"Avoid the scorching June sun, the land in the eight villages is even drier and drier," the birds chirped listlessly in the trees. Even some plants drooped, so the farmers had to draw groundwater to irrigate the fields. Only then did the green seedlings, barely a foot tall, appear a little more vibrant.
But at this moment, Peach Blossom Spring is a beautiful green landscape, lush and vibrant. It's the place the villagers of Jixing Village love to talk about. To them, it's mysterious and intriguing.
At this moment, under the shade of a large maple tree on the ground floor of the village, some idle men and women sat together without any regard for propriety. They chatted freely, talking about dirty jokes and matters of the heart, without any restraint, and bursts of laughter frequently rang out.
Lanlan, the village's pretty widow, was among the group of women on the side. However, she couldn't stand the men's penetrating gazes, so she only came occasionally. Ever since Zhang Guodong entered the village, Lanlan hadn't been unmoved. The handsome young man's body made her envious and even more aroused, sometimes causing her legs to involuntarily clamp together.
But once Peach Blossom Pavilion was built, the villagers rarely went there anymore. Everyone was afraid of the legend of Snake Valley, and besides, Peach Blossom Pavilion was now a private property, surrounded by natural barriers, making it difficult to enter.
Similarly, the stone bridge built with donations is just a path up the mountain, and it's quite far away.
Later, Peach Blossom Abode had a second resident, a beautiful young woman. She wore no makeup whatsoever, her beauty as striking as a waterfall. Her graceful figure made Sister Lan feel somewhat inferior. City women, their elegance is truly different.
To be honest, although Sister Lan was just a rural woman, she was quite pretty if you disregarded that background. Otherwise, those men wouldn't have kept glancing at her.
There's always gossip around a widow's door. But with her third uncle, Zhao Sanshun, who is also the village secretary and head of the village, around, Sister Lan has had a peaceful life, though she's still alone for now.
Although Sister Lan is quite pretty, there are many taboos and customs in some rural areas, such as in Jixing Village. Marrying a widow is considered bad luck, like being a jinx, potentially causing the death of elders and bringing misfortune to the whole family.
These people were chatting when Er Mao, a little kid from the village, came running towards them, panting.
"Aunt Lan, the village chief is looking for you!" Er Mao shouted as he ran.
Sister Lan stood up from the group of women and said, "Er Mao, do you know what this is about?"
"I don't know, the village chief only said that you should go back and help with the cooking, because we have guests coming!" Er Mao said.
"Little Lan, maybe your third uncle is trying to introduce you to someone? Hurry up and go! Hehe!" The group of women teased. Such things happened frequently; Uncle Zhao was a good elder and was considering Little Lan's remarriage.
But things never went smoothly. Once they heard she was a widow, and after some questioning, the whole story became clear, and she'd back off. For example, some young men might be attracted to her body and want to sleep with this mature woman, but Sister Lan wouldn't approve; they were too young. Real life isn't like playing house. It's a lifelong commitment.
Sister Lan blushed instantly, chuckled and scolded him, then walked back gracefully.
Before they even reached Zhao Sanshun's house, a man appeared halfway there. Sister Lan recognized him immediately as Zhao Wu, a local ruffian. He was quite sturdy, but his eyes were cunning and lecherous—a truly unreliable person. Recently, it was said that he had become quite influential in the township and was doing well; he had now taken up a position as a community security officer.
He was dressed in an informal uniform, yet he looked quite respectable.
Zhao Wu had always been lusting after Sister Lan's beauty: her plump, swaying buttocks, her large, bouncy breasts, her slender waist, her captivating peach blossom eyes, and her pretty face—these were the assets of a charming widow, making men, especially single men, drool with desire.
However, Sister Lan didn't like to deal with such scoundrels and never gave them a friendly look.
"Blue Flower, let's talk?" Zhao Wu blocked Blue Flower's path, his eyes lecherously sweeping over her large breasts. He swallowed hard and chuckled.
