Lin Shu called out, “Lu Shaotang?”

“Hmm, it’s me.”

He closed the door, skillfully lit the lamp, poured water, washed up, and then came into the room.

When Lu Shaotang entered, he saw her lying alone on the kang but did not see the children.

“Where are the children?”

Lin Shu’s voice was nasal, “I have a cold, so they are with my parents. You can go to them too.”

But Lu Shaotang undressed and lightly climbed onto the kang, lifting the blanket to get into her bed.

Lin Shu: “!!!”

Don’t take advantage of the situation.

She tried to pull the blanket back, but the man had already settled beside her.

Lin Shu’s voice softened, hiding a kind of unrecognized coquetry, “I have a cold.”

Lu Shaotang gently asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable?” He placed his large hand on her forehead, “Do you have a fever?”

Lin Shu replied, “No, we have a doctor at home, so you don’t need to worry.”

Lu Shaotang relaxed and extended his arm to pull his soft and fragrant wife into his embrace.

Lin Shu stiffened, “…I have a cold.”

Lu Shaotang said, “I just… want to hug you.”

This reminded Lin Shu of the jokes she had read, like, “I just want to snuggle,” or “I just…”

Fortunately, Lu Shaotang meant what he said; he really just hugged her and kept his hands and feet well-behaved.

Originally, Lin Shu felt that being embraced by a man much taller and bigger than herself would be uncomfortable, but…

Fearful, nervous, and resistant, yet when he held her in his arms, she wasn’t afraid at all.

Instead, she felt very safe.

This was thanks to his previous gentle but not excessive contact.

Apart from that one time at the guesthouse, he had only held her hand or allowed her to touch him freely without reacting.

She gradually felt that he posed no danger and lowered her guard.

Now, he could even hold her to sleep.

He had a fresh, pleasant scent, not the smell of soap but his natural pheromones. Everyone has a unique scent, and since she had a sensitive nose, she could smell it more clearly.

She lay quietly with her back against his chest and soon felt how warm he was.

How could his body temperature be so high?

If it were her, this temperature would be considered a fever.

She had napped during the day and slept a few hours at night, so she wasn’t sleepy now.

“Why do you always come back at night?” If someone in the house wakes up, they might think there’s a thief or she’s sneaking someone in.

Lu Shaotang said, “I’m busy during the day.”

Lin Shu asked, “If you’re busy during the day and run around at night, can you get enough rest?”

Lu Shaotang replied, “I can.”

He was much taller and bigger than her.

Although she wasn’t small, she seemed very petite in his embrace.

When he spoke, his breath brushed her ear, making her skin prickle with goosebumps.

She wanted to suggest that he get another blanket so they could sleep separately.

But his embrace was so warm and reassuring, making her feel a strong desire to hold on to it.

He had abs, too; she wanted to touch them.

Lost in such thoughts, she soon fell asleep.

When Lin Shu woke up the next morning, Lu Shaotang had already left.

She was puzzled.

Apart from the times when they weren’t home, Lu Shaotang had come back four times at night.

Not only did the neighbors not notice, but even the brigade’s dogs didn’t bark.

If someone with similar skills sneaked into the village at night, they might not be noticed.

Especially in the dead of winter, when people slept soundly, they might not even feel someone entering the house.

Now that every household had received some bonus money, it was important to be cautious.

She decided to remind her mother-in-law and suggest that the brigade arrange for night patrols.

With the combined effects of chicken soup, acupuncture plasters, and Lu Shaotang’s human-shaped hot water bottle, Lin Shu felt much better in the morning.

Tian Tian and Pan Pan ran over to her and whispered, “Dad came back last night, and he even gave us kisses before leaving.”

Every time she said, “I’ll definitely wake up when Dad comes back,” but she never managed to wake up, even when Panpan was carried by Lu Shaotang to go pee.

Little children sleep so soundly.

