Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

After the villagers who had been working left.

Fang Yuan invited Qin Youtian and his son to get into the carriage together.

Guided by Qin Youtian, the carriage arrived at his doorstep in no time.

Fang Yuan drove the big yellow horse to his stable and found that there was also a big blue horse inside, which must be one of the important laborers in Qin Family Village.

Freed from the constraints of the carriage frame, the yellow horse snorted and, after a few quick steps, walked over to the blue horse on its own.

Grandpa Qin poured a basket of hay and a few pieces of bean cake into the feeding trough, and then placed a bucket of warm water that had been sitting in the sun for half a day next to the feeding trough.

Fang Yuan patted the head of the big yellow horse, which was eating heartily, but the horse impatiently shook off Fang Yuan and then moved a few steps closer to the big blue horse.

With Old Master Qin taking care of him, Fang Yuan was relieved for a while and immediately stopped paying attention to the big yellow horse that had become ungrateful for lust.

"Honey, quickly kill a chicken."

Qin Youtian called out loudly into the house.

A middle-aged woman, her face tanned gray and withered, but in remarkably good spirits, emerged from the house: "Why kill a chicken? Who's here again?"

"Leaders of Hongxing Steel Plant"

Seeing that Fang Yuan was the only one there, and hearing the words "Red Star Steel Plant," the middle-aged woman said irritably, "Are you here to investigate again? You've eaten two chickens, but you haven't accomplished anything."

Fang Yuan was surprised that Qin Youtian had left a good impression on him, but his wife was so fierce.

"What do you know, you woman?" Qin Youtian's face darkened after hearing this, and he retorted directly.

Fang Yuan hoisted the prepared items onto his shoulder from the bicycle frame, and Qin Youtian quickly stepped forward to lend a hand.

When Sister-in-law Qin saw that Fang Yuan had brought a lot of things, her expression softened considerably, and she began to walk towards the chicken coop.

Thinking to himself, this greenhorn is quite different from the previous ones; at least he knows to bring something, unlike the two before who just came empty-handed and only knew how to play PUBG.

After putting the things away, Fang Yuan hurriedly came out and advised, "Sister-in-law Qin, don't kill the chicken."

These days, chickens are so precious that they're called "chicken butt banks." It's definitely more worthwhile to keep them for laying eggs than to eat them for meat.

Fang Yuan didn't want Qin Family Village to lose a single egg-laying hen because of his arrival.

"Don't mind her, Officer Fang. I know you mean well and want to save us money, but the fact that you brought so much stuff makes me feel like you're different from the people who came before. We still have to eat the chicken. If they can eat it, you should eat it too."

Fang Yuan understood perfectly. Looking at the village chief and his wife, who were becoming increasingly enthusiastic towards him, he thought to himself that it was all thanks to the contrast with their peers.

Then Qin Youtian, the father and son who are now village chiefs, and Fang Yuan started chatting in the room.

The three chatted idly for a while, but Fang Yuan quickly changed his style and soon became very close with Qin Youtian.

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Fang Yuan handed another cigarette to the father and son, and then lit one for himself, still holding the smoldering cigarette butt.

Fang Yuan then inquired about the list of five households submitted by Qin Family Village.

Qin Youtian happily smoked the cigarettes Fang Yuan had given him, and began to introduce the details one by one as if reciting a familiar story.

Fang Yuan opened his notebook and listened attentively while taking notes.

Of course, this is only the first step; he will personally go to verify it tomorrow.

Fang Yuan asked very detailed questions, and Qin Youtian suddenly felt that this young man in front of him might not really be here to fool people, so he spoke with extra enthusiasm, and for a while, all that could be seen in the room was his saliva flying everywhere.

By the time Fang Yuan put down his pencil, it was time for the villagers of Qin Family Village to finish their work.

Many of the kids living nearby followed the smell of chicken soup to Qin Youtian's door, their curious eyes glancing around Fang Yuan before finally settling on the steaming hot pot.

But as soon as Sister-in-law Qin started putting chicken into the basin, the crowd at the door immediately dispersed.

That's how it is in the countryside. Unless you receive a formal invitation, once it's mealtime, you have to go back to where you came from.

No one is rich, and there's no such thing as freeloading meals.

Moreover, every household knows how many bowls and chopsticks they have. When visiting someone's home for a meal, people almost always bring their own bowls and chopsticks, and some even bring their own stools and chairs.

Therefore, if a little kid accidentally breaks a bowl now, it's not as simple as the later saying "May you have peace and safety every year"; he might be greeted with a fresh "bamboo shoot stir-fried with pork".

Chicken stew with mushrooms, stir-fried cabbage, braised carp chunks, and peanuts.

Fang Yuan looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table, but dared not touch his chopsticks.

