"If it was simply to repay the financial support, they would have done it long ago. If there are still people in the village who use favors as an excuse, in my opinion, they are just too greedy."

The money he led them to earn during this period was more than what their family earned in a year.

Calculating the interest based on the principal they lent out at the time, the amount was already several dozen times greater than the principal. Even the biggest favors would have been repaid by the time they received that much money.

The village chief froze when he heard this. Most people only care about how much they have paid, and rarely think about how much they have gained.

Including himself.

"Then why are you doing this?" After a long pause, the village chief asked the question in his mind.

"For fame, for profit, and most importantly, for..." Lin Shiyu narrowed her eyes when she said this.

The village chief subconsciously straightened his not-so-straight back.

Lin Shiyu stared at the village chief seriously, and said clearly and loudly: "Strengthen the Lin family!"

The village chief stood up immediately with excitement: "Strengthen the Lin family?"

He didn't know what was going on, but there was a fire burning in his heart, and he couldn't sit still at all.

"Yes, to strengthen the Lin family!" Lin Shiyu said firmly.

The village chief suppressed his excitement and asked calmly, "What do you mean?"

Lin Shiyu didn't speak immediately, but took a sip of her homemade tea. In fact, she was organizing her words in her mind.

"Grandpa Village Chief, what do you think of my father's talent in studying?"

"Then it must be top-notch!" The village chief didn't understand why Lin Shiyu suddenly asked this question, but he answered truthfully without hesitation.

He had lived for so long and knew so many people, but Lin Anru was the best one in studying. At the age of ten, he passed the exam and qualified as a student.

Although it was a pity that I never got the position of scholar, it was still very remarkable.

As far as he knew, Lin Anru's father-in-law, Doctor Liu, took the exam six times before he became a Tongsheng, and he remained a Tongsheng until his death.

Doctor Liu was a serious scholar. He achieved such results with the guidance of his master and by studying hard day and night.

Lin Anru was not like that. He was a latecomer and studied secretly. He did not have the time and conditions to match Master Liu, but under such conditions, he obtained the qualification of Tongsheng on his first try. In comparison, Lin Anru was really talented in studying.

"I think he's very good, very good too." Lin Shiyu agreed, straightening her chest.

The village chief looked puzzled. Was she trying to get him to praise her father for no reason? Was this topic related to continuing to purchase herbs? Or was it about strengthening the Lin family?

He couldn't figure it out, so he had to remain silent.

"Let me put it this way. My father only spent five years studying with my grandfather. And if we deduct the time he spent working, serving in the military, experiencing bad weather, and my grandfather's outings treating patients and preparing herbal medicine, how much time do you think he actually spent studying?"

"One year?" The village chief answered uncertainly, feeling that one year was an overestimation.

"Let's assume it's been a year. In that year, he went from being illiterate to a student. There's no better word to describe him than gifted." Lin Shiyu continued without hesitation.

"Although my grandfather studied his entire life, his level of knowledge wasn't that high. But even with that level of knowledge, he was able to get my father admitted as a Tongsheng student after just one year of instruction. Do you think it's my grandfather's ability or my father's?"

The village chief followed her train of thought and shouted, "Your father!"

"Well, yes, that person is my father, just because he is gifted in studying!" Lin Shiyu nodded vigorously to confirm that her father was really capable.

Actually, saying it took a year was an exaggeration. Learning to read and write took quite a while, but the rest of the process was completely self-study, so Lin Anru's study time was much longer than the village chief had estimated.

But there is no need to tell the village chief about these things.

"What does your father's academic prowess have to do with the growth of our Lin family?"

It's no wonder that the village chief couldn't come to his senses for a while. He came here today with the sole intention of solving the problem of herbs, and his focus was not on Lin Anru.

He used to be optimistic about Lin Anru, but he only thought that if he really passed the imperial examination one day, his village's prestige would be higher in the surrounding area. He never thought about expanding the family.

I dare not think about it, and I cannot think about it.

Lin Shiyu suddenly brought the topic to Lin Anru, and he didn't react.

"My father, despite his limited circumstances, was able to pass the examination to become a Tongsheng. Now he's attending a proper private school in the county, being taught by renowned teachers, and there are no problems at home hindering him. Could it be that he will only be a mere Tongsheng in the future?"

"No, how is that possible? I've told your father to study hard and become a scholar in the future." The village chief denied it.

If he only wanted to be a student and go to the county town to study just to gain more knowledge, how could he encourage Lin Anru to continue studying?

Lin Shiyu shook her head. "Scholar? That's just a small goal of my father. So, do you understand, Village Chief?"

The village chief's eyes widened. Scholar? Small goal?

What was the ultimate goal? Juren? County magistrate?

The village chief's breathing became rapid. In his opinion, these were high-ranking officials that he could not even dream of. Could Lin Anru really do it?

"I believe my father can do it." Lin Shiyu saw his doubt and said affirmatively, "Then, Village Chief, are you prepared for the upcoming emergence of a high-ranking official in the village?"

"What are you preparing for?" The village chief was at a loss.

"Being an official requires not only academic prowess, but also reputation." The implication is that the villagers' current actions will affect Lin Anru's reputation.

"Becoming a high-ranking official requires not only a good reputation, but also a family that will not hold you back."

This is an era where everyone prospers and suffers together. After her father becomes an official, the family's status, reputation and living conditions will definitely improve.

At that time, when the family was better off, they had to provide convenience to Lin Anru. Even if they could not provide convenience, at least they could not hold her back.

In history, there are many examples where good official positions were lost because of family members being implicated, but Lin Anru would not allow that to happen.

Even though Lin Anru is still a bachelor now, he still needs to prepare for a rainy day.

"I...I need to think about it carefully. Let me go back and take it easy first."

The village chief was overloaded with information and decided to escape first. Now his mind was in a state of panic and he couldn't calm down.

When I think of Lin Anru becoming an official...

Lin Anru becomes a high-ranking official...

His steps became faster and faster, and his crutches became useless.