Watching Su Shuochi leave, a smile spread across the village chief’s face. He then turned to the few village cadres beside him and said.

"In a bit, you all go and distribute those clothes. Let’s give everyone a reason to celebrate."

Everyone chimed in, "Yes, yes, of course! Brother Su is amazing. Who knows where he got so many nice clothes."

"He’s a man of great ability. Didn’t you all see how nice the clothes he’s wearing are?"

"I saw them. Not only are they nice, but they look expensive at a glance. I wonder where he bought them."

"Oh-ho, you’re asking about that? Even if you knew where to buy them, you couldn’t afford them!"

"Heh heh, I’m just curious, that’s all. The person who bought those clothes has great taste!"

Su Shuochi didn’t pay much mind to the other comments, but he quite liked the one about the person who bought the clothes having great taste.

He couldn’t help but glance back at the man. ’To become a village cadre before the age of thirty, he must have some real ability.’

Su Shuochi took note of him. ’Perhaps I could have him manage the medicinal herb garden.’

Wang Chuanli had no idea that good fortune was about to come his way. His eyes shone with admiration as he gazed at Su Shuochi’s tall, retreating figure.

Su Ermei didn’t wait at the village entrance. Having heard her big brother was returning, she was busy slaughtering a chicken and stewing meat.

The villagers had given all of it to her brother. For the past few days, her family of three had been eating meat every day.

She definitely had to prepare a good meal to welcome her brother, so she was more than happy to be busy.

Da Ya went with her father to clear the wasteland. Hu Yungeng tilled the soil while Da Ya gathered firewood; the father-daughter duo worked very well together.

The Hu family was trying to curry favor with Su Ermei now, so they didn’t dare go to the Su family to freeload.

The Hu family’s youngest son had lost his temporary job in town because of his sister’s divorce.

He could only return home dejectedly to farm. But having not held a hoe in years, he got blood blisters on his hands after just one day of work.

Old Mrs. Hu’s heart ached for her youngest son, so despite her age, she went to clear the wasteland herself, letting her son follow behind and gather firewood.

As long as they didn’t cause any trouble, the villagers wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for them. At the end of the day, the villagers were fundamentally simple and honest people.

The Wang Family had many hands to work. Because they were paid their wages daily, their income was quite good, and they even had a lot of extra firewood.

Thus, they were full of motivation, and their previous feud with Hu Yungeng had also been resolved.

The new township head arrived in Shuanghe Village early in the morning and was greeted by a scene of harmony and cheerful activity.

He had brought not only the township’s leadership team but also the chiefs of other villages to observe and learn.

He first announced some matters regarding the busy farming season next year, and then informed the villagers that Shuanghe Village would become a base for cultivating medicinal herbs.

Planting medicinal herbs on reclaimed land was something the other villagers should learn, as well as the methods for cultivating them.

They could choose to plant the herbs themselves, or have one person take on the contract and hire others to do the planting.

No matter how the herbs were planted, Comrade Su Shuochi would be willing to purchase the entire harvest at market price, and no taxes would be charged.

The township head added that anyone who was bold enough could even dedicate all their family’s land to growing medicinal herbs.

Su Shuochi was willing to lead everyone in this endeavor for the good of his hometown, hoping everyone could have full bellies and warm clothes.

Medicinal herbs were a good thing. If everyone could grow the herbs well, they could also receive a reward from the government.

This was the government’s way of being responsible to the people and rewarding their pioneering spirit in clearing the wasteland.

The township head said many encouraging things, but still, no one in the village was willing to grow the medicinal herbs themselves.

They preferred to work each day and get paid in cash on that same day. Waiting for a payout that would only come later felt like too long of a gamble.

Everyone was just thinking about earning money to support their families. If planting herbs caused them to lose their daily income, it simply wouldn’t be worth it.

But not a single person spoke up. The villagers just stood listlessly on the village’s large threshing ground.

No one responded to the township head, nor did they even whisper amongst themselves. They were all as quiet as mice.

Even though they were anxious or had their own ideas, they didn’t dare make a peep. In those days, a township head was an intimidating figure.

Seeing their reaction, the township head looked at Su Shuochi helplessly. "Comrade Su, was my idea wrong?"

’I just want to serve the people with all my heart,’ he thought, ’but they don’t seem to appreciate it!’

"Your idea isn’t wrong, but their concerns are also understandable," Su Shuochi said. "They’re worried that if the harvest is poor, all their efforts will be for nothing."

Su Shuochi looked at the sea of dark-haired heads. Everyone was restless. ’They must be worried about not getting paid today.’

He raised his hands high. "Everyone, please be patient! All of you here today will be paid your wages as usual, and—"

"Really? Brother Su, we’re getting paid even though we haven’t worked today?" a man asked in disbelief.

"You heard him right, that’s what Brother Su said! How dare you interrupt him?"

"Heh heh, I was just worried my ears were ringing and I misheard!" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You heard right. Next year, most of the land in our village will be planted with medicinal herbs. As long as we plant them, we get paid. Whether the harvest is good or not isn’t our problem."

"Gou Sheng, your attitude is all wrong! How can you think like that? We have to do our best to grow these herbs properly to live up to what Brother Su is doing for us."

"Exactly! Xiao Wu is right. A lazy bum like you deserves to be paid only one jiao a day."

"That’s right. Our village’s Gou Sheng isn’t good at anything except eating! Ha ha."

"..."

"..."

The villagers on the threshing ground all started talking at once, and the scene instantly erupted with noise.

The township head: ...

So that’s how it was. A single promise of wages from Comrade Su could liven everyone up, while he had pulled an all-nighter preparing a brilliant speech!

For a moment there, he’d thought the villagers hadn’t taken in a word he’d said!

It turned out they had heard everything; they just hadn’t responded. The young township head felt a wave of defeat.

Su Shuochi patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You can continue."

"Comrade Su, why don’t you speak instead? I’ll learn from your innovative ideas along with everyone else."

"In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony." Su Shuochi then turned back to the crowd and said, "Everyone, quiet down. I need a few people to go and buy a pig for slaughter."

"Our new township head is treating everyone to a pig-slaughter feast today! Let’s give a warm round of applause to welcome the new township head to Shuanghe Village to guide our work!"

CLAP... CLAP... CLAP...

Everyone applauded with unprecedented enthusiasm. They were probably just excited to be having pork again.

The applause was exceptionally loud, but the young township head didn’t realize the true reason for it.

His face flushed with excitement. "That’s right! I’m treating everyone to a pig-slaughter feast today!"

"Thank you, Township Head! You’re truly a good official!"

"Many thanks, Lord Blue Sky!"

"......"

The villagers’ endless stream of praise made Song Zijie laugh so hard that tears streamed down his face. He leaned close to Su Shuochi’s ear and whispered.

"They’ll sing the praises of anyone who feeds them. The promise of some pork, and they’re already calling him ’Lord Blue Sky,’ ha ha ha... Su, these villagers are truly adorable."

After that, the atmosphere became much more harmonious. Su Shuochi had finalized the plans for planting the medicinal herbs.