Chapter 98: What was that thing again?

Upon hearing that Taolin Village was no longer Ping’an Village’s first choice, the village officials of Taolin Village became unsettled.

They urged Village Head Lin to go talk to Village Head Sun. Everything could be negotiated, but they couldn’t afford to lose out just because they were still thinking things over.

While Village Head Sun was fertilizing the fields, he couldn’t help but wonder if Village Head Lin would come tomorrow or the day after. Just then, someone called out to him, “Village Head Sun, Village Head Lin from the neighboring Taolin Village is here to see you.”

Village Head Sun looked up and saw Village Head Lin, who was grinning with deep wrinkles on his face. The expression was so warm that it made him briefly wonder if they were long-lost brothers who hadn’t seen each other in years.

How else could his smile be both friendly and a little frightening?

At that moment, Village Head Sun almost wanted to clap his hands in approval.

Qiu Yinuo, that little plump wife of their village, was truly remarkable. As expected, Village Head Lin had come just like she said, though he hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.

“Village Head Sun, are you busy?”

“Not too bad, not too bad. If Village Head Lin is here, I’ll make time.” He waved to his son, “Go tell your mother to make a few extra dishes. We have guests today, and I’ll be having a drink with Village Head Lin. We should also get Qiu Yinuo to join us.”

After all, no one could outdrink her.

Village Head Lin wasn’t shy about it. He held up a bag, “I’m a bit shameless, coming over around mealtime, but I brought a roasted chicken with me. It’ll be a good addition to your meal.”

The mention of roasted chicken made Village Head Sun’s son’s eyes light up. He swallowed a big gulp of saliva, respectfully took the chicken, and ran straight home.

Village Head Sun left the fields and led Village Head Lin to the village committee office.

He remembered Qiu Yinuo’s words—don’t act too high and mighty, just talk casually like you’re having a chat. The most important thing was to be natural and sincere, letting Village Head Lin see their village’s genuine intention to cooperate.

After all, Village Head Lin had powerful relatives, and if they were to network, Village Head Lin was the right person to reach out to. He could give them face in return.

This was one of the reasons Qiu Yinuo chose Taolin Village as the first partner. Village Head Sun asked, “Village Head Lin, has your decision been made after coming here today?”

Seeing Village Head Lin hesitate, Village Head Sun laughed heartily, “Look at me, I’m too eager. Don’t worry, cooperation between our two villages is a big deal, and some things need to be properly understood. Our Xiao Qiu said not to rush you, after all, business deals are all about trust.”

“We know each other well. If nothing works out this time, there will always be other opportunities to cooperate in the future. Village Head Lin, don’t you think so?”

There was no excessive persuasion, which left Village Head Lin uncertain about how to respond.

He was afraid that Ping’an Village had already excluded them, so he quickly said, “Hey, hey, hey, Village Head Sun, I didn’t say I wouldn’t cooperate. It’s just that there are some things I need to understand first. Please give me a little more time.”

“Alright, then we won’t talk about cooperation today. You’ve come all the way to our village, so let’s just have a good chat like brothers.”

Not talking about cooperation made Village Head Lin uneasy, but on the surface, he didn’t want to appear too eager, afraid that people might take advantage of him in the future.

He quietly asked, “Village Head Sun, tell me honestly, is the traditional method of making these things really reliable? I’m mainly concerned about that. I’m not afraid of cooperating with you, but if we put in all this effort and the products can’t be stored properly, won’t it all go to waste?”

Village Head Sun naturally understood that someone from Taolin Village had used a relative to gather information. It seemed that nothing substantial had been learned, and now they were feeling a bit uneasy.

The fact that Village Head Lin valued him so much made Village Head Sun feel quite pleased.

“Actually, this method was something Xiao Qiu discovered herself. If she had sold the recipe, others wouldn’t be able to say much. But Xiao Qiu has a kind heart; she wants to lead the whole village to prosperity, so she gave the recipe to me.”

Village Head Lin thought to himself, No wonder they couldn’t get any information out of us.

“Earlier, according to the method she gave, we made dozens of jars of peach preserves. Today, Village Head Lin can try them for himself.”

Village Head Lin was full of envy. How come their village didn’t have such selfless people?

A villager who could fix tractors and also think about the collective good—who wouldn’t envy that?

Village Head Sun felt incredibly smug and happily added, “Or you could take it home and let it sit for ten or fifteen days before trying again. See if the traditional method of preservation that Xiao Qiu talked about really works.”

Village Head Lin immediately brightened, “Well, I won’t be polite then.”

…

Qiu Yinuo had just set the food on the table when the village head’s son came over to call for her.

“Qiu Yinuo, Village Head Lin is here in our village. My dad asked me to call you to come eat at our house.”

“???” Cheng Hongying, who had been holding a bowl, widened her eyes in surprise. “What did the village head ask you to do?”

These past few days, she had been so busy that she hadn’t seen anyone. Cheng Hongying knew that something was going on, but she had no idea what it was.

“Didn’t you hear? He asked me to come eat!”

Cheng Hongying let out a heavy breath. This girl’s way of speaking really got on her nerves.

Who didn’t know that it was for a meal? Was that all there was to it?

“You all eat first; after all, I’m the younger one, so I shouldn’t be the last to go.” Qiu Yinuo waved her hand and left with a carefree attitude.

When she arrived at the village head’s house, seeing the roasted chicken on the table, she nearly shed tears of gratitude.

Who would understand?

The last time she had eaten roasted chicken was years ago, and it had been greasy and overly salty.

After one bite, she didn’t want any more. But now, thinking of that taste, she actually felt her mouth water.

As expected, one should never underestimate the importance of good food. Otherwise, in the end, you’d be tempted to death.

There were four or five important village officials present, along with the two village heads and Qiu Yinuo.

The square table, which could seat eight people, felt quite crowded.

Following Qiu Yinuo’s instructions, no one from Ping’an Village brought up the topic of cooperation. However, Village Head Lin couldn’t sit still. He first expressed Taolin Village’s sincerity, noting that the financial contributions were not small, and some matters still required the consent of most villagers before they could be implemented.

“So, the reason I’m here today is that I hope you can wait a little longer, give each other a chance.”

Village Head Sun looked at Qiu Yinuo, intending to communicate with his eyes.

But he found that her gaze was fixed on the roasted chicken on the table, and she wasn’t even looking at him.

Village Head Sun: …Isn’t this girl supposed to be on a diet?

He cleared his throat lightly to cover his embarrassment and decided to take charge of the situation himself. “Village Head Lin, we understand what you’re saying and empathize with the difficulties you’re facing. However, our village is very determined to make peach preserves, and we’re just afraid that if we wait too long, we might miss the opportunity to… wait, what was I going to say again?”

He turned to Qiu Yinuo for help, looking for the next word. What was he supposed to say next?