Chapter 64: Voting

The freshmen entered the military training phase, and on the first day, Chen Jin went to observe the situation. The school didn’t have many shaded areas, and the weather in Rong City in September was hot enough to peel off a layer of skin.

The next day, Chen Jin drove off-campus to buy two large buckets of chilled sour plum soup, along with plenty of ice piled outside the metal buckets. She also bought two hundred plastic cups.

She called over a few class advisors to help carry the supplies and found a shaded spot next to the training ground. When the trainees took their break, she invited them over for a cup of sour plum soup to help them cool off.

“Teacher Chen, here you go.”

Chen Jin hurriedly took it and thanked the student. Before the students dispersed, she glanced at her watch and said, “I have to leave for something. Once you finish the sour plum soup, please take these two metal buckets back to the fruit beverage shop at the west gate for the owner.”

“Got it, Teacher Chen.”

As Chen Jin walked out of the training area and drove away, a few class advisors sitting together in the shade started chatting. Suddenly, one of them said, “How come I’ve never encountered a counselor like this before?”

Another replied, “Well, how many counselors are wealthy?”

“True, wealthy people don’t become counselors. Teacher Chen is different.”

Not long after, training for the students paused for a break, and the class advisors called over the students to drink sour plum soup, also bringing some for the instructors.

“Hey, why does your college have sour plum soup?” Did their humanities college buy it together? That’s too generous!

“Hehe, our counselor treated us.”

“Huh? Your counselor came to watch your military training?”

“No, but it was the counselor who bought it.” The humanities students chuckled; their counselor was a rich woman.

Everyone thought this was just a one-time thing, but soon they saw students from the humanities college bringing their own cups every afternoon. During the break, they happily went to the shaded area to fill their drinks.

Chen Jin only visited the students’ military training occasionally because there really wasn’t much to see—there were instructors and class advisors there. She hadn’t had any students come to her to ask for leave, which made her a bit worried. One evening, while the class advisors organized a cultural activity for the students, Chen Jin joined to see if the students were feeling unwell. If anyone was, they shouldn’t push through.

She heard that in last year’s summer training, a student had an incident due to military training. Such events are always a big deal, so Chen Jin couldn’t relax.

“Isn’t it good that no one asked for leave? That means everyone is healthy,” Teacher Chang joked. “Unlike your year, where some were genuinely sick, but many pretended to be.”

Chen Jin smiled shyly; she had thought about faking an illness to avoid the training. But she couldn’t pull it off on the first or second day, and later found the military training wasn’t that hard, so she persevered. After enduring for ten days, she thought it wouldn’t be right to give up. So she continued.

Zhou Ding joked, “Maybe they’re all thinking of you bringing them drinks every day, so they’re hanging in there.”

“That little drink isn’t that appealing.” After seeing the situation, Chen Jin finally felt relieved. She thought it would be better once classes officially started.

Teacher He said, “If I were the freshmen counselor in another college, I’d be annoyed with you. Look at you bringing drinks to the students every day; the other college counselors can’t match your generosity.”

“Well, I can’t worry about others; I can only manage my own little area.” Chen Jin thought it was worth spending a bit of money to help students cool down; standing in the sun in military posture wasn’t easy.

Since Chen Jin couldn’t stop worrying about the students, she hadn’t gone back to Qiaoxi Village until Old man Liu couldn’t hold back any longer and called her, saying, “There’s a village meeting tomorrow. If you don’t come back, they’ll sign an agreement without you, and you’ll regret it when you don’t get your share.”

“I’ve been to the law firm; I’m not afraid they won’t call me for the village agreement. If they do, I’ll sue.” Chen Jin said casually; she wasn’t sure if involving a lawyer would help, but she heard voices from several village officials on the phone and wanted to convey her stance: Don’t think you can sneak around without my knowledge; I’m not someone you can push around.

Old man Liu, indeed, lost his earlier smug tone. Clearing his throat, he asked if she was free to return to the village tomorrow.

Although he wanted to say that her work as a counselor wasn’t necessary, he had been scolded by Chen Jin recently, so he didn’t want to embarrass himself.

“What time is the meeting tomorrow?” Chen Jin continued to ask, “It’s not another eight o’clock meeting, right?”

“…The meeting is at nine in the morning.”

“Oh, now I know. I’ll arrive right on time at ten.”

After hanging up, Chen Jin noticed the others in the office staring at her and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Teacher Chang sighed, “I just think you sounded pretty impressive on the phone. You sounded like a big boss.”

Chen Jin laughed; she didn’t have the aura of a big boss but might have a hint of a nouveau riche.

