With the help of the village chief, Su Ling finally had the rice seedlings. Today, taking advantage of the good weather, he hired a dozen villagers to help plant the rice.

At first, he stood on the path beside the field and watched for more than ten minutes. He thought transplanting rice seedlings was very interesting and was eager to give it a try.

However, Su Ling could not stand going into the fields barefoot and stepping into the mud. His cleanliness would not allow his skin to have too close contact with the soil for a long time.

Li Dahai came up with an idea to help him. He took out a pair of Labor Insurance rain boots that his father used to use from home and lent them to him.

So, Su Ling put on a hat, rolled up his sportswear legs, and wore a pair of black long-sleeved rain boots. He stepped into the muddy paddy field, holding a handful of seedlings in his hand, and imitated Li Dahai's posture of planting rice, clumsily inserting a small handful of seedlings into the mud.

Others had planted their seedlings straight and neatly, but he had planted them crookedly, which was a horrible sight. He looked around but couldn't see the difference between his technique and others'. Why was the effect so different?

"Brother Su, the seedlings can't be planted too shallowly or too deeply. They should be planted 1-2 centimeters apart." Li Dahai taught him the technique while holding the seedlings. "Just like me, use your index and middle fingers to clamp the roots of the seedlings, then follow the roots downwards and plant them into the mud."

Su Ling tried it, but it was still a little crooked. She frowned and asked, "Without a ruler, how can I know how deep to insert it?"

Li Dahai grinned: "It depends on the feel. You will learn it after doing it many times."

When he was thirteen years old, he went to work in the fields with his grandfather. The first time he planted rice, he was just as messy as Brother Su, and was disliked by his grandfather. But after planting rice for three or four days in a row, he became proficient at it.

"Depending on the feel?" Su Ling took the seedling and slowly inserted it into the mud. "Like this?"

The seedlings stood up successfully, and Su Ling smiled with joy. The next second, the seedlings tilted again.

Well, we need to keep encouraging each other.

Here, Su Ling followed Li Dahai and planted rice slowly, while over there, the villagers he hired worked very quickly and had finished planting an acre of field in a blink of an eye. Su Ling was full of admiration.

It is true that every profession has its own expertise and every field has its own top talent!

After planting three rows of seedlings, Su Ling's back ached so much that he could hardly stand up. Li Dahai helped him out of the field with difficulty and he sat down on the grass beside the field.

"Dahai, you sit down too." Seeing that Li Dahai was going to continue planting rice, Su Ling called out to him and patted the grass beside him.

"It's okay, Brother Su, I'm not tired." Li Dahai shook his head.

"You are not yet an adult. Does it count as child labor if I hire you?" Su Ling wiped his hands with the towel hanging around his neck, took a bottle of mineral water from the box beside him, and handed it to Li Dahai.

When hiring people to do work, in addition to paying them wages, they also have to provide water and lunch.

He bought mineral water from a small shop. He asked Aunt Zhang to help him with lunch. He used a large iron pot on a clay stove to stir-fry rice noodles. He added meat slices, shrimps, fried eggs, mushrooms, and dried squid to the rice noodles. The villagers who worked ate the rice noodles with gusto. They gave Su Ling a thumbs up and said that Su Ling was generous for adding so many delicious ingredients. You know, Shixi Village is poor, and most people are reluctant to eat pork, let alone shrimps and squids.

Li Dahai took the mineral water with gratitude and said, "In our village, fifteen years old means an adult. Zhang's mother from West Village is anxious to find a wife for him."

Su Ling also got himself a bottle of mineral water, twisted the lid, and asked in surprise: "Ah Zhang? Are you only fifteen years old?"

Is it too early to marry at the age of 15? What about the woman? Is she also a minor? Is it illegal to marry before reaching the legal age?

Li Dahai said: "He was in junior high school, and at the age of 13, he worked with his uncle in a restaurant in the town, washing dishes and serving food, and he could earn 2,000 yuan a month."

Su Ling frowned: "Nine years of compulsory education is free of charge, why don't you finish junior high school?"

Li Dahai pulled the grass beside him and said, "Junior high school is in the town. It's inconvenient for our village to go back and forth to the town. His father was reluctant to spend money to rent a house in the town, so he didn't let him go to school. In addition, his grades were poor, and he felt that he was not cut out for studying, so he wanted to work and earn money to support the family as soon as possible. When he earned money, he would build a new house, marry a wife, and have a son to continue the family line."

Such things are common in remote and impoverished rural areas. It is inconceivable to Su Ling, who grew up in a developed city. After listening to Li Dahai's words, he felt heavy-hearted. These young people should have been full of vigor and ambition, but because of poverty, they had to bear the burden of the family early on. They were like birds with broken wings, confined in a cage and unable to fly high.

