From collapsing rooftop to poverty alleviation village chief

"impossible!"

Liu Ying immediately replied, "I'm the head of women's affairs in our village, how come I haven't heard of this?"

Zhao Chunyan said disdainfully, "The top leader? I saw it with my own eyes. That night, the old village chief personally kept watch for them! But that Lin fellow wasn't very good; he came out in less than two minutes."

Liu Zhaodi said to Liu Ying, "Sister, a man with such a short penis isn't very good."

Liu Yaozu slammed his wine glass down. "Is this a matter of length? He's trying to have his cake and eat it too! I'll kill him!"

Liu Ying and Liu Zhaodi quickly stopped him, and Liu Ying looked coldly at Zhao Chunyan.

"Village Chief Lin embarrassed you this afternoon; are you trying to get revenge on him?"

Zhao Chunyan showed no remorse whatsoever, patting her chest and saying, "That night I wanted to catch them in the act. I saw Qin Guifen leave, so I followed her, and that's how I saw her having an affair with Village Chief Lin. If you don't believe me, fine, but don't regret it when Zhang Xiaoshan gets fooled by him!"

The three Liu siblings looked at each other, unsure whether to believe it or not.

Zhao Chunyan laughed heartily, grabbed a handful of boiled peanuts, and swayed her hips as she walked out.

That's right, she resented Lin Ye for helping Qin Guifen that afternoon, which made her look bad in public.

As for the night before last, she did see Qin Guifen enter Lin Ye's room, but Lin Ye quickly opened the door, and nothing happened between them.

But so what?

As soon as she said it, Liu Ying and her two siblings believed it immediately, didn't they?

Also, when Zhao Chunyan heard Liu Ying say that Lin Ye was going to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms tomorrow, she almost burst out laughing.

She strode to Qin Guifen's courtyard and shouted:

"I heard Village Chief Lin is going into the mountains to pick mushrooms tomorrow. Qin Guifen, your husband died from exhaustion while picking mushrooms, didn't he? You'd better be careful, don't let your little man die from mushrooms too, hahaha!"

Her voice was so loud that several households nearby heard it and came out to see what was going on.

Zheng Daniu's wife, Li Li, was strolling with her daughter, Zheng Shanhua, when she heard Zhao Chunyan's words and was immediately surprised. She came over and asked:

"Chunyan, is Village Chief Lin really going into the mountains to pick mushrooms?"

Zhao Chunyan looked at the dozen or so villagers who had gathered around, many of whom, like her, loved to gossip. Her voice was even louder.

"Yes, Village Chief Lin said he wants to lift our village out of poverty by picking mushrooms!"

The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment. Li Ganzi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "There aren't that many mushrooms on the mountain. Besides, does he even know which ones are poisonous and which aren't? He might poison himself!"

A village woman shook her head. "How many mushrooms are truly edible? Otherwise, our village would have been building big houses long ago by collecting mushrooms!"

Someone immediately chimed in, "Even if you could gather a hundred or so kilograms, how much money could you make selling them in the county?"

The previous village chief had also considered this idea, personally going up the mountain to pick more than ten kilograms of mushrooms and carrying them to the county market. They only sold for a few yuan per kilogram, and considering the torn clothes and medicine, he was afraid he would lose money.

Furthermore, since Qin Guifen's husband died from exhaustion after picking mushrooms, the villagers were even less inclined to believe that picking mushrooms could lead to wealth.

Now, the mere mention of Lin Ye going into the mountains to pick mushrooms evokes a sense of the farce repeating itself.

Only Zheng Shanhua clapped her hands, "Great! I want to go with Uncle Village Chief too!"

"Shanhua, let's go back." Li Li quickly took her daughter's hand and left, sighing as she went.

Village Chief Lin is a good man, but... Qiongyu Village is destined to be poor!

Zhao Chunyan was still laughing and talking loudly when suddenly Qin Guifen opened her door and came out carrying a basin of foot-washing water, which she splashed onto Zhao Chunyan's feet.

