"You're finally married to me."
"Hehehe."
In the early morning, Lin Fan let out a silly chuckle in his sleep, a grin on his face.
"Sizzling."
"Villagers, it's time to get to work. If you're interested in participating in collective labor, please gather at the village committee."
"Villagers..."
"The medicinal herb planting cooperative belongs to all the villagers of Luofeng Village. Its growth and development cannot be achieved without everyone's help and support. I hope we can work together, unite as one, and forge a better tomorrow with our own sweat!"
Lin Fan turned over and pulled the blanket over his head.
However, he could still hear the voice from the loudspeaker clearly.
"What's going on with Tian Mengyao? I've only been back for one day, can't a person get a good night's sleep?"
Lin Fan rubbed his sleepy eyes and said angrily.
He got up, put on his clothes, and planned to go to the village committee to have a look.
Village Committee Office.
Tian Mengyao had been pleading persuasively for a long time, but the courtyard was still quiet, with no one arriving.
"Secretary."
Aunt Li and her husband stood by, awkwardly and guiltily. "It's all our fault. If my old man hadn't been so loose-lipped, it wouldn't have turned out like this."
Tian Mengyao turned off the loudspeaker and sighed, "It has nothing to do with you. I didn't handle it well."
"You old fool, Secretary Tian is so good to us. Look at the mess you've made!"
Aunt Li was furious and hit her husband several times.
"Huh? Why is there no one here?"
Lin Fan arrived at the village committee and looked at the deserted courtyard with some confusion.
When he heard the loudspeaker in the morning, he thought the village committee courtyard would be full by now.
Had everyone left?
Lin Fan walked towards the secretary's office.
As he reached the doorway, he heard a sigh: "Alright, no one is willing to come. We'll do it ourselves. Come on, let's get the tools and head to the mountain."
After Tian Mengyao finished speaking, she was just about to get up when Lin Fan happened to walk in.
"Xiao Fan!"
"You're back!"
Tian Mengyao called out joyfully.
"Xiao Fan, you're finally back!"
Aunt Li and her husband exclaimed excitedly.
"What's up? You guys look so happy?"
Lin Fan was a bit at a loss. "I was only away for three or four days. Meng... Secretary Tian, what are you doing? I heard you shouting on the loudspeaker this morning, why is no one outside?"
Tian Mengyao pouted, looking wronged.
Aunt Li said guiltily, "Xiao Fan, this is all our fault."
Lin Fan was surprised. "What does it have to do with you?"
"It's all because my old man, after a few drinks, doesn't know his own name and goes around spouting nonsense."
Aunt Li slapped her thigh, filled with indignation.
"Don't worry, take your time and tell me."
Lin Fan helped Aunt Li to a chair and listened patiently.
It turned out that the reason no one responded to Tian Mengyao's call was indeed related to her husband.
Last year, Lin Fan had casually mentioned that Tian Mengyao should assign the job of cleaning Cao Dewang's villa to Aunt Li and her husband.
Tian Mengyao thought that since he was paying, she might as well do them a favor and pay them one hundred yuan per day.
In big cities, this amount wasn't much, and even construction workers earned more than this.
However, in the poor and remote Luofeng Village, it was a very generous remuneration.
Aunt Li and her husband cherished this hard-earned job and worked for over twenty days, only reporting to the village committee a few days before the New Year.
Tian Mengyao didn't skimp and directly gave them five thousand yuan in wages, which made the old couple ecstatic.
The problem was, after the turn of the year, the cooperative's construction became the top priority for Luofeng Village.
When Tian Mengyao planned to mobilize the village labor force, she was shocked to find that no one showed up, even though she was offering eighty yuan for men and fifty yuan for women!
Even the old men in their sixties and seventies found her wages too low, considering the hard and tiring work.
"Xiao Fan, I swear to heaven!"
Tian Mengyao had a distressed look on her face. "You know the situation in our village. There are very few young laborers, and none like you."
She paused and added, "I've consulted with the secretary of Xiajiagou and Secretary Wang from the neighboring village. They both think this wage is reasonable."
"Besides, many people who came at first were just slacking off. After I reprimanded them, they refused to come the next day."
"I really can't understand why they are so indifferent, even though I've said that everyone will get a share of the profits at the end of the year."
Lin Fan chuckled, "Why else? It's not about poverty, it's about unequal distribution."
He turned to the elderly couple and said, "You two go back first. I'll discuss it with Secretary Tian and see what we can do."
"Okay."
Aunt Li replied and suggested, "Xiao Fan, why don't we return the money to the village committee? That way, everyone will feel more balanced."
"It's too late."
Lin Fan shrugged. "Don't you worry about it. I'll handle it."
After the elderly couple left, only Lin Fan and Tian Mengyao remained in the office.
The moment their eyes met, a deep affection surged between them.
"Mengyao."
"Hmph, your Mengyao is so annoyed, I'm not in the mood for intimacy."
"What's bothering you? Just over such a small matter?"
Lin Fan walked behind her and placed his hands on her delicate shoulders. "Don't be bothered anymore. I'll help you solve it."
"How will you solve it? Buy people's hearts with money?"
Tian Mengyao grumbled, "You have no idea. I've been shouting until my throat is sore every day, and no one pays attention to me. I'm so depressed."
She glared at Lin Fan. "Let me tell you, once you start offering high wages, you can't lower them later. Historical experience tells us that the 'big pot rice' system cannot last. Now the cooperative is struggling, we have to pay villagers, and we have to distribute profits at the end of the year. Where will we have the resources to develop in the future?"
"I... Strange, where did Wu Lei go?"
Lin Fan suddenly remembered that Village Chief Wu Lei, who was always hovering around Tian Mengyao, was nowhere to be seen.
"Him?"
Tian Mengyao said impatiently, "He's been on sick leave for many days, saying he has cholecystitis and needs to recuperate at home."
"Oh~"
Lin Fan drew out his words, and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.
"So that's what happened."
"Xiao Fan, what do you mean?"
Tian Mengyao didn't understand. "Could it be that Village Chief Wu is also causing trouble?"
"Causing trouble is unlikely, but I guess Wu Lei is definitely waiting at home for you to beg him."
Lin Fan sneered, "When the tiger is away, the monkeys rule the mountain. Wu Lei is trying his best to prove his worth."
Tian Mengyao's face darkened.
If Wu Lei was the monkey, then what was she?
"Never mind him for now. Tell me, what are your ideas?"
Tian Mengyao sighed, "According to my budget, by the end of summer or early autumn at the latest, the village committee's account will be empty!"
"By then, the herbs won't be ready for harvest. I don't know what to do!"
"Right, don't talk about giving money. Your money didn't come from the wind!"
Tian Mengyao emphasized the last sentence.
"Ha!"
Lin Fan laughed.