Nan Feng asked, “What rank am I?”
Nan Quanyou said, “You’re ranked right behind Mo Wenxuan!”
“Then what rank is Mo Wenxuan?” Nan Feng curiously asked.
“He’s ranked first. The kid is actually just good at reading, but in other areas, you’re much better than him. You, on the other hand, always manage to learn things quickly and put them into practice.”
Nan Feng thought this was true, so he asked again, “Then wouldn’t the third rank belong to Ye Ge? The village head only chose us three as his assistants.”
“There are many opinions about Ye Ge. He doesn’t like to talk much, so not many people know him well. But after the faucet installation in the vegetable field last time, everyone has a good impression of him. They all say he’s reliable.”
Nan Feng said, “Actually, Ye Ge should be ranked first. Without him, none of the things I’ve done would be successful.”
“Exactly. The person the village head probably values most is Ye Ge. He really wants Ye Ge’s help, but to get to Ye Ge, he has to go through you,” Nan Quanyou said as he ate his dried fish.
“Why is that? He can approach Uncle Zhou.”
“Have you never heard the saying ’men and women working together makes the work process lighter’? How could Uncle Zhou possibly convince Ye Ge? You, on the other hand, always work with Ye Ge, so you have a good rapport. If it were me, I wouldn’t pick Uncle Zhou, I would go straight to you.”
Nan Feng then realized, “Dad, the village head sure has a lot on his mind. But how come you understand him so well?”
“I’ve known his tricks since we were kids.”
Nan Feng then asked, “Dad, what should I do then? I can’t betray Ye Ge. If the village head asks me to get Ye Ge, should I say that Ye Ge won’t agree?”
Nan Quanyou said, “How do you know Ye Ge won’t do it? For now, don’t rush to do anything. See how the village head arranges it first.”
Nan Feng felt that this was the only thing she could do for now.
…
The next morning, Nan Feng went to the vegetable field early to fertilize the newly planted potatoes.
Build a reservoir?
Forget about it!
Just forget it after a good night’s sleep.
But unexpectedly, the village head came to the vegetable field.
Fom afar, the village head called to Nan Feng, “Hey, Feng girl, you’re up so early and already busy? What a diligent young lady.”
Nan Feng felt a chill run down her spine, but since the village head had come to her, she had to respond, “Yes, just planting some potatoes. Otherwise, we will run out of vegetables at home.”
The village head pointed at the lush greens and cabbages near Nan Feng, “Aren’t these plenty of vegetables? How could you be out already?”
“…” Nan Feng was speechless.
The village head continued, “I heard that these vegetables were all planted by your dad?”
“Yes!” Nan Feng responded, feeling very proud when mentioning Nan Quanyou.
“He is becoming more and more capable, which is a good thing,” said the village head, with his hands behind his back,”Since he’s so capable, let him take care of the work in the vegetable field. Do you remember what we talked about on the mule cart yesterday?”
“I…I remember,” Nan Feng responded with a forced smile.
“Good to know. I’ll ask your dad for you later. We have to start working on the reservoir soon. Don’t worry, there will be a reward from the town once we succeed. The reward definitely won’t be less than what you earn from hunting.”
Instinctively, Nan Feng asked, “What if we fail?”
“…” The village head was taken aback, his face instantly turned serious: “Of course there won’t be any reward if we fail. Which is why you need to work hard, success is our only option. Otherwise, it’d be a waste of time.”
Nan Feng forced another smile. She thought to herself that her dad was right: the village head is really cunning.
The village elder asked again, “By the way, did you find Ye Ge as I asked you yesterday?”