Du Zaide gave a passionate speech next to the tractor, using various words to describe how difficult it was for him to take over the tractor.

"I know everyone is confused about buying a tractor at this time of year. It's almost December, and the weather is getting colder and colder. It might snow any day. In the cold winter, every household needs a fire. If someone doesn't have enough firewood, they can go to the mountains to chop some branches and use them."

This is indeed a method. In previous years, everyone would spontaneously go to the back mountain to find some firewood to prevent the family from having insufficient firewood in winter. If the weather is good, it would be fine, but if the weather is bad, even if there are fallen branches on the mountain, they are all wet and cannot be used even if they are picked up.

"Now that we have this tractor, we can all go up the mountain and pick up the fruits, then use the tractor to pull them all back. We can then divide the fruits up and take them back. This is better than having to carry them down the mountain one by one, which would be very tiring for our waists."

It has to be said, but these words touched the hearts of many people, and many people supported them.

"The village chief is really thoughtful. He has thought of all of us. My wife has a bad back. If I go to the mountains by myself, I won't be able to bring back much firewood."

"Yes, yes. Two days ago, I was still worried that I would not have enough firewood at home. The village chief bought the tractor for me. I heard from him that he bought it from an acquaintance at a discount. The remaining money will be used next time."

Now, more people stood on Du Zaide's side, and those who were close to Shen Zhizhu couldn't help but praise him.

When he finally reacted, he looked at Shen Zhizhu awkwardly and spoke apologetically.

"Xiaozhu, that's not what we meant. It's just that... the village chief did a good job this time. But don't worry, if there is any conflict between you two, we will still stand by you, right?"

Another person quickly followed suit to make the promise.

"Yes, Xiaozhu, we are still on your side, so don't be unhappy."

Shen Zhizhu was a little confused. What were these people explaining to her? Did her face smell bad? She didn't seem to say that she didn't want everyone to forgive Du Zaide.

Besides, if you have spent the money, there is nothing you can't use.

"How could that be? What the village chief is doing is for the good of everyone. How could I stop you from using it because of personal grudges? Besides, everyone has money, so of course you have to use it. In this cold winter, it's better to have more firewood at home, so you can feel at ease, right?"

Shen Zhizhu doesn't care what Du Zaide does, nor does she care that people in the village will forgive him for buying a tractor. This is a grudge between her and Du Zaide's family and has nothing to do with the villagers.

It's just that the villagers felt that there was a grudge between Shen Zhizhu and Du Zaide, and they had received kindness from Shen Zhizhu, so they always felt a little guilty.

But they had not expected Shen Zhizhu to say this, and asked with some uncertainty.

"Really? Xiaozhu, aren't you angry?"

Shen Zhizhu waved his hands.

"Why should I be angry? As the village chief, Du Zai De should make contributions to the village. I don't need to stand in the way of something that is good for everyone."

This made everyone very happy. They thought Shen Zhizhu was a really considerate and kind girl, and they praised her vigorously.

Before, Du Zai De was happily listening to the people below praising him. He thought he was really smart. He gained his own reputation by using the tractor that he had been holding back on buying.

He originally thought that after everyone stood on his side, he would slowly lead and isolate Shen Zhizhu. He did not expect that in this situation, Shen Zhizhu could also become the center of the crowd.

He couldn't help but think that Shen Zhizhu was deliberately embarrassing him.

"Hey, Xiaozhu, you guys came at the right time. This tractor was bought with money contributed by the whole village. It just so happened that only you and Haonan did not contribute. This tractor..."

Du Zaide looked at Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan with embarrassment, but Shen Zhizhu saw it intently, and the words "watching the excitement" were clearly written in his eyes.

They were standing farther away, so Du Zai De had to shout.

Many people in the village knew that Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan's home suffered a fire on the eve of the exam, and most of the stored firewood was burned.

It was the time when Ji was in urgent need of finding a large amount of firewood.

Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan looked at each other. Xu Haonan felt that Xiaozhu must be too lazy to pay attention to her, and his voice was loud.

"Don't worry, village chief. We have been going up the mountain to bring back some firewood every day since we came back from the exams. Although the amount is not as much as before the fire, we will still be able to collect enough before the snow falls."

Besides, the family had enough money, so they could buy some warm equipment to help them get through the winter. They roughly calculated that it was enough.

They thought it was enough, but the villagers around them felt that they were suffering too much. Some of them were so soft-hearted that they even shed tears.

"Poor child, there are no relatives or elders at home to help. Look at how hard the two children are living. It's really strange that the fire came, and it burned. Oh, otherwise, with Haonan's diligence, the firewood stored at home would be enough to burn for two winters."

"Who says it's not true? I do have relatives, but it's worse than not having them. They just cause trouble to others every day."

The villagers are all warm-hearted people and they all offer suggestions.

"Hey? How about this, we go to the back mountain to collect firewood, and when we come back we can give some to Xiaozhu and his family. If each family gives a little, it will add up to a lot. This way, they won't have to worry about having a hard time in winter."

Once this was said, everyone agreed that it was a very good idea to do so.

"But if that's the case, then we can just let the young couple go up the mountain with us, and then bring the goods down together. What they find will still be theirs, and in the end each household will get their share. This shouldn't be considered cheating, right?"

Shen Zhizhu was embarrassed. He asked, "Do you want to hear what you are talking about? This is not cheating, but what is? He almost threw the tractor on their faces."

"Don't worry about it. My husband and I have calculated it. We can just go to the back mountain and bring some down every day. There are only two of us at home, so we don't need that much. If we really don't have enough later, we can buy some from everyone else."

"Let's stop worrying about it. The young couple is living a happy life. We don't need to worry about them. Besides, when the acceptance letter comes out, they will go to a big city. Why would they live in a remote place like ours for the rest of their lives?"