Coincidentally, tomorrow was also a break during military training, allowing students to have free time. Chen Jin planned to rest alongside them. In the evening, while the students weren’t active, she did a round in the girls’ dormitory, reminding them to be careful and safe when going out, especially about human traffickers. For the boys’ dormitory, she asked Zhou Ding to help talk to the boys. Zhou Ding’s dorm was in the boys’ dorm building, so it was convenient. However, after finishing with the girls’ dorm, there wasn’t enough time to visit the boys’.

This year’s girls’ dorm assignments were quite interesting; either everyone in the dorm was introverted or extroverted, with no room for a more balanced mix. She found it a bit challenging to deal with very outgoing students, while she was even more reserved than the particularly shy ones.

Sigh, who told her to be a counselor? She had to brace herself to handle the outgoing students and engage with the introverted ones. Now she could talk much more smoothly; when she met with leaders in the college office building, she no longer shied away but directly approached them to say hello.

After finishing her rounds in the girls’ dormitory, she drove home, took a shower, and went downstairs to the backyard to collect the drying blankets. When she saw Shen Baichuan sitting in his backyard in a daze, she took the initiative to ask if he wanted some herbal mosquito repellent.

Sitting in the yard in the evening, she still attracted mosquitoes, especially since every household around here had planted quite a few flowers and plants in their front and backyards.

She moved quietly. Shen Baichuan had been deep in thought and didn’t notice her coming out. When he suddenly heard her ask, “Teacher Shen, do you want some Liushen Flower Dew?” he was a bit confused because he didn’t know what it was.

Watching her wrap the bed sheets and quilt together in her arms, he replied, “Then just bring a little, thank you, Teacher Chen.”

Chen Jin went into the room and came out again, bringing a whole bottle of freshly unsealed Liushen Flower Water. She said, “Just spray it on your ankles and arms.”

Once he received the Liushen Flower Water, Shen Baichuan realized he had misunderstood; he thought Chen Jin was talking about a drink, but it was actually the insect-repelling and refreshing Liushen Flower Water. He hadn’t thought of this old brand earlier.

Looking at the emerald green bottle, he had some vague memories of it. He leaned in to smell it, and it indeed had the scent from his memories. While spraying it on his exposed ankles, he said, “I haven’t used this brand of flower water in many years.”

“It should be quite popular in Hong Kong. The Liushen Flower Water was invented by doctors in Hong Kong. I thought you would have used it before.”

“I used it once when I was a child, but my mother didn’t like the smell, so no one in the family used it after that.”

“Have you ever used cooling oil? It’s also quite refreshing. I have some extra; I’ll go get you a bottle.” As Chen Jin said this, she turned back into her house and came back with a small, round, flat bottle of cooling oil.

On the small red tin bottle was a tiger, and above it were the words “Cooling Oil.” When opened, it revealed a paste inside, and the scent was indeed refreshing.

Shen Baichuan found it quite interesting. Although he didn’t know why she had such a sudden desire to share, it was still a good sign of progress. Noticing her hair was still half-dry, he asked if she wanted to go dry her hair before coming out to chat.

Chen Jin touched her hair and declined, saying, “No need.”

Before Shen Baichuan could feel happy about that, Chen Jin added, “I’ve been busy and tired these days. I plan to go upstairs to dry my hair and sleep. Let’s chat next time. Goodbye, Teacher Shen.”

Shen Baichuan’s smile froze on his face as he watched her clap her hands and stomp her feet. “There are many mosquitoes outside; I’ll go back inside.” She took a few big steps and dashed back into her house, and the sound of her backyard door locking echoed clearly in the quiet night.

Looking back at the two mosquito-repelling gadgets on the table in front of him, he could only comfort himself: at least it was a good sign of progress.

After Chen Jin returned home to wash up and dry her hair, she adjusted the air conditioning temperature in her room and lay straight down on her soft bed. She rolled around with a large stuffed toy, talking to herself, “I’ve really become obsessed with talking to people at school.”

She couldn’t imagine that just half a year ago, she would avoid Shen Baichuan when she saw him, feeling awkward whether to greet him or not. So, she hypnotized herself, pretending not to see him and quickly dodged away.

Now? After talking to students so much, she could even chat with a dog she encountered on the street.

The next day, she didn’t wake up until almost seven o’clock, yawning as she went to wash up.

Thinking that today wasn’t about meeting anyone important, she didn’t bother with makeup. She planned to return from Qiaoxi Village and swing by Sister Jiang’s beauty salon for some skincare.

It had been a while since her last visit, and she couldn’t waste her membership benefits.

