Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

Wu Sui flicked his cigarette ash and continued.

"I initially disagreed, but after thinking about it, what the villagers said made sense."

"Our village is right by the sea, with such great resources, yet we've never become wealthy. What's the problem? It's that we lack a leader!"

Wu Sui became more and more excited as he spoke, and even started gesturing on the table with his hands.

"I've thought about it. If I really become the village chief, the first thing I'll do is lead everyone to get into cage aquaculture."

"The water quality in the sea area around our village is good; raising sea bass, kelp, abalone... can all make money."

"The second thing is to repair the muddy road in the village and pave it directly with asphalt, connecting it to the national highway."

"If the village doesn't have enough money in its account for road repairs, I'll cover the difference and then try to get some more donations."

"Only with good roads can we attract merchants. Within three years, we guarantee that every household will be able to build a large, tiled house!"

Chen Changgui broke out in a cold sweat, his shirt soaked through the back.

This kid's even come up with a governing plan?!

He even dares to say he'll pay for road repairs upfront. If the villagers heard that, wouldn't they all vote for him?

Chen Changgui panicked completely and quickly picked up his wine glass to calm himself down.

"Ah Sui, let me tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart."

"Being a village chief is no job for a human being!"

"A thousand threads above, a single needle below."

"The town leaders are constantly pushing for targets, whether it's family planning or policies that benefit the people. If you don't meet any of them, you'll get scolded."

"Those people in the village are even harder to please. If one neighbor loses a chicken, or another takes over their land, they'll all come after you. You're caught in the middle, hated by both sides!"

Chen Changgui slapped his thigh, looking heartbroken.

"You're making so much money at sea, why get involved in this mess?"

"The monthly subsidy is only a few hundred yuan, not even enough to buy you a pack of cigarettes!"

Wu Sui pretended to be very embarrassed and scratched his head.

"Uncle, I understand everything you're saying."

"But the villagers trust me so much, I have to give them an explanation, don't I?"

"If I don't do it, everyone will think that I, Wu Sui, have become rich and then turned my back on them."

Chen Changgui quickly replied, his tone urgent.

"If you really want to contribute to the village, you don't have to be the village chief."

"I will definitely fully support you in taking everyone out to sea to fish and engage in aquaculture."

He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Wu Sui.

"Ah Sui, as long as you're willing to give up this election, the village will do everything it can to help you, Uncle will not hesitate."

"If you need anything in the village from now on, your uncle will never hesitate to help."

Wu Sui was overjoyed; the time was right.

He stubbed out his cigarette, rubbed his face with his hands, and pretended to be very conflicted.

"Uncle, if you put it that way, I do have something that's really troubling me."

Chen Changgui perked up. He wasn't afraid of what conditions you would ask for; he was just afraid you wouldn't accept them!

"What is it? Just tell me!"

Wu Sui sighed.

"As you know, my family is large."

"My father, my eldest brother and sister-in-law, and the children, plus Dazhu and Chen Yang, all live at home now."

"The old house is so small, it's really too cramped. My sister-in-law keeps talking to me about wanting to build a new house."

"But you know the situation in our village. It's not easy to get approval for homestead land. That's what I'm worried about."

Wu Sui picked up a peanut, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

"Didn't I buy a piece of land at the west end of the village before? I remember there was a large vacant lot next to it that had been lying fallow for a long time, which was a real shame..."

Chen Changgui paused for a moment, his mind racing.

So that's what they were waiting for me!

This kid went through all that trouble, spreading rumors about running for office and making grand promises about building roads, but in the end, it was all for that piece of land for his house.

Chen Changgui cursed Wu Sui's ancestors for eighteen generations in his mind.

But then I thought, exchanging a piece of wasteland for my re-election as village chief is a great deal.

Since it was village land anyway, if it wasn't given to Wu Sui, it would be given to someone else, so he immediately stopped worrying about it.

"Ah Sui, you should have told me this sooner."

"According to the village's regulations, you two brothers are both married and fully meet the requirements for applying for a new homestead."

"The land you bought before was indeed oversized. The village collected some money, which was in accordance with the rules."

"But this time is different. Gangzi applied normally; how could the village refuse to process it?"

Chen Changgui waved his hand grandly, displaying immense generosity.

"I've approved the four plots of land next to yours for your older brother."

"Just have your older brother come to the village committee to fill out the form tomorrow morning."

Wu Sui immediately stood up, picked up a full glass of baijiu, and his face was full of enthusiastic smiles.

"Oh dear, Uncle Village Chief, how could I accept this?"

"I knew it! Under your leadership, our village will definitely get better and better."

"Come, come, let me toast you. You are truly the upright and just official of our village."

Wu Sui called the village chief "Uncle" very affectionately.

Chen Changgui raised his glass and clinked it with his, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, feeling a mix of emotions.

This kid took a piece of land from us without any effort, and we still have to put on a smiling face. What kind of situation is this!

The atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious in the latter half of the dinner.

Wu Sui didn't mention the election at all, but instead dragged Chen Changgui into a drinking contest, getting the old man completely drunk.

The dinner party ended around 9 p.m.

Chen Dongzhe insisted on paying the bill and helped his father up.

Wu Sui rode his motorcycle, enjoying the evening breeze, and was in a great mood.

These little tricks are more than enough to deal with Chen Changgui.

With the land for the house secured, all that's left is to wait for the big ship to be delivered so we can get to work.

Back in the village, I pushed open the gate to my own courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, but the light in the main room was still on.

Wu Sui went inside and found that his whole family was still awake and sitting at the table waiting for him.

As soon as Wang Feng saw Wu Sui, he immediately stood up and went to greet him.

"Ah Sui, how's it going? Has that old bastard Chen Changgui given up yet?"

Wu Gang and Chen Yang also eagerly came over.

Chen Jianguo sat on the threshold, holding a pipe in his hand, but didn't light it.

Wu Sui walked to the table, poured himself a glass of cold water and drank it down before slowly speaking.

"Sister-in-law, tomorrow morning, have your brother take the household registration book to the village committee to find Chen Changgui to fill out the form."

Wang Feng was stunned, clutching her apron with both hands.

"Fill out a form? What form?"

Wu Sui grinned.

"The application form for a homestead."

"Next to my plot of land, Chen Changgui promised to grant us four rooms, without us having to spend a penny."

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng slapped her thigh excitedly, her voice rising eight octaves.

"Really?! Not a single penny required?!"

The whole family was overjoyed, except for Chen Changgui and his son, who were somewhat depressed.

As soon as Wu Sui left, Chen Changgui, who was originally drunk, sobered up and didn't need anyone to help him.

Chen Dongzhe sighed as he saw his father like this.

"Why is Wu Sui so cunning these days? After all that, it turns out it was all for a piece of land for building a house, making everyone worry for nothing."

Chen Changgui looked at his son, shook his head, and was somewhat speechless.

"You underestimate him."

"You should try to get along well with Wu Sui from now on; it won't do you any harm."