Erlv asked, "Boss, I heard you made a lot of money from a yam business, right?"
Ma Yunfei sighed deeply, feigning sorrow, and replied, "Second brother, I used to think doing business was quite simple. With your uncle backing me up, I was sure I could make a fortune. But things are far from as simple as I thought. I worked myself to the bone transporting 10,000 jin of yams to City A, and I almost didn't sell them. I only made 300 yuan on this trip."
Erlu said jealously, "Boss, you made three hundred yuan in one business deal, that's pretty good, more than my shop makes."
“Hey! I bought your aunt a dress and a scarf, which cost 240 yuan. After adding my food and drink expenses on the way, I only made 8.5 yuan in the end.”
"Oh! What kind of dress and scarf did you buy for my aunt? It cost two hundred and forty yuan in one go?"
"The dress is made of silk, and the scarf is imported. Second brother, your aunt is the mayor's wife. She has high standards and a big appetite. I wouldn't dare to try to fool her with cheap stuff from a street stall. I can only buy the most expensive items."
"That's right, my aunt is a worldly person."
"Second brother, tell me, you only made eight yuan on one trip, is that... is it even worth doing?"
When Erlv heard Ma Yunfei do the math, he immediately felt better and said quietly, "Boss, who told you to do business with my aunt? She's the kind of person who'll take anything that passes by. I'm not saying this behind her back, but she comes to my shop every few days, takes things, and never pays. She's even more casual than if she owned her own shop."
Ma Yunfei shook his head and said, "For my next business trip, I plan to take more yams to City A and see if I can make a hundred or so yuan. I don't ask for much; I just need enough to eat."
"Boss, I don't think you're cut out for business. You should find a stable job that pays fifty or sixty yuan a month. It'll be easy and worry-free."
"Second brother, I'll make two more business trips. If I still can't make any money, then I'll ask your uncle to find me a job, a stable job, so I won't starve."
Ma Yunfei deliberately rubbed his lower back and sighed, "I'm exhausted, second brother. Look at you, sitting in the shop so carefree."
"Boss, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're not destined to get rich, so stop daydreaming all the time."
"Yes, I accept my fate."
Ma Yunfei handed a bucket of sesame oil to Erlv.
“These past few days, I’ve been taking my aunt around to different villages on my motorcycle, urging them to send us yams. And look, they gave me two buckets of sesame oil, one for each of us.”
Erlu said happily, "Boss, you're really a good friend."
"Erlv, we're brothers who've been through thick and thin together. We share the hardships and the joys."
"That's right."
Ma Yunfei left the No. 1 Shop Under Heaven and rode his motorcycle home.
Upon entering, they found that the village chief, Ma Bajin, was actually in his own home.
Ma Yunfei was taken aback and asked, "Village Chief, you..."
Chen Yuyan explained, "The village chief arrived a long time ago and has been waiting for you."
When Ma Bajin saw Ma Yunfei return, he quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Nephew Yunfei, you've worked so hard. I heard you're busy until the wee hours of the morning every day."
Ma Yunfei thought to himself: It's so late, and the village chief is still waiting for me. There must be something urgent going on.
"Village chief, what can I do for you?"
"Hehe... Nephew Yunfei, I just wanted to ask, what are the town mayor's considerations regarding this village re-election?"
A few days ago, Ma Yunfei brought Liu Fei to Majiawan. The village chief had asked Ma Yunfei to sound out the town mayor and find out whether he would continue to serve as the village chief.
In his busy schedule these past few days, Ma Yunfei completely forgot about the matter.
“Village chief, I asked the town mayor, and the town mayor said: We are studying it these days.”
Ma Bajin, with a forced smile, pleaded, "Nephew Yunfei, please put in a good word for me with the town mayor. I've been the village chief for over ten years. I may not have made any great achievements, but I've certainly put in a lot of hard work. You know the situation in Majiawan. No one but me can take over the land."
“That’s right. I’m very familiar with the situation in Majiawan. You have a lot of prestige in the village, and you are also very capable.”
Ma Yunfei was from City A in his previous life and knew nothing about the situation in Majiawan. Since his rebirth in Majiawan, he has not learned about the situation there.
The village chief said gratefully, "Nephew Yunfei, I'm entrusting my position as village chief to you. As long as I am re-elected, I will definitely take care of your family."
"Then I'll thank the village chief in advance. In a couple of days, I'll put in a good word for him with the town mayor."
The village chief left happily.
Ma Yunfei asked, "Wife, what's this Ma Bajin like?"
"He's alright, he's quite capable. He did a lot of good things during his more than ten years as village chief."
Ma Yunfei asked doubtfully, "Wife, you've only been married to Majiawan for a few days. Do you know anything about the place?"
“Yunfei, my family home is in a nearby village, less than two miles from here. Of course I know about the situation in Majiawan. Besides, in recent years, I’ve been coming here every day to help you clean your house. You could say I know the situation in Majiawan like the back of my hand.”
Ma Yunfei said quietly, "Luckily, I became the mayor's godson, otherwise, Ma Bajin wouldn't have been interested in me."
"Yunfei, don't blame others. You spend all your time gambling and are a notorious scoundrel in Majiawan. Ma Bajin has taken pity on you because you're all alone and pitiful, so he hasn't punished you. He's been lenient with you. We should be grateful for his kindness."
"Hehe... Wife, you can't judge people with your old eyes. Now, I've turned over a new leaf and started anew."
“Yunfei, you really can’t gamble anymore. You have a family to support now, you have to think about me and Yueyue.”
"Honey, you can rest assured, I will never gamble again."
Ma Yunfei took Liu Fei on his motorcycle for eight days, finally managing to visit all twenty-five villages under the town's jurisdiction.
On the eighth night, Ma Yunfei took Liu Fei home; it was already completely dark.
The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the road was pitch black.
Ma Yunfei rode his motorcycle from the town toward Majiawan. Fortunately, he was familiar with the road conditions and could recognize the rugged path.
Halfway there, the motorcycle suddenly stalled.
Ma Yunfei fiddled with it for a long time, but still couldn't start the motorcycle.
"Damn it, that's a real pain. It's kind of a favor that it had problems on the last night."
Ma Yunfei pushed the motorcycle into the roadside bushes and hid it, planning to take it to town for repairs the next day.
After hiding the motorcycle, Ma Yunfei hurried home.
He tripped and fell hard after only a few steps.
He got up, looked down, and was shocked.
A steel cable was seen lying across the path.
He exclaimed, "My God! Thank goodness the motorcycle broke down, otherwise, if it had tripped on that cable, we would have been done for!"
Ma Yunfei looked around and was immediately terrified.
Just seven or eight meters ahead of this steel cable was a deep pit. The path turned around the edge of the pit and bypassed it.
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