Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

As the group walked toward the village committee, they bumped into a group of people soliciting votes by the roadside, especially Xie Guangkun and Liu Neng, who were arguing heatedly.

Liu Da Nao stopped and stared at Chang Gui for a long time before understanding what he was saying. He then turned to Chang Gui and began to speak in an official tone.

"Changgui, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you need to be very careful in selecting the deputy director for your village. This person will be dealing with our group every day and will represent the face of your Xiangyashan."

"Those who lack ability and vision should absolutely not be used. If the chairman blames us, neither of us can bear the consequences."

He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his words full of pressure, clearly trying to interfere in the election and control the candidate.

Changgui could only nod and smile awkwardly, but he was extremely worried inside.

At lunchtime, Changgui had arranged a meal at his own home. All the village officials came, and the occasion was quite grand. Liu Danao was enjoying his meal and started talking about where to stay for the night.

Liu Da Nao waved his hand and said:

"Changgui, I won't be staying today. I have other things to do. I'll come back in a few days. I've seen the attitude of your village, and it's very good. I'm very confident about our cooperation."

"No, absolutely not. You have to stay in our village for at least a few days."

"Don't worry, Changgui, I'll definitely come over in a few days. The chairman gave me some tasks, so I'll just take a nap at the village office and leave this afternoon."

……

Afternoon at the village office—

Liu Neng was the first to sneak over, carrying some things in his hand. He knocked on the door furtively, and after entering the house, he put the things on the table with a big smile on his face.

"Assistant Liu, this is just a small local specialty, nothing special. Please put in a good word for me regarding the selection of the deputy director. I'll definitely cooperate fully with you and follow your instructions in any future village-related work with the group!"

Liu Da Nao rubbed his eyes, glanced at the things, his expression indifferent, and casually hummed in agreement.

"Okay, I understand. You can go back now. I'll consider it."

He neither agreed nor refused, speaking in a bureaucratic tone that was so perfect that it was impossible to figure out what he meant.

Less than ten minutes after Liu Neng left, Xie Guangkun arrived with gifts, much more generous than Liu Neng: two packs of cigarettes, two bottles of wine, and a bag of mountain produce.

He bowed and nodded as he entered, smiling as he said:

"Assistant Liu, it's nothing, please don't mind. If I become the deputy director, I'll be the first to step up and take charge of any tasks or arrangements the group has, and I'll make sure everything is handled perfectly for you!"

Liu Da Nao accepted the gift as usual, using the same excuse, but with more enthusiasm than he had for Liu Neng:

"I know what I'm doing and I'll consider it. If I have any influence, I'll definitely put in a good word for you."

They weren't given a straight answer, but both of them assumed that all big bosses were like that, acting mysteriously.

On the way back, the two of them were very pleased with themselves. They felt that the gift had been delivered properly, Assistant Liu had accepted it, and the matter was settled. The other party had worked for nothing, and the deputy director position was definitely theirs.

But Liu Da Nao, who was inside the house, shoved both items into the trunk, curled his lip, and looked disdainful.

"Two bumpkins, dreaming of becoming officials, all they do is dream about."

They accepted everything without a second thought, and didn't take the matter to heart at all.

……

The following afternoon, Qi Santai made a special trip to the countryside to supervise the election preparations.

As soon as he entered the village and saw the chaotic scene, his face instantly darkened. Changgui noticed that the mayor was a little angry, so he quickly shouted a few words to organize the order. The noisy village office entrance immediately fell silent, and no one dared to utter a sound.

Qi Santai glanced at Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun, his tone particularly serious.

"This doesn't look like you're electing village officials; it looks like you've come to a grand market or put on a theatrical performance!"

Looking at the villagers who had gathered around, he immediately set the tone:

"The position of deputy village head is one that requires practical work; therefore, we should select someone young, capable, knowledgeable about the market, and competent!"

"Our village has finally gotten a chance to attract investment and connect with big companies to discuss projects. If we send someone who knows nothing to that position, and they can't understand or grasp the cooperation and business models the bosses are talking about, then we'll be hindering the development of the entire village!"

He paused, looked at Chang Gui meaningfully, and said:

"Lin Chen, did you say so? He's worldly-wise, knows how to run a business, and is good at handling things. He can also get in touch with the Wang Group. I think he's a good fit. You should think about it carefully."

Upon hearing this, Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun's faces fell instantly, and their hearts sank to the bottom.

Liu Neng opened his mouth to argue, but was glared at by Chang Gui and immediately wilted. Xie Guangkun was even more deflated. He had originally hoped that Qi Santai would say a few good words for him, but instead, Qi Santai directly praised Lin Chen. It was like he had eaten chicken but ended up with dog belly.

