Dinner was authentic Kūshānlǐ farmhouse cuisine for Shen Jianming. He patted his stomach and said he needed a walk to avoid indigestion.
Shen Jianrong reluctantly accompanied her elder brother. "Got something to ask? Go ahead," she said.
Shen Jianming glanced at the greenhouses to the west of the village. "How was Li Zhengguo's matter resolved?"
Shen Jianrong shook her head. "Don't know."
"Why didn't Father intervene this time?"
"Don't know."
"Do you know why Father called me here?"
"Don't know."
After three "don't know" answers, Shen Jianming looked at his younger sister. "Do you hate me?"
Shen Jianrong admitted, "Hate!"
"Sigh!" Shen Jianming sighed, then turned to look at the cluster of greenhouses in the west of the village, his gaze seeming to pierce through them to a distant point. "A person's life is constantly changing, even when it appears static, subtle shifts are occurring. Only by comparing to a long time ago do we realize the extent of the changes."
"Just like Kūshānlǐ. When I came to pick up Father years ago, it was a desolate, impoverished place. It's a world of difference from now. The process in between must have been slow, eventually leading to its current state."
"But you and I both know Kūshānlǐ will continue to change. If our father doesn't let go, or if Li Zhengguo is willing to take over, it will change for the better. Conversely, it will change for the worse. Now is the beginning of its change for the worse."
"Even if you don't say it, I know Captain Tian wouldn't just passively resist."
"Her resistance will likely be nothing more than no longer gratuitously giving benefits to others. Ultimately, the care and affection she once received will turn into hatred and resentment."
"It's not much different from your hatred for me, but she doesn't care, and I do."
"Little sister, you hate me for my selfishness. But if you think about it from my perspective, when faced with a choice between your family and my family, wouldn't your choice be your own family?"
"You hate me for disregarding Father's wishes, but did he ever consider mine?"
"When he rebuked me from a position of righteousness, did he consider that my current situation was also caused by his past burdens?"
"Therefore, all the grievances and hatred in this world have a cause and an effect."
"Cause and effect are intertwined. Your cause might be my effect, and my effect might be his cause. It's impossible to fully explain or clarify."
"Your elder sister-in-law is coarse and uneducated, but if you hadn't looked at her with contempt, would your relationship with her be what it is now?"
"And without your disdain, would my relationship with her deteriorate? Would my family fall apart under her resentment?"
"Anyone who gets involved in the affairs of others cannot sever the causal link."
"Even if you said nothing, even if you didn't cast a contemptuous glance, you were involved in the cause and effect, simply because you are my younger sister, an unbreakable causal link."
Shen Jianrong was stunned. After a long moment, she finally spoke, "I'm sorry."
Shen Jianming withdrew his gaze and turned to his sister, smiling and shaking his head. "You shouldn't say those three words to me, because I am your elder brother."
Shen Jianrong nodded. "When I go back, I will find time to visit elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law."
She then looked up at Shen Jianming. "Big brother has changed a lot."
Shen Jianming's smile widened. "I said, a person's life is constantly changing, for better or worse. But no matter how I change, I will always be your elder brother."
The siblings ambled to the edge of the greenhouses. Gazing at the continuous expanse of greenhouses, Shen Jianming said faintly, "These greenhouses may not exist in the future."
"Hmph!" Shen Jianrong snorted. "It's for the best if they're gone. After more than a decade of effort, some people have grown accustomed to it and consider it their due. I'd like to see how the person who made this decision will handle the fallout!"
Shen Jianming glanced at his sister and said nothing. These matters were unrelated to him, and Father had also told him not to interfere.
The next day, Shen Jianming woke up early. After a light breakfast, he received a package from Tian Jing.
"This is fresh ginseng. Please deliver it to Old Master Shen quickly to prevent the medicinal properties from dissipating."
"Tell Old Master Shen to contact me immediately after the effects of the Ginseng Stabilizing Pill are apparent."
Shen Jianming took the package with a calm expression, but his heart pounded. No wonder Father had urged him to return so quickly. It seemed the Shen family's rise wouldn't have to wait three years.
