Su Muxian had said as much, how could Ye Tiancheng continue to speak? He couldn't possibly trouble a young lady, a grown man at that. It just didn't sound right.
"I didn't mean it like that. It might be the tomatoes, nothing to do with people."
Su Muxian, clearly seeing Ye Tiancheng was displeased, smiled smugly in her heart. "Then it must be the tomatoes."
Su Muxian's tests for Ye Tiancheng weren't just these; there were more to come. The next was a task for Ye Tiancheng as a collaborator.
"I hope you can help Village Chief Liu build pigpens and invest in his pig farming business. Perhaps one day you'll become a major pig farmer yourself."
Having eaten so many sour tomatoes earlier, Ye Tiancheng had no appetite for the desserts and milk tea that followed. His stomach was already full, and he could only watch Su Muxian eat daintily while he could only look on.
"What? You want me to go raise pigs with Village Chief Liu?"
"Yes. I know you're a bit unconvinced, but when you were wielding a hoe and farming in the fields, I felt it was worse than raising pigs. Pig farming is quite good; at least pigs are more loyal than people and won't betray you. When they grow fat, you can sell them for a good price."
Su Muxian was clearly belittling Ye Tiancheng, both openly and subtly. She was implying that Ye Tiancheng was insincere and prone to betrayal, recalling their past marriage. Ye Tiancheng did feel a bit guilty about it. Now that Su Muxian brought it up, it felt like reopening an old wound.
"I'm sorry, Su Muxian. I didn't fulfill my promise to you back then. I feel like I wasn't a good person."
"Don't say that. You've already been generous enough. Even many wealthy people wouldn't offer a hundred million as a breakup fee. You've already given me a hundred million, which is a huge sum for me, and I'm content. I won't blame you anymore, so let's talk about business now."
Ye Tiancheng couldn't figure out what Su Muxian meant. She seemed full of resentment, but as soon as Ye Tiancheng apologized, she didn't want to hear it. It seemed a woman's heart was truly as unfathomable as the deep sea. Ye Tiancheng decided not to dwell on it for now and focus on business matters, as business was more important. Without money and status, Ye Tiancheng would still be trampled upon, with even minor characters bossing him around. Therefore, it was more important to become strong. Since the romantic entanglements were in the past, and he hadn't wronged Su Muxian much, there was no need to think about it anymore.
"Do you really intend for me to raise pigs?"
"Yes. By cooperating with you, I want to see your endurance. Although I don't care about past events anymore, you did betray me, so I still have some reservations about you. It's best if you show me your sincerity."
In fact, Su Muxian had received a bribe of fifty thousand yuan from Village Chief Liu, which was why she asked Ye Tiancheng to get involved in pig farming. She wanted to both torment Ye Tiancheng and collect money – a perfect plan.
"Alright, then I'll invest in building the pigpens. As long as our cooperation is stable, Miss Su, you can just give the orders. Wherever you point, I'll go. I absolutely won't disappoint you. Perhaps my remaining virtue is that I'm very obedient."
Su Muxian smiled faintly. "Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it and see just how obedient you are, whether you can accomplish what I assign you, or if you're just saying it to make me happy."
"That will absolutely not be the case."
After agreeing to Su Muxian, Ye Tiancheng quickly contacted Village Chief Liu. However, when he called, it wasn't Village Chief Liu who answered, but his secretary.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ye. The new village chief is being selected, and I'm swamped right now. I'll get back to you later."
Ye Tiancheng was stunned. "Didn't Village Chief Liu do a pretty good job? What happened?"
"It's a long story. It seems to involve some corruption. The funds allocated to the village were embezzled by Village Chief Liu, so he has been suspended and will be prosecuted. If nothing unexpected happens, he will face legal consequences. This means we no longer have a village chief, so we need to select a new one as soon as possible."
Ye Tiancheng was overwhelmed. Although Village Chief Liu was unreliable, it would have been easier to discuss pig farming with someone familiar. But now, if a new village chief took over, they might not want to engage in pig farming at all and could simply bulldoze all the pigpens. Then Ye Tiancheng's dreams would all be shattered.
"When you select a new village chief, can others voice their opinions?"
"Of course, Mr. Ye. You are an outstanding entrepreneur and a representative of us farmers. I believe everyone in the village wants to hear your opinion. You can also come and be a judge or an advisor for the village chief selection."
"Can I really?"
Ye Tiancheng politely asked again, "Am I just going through the motions, or do I truly have a say?"
This question hit the nail on the head. There was an awkward silence on the other end of the line, followed by a quick response.
"Of course, it will have an impact. As long as you speak, people will listen to your opinion. I'm not making empty promises. I believe that as a successful person with such an unusual status, in this era of flattering the powerful and stepping on the weak, your words will always carry weight."