They are still children, but they bear pressure that they shouldn't bear at this age.

Seeing Su Ling's silence, Li Dahai dropped the grass, stood up and patted his butt. "Brother Su, I'll continue working."

Su Ling asked, "If I help you with your tuition, would you be willing to continue your studies?"

Li Dahai turned around, eyes wide open in disbelief, with a bewildered look on his face. "Study? Can I continue studying?"

Su Ling said gently: "As long as you want to study, I will support you, from high school, college, to graduate school... until you start working."

Li Dahai's dark eyes were full of hope. He opened his mouth and almost agreed. Suddenly he thought of something and lowered his head in disappointment, with a sad face. "My grandfather will not agree."

If he goes to school, who will take care of grandpa and grandma? Grandpa had a stroke last year and his hands and feet are not flexible and he has difficulty moving. Grandma is old and can't do housework. My parents don't come back all year round. Apart from him, who else can support this family?

Seeing that he was in trouble, Su Ling advised him, "I will go to your grandfather's place to do ideological work."

Li Dahai struggled internally and said hesitantly, "Forget it... Thank you, Brother Su."

He sniffed, smiled at Su Ling, picked up a bundle of seedlings, and stepped into the field.

Su Ling looked at his thin back, thinking. This child clearly likes to study, but because of some concerns, he gave up his future. It's a pity.

There is strength in numbers. With more than a dozen people working together, they could plant rice seedlings in seven acres of paddy field in just one day.

In the evening, the setting sun illuminated the entire field red, birds returning to their nests flew across the sky, Phoenix Mountain was dyed orange, and the villagers who received their wages returned home happily.

Su Ling's clothes and pants were covered in mud. He walked barefoot on the gravel path, holding his sneakers in his hands.

He had just fallen down by the field, his rain boots were soaked in mud, and his clothes were stained with mud. He wanted to cry but had no tears, so he took off his boots and stepped into the mud barefoot. He gritted his teeth and held on for a few minutes. It didn't seem as disgusting as he had imagined.

Once people break the principles, they become unscrupulous.

He planted the last bit of seedlings and looked at the vast green field, feeling filled with a sense of accomplishment. The mud on his body seemed insignificant.

After entering the yard, he walked to the pond, washed the mud off his feet with pond water, took off his sportswear and threw it on the grass. When he was about to take off his pants, King ran out of the house "woof woof woof".

"Hey, stop digging, it's all mud!" Su Ling quickly picked up the coat on the ground to prevent the little thing from getting on it.

"Woof, woof!" The little puppy circled around him.

Su Ling was helpless, so he washed up quickly and went back to the house. "Wait until I finish my shower before I play with you, okay?"

"Woof!" The puppy wagged its tail.

Su Ling bent down and touched its chin.

Twenty minutes later, he washed himself clean, with half-wet natural curly hair, wearing a loose shirt and jeans, he came down from the stairs, picked up the little puppy squatting on the ground, and kneaded it all over, making the little guy happily expose his belly.

After playing for a while, he put the puppy down and prepared to make dinner.

"Xiao Su, Xiao Su, are you home?" Aunt Zhang's loud voice came from outside the yard.

Su Ling walked over to open the door and asked doubtfully, "Aunt Zhang, is there something wrong?"

Aunt Zhang said, "You should go to the village committee. The Xu family is arguing with the village chief over compensation for the land used to build the road."

Su Ling was confused: "Hasn't the compensation been agreed upon? Why are we arguing?"

Aunt Zhang sighed and said, "Human greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant!"

Su Ling understood immediately. It was just that someone was greedy and wanted to get more compensation. It was commonly known as raising the price.

After putting dog food in the puppy's bowl, Su Ling put on his coat and went to the village committee with Aunt Zhang.

When we arrived at the village committee office, we saw four or five people surrounding the village chief, talking in a buzzing voice. The village chief had a long face and no expression on his face.

"Hey, make way, make way, Xiao Su is coming!" Aunt Zhang pushed her fat body forward, making a path for Su Ling.

When everyone saw Su Ling coming, they quieted down and stared at Su Ling as if he was a moving gold ingot.

Su Ling walked up to the village chief with a calm face, looked down at the project map on the desk, and asked in confusion: "Village chief, have you encountered any difficulties?"

Village Chief Jin glared at the gray-haired couple in the corner and snorted, "Since Xiao Su is here, you can talk to Xiao Su and tell him how you want to solve the problem."

Old Xu's face was wrinkled and his eyes were gleaming. The old woman beside him pulled his clothes and said quickly, "Well... this is what happened... Building a new road is a good thing, and everyone in the village agrees, but as for the compensation... isn't it a little too little?"

