Chapter 052: All Roads Lead Through

Uncle Zhao pressed his palm down, and the crowd instantly quieted.

He picked up the microphone and cleared his throat. "Well, let me say a few words first!"

A wave of applause swept through the crowd.

"Heh." Uncle Zhao chuckled and said, "I've been the head of our village for twenty years now! Originally, I wanted to make something of myself, to lead our village to prosperity. But things don’t always turn out as people hope—I didn’t succeed in that."

"How could you say that?"

"That’s right!"

"Uncle Zhao, you’ve done a great job already!"

"Exactly!"

Uncle Zhao laughed softly and continued, "Previously, our villager Zhao Jun opened a tea processing plant. I thought that would be our ticket to wealth, but for various reasons, the factory eventually closed down."

"And he was left with a mountain of debt."

"Only recently did Jun finally pay it off."

The crowd sighed.

"Yes, who would have thought?"

"Exactly!"

Suddenly, a voice called out, "It’s fate!"

The crowd erupted in commotion.

"Who said that? Speaking nonsense here?"

"Yeah! That’s a terrible thing to say!"

People frowned; Uncle Zhao frowned as well, and so did Zhao Feng.

Everyone turned toward the voice, only to see it was Aunt Wang, known throughout the village for her loose tongue.

When Chen Lan saw it was Aunt Wang, she was instantly furious. "Wang, you really can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?"

Aunt Wang scoffed, "How am I speaking out of turn? It’s just the way it is. I’ve already had a fortune told—this is destiny!"

She went on, "The fortune-teller said it clearly—if something is yours, it’s yours; if it isn’t, you can’t force it!"

"That’s nonsense!" Chen Lan snapped, cursing outright.

Aunt Wang was taken aback, then immediately became enraged.

She sprang to her feet. "Chen, did you just curse me?"

"I did! And I’ll say it again, what are you going to do about it?"

"You! You, you, you—"

Aunt Wang was so angry she was at a loss for words.

Zhao Feng rolled his eyes and tugged at Chen Lan’s hand. "Mom, mind your manners!"

"Tch!" Chen Lan rolled up her sleeves, looking ready for a fight.

Though Chen Lan seemed frail, she had never lost a village argument. Back when the country was just starting to develop and their family was poor, she had carried the household on her own.

Seeing Chen Lan roll up her sleeves, Aunt Wang immediately lost her nerve. Zhao Feng’s mother didn’t press her advantage either but snorted and sat back down on her bench.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

They had truly feared the two women would come to blows. After all, they were neighbors—such a scene would not look good.

Uncle Zhao’s face darkened, but he pressed on. "Today is the day Xiaoying takes up her post, not a day for you all to argue and make a scene! If anyone keeps this up, just go home!"

He spoke without ceremony, and everyone shrank back, showing that Uncle Zhao still commanded genuine respect.

He tapped the microphone, which buzzed with feedback, then cleared his throat and continued, "In the past, the arrival of a new village secretary was a grand occasion! Just look at you two—what a spectacle you’re making!"

Zhao Feng’s mother pulled back, looking apologetic.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Uncle Zhao finally relaxed a little.

He said, "Do you know why the city bureau sent a new secretary here?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Uncle Zhao stroked his goatee and smiled mysteriously. "Take a guess!"

Everyone shook their heads again.

"Uncle Zhao, we don’t know. Just tell us!"

"Yeah, tell us!"

"Right, we can’t guess!"

Uncle Zhao chuckled, his face creasing with wrinkles.

He laughed heartily, full of joy, and then said with a mysterious smile, "The city bureau sent a new secretary to lead us to prosperity!"

"What?"

"I said, their goal is to lead us to prosperity!"

The villagers were baffled, not understanding what he meant.

"Uncle Zhao, what does that mean?"

"Yeah!"

"Please explain it clearly!"

"Old Village Chief, don’t keep us in suspense!"

"That’s right!"

He smiled. "For the details, let Xiaoying speak!"

A wave of applause broke out, and all eyes turned eagerly to Chen Ying.

"Come on, Chen Ying, tell us!"

"Yes, please!"

Uncle Zhao waved Chen Ying over to the table. She smiled shyly and, standing tall and graceful, walked behind the table, bowed politely to Uncle Zhao, and accepted the microphone.

The villagers applauded enthusiastically.

Nervous, Chen Ying gripped the microphone, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "Hello, everyone!"

"Hello!" the villagers replied in unison.

Chen Ying’s cheeks turned red, and she looked a bit embarrassed.

The honest villagers were amused by her reaction and burst out laughing.

Chen Ying took a deep breath, tightened her hold on the microphone, and said, "Fellow villagers, there’s a reason I’ve come to take up this post!"

Everyone fell silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Chen Ying smiled. No matter what, the villagers were showing her full respect.

She coughed softly and continued, "I was sent here with a mandate from the city bureau—to turn our village into a model village within two years!"

"What?"

She blushed. "I said, within two years, to make our village a model village!"

The crowd erupted.

"How could that be possible?"

"Yeah, a model village? In two years?"

"How can that be?"

"Quiet!"

Uncle Zhao slammed the table, and the crowd fell silent at once.

He glared and said, "Everyone, listen to what Xiaoying has to say!"

They shrank back, none daring to cross him.

Chen Ying bowed slightly to Uncle Zhao, then looked at the crowd.

"The city bureau has set this as my mandate—a model village. And I already have a concrete plan!"

She continued, "To get rich, first you need roads. So, the first step is to replace all our muddy dirt paths with cement roads!"

"The funds have already been allocated!"

"I expect construction on the roads to begin in half a month! In a month, every dirt road in our village will be paved with cement! We will connect every road!"

The villagers gasped in amazement, then, understanding, broke into enthusiastic applause.

Excitement ran high as everyone began to talk at once.

"Those dirt roads should have been replaced ages ago!"

"That’s right! Cars can’t even get through!"

"Exactly! When it rains, it’s all mud!"

"That’s right!"

"Haha! Our village will finally have proper roads!"

The villagers were so excited they could hardly contain themselves, talking over one another in delight.