From collapsing rooftop to poverty alleviation village chief

"Village Chief Lin, I'm sorry..."

After leaving Sun Xiuying's house, Zhang Xiaoshan lowered her head and apologized softly.

Zhang Xiaoshan had overheard Sun Xiuying and Lin Ye's conversation in the inner room. When she came out, she didn't dare to raise her head or meet Sun Xiuying's gaze.

Lin Ye's voice was gentle. "Are you aware of the compensation for Sun Xiuying's husband and the water allocation during last year's severe drought?"

Zhang Xiaoshan looked guilty. "I didn't know at the time. My parents never told me about these things. I only heard about them from my uncle and aunt later. Our family is so sorry to Aunt Xiuying!"

Lin Ye smiled and said, "We don't play the family feud game. Your parents made a mistake, but it has nothing to do with you."

Seeing that Lin Ye believed her, Zhang Xiaoshan's face lit up with joy, but then she became worried again, "Village Chief Lin, are my parents going to be punished?"

Lin Ye didn't answer, but said quietly, "Xiao Shan, look, the roads in our village are so difficult to travel, and the water pipes can't be laid. Right now, we can only find a water source and then build a reservoir. But building the reservoir costs money, renovating dilapidated houses costs money, and rebuilding the village school costs money, money, money, money..."

Zhang Xiaoshan was stunned for a moment before she finally said, "Village Chief Lin, I have more than two thousand in savings. I can take it all out."

Lin Ye laughed and said, "I don't plan to ask the villagers to raise funds anymore. The county doesn't have any money either, so I want to rely on the mountains for my livelihood."

Zhang Xiaoshan opened her eyes with a bewildered look, and Lin Ye continued:

"I plan to go to the mountains tomorrow to take a look. There are three big mountains surrounding Qiongyu Village; I refuse to believe there aren't any treasures worth selling!"

Zhang Xiaoshan understood now. "Village Chief Lin, do you want to pick jujubes and mushrooms to sell? Many people in the village have tried, but the mountain roads are too difficult to walk, and there aren't many. Even if you carry them to the county with great effort, you can't earn much money. Later, Aunt Guifen's husband got sick and died while picking mushrooms, so no one went to pick them anymore."

Lin Ye asked, "Are there only jujubes and mushrooms in the mountains?"

The mountains surrounding Qiongyu Village, such as Yunwu Ridge, Beiguo Mountain, and Laoying Rock, are all towering peaks that reach into the clouds. Are they only home to jujubes and mushrooms?

Zhang Xiaoshan wasn't sure. "I used to go to the mountains a lot when I was little, but I haven't been there much lately. My mom says it's unlucky."

Lin Ye asked, puzzled, "Is it unlucky?"

Zhang Xiaoshan lowered her head and spoke in a barely audible voice, "There's a tradition in Qiongyu Village... unclean women who go into the mountains will offend the mountain god."

Lin Ye looked at Zhang Xiaoshan. The poverty alleviation department's information on this girl's experiences outside was not detailed. There were some rumors in the village, but they were incomplete. He didn't know what she had gone through.

But Lin Ye only believed what he saw with his own eyes and experienced firsthand. He smiled and said:

"Whether you're a man or a woman, as long as you don't break the law or harm others, you're clean. You're the head of the security department; you should believe in great people and the people, not some mountain god!"

Zhang Xiaoshan stared blankly at Lin Ye, her eyes gradually reddening, and nodded heavily.

"Thank you, Village Chief Lin! I'll remember that!"

The two continued their visits and investigations. Because of Lin Ye's heroic act of saving the village children yesterday, most of the villagers were quite cooperative with Lin Ye's visits. After two days of visits, Lin Ye had a clear understanding of the situation of most of the villagers.

On the mini-map of Qiongyu Village, information about almost every household in the village is displayed.

Most of them have a poverty alleviation index of around 20 points, which is about 10 points away from the basic poverty line.

of course there are exceptions.

Shi Dazhu's family has a poverty alleviation index of 31.

Hou Dezhu's family has a poverty alleviation index of 39.