“Teacher Chen, do you want to eat a sandwich?”

As Chen Jin moved the blanket she had washed the night before to the backyard to dry, she saw Shen Baichuan leisurely preparing breakfast.

Looking closer, she saw sandwiches paired with juice, which looked quite appetizing.

“Is there an extra?” Chen Jin asked shyly. “If there is, I’m sorry for the trouble, Teacher Shen.”

“Mm, it’s no trouble. You sit for a moment; I’ll go get it.”

Chen Jin found this experience quite strange—sitting diagonally opposite Shen Baichuan in the backyard pavilion on a Sunday morning, eating breakfast together.

She didn’t expect the sandwich to be so delicious; she had really missed out on eating it before. After asking Shen Baichuan how to make a sandwich, she found out it was surprisingly simple, and she decided she could make sandwiches at home in the future.

“I’ll practice and then treat you, Teacher Shen, another day.”

“Sounds good.”

The sound of pouring juice synced unexpectedly.

Professor Song casually opened his backyard door and glanced over, surprised to see Shen Baichuan and Chen Jin eating breakfast together?! He chuckled softly and gently closed the door, eager to find his old man to share, “You won’t believe what I just saw…”

After breakfast, Chen Jin checked the time; it was 7:40. After thanking Shen Baichuan again, she went back inside to change her shoes, grabbed her small bag, and jangled her car keys as she headed out.

Passing the school’s east gate, she saw a dozen psychology freshmen waiting for the bus, looking like they were about to go out to have fun.

Young people really have so much energy; they hadn’t been worn out after five days of military training. If it were her, she’d probably need to lie in her dorm for a whole day.

This time, as she drove past the factories in the southern suburb, it seemed livelier than before. When she arrived at Qiaoxi Village, Chen Jin parked her car in front of her house and then went to her cousin Meng Chong’s small supermarket to grab a drink before heading to the ancestral hall.

She wanted to pay, but she couldn’t exert enough strength to give money to her cousin.

Fortunately, she didn’t listen to her grandfather’s advice to arrive right at nine for the meeting. By the time she got there, it was just after ten, and the people from Qiaoxi Village were lazily making their way over. She was actually one of the early arrivals.

“I haven’t seen you in the village for a long time. It’s not easy being a teacher at school; why didn’t you think about going to work for your uncle’s company?” Liu Mantang greeted Chen Jin as she entered and invited her to sit in the front. “Your uncle said he wanted you to help your cousin at the company, but you didn’t want to go.”

Chen Jin waved her hand. “My uncle was just joking. I’m not cut out for business; it’s better if I don’t meddle in it.”

Beside her, her grandfather, just seated, said, “Isn’t business something you can learn as you go? Look at how well your uncle’s company is doing now; if he really wants you to work there, you can learn from him. How much do you think you earn as a counselor at school? It might not even be half of what your uncle would pay you.”

Her grandfather just couldn’t recognize the situation at all. He was used to being the old master at home, thinking everyone would listen to his nonsensical chatter.

Chen Jin: “I get over ten thousand in rent every month; I’m not bothered by this little salary. Teaching suits me just fine. Forget it, what am I even saying to you? You won’t understand.”

“How could I not understand?”

“You understand, you understand. Then why don’t you tell your youngest son and daughter-in-law to quit their jobs and come back to help you collect rent? Their salary is probably less than one-fifth of what you collect in rent; making that little money is just a waste.”

“…” Old man Liu said with annoyance, “You twist words so much. I’m too lazy to argue with you; I can’t control your matters.”

“If you can’t control it, then why do you have to butt in? Don’t your family members have enough education from you?” Seeing that others in the village were coming in one after another, Chen Jin shot him a warning look, signaling him to stop arguing with her, or else she wouldn’t give him face.

As for Liu Mantang, he wanted to ask Chen Jin about Chen Wenqiang’s company, but she was too busy arguing with Old man Liu. Feeling frustrated, he glared at Old man Liu, thinking, how can an old man like you keep arguing with a younger generation? You can’t win the argument anyway, and getting seen by outsiders is such a loss of face!

Chen Jin pretended she didn’t want to sit close to her grandfather and moved to a seat further back.

Hmph, Liu Mantang, that old fox, doesn’t think I know he wants to pry some information from me. Luckily, I hid quickly.

It seemed today’s village meeting was quite important, as even Liu Shisheng and Jiang Zijun, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, came back to attend together.

However, Chen Jin heard the people in front of her muttering, “Their household registration isn’t even in the village anymore; signing an agreement with the village has nothing to do with them. There’s no way they would share in the dividends, right?”

