Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Start Building the Road!

Words : 1386 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Seeing his son's arrogant and reckless demeanor, Lan Weiming was on the verge of tears. He really wanted to scold this defiant son, but he dared not forget Li Zhong's words. At this moment, Li Zhong's expression was also changing. Lan Weiming, No doubt, was not bad, but he had failed to discipline his son properly, and had allowed his son to rely on him to engage in wrongdoing, which was absolutely unacceptable. "Look, Dad, this poor bastard is the one who hit me at the police station!" Lan Jian felt that something was amiss, but with his dad standing here, he was not afraid. Who in the town had more authority than him? "Enough, Xiaojian! How do I usually educate you! I don't care about what you do at home, but why must you go out and harm others!" Lan Weiming finally couldn't hold back. He knew that Li Zhong wanted him to stay silent because he wanted to see his son's true face clearly. At this point, if he continued to play dumb, his life might just end here. "Dad, it was him who hit me…" Lan Jian's voice grew weaker. It was the first time he had seen his father like this. "Uncle, what I saw with my own eyes, Xia Liu from Osmanthus Village beat both me and the forms at the police station, and today he even wants to dig up the road with an excavator," Li Hao hurried to add when he saw Lan Jian's momentum waning. After Li Hao finished speaking, Lan Weiming ran up at breakneck speed and then slapped each of them across the face. "You two animals, come with me and apologize to the county mayor!" "Ah! The county mayor!" As they turned to look in the direction Lan Weiming was pointing, everyone from Shanyan Village was astonished, and only then did they remember. No wonder Li Zhong looked familiar. He was the county mayor! Lan Jian and Li Hao were instantly dumbfounded; no wonder Lan Weiming didn't dare speak out. It was because the county mayor was right there. Realizing the gravity of his mistake, and as he approached the car, Lan Jian bowed deeply to Xia Liu: "Brother Liu, it's all my fault, please forgive me." Lan Jian knew the current situation well. If he could get Xia Liu's forgiveness, Li Zhong would definitely not punish his father. If his father were to be dismissed, his good days would be over too. He couldn't imagine what life would be like after his father stepped down. Xia Liu let out a cold laugh, saying nothing else. Seeing Xia Liu's attitude, Lan Jian kicked Li Hao, "Idiot! This is all your fault. Apologize to Brother Liu this instant!" Li Hao, a smart man himself, pleaded after his initial shock, "I'm sorry, Brother Liu. It's all my fault, Li Hao. Please forgive my ignorance." "Children's ignorance can be forgiven, but you must experience some things, otherwise, you won't change," Xia Liu, who had seen all types of people, knew what he was talking about. If he let the two of them off without any consequences, they still wouldn't change. They needed to deeply understand the errors of their ways for a chance at true reform. "Lan Weiming, I'm giving you a chance now. These two are your responsibility. If you can't discipline them well, you'll bear the consequences!" Li Zhong understood Xia Liu's meaning and directly relegated the two to Lan Weiming for handling, which was also a test for Lan Weiming. After hearing this, Lan Weiming thanked Li Zhong effusively, and if not for the crowd, he might even have knelt before Xia Liu. He could keep his job, and it was all thanks to Xia Liu. If Xia Liu had taken a tougher stance, he was certain that Li Zhong would have dismissed him right away. That was his intuition. As Li Hao and Lan Jian were taken away by Lan Weiming, Li Zhong approached the people from Shanyan Village, "Hello, everyone. I am Li Zhong, I believe you all recognize me." When Li Zhong introduced himself, the villagers all bowed their heads. They understood they had been wrong when Li Hao and Lan Jian spoke. "I came here today, all because of him, Xia Liu from Osmanthus Village. His sincerity has deeply moved me. Osmanthus Village is not yet accessible by road; it was he who used his own savings to hire people to build one!" Li Zhong's voice grew louder as he spoke with passion, "His actions also highlight the deficiencies in my work. I promise here that I will do my utmost to ensure that a concrete road reaches Shanyan Village as well as Osmanthus Village as soon as possible!" "Support the County Head, support Osmanthus Village!" "Support the County Head, support Osmanthus Village!" … Li Zhong's words ignited the enthusiasm of all the villagers. Their attitudes changed unprecedentedly as they accepted Xia Liu and Osmanthus Village. Just like Xia Liu said, the grievances were matters of the previous generations and should not continue in this one. Seeing this scene unfold, Xia Liu smiled. Perhaps the feud between the two villages would not end so easily, but at least the road was on its way. With Li Zhong present, the villagers of Shanyan Village bought several strings of firecrackers to celebrate the start of the excavator's work. After the machine started, Li Zhong wanted Xia Liu to take him for a tour of Osmanthus Village. How could Xia Liu refuse such a request from Li Zhong? In the future, if he wanted to develop Osmanthus Village, without Li Zhong's support, he would hit walls at every turn. To be acquainted with Li Zhong to this extent was incredibly fortunate. When the excavator started working, most of the villagers from Osmanthus Village gathered at the entrance to watch the excitement. It was midday, and the villagers who had gone to pick Atractylodes had also returned. From a distance, they found it unbelievable to see the excavator making a road, something they hadn't even considered possible. When they saw Xia Liu leading Li Zhong and a large group of people into the village, everyone was thrilled. Not to mention, when they learned of County Head Li Zhong's identity, some were so touched they cried. Most of them had scarcely left Osmanthus Village in their lifetimes, let alone seen a county head. Li Zhong was very approachable. Seeing this group of villagers, he understood Osmanthus Village, but he couldn't believe how different the reality was from the information on paper. When he left Osmanthus Village, he promised several things. The first was that once the road was completed, he'd ensure the relevant departments would extend the road network and broadband access here. Another was to apply to the higher authorities for a concrete road to be built to the village, making travel much more convenient for the villagers in the future. Li Zhong also spent some time at Xia Liu's house. He gave Xia Liu a red envelope, saying it contained his entire savings, meant to thank Xia Liu for curing his wife and giving him a happy family. Xia Liu looked inside and saw fifty thousand yuan. This also proved Li Zhong's integrity and honesty. However, Xia Liu did not accept the money. Even though he was in dire need of money, he couldn't take this cash. Without Li Zhong, how could the road and other projects possibly come to Osmanthus Village? With no alternative, Li Zhong could only leave with a wry smile. However, Xia Liu and Osmanthus Village were etched in his heart, unforgettable in this lifetime. In the afternoon, Osmanthus Village was buzzing with activity. Li Zhong and several deputy village heads decided to use the village's funds to purchase two pigs from villagers' homes, organizing a simple feast, not only to thank Xia Liu but also to celebrate the new road access for Osmanthus Village! That day the entire village celebrated together, with only Zhang Tie's family absent. But nobody paid them any mind.

Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Start Building the Road!

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