Chapter 307: Happiness came too suddenly

Yue Bai pulled the quilt over me.

A faint fragrance hit me; this was the quilt washed with good-smelling straw ash. Rural people like to use honey locust and straw ash to wash quilts, and starch them with rice-washing water; it is much more fragrant than quilts washed with any laundry detergent.

This was a long-lost smell! When our lives are filled with chemicals, primitive things always make us miss them incomparably.

The faint straw ash fragrance, mixed with the faint body fragrance of Yue Bai, made people feel dizzy, as if between heaven and earth, everything was wrapped in various fragrances, making people feel a sense of happiness for no reason.

Outside the house, the cold wind was biting, and the snow was piled into various strange shapes by the eaves. Icicles hung down from the eaves, indicating that this winter had entered the deep winter.

A burst of footsteps came from far to near, and then I heard intense knocking on the door.

We both held our breath and listened intently. Outside the door, Zhao Dequan's shouting: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, everyone is here."

He seemed to push the door hard, and we clearly heard the creaking sound of the door bolt being pushed by him.

I was startled, afraid that Zhao Dequan would push the door and enter. Yue Bai whispered in my ear, "Don't be afraid, I bolted it."

My heart suddenly felt relieved, and we smiled at each other. This woman was meticulous; she had been prepared when I followed her home.

Outside the door came Zhao Dequan's muttering: "Eh, where did they go?" Then came the sound of turning around, and the sound of footsteps moving away.

"We are too bold," I said, and went to kiss her lips again.

"You are greedy," she said coquettishly, not daring to look at me, shyly smiling and saying, "I am greedy too."

A roaring fire was lit in the middle of the open space in the center of the village. When Yue Bai and I arrived, the whole village was laughing around the fire.

Our appearance made the atmosphere rise. Qian Youyu ran over nervously, ignoring others watching, grabbed Yue Bai's hand, and asked, "Where did you go?"

Yue Bai blushed and broke free from his hand, but Qian Youyu was still unwilling and wanted to continue pulling. His clumsy actions caused the villagers to burst into laughter.

Zhao Dequan came over, looked me up and down, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Town Mayor Chen, shall we start?"

I scanned the surroundings. In the large shed, more than twenty large tables were placed around the fire, each table piled high with dishes brought by each family. The villagers were around the fire, patting the dust off each other, laughing loudly, commenting on whose wife's cooking was good, and incidentally teasing the women's bodies without any scruples.

In the center table, there were three white porcelain bowls, two red candles burning, and three burning incense sticks.

"Let's start!" I said, walked to the large table, held a bowl with both hands above my head, and said loudly, "Heaven and earth, all things, generations of prosperity, the Zhao clan, together respect heaven and earth."

After speaking, I sprinkled half a bowl of wine on the ground.

I held up the second bowl of wine again, still above my head, and said loudly, "The Zhao lineage, heroes through the ages. Descendants for generations, sheltered by ancestors. A bowl of thin wine, first respect the ancestors."

I still sprinkled the second bowl of wine on the ground.

Two consecutive bowls of wine, respecting heaven and earth and the ancestors of the Zhao family. This move caught Zhao Dequan and the others off guard. I, a cadre, and a young cadre at that, how could I know these messy things? In fact, they underestimated me. Having mixed in this world for so many years, hadn't I seen flowers bloom and fall?

With the third bowl of wine in hand, I scanned the dumbfounded Laoyingzui villagers and said loudly, "Men, fill your wine! This glass of wine, I want to represent the government to respect you, thank you for your support of the government!"

The men and women were stunned for a moment, and then came the sound of men shouting at women to pour wine for them. After a flurry of activity, all the men were holding a bowl in their hands, staring straight at me.

"Drink!" I shouted, and drank it down in one gulp.

This was the specialty rice wine of Chunshan County, with low alcohol content, easy to enter, and even easier to go to the head.

Sure enough, after drinking half a bowl of wine, I almost couldn't stand steadily.

The men drank the wine with great momentum, put down their bowls, and all wiped their chins in unison.

"Laoyingzui Hundred-Family Banquet, officially begins." With Zhao Dequan's loud shout, the shed suddenly became lively, the scolding of women at children, the hearty laughter of men, and the biting sound of dogs fighting for bones under the table, one after another.