"Village chief, let's share some of it," Fang Yuan said as he picked up the vegetable bowl. "It's just the three of us; we really can't eat all of this."

According to the old traditions, when guests come to the house for a meal, female relatives and children are generally not allowed to sit at the table; they must eat at another table and not at the same table as the guests.

Therefore, Sister-in-law Qin and her three children were sitting outside at this time.

"Cadre Fang, let's eat here; they can eat outside too."

Fang Yuan knew that Qin Youtian had made up this story to be considerate of his feelings. He had seen it clearly just now; there was no chicken on the table outside, not even a drop of soup.

It wasn't that Sister-in-law Qin and the others didn't want to, but rather that they dared not and were unwilling.

If they eat this piece of chicken today, it would be an abuse of power for personal gain and taking advantage of public resources.

Who knows how people will talk behind my back in the future?

If they don't even have this much awareness, then Qin Youtian can't become the village chief.

Seeing that Qin Youtian wouldn't listen to him no matter what, Fang Yuan raised his wine glass to toast the village chief and his son, then drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and said, "Village Chief Qin, from now on I'll call you Big Brother, and you can call me Fang Yuan or Little Fang. If you don't let me take these dishes out, then I won't touch my chopsticks today."

After Fang Yuan finished speaking, he put a piece of chicken into each of the three people's bowls, and then took the rest out.

Seeing that Fang Yuan didn't seem to be faking it, Qin Youtian followed him out and pointed to the pot of steaming chicken, saying, "Honey, take half of this to the third brother's family next door. His daughter-in-law just gave birth and needs to replenish her body. Give the other half to Old Shen's family at the east end of the village. He broke his leg a few days ago and he'll need it too."

"Remember to tell them to follow our village's old rules and deduct the appropriate number of work points as they should."

Aunt Qin nodded, pretending not to see the drool on the corners of her three children's mouths, and without saying a word, she picked up the chicken and walked out.

"Fang... Xiao Fang, I'm impressed."

After several rounds of drinks, Fang Yuan, with his unfathomable capacity for alcohol, successfully knocked out Qin Youtian and his son.

A person's character is revealed in their drinking habits.

Qin Youtian no longer dared to treat Fang Yuan like a little kid and fool him.

"Sister-in-law Qin, could you please tell me where our factory's abandoned coal mine is located?"

Fang Yuan walked out of the house alone and asked Qin Da Sao, who was sitting on the threshold smoking a pipe.

Sister-in-law Qin had already heard the commotion inside, but she was still quite surprised to see Fang Yuan walk out of the house completely sober.

She didn't care about her husband at the moment, and led Fang Yuan out of the courtyard, pointing to the foot of the mountain not far away.

"Cadre Fang, do you see it? It's at the foot of that mountain, just a ten-minute walk away."

"Alright, you can go back now."

Fang Yuan thanked her, then took the large bag containing his change of clothes from the horse rack, offered Sister-in-law Qin a cigarette, and then left.

The nights in the countryside are brighter than in the city.

Under the moonlight, you don't even need a flashlight to see the path under your feet.

Enjoying the gentle breeze, Fang Yuan strolled along the path for more than ten minutes.

Upon arriving at the coal yard gate, he found it locked. Inside, there was only a large yellow dog, resembling a hunting dog, chained up. The dog barked incessantly at Fang Yuan upon his arrival. After banging on the door for a while, an old man with short, silver-white hair finally emerged and impatiently asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Sir, I'm looking for the manager here."

As Fang Yuan approached to reply, he noticed a clearly visible scar on the old man's aged face, and that he walked with his back very straight.

The old man chuckled and replied, "I don't have a leader here. If you really want to find someone, then I am the leader. When I'm not around, Big Yellow is the leader. Are you looking for me or Big Yellow?"

Fang Yuan offered the old man a cigarette, but he waved his hand and said, "I don't like this. I have this."

Looking at the old man's pipe, Fang Yuan finally put the pipe away.

"Sir, I was sent by the steel mill to Qinjiacun to investigate the situation. I just came out of the village, and the mill arranged for me to stay here tonight."

"From our steel mill, huh? Come in then. My surname is Cheng. I usually live alone here." After looking at Fang Yuan's work ID, Old Master Cheng opened the door and led Fang Yuan into the room next door, saying, "You can stay here."

Seeing that there was nothing in the room except for a bed, Fang Yuan didn't mind and threw his bag directly onto the bed.

"You don't look like someone who works in the branch factory down there, do you?"

Fang Yuan quickly introduced himself. He could tell that although the old man in front of him was old, his eyesight was definitely not bad.

Upon learning that Fang Yuan was a college student, Old Master Cheng looked surprised: "Why were you sent here?"