The Ace Bigshot Becomes A Farmgirl

However, after a moment of silence, Shu Yu said, ”I understand your desire to plant sunflowers, but it’s not a crop that must be cultivated. You shouldn’t confuse the election of the village chief with sunflower planting; it’s easy to cause a bias in your thinking.”

”But...”

Shu Yu raised her hand, her expression serious, ”Third Grandfather, the village chief is not child’s play. You have seen the precedent set by Ruan Hai; character is very important, and having the village interests at heart is also crucial. I know all of you in Ruan Family Village have the surname Ruan. Actually, if you are willing, you might consider people with different surnames; perhaps you might find someone capable and talented?”

The corner of Third Grandfather’s mouth twitched; they would absolutely not consider people with different surnames.

”We understand the county magistrate’s meaning.”

”I’m aware of your eager desire to generate income by planting sunflowers. Here’s what we’ll do: to ensure this matter doesn’t affect your decision in electing the village chief, the deal can continue. You should first choose the village chief, and regardless of who is chosen, I will come over then to understand the situation and character of the new village chief before signing the contract. How does that sound?”

Quietly, Ying Xi lowered his head; Miss, you’ve already influenced everything, saying this is pointless now.

But Third Grandfather breathed a long sigh of relief and respectfully and seriously saluted Shu Yu, ”County magistrate’s words are wise; we will carefully choose the new village chief. Once we’ve decided, we’ll send a message to the county magistrate?”

”That’s fine.”

The other villagers became happy; they were already somewhat impatient to quickly settle on a village chief so they could start planting sunflowers as soon as possible.

The weather isn’t too cold right now, and they can still sow seeds; if delayed any longer, they would have to wait until next spring.

After deciding on this matter, Shu Yu exchanged a few pleasantries, sat a while at Ruan Chengqian’s home, and then returned after having a cup of tea.

She didn’t concern herself with the follow-up, but undeniably, Ruan Chengqian became the most favored candidate.

The matter at Ruan Family Village was handled swiftly; within two days, Ruan Chengqian went to the town as a candidate for village chief.

Village chiefs of the Dasu dynasty’s various villages had to undergo certification and documentation by the authorities. But typically, they’re elected by the villagers. Of course, sometimes highly respected individuals are directly appointed by the mayor.

Then the mayor and county office officials conduct a review, and if there are no major issues, it’s settled.

To put it bluntly, the review is just a formality; otherwise, Ruan Hai wouldn’t have held the village chief position consecutively for three generations.

But the case of Ruan Hai and his sons was too sensational, especially with the revelation that Ruan Hai had seized good land from villagers during his tenure. Villagers had no recourse due to the mayor’s close ties with Ruan Hai, leading to the Wenlan Town mayor being held accountable.

The situation in Ruan Family Village was special, and this time, the county office directly sent an advisor and officials to the village to understand the situation.

The review process was very meticulous and took quite a while. After four days, with the elders and villagers feeling somewhat anxious, the matter of Ruan Family Village’s village chief was finally settled.

Everyone sighed with relief, and the first task for Ruan Chengqian as village chief was to facilitate cooperation with the county magistrate, ensuring all matters related to sunflower planting and subsequent procurement were settled.

Once the news was confirmed, he, along with a village elder, personally went to the county town to find Shu Yu.

After congratulating him, Shu Yu didn’t hesitate and took Daniu for another trip to Ruan Family Village.

This time, without further ado, the villagers who had previously negotiated quickly signed the contract.