Qi Santai lost interest in giving guidance and, before leaving, specifically instructed Chang Gui:

"We must select the right people as soon as possible. Only when the right people are chosen can the investment be implemented and the village develop quickly."

Chang Gui nodded repeatedly, determined to ask Lin Chen to come out of seclusion, as no one else could be relied on.

……

That evening, right after dinner, Lin Chen's courtyard was quite lively. The three women were chatting idly in the pavilion outside, their laughter ringing out from time to time.

Chang Gui deliberately avoided mealtimes when he came over. Xie Xiaomei led him into the courtyard. When Lin Chen saw the visitor, he also came out wearing slippers and smoking a cigarette.

Upon entering the courtyard and seeing Lin Chen, Chang Gui didn't beat around the bush and told him everything: Liu Da Nao came over to put on airs and find fault, the villagers were making a fuss over nothing to get votes, and Mayor Qi had specifically endorsed Lin Chen. After recounting everything, he sighed with worry.

"Uncle Changgui, let's not talk in the yard, come on, let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the house, and the air instantly became cool and dry.

"Xiao Chen, I'm really at my wit's end. You know those two guys. If they get elected, the investment promotion will definitely fall through. When the town holds them accountable, I simply can't handle it."

Lin Chen poured him a cup of iced tea, but he smiled and waved his hand in refusal.

"Uncle Changgui, I told you before that I don't have time to work, and I'm not interested in those trivial matters."

Chang-gui quickly stepped forward and explained the lenient terms.

"Uncle won't let you work regular hours, and you won't have to worry about any trivial matters. You'll just hold the title of deputy director, and I'll handle all the village's petty squabbles and disputes."

"You just need to focus on the important matters of Wang's Group's investment promotion and project review, connect with Liu Da Nao, and help the village with its approvals and suggestions."

"Just consider it helping your uncle and all the villagers. Once the project is implemented and the village develops, you can benefit from it no matter what you do in the future. It's a win-win situation."

Lin Chen tapped his fingers on the coffee table, pondered for a while, and realized that being a nominal employee without working regular hours wouldn't interfere with his work.

Seeing his hesitation, Changgui continued to coax and persuade him for almost twenty minutes.

Lin Chen couldn't resist his earnestness and his persistent nagging, so he finally relented.

"Alright, Uncle Changgui, I promise you, I'll just hold the title of deputy director and I won't be involved in any of the village's daily affairs. Let me make it clear beforehand, if anything happens that I'm not sure about, I won't be responsible. If you want to find someone else, you can replace me anytime."

Chang Gui burst out laughing and almost slapped his thigh on the spot.

"Oh, that's great! With you saying that, I'm all set. Don't worry, I definitely won't bother you with anything trivial. This matter is basically settled!"

He left satisfied. The three women came into the house and asked how the matter had been resolved. Xie Dajiao came out of the house carrying the child and said with a smile:

"I heard everything. From now on, I'll call him Deputy Director Lin."

Lin Chen waved his hand and said helplessly:

"I'm out of ideas. It's like nobody wants to be a lowly deputy director."

Two days later, in the morning, the village office was filled with village officials and villager representatives. The ballot box was placed in the center, and the election instructions were posted on the wall. The village representative meeting officially began.

Qi Santai came here specifically to monitor the vote. There were three candidates in total: Liu Neng, Xie Guangkun, and Lin Chen.

Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun sat in the front row. Both of them were very confident in themselves, feeling that they had given gifts and were sure to win. They were just waiting to count the votes and celebrate their victory.

Although Lin Chen was also there, the town mayor couldn't do much about it and didn't care much.

As soon as the vote count began, Lin Chen wrote more and more tally marks on the blackboard, while Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun's votes were scattered and their combined total was less than a fraction of Lin Chen's.

The smiles on their faces gradually disappeared, and their expressions became extremely unpleasant.

In the end, Lin Chen was elected as the deputy director of Xiangyashan Village with over 90% of the votes, and will be responsible for attracting investment, connecting with enterprises, and implementing projects.

After the results were announced, a round of applause erupted. The villagers cheered, feeling that choosing Lin Chen was the right decision.

Qi Santai said a few words, and then wanted Lin Chen to say something, but Lin Chen declined. After the meeting, Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun had just walked out of the village committee gate when they started arguing on the spot.

Liu Neng's face was long and he was full of resentment. He glared at Xie Guangkun.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't insisted on running for office and taking away my votes, I definitely would have won! Now look what happened, I got nothing!"

Xie Guangkun immediately lost his temper, his hair standing on end in anger:

"Don't try to pin this on me! Even if I don't run, who in the whole village would want to vote for you? You're useless at everything! What a waste of all those ribbonfish I had!"