Old Liu Zhen hurriedly set off. His inspection of township agriculture was half-finished; he sighed as he watched the car speed away.
This is ridiculous! Is Snake Valley really that easy to get into? Now look what's happened, Liu Zhenyuan has been bitten.
"Third Uncle, something happened to Township Chief Liu. What should we do? Will the township blame us?" Zhao Chang, a member of the village committee, asked worriedly.
Seeing that the other village committee members were also in the same state, Zhao Sanshun's expression turned serious. He snorted and said, "What are you afraid of? Everyone saw and heard about this. It was all instigated by that bastard Zheng Chun. Otherwise, would Township Chief Liu have gotten into trouble? If they really ask, just tell the truth!"
“Yes, the township should also be reasonable. What are we afraid of?” The others nodded in agreement.
"Alright, everyone go back now!" Zhao Sanshun waved to the group of village committee cadres, and the courtyard of Zhao Sanshun's house immediately became quiet.
A lavish spread of food and wine had been prepared several times, first for Zhao Wu, then for Liu Zhenyuan and Zheng Chun, but in the end, no one got to eat. Too much food was wasted. Zhao Sanshun beckoned, and the somewhat distracted Lan Hua sat down as well.
"These people aren't going to have a good meal today. That little rascal Zhao Wu and that grandson Zheng Chun have both gone around. It seems like the three of us will have to eat this meal. Honey, bring a bottle of wine. I'm actually a bit hungry now! Is that white fish ready?" Zhao Sanshun sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the nearly ten dishes on the table and said with a smile.
Yesterday afternoon, Zhao Sanshun washed his hands in the stream and, by sheer luck, caught a whitefish over half a foot long from the Wei River. The stream water was cool and refreshing, a welcome relief from the summer heat, much to the delight of the villagers who found the sudden high temperatures unbearable. They often went to the stream in the afternoon after a day's work to wash away the mud and dust, chatting and laughing, and then catching small fish and shrimp, which they would then deep-fry and enjoy—it was delicious.
Actually, it's not just adults who enjoy this more; children often go to the stream after school to catch fish and shrimp, lift rocks to catch crabs, and then have water fights. They often get soaked, but that helps them avoid heatstroke in the high temperatures.
"Lanhua, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and eat! There's not enough for the three of us to finish!" Aunt Sanshun said when she saw Lanhua's absent-mindedness.
Lan Hua snapped out of her daze and said, "Third Uncle, do you think Zheng Chun might cause trouble for Taoyuan Xiaozhu? Or for you?"
Zhao Sanshun paused for a moment, then sipped the wine from his cup and put it down. Reminded of this, he hesitated for a moment.
"Didn't you say it had nothing to do with Peach Blossom Abode?" Aunt Sanshun asked in surprise.
"With Lan Hua's reminder, it's quite possible. Zheng Chun is full of bad intentions. After our falling out during the day, it's not impossible that he'd cause trouble for Zhang!" Zhao Sanshun said.
He wasn't afraid. He was already quite old, and his children were working elsewhere; he'd taken care of himself. What could Zheng Chun retaliate against him to? At worst, he'd be stripped of his titles as village secretary and village head.
However, seeing Lan Hua thinking about Taoyuan Xiaozhu, Zhao Sanshun's heart also tightened. This matter had implicated Zhang Guodong, and he would feel guilty about it.
"How about I go and talk to Zhang Guodong and tell him to be careful?" Lan Hua said immediately. Her watery eyes were full of anxiety, but the Zhao Sanshun couple didn't think of anything else.
“That’s fine, you work there, so it’s only right that you let me know!” Zhao Sanshun said.
Before she could finish speaking, Lan Hua hurriedly got up and ran out.
"This child, eat first before you go! Why did you rush off like that?" Aunt Sanshun nagged, realizing what was happening. The two elders doted on Lanhua, treating her like their own daughter. "Old man, do you think Lanhua has a crush on Xiao Zhang? She seems a little distracted while eating!"
