From collapsing rooftop to poverty alleviation village chief

evening.

After the heavy rain, the dark clouds dispersed, and a bright red rainbow appeared on one side of the sky, connecting the Cloud Mist Ridge in the northwest to Eagle Rock in the southwest.

Lin Ye, who had just finished showering, sat in Chen Yonggui's yard, looking up at the colorful rainbow with a smile on his face.

Regardless of how his poverty alleviation work in Qiongyu Village turns out, he at least saved the children and the old village chief, so his trip to Qiongyu Village was worthwhile.

"Village Chief Lin, have something to eat first. I'll slaughter the old hen at home and make soup."

Zhang Cui brought over a large plate of cured meat and cornbread, her smile genuine and friendly, her attitude completely different from before.

Lin Ye quickly took it, "Aunt Zhang, this is enough for me, no need to trouble yourself."

"How can that be? You saved Tiedan, Yaya, and Lao Chen's lives! From now on, all the old hens in the house will be yours!"

"Auntie, don't bother, I've already brought the chicken soup."

Widow Qin came over carrying an earthenware pot with her hands wrapped in cloth, accompanied by her son Liu Yongxing.

Liu Yongxing was also in the village primary school classroom when it rained heavily in the afternoon. If Lin Ye hadn't arrived in time to take the children out, her son would have been dead.

Zhang Cui was a little dissatisfied. "Gui Fen, Village Chief Lin saved three lives in my family. This chicken soup should be mine, why did you have to take it?"

Qin Guifen placed the earthenware pot on the wooden table next to Lin Ye, opened the lid, and a rich fragrance wafted out. She looked at Lin Ye, her eyes reflecting a dazzling rainbow.

"Village Chief Lin, Xingzi's father passed away early, and Xingzi is the only son of the Liu family. If it weren't for you today, I would have no face to face the ancestors of the Liu family even after I die."

Qin Guifen's eyes were slightly red. She turned around and pulled Liu Yongxing, "Quick! Kowtow to Village Chief Lin and call him 'Father'!"

Lin Ye was startled. "No! The child can just call me uncle!"

Qin Guifen stared intently at Lin Ye, her eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Teacher Su said that saving a life is the same as raising a child. You saved Xingzi, so you're Xingzi's father!"

"Qin Guifen, Village Chief Lin is not only a benefactor to your family!"

A woman led Zhang Meimei in. The woman was wearing a dark blue coarse cloth shirt with the cuffs rolled up and a light blue headscarf wrapped around her head. She walked briskly, a stark contrast to Qin Guifen's swaying hips and perky buttocks.

The woman led Zhang Meimei to Lin Ye, and the mother and daughter knelt down and kowtowed in unison.

Lin Ye quickly helped the two up. "Get up! You're Sun Xiuying, right? Can I call you Sister Xiuying?"

Sun Xiuying stubbornly tried to continue kowtowing, but she was not as strong as Lin Ye, so he helped her up before she nodded.

"Village Chief Lin, this is Sun Xiuying. Thank you for saving my Meimei. From now on, no matter what happens, just say the word, and I'll go through fire and water for you without batting an eye!"

Zhang Meimei looked up at Lin Ye and said, "Uncle Village Chief, thank you for saving me. I'll never say you're messing around again."

Lin Ye laughed and patted the little girl's head. "Then I should thank you too."

Zhang Meimei placed the cloth bag she was carrying on the table, opened it, and found nearly ten pounds of sweet dates and cured meat inside.

"Village Chief Lin, these are my tokens of appreciation, please accept them."

Qin Guifen suddenly laughed, "Sun Xiuying, when did you become so generous? What, are you thinking of finding a stepfather for your daughter?"

Sun Xiuying glanced at her and said to Lin Ye, "Village Chief Lin, if anyone harasses you in the future, just tell me, and I'll help you get rid of them!"

Qin Guifen stood with her hands on her hips, "Sun Xiuying, what do you mean by this?!"

Sun Xiuying looked at her coldly, "Village Chief Lin is my benefactor, don't even think about messing with him!"

"Heh, who exactly is plotting this?"

The two widows faced off, while Liu Yongxing and Zhang Meimei squatted to the side playing with piles of stones.