Lan Jie's path was blocked. Her face immediately turned cold as she said, "Zhao Wu, are you making fun of me? My third uncle told me to rush back. Can you afford to take responsibility if things get delayed?"
Zhao Sanshun's prestige was indeed very high, and Zhao Wu was still quite afraid of him. However, today, Zhao Wu's behavior was different.
"Hehe, of course I know that. Do you know who the guest is? It's me!" Zhao Wu said smugly. "Uncle asked you to come back and cook. Actually, it's to cook for me. Don't believe me?"
Sister Lan was somewhat surprised, even confused. Although Zhao Wu usually boasted without thinking, what he said today was quite detailed and logical.
"You? Give me a break! I'd cook for pigs and dogs, but if you want to eat here, you'll have to wait until your next life! Get out of my way!" Sister Lan was no pushover either. Despite being a woman, no one in the village dared to do anything to her.
Zhao Wu's face flushed red and then turned pale. But he wouldn't budge, blocking the way on either side, and sneered, "Let me tell you, if you go through now, your job is over! I worked so hard to get this."
"What kind of job?" Sister Lan stopped abruptly upon hearing this and asked warily.
"Hehe, you're in your early thirties, right? Still no man to pamper you, no income, just farming to make a living?" Zhao Wu said smugly when he saw Sister Lan hesitate. "I, Zhao Wu, am thirty-three. And I've never been married. Am I not good enough for you? Right now, I, Zhao Wu, am a community security officer at the police station, I get a salary. In a year or two, I'll be promoted to a full-fledged government official!"
"When did you become a community defense member?" Sister Lan asked in surprise. She wasn't angry at Zhao Wu's audacious words. She currently had a leisurely temporary job, looking after Peach Blossom Village when the master wasn't around. The income was decent, but how long could she keep it up? So finding a stable job had always been her wish. Farming? How much could a woman like her farm?
“Last week!” Zhao Wu said arrogantly.
It's only Monday. Zhao Wuyi couldn't wait to come as soon as he became a community defense officer, and now he acts all high and mighty at Zhao Sanshun's house. However, Zhao Sanshun didn't go to the market because he was there to introduce his niece Lan to a job.
"Lanhua, I came here specifically for you. It's a job that everyone's fighting over! I finally managed to get this spot. It all depends on your attitude. If you go for it, hehe, the job is yours!" Zhao Wu said, looking at Lanhua with a lecherous grin.
"You want me to sleep with you? With your character, go home and find your mother!" Zhao Wu thought Sister Lan would definitely agree. Women in their thirties are like wolves, fierce as tigers all year round; how can they live without a man? Especially a relatively stable job, but he didn't expect Sister Lan to scold him in the face.
"Fine! We'll see!" Zhao Wu stopped eating, let out a furious, sinister laugh, and left.
Sister Lan had finished her tirade. Humming a little tune, she arrived at Zhao Sanshun's courtyard. Upon seeing his niece, Zhao Sanshun asked in surprise, "Didn't you run into Zhao Wu? Why are you back alone?"
Zhao Wu had rushed to pick up Lan Hua first, and he naturally knew what the kid was thinking. But a widow and an unmarried woman—sometimes he thought they could actually be a couple, better than a woman living alone.
Sister Lan snorted. "That bastard? He's gone!" she said.
"Why did he leave? What happened?" Zhao Sanshun asked in surprise. "Didn't he mention work?"
"Third Uncle, don't worry about me. There's still work at Peach Blossom Abode, why insist on going to the police station for community policing? Is that a woman's job?" Sister Lan said, disgruntled. "I yelled at that bastard and he left!"
"I don't know which idiot came up with the idea of hiring a woman for community defense, especially in the countryside. Women are completely unsuitable for it; the roads are bad, and it's all physically demanding work." Zhao Sanshun was furious and didn't know what to say. "They kindly offered you a respectable job, in a government unit, and you just drove them away!"