Zhao Chunyan screamed, "Widow Qin, what are you doing?"

Qin Guifen ignored her, turned around and went back into the house, slamming the door shut.

The surrounding villagers all laughed. Zhao Chunyan jumped up and down, shouting:

"Widow Qin, you'd better go and persuade your village chief, Lin, before you make a fool of yourself!"

But Qin Guifen didn't come out again, and Zhao Chunyan became smug again, continuing to loudly discuss with the villagers how many times Lin Ye would fall down on his way into the mountains.

Sun Xiuying stood at a distance, holding her son Liu Yongxing's hand, lost in thought.

Soon, the news that Village Chief Lin was going to the mountains to pick mushrooms the next day spread throughout the village.

Tonight, the villagers will have something to talk about again in their beds.

the next day.

Lin Ye carried a light backpack containing water, fern cakes, and boiled eggs as he walked out of the old village chief's house.

Before leaving, Zhang Cui reminded him with concern, "Village Chief Lin, the mountain roads are slippery, be careful, and come back if you can't make it."

Chen Yonggui, with his hands behind his back, reminded him, "Go find Xiao Wu first when you get into the mountains; he knows the roads there well."

Lin Ye turned around and smiled, "Old village chief, auntie, don't worry, I will definitely make sure the village has the money to repair the dilapidated houses!"

After saying that, he strode out of the courtyard.

As dawn broke, a number of villagers were already standing outside the old village chief's house.

Upon seeing Lin Ye emerge, a buzz of discussion immediately arose.

"Village Chief Lin is really going into the mountains!"

"Why is he carrying a bag? Wasn't he going mushroom picking?"

Zhao Chunyan also stood among the villagers, covering her mouth and laughing.

"Why is Village Chief Lin going into the mountains alone?"

The villagers noticed it too and shook their heads.

"Yeah, why is no one keeping Village Chief Lin company?"

"What's so great about the mountains? Who would want to go there if there's nothing else to do?"

Zhao Chunyan laughed again, "It's just for show, who has time to play along with his antics?"

Shi Dazhu, who was standing nearby, wanted to walk towards Lin Ye, but Zhao Chunyan stopped him. "Shi Dazhu, are you stupid? He's Widow Qin's lover, what are you going to do?"

"Zhao Chunyan, stop talking nonsense, okay?" Shi Dazhu said helplessly, but finally stopped.

In the early morning, the mountains are shrouded in mist, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

Lin Ye walked into the slightly hazy mist. He was surrounded by groups of villagers talking, but no one accompanied him. He felt a strange sense of loneliness and sorrow.

It made him seem less like he was going into the mountains and more like he was going to his execution alone.

The villagers shook their heads and sighed, saying that Village Chief Lin was actually a good person, just a bit simple-minded.

It's not that they're not loyal, but there's nothing to make money in the mountains. Accompanying him into the mountains would be a thankless task, and they'd only be laughed at by others. Only a fool would take the lead like that!

"Village Chief Lin!"

A girl caught up with Lin Ye. She had red lips and white teeth, delicate features, and her shoulder-length short hair fluttered as she ran.

"We agreed to go into the mountains together, why didn't you wait for me?"

The girl ran up to Lin Ye, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed, and her voice clear and crisp.

Lin Ye smiled and said, "Xiao Shan, are you really going to come up the mountain with me?"

Zhang Xiaoshan replied without hesitation, "I know the roads in the mountains well, I'll be useful if you take me along!"

Lin Ye nodded. "Let's go then."

The two walked side by side toward the edge of the village, and the villagers shook their heads.

"Only Zhang Dafu's silly daughter is willing to go along with Village Chief Lin's nonsense."

Lin Ye and Zhang Xiaoshan walked to the village entrance and saw two figures, one tall and one short, standing under the old locust tree.

Qin Guifen, holding Liu Yongxing's hand, said to Lin Ye, "Village Chief Lin, Xingzi and I are also willing to accompany you up the mountain."