The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Tong Huaqiong smiled and said to He Chao and Boss Qian, "The village chief is right, you're being too polite. Quickly put the silver and jade ring back."

It's fine if He Chao gives money.

That Mr. Qian's jade thumb ring is so cool.

Even if Liu Tielian wanted to accept it, he wouldn't dare!

The example of former village chief Xu Yong is right there in front of us.

If you want to give something to the village chief, you'll have plenty of opportunities to become fellow villagers in the future.

Why bother at this moment?

Since Tong Huaqiong had spoken, He Chao and Boss Qian had no choice but to take back the silver and the jade ring.

They looked at each other; the villagers were so simple and honest!
Mr. Qian said, “I will have someone deliver the money for repairing the ancestral hall in a couple of days. There is another matter. On my way here, I met several elderly women and men in our village. They are so old and still have to work hard farming and chopping firewood. Starting this month, I plan to provide some rice and flour to the villagers who are over 55 years old every month. I would like to ask the village chief to help me make arrangements.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Tielian was overjoyed.

This is a good thing!
After all, everyone wishes to be cared for in their old age.

If possible, the village chief would naturally hope that the elderly in Qinghewan would be well cared for in their old age, but he was often constrained by the economy and had no way to decide where the money and rice would come from.

Now that Boss Qian has come, he has provided convenience for the old man. If Magistrate Liu finds out, he will definitely attribute this credit to him.

He Chao said, "Count me in too."

Boss Qian looked at Ma Chao and said, "Old He, you've just arrived in Yanguan Town, and I can tell you're not exactly flush with cash, so you shouldn't get involved in this."

Ma Chao and Hong Shi looked embarrassed.

Tong Huaqiong couldn't help but say to He Chao, "Boss Qian is rich and powerful, let him come."

He then said to Boss Qian, "Boss Qian, why don't you just give money to everyone in our village one by one?"

Using charity to gain fame was already part of Tong Huaqiong's plan after becoming a wealthy woman. The reason she hasn't done it yet is that she's not rich enough.

She had planned ahead: to open a nursing home to provide rice and flour for the elderly, to set up a village private school to educate the village children, to grow cotton and raise pigs, and to provide employment for the young and middle-aged people in the village.

Mr. Qian had just arrived and hadn't even established himself in Qinghewan yet, but he already launched a charity campaign, boosting his reputation and stealing her thunder.

Mr. Qian didn't catch the sarcasm in Tong Huaqiong's words; he thought she was reminding him to cultivate good relationships with the villagers in this way.

He felt that Tong Huaqiong's reminder was correct. What could be easier to win people's hearts than money? Boss Qian said to Tong Huaqiong with gratitude, "Manager Tong, you are right. I might as well give two taels of silver to every household in the village. Consider it a way of getting acquainted with the village."

Tong Huaqiong: "."

He Chao: "."

Liu Tielian waved his hand and said, "Boss Qian, you can't do that. It would only make everyone's appetite grow bigger."

Boss Qian looked at Tong Huaqiong, who said irritably, "I was just joking with you and you took it seriously. Are you a money-giving child?"

Mr. Qian was scolded by Tong Huaqiong, but instead of feeling embarrassed, he enjoyed it.

What does this mean? It means that his actions have attracted the attention of Tong Huaqiong.

If Tong Huaqiong knew he had this idea, she would definitely kick him out.

After discussing He Chao and Boss Qian's settlement in Qinghe Bay, Liu Tielian remembered his main purpose for coming to Tong Huaqiong's house, which was to communicate with Tong Huaqiong about the final outcome of his invitation to help hire people.

It was not difficult for him to hire people for Tong Huaqiong. He simply told each household what people Tong Huaqiong wanted to hire, and they all agreed.

They didn't even ask about wages.

Everyone in the village knows that working for Tong Huaqiong's family pays well. Not to mention the old man who feeds and looks after the pigs, he earns a good amount every day.

In addition, meals are provided; if you don't accept the meals, you'll receive a subsidy of rice and noodles.

Who wouldn’t be moved?

Now it's only Tong Huaqiong who's choosing the people, not the other way around.

Being selected by Tong Huaqiong is considered lucky.

It's just fieldwork, isn't it? You're doing it for yourself anyway, and you get paid for doing it for Tong Huaqiong. It's much easier than burning charcoal on the mountain or carrying sandbags on the riverbank.