Someone takes the lead, and others immediately follow.

"Yes, yes, I heard that the neighboring Liuhe Village paid 100,000 yuan for one mu of land to build a road! Our village only paid 60,000 yuan. Isn't the difference a bit too much?"

"Why not build the road along the original route? If the new road doesn't pass through our fields, we won't get any compensation."

"Why do some people lose more and some lose less?"

"It's so unfair, we don't think it's reasonable."

They are all middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old with little education. They all feel that they have been taken advantage of and are scrambling to get more compensation. What they say is simply ridiculous.

Su Ling turned a deaf ear to their words, picked up the project map on the table and examined it carefully.

A few days ago, he and the village chief went to S City and found a road construction team. After negotiating the price, the engineer planned a new road for them.

The original muddy road out of the village was winding and long, which lengthened the distance, wasting not only materials but also farmland, so the engineer found a shortest route for them, from the village entrance to Liuhouting, the whole journey was only 1,300 meters, 800 meters less than the original 2,100 meters, which not only shortened the distance, but also saved Su Ling a lot of money. Su Ling and the village chief naturally agreed with both hands, but some villagers didn't think so. They just felt that they got less compensation, and those villagers whose farmland was not expropriated felt that they were at a disadvantage.

Building roads is a good deed, but it becomes distorted when it is interfered with by some greedy people.

"Everyone, be quiet, be quiet..." Li Yue'e spoke up to smooth things over. "Xiao Su is a noble man from the city. He is willing to donate money to build a road in our village. It is a great kindness. You are clamoring for compensation. Don't you think it is disheartening?"

The villagers quieted down after hearing what she said.

"Sister Li is right." Another village committee official agreed. After so many years, someone finally paid for the road repair. They were so grateful that someone was selfishly trying to make a profit?

The village chief slammed the table and said solemnly: "Liuhe Village is Liuhe Village, Shixi Village is Shixi Village. I have no right to control how their villages pay compensation. The price of our village is the result of a meeting and discussion. At the beginning, everyone agreed with their fingerprints. There is no reason to change their minds at the last minute. Lao Xu, your family's land was requisitioned for less than half an acre, and the compensation of 30,000 is already a preferential treatment."

The land acquisition compensation of their village is fully in line with local policy standards. As the village chief, he cannot let the villagers lose money, but he also cannot let a good person who donated money to build a road be taken advantage of.

Old Xu hesitated to speak, while his wife Zhang Qiu smiled. "Other people's land was requisitioned from paddy fields, but mine is from vegetable fields. I heard that the compensation for paddy fields and vegetable fields is different, so I came here to fight for some benefits for myself, isn't that right?"

Su Ling put down the project map, looked at Old Xu, and asked gently, "Uncle Xu, how much do you think is a suitable compensation?"

Lao Xu coughed a few times and pointed with his fingers. "Eighty thousand."

"Eighty thousand?" Li Yue'e exclaimed, "Half an acre of land or an acre of land?"

Zhang Qiu immediately responded: "Of course it's half an acre of land! Vegetable fields are more valuable than paddy fields!"

"Eighty thousand, half an acre--" Su Ling's fingers tapped lightly on the project map. If I had just arrived in the countryside, I would be helpless in the face of such a scene, and might even agree to pay 80,000 yuan out of sympathy. However, after living in the countryside for a month, I have a certain understanding of the villagers, especially last week when Li Yue'e embezzled money when the wages were paid. Su Ling learned that good deeds cannot be done willingly, otherwise some people will go too far and have no bottom line.

Old Xu looked at Su Ling expectantly.

Su Ling drew a line on the map and asked the village chief, "Is this Uncle Xu's vegetable field?"

The village chief said, "Yes, this large area is all their land."

Li Yue'e came over to look at the map and said with certainty: "The new road will be in a straight line and must pass through the old Xu family's land."

Su Ling smiled. "Actually, it's not necessary to walk in a straight line."

As he talked, the others were stunned.

What does that mean? What does it mean that you don't have to walk in a straight line?

Lao Xu's heart was in his throat and he nervously grabbed Li Qiu's hand. Li Qiu was also a little panicked and subconsciously glanced at Li Yue'e.

The village chief stroked his goatee and frowned in surprise as he watched Su Ling's slender fingers draw a new line on the project map.

"You want to go around Old Xu's field?"

Lao Xu stared in disbelief.

The author has something to say: Su Ling: Do I really look like a moving gold ingot?

Li Dahai: Like!

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PS: I would like to reiterate that this article is fictional, please do not relate it too closely to reality, hello~