Chapter 504: Chapter 491: Contrary

“No, no, we’ve had our breakfast at the Government Office before coming.” Shen Quan hastily declined, “Miss Zhuang, there has been a family annihilation case at Ma Village to the north of the county town. Master Ding is too busy with the investigation to spare his time. He sends his apologies and has asked us, his brothers, to accompany you to Village Chief Feng’s house today instead.”

“No problem, the case is a priority.”

Zhuang Qingning said, “Master Ding had already informed me in advance, I believe Village Chief Feng should be aware of the purpose of my visit. That makes it much easier.”

“Today we are going to Feng Village first, there’s no need for Master Ding to necessarily be there. We’ll let him know when we get back. He doesn’t have to worry about this.”

Previously, because Zhuang Qingning had obtained the initial formula for making dried noodles, she had sought out Ding Gaochang and asked if there were any other villages that could, like Miao Village, set up a similar workshop.

Ding Gaochang then proposed Feng Village.

Unlike Miao Village which had previously produced lots of sweet potatoes without much profit, Feng Village wasn’t known for wheat production. To be precise, due to its location at the foot of the mountains, most of the surrounding wastelands were filled with gravel and many crops were unable to grow.

Because of this, the locals either relied on hunting in the mountains for food, exchanging their catch such as rabbits and wild chickens for grains, or simply went out to work and earn wages.

This led to a situation where most of the able men in the village were often not at home, leaving mainly the elderly, weak, and children in the village.

Ding Gaochang suggested this place and clearly stated to Zhuang Qingning that it was because this place was too poor.

If setting up a workshop didn’t affect Zhuang Qingning, then choose the place where the good deeds could accumulate the most.

Zhuang Qingning agreed with Ding Gaochang’s suggestion wholeheartedly and promised on the spot.

Who wouldn’t want to do good deeds?

Especially good deeds that could help impoverished households escape poverty. The sense of achievement that came from witnessing significant changes in the village was something that could not be found elsewhere.

Seeing Zhuang Qingning agree so readily and remembering how she had contributed significantly to the establishment of the sweet potato glass noodle workshop in Miao Village, Ding Gaochang negotiated with Xu Zhengping to exempt Zhuang Qingning’s household, as it was female-headed, and the tax obligations of the shops and workshops she operated from next year as a token of appreciation.

Originally, they were planning to visit Feng Village to discuss this matter with Village Chief Feng after finalizing the agreement and when they had some free time. However, due to the serious incident in Ma Village to the north of the county town, Ding Gaochang had informed Zhuang Qingning beforehand that he might not be available. However, he had already gave Village Chief Feng a general idea of the matter and asked Zhuang Qingning to proceed anyway.

Zhuang Qingning was very understanding of Ding Gaochang’s inability to accompany her today.

After a brief tidy up, Zhuang Qingning followed Shi Bao and Shen Quan to Feng Village.

Feng Village was even farther away than Miao Village, which they had visited before. Even without stopping much along the way, the journey took them an hour and a half.

Shi Bao, who had previously visited Feng Yongfu’s home with Ding Gaochang, still remembered the way to his house, so he led the way without having to inquire about the directions, leading them straight to Feng Yongfu’s front door.

And Feng Yongfu, who had already been informed of Zhuang Qingning’s visit, warmly invited the three of them into his house and hurriedly made them some hot tea.

Although they called it tea, it was not any proper tea but some leftover tea scraps. It also seemed to have been stored for quite a long time and had a musty flavor.

That was not all; when making the tea, whether because Feng Yongfu was overly excited to see their guests or because he was used to drinking strong tea, a thick layer of tea residue filled the bottom of the coarse porcelain bowl. The intensity of the tea made it hard to swallow.

But since Zhuang Qingning and the others knew that Feng Village was even poorer than Miao Village, especially after seeing that Village Chief Feng’s cotton-padded jacket was patched over and over again, none of them complained. They just acted as if nothing was wrong and sipped their tea.

Those who couldn’t swallow it didn’t show it on their faces, but simply set their cup aside with a smile, pretending they weren’t thirsty.

“Village Chief Feng, Master Ding must have mentioned the workshop matter to you,” Zhuang Qingning said with a smile. “The purpose of my visit today is to discuss with Village Chief Feng in detail how to build the workshop.”

“Yes, Master Ding has told me all about it.”

Feng Yongfu excitedly rubbed his hands together. “When Master Ding told me, I was so happy. I thought our entire Feng Village finally had a way out.”

“I wonder if Manager Zhuang has heard about it. Our life in Feng Village depends on the whims of Mother Nature. If the weather is good, those hunting in the mountains might catch an extra rabbit, and then the family can enjoy a satisfying meal. But if the weather is poor, the hunters might come back empty-handed. Not only would they not get a full meal, but they might not even have any food at all.”

“Life in Feng Village is extremely harsh…”

Feng Yongfu sighed deeply at the thought of their plight.

The sigh was full of sadness, bitterness, and helplessness, making Zhuang Qingning and the others feel rather uncomfortable. They wanted to console Feng Yongfu.

But before Zhuang Qingning and the others could say anything, Feng Yongfu lifted his head and said with a grin, “But now things are better, with Master Ding and Manager Zhuang supporting Feng Village, we can look forward to a brighter future.”

“Master Ding and Manager Zhuang are indeed like the Bodhisattvas sent to help us out of our misery, to help Feng Village get out of this sea of suffering.”

“Village Chief Feng, you’re overemphasizing it.”

Zhuang Qingning found herself unable to take such high praise all at once, “I’ve got ideas and plans, and am looking for a place to set up a workshop. If everything goes well, it will be a mutually beneficial venture. There’s no need to see it in such an overly dramatic light.”

“Yes, Manager Zhuang is right,” Feng Yongfu quickly nodded in agreement. “As long as the workshop can be set up in Feng Village, we can look forward to better days.”

Zhuang Qingning was able to accept being called a Bodhisattva a moment ago. But to say that as long as the workshop opens up, Feng Village will be able to live better wasn’t as comfortable for her to hear.

This workshop was an experiment. If it succeeds, then it is a happy outcome for all. But what if it doesn’t…

There’s no such thing as a certain success. If it fails, it would be understandable. So one shouldn’t blame it too harshly.

But clearly, Village Chief Feng, had pinned all his hopes for Feng Village’s future on this noodle factory.