Lin Ye went to Hou Dezhu's house this morning. It has two rooms, and the furniture and environment are much better than those of other villagers. When she went in, she could hear Liu Zhaodi hurriedly tidying up her things in the inner room.

When Liu Zhaodi saw Zhang Xiaoshan, her expression was somewhat complicated, and there was a sense of anger at being betrayed by her niece in her eyes.

"Village Chief Lin, there are two houses left now."

At this moment, Zhang Xiaoshan was reviewing the investigation records in her notebook. She paused, looked up, and said:

"Yang Xiaofang's family and...my family."

Lin Ye said, "Let's go to your place first... If you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to come with me."

This trip to Zhang Dafu's house, besides gathering information, will also involve a "confrontation," which will inevitably make Zhang Xiaoshan feel awkward.

"I'll go with Village Chief Lin!" Zhang Xiaoshan answered without hesitation. Seeing Lin Ye looking at her, she added softly:

"I want to know... whether my parents did anything wrong."

Zhang Dafu's house is located in the center of the village, with a courtyard that is significantly larger than the surrounding houses. From a distance, the four houses are arranged in a row, all of which are cement brick structures with white-painted exterior walls. Compared with the adobe houses of other villagers, they seem to belong to a completely different era.

Upon entering the courtyard, Zhang Xiaoshan shouted, "Deputy Village Chief Zhang, Director Liu, Village Chief Lin is here."

A door creaked open, and Zhang Dafu's plump body squeezed out, his white shirt unbuttoned.

"Village Chief Lin is here? Xiao Shan, you silly child, you didn't even tell me he was coming!"

Lin Ye chuckled and said, "Village Chief Zhang, don't blame Xiao Shan. We're just doing a basic survey of the village's situation. Your family is at the very end, which is great, haha."

Zhang Dafu smiled in agreement, "Village Chief Lin really knows how to talk!"

Lin Ye looked at him, then glanced into the room. "Village Chief Zhang, is it inconvenient at home?"

Zhang Dafu still didn't move aside. "My wife and I are taking a nap. Village Chief Lin, please wait a moment."

"My mom doesn't have the habit of taking afternoon naps."

Zhang Xiaoshan ran straight past Zhang Dafu and went inside. "Mom, what are you doing in there?"

"Xiao Shan, wait a minute!" Zhang Dafu reached out but couldn't catch her. Soon, Liu Ying's exasperated voice rang out from inside the house.

"Zhang Xiaoshan, you little brat, you're siding with outsiders! I'll beat you to death!"

"Village Chief Lin, come in quickly!" Zhang Xiaoshan shouted at the top of her lungs.

Lin Ye asked Zhang Dafu, "Village Chief Zhang?"

Zhang Dafu could only force a smile and step aside to let Lin Ye in.

Stepping into the spacious "two-bedroom, one-living room" apartment, Zhang Xiaoshan ran out from the inner room and hid behind Lin Ye.

Liu Ying chased after him with a bamboo stick in her hand, but when she saw Lin Ye, she had no choice but to throw the stick away, her face turning sour.

"Why is Village Chief Lin here at our house?"

Lin Ye asked with a smile, "Director Liu, are you not welcoming me?"

Zhang Dafu, pulling Liu Ying along, quickly said, "Not at all, not at all. It's an honor for Village Chief Lin to come to our home in person. We are extremely pleased!"

Lin Ye said, "Village Chief Zhang speaks eloquently; he truly deserves to be called the most cultured person in our village!"

"Village Chief Lin, you're too kind. Please have a seat."

Zhang Dafu invited Lin Ye to sit down at a mahogany table, while he and Liu Ying sat opposite him, and Zhang Xiaoshan naturally sat down next to Lin Ye.

The two sides sat facing each other, giving the impression of opposing sides negotiating.

Liu Ying glared at Zhang Xiaoshan, "You brat, aren't you going to sit down here?"

Zhang Xiaoshan took out her notebook and said with an air of righteous indignation, "Director Liu, I am now the head of the security department and also the assistant to Village Chief Lin. Please address me by my title when we are working together."