Two days later.
Early Monday morning, I went into the mountains with Dr. Luo and Dr. Huang.
Lu Qiqi was used to it, but she would remind them to be careful when going into the mountains every day.
They didn't inquire about what the people were looking for when they went into the mountains every day.
Li Changlong went to Tianlong Village for two consecutive days to teach the villagers how to grow rice seedlings.
"Lord of the Township".
Lu Da entered the room, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and bowed to Lu Qiqi.
Lu Qiqi said calmly, "Let's go."
The two then went together to Tianlong Village.
Last night, Niu Dahang rushed to find Lu Qiqi, holding a thick stack of papers in his hand, his face beaming with smiles.
Lu Qiqi didn't need to see what was written on the paper; she could tell from Niu Dahang's expression that the matter was settled.
It seems that Niu Xiaozhou's speed and effectiveness in spreading the news played a significant role in its success.
Today she went to Tianlong Village to witness the loan agreement between the two villages.
Lu Da was very skilled at driving a horse-drawn carriage.
Sometimes, Lu Qiqi even thought he was born a professional groom.
Tianxin Village is not far from Tianlong Village, and it was quick to reach Tianlong Village by horse-drawn carriage.
Lu Da drove the carriage to the front of Tian Dalong's house and stopped. He lifted the curtain, and Lu Qiqi lifted her skirt and gracefully stepped out of the carriage.
A number of villagers gathered in front of Tian Dalong's house, craning their necks to watch the commotion in the yard.
Upon seeing Lu Qiqi, those with sharp eyes recognized her at a glance and immediately knelt down to pay their respects.
Looking at the villagers kneeling on the ground, Lu Qiqi said calmly, "From now on, unless it's something important, there's no need for such formalities. Get up."
After saying that, Lu Qiqi started walking into the courtyard.
There was a square table in the courtyard, surrounded by people.
After everyone bowed to Lu Qiqi, she saw Tian Dalong first.
Tian Dalong stepped forward with a grin and gestured for Lu Qiqi to proceed.
Lu Qiqi walked to the table and saw the neatly written contract, which was stamped with the names of the villagers and all of them had red fingerprints on it.
She lowered her head and carefully read the contents of the contract, word by word.
Niu Dahang thought that Lu Qiqi was displeased because she saw that the villagers had not signed.
He hurriedly explained, "This contract was written by a student from Tianxin Village. Since the people in our village don't know how to write, they just put their fingerprints on it."
Lu Qiqi was aware of this situation. The villagers of Tianping were all farmers who were burdened with taxes year after year, and their land was not productive, so they naturally did not have the money to send their children to school.
This was not the outcome they desired, but rather a product of the times.
At the end, there was a line of small print that read "Tian Dalong," and the red fingerprints had dried completely.
There was an empty seat next to her, presumably reserved for her as a witness.
Lu Qiqi put down the paper, pressed it down with a paperweight, and wrote her name on it.
“Alright,” Lu Qiqi said, “Now that the contract has been written, both parties should abide by the terms in the contract.”
"Hey," Niu Dahang, who was about to receive the money, smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits.
Tian Dalong picked up the contract and looked at it from left to right, as if he wanted to see right through the paper.
He was also very happy. The thought that the land at the entrance of Tianping Village would belong to Tianlong Village a year later filled him with joy.
That land is unsuitable for farming; it's best used for building houses for future generations.
When that time comes, how could the villagers not get their share of the benefits in order to build houses on that land?
"In that case, Village Chief Tian should hand over the contents of the contract to Village Chief Niu as soon as possible."
Seeing Tian Dalong clutching the contract and grinning foolishly, Lu Qiqi reminded him.
Tian Dalong then seemed to wake from a dream and said, "Of course, I'll go get the silver notes right away."
Niu Dahang accepted the silver notes with trembling hands. He had lived most of his life and this was the first time he had ever touched so much money. How could he not be excited?
He wanted to burst into tears on the spot, but now was not the time to cry. He still needed the money to buy the fresh seeds that Lu Qiqi had mentioned.
With the loan agreement in effect, Lu Qiqi used a horse-drawn carriage to send Niu Dahang back to Tianping Village.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of Niu Dahang College. As soon as Niu Dahang got out of the carriage, many people from Tianping Village gathered around.
Lu Qiqi lifted the curtain, and the villagers only dared to stand at a distance and watch, not daring to make a sound.
Lu Qiqi said, "Village Chief Niu, I will have someone deliver the seeds as soon as possible. You should have the villagers prepare the land for planting as soon as possible."
"yes."
Having received a reply, Lu Qiqi lowered the curtain.
Lu Da then drove the carriage away.
After the carriage left, the villagers immediately surrounded it.
"Village chief, how is it?"
"Did they lend us Tianlong Village?"
Niu Dahang's lips curled up, clearly indicating that he had accomplished his task.
The villagers asked simply because they wanted to hear Niu Dahang say it himself.
Looking at the villagers with hopeful eyes, Niu Dahang smiled and said, "With the village chief as guarantor, we'll get the loan! The grain will be delivered tomorrow!"
"Great! This time we don't have to worry about people starving to death anymore."
Upon hearing this, the villagers who had gathered together immediately became happy.
Only Niu Dahang silently went back into the house and closed the courtyard gate.
In recent years, many people in Tianping Village have starved to death. The heavy taxes have made it difficult for them to breathe, and the poor harvests have resulted in people starving to death every year.
There was nothing he could do about it; even the village head couldn't make ends meet, let alone help other villagers.
They could only watch helplessly as a living person simply vanished.
Now that things have come to this, Niu Dahang looked up at the azure sky, hoping that Tianping Village would become Lu Qiqi's fiefdom and that life would be better from now on.
When Lu Qiqi got off the carriage, she sneezed several times in a row. She didn't know if she had caught a chill or if something barely touched her nose.
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