Seeing this, Lin Ye simply sat down and started drinking the chicken soup.

It must be said that Qin Guifen's cooking skills are quite good. The chicken soup is very delicious. Compared with the taste made with various seasonings in big cities, this natural aroma is more authentic.

"Oh, Widow Qin and Widow Sun are both here?"

A somewhat shrill voice rang out, and everyone turned to look. They saw a man as thin as a bamboo pole leading a boy into the courtyard.

"Li Ganzi, you've come to thank Village Chief Lin empty-handed?"

Qin Guifen glanced at him disdainfully, "So stingy, no wonder your wife ran off with someone else."

"What did you say, Widow Qin?!" Li Ganzi was clearly hit where it hurt, his face turning red as he glared at Qin Guifen.

Qin Guifen scoffed, "I don't know who said Village Chief Lin was lying, saying the house wouldn't collapse, but in the end, wasn't it Village Chief Lin who saved your son? If it were me, I'd just take a piss and drown myself!"

"You, you!" Li Ganzi was speechless after being rebuked.

That morning, he did indeed angrily accuse Lin Ye of lying in front of so many people, but then the village school classroom really did collapse, and it was Lin Ye who saved his son.

Li Ganzi said to Li Zhuangzhuang, "Go quickly."

Li Zhuangzhuang ran up to Lin Ye and quickly said, "Thank you, village chief!" Then he dashed over to Liu Yongxing and Zhang Meimei, and the three children piled up stones together.

Li Ganzi then turned and left Chen Yonggui's house.

Qin Guifen said disdainfully, "They made the child come to thank them, then left on their own. What a piece of trash!"

Just as Li Ganzi walked away, Shi Dazhu and his son Shi Xiaogang walked in.

Shi Dazhu was carrying a bamboo basket containing egg pancakes and cured meat.

Walking up to Lin Ye, Shi Dazhu's dark face flushed red, and he said in a deep, muffled voice:

"Village Chief Lin, I...I was wrong! Thank you for saving my child!"

In the morning, he carried a hammer to inspect the village primary school classroom, and in front of the whole village, he patted his chest and guaranteed that there was no problem with the building.

The classroom collapsed that afternoon, and his son, Shi Xiaogang, was inside. If it weren't for Lin Ye, Shi Xiaogang would most likely have been crushed to death.

Shi Dazhu was filled with shame. When he was young, he worked on construction sites in big cities. After returning, he built houses in the village. The village primary school classroom was built by the old village chief, who also paid him a lot of wages at the time.

The villagers all said that Shi Dazhu was capable. Whenever someone wanted to repair a thatched roof or build a livestock shed, they would politely invite him to help.

But today, the village school classroom he built with his own hands collapsed.

How will he face people in the village after this?

After apologizing to Lin Ye, Shi Dazhu was too ashamed to stay any longer, so he turned around and quickly left the courtyard.

Shi Xiaogang wanted to go play with Li Zhuangzhuang, but Shi Dazhu pulled him away.

Then more people arrived, and Zheng Shanhua, led by her mother, came to kowtow to Lin Ye.

It seems that the tradition in Qiongyu Village is to kowtow and express gratitude for being saved.

Lin Ye tried his best to persuade the child not to kneel down, and only accepted the basket of eggs brought by the woman.

Zheng Shanhua quickly became friends with Zhang Meimei, Liu Yongxing, Yaya, and Tiedan, while her mother was a little reserved in front of Lin Ye, standing quietly with them.

Sun Xiuying suddenly frowned. "Why isn't Wang Degui here?"

There were four little girls in the village school: Zhang Meimei, Chen Yaya, Zheng Shanhua, and Wang Hongyu. Her father was named Wang Degui, and he lived not far from Chen Yonggui's house.

Qin Guifen scoffed, "Wang Degui would eat a single bracken fern three times a day, he wouldn't be so stingy as to bring something over as a gift!"

At this moment, Chen Honggui returned, and everyone called out, "Old Village Chief!"

Chen Yonggui nodded and walked up to Lin Ye. "Village Chief Lin, let's go to the village committee."

Lin Ye asked in surprise, "What are you going to the village committee for?"

Chen Yonggui said, "Didn't you say you were going to convene a village committee meeting? Zhang Dafu and the others are already waiting there."