After Lin Qingshuang left, Sun Yinglun looked at Lin Fan with anticipation, "Doctor Lin, it seems you're not only skilled in medicine but also very sharp-witted!"
"Indeed, those skilled in medicine often have sharp minds. Your business acumen is so impressive that even someone like me, who has been in the business world for over a decade, admires it!"
Lin Fan smiled humbly, "Elder Sun, you flatter me. I'm just a junior."
"Doctor Lin, you're helping Miss Lin so much, do you have feelings for her?" Sun Yinglun suddenly asked.
Lin Fan gave an awkward smile, "Elder Sun, what are you saying? I'm helping Lin Qingshuang because she helped me before, it's not what you think."
"Hahaha… they say even heroes can't resist a beautiful woman, but I didn't expect Doctor Lin to have such high standards, not even looking at a beauty like Miss Lin? Your sights are too high!" Sun Yinglun teased.
He then cupped his hands, "Doctor Lin, I have some matters to attend to at my shop, so I won't keep you any longer."
In the kitchen.
Lin Qingshuang had already instructed the chefs to start cooking. Only a few people were around, and their expressions were very solemn.
The cooking methods for these two dishes were simple, and they were quickly prepared.
Lin Qingshuang took a bite, "The taste is good!"
"Besides the medicinal herbs, I've added a few fresh ingredients, so the taste is definitely up to par."
Lin Fan walked in, smiling proudly.
"Miss Lin, your beauty is captivating. Eating this will also enhance it, though I don't recommend eating too much. Twice a week for a month, and your skin will become fairer and more elastic."
He said this very seriously.
A blush appeared on Lin Qingshuang's face.
Although many people had praised her beauty since she was young, for some reason, hearing Lin Fan say this made her feel very shy.
After giving some instructions, Lin Fan returned to Luofeng Village.
There were things to do both inside and outside the village.
People seeking medical treatment, matters concerning the spiritual herb garden, the fish pond, and road repairs…
Fortunately, Xia Xue was there to help.
If Lin Fan had listened to Liu Feng and become the village head, he would be completely overwhelmed now.
—
At the Wang family's residence, Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang had just returned from the spiritual herb garden and coincidentally met their neighbor Old Zhao, who had come to visit.
"Old Zhao, why are you here?"
"I came to see you. What about you? Did you just come back from the fields?"
"Yes, just returned. Come, have a seat inside."
At Uncle Wang's invitation, Old Zhao entered the house.
The two sat down and chatted.
Aunt Wang brought over steaming hot tea. Old Zhao thanked her and then said, "I came today to ask if you are planting medicinal herbs with Xiao Fan now?"
Aunt Wang nodded, "Yes."
Old Zhao showed an envious expression, "This is great news! I heard Old Zhang followed Xiao Fan to plant herbs and earned twenty thousand yuan overnight!"
"Sigh~"
Aunt Wang sighed, "Don't just look at how much Grandpa Zhang earned; we might not even make any money!"
Old Zhao was taken aback, "Why do you say that?"
Aunt Wang explained, "Xiao Fan wants to spend half of the money we earn to repair the village roads. Isn't that ridiculous? Why should we spend the money we worked hard to earn on repairing the village roads? Right!"
Uncle Wang chimed in, "This kid is truly a living Bodhisattva, but he shouldn't use our money to do good deeds! Where is the logic in that?"
"Did you agree?"
"Of course not. If we had agreed, we wouldn't have made any money."
All three of them believed that repairing the village roads was not a good thing.
People like them were quite selfish.
Not only that, but they were also ungrateful and spoke ill of Lin Fan. Their words became increasingly harsh, even accusing Lin Fan of trying to rob them of their money.
"Xiao Fan is really out of line," Old Zhao said indignantly.
"Yes, fortunately, we refused at the time," Aunt Wang said with relief.
Uncle Wang interjected, "That carpenter Zhang can't see clearly and insists on repairing the road with Lin Fan. We're not going to bother with him anymore."
—
Meanwhile, at Hope Primary School, Lin Fan was unaware that people were speaking ill of him.
Jianghudou Xue's face turned slightly red, "I'm truly sorry to trouble you with such a trivial matter."
Lin Fan waved his hand with a smile, "The former principal specifically instructed me before his retirement to help manage the school more. Since I promised, I will never go back on my word."
He added, "I asked Qin Yuyan yesterday. A new principal will be arranged soon. Song Mengling's dormitory is also under construction. I'll urge them along, and then there shouldn't be any other problems, right?"
Jianghudou Xue lowered her eyes, "Yes, there are no other issues. However… I'd like to ask you for one more favor."
"Don't hesitate, just say it. Given our relationship, I won't refuse if I can help," Lin Fan said readily.
Jianghudou Xue hesitated, "A friend invited me to have a meal and hang out with her, but… I…"
She didn't finish her sentence.
Lin Fan smiled, "Go on, look at you, like a young girl about to get married."
After a long pause, Jianghudou Xue finally said, "It's my best friend, and she keeps urging me to find a boyfriend and even introduces me to potential suitors. I'm annoyed, you know?"
Lin Fan pondered for a moment and understood.
She wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend!
"Am I good enough?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.
"Of course, you are. I'd be overjoyed if you could be my boyfriend," Jianghudou Xue replied truthfully.
Her date with her best friend was scheduled for the weekend. They would have dinner at a restaurant in Yunqing City, then go shopping, and finally visit an amusement park.
Jianghudou Xue was accustomed to this kind of lifestyle, but Lin Fan wasn't.
The weekend arrived quickly, and the two women met as planned.
"Xiao Xue!"
"Xiao Qian!"
It seemed the sisters hadn't seen each other in a long time, and they immediately embraced.
"Xiao Xue, I missed you so much!"
"Me too!"
The two women hugged for a full minute before letting go, making Lin Fan a little envious.
Sun Qian was accompanied by a young man.
"Xiao Qian, is this Miss Jianghudou Xue? She's so beautiful!"
"Yes! She's my best friend, Jianghudou Xue. Xiao Xue, this is Liang Yun…"
As Ye Qian spoke, her gaze suddenly fell upon Lin Fan, and her voice abruptly stopped.
She had intended to introduce Liang Yun to Jianghudou Xue as her boyfriend, but unexpectedly, Jianghudou Xue brought a man with her, making the situation extremely awkward.
"Xiao Xue, who is this?"
Sun Qian looked at Lin Fan curiously.
Jianghudou Xue's face turned red, "This is my boyfriend, Lin Fan."
Upon hearing the word "boyfriend," Sun Qian's smile froze.
"From the countryside?"
Jianghudou Xue nodded slightly, "Yes, he lives in Luofeng Village, the village closest to the school."
"Sigh~"
Sun Qian sighed helplessly and looked at Liang Yun with an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect Xiao Xue to have a boyfriend."
"I'm sorry for making you come all this way for nothing."