“Old man, isn’t Lan Hua doing quite well now? Her monthly income is higher than that of the cadres. I think the joint defense is too hard and tiring, it’s not suitable!” San Shun’s wife came out at this moment and saw the uncle and niece staring at each other, so she immediately interrupted.
"What do you know? That Zhang is rich, but what if he doesn't need Lan Hua anymore one day? People have moved in there recently, so they don't need Lan Hua at all. He didn't say that, but it's never a sure thing!" Zhao Sanshun said, glaring at him.
Speaking of which, Zhang Guodong hasn't actually been to the village or spoken to Zhao Sanshun during this time, as if he'd forgotten all about it. Fortunately, his salary is enough for a year, twenty or thirty thousand yuan, and there are still a few months left before the due date.
Just then, the phone rang inside the house.
"Old man, it's a call from the township government." Aunt Sanshun went back inside for a while to answer the phone, and soon she called out to the outside.
"Alright, stop standing there. We've prepared a lot of food today. We'll eat here later! Any more would be a waste," Zhao Sanshun said helplessly, tossing away his cigarette butt and glancing at Sister Lan.
"Third Uncle, I'll go help!" Sister Lan said happily.
The call came from Zheng Chun, which puzzled Zhao Sanshun. The two didn't get along, but today it was Zheng Chun who notified him, saying that Township Head Liu, who was in charge of agriculture and water conservancy, was coming to the village to inspect agriculture and would be down soon.
Normally, this kind of notification should be issued by the township government office, but Zheng Chun is used to dealing with people at the grassroots level. This time, since he accompanied Township Head Liu down here, he issued the notification directly.
"Who is it? You look unhappy," Aunt Sanshun asked, her brows furrowing as soon as the old man answered the phone.
"Deputy Township Head Liu Zhenyuan and Zheng Chun are leading a group to inspect agricultural work; they'll be here soon!" Zhao Sanshun said impatiently.
"Then you need to notify the other village committee cadres, right? If you ask me, it's too early for village cadres these days. It would be best if the township could allocate some irrigation funds or something!" Aunt Sanshun nagged. "Also, the township leaders are coming down. Should we start cooking now or wait?"
It's unacceptable to let the leaders go hungry. Generally, they'll be entertained by Zhao Sanshun, and the expenses will be reimbursed at the end of the year.
"Let's wait a bit!" Zhao Sanshun waved his hand and went to make phone calls to the other village officials one by one.
Although the village party secretary and village head are the same person, there are other committee members in the village who accompany leaders on inspections, so some appearances still need to be maintained.
In just half an hour, several cars arrived at the entrance of Jixing Village. One of them was a police car, which was also the only car of the police station, and Zheng Chun was riding in it.
Following behind were the leaders' cars, which were temporarily allocated by the township government. In fact, apart from the Party Secretary and the Township Head, the other deputy officials don't have dedicated cars, but their daily work vehicles are...
Zhao Sanshun, along with several village officials, waited outside the gate early in the morning.
"Oh, Mayor Liu, welcome, welcome!" As soon as Zhao Sanshun saw Liu Zhenyuan get out of the car, he immediately went up to him and stretched out his hands.
Liu Zhenyuan was bald. The others had their hair styled in a leader's cut, their t-shirts tucked into their pants, their bellies protruding, and their backs hunched. He smiled and casually put his arm around Zhao San for a moment before letting go.
"Comrade Sanshun. Making everyone wait here in this sweltering heat, I have to criticize you!" Liu Zhenyuan said with a smile. However, Zheng Chun, standing nearby, looked displeased.
Although both were members of the township party committee, Zhao Sanshun ignored him, as if Liu Zhenyuan were a rank above him. However, their relationship was indeed strained, and this time, Liu Zhenyuan was in charge, with Zhao Sanshun playing a supporting role.
Everyone exchanged pleasantries. But the sun was too strong overhead, so they quickly went inside.
Notice: First update. Second update coming later.
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