Although Lin Shu felt a bit better, she didn’t immediately go to the accounting office and still asked Big Brother Lu Dage for help.

She was pleased to hear that everyone praised Brother Lu Dage and was quite happy about it.

When her cold was completely gone, the team was preparing for the upcoming leadership election.

The election included: the team leader, production team leaders, accountants, women’s director, and security director.

The team secretary was not elected; this position was appointed directly by the commune.

The team leader was nominated by the secretary based on daily work, the commune nominated two candidates based on the data, and then the core team members voted.

Production team leaders were nominated by the team secretary and the team leader, and elected by the production team members.

The other positions were similar.

The team accountant was usually nominated by the team secretary, the team leader also nominated one, and another person was put up as a backup, for the members to vote on.

The process of the election was quite flexible.

No matter how the voting went, the final choice was generally a person selected by the commune and the secretary.

The secretary was appointed by the commune, and the secretary’s choice was basically the one who took office in the end.

There were no surprises for the other positions.

The secretary and team leader remained the same, the production team leader of Lujiacun was unchanged, and other production teams had one replacement.

The biggest change was the accountant.

At the election meeting, Lu Shaocai was furious when he saw the list of candidates written by Zhang Peijin on the blackboard!

This secretary was too much; he was scheming behind his back!

This time, there were three candidates for the team accountant position: Lu Shaocai, Lu Changgong, and Lu Shaofeng.

Lu Shaofeng was Big Brother Lu Dage real name.

Lu Changgong was nearly scared to death. How could he dare to run for team accountant against his two uncles?

He didn’t know, he didn’t know anything, it wasn’t his fault!

Big Brother Lu Dage was also surprised.

Why was he even running for team accountant?

Wasn’t he supposed to be the assistant accountant?

The assistant accountant was a position he had given himself, but in reality, it was just a helper.

The team secretary said, “As usual, everyone will vote for the candidates.

The convention is to mostly vote for the one listed first, as that is the one recommended by the commune and the secretary.

The others, especially the last one, are generally just backups.

Now, the last candidate is Big Brother Lu Dage, and everyone is quite satisfied with him.

Compared to Lu Shaocai, Lu Shaofeng is extremely useful.

Vote for him!”

Who else could they choose?

Apart from Wang Pozi’s family, all the others, including Old Chang’s family and the families of the women beaten by Fang Dihua, voted for Lu Shaocai.

Even Widow Sun’s family voted for Lu Shaocai.

Lu Shaocai was quite pleased that more people were still voting for him!

Then Zhang Peijin voted for Brother Lu Dage.

Old Chang stared in disbelief. “What’s going on?”

Zhang Peijin quickly turned his head to look at the blackboard, pretending he didn’t know anything, as if he had sleepwalked into casting her vote for red beans.

Families that were friendly with Fang Dihua, Lin Shu, and Sister-in-law Lu Da naturally voted for Brother Lu Dage.

Originally, Old Lu’s old comrades would have definitely voted for Brother Lu Dage as well.

Even if Old Lu hadn’t said anything, even if he had told them to vote for Lu Shaocai, they wouldn’t have wanted to.

Who wouldn’t want to elect a village official who can get things done?

Lu Shaocai often made mistakes calculating work points for the members.

When approached, he would curse and refuse to recalculate.

If the members went to the brigade leader or secretary, he grudgingly recalculated but never admitted his mistakes.

Now that the secretary was showing signs of wanting to replace the accountant, they were naturally inclined to vote for a change.

If the commune and secretary didn’t want to remove Lu Shaocai, the only alternatives would be candidates like Lu Changong, who were even less competent than Lu Shaocai, rather than someone better than him.

The secretary and brigade leader did want to replace Lu Shaocai.

They had considered new candidates, and if Lu Shaocai was removed, they would need to select someone from the Lu family.

Replacing Lu Shaocai with a family member who is more capable was acceptable.

There was nothing wrong with it, and Lu Shaocai’s complaints to his father were of no consequence.

