The weather was still impossibly hot. That fiery red sun in the sky was relentlessly blasting out heat, baking the earth until people's skin felt like it was peeling off. It hadn't rained for over half a month, and the air was suffocatingly dry.
"I'll go back and eat first, then head to the river for a soak. This heat is killing me," Someone muttered as they emerged from the road—who else could it be but Long Gen?
He had just finished giving Mo Yan a brutal thrashing at the village office, not stopping until her pussy was practically bleeding. Long Gen didn't care much about her eavesdropping, but the fact that she had sprayed him in the face was something he had to avenge. Otherwise, how would his cock maintain its prestige?
After finishing two rounds of fire, it was already two in the afternoon. His stomach was growling loudly, so Long Gen quickened his pace.
Inside the small shop, everyone was chatting and joking, but the room went quiet the moment Long Gen stepped inside.
He Jingwen, Shen Lijuan, and Chen Xianglian all looked toward him simultaneously. He Jingwen had a look of concern in her eyes, Shen Lijuan gave him a sharp, cutting glare, and Chen Xianglian just stared intently at his crotch.
He had been gone for so long that no one believed he'd been up to nothing.
"You brat, you finally know your way home? Where the hell did you go?" Shen Lijuan snapped, her eyes narrowing.
Long Gen grinned, pulled a packet of medicine from his pocket, and forced a blush onto his face as he stammered out his excuse.
"I... I-I... I went to the village office... the... the d-doctor said, said that my condition can, can be cured... hehe. Auntie, is there, is there any f-food? I'm... I'm hungry..."
"Hmph!"
Beside them, the incomparably cold and elegant Liu Yuxin frowned slightly. A woman's intuition is powerful; she had caught the scene just now. Why were these three women so tense? Even Jingwen's expression looked unnatural.
Does this idiot boy have some kind of special secret? She wondered to herself, though she didn't say anything aloud.
Shen Lijuan huffed through her nose before getting up to serve Long Gen his food. She busied herself in the kitchen for a while, clattering about. How could she not know? The brat had definitely fucked Mo Yan. This little bastard spent every day up to no good; with that big cock of his, he only knew how to poke people left and right. And to make it worse, he did it all under the guise of being a silly boy and having impotence!
Long Gen gulped down two large bowls of old turtle soup and shoveled in two big bowls of rice before stopping. Rubbing his rounded belly, he let out a satisfied burp and flashed a content smile. It was a good thing Shen Lijuan was capable enough to keep the supermarket profitable, otherwise, a normal family wouldn't be able to afford to feed this little bastard!
Shen Lijuan gave Long Gen an annoyed look and went back to chatting with He Jingwen and the others.
"Township chief He, you know the situation in our village fairly well. The foundation for the roads is laid; we're just waiting for the rainy season to pass to start pouring the cement. The materials are all ready, so the roads inside the village aren't a problem. The key issue is those two kilometers of mountain road leading out of the village. That road won't be easy to fix."
"My suggestion is that every household chips in a bit of money, and you see if the township can help us cover a portion of it. If the road isn't fixed, even if the fruit grows well, we can't exactly carry it all out on our backs to sell it, can we?"
He Jingwen frowned. It was true that Shanghe Village was poor, but the entire Liuhe Township was poor. How much money could the township actually have? It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if the township's finances weren't in the negatives, it was already a miracle.
"Two kilometers of mountain road isn't far, but to pave it with cement or asphalt, the cost would be massive. You wouldn't be able to do it for less than five or six hundred thousand. I really can't guarantee anything regarding that!"
"Then what are we going to do..." Shen Lijuan said worriedly.
If the village road couldn't connect to the main highway, they couldn't just eat all the fruit themselves, could they? If they couldn't transport it out, how would they sell it? How would they get rich?
"Sister Lijuan, don't worry yet. I'll go back and hold a meeting to study the matter," He Jingwen consoled her, though her voice lacked conviction.
Poverty wasn't an easy thing to solve. Every previous Township chief of Liuhe Township had made grand promises before taking office about how they would lead everyone to prosperity and double their annual income—all of it was bullshit. In the end, as long as the township's treasury didn't shrink and they didn't owe the bank money, it was considered a success.
How much power did He Jingwen really have? She had a heart full of ambition, but it was no match for cold, hard cash. Without money, you couldn't get anything done. The two hundred thousand yuan allocated last time had been sent down by the county and split among several villages. The township didn't have a penny left. Who would give a damn about your vision if there was no money?
"Sigh, Township chief He, if I may say something blunt—if we don't solve the transportation problem, I'm afraid the excitement the villagers have built up will vanish again," Shen Lijuan said with concern.
"Eh?" He Jingwen froze, her face turning a bit sour.
If anyone else had said that, she would have snapped at them to let off some steam, but since it was Shen Lijuan, she couldn't bring herself to be rude. She didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"Jingwen, why don't you contact the fruit market first? Take some samples and negotiate. If the product is popular, we can get the wholesalers to advance the money for the road. After all, that money can be recovered sooner or later." Liu Yuxin, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up slowly after a moment of reflection.
