Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"Mayor, this activity is a good thing, and I support it, but what about the funding?"

Chang Gui looked troubled.

"What should we do about this event? I don't organize many cultural activities, and besides, it needs money no matter what we do. Could the town allocate some funds?"

Qi Santai's eyes widened:

"Does this town look wealthy? They're barely able to pay wages! Does your village have no money at all?"

"Where would we get the money?"

Chang Gui sighed and began to complain about being poor to Qi Santai:

"There's less than a hundred yuan in the village account. What can that buy? A few cases of water."

"You're the village head, aren't you going to figure something out yourself, waiting for me to change things for you?"

Qi Santai ignored him and turned to leave.

"I can't get plastic surgery!"

Chang Gui stepped aside to block him from leaving, and hurriedly said:

"If you don't like it, just remove me from my position as village chief. It's too much trouble for me to run around between these two places. The station chief is about to retire, so could you take care of him for me? I meet all the qualifications, so this job is less stressful for me."

Qi Santai shook his head with a cold smile:

"Changgui, let me tell you, if you can't handle this, you can forget about being the village chief and the station chief. I don't trust your ability to get things done."

"Hey, mayor, you can't do this!"

Chang Gui was genuinely anxious:

"That's not what you said when you appointed me as the village head! You can't cook without rice, what am I supposed to do without money?"

Seeing that he was really anxious, Qi Santai softened his tone, looked around to make sure no one was in the corridor, and pulled him into his office.

"Brother-in-law, we're like family, you have to support my work. If this event goes well, I'll be proud, and you'll look good too, right? I'm counting on your Ivory Mountain Village to give me face. The village doesn't have money, so why don't you find someone with money?"

"You have no ideas about the event, why don't you find someone who does?"

He pointed at Chang Gui, sat down in a chair, unscrewed the thermos, and took a sip of tea.

Chang Gui sat on the sofa, his eyes darting around before he looked up at Qi San Tai.

The two looked at each other for a second, then spoke at the same time:

"Lin Chen!"

……

"Achoo!"

Lin Chen sneezed and muttered to himself, "Who's thinking about me...?"

As we were talking, Changgui called, sounding quite anxious, telling him to come to the village committee immediately so they could discuss something important.

He grabbed his coat and headed out, arriving in just a few minutes by car.

As soon as he lifted the curtain, a wave of hot air mixed with the smell of tobacco and coal smoke hit him, making him wince.

The room was filled with smoke, like it was shrouded in fog. Chang Gui, Wang Laoqi, Accountant Xu, Liu Neng, Zhao Si, and Xie Guangkun sat in the room, all with their brows furrowed.

After Chang Gui briefly explained Qi Santai's arrangements for the cultural activities, Lin Chen leaned back on a bench nearby, looking puzzled.

"What? You're asking me? How would I know what kind of activities to organize? I'm unemployed, what am I supposed to do with village cultural events?"

Chang Gui squatted behind his desk, a cigarette between his fingers, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Yes, that's what the mayor said. He said you're quick-witted and have lots of ideas, and asked me to ask you, Chen, so please help your uncle think about it."

"Uncle Changgui, you've been in charge of this for so many years, why are you asking me?"

Lin Chen picked up the crumpled cigarette pack on the table, took a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit the lighter with a click.

"I don't know how you guys usually do your work, so I have no idea how to do this."

"Despite being the village head for so many years, I'm actually quite unfamiliar with cultural activities."

Chang Gui looked helpless:

"In the past, I was in charge of the economy, agricultural policies, family planning, and the tertiary industry, all of which were practical matters. I've never been involved in cultural activities like singing and dancing."

Lin Chen took a drag of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and said:

"My analysis is that it's just a formality. We organize the crowd, let them sing, dance, and have some fun. I'll take some high-definition photos for you, write a brief report, and that's it. It's just a formality."

"That won't do!"

Chang Gui shook his head like a rattle drum:

"Qi Santai will be inspecting each village one by one. It has to be done properly. You can't fool him. The higher-ups are taking it very seriously. They want to see real activities, not just photos."

Liu Neng leaned forward and stammered, "..."

"Director...Director, aren't you two connected? You can't even handle this small matter? Talk to him and see if he can make an exception."

