Chapter 45

Unknowingly, several months passed in a flash. School was on break, and everything for the property in the tourist area had been set up.

The area had been transformed into a large lake. The parking lot, homestays, and viewing tower were all completed, including interior decorations, but the lake itself remained bare.

Originally, the lake was about one mu in size. Now, it had been expanded, covering 36 mu in total—approximately .12 square meters—with the water surface alone taking up 20 mu, around .4 square meters.

The lake was neither too big nor too small.

The buildings were constructed in a traditional wooden style, blending perfectly with the forested mountains.

“Even with such a large space and a lake, it doesn’t guarantee visitors will come. After all, the city already has Wanghai Park, which is similar to this place but much bigger, and we’re still in the suburbs.”

Wanghai Park was a landmark in Wumeng City, built during the Qing Dynasty with a history of several hundred years. It was backed by Phoenix Mountain, and most visitors chose to go there, making it difficult to compete.

“I’m not stopping here. I’ve already ordered a batch of boats and plan to plant lotus flowers in the lake to create a boating experience.”

“Can lotuses even grow here?” Lin Nanxuan questioned skeptically. While lotus flowers could be found in many parts of Wumeng City, she wasn’t sure if the soil here was suitable.

Lin Nanzhi merely smiled without answering.

Without spiritual spring water, she wouldn’t have taken such a risk. But with it… not only would the lotus flowers thrive, but she could also create a crystal-clear lake with no muddy residue. By raising koi fish in it, the attraction would naturally draw people in.

Wanghai Park might be entertaining, but it didn’t offer the same experience.

The water there was bare; aside from admiring ancient architecture, visitors could only walk along the lake’s edge, suffering under the heat. Here, however, the area was surrounded by forests, making it much cooler with the breeze. Visitors could also row boats among the lotus flowers, adding a sense of enjoyment.

Seeing Lin Nanzhi’s confident expression, and recalling how well her fruit trees had grown, Lin Nanxuan decided not to interfere.

The next day, Lu Nanzhi arranged for several water tankers, each filled with spiritual spring water. They drew additional water from the village’s lake and transported it to the mountain lake. The process took three full days to reach the required water level—after all, the tankers couldn’t run non-stop for 24 hours.

Once the lake was full, Lin Nanzhi brought out prepared lotus seeds. She hired villagers who wouldn’t get seasick and had them board newly delivered wooden boats, carefully scattering the seeds in the water.

The seeds weren’t just randomly thrown; they followed a planned design, leaving open pathways for boats to pass through and ensuring an aesthetically pleasing layout from above.

However, the villagers, while fine with the boats, didn’t know how to row them. So, Lin Nanzhi had to post a hiring notice online and temporarily put the planting on hold. After all, it was already past the blooming season.

Apart from hiring boatmen, she also needed a chef for the homestay. Although Father Lin was a great cook, he was too busy with the orchard to take on the role.

She also needed cleaners and security personnel. As for the front desk, since Mother Lin didn’t want to be idle, she took the position, but two additional hires were still necessary for shift rotation.

During this time, Lin Nanzhi also taught her mother how to use a computer at home, since handling check-ins at the front desk required some computer skills.

The next day, the village organized a meeting. Unlike other villages, this one required all members of the second group to attend—men, women, and children alike.

Lin Nanzhi immediately thought of the rumors circulating recently.

The old village chief had passed away, and his son had temporarily taken over. However, his performance was lacking, so the village planned to elect a new chief. Since there was no clear candidate, they decided to hold a vote among the villagers.

Sure enough, upon arriving at the village meeting, all major officials were present. They announced the election and introduced the candidates. Lin Nanzhi wasn’t surprised to see her father’s name on the list—after all, he was well-respected, always willing to help others, and one of the more educated villagers. Plus, their family’s wealth made him a favorable choice.

What did surprise her was that Lin Nanye’s name was also on the list.

Her father was an expected nominee, but Lin Nanye, a young man, being considered was unexpected. However, thinking about his capabilities, she realized it made sense.

Aside from the two of them, the other candidates included the former village chief’s son, a high school student from another family, and two middle-aged villagers.

“Alright, these six candidates will be up for election. Everyone can write down the name of their choice and drop it in the ballot box. If you can’t write, just note the corresponding number.”

Since many villagers were illiterate, each candidate held a numbered sign from one to six for easy identification.

Lin Nanye was number six, while Father Lin was number three.

Although the entire group attended the meeting, not everyone was eligible to vote. Only selected individuals received a ballot, while the rest could only observe.

Lin Nanzhi and Lin Nanxun weren’t eligible, so in their family, only Mother Lin got a ballot. Without hesitation, she voted for number six.

Since the process was anonymous, voters weren’t afraid of offending anyone. One by one, they marked their choices and placed the ballots in the box, after which officials began counting aloud. Each vote was marked as a tally under the candidate’s name on the board.

Lin Nanye didn’t want to be village chief and was more of a filler candidate, receiving only three votes. Even the outsider high schooler received seven votes, while the rest had over ten each.

There were over fifty voters. Combined, Lin Nanye and the high schooler barely made up one-tenth of the votes, while the others each had around ten percent.

In the end, Father Lin won.

The former chief’s son received ten votes, and the remaining three candidates had close competition, but Father Lin won by two votes, securing the position of the new village chief.

The villagers congratulated him, but Lin Nanzhi felt it wasn’t a great job. Despite being called “village chief,” he wasn’t a government employee, earning only half the salary of an official while having significantly more responsibilities.

However, seeing how happy her father was, she didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm. Instead, she started thinking of ways to make his job easier.

Unlike other villages, this one was large and divided into multiple sections. The loudspeaker was only in the central village and couldn’t reach everyone. Although a WeChat group had been set up and smartphones were becoming common, not everyone had one.

For now, the village chief had to personally go door to door for announcements, which was a hassle. It might be better to install a large loudspeaker. By next year, more villagers would likely have smartphones.

After all, every family had young people.

If nothing else, they could encourage each household to buy at least one smartphone. With so many affordable brands available now, some models cost as little as one or two hundred yuan.

As Lin Nanzhi considered these options, Father Lin was also thinking about how to improve the village’s livelihood.

“Maybe we should plant fruit trees?”

The moment he voiced the idea, Lin Nanzhi immediately shot it down.