Chapter 17: New Women’s Director without a presence.

The flame is passed on, generation after generation, ensuring continuity and vitality.  

Tradition dictates that when the torch is handed down, though there’s often reluctance as the older generation steps off the stage, the blazing new sparks signify a hopeful new chapter.  

However…  

Zhao Ke felt that, in a village, some formalities didn’t necessarily need to exist.  

The team even had a handover ceremony!  

In front of all the villagers, Comrade Yu Xiulan forced a stiff smile as she removed the red armband symbolizing the team committee. Turning to face her own daughter, her expression instantly collapsed. She spoke sparingly: “Hand.”  

Zhao Ke didn’t dare delay for a second. She quickly extended her arm and even took the initiative to push it into the armband, flashing an innocent smile at her mother.  

Yu Xiulan couldn’t resist a sarcastic comment. “You’re in quite the hurry.”  

Zhao Ke hesitated. “…Should I try again?”  

Yu Xiulan rolled her eyes, grabbed Zhao Ke’s arm, and clumsily pinned the armband on her with rough hands.  

Zhao Ke stood perfectly still—not because the crowd’s attention made her nervous, but because she feared Comrade Yu Xiulan’s volatile mood might result in her pinning the badge to Zhao Ke’s flesh.  

Thankfully, Comrade Yu Xiulan still had some motherly love left in her.  

Zhao Ke’s arm emerged unscathed, and she quietly let out a sigh of relief.  

She had endured too much.  

Finally, the village meeting came to an end. Yu Xiulan sped off as if on flaming wheels.  

Meanwhile, the young men of the village gathered around Zhao Ke, teasing her with shouts of “Director Zhao!”  

Annoyed at being the center of their jokes, Zhao Ke couldn’t let it slide. Tugging at the red armband on her arm, she retorted, “Do you want to stay single forever? Make fun of me again, and I’ll make you all live as bachelors!”  

She used to have influence over the girls she knew well before, in the future…don’t even mention it. 

The young people instantly became calm and smiled as they cleared the way, “inviting” her over.

Zhao Ke quickened her pace. As she passed the educated youth, she gave Zhuang Lan a slight nod and hurried on.  

Su Limei watched her retreating figure and remarked to Zhuang Lan, “Looks like the Production Team is going to be lively from now on.”  

“Indeed.”  

Su Limei turned to someone behind her, her tone softening, “What do you think, Fu Hang?”  

Fu Hang nodded politely.  

Seeing no further reaction from him, Su Limei pouted and turned to chat with Lin Haiyang instead.  

Lin Haiyang, always eager to talk, quickly struck up a lively conversation with her.  

Fang Jing, trailing behind, cast a disdainful glance at Su Limei before sneaking a few sideways glances at Fu Hang. Finally, she lowered her head, letting her gaze hide behind her bangs.  

Fu Hang paid no attention to anyone else, though he couldn’t shake the irritation brought on by Zhao Ke’s complete indifference to him earlier.  

—

At Zhao Ke’s home—  

As soon as Yu Xiulan entered, her face was taut as she stormed into her room. Zhao Jianguo and his son, Zhao Feng, exchanged cautious looks. Zhao Feng pressed his ear to the door, trying to catch any sounds from within.  

Moments later, he turned around and mouthed, Nothing’s been smashed.  

Zhao Ke arrived just in time to witness this and asked, “What are you doing?”  

Zhao Feng quickly pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh—”  

Zhao Ke lowered her voice, gesturing toward the room. “Is she angry?”  

Zhao Jianguo whispered back, “You know your mother’s temper. If she’s holding it in, it’s definitely eating her up.”  

When Comrade Yu Xiulan was upset, the whole family couldn’t rest easy.  

It seemed there was no avoiding stirring the pot.  

Zhao Ke raised her voice and called out, “Mom, I’m hungry!”  

From inside came the clattering of objects, followed by Yu Xiulan’s angry retort: “Am I the Zhao family’s cook? Make it yourself!”  

Zhao Ke shouted back, “Mom, what do you want to eat?”  

“I’m not eating!”  

Standing by the door, Zhao Ke began to ramble, “Not eating isn’t good for you! You’ll ruin your health. Mom, you’re not a kid anymore…”  

Inside, Yu Xiulan’s voice grew impatient. “Can you let me have some peace?”  

No, she couldn’t. 

Zhao Ke: “Mom…”

Yu Xiulan, clearly irritated, snapped, “Mom, mom, don’t call me ‘Mom’. I’m not your mom! You should call me ‘Director Zhao’!”

Zhao Ke fell silent for a second before letting out a soft “Eh.”

Zhao Feng looked at her in horror, his eyes full of disbelief.

Zhao Jianguo immediately took a big step back.

