In the village committee courtyard, Fu Lizhi and his entourage were packing.
"Teacher, we're done packing."
"The driver will be here shortly."
"Are we really leaving just like this?"
The students surrounded Fu Lizhi, each with a look of reluctance.
"What do you want to do?"
Fu Lizhi's gaze was sharp as he scanned the students. "I see you're not convinced!"
"No, teacher."
One student spoke insincerely, but could not escape Fu Lizhi's keen eyes.
"Xiao Hao usually got along well with you all. Are you speaking up for him?"
Fu Lizhi questioned, his expression extremely serious.
"No, teacher."
The students spoke in unison, all insincerely.
"You all..."
Fu Lizhi sighed deeply, beginning to doubt if his teaching methods had issues.
The students' knowledge was good, but their sense of right and wrong was severely flawed!
"Dr. Lin is your savior. You must remember this forever."
"You should only feel gratitude, and not hold grudges for any reason."
"Besides, what they said was correct. They don't owe you anything. What could you do even if they hadn't saved you?"
"You'd probably be dead already!"
Fu Lizhi shook his head to himself.
Especially Xiao Hao!
When Fu Lizhi thought of him, his old face felt a bit embarrassed.
If not for him, Fu Lizhi wouldn't have lost face and stayed here.
He had initially thought Xiao Hao was smart and studious, someone who could become a pillar of the nation.
But now, it seemed that the position for staying at the university could no longer be given to him!
As Fu Lizhi thought this, he saw Wu Lei and Lin Fan approaching.
Speaking of which, Wu Lei was to be pitied. At his age, he had gone up the mountain alone early in the morning to carry the geological equipment down.
Then, just when he could finally rest, Tian Mengyao had asked him to find Lin Fan.
This had exhausted him, like a dead dog!
Seeing how weary he was, Lin Fan deliberately slowed his pace, afraid that Wu Lei would gasp for breath and choke to death.
"Is it that serious?"
Lin Fan muttered.
In the past, Cao Dewang had held absolute power in the village committee, and Han Xiangxiang had extensive connections, even with people in the town and city. Thus, Wu Lei had merely been an echo, his words carrying no weight.
However, now that Han Xiangxiang had been transferred and Tian Mengyao had arrived, Wu Lei saw an opportunity and thought he could seize real power.
"Why bother?"
"At your age, isn't it better to live a leisurely life?"
As Lin Fan pondered this, Fu Lizhi walked over.
Fu Lizhi's eyes lit up, and he reached out with a smile. "Dr. Lin, you're here."
After speaking, he took Lin Fan's hand.
Xiao Hao was a postgraduate student who might also compete for a spot to stay at the university, with an immeasurable future.
Lin Fan, on the other hand, was a barefoot traditional Chinese doctor who hadn't even finished high school.
Therefore, Xiao Hao looked down on Lin Fan, believing him to be incompetent.
However, one must understand that in any profession, reaching the pinnacle requires both talent and effort.
Fu Lizhi even felt immensely regretful.
If he had met Lin Fan years earlier and taken him as a disciple, Lin Fan would undoubtedly be an outstanding geologist by now.
From every perspective, Lin Fan was far superior to Xiao Hao!
It was just that he was unaware of the depth of Lin Fan's capabilities, which he could never imagine. Even without formal geological knowledge, Lin Fan was more professional than them.
Lin Fan glanced at the luggage on the ground and asked, "Professor Fu, are you leaving?"
Fu Lizhi gave a wry smile. "We have recorded the simple geological survey."
"The most important thing now is to return and check the students' health, as poisoning is not a trivial matter."
Lin Fan nodded. "Indeed, it's necessary to have a thorough check-up at a proper hospital."
"I wish you a safe journey!"
Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
They were finally leaving!
If they had insisted on going into that cave, who knew what trouble might have arisen later.
Lin Fan's current cultivation level was not high, and he dared not fight whatever was in that cave.
If he lost, it wouldn't matter if the villagers were implicated, but what if he died? What would happen to his sister-in-law?
And what about Song Yue? What would happen to her?
Would she live a life of poverty forever, or would she find a scoundrel to marry?
As Lin Fan thought this, he heard a harsh honking sound from behind.
"Teacher, the car is here."
A honest-looking student called out.
Fu Lizhi nodded, then handed Lin Fan a business card and smiled. "Dr. Lin, here's my card."
"I'm so sorry about yesterday. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask!"
Lin Fan took the card and grinned. "Professor Fu, please don't say that."
"Saving lives and healing the injured is what I should do. We are all serving the people!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Professor Fu shook Lin Fan's hand tightly. "Serving the people!"
Though separated by thirty to forty years in age, they now felt like peers, each deeply respecting the other.
Seeing this scene, the students felt a pang of sourness.
They worked so hard to complete the tasks assigned by Fu Lizhi, yet they had never seen him treat them this way.
In fact, besides Lin Fan, Fu Lizhi seemed to have never treated anyone else like this.
"Professor Fu..."
At this moment, the driver and Tian Mengyao walked in.
Tian Mengyao's face bloomed into a smile, and she greeted Lin Fan. "Xiao Fan, you're here too!"
Lin Fan nodded but remained silent.
Fu Lizhi looked at Tian Mengyao and said with deep regret, "Xiao Tian, I wasn't much help to you and even caused trouble. I'm so sorry!"
"What are you saying?"
Tian Mengyao stepped forward and hugged his arm. "It's our honor that you could come to Luofeng Village."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group left the courtyard.
Those students still couldn't understand why Fu Lizhi insisted on siding with an outsider.
And why was Tian Mengyao so highly regarding a young man without much education?
"Dr. Lin, goodbye!"
After getting into the car, Fu Lizhi leaned his white-haired head out of the window and waved vigorously at Lin Fan.
"Goodbye, Professor Fu!"
Lin Fan returned the gesture respectfully.
"Dr. Lin~"
"You are the true pillar of the nation!"
Before leaving, Professor Fu couldn't resist shouting out these heartfelt words.
After the car drove away, Tian Mengyao patted Lin Fan's shoulder and smiled. "Xiao Fan, thank you for coming to the meeting."
Wearing a pair of white shoes, she tilted her head and observed Lin Fan, looking incredibly charming and lovely.
"I, I am also a member of Luofeng Village, so of course I'm willing to come to the meeting."
Lin Fan turned his head, not daring to meet her gaze, afraid she might steal his soul away.
"Tsk tsk."
A hint of slyness flashed in Tian Mengyao's beautiful eyes. "So, he's afraid of this!"
If only he had said so earlier!
Let's see how I would deal with him then!