The fire burned more and more vigorously, and sparks exploded from the fire pile from time to time, crackling, drawing a vivid picture.

Qian Youyu pulled me to drink, and Sun Demao was not to be outdone. The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, held a bowl and shouted hard.

The villagers joined in the commotion and laughed. The men all gathered around, each holding a wine bowl, waiting for me with eager eyes.

I hesitated, my feet feeling a bit weak. Yue Bai had emptied my body half an hour ago, and the cold wine entering my stomach was just like dropping a few drops of water on a red-hot iron plate, turning into mist in the blink of an eye.

I stared at Qian Youyu, my eyes a bit dazed. I myself was very clear—drunk in wine, clear in heart! This was the conclusion of a master. But all people who are drunk are unwilling to admit that they are clear in their hearts.

I said, "Old Qian, you insist on drinking?"

"Must drink. Can't not drink!" Qian Youyu said sincerely, "I respect you. Without you, Town Mayor Chen, I would still be drinking the north wind in the prison cell."

"You can drink, but you have to agree to one request of mine," I said, pulling Sun Demao over, "The three of us, drink together. Let's agree first, if you agree to the request, I will drink; if you don't agree to the request, I'm sorry, I won't accompany you in this bowl of wine."

Qian Youyu said, "What request, let's hear it. If you, Town Mayor Chen, want me to go to heaven to pick a star, can I agree?"

"It's not that difficult!" I gave him a bottom line, then turned to ask him, "You remember what I said when I went to see you, right?"

Qian Youyu nodded seriously, his face became serious, and he patted his chest and said, "I thought it was some big deal, just this matter? One word, you have the final say."

"Are you sure?" I asked, worried.

"Sure! As long as I, Old Qian, agree to something, no one in Yuetang Village will say a word. Whoever the son of a bitch wants to make trouble, I will break his head."

"Good!" I said with satisfaction, pounding his chest, and praised, "Truly a man."

Qian Youyu grinned, looked at Sun Demao provocatively, and said, "Boss Sun, you are a big rich man, you should also express your stance."

Sun Demao looked at us inexplicably, touched his head, and asked, "What stance to express?"

Qian Youyu held up the bowl, clinked it against the edge of my bowl, and said loudly, "From today on, our Yuetang Village will follow Town Mayor Chen. The fellow villagers of Laoyingzui will be the same as the people of Yuetang Village. Whatever the people of Yuetang Village have, they will have."

The Laoyingzui people were startled by Qian Youyu's sudden statement and looked at me blankly.

I smiled indifferently and said, "Boss Qian means that in the agricultural trade street currently under construction, and the agricultural trade market that is about to be built, Yuetang Village is distributing houses by household, and Laoyingzui Village will enjoy the same treatment."

Zhao Dequan said suspiciously, "But we don't have money."

"Don't need money!" Qian Youyu waved his hand and said, "I think, Yuetang Village will merge into Laoyingzui Village from now on. We have money, you have land, and the key is that Town Mayor Chen leads us to work, so we don't have to worry about not catching up with the lives of farmers in coastal areas."

"Good idea!" Zhao Dequan clapped his hands and turned to ask the villagers behind him, "What is your opinion?"

Everyone shouted in agreement. They surged over like water, surrounded Qian Youyu in the middle, and smiled flatteringly.

Everyone understood that Suxi Town was currently in the limelight, and the town that had already taken shape was presented to people generously. Being able to do business on the street and having a house of one's own was something many people dreamed of!

Now this dream was about to be realized, and it came so suddenly. Such a surprise stunned people. Some women sobbed softly; happiness came too suddenly!

Sun Demao, who was standing stupidly on the side, shook his head and said, "Drunk, right?" He looked at me and then looked at me for verification, "Boss Qian is either drunk or stupid from sitting in prison."

I smiled slightly and said, "Boss Sun, Boss Qian's heart is clearer than anyone else's."

"Is that so?" Sun Demao didn't believe it and picked his ears, "He said he would give them houses without money."

"That's right," I said, looking at him meaningfully, "The premise is that Laoyingzui exchanges land for houses."

"How to exchange?" Sun Demao asked me with interest.

"Must be willing to give up!" I said, left him, and looked around for Yue Bai, but found her hiding among a group of women, blooming with a red, smiling face, like a flower. ===== CHAPTER 308 =====