Chapter 32: Chapter 32: The Village Chief’s Face Turned from Ashen to Snow-White

Zhou Huaijin didn’t speak very loudly, but since everyone knew the TV station was coming, all the villagers—busy or not—had spruced themselves up and made their way to the village entrance to see what was going on. After all, if they happened to get caught on camera, they’d be on TV, right?

So, of course, the surrounding villagers heard every word he said.

Immediately, someone retorted, unconvinced, "Young man, what are you talking about? The roads in our village were all built by Brother Dali!"

"That’s right! And the streetlights, the exercise equipment—Dali was the one who had all that installed. What’s it got to do with Chi Yuanshan?"

"You said it. When Chi Yuanshan was hauling in money by the sackful, he never thought of us. The second he went broke, he came crawling back. Fine, come back if you want, but then he goes and frames Brother Dali, sending him to prison! A man like that donating money for roads? Pah!"

"Hey you, you’re not from our village, so you don’t get it. Don’t just run your mouth. Our village is what it is today all thanks to Brother Dali and the village chief!"

...

Listening to the villagers all talking at once, the village chief’s expression soured. He wiped the sweat from his brow. "All right, all right, that’s all in the past. Let’s not bring it up. Aren’t we supposed to be doing an interview? Why don’t we head into the village for a tour first and talk later."

But in his heart, he was raining curses down on the meddlesome Zhou Huaijin.

If he weren’t worried about offending him and jeopardizing the whole deal with the base, the village chief would have loved to give Zhou Huaijin a couple of good smacks. ’Why does he have to bring up the one thing we shouldn’t be talking about?’

But Zhou Huaijin acted as if he couldn’t read the room at all, declaring with a look of pure righteousness, "That’s impossible. How could my junior lie? Besides, you can’t fake something like this. Wouldn’t that be fraud?!"

Just as both sides were digging in their heels, refusing to yield, a crisp, clear voice called out from behind the crowd. "Senior, I’ve been waiting for ages. What are you doing here?"

Zhou Huaijin, feigning indignation, turned to the approaching Chi Wan. "Ah, Junior, you’re just in time. They’re calling me a liar. How am I a liar? Your father clearly donated the money, didn’t he?"

Chi Wan put on a shy, slightly surprised expression. "This... Oh dear, Senior, my dad only wanted to do a good deed quietly. He never intended to broadcast it. I only told you because you asked. How... how did you end up mentioning it in front of everyone?"

Zhou Huaijin raised his voice. "See? I told you it was her father who donated the money, but they refuse to believe me, insisting it was Liu Dali. I mean, come on, a guy like Liu Dali? He has zero respect for contracts, tried to seize the orchard when the lease was up, and even landed himself in prison. Would someone like that really do so much good?"

An older woman cut Zhou Huaijin off. Her scornful eyes scanned Chi Wan before she said indignantly, "Young man, watch your mouth! All of us watched Dali build this road piece by piece. He personally oversaw the entire installation of the streetlights. How can you steal his credit and slander him at the same time?

"And as for the prison thing, we’ve known Dali for years. We all know what kind of man he is. For all we know, this little chit of a girl here framed him because she didn’t want to return the orchard!"

Hearing the older woman’s words, Chi Wan gave Zhou Huaijin an ’I told you so’ look.

Zhou Huaijin was gobsmacked by the villagers’ tendency to side with their own, regardless of the facts. He finally understood why Chi Wan had gone to such great lengths to orchestrate this drama.

As soon as the older woman spoke, the other villagers chimed in with their support.

The village chief, meanwhile, wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole. He just wanted the topic to be dropped.

But unfortunately for him, the villagers, already riled up by Zhou Huaijin and Chi Wan, were focused on defending their beloved ’good guy,’ Liu Dali. Why would they listen to the village chief’s attempts to dissuade them?

Chi Wan, however, went a step further. Her voice trembling on the verge of tears, she pointed right at the village chief. "Village Chief! Say something! My father personally handed that donation to you! You promised him you’d put the money where it was needed most. So how did it all become Liu Dali’s achievement?

"Was your idea of ’where it’s needed most’ just giving the money to Liu Dali?!"

The village chief’s eyes went wide. He knew there was no way to resolve this peacefully now—not in front of all the reporters from the city television station!

"Oh, Chi Wan, what are you saying! We would never forget anyone who’s contributed to our village. Your father did indeed donate money, but—but that doesn’t mean Liu Dali didn’t donate as well! It’s just... people are always a little more grateful to the person who donates more, that’s all..."

Chi Wan immediately seized on his words. "So Uncle Liu Dali is that rich? My father donated five million. Did he really donate more than that? But what’s his annual income from the orchard? It can’t be more than five hundred thousand, can it? Did he donate every penny he’s ever earned?"

"What? Five million?! You’re full of it!"

"Did Chi Yuanshan really donate that much? Then... what about Liu Dali?"

"No way, that’s got to be a lie. Why would he donate that much to the village?"

...

The villagers’ eyes went wide, unable to believe the figure they had just heard.

By now, the village chief’s face was ashen. He gritted his teeth and roared, "That’s enough! This is an internal matter for our village! Must you air all our dirty laundry in public?

"Chi Wan, your father donated money, yes, but he’s not the only one who built this village! We will discuss this after the interview!"

Chi Wan scoffed internally. ’If I don’t air it out, you’ll just try to sweep it under the rug again, won’t you?’

In front of all the villagers who had just accused her of bluffing, she pulled a certificate right out of her bag. Her voice was filled with grievance, but she didn’t lower the volume one bit. "Who’s lying?! Look for yourselves! This is a donation certificate with an official seal!

"Five million! My dad said that since he came from this village, he had to give back once he made something of himself! And what was the result? The very people who benefited from his generosity not only show no gratitude, but they even want to kick him and his family out of their home!"

Although she was only pretending to be aggrieved for dramatic effect, as she reached the end of her speech, Chi Wan genuinely began to feel that her father had gotten a raw deal.

With the appearance of that certificate, the villagers who had been staunchly supporting Liu Dali began to waver.

One of them who could read looked over the certificate and then nodded to the others. "It has an official seal. He really did donate five million. Chi Yuanshan quietly did something huge... but, but why did the village chief never tell us about it?"

"Good heavens, five million! You could do so much with that! I was wondering myself... no matter how much money Liu Dali has, could he ever have been richer than Chi Yuanshan was back in the day? He’d be lucky to scrape together five hundred thousand!"

"I knew it! How could Liu Dali do all that for the village just on the money he makes from his orchard? Building roads, installing lights... that costs a fortune..."

"Shh, quiet down. Look at the village chief’s face..."

Amid the crowd’s murmuring, the village chief’s face had gone from ashen to deathly pale.