Sure enough, the spark was instantly ignited. There was a brief silence in the room before a rapid series of footsteps grew louder.

The door slammed open, and Yu Xiulan shouted, “Zhao Ke!”

Zhao Ke smiled innocently, returning to her usual stance. “Mom, I’m hungry.”

Yu Xiulan’s chest heaved, her teeth clenched in anger. “Zhao Ke, do you want to kill me?!”

So, less than twenty minutes after Zhao Ke was elected as the new Women’s Director, she was being chased around the yard by her own mother, Yu Xiulan, who was furiously scolding her.

Zhao Jianguo and Zhao Feng, worried about getting caught in the crossfire, hid behind the door, watching the spectacle.

In a way, this wasn’t much different from the family’s original expectations—the Women’s Director and the elementary school teacher… weren’t they both elected?

It was just a change in the positions.

Only the two directly involved, the mother and daughter, couldn’t hide their confusion about what the future held—*How do you actually fulfill the roles of Women’s Director and teacher?*

—

The entire Zhao Village was buzzing with discussions about the election held at today’s meeting. The one family that felt dejected, frustrated, and angry—conveying a mix of emotions—was Zhao Er Nai’s family.

For them, having Yu Xiulan, a middle-aged woman, take the position of elementary school teacher while Hu Hezhi couldn’t even secure a spot was unacceptable.

They couldn’t be at ease.

What was worse, they had spent quite a bit of money, and now their social standing in the village had been exposed.

Zhao Er Nai was furious. “I’ll go find them!”

Hu Hezhi, brooding, didn’t want to speak. He secretly blamed Zhao Er Nai for the outcome. If it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t have been so embarrassed.

As for the villagers who had thought about returning the gifts they had received from Zhao Er Nai, they discussed it on their way home. Based on Hu Hezhi’s vote count, it seemed that aside from Zhao Er Nai’s family, some others had also accepted gifts and voted for him. Returning the gifts would make it clear that they hadn’t voted for him.

In the future, who would dare to have a good relationship with Zhao Er Nai?

They decided it would be better if no one took action, and when Zhao Er Nai came around, they would all stick to the story that they had voted for Hu Hezhi.

Zhao Er Nai, standing at the corner of a few streets, screamed angrily, “***, you all voted for him, then why are Hu Hezhi’s votes so few? Return the gifts!”

At that moment, anyone who stayed inside their house would be assumed to be guilty, so everyone gathered outside their doors.

Tian Guizhi, who lived diagonally behind Zhao Er Nai, had also received gifts from her. She didn’t know who else had voted for Hu Hezhi, but her family had definitely voted for him and didn’t want to return anything. “Why should I return the gifts? My family wrote Hu Hezhi’s name.”

Nearby, Aunt Dong, always eager for gossip, egged on the situation, “Er Nai, you need evidence, or else you’ll be falsely accusing people.”

Other villagers chimed in in agreement.

Zhao Er Nai shot back at Aunt Dong, “What’s it to you?”

Aunt Dong, unafraid to stir the pot, retorted, “We’re all part of the Production Team, why wouldn’t it concern me?”

Her timely intervention inspired the other villagers who had received Zhao Er Nai’s gifts. Regardless of whether they had voted for Hu Hezhi, they all stubbornly insisted that there had to be evidence, or else Zhao Er Nai would just be wrongfully accusing people and they would take the matter to the Team Leader for clarification.

But of course, there was no actual evidence.

The village’s voting ballots had always been burned after the election. Even if they hadn’t been destroyed, those with good handwriting in the village could easily be identified, but the villagers mostly just wrote numbers. When the ballots were laid out and checked, no one could tell who wrote what.

They had all acted boldly, relying on the anonymity of the vote.

Usually, Zhao Er Nai was the one being unreasonable, but now she was facing others doing the same to her. She couldn’t shout back as loudly, so she flopped to the ground and began wailing, “You’re bullying an old lady! I can’t go on living!”

Zhao Fangfang’s parents were at home and didn’t come out, while Hu Hezhi stayed hidden. Only Zhao Fangfang, standing off to the side, wiped away her tears.

The neighbors exchanged awkward glances, but at this point, neither side could back down.

The two parties were at a standstill.

At this moment, Aunt Dong spoke up, “Then go to the Team Leader and settle it.”

Tian Guizhi, feeling the most frustrated, immediately sent her daughter, Bao Xiaoyu, to find the Team Leader.

Bao Xiaoyu timidly went to the team committee and nervously explained the situation.

The gifts were from Zhao Er Nai, and the recipients were all the women from each family. After hearing the details, Zhao Xinshan didn’t comment on the matter itself but simply said, “This kind of women’s dispute should be handled by the Women’s Director.”

