Zhao Yunjin's voice, as melodious as a clear spring yet carrying a hint of coolness, slowly rang out: "In your village, there must be someone who can make decisions and take charge, right?"
Lin Xiaoyu, who was still riding on the back of that big fat pig, felt a powerful and irresistible pressure coming towards her.
She couldn't help but shiver. When her gaze fell on Zhao Yunjin, she was even more intimidated by the superior and incomparably majestic aura emanating from him.
Without even thinking, Lin Xiaoyu blurted out, "Yes, there are, but there's more than one person in charge in our village, quite a few. Do you really want to meet them?"
Standing to the side, Yun Zhizhi smiled slightly, as beautiful and charming as a flower blooming in spring.
She parted her lips slightly and said in a soft but firm voice, "It's alright."
Having received permission, Lin Xiaoyu dared not delay and hurriedly reached out to pull out the emerald green bamboo flute hanging from her waist.
Holding the bamboo flute to her lips, she puffed out her cheeks and blew hard, producing a barely audible flute sound.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the once quiet and peaceful villagers seemed to have heard some urgent summons and began to move about.
They came in twos and threes, or alone, carrying bows and arrows, wielding sharp sickles, or carrying heavy hoes and huge machetes. Some even held long, thick wooden sticks, and they jogged towards the open space next to the fishpond at the edge of the village.
Among the crowd, Lin Zhaodi, carrying a worn-out bow and arrow on her back, strode forward with agile and powerful steps, taking the lead and rushing to Lin Xiaoyu and several other children.
She looked anxious and asked with concern, "Little Fish, did these strangers bully you?"
Immediately afterwards, a series of noisy footsteps approached from afar, and before long, another hundred or so people arrived one after another.
These people, full of menacing energy and eager to fight, quickly surrounded Yun Zhizhi and her group.
Faced with the sudden situation, Zhao Yunjin and his guards remained relatively calm, while the others were stunned and even froze in place.
Among the crowd, Yun Zhizhi had the most exaggerated reaction.
Her eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
Just now, the girl told her that there were quite a few people in charge. She thought that "quite a few" meant there were probably about ten people in charge.
But after seeing it with her own eyes, Yun Zhizhi realized that she had been too naive—this was hardly a bit too much.
There are clearly an alarming number of them!
Seeing that everyone looked tense because of the misunderstanding, Lin Xiaoyu quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, they didn't bully me."
After hearing this, Lin Zhaodi couldn't contain her dissatisfaction. She reached out and grabbed her ear hard, questioning her in a reproachful tone, "Since no one bullied you, why did you play this tune that was clearly a distress signal?"
That made her rush over in a panic.
It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
Just as Lin Xiaoyu was about to respond, Lin Liaoliao, who was standing behind her, suddenly rushed forward and shouted before her, "Sister Zhaodi, don't blame Xiaoyu."
"She's tone-deaf, just like you. She only knows this one song, and it took her a lot of time and effort to practice it for a long time before she could barely learn it."
At this point, Lin Liao paused slightly, then added, "Also, Xiaoyu said before that there's no point in learning so many complicated songs. Knowing just this one song that can be used for self-defense and to call for help is enough."
Lin Liaoliao betrayed her friend and then stabbed Lin Zhaodi in the back.
Lin Zhaodi smiled slightly awkwardly and gently patted Lin Xiaoyu's shoulder. "Hehe! Not bad, quite like my style back in the day."
I learned the essence of her laziness.
At this moment, Yun Zhizhi turned to the crowd and asked, "Could it be that everyone here is someone who can make decisions in this village?"
Among the crowd, a kind-looking old woman nodded. "That's right. Ever since the previous village chief ran away with his family, all matters, big and small, in the village have been decided after everyone gets together to discuss them."
Another elderly man with white hair chimed in, "That's right! This fair and just method that involves everyone was Zhao Di's idea."
"Moreover, the reason why our village has been able to achieve self-sufficiency and remain so united in recent years is largely due to Zhao Di!"
Hearing these words, the tall and dark-skinned Lin Bing couldn't help but chime in, "That's right, that's right. If it weren't for Sister Zhaodi's courage and resourcefulness in leading us villagers to go hunting in the mountains, we would probably be starving by now."
He Yang, who had been listening quietly, now showed a hint of doubt on his face and asked in bewilderment, "Since this Zhao Di is so capable, why don't you elect her as the village chief?"
Lin Bing scratched his head and explained, "Actually, everyone made a choice, but Sister Zhaodi absolutely refused to agree and turned it down."
Yun Zhizhi roughly guessed why Lin Zhaodi refused to become the village chief.
She took a deep breath and decided to stop beating around the bush and state her intentions directly.
She looked at everyone with a firm gaze and said slowly, "There are two important reasons why I asked this little fish sister to invite you all here to discuss this matter."
"Firstly, we plan to set up a stall here to do business."
After saying that, Yun Zhizhi glanced around at the reactions of the people around her and found that everyone was looking at each other, seemingly quite surprised by her idea.
However, she did not back down because of this. "Secondly, I want to help your Sishan Village become a desirable tourist destination."
"In this way, not only can every household in the village easily earn money without having to leave their hometown, but the originally remote, quiet, and little-known Sishan Village will also become famous."
After she finished speaking, the entire scene instantly fell silent; it was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop.
The villagers seemed to be frozen in place, their eyes wide with astonishment, completely dumbfounded.
They looked at Yun Zhizhi with the strange, disapproving gazes of someone looking at a fool, as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.
Despite the many questioning and puzzled looks directed at her, Yun Zhizhi remained calm and composed, her pretty face showing no hint of a joke.
Seeing this, Lin Zhaodi couldn't help but step forward and kindly advised, "This beautiful young lady, you dare to set up a stall in our Sishan Village, but others may not be willing to spend time and effort to come to such a secluded and quiet place to patronize you!"
"Besides the beautiful scenery and the fact that our Sishan Village is surrounded by mountains, all that's left is poverty. Turning this place into a tourist destination is simply a pipe dream."
"You'd better leave quickly and find a lively, bustling place to set up your stall and make a living!"
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