"Zhao Dagui, what do you mean by that?" The village chief was extremely angry at Zhao Dagui's words. If it weren't for the fact that everyone was here, the village chief would definitely have run down and confronted Zhao Dagui.
Zhao Dagui disagreed. He glanced at everyone and said, "Although this place is called Lu Family Village, not everyone in the village has the surname Lu!"
These words nearly choked the village chief. Just as he was glaring and preparing to unleash a torrent of abuse on Zhao Dagui, Jiang Ling spoke up, "This is Zhao Dagui, right? I remember you!"
Zhao Dagui was a little stunned when Jiang Ling called him out like that. After all, Jiang Ling's status was different now, even higher than that of the county magistrate. Thinking of this, Zhao Dagui shrank his neck and shook his head, "No... nothing!"
At first, the village chief thought Jiang Ling was helping her out of kindness, and was about to raise an eyebrow at Zhao Dagui when Jiang Ling's next words left him speechless.
“Zhao Dagui, just say what you have to say. If you keep quiet because of my status, I’m afraid I’ll never make any progress in my life, and our Lujia Village will stagnate! I don’t think you want our Lujia Village to stagnate and stop developing, do you?”
The village chief was speechless, and Zhao Dagui was surprised.
Jiang Ling glanced around. Now that this matter had been opened up, she wasn't afraid of further discussion. Clearing her throat, she looked at the crowd and said, "Everyone, please voice your opinions. Don't let my status as a member of the An family hold you back! I hope our Lu Family Village will get better and better. If we gamble everything and ignore everyone's opinions, Lu Family Village won't prosper! Zhao Dagui's actions just now were correct; let's give him a round of applause!"
As she spoke, Jiang Ling took the lead in clapping, while Zhao Dagui, standing to the side, was stunned.
"Zhao Dagui, if you have any objections, just raise them!" Jiang Ling encouraged Zhao Dagui again.
Zhao Dagui truly hadn't expected Jiang Ling to encourage him to raise objections. He scratched his head, rubbing his hands nervously, and said, "I...I...I just felt that if all the money were kept by the village chief, in case...in case..."
"Zhao Dagui, what do you mean? Do you think I would embezzle? Otherwise, you can take the position of village chief!" The village chief, who was always honest and upright, was so angry that he almost vomited blood when he heard Zhao Dagui's words. He roared with a face full of anger and his whole body trembling.
"Village chief, calm down. I actually think it's great that Zhao Dagui came up with this idea!" Jiang Ling quickly reassured the village chief, worried that he might upset himself.
The village chief frowned repeatedly upon hearing Jiang Ling's words. He never expected that Jiang Ling would actually "help" Zhao Dagui at this moment.
He sighed sadly and waved his hand, "Forget it! I don't care anymore!"
"Village chief, don't be angry. Listen to what I have to say next. If you feel something is wrong, you can raise your objections like Zhao Dagui did!" Jiang Ling continued to comfort her.
Hearing Jiang Ling's words, the village chief's anger subsided somewhat. He nodded and said to Jiang Ling, "Okay, I'll definitely listen to you!"
Seeing that the village chief had been calmed down enough, Jiang Ling turned to Zhao Dagui and said, "Zhao Dagui, you can continue!"
After being yelled at by the village chief, Zhao Dagui was a little at a loss, but with Jiang Ling's encouraging gaze, he mustered up his courage and said, "I... I just think that money should... should be transparent, instead of being controlled by one person!"
"Hmm... I think so!"
"Da Gui does have some merit!"
"That may be true, but I have absolute faith in the village chief's character!"
Zhao Dagui's words sparked another round of discussion among the crowd. The village chief found many supporters in the discussion, and his anger subsided somewhat.
"Great! I think Zhao Dagui is absolutely right!" Jiang Ling was the first to comment after Zhao Dagui finished speaking.
All eyes turned to Jiang Ling again, including the village chief. The village chief was completely bewildered. He couldn't figure out whose side Jiang Ling was supporting, but thinking about what Jiang Ling had just said, he remained silent.
“Our village is gradually getting better, and everyone is getting richer. Developing the village together is indeed a good thing, but the money must be settled. I think the village chief thinks so too, right?” After saying that, Jiang Ling looked at the village chief.
Although the village chief didn't understand what Jiang Ling was up to, he knew she wouldn't harm him. He cleared his throat and said, "Indeed, money is different from anything else; this debt must be settled!"
Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing Jiang Ling's words. Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Ling said, "In that case, how about we establish a supervisory committee for the silver?"
"The oversight committee is responsible for checking the flow of funds in the village. It consists of three members, who must be villagers with three different surnames. They can conduct regular checks on the village's funds, question accounts that are questioned, and make the village's financial accounts public every three months, okay?"
Jiang Ling's words left everyone somewhat stunned. After a long pause, Zhao Erleng's wife tentatively asked, "Yaojie's mother, what do you mean? Are you saying we can check the village's silver?"
Jiang Ling shook her head and explained again, "What Sister-in-law Er Leng said is not entirely true. It's not that we're checking the village's money, but rather that we're ensuring that every penny is spent on ourselves, so that we can all become prosperous together!"
Zhao Erleng's wife nodded, stroking her chin in thought. The village chief, standing to the side, looked at Jiang Ling with some displeasure and raised his question: "Yaojie's mother, I disagree with what you said. Doesn't the supervisory committee still distrust me, the village chief?"
Jiang Ling had anticipated the village chief's words, so she quickly explained, "Village chief, you are the head of the village. If you want to establish authority in the village, don't you need everyone's support? Although I haven't been to school, I understand the principle that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it! The village chief is honest and upright, so why should he be afraid of being investigated? On the contrary, everyone will admire you! Am I right?"
After hearing Jiang Ling's explanation, the village chief stroked his beard and seemed to agree with what Jiang Ling said, so he did not raise any further objections.
Seeing that the village chief's expression gradually relaxed, Jiang Ling guessed that the village chief understood her intention, and turned to the crowd to continue: "Everyone can continue to raise questions, just like Zhao Dagui did!"
"Then... can you guarantee that everyone who invests will receive a dividend at the end of the year? No matter how much? Even if it's just a penny?" It was Wang You who spoke.
Jiang Ling remembered this Wang You; he was a group of refugees with Hu Yue'er. Back then, Wang You looked sallow and thin with sunken eyes. During his time in Lujia Village, Wang You gained a lot of weight and his spirits improved significantly.
Jiang Ling smiled and patiently replied, "Of course. Even if you only invest one copper coin, you will still receive a dividend at the end of the year if the business is profitable. However, the dividend you receive will definitely be much less than those who invest one or ten taels of silver! Moreover, depending on the price of our investment this time, I have a series of preferential activities available!"
Jiang Ling's words caused another uproar among the crowd. Even the village chief frowned and looked at Jiang Ling, who simply gave a mysterious smile without answering.
"What? What kind of promotional activity is it?" Hu Yue'er asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
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