"I have no choice, you see. There's land available at the foot of the mountain, but no matter how much I tried to persuade them, the villagers wouldn't budge."
"They either want the village committee to pay them to lease their land, or they want to work for the village committee and get paid wages."
Thinking of the rejections she'd faced, Tian Mengyao sighed.
The village committee was already so poor, how could it afford to be extravagant?
Even if Lin Fan was paying, they still had to be careful with their budget!
What if there were initial difficulties?
What if they encountered natural disasters or calamities?
Tian Mengyao didn't want to take any risks.
The first major project she undertook in Luofeng Village had to be a success, and a brilliant one at that.
The two stood at a high vantage point, feeling as if they were surveying their domain.
They enthusiastically discussed the water flow, where medicinal herbs would grow best, and so on...
After their planning, the barren valley before them seemed to transform into a landscape of green mountains and clear waters.
Vibrant flowers, in their myriad colors, released a pleasant fragrance amidst the lush green medicinal fields!
Butterflies and bees flitted about, diligently at work!
"Xiao Fan, come work with me at the village committee. I promise, we'll achieve great things together!"
Tian Mengyao spread her arms wide, envisioning a bright future.
In her imagination, a poor mountain village, thanks to her efforts, rapidly transformed into a peaceful utopia where everyone lived and worked in contentment!
This thought filled her with vigor!
"Wait a minute, I'm the one investing in the cooperative. If anyone's going to work, it's you working with me, right?"
"It's all the same who works with whom!"
Tian Mengyao found the phrasing a bit awkward, so she added, "It's all about contributing to society!"
Lin Fan straightened his expression and said seriously, "I wholeheartedly support you, and I have absolute faith that you can get the medicinal herb planting cooperative up and running."
"It's just that... I've been thinking, a million yuan might not be enough. Even with additional funds, it might still fall short."
"According to the initial plan, we need to level the steep mountain slopes on both sides and reroute the stream."
"Just thinking about excavators and bulldozers working day and night, the fuel costs alone would be astronomical."
Tian Mengyao felt a moment of embarrassment, then retorted, "You always bring up the most inconvenient things. I never said you had to achieve everything at once."
"We can do it in three phases. Once we start making money, we can invest in the second phase of development."
Lin Fan let out a soft laugh, "Can you afford to wait?"
"I..."
Tian Mengyao was speechless.
In another three years, by the time the village committee elections came around, her father definitely wouldn't let her continue working in Luofeng Village.
According to her family's plans, this was just a period of basic training before she would swiftly climb the ranks!
If she followed her father's arrangements, her future would be smooth sailing!
"We'll deal with the future when it comes."
"Oh."
Lin Fan patted her head playfully and teased, "So you're planning to leave? Then let me pat you a few more times while I can."
"Hiss~"
Tian Mengyao swatted Lin Fan's hand away and said indignantly, "Why are you so annoying?"
Lin Fan spread his hands and retorted righteously, "You almost drove me to heaven today. What's wrong with me patting your head a couple of times?"
Tian Mengyao rolled her eyes. "Even if I go to the ends of the earth, I'll never forget you, you scoundrel!"
"Remember me, and leave behind some good memories."
Lin Fan finished speaking, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He sensed that something was watching him.
He quickly turned and looked towards the distant, hazy mountain range.
Among the rugged peaks, the vegetation was sparse, and the rocks were jagged. It looked no different from usual.
However, he felt a sense of danger!
This premonition clearly warned him that he was about to encounter trouble!
His unusual behavior caught Tian Mengyao's attention. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, let's go back."
Lin Fan said, then grabbed Tian Mengyao's wrist and quickly walked towards the van.
Tian Mengyao looked bewildered. "Xiao Fan, tell me what's happening. Don't scare me!"
Lin Fan forced a smile and explained, "I have no intention of scaring you. Don't you see it's already afternoon?"
"I haven't eaten lunch, and I helped you lift the car. Are you trying to starve me?"
Tian Mengyao said "Oh" and added, "You should have said so earlier. If you had, I would have offered you compressed biscuits."
...
On the way back, Lin Fan was not in the mood to tease Tian Mengyao.
Seeing Lin Fan's solemn expression, Tian Mengyao casually changed the subject. "By the way, Xiao Fan, don't always call me Secretary Tian. When there's no one around, you can call me Little Rabbit, or Mengyao."
She seemed to be in good spirits, as if she had won the lottery.
Lin Fan snapped back to attention and said, "Then I'll call you Little Rabbit."
Tian Mengyao nodded and smiled. "My classmates used to call me that when I was in college."
Lin Fan didn't follow up on that topic. Instead, he asked with a serious expression, "When we're leveling the mountain slopes, can we apply for explosives?"
"Explosives?" Tian Mengyao's beautiful eyes widened. "Why would we need those?"
Tian Mengyao took a deep breath and frowned. "You've been acting strange. Is there something you're hiding from me?"
"Don't overthink it. Using explosives can save a lot of money!"
Lin Fan didn't tell her the truth.
He suspected that whatever was in the mountain cave would try to kill him at any moment.
But he didn't have the confidence to deal with it right now, so he wanted to get some explosives for self-defense.
If all else failed, he would just blow it to hell!
No matter what demons or monsters it was, he would just blast the cave, and then see if it could still come out and cause trouble.
Tian Mengyao huffed, "You only know how to trick me."
Lin Fan spread his hands and instructed, "You're more familiar with official matters. Don't forget to inquire about the additional investment. Don't worry about that, I'll find a way."
Tian Mengyao pouted her lips and replied, "I know! I'll help you ask."
...
They returned to the village safely without incident.
The sense of unease in Lin Fan's heart gradually faded.
He breathed a sigh of relief and cursed inwardly, "Damn it, others fear your poison, but I don't!"
"There's still a large piece of Scarlet Blood Ganoderma. I'll definitely blow you up with it!"
"Xiao Fan, I'll drive you back."
As they neared the village committee, Tian Mengyao intended to drive Lin Fan directly to his clinic.
"No need, it's just a short distance. I can walk back myself."
Lin Fan asked Tian Mengyao to stop the car in front of the village committee.
After getting out, he looked into Tian Mengyao's beautiful eyes and instructed, "No matter what happens, call me anytime. I can tease you, and I can protect you."
"You... Mhmm."
Tian Mengyao nodded and said with a pout, "And don't tease me anymore."
She watched Lin Fan's retreating figure, clenched her small fist, and thought to herself, "You annoying guy!"
Lin Fan didn't reply, but turned and walked away.