Bao Xiaoyu hesitated, clutching the hem of her clothes, unsure of whom to go to.

Zhao Xinshan told her, “Zhao Ke is already wearing the red armband. That means she is the Women’s Director now, and she has to take responsibility. You should go to her.”

Bao Xiaoyu could only hurry to Zhao Ke’s house in the east of the village, standing outside the yard. It took her a while to muster the courage to call out, “Zhao, Zhao Director…”

Inside the house—

The family was having dinner. Yu Xiulan, the one most sensitive to the term “Director Zhao,” was the first to hear the noise. She got up and glanced outside, calling out harshly to Zhao Ke, “Director Zhao.”

Zhao Ke, feeling helpless, said, “Mom, didn’t we agree to let this go?”

Yu Xiulan pointed outside, “She’s looking for you.”

Zhao Ke, confused, put down her bowl and walked to the door. She saw a young girl she didn’t recognize—Bao Xiaoyu, holding tightly to her clothes. “You’re looking for me?”

Bao Xiaoyu nodded slightly, her hands nervously wringing the hem of her clothes. “There was a fight, and Uncle Team Leader sent me to find, find you.”

Her voice was so soft that Zhao Ke had to approach and ask again to hear her clearly. After a moment of silence, Zhao Ke realized: The Women’s Director position had just been handed to her that morning, and she hadn’t fully processed it yet. Now she was expected to act right away? Especially since just a few days ago, Zhao Er Nai had caused a ruckus at her house, even taking away Hu Hezhi’s substitute teaching opportunity and causing her to lose some money. Zhao Er Nai probably held a lot of resentment. Was she really going to listen to her mediation?

Zhao Ke once again confirmed that she wasn’t fond of this troublesome job and decided that she would resign after three months.

Meanwhile, Bao Xiaoyu was nearly crumpling the hem of her clothes from nervousness, her hands squeezing harder as the silence stretched on.

Yu Xiulan came out and asked, “What’s going on?”

Zhao Ke briefly explained the situation.

Yu Xiulan immediately scolded her, “What are you waiting for? What if a fight breaks out?”

Zhao Ke, not yet having a sense of responsibility as Women’s Director, only realized the urgency when her mother spoke and quickly stepped out of the yard.

Yu Xiulan, not at ease, followed her.

A few minutes later, Zhao Ke arrived at the intersection near Tian Guizhi’s house.

Zhao Er Nai was still wailing on the ground, while the others kept their distance, likely afraid of getting involved.

The most important thing was, no fight had broken out.

Zhao Ke didn’t rush over; she stood at the back, trying to catch her breath.

Bao Xiaoyu returned to her mother’s side and quietly called for help.

Tian Guizhi, frustrated, jabbed her daughter a few times in the temple, scolding her, “Why are you only back now? Can’t you do anything right?”

Bao Xiaoyu’s head was poked so hard that it seemed to rattle, her lips trembling as she held back tears, too scared to argue.

When the others saw Zhao Ke and her mother arrive, they instinctively called out “Director Yu.”

Zhao Er Nai, lying on the ground, glanced at Yu Xiulan and Zhao Ke, then crossed her arms over her chest, closed her eyes, and pretended to be dead.

Tian Guizhi, furious, felt like her lungs were about to explode. She shouted, “Director Yu, come and make a judgment! The things were given to me, and I voted. Why should I give them back?”

Yu Xiulan instinctively scolded Zhao Er Nai, “Second Aunt, you’re being unreasonable.”

If Zhao Er Nai were reasonable, she wouldn’t be Zhao Er Nai. She completely ignored Yu Xiulan and said, “If you don’t return the things to me, I’ll die right here at your doorstep.”

The faces of the surrounding families turned sour.

One man, surnamed Fan, immediately scolded his wife, “Look at you, why did you take that little favor? Now look what’s happened?”

The woman was also unhappy, “When I accepted it, you didn’t say anything. Now you’re blaming me!”

The man, clearly frustrated, said, “Fine, just give it back to her. Stop making a fuss!”

The woman, stubborn, shouted, “I won’t give it back!”

“You!” The man raised his hand in anger.

Yu Xiulan quickly intervened, “Hey, hey, stop! Just talk, don’t get physical.”

“Can’t reason with a woman like you,” the man muttered, shrugging off her hand and heading back home.

Once he left, Yu Xiulan turned to lecture his wife, “It’s not much to return, just take a step back to avoid more arguing.”

Tian Guizhi refused, “Why?! No way!”

Yu Xiulan’s tone sharpened, “So what do you want to do about it?”

The people present were:

Some were determined to get the things back dead or alive;

Some didn’t want to admit they had acted without integrity;

Some didn’t want to give up something they had already received;

And some were just watching the drama unfold.

And also, a completely ignored Zhao Ke.