Ye Tiancheng was actually well-regarded in the entire Dashan Village, mainly because he was wealthy and had helped the villagers before. Perhaps it was Ye Tiancheng's habit of doing charity work; seeing the impoverished households who couldn't even make ends meet, he genuinely wanted to help them.
Therefore, in the eyes of the people of Dashan Village, Ye Tiancheng was an entrepreneur full of justice, who would readily help those in need, and possessed excellent character. Such a person being considered for the selection of a new village chief was quite fitting.
"Alright, then I'll participate in your village chief election."
Ye Tiancheng quickly had his driver take him to Dashan Village and then to the village committee. He found that there were eight candidates for village chief, all of whom were unfamiliar faces. Some had just recently qualified to be village chiefs, while others were transferred from other villages. Various situations existed.
The election began, and everyone started introducing themselves. Ye Tiancheng diligently took notes, wanting to comprehensively assess who was capable.
Then he saw a delicate-looking girl, tall, with long, raven-black hair, wearing glasses, exuding an scholarly aura. She appeared to be in her early twenties. This must be the so-called university student village official.
Ye Tiancheng wasn't interested in the girl's beauty. He felt that such a young girl would be easier to handle, and he could discuss the pig farming matter with her later. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng unhesitatingly nominated the university student village official named Liu Lanying.
"I think Liu Lanying is very good. Currently, she appears to be the best candidate for the new village chief. Having university students as village officials has been popular for many years. Such young people can inject fresh blood into the village, possess innovative spirits, and are more willing to endure hardship and strive. It is an honor for Dashan Village to have such people stay."
After some consideration, Ye Tiancheng finally decided to recommend Liu Lanying. Others also felt that Ye Tiancheng's words made sense, especially since the town mayor also spoke in Ye Tiancheng's favor.
"Thank you to our young entrepreneur, Mr. Ye, for your suggestion. Thank you for your outstanding contribution to our village chief selection. We will definitely consider your opinion and select a village chief as soon as possible."
With the town mayor's endorsement and Ye Tiancheng's recommendation, Liu Lanying, already excellent and the most suitable candidate, was quickly confirmed as the new village chief.
The next day, upon learning that Liu Lanying had been elected as the new village chief, Ye Tiancheng immediately went to discuss the continuation of building the pigpens with her.
In the village chief's office, Liu Lanying was working. The previous village chief had left behind many messes that needed to be cleaned up, and Liu Lanying was overwhelmed.
When Ye Tiancheng arrived in the afternoon, he asked, "Village Chief Liu, may I invite you to dinner?"
"I'm very busy with my work and can't get away. I haven't even had breakfast yet. After I finish, it will probably be past ten o'clock at night. You'd better not wait for me."
"Work is important, but eating is also very important. Village Chief Liu, how about we take ten minutes to have a quick bite? I've already arranged for it."
It was hard to refuse such a kind invitation, so Liu Lanying finally agreed after thinking for a while.
"Then let's have a simple meal. Please don't order anything too expensive. I don't like extravagance, and it might give people the impression that I'm colluding with you as a new official. I am very grateful for your righteous advocacy during the village chief election, but I still hope to be an honest and incorruptible official."
Ye Tiancheng found this Liu Lanying quite interesting. He thought such straightforward girls were rare nowadays, and she even had the courage to speak to him directly instead of beating around the bush. It was refreshing and quite good.
The two went to a small restaurant. Ye Tiancheng drove for half an hour to get there, as Dashan Village was too remote, situated in the middle of nowhere, making it difficult to find a place to eat.
They ordered some rustic dishes, all simple and hearty: pork stew with vermicelli, chicken stew with mushrooms, and a large farmer's tofu, all served with bowls of rice.
"Mr. Ye, I won't stand on ceremony. I'm really hungry, so I'll start eating."
Despite looking thin and frail, Liu Lanying ate with gusto, with a hearty demeanor. She quickly consumed a lot. Seeing her finish the fourth bowl of rice, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up.
"Village Chief Liu, you can really eat! Even the previous village chief, a man, couldn't eat as much as you. Eating well means good fortune. Please eat more; you're too thin."
Ye Tiancheng himself hadn't finished his bowl of rice, yet the girl opposite him had eaten more than him. Ye Tiancheng felt he needed to seriously consider if he was being too picky.
"I just have a good appetite, and I want to eat more. I want to achieve great things in Dashan Village."
When Ye Tiancheng heard that Liu Lanying, a young girl, wanted to achieve great things, he immediately felt that such ambitious people were rare. This was also a good opportunity to discuss the pig farm with her.