"Really?" Zhao Sanshun was taken aback and said. "Little Zhang is married. I heard that several women have moved into Peach Blossom Lodge, and one of them might be Little Zhang's wife."
But when he thought about how Lan Hua was all alone, and when he recalled the construction of Taoyuan Xiaozhu, Zhao Sanshun became a little suspicious and uncertain about Zhang Guodong.
Lan Hua walked quickly, arriving at Taoyuan Xiaozhu drenched in sweat, though her face was flushed. All the way there, she wondered who those two beautiful women under the parasol in the courtyard were, and what their relationship was with Zhang Guodong.
The entrance, enclosed by iron thorns, was right in front of them, and Blue Flower was a little worried that snakes might appear. But when she stood there looking down the path, she didn't see a single snake and breathed a sigh of relief. She made her way smoothly to the courtyard of Peach Blossom Cottage.
For some reason, the temperature seemed to drop suddenly as soon as I entered the courtyard. Actually, at this time, the Jade Spring Vine hadn't been planted around the courtyard yet. Even the seed of the Jade Spring Vine that Zhang Guodong had privately cultivated, in an environment with three thousand times the spiritual energy and spiritual water, would take several days to sprout.
This sudden feeling is largely due to the sudden increase in spiritual energy. Outside the courtyard, the spiritual energy is slightly denser than outside, but upon entering, the concentration increases thirtyfold. Most people entering and breathing in the air find it incredibly fresh and comfortable.
"Zhang Guodong, a lady is looking for you!" Qingzhu and Qin Lina, who were under the parasol, shouted into the house as soon as they saw Lan Hua enter.
"Come, sit down, and have a chilled drink!" Qingzhu stood up with a smile, pulled the reserved Lanhua to sit down, and then offered her a bottle of fruit drink. Touching the bottle, it was indeed ice-cold.
"Thank you, I'm not thirsty," Lan Hua said awkwardly, her face turning bright red. Compared to Qing Zhu, she felt ashamed of herself. Indeed, Qing Zhu was a plant cultivator: with the natural life force of an ox, beauty was inevitable. Qin Lina was the first to envy Qing Zhu and Li Yun's skin, but this involved a big secret, which Qing Zhu, that silly girl, kept very tight-lipped. Just like Li Yun, Zhang Guodong had asked her to keep their secret, and she was overjoyed, keeping it to herself and not telling anyone. So, despite their seemingly carefree nature, these two women could keep secrets when it came to serious matters.
Of course, Li Yun was currently in seclusion, cultivating. Qingzhu wanted to chat with her, but couldn't find her anywhere.
After much persuasion, Qingzhu pulled Lanhua to sit down and handed her an iced drink. Qin Lina, who was standing nearby, noticed Lanhua's shyness and immediately started chatting with her warmly.
Lan Hua is a nice woman, but she just doesn't know how to dress, lives in the countryside, has dark skin, and her clothes aren't very fashionable. Aside from that, she's a beautiful woman with an inner charm.
The two women didn't neglect her, which gradually made her relax.
When Zhang Guodong came downstairs, he was wearing a vest, but it was soaked with sweat. Qingzhu saw this and immediately asked curiously, "How come you're sweating in the house? You're all dirty and smell bad!"
Holding his nose and standing a little further away, he would occasionally offer his comments, leaving Zhang Guodong speechless. He was naturally sowing seeds in Peach Blossom Spring, dividing the land into small plots, scattering seeds, and then planting the fruit trees. This was the work he had been doing for the past few days, and now that it was finished, he was naturally covered in sweat.
Zhang Guodong smiled at Lan Hua, then took a chair and sat down, saying, "Sister Lan, please sit down. Why are you standing up? Don't be shy here!"
Lan Hua glanced at Zhang Guodong's muscular physique, her face turning even redder, but she still sat down and said, "I came to see you about something!"
