Lin Fan locked the clinic door and deliberately slowed his pace to follow.
All the way, he maintained a certain distance from Tian Mengyao, to avoid being seen by Wu Lei and being teased about stalking.
When he reached the village committee, he went straight to Tian Mengyao's office.
"Secretary Tian, please calm down. Lin Fan is ungrateful, so just ignore him from now on."
"Don't worry, I'll risk this old body of mine to get things done for you."
Wu Lei's voice was resolute, as if making a vow.
Lin Fan stood at the door and heard him say these words, which only fueled his anger.
"Are you trying to poison my ears?"
*Knock, knock, knock!*
Lin Fan knocked heavily three times and then shouted, "Report, Secretary, village committee observer Lin Fan is here to report!"
The office immediately fell silent.
After a moment, Tian Mengyao's soft laughter came from inside, "Come in!"
"Yes!"
Lin Fan replied and then pushed the door open, walked in, and stood before Tian Mengyao.
"Alright, find a seat yourself."
Tian Mengyao looked at his demeanor. He didn't seem to be sulking, nor did he seem to be feigning foolishness.
She had no idea what he was thinking.
However, his presence made Tian Mengyao feel much more at ease.
After all, he was a capable person and familiar with the situation in Luofeng Village.
As for Wu Lei...
Tian Mengyao could see that he was an old hand. He might be good at small tasks, but he was unreliable for big matters.
Lin Fan sat opposite Wu Lei.
The two men stared at each other like fighting cocks.
Seeing this, Tian Mengyao cleared her throat and said, "This is my plan for medicinal herb cultivation. Please take a look."
As she spoke, Tian Mengyao took out a stack of printed papers and handed one to Lin Fan and one to Wu Lei.
"This is quite formal."
Lin Fan held it in his hand, feeling that it was about a dozen pages thick.
Regardless of whether this thing was useful or not, it at least showed that Tian Mengyao had put in real effort.
No wonder she had dark circles under her eyes today.
Lin Fan lowered his head and flipped through the documents.
The more he read, the more surprised and shocked he became.
It not only listed the names of various Chinese medicinal herbs, their growing environments, and recent price changes, but also included the topography of Luofeng Mountain, suitable development areas, and development plans.
There were even simple sketches!
At the end, there was a budget sheet, detailing everything.
From bricks and cement, machinery and labor, to procurement costs, everything that a person could consider was listed.
After Lin Fan finished reading, he looked up at Tian Mengyao's beautiful eyes and asked sternly, "Did you write all this?"
"Of course I did, who else could it be?"
Tian Mengyao's tone was proud, as if she had received the recognition of the entire village.
"Oh, Village Chief Wu also provided a lot of help, so he deserves some credit too."
Tian Mengyao added.
Lin Fan snorted. With Wu Lei's limited knowledge, he probably wasn't even as knowledgeable as a high school student!
Thinking of this, Lin Fan felt a sense of respect for Tian Mengyao.
Regardless of whether she was a young girl or her background, at least she was genuinely trying her best to do practical things for the common people!
In this day and age, it was rare to find such a passionate and dedicated official like her who was willing to work for the people!
"Tell me if you have any difficulties. I won't refuse if I can help."
Lin Fan said this and meant it.
Although the world was changing and people's hearts were not as they used to be, he believed that good people should be rewarded, and good officials even more so.
"It's just..."
Tian Mengyao gave a wry smile. "I asked you to come here to discuss the issue of startup capital."
Lin Fan said "Oh" and asked, "How much money is needed?"
"It's not a small amount, I've already dipped into my own savings."
Tian Mengyao had initially told her father about this.
She wanted to seek help from higher authorities, but her father just laughed, "This is your test. Don't think about relying on me, and don't think about relying on your superiors."
So, she could only go to Lin Fan with the idea that two heads are better than one.
Just as Lin Fan was about to ask again how much money was needed, he heard Wu Lei say, "Secretary Tian, actually, according to my proposal, we can raise funds from the villagers."
Lin Fan chuckled and raised his hand, "I support the Village Chief's proposal."
"The Village Chief is highly respected. If this arduous task is entrusted to him, I believe he will not disappoint the expectations of the organization."
Wu Lei was stunned.
If these words came from someone else, he would have been pleased.
But from Lin Fan...
He definitely had no good intentions!
"Village Chief, why are you looking at me like that?"
Lin Fan put on an innocent look and spread his hands, "See, there are only three people in this room. Secretary Tian and I are both young, and no one listens to us or believes us.
"It's different for you, Village Chief. You've been working at the village committee for half your life, and who in Luofeng Village doesn't give you some face?"
As Lin Fan said this, he thought to himself, "You love to be in the spotlight and show off, don't you."
"Everyone knows the situation in Luofeng Village. If you dare to ask the villagers for funds, they will dare to throw dung at your house!"
Fundraising and donations were things that Cao Dewang had already played with.
He had asked the villagers to contribute money to build roads, because other villages were also building roads, and there was a certain subsidy from above.
As a result, the cement used was of inferior quality.
After a year, the result was worse than not building it at all!
Later, he asked the villagers to contribute money for high-end vegetables, saying it was an industrial upgrade.
As a result, it was just to fool the inspection from above, and it fell into disuse within two years.
Then, he asked for donations to dig an irrigation well.
As a result, the well was in Cao's farmland.
His family could use it freely, but if the villagers wanted to use it, they had to pay three yuan per kilowatt-hour for electricity, and if they didn't pay, they wouldn't be allowed to use it.
...
The above are just a few examples, and there are countless others.
The villagers had suffered too much, been cheated too many times.
Moreover, when Cao Dewang was alive, because he was always overbearing, and his son was an official in the town, the villagers dared not speak up despite their anger.
But now, based on Wu Lei alone?
No way!
"This..."
Wu Lei stammered for a moment, then cleared his throat and said, "Secretary Tian is in charge of the village committee, how can I steal the limelight?"
"Besides, Secretary Tian has put in so much effort for the development of our Luofeng Village. I've been running to the mountains with her, inspecting, and my heart aches!"
He clutched his chest, pretending to be deeply grateful, and said again, "Secretary Tian, this matter must be handled by you."
"Everyone sees your efforts, and it's also legitimate."
Tian Mengyao bit her lower lip and was about to nod in agreement when Lin Fan asked, "Secretary Tian, how many people do you know in the village?"
Tian Mengyao was speechless.
Lin Fan smiled and continued to ask, "Do you think the villagers will recognize you as their young secretary?"
"Will they obediently hand over money?"
"You've seen how poor they are, do you have the confidence to raise funds?"