He should thank the person who framed Li Zhengguo for making Tian Jing take the Ginseng Stabilizing Pill seriously and bring it to market ahead of schedule. "I'll head back now. I will relay Captain Tian's message to my father."
Shen Jianming left. No one from the Li family came to see him off, just as his arrival had gone unnoticed.
...
A broadcast announced that a general village meeting would be held on the fourth floor of the Kūshānlǐ Village Office that afternoon at 3 PM.
All Kūshānlǐ villagers over 18 years of age were required to attend. Non-attendance would be considered a waiver.
Each farming household in Villages One and Two was to send two representatives with decision-making authority.
The meeting's agenda included the election of a new deputy village head and party branch secretary for Kūshānlǐ Village, and the announcement of changes to the planting plan for the following year.
This notice caused panic among the villagers of all three villages. Such a sudden change after the dismissal of Mayor Li was undoubtedly related to his incident.
By 2 PM, the classrooms on the fourth floor of the village committee office were already quite full.
Many villagers gathered in small groups, murmuring whether this meeting would be a good or bad thing.
Although the villagers were asking each other, no one dared to speculate negatively, even as a growing sense of unease spread among them.
The murmuring in the classrooms created an agitated atmosphere for those not engaged in conversation.
Each classroom felt like a firecracker about to explode.
At 2:50 PM, Zhou Chengbin, Deputy Village Head Ou, and Party Branch Secretary Yang emerged from the first-floor office.
Some brought out tables and stools from the office, while others brought a microphone from the broadcast room.
The meeting's rostrum was set up in the open space in front of the building, facing the classrooms.
At 3 PM, the meeting began with the first item: roll call.
Starting with Villages Two and Three, the farmers from these villages stood up and announced the names of their two representatives.
The roll call alone took half an hour. When it reached the households of the main village, Li Zhengguo surprisingly appeared as a representative of the Li family.
The villagers became even more flustered. Why hadn't Captain Tian appeared? These two were inseparable.
"Quiet!" Zhou Chengbin commanded into the microphone, and the discussions on the four floors immediately ceased.
"Next, we will elect the deputy village head for Kūshānlǐ Village. The nominated candidates are Zhang Shitóu and Ou Jūnqiáng."
"This election is exclusively for the villagers of Kūshānlǐ Village. Each person is allowed only one vote."
"Villagers who agree to Zhang Shitóu serving as deputy village head, please come out of your rooms and stand in the hallway. Unrelated personnel in the hallway, please return to your rooms."
A flurry of movement, and Zhang Shitóu received 853 votes.
Kūshānlǐ Village had over 1,400 villagers aged 18 and above.
Needless to say, Ou Jūnqiáng was directly defeated.
Zhou Chengbin announced the next item: "Next, we will elect the party branch secretary. The candidates are Yang Jiànxīn and Niu Défù."
The villagers erupted in confusion. Who was Niu Défù?
"Quiet!" Zhou Chengbin hushed the buzzing with the microphone.
"Comrade Niu Défù is Big Niu's father. He has worked diligently in the nursery for over a decade. The nominated candidates have been reported to the town, and with the town's approval, today's election meeting is being held."
The villagers became even more anxious. Why was Big Niu's father, who worked in the nursery, involved in the candidacy for village official?
Zhou Chengbin announced sternly, "Villagers who agree to Yang Jiànxīn serving as party branch secretary, please stand in the hallway."
The election for the party branch secretary position put the villagers in a difficult spot.
Yang Jiànxīn was the youngest son of the current Party Branch Secretary Yang. Ou Jūnqiáng was the eldest son of Deputy Village Head Ou.
They had supported Zhang Shitóu because Zhang Shitóu was a potential future village head.
Now that they had offended Deputy Village Head Ou, would they dare to offend Party Branch Secretary Yang as well?
However, offending Big Niu's father was also out of the question.
Not to mention the close relationship between the Niu family and the Li family, but Big Niu's father, with his honest and simple nature, was generally kind and accommodating in his interactions with villagers.
Except for his brother's family, he had virtually no enemies. Even those troublesome families surnamed Huang had never argued with Big Niu's father.
A person with such a temperament was very suitable for the position of party branch secretary.