Liu Tielian said to Tong Huaqiong, "When I mentioned your hiring, everyone was very enthusiastic. I prioritized the people you suggested, and there were a few others that I personally selected—they're all honest and reliable. They can start working on your fifty acres of land in Xishan tomorrow."

In addition to this, Liu Tielian's other purpose was to discuss how to distribute disinfectant and insecticide to the villagers.

He hadn't yet told the whole village that Tong Huaqiong was going to give the medicine. After walking around the village, he felt he shouldn't presume to do so; this matter should be announced by Tong Huaqiong. "There's no time to lose. Tonight, once everyone's back from the fields, I'll gather everyone together, and you, Dashu's mother, will talk about the antibacterial and insecticidal medicine," Liu Tielian said.

"That's fine."

Tong Huaqiong readily agreed.

Upon learning from the village chief that Tong Huaqiong had prepared pesticides for both disinfection and pest control, Boss Qian was astonished.

He hadn't expected Tong Huaqiong to be so capable, able to run a shop and also mix pesticides.

He's a true all-rounder.

He Chao and Hong Shi felt that Tong Huaqiong's abilities went far beyond this. She could even concoct medicine to alleviate Hong Shi's chronic illness, let alone pesticides for crops, which would be a piece of cake for Tong Huaqiong.

He Chao and his wife, the Hong couple, now have a blind confidence in their employer, Tong Huaqiong.

He Chao even wanted to persuade Tong Huaqiong that she could open a shop to sell antibacterial and insecticidal medicine as a business, and the money would come in like water.

However, this matter depends on Tong Huaqiong's opinion.

He Chao naturally had no idea that Tong Huaqiong obtained the medicine through cheating.

Tong Huaqiong has a principle when doing business: she always feels that she cannot directly sell the things in the space. She needs to use the things in the space to help her live and do business here. She is worried that if she directly sells the things in the space, the space will immediately disappear.

Her business is doomed!
Therefore, they dare not take risks easily.

Let's just keep working diligently and practically.

After everyone sat down and drank tea for a while, the village chief took He Chao and Boss Qian to see the wasteland where they were going to build their houses.

Tong Huaqiong also went along.

When the old man of the Gu family was alive, he planted a large grove of poplar trees behind the house to separate it from the wasteland. Now, the poplar trees are rustling in the autumn wind.

They walked through the poplar grove and arrived in just a few steps.

This was the first time Tong Huaqiong had come to the wasteland behind the house since she had transmigrated into Tong Dajiao's body.

Few villagers come to this wasteland, which is covered with weeds and vines.

The most eye-catching thing is the crooked tree in the middle.

Startled by Tong Huaqiong's footsteps, the wild rabbits and pheasants scattered in all directions.

Tong Huaqiong's eyes lit up.

Why didn't we come to this wasteland before? These are all incredibly delicious wild game.

"Grandma, I'm going home to get the rabbit traps," Man'er said excitedly, having come along with her.

“Okay, go ahead,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Man'er pulled Yaozu home to get the clips.

There are traps at home for catching wild rabbits and pheasants.

In the past, Gu Dashu would hunt rabbits on the mountain, and no one ever thought of hunting in the wasteland in the backyard.

Liu Tielian said to He Chao and Boss Qian, "You can divide this wasteland in half and build two courtyards with room to spare."

Mr. Qian smiled and nodded, then said to He Chao, "I'll find someone to design it properly later."

After thinking for a moment, Tong Huaqiong said to Boss Qian and He Chao, "Our village chief's son knows how to build houses, so why don't we hand it over to the village chief?"

Entrusting the construction of the house to Liu Tong, the village chief's son, is far better than giving the village chief a commission.

You should know that construction costs are a major expense when building a house.

Moreover, this wasteland contains skeletal remains, so the wages will be doubled when it's cleared out.

He Chao and Boss Qian naturally understood Tong Huaqiong's meaning, and immediately handed over the house-building work to the village chief's son.

This is equivalent to repaying the village chief's favor.

Liu Tielian did not refuse and accepted it on behalf of his son.

He Chao and Boss Qian were in high spirits, and Boss Qian was about to send someone to his restaurant to order food and drinks to invite the village chief to dinner at Tong Huaqiong's house.

Tong Huaqiong couldn't stop him, so she had no choice but to let him go. (End of Chapter)