Moreover, the new candidate had to have a good reputation in the brigade.

Choosing an average person, even if they could do the accounting, would lead to dissatisfaction among the members, which would be a troublesome situation.

A son or daughter-in-law of Old Lu’s family wouldn’t have this issue, as they would have the necessary prestige to command respect.

They preferred Lin Shu, and privately inquired with Fang Dihua.

Lin Shu herself refused and recommended Brother Lu Dage instead.

They felt that Brother Lu Dage, with his capabilities and position similar to Lu Shaocai, was far superior and more effective, making them more willing to elect him as the accountant.

Brother Lu Dage was elected with an overwhelming number of votes.

The members were pleased with their choice and applauded.

The women’s director remained the same as before.

The position didn’t have much significance for the members, and Wang Lijuan herself had little presence.

She mostly went to meetings at the commune or county, and had minimal presence in the brigade.

To the members, the position seemed like a mere formality, just a way to provide someone with work points and a salary supplement, essentially maintaining her as a non-essential figure.

The women’s director herself also had no special skills.

She felt quite aggrieved.

Even when she tried to mediate during the women’s fights, they didn’t give her any face.

She was so upset that she wanted to tell the secretary and the team leader that she was quitting and they should find someone else.

The secretary reassured her to continue, saying it was just the usual situation.

Wang Lijuan became the women’s director because her aunt was in the county’s Women’s Federation.

Even though she lacked ability, the team didn’t need her to do much, and the secretary and team leader didn’t really care who held the position.

When Big Brother Lu Dage received the appointment, he was still in shock.

He went home to confirm with Fang Dihua and others, “Am I really the accountant now?”

“Am I this amazing?”

“I knew I was extraordinary, it couldn’t be just anyone!”

Lu Erge responded affirmatively, recognizing his exceptional nature, while Fang Dihua gave him a big eye roll.

If it weren’t for your sister-in-law, would you have had a chance?

Lu Dage’s wife wasn’t home; she had taken the tractor to the commune for maintenance.

For tractor drivers, the tractor is like a child that needs careful attention.

Since Big Brother Lu Dage was elected as the team accountant, Lin Shu, having recovered from her cold and with her taste returning, specially prepared a feast to celebrate.

Clam meat stewed with radish, spicy stir-fried cabbage hearts, chive and egg pies…

When Lu Dage’s wife returned home, they began the feast.

Old Man Lu was happy and specifically asked Lu Dage and Lu Erge to have a few drinks with him.

Lin Shu also made hawthorn and pear water with white sugar for the children.

Each child received a bowl.

Panpan, holding her bowl, raised it towards Big Brother Lu, “Uncle, you’re amazing. I want to congratulate you.”

Big Brother Lu Dage picked up his small wine cup and clinked it with hers, smiling, “I wish I could enjoy myself like you do.”

Drinking from such a large bowl, it must be quite enjoyable!

Old Man Lu gave his wife a look, thinking, “He just became an accountant and already starts showing off. He really needs a lesson.”

Fang Dihua said, “Being an accountant isn’t for you to show off and enjoy life; it’s for doing real work for the members. If you slack off, drink too much, make mistakes in the accounts, watch me give you a beating.”

Big Brother Lu Dage: “…”

Why say such depressing things on a day of celebration?

How dare he?

He secretly nudged his wife for help.

Lu Da laughed, “Mom, he’s just playing with the kids. Give him a tea bowl, and he wouldn’t dare to drink more. He’s afraid of drinking more than three small cups.”

She stole some of Old Man Lu’s wine for him.

He would only drink up to three small cups; any more would make him afraid of getting drunk, making a fool of himself, and getting beaten, which wasn’t worth it.

While they were happily celebrating, next door, Lu Shaocai was crying and hitting a basin with a bowl, “Oh my mother—why did you die so early—oh my grandfather—no one is taking care of your eldest grandson—”