Chang Gui was so angry he laughed. He got off the chair and paced back and forth on the ground with his hands behind his back.

"Don't even mention it. I'm just a nobody here. Their boss is so selfless and handles things strictly by the book. Otherwise, I'd be the station chief by now, and I wouldn't be here arguing with you about this. Others might not know, but Guangkun, don't you know?"

Xie Guangkun immediately nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly:

"Indeed! That Qi Santai is incompetent! He's eaten so many of my chickens, and what has he accomplished for me? From Yongqiang's job to everything else, what has he done? Even the Changshan Central School transfer was handled by Lin Chen..."

"Let's not talk about that chicken thing anymore; bringing up old grievances won't help."

Chang Gui quickly interrupted him, tapping the table to bring everyone's attention back, as the conversation had strayed far from its original direction:

"We need to quickly investigate our village's cultural activities and figure out what to do! The inspection will be right after the New Year, in just a few days."

The room fell silent instantly. People looked at each other, none of them had any ideas, or they had ideas but didn't want to say them. After all, the New Year was just around the corner.

Lin Chen, smoking a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, glanced at Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun, and suddenly smiled:

"Uncle Guangkun, Uncle Neng, haven't you two always been thinking about becoming village chiefs? The opportunity has come, hurry up and come up with some ideas. It's time to prove your abilities. If you do a good job, your words will carry weight in the village, and you'll have a place in the town mayor's heart."

Upon hearing this, Xie Guangkun sat up straight and cleared his throat with a snap:

"This is great! Let me think about it. If you ask me, we should do something traditional and folk, something down-to-earth that everyone would be willing to participate in. First, we can set up a Yangko dance team, buy some colorful ribbons and fans, and hire a teacher to rehearse for a couple of days. Then, we can put on a special Errenzhuan performance, singing 'Little New Year's Greetings,' which is a favorite among the people. We can also set up a land boat team, dressed up as big-headed dolls, so they can go from street to street to offer New Year's greetings. It'll be lively and festive, with both the spirit of the New Year and the activity!"

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Liu Neng smugly, raised his chin, and his words were full of provocation.

Liu Neng, not wanting to be left behind, immediately stood up:

"No, no, no, Guangkun, you...you're being too old-fashioned! Who's going to watch the Yangko dance every year? If you ask me, we need to do something multi-layered, taking care of all aspects. For example, a singing competition for middle-aged and elderly people, where they can sing patriotic songs that are positive and uplifting."

"The young people can have a wrestling tournament with small prizes for the winners, and the kids can have a poetry recitation competition. It's both fun and educational, and everyone, young and old, can participate. It makes our village seem more cultured. Isn't that better than just doing Yangko dance?"

"Give me a break!"

Xie Guangkun immediately retorted:

"A singing competition? Who's going to sing? You? You'll be so off-key you'll attract wolves, and you'll even fall down! What if something happens? Are you going to pay for your medical bills? Is this what you call an event?"

"Your Yangko dance is so outdated! It's just the same few steps, twisting and turning, year after year. Even the town mayor would get tired of it!"

The two argued back and forth, their faces turning red and their spittle almost splattering onto the other person's face.

Zhao Si, standing to the side with his neck hunched, slowly interjected, his voice barely audible:

"If you ask me... a whole stilt team would be fine. I can organize it. I used to do a few steps when I was young, so my steps are no problem. I can teach everyone. Stilt walking is fun, and adults and children alike love to watch it."

Chang Gui initially nodded in agreement, but after the two of them had finished arguing, he turned to Accountant Xu and gestured with his chin:

"Old Xu, can you calculate how much money is left in the village's accounts?"

"Including everything, it's 75.6 yuan."

Chang Gui shrugged at Liu Neng and Xie Guangkun:

"Did you hear that? 75.6 yuan, do you think what you were saying is even possible?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room fell silent. What can you do if you don't have money?

Xie Guangkun and Liu Neng both wilted, afraid of being forced to pay if they spoke again. The whole room continued to smoke in silence, no one uttering a sound.

With 75 yuan, let alone a promotion, it's difficult to even buy two decent strings of firecrackers.