"The demand in the fruit market is constant. Many fruit drink companies have a huge need for fruit! If we can find a beverage company to invest in the road construction, that would be perfect. All our problems would be solved!"
"Hmm?" He Jingwen's brow furrowed. This was actually a great idea—why hadn't she thought of it?
Liuhe Township had beautiful scenery, clear seasons, fertile soil, and plenty of water. The fruit was juicy and sweet, especially the red dates; they had high yields, tasted delicious, and looked good too. Finding a buyer and getting a good price shouldn't be hard!
"This is a great plan. I'll send my secretary out to handle the sales side immediately. I'm sure we'll have news soon!" He Jingwen said confidently. She knew the quality of Liuhe's fruit better than anyone.
Heh, I didn't see that coming. This woman actually has some business sense. She thinks just like me, Long Gen thought to himself as he sat there cracking melon seeds.
These plans were actually all his own ideas; he had already considered every angle. Who would have thought that before he even opened his mouth, Liu Yuxin would voice his exact thoughts?
They say long hair means short wit, but it looks like that's not always true. This woman is quite smart and insightful.
"Alright, it's settled. Next, Mr. Wang Peng, go inspect the soil and water to see what products are best suited for Shanghe Village. Xue Long, you go visit the households to learn about the poultry and livestock breeding. Get a report to me as soon as possible!" He Jingwen was used to acting quickly and assigned the tasks in an instant.
Liu Yuxin suddenly spoke up, "What about me? Didn't someone want to raise soft-shell turtles? Where is he? Introduce me. I need to do a field inspection to see if it's suitable and determine the best breeding methods."
Liu Yuxin wasn't a workaholic, but her attitude toward her work was extremely rigorous. Once she decided to do something, she would complete it with focused intensity and meticulous attention to detail.
"Raising turtles? Hehe, it's Long Gen who wants to do that," He Jingwen said, her beautiful eyes darting toward him as she nodded toward Long Gen with a smile. "The turtle soup we had for lunch was made from turtles Long Gen caught in the river."
There was a clear-water river running through Shanghe Village, fed by mountain springs all year round. There were plenty of fish and shrimp, and even wild soft-shell turtles. However, due to over-harvesting, their numbers were dwindling. That was why Long Gen wanted to dig a pond and start commercial turtle farming to sell to the city!
"Hmm? He's the one who suggested it?" Liu Yuxin looked skeptical, her expression somewhat strange.
Didn't they say he was an idiot? Since when do idiots come up with ideas like this? You've got to be joking...
"Hehe, Long Gen was struck by lightning a few years back, and his head hasn't been right since. He's been taking medicine, so his mind comes and goes. When he's lucid, he's incredibly sharp." Seeing Liu Yuxin's doubtful look, Shen Lijuan quickly stepped in to explain. What if Long Gen was an idiot? Couldn't an idiot become smart?
As his Auntie, she naturally had to speak up for him.
"Not only that, the fruit planting and the poultry breeding were all Long Gen's ideas too, hehe..."
Hearing this, Liu Yuxin couldn't help but look at Long Gen a few more times, though she was still suspicious. The guy was struck by lightning—it was a miracle he didn't die, but his brain actually became sharper? It truly was a bit unbelievable.
"Alright! Then Long Gen can take me to the river to inspect the area. Catch two turtles for me to see." Liu Yuxin nodded her chin and spoke coolly, instantly reverting to her ice queen persona.
She was so cold it made people hesitate to get close, but Long Gen loved women like that. He'd poked so many women that he needed a change of flavor. Tackling a high-difficulty challenge like her was where the real fun was.
Liu Yuxin was undoubtedly the best challenge! He was now very much looking forward to seeing—once she saw his big cock and actually used it—just how cold she could still be.
"Hehe, okay, okay! We'll head into the mountains now. The small gully at the mountain pass has the most turtles. I even saw a five-pound turtle once, but the bastard got away. Otherwise, we could have caught it and stewed a whole pot!" Long Gen said excitedly, looking like he was ready to jump into action.
"What? A five-pound turtle?" Liu Yuxin was startled. "A turtle that big is at least a hundred years old. Its whole body is full of toxins. You actually dare to eat that?"
"Eh? Turtles have poison?" Everyone froze, and Long Gen looked even more dumbfounded.
He had secretly eaten plenty of those five-pounders. Shouldn't he have died of poisoning long ago? How was he still alive and kicking?
"Yes. Soft-shell turtles are highly restorative. Ordinary people only know they can nourish Qi, enrich the blood, and boost virility. They don't know that if a turtle is too old, its entire body—except for the shell—is full of toxins! It's too much for the body to handle! I can't believe you actually dared to eat a turtle that big!"
Liu Yuxin stared at Long Gen in shock, as if she were looking at a monster.
"Ah? Then how come I'm fine?" Long Gen was confused. This didn't make sense.
Highly restorative? Boosting virility? Could it be that the big turtle's poison acted like a counter-toxin and actually cured his impotence? And not only that, but it made his cock grow abnormally long, thicker and larger than ever?
"I don't know how that's possible. It seems your constitution is different from normal people," Liu Yuxin said, shaking her head in confusion.