker could produce such a loud sound. Some were even curious about where the sound came from, circling the loudspeaker three times to the left and three times to the right, trying to find the source of the sound.

"How can it make a sound when it's not even pointing its mouth at the loudspeaker?"

"Have you ever seen a telephone?" a somewhat knowledgeable member asked.

Many people shook their heads.

"What's a telephone? Have you ever seen one?"

"I've seen it in movies. It's all connected by a wire, and you can talk to someone who's very far away just by shaking it a few times. This loudspeaker must be like that."

Hearing what that person said, everyone else was incredibly envious. Since the village didn't have electricity, no one had ever come to show movies. The village head said that as soon as the village got electricity, he would invite a projectionist to come and show movies.