I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel-Chapter 181 - 178: Xu Modun: Does This Count as a Secret Inspection?

Early the next morning, there was the roaring sound of a diesel engine outside the Jiang Family’s yard. Jiang Jian Country called on a group of young and strong workers to help out, and by noon, the well indeed produced water. Next was installing the improved water pump designed by Yan Jinzhi. It could be submerged in water for long periods without being corroded or rusting. Additionally, a water platform was built with bricks and concrete, currently operating purely on manual mechanics.

That means people need to manually pump the water up, filling buckets. Once Qingshan Village gets electricity, a minor modification could allow it to run on electric power.

But even so, when the clear water was manually pumped up, the villagers cheered and spread the news. Soon, those with family came over with empty buckets for water. The crowd became so large it caused chaos for a while until the patrol quickly stepped in to maintain order and have everyone line up properly. Soon, the chaotic scene transformed into an orderly process.

The three who secretly came to Qingshan Village to learn, including Xu Modun, were amazed.

Yin Zhen: "Mo Chen, no wonder Secretary Bai appointed him directly as the secretary of Qingshan Village. He really has a knack for governance. Look at what we’ve seen all the way here. The village, once the poorest, supposedly had children playing by the roadside in clothes patched upon patches, some even without shoes, but look now...

We’ve walked around a few times, and the children we’ve encountered may not have perfectly clean clothes, but they have no patches and look somewhat new, as if it’s the New Year. Some even have candy in their pockets. What about this looks like a poor village?"

Lian Fengyi: "I inquired with two seniors running the lime kiln, and all these changes indeed started after Jiang Jian Country took office. Last month, the brick kiln fired four batches, generating eight thousand yuan in sales. After deducting various costs and funds for building the brick and tile factory, the rest was divided among households, with each getting twenty yuan. That’s equivalent to a city temporary worker’s wage.

Additionally, Jiang Jian Country previously distributed a batch of food to every household. With no immediate worries about food and having money in hand, naturally, they want to dress better. It seems the rumors aren’t unfounded."

Xu Modun had a different perspective. He kept his eyes on that tall, imposing man. Last time, he led the rescue to East Bridge Village and replaced "Shi Wu" in donating a large amount of grain. It’s said that he personally designed the blueprints for the early construction of the brick and tile factory and served as chief supervisor and technical advisor during its construction.

And there’s his cousin Yue. Only this time did he learn that she had been guiding everyone throughout the firing process, contributing no less to the brick and tile factory than the commander of Wuyun Mountain.

And when did the commander of Wuyun Mountain have so much free time to also take on leading rural poverty alleviation and prosperity?

Lian Fengyi: "This Yan Jinzhi is extraordinary. I always feel he carries many secrets. And your cousin, she’s not simple either. By the way, doesn’t Yan Jinzhi like your cousin?"

Lian Fengyi’s comment earned him a death stare from Xu Modun.

Lian Fengyi: "Ahem... I’m just talking nonsense."

Seeing their reaction, Yin Zhen also started thinking deeply. It seemed Qingshan Village was indeed a mystery.

"Let’s go. Since we’re here to deliver a banner for Shi Wu, let’s pass it on to Yan Jinzhi and pay an official visit to my cousin’s new family."

As he spoke, he stepped into the courtyard with three rooms.

Behind him, Yin Zhen and Lian Fengyi exchanged glances: Going in at meal time like this... don’t they have any shame?

As it turned out, they indeed had no shame, especially since the braised chicken the cousin made was really fragrant, and the wine was truly delicious.

Fortunately, they had prepared in advance and brought two bags of items along with a food box inside.

...

Jiang Mingyue was awakened by the roar of the diesel engine in the morning, sitting on the bed with a resentful air, glaring at nothingness, which was really directed at the absent Yan Jinzhi.

After being dazed for a long time, she got out of bed. She had already run into her space to avoid the noise. Her five types of fruit had matured, and Jiang Mingyue first picked the yellow peaches, making five hundred jars of canned peaches. According to Yan Jinzhi’s words, one fruit variety would be less in the next batch, but she didn’t know which one, so she wouldn’t sell them for now to avoid the risk of not having some fruits anymore.

She also harvested all the plums, cleaned them, and started brewing plum wine and grape wine. Now it’s just waiting for fermentation. Plus, she made apple jam, with the same amount as last time, which is one hundred and twenty jars. Then there’s strawberry jam, of which she only made thirty jars, keeping the rest for fresh strawberry consumption.

She harvested another batch of corn, made more wine, and then continued to sow more corn seeds.

Also, she roasted some pine-cone chickens and rabbits, made some braised chickens, and this was the first time she braised rabbits, which turned out to be quite delicious. Then she picked four boxes of morels back. Following the previous pattern, the next batch should be a different kind, like opening a blind box. She didn’t know what it would be.

After finishing all that, she soaked in a hot spring bath, changed clothes, and now felt refreshed. She fed Lightning with chicken and rabbit. White Ball went off chasing butterflies again. She suspected that if it were a man, he’d probably hang around women all day long.

Despite doing so much work, not much time had passed inside the space, and it was still far from breakfast time. Jiang Mingyue wanted to visit her cousin in the city.

He had always been her only family member in her previous life, the family she had the deepest ties with. She would miss him dearly after a long time apart, and she knew he would feel the same.

When he saw nice clothes, he would think of her. When he made money, he would think only of her. She thought to herself, fortunately, Xiao Ran wasn’t a girl. Otherwise, being so neglected by their father and brother, he’d cry to death.

Deciding quickly, Jiang Mingyue found herself at 42 Magpie Street in the next second, with a department store across the street.

Only then did she realize that her recent trips to the city had all been at night, and she had forgotten to shop at the department store. Without a bicycle, she just slung her basket over her back. In a sudden change of mind, Jiang Mingyue went in through the front door instead of the back.

At that time, Gu Xiaoxiao was wondering why her good friend Jiang Mingyue hadn’t come for a long time and whether something happened at home. She really hoped not, but the more she thought about it, the more anxious she got. Should she visit after work tonight? Just yesterday, the bicycle was delivered. Ming Yue had given her a ticket to pick it up as soon as it was available. She had already done so immediately, not knowing why this matter drew the attention of Mr. Gao. Everyone in the department store knew Mr. Gao was usually Manager Zhuang’s right-hand man. His appearance generally meant Manager Zhuang’s presence.

Initially, she thought they were going to snatch the bicycle from her and was terrified as she had prepared her arguments, determined to refuse. Ming Yue had waited nearly three months for this. Bicycles were hard to come by, and Ming Yue’s family was from the village, making walking difficult. She must help Ming Yue secure it.

It turned out Mr. Gao specially helped her choose and even offered to store it in the storage room, handing her the storage room key. Isn’t that absurd? Gu Xiaoxiao couldn’t figure it out, but it worked. They helped her a lot, pushing back a few colleagues who wanted to snatch the bicycle. They shouldn’t think she didn’t know. They were also trying to help relatives and acquaintances grab the goods.