Chapter 11: Villagers Scramble, Following Qin Feng Means Plenty to Eat!

“No problem!” Village Chief Zhao Xicheng made a decisive decision and agreed on the spot. Entering the mountains was no trivial matter; the personnel definitely had to be carefully selected. Moreover, the village was not short of laborers, so the priority was to choose those who were smart and capable to go into the mountains.

After consulting with Qin Feng, the village chief turned to the villagers still clamoring to sign up and called out, “No pushing! Those who want to register, go to the village committee in a moment!”

“This chaos is unacceptable!” Zhao Xicheng frowned and announced to everyone.

Hearing this, the villagers immediately quieted down and stopped talking back. Some sharp ones quietly slipped out of the yard. Seeing this, the rest hurried off in a crowd to line up at the village committee to register.

Sun Xiao’e, seeing everyone leave, slunk out of the yard in defeat.

“Qin Feng, let’s first go to the village committee to register the names. Later, I’ll give you the list, and you can select from it,” Zhao Xicheng said hurriedly to Qin Feng as the crowd dispersed.

“Alright, chief,” Qin Feng replied calmly.

——

The news that the village chief was recruiting people to go into the mountains spread like wildfire through the village committee compound.

Most of the villagers were relatives, and word passed quickly from one to ten, ten to a hundred. By the time Zhao Xicheng arrived with Captain Zhao Liuhai, the entire committee courtyard was already packed with people eager to register.

“Chief! I was the first in line! Surely there’s a spot for me to go into the mountains, right?!”

“I heard the pine nuts Qin Feng dug up from the mountain last winter? Where would pine nuts come from in the dead of winter? Don’t tell me it’s a scam?”

“There’s even a commendation letter from the township! How could it be fake? If you don’t believe it, why are you lining up?”

“Why wouldn’t I believe it?! I’m just asking. Don’t push me—I got here first!”

The queue buzzed with chatter as villagers all wanted to seize this rare opportunity to earn money in the mountains.

“Liuhai, bring a table and record all the villagers who come to register,” Zhao Xicheng instructed.

“Remember, only young, strong, and reliable laborers. We’ll screen them carefully here and keep detailed records.”

“No matter how Qin Feng chooses later, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.”

The villagers lined up happily to register.

Meanwhile, some uncles and aunts, being too old or in poor health, were rejected by the captain, leading to disputes.

The entire village committee compound was noisy and chaotic, like a bustling marketplace.

At the entrance, Zhao Xiulian stood with her hands on her hips, looking around with a furtive expression.

She had been bedridden for several days recently, angry over family division and estrangement, but today she took advantage of the good weather to go out for a stroll.

“Shuanzhu! What’s going on at the village committee? So many people lining up? Has the township issued something again?” Zhao Xiulian grabbed a villager leaving the yard and asked suspiciously.

“No, second aunt. The village is recruiting people to go into the mountains to gather goods! I heard you can earn quite a bit!”

“By the way, isn’t Qin Feng your grandson? Everyone’s following him into the mountains!”

“Now I see why I haven’t seen Da Nian and Er Nian lining up. With that connection, the spots to go into the mountains are surely guaranteed!”

The villager Shuanzhu, who was grabbed, was clearly unaware that Zhao Xiulian had already severed ties with Qin Feng. She grinned enviously.

Zhao Xiulian was stunned upon hearing this. Could that brat Qin Feng really be so capable?

She questioned several villagers before finally understanding: Qin Feng not only obtained pine nuts from the mountains but was also recognized by the township as a model producer!

Zhao Xiulian never imagined that her estranged grandson, in just two or three days after the family division, had become the village’s prized asset everyone wanted to curry favor with.

Her heart twisted with regret, recalling Qin Feng’s attitude during the estrangement, her resentment deepened.

But despite the bitterness, she was unwilling to let go of this opportunity.

Changing her demeanor, Zhao Xiulian sought out Village Chief Zhao Xicheng.

“Xicheng, I heard my eldest grandson has become a model producer in the township?” Zhao Xiulian shamelessly tried to cozy up.

“Yes, I just attended a meeting this morning. The township secretary likes Qin Feng very much,” Zhao Xicheng replied indifferently.

He fully understood Zhao Xiulian’s intentions—he had witnessed the family split and knew well her usual behavior in the village.

Now that she was showing up, it was surely because Qin Feng was in the limelight and she wanted to benefit from it.

“Hahaha… I always knew my good grandson would make us proud!”

“I heard the village is organizing people to work in the mountains with my grandson.”

“See if you can show some kindness and let Da Nian and Er Nian join in too,” Zhao Xiulian smiled sweetly, revealing her purpose.

“Hmph!” Zhao Xicheng sneered.

“That’s something you need to ask Qin Feng about. The village is only doing a preliminary headcount. Who goes into the mountains depends on Qin Feng’s decision.”

“If he has no objection, then let Da Nian and Er Nian go,” he continued.

“All right!” Zhao Xiulian slapped her thigh, smiling broadly.

Although she had disowned Qin Feng, Zhao Xiulian did not believe his family was truly so cold-hearted.

She, an old woman, planned to play the pity card and say some soft words when the time came.

Even if Qin Feng was heartless and refused, Dong Qiufen, her daughter-in-law who had served her nearly twenty years, could be easily influenced.

Zhao Xiulian was confident that just asking for a spot to work in the mountains would succeed.

When she finally arrived at Qin Feng’s house, she stood frozen at the door, stunned by the scene before her.

Villagers who had registered, having learned from Captain Zhao Liuhai that Qin Feng’s personal choice would be final, came straight to Qin Feng’s home with gifts, hoping to curry favor and settle matters early.

One wave of people after another brought presents eagerly.

Dong Qiufen had never seen such a scene before. After all, these were fellow villagers.

Previously, she had been a widow struggling in the village, sometimes helped but mostly watched coldly.

That was understandable; every family had their own troubles, and life was hard for all.

But now, with bags and packages arriving at the door, Dong Qiufen was truly amazed.

One family brought a sack of potatoes, another some coarse flour; relatively well-off households even brought eggs.

“Qiufen, our families have been neighbors a long time. When Qin Feng’s father was alive, we had lots of contact. I didn’t bring much today, just some homemade pickled vegetables. Regarding working in the mountains, we hope your son can take good care of things…”

“I knew our little Feng was capable. This time he really brought honor to our village chief…”

As a junior, Qin Feng usually stood to the side while the villagers brought gifts, leaving his mother Dong Qiufen to handle them.

Since marrying into Panlong Village, his mother had suffered many grievances, but today she finally held her head high.

As dusk approached, the stream of visitors bearing gifts and seeking favor gradually dwindled.

Just as Qin Feng was about to close the door, an unexpected visitor walked in smiling broadly.

“Qiufen, my sister!”