“That won’t do; if that’s the case, then my second flower also has to get a share.”

“But your second flower is already married and has left home…”

“If they can get it, then why can’t we? Just wait and see; if the dividends include them, I’ll definitely cause a scene.”

Chen Jin found it amusing; the aunt in front of her seemed very confident about “causing a scene.”

Liu Mantang spoke for half an hour, and Chen Jin finally understood the content of this meeting. It was merely about voting to decide whether to lease the vacant land near the east of the bridge for others to build factories or to lease the land near the suburbs for the same purpose.

The land was collectively owned by the village, and leasing either piece would allow everyone to receive dividends. Many people suggested deciding by drawing lots.

Chen Jin frowned. Choosing which piece of land seemed indifferent now, but if they encountered relocation later, it would be contentious. The land leased for factories would certainly not be small. If, by then, Qiaoxi Village encountered relocation, and these factories raised their prices sky-high, it would impact the entire village’s relocation.

Seeing these people appearing unconcerned, Chen Jin also wanted to keep quiet, but she couldn’t let them ruin her path to becoming a wealthy woman. So she quickly stood up and shared her thoughts.

She also pointed out what kind of factories would be opened and whether they might affect the villagers’ physical and mental health. If some harmful factories were brought in, it could make the surrounding residents sick.

Otherwise, if they couldn’t relocate, and housing became hard to rent out, that would truly be a huge loss.

Only then did these people’s attitudes shift from indifference to seriousness.

“Yeah, if they build a big factory here, and the deal falls through, and they skip over our village, that would really be a big loss, right?”

“Well, can’t they skip this factory when relocating? I don’t think it’s that serious; we just need to carefully consider which land to lease. Has anyone said what kind of factory is going to be built in our village?”

“It’s a clothing factory; there aren’t any pollution issues with that.”

Liu Mantang raised his hand and said, “You don’t need to worry about that. The village has definitely consulted a lawyer; the signed contracts will be fine. Now it’s just about voting on which piece of land…”

“Wait a minute, the land near the east of the bridge, I have a piece of land nearby. What if it gets included? How will that be handled?”

Liu Mantang tapped the microphone a few times, and everyone quieted down. He said, “So I just said, the situations of the two pieces of land are different! Now let me explain in detail…”

Chen Jin knew why Qiaoxi Village always took so long to hold meetings; they never get to the point after talking for so long. Can’t they draft a script in advance? Why must the crucial issues be left for last? It’s really frustrating.

However, for her, it didn’t matter which piece of land; as long as they could get someone to open a factory, that was enough. She glanced at Liu Mantang on the stage, who lamented about the village’s young people being idle. She thought he was also good at deceiving himself; he genuinely cared about the village’s youth, but he also benefited from it. He just knew how to promote the good side of himself.

Thinking about the village chief of Qiaodong, he was always, “Don’t bother me with the small stuff,” and would violently beat down on any medium-sized matters. For significant issues, he could still handle them; he didn’t need to deliberately say he was doing it for the villagers’ good, but who didn’t know in their hearts?

After the meeting, the villagers were still arguing about which piece of land to choose. If they selected the land near the east of the bridge, a few households could share in the dividends, but this land was flatter and more suitable for factory operations. People also valued the advantage of being closer to the science park on that side. However, if they chose the land near the suburbs, the price offered would be lower, but the good part was that everyone in the village would share the dividends equally.

Although Chen Jin thought there wasn’t much to be gained, why not choose the option that could bring in more money? Others might get more, but her own family wouldn’t lose!

Oh, these people just want to cause a scene, making sure everyone gets the same amount of money and sacrificing the interests of a few households.

Chen Jin quickly filled out her choice and directly tossed it into the ballot box. Then, as she turned around, she saw Liu Shisheng sitting in the front row looking at her, with a raised eyebrow, “Is there something?”

“Uh, um.” Liu Shisheng shifted uncomfortably, unusually inviting her home for dinner.

“Who else is coming to eat?”

“Just your uncle and aunt; everyone at home has returned today. You should come over for a meal.”

“Oh, then I won’t go.” Chen Jin directly refused, seeing Liu Shisheng’s smile instantly vanish. With a sneer, she said, “Who knows what kind of trap you’re trying to set for me? If you insist on inviting me, I can go, but I’ll call my uncle right now and ask him to come along for a meal.”

Liu Shisheng’s mouth twitched, and he took a deep breath. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Just mind your own business.”

Chen Jin glanced at the old man Liu beside Liu Shisheng, who was focused on the stage and remained silent. She snorted softly, considering him perceptive.