"Oh? What is it? Tell me!" Zhang Guodong said with a smile. But Lan Jie's large, watery, almond-shaped eyes made Zhang Guodong afraid to look directly at her.
Once the conversation turned to business, Lan Hua calmed down considerably. Her purpose in coming to Taoyuan Xiaozhu was to warn Zhang Guodong to be wary of Zheng Chun causing trouble. This was exactly what Zhang Guodong had expected. It would be unbelievable if Zheng Chun didn't cause him trouble.
The saying "The people cannot fight against the officials" reveals the power of the officials. If this power is in the hands of ordinary people, it will be difficult for officials to be upright and impartial. Especially since Zheng Chun has had bad luck this time, and has been "provoked" by himself and Village Chief Zhao Sanshun, the money-loving Zheng Chun is also vengeful.
Sure enough, after Lan Hua finished speaking, Zhang Guodong's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was his brother-in-law, Zhao Xiaowang, who rarely called. Zhang Guodong knew immediately that something had happened.
"Brother-in-law, Director Zheng has brought us here to cause you trouble. They'll be out in a few minutes," Zhao Xiaogang said in a low voice.
"It's alright, we're waiting for him, Xiaowang. Does Zheng Chun consider you a confidant?" Zhang Guodong smiled slightly and said calmly. He wasn't nervous at all, but rather interested in Zhao Xiaowang being taken along by Zheng Chun.
This kid's doing pretty well. Zheng Chun's in charge of the police station, so naturally he brought his trusted men to cause trouble. But, being Zheng Chun's confidant, he's probably done all sorts of bad things and illegal activities, hasn't he?
Zhao Xiaowang quickly replied, "Brother-in-law, it's because of my performance today. Zheng Chun used to look down on us. He just told me to work hard, and he'll try to get me a permanent position next year. I was afraid of being exposed, so I pretended to agree and sneaked out to call you."
It was clear that Zhao Xiaowang still held Zhang Guodong in some awe.
Zhang Guodong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Although it's just a pretense, it's a temporary measure. There are some things that violate principles and break the law that we can't do, and we can't accept money. If you don't have enough money, I'll give you a card later. My requirement for you is to be an upright person and do things honestly and diligently. If you want to advance in your career, you must be upright yourself! As for the quota for promotion, I'll get one for you later."
After giving a few instructions, Zhang Guodong hung up the phone and turned to the three women, saying, "You three go back to your room and wait out for a bit. Someone might come looking for trouble later!"
Upon hearing that someone was causing trouble, Qingzhu immediately became enraged and shouted, "Who? Who dares to cause us trouble? Should we kill them?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guodong broke out in a cold sweat, glared at her, and urged them to go back inside. He went upstairs himself and came down a short while later. A nearly new police car pulled up from the other side of Taoyuan Stone Bridge; it was the only police car in the station, Zheng Chun's vehicle.
"Director Zheng, this guy is really rich. This road was actually built privately?" There were five people crammed into the car. Zheng Chun was in the passenger seat, and there were three people in the back seat, including Zhao Xiaowang, and the driver.
Two of the officers were regular police officers, and two were from the joint defense team; both were considered Zheng Chun's "confidants."
Zheng Chun snorted, his eyes scanning the road surface. He was knowledgeable enough; this road couldn't have been built for less than a million. The people at Peach Blossom Abode were indeed wealthy!
However, while a million is a lot, there are quite a few people who have a million these days. In Zhangba Township now, even if you have a million, you still have to abide by the rules here, right?! His eyes gleamed with greed and contemplation. After receiving 200,000 from Boss Liu, Zheng Chun no longer cared about a few thousand.
"Rich people? I like them. Maybe they can contribute some funds to the institute!" Zheng Chun snorted.
Update 1: First update is here. Second update will be coming later, under revision. Also, please subscribe. And please give me your recommendation votes if you have any. Recommendation votes are so pitiful. Thank you.
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