193: The Vanished Clan Chief

When Wu Fan drove his car into the Village Committee Office Building’s courtyard, he didn’t intend to go inside.

There were cameras installed in the office, so it was safer to be cautious and not do anything out of line.

He took out his phone and made a call, “Ying Xiaomei, come to my car.”

Ying Xiaomei said sweetly, “The air conditioning inside is so warm, are you really not coming in?”

Wu Fan said, “I have it in my car too. Come quickly, I still prefer the little house by the reservoir.”

“Alright then.”

Soon, the door opened with a creak.

Ying Xiaomei had her hair in a bun, wearing only a thin top, a black mini-skirt, black stockings, and black knee-high boots with two cute little pom-poms on the sides, which looked quite nice.

She walked over slowly, opened the car door, twisted, and sat in the passenger seat.

She really was very… After Wu Fan… separated, Ying Xiaomei licked the corner of her lips, “Wu Fan, I called you here because I have something serious to tell you.”

Wu Fan picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, “Why so serious? Tell me about it.”

Ying Xiaomei paused, “After Wu Hongwei was executed, his original quarry and mine need to be re-auctioned. This is a great opportunity.”

Wu Fan was genuinely interested, “How do we go about it?”

“First, submit a deposit, and the auction will be held on-site on the 19th. Since this is an industry of our Wujiabao Village, only villagers from our village can participate in the auction.”

Wu Fan said “Oh,” and lit a cigarette, “How many people have signed up?”

Ying Xiaomei said, “Currently, there are only two people: Wu Zhengkun and Wu Lei.”

Wu Fan was a bit surprised, “Wu Zhengkun? Does he still have money to participate in the bidding?”

Ying Xiaomei sighed, “The court only ruled to confiscate Wu Hongwei’s personal assets. Wu Zhengkun still has a lot of money. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse; he still has some strength, after all, Wu Hongwei had accumulated wealth for nearly 30 years.”

Wu Fan nodded, “Who is Wu Lei? I have no impression of him at all, I don’t know him.”

Ying Xiaomei said, “Wu Lei is also not simple. He built a villa when he returned to his hometown last year. However, no one knows exactly what he does, but he’s definitely a rich person, driving a BMW, looking very wealthy.”

Wu Fan said, “Alright, go sign me up first. I will be there on time on the 19th.”

“Where will the bidding take place?”

Ying Xiaomei said, “It’s in our Wujiabao Village’s ancestral hall.”

Wujiabao Village is a village where most residents share the surname Wu. It is said that after the Wu ancestors settled here, they established this ancestral hall.

At that time, the village still had a clan elder.

He was a very influential person, even a small emperor of the entire Wujiabao Village, holding the power of life and death.

He established detailed village rules. Anyone who violated the village rules would face severe punishment.

There were even cases where people who committed major mistakes were beaten to death with sticks, and their relatives watched their family members being punished without daring to utter a single complaint.

Later, the Qing Dynasty fell, the KMT came, then fled, and finally, it was the new era led by the Party.

The clan elder had disappeared, and his authority was replaced by the Village Committee.

Wu Fan was not at all unfamiliar with the ancestral hall.

When he was a child, the village would collectively donate funds to invite the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera troupe to perform.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric.

It’s just that this traditional Yue Opera genre is declining year by year.

It’s quite a pity.

Chen Liyun and Liu Xiaoyun instantly came to Wu Fan’s mind.

If he had the chance to invite them to sing a few Yue Opera pieces for the villagers, how meaningful that would be.

It’s just that the old ancestral hall, having been in disrepair for many years, looked a bit dilapidated.

“Xiaomei, shouldn’t the ancestral hall be repaired with some money?”

“What?” Ying Xiaomei didn’t quite react.

Wu Fan exhaled a puff of smoke and said, “As a new official, you should achieve some accomplishments, shouldn’t the election be held again in April?”

Ying Xiaomei nodded, “That’s right. But the Village Committee doesn’t have money to repair the ancestral hall.”

Wu Fan reached out and squeezed her, “I am behind you, as your strong backing.”

Joy appeared in Ying Xiaomei’s eyes, “That’s truly wonderful.”

She leaned over and kissed Wu Fan on the corner of his lips.

Wu Fan continued, “Not only should you organize the villagers to renovate the ancestral hall, but you should also reconstruct all the village roads and install streetlights.”

“On holidays, you should distribute daily necessities to elderly villagers over sixty years old, such as cooking oil, rice, and fruits.”

“Only by truly letting the villagers feel your achievements and gaining their support, will you fear election failure? Becoming the top leader will be a piece of cake, won’t it?”

Ying Xiaomei looked at Wu Fan in surprise, and admiration for him arose spontaneously.

“Wu Fan, you are so amazing, you understand the way of officialdom so well.”

Wu Fan laughed, “I am just genuinely thinking of the common people in our village, and I sincerely hope that our Wujiabao Village will become a model village for the entire Shaoxing, or even Zhejiang Province, in the near future.”

“Of course, I hope all this will be accomplished under your leadership, Director Ying, won’t it?”

Ying Xiaomei was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling.

She reached out and stroked him, saying sweetly, “Wu Fan, with your support behind me, I can definitely do it.”

Her eyes sparkled with brightness and shyness.

She… The small house by the reservoir was indeed a good place to talk about life and ideals… Ying Xiaomei was very decisive in her actions.

In just one week, she began repairing the ancestral hall and paving new roads.

Wu Fan also kept his word, transferring over thirty million to her in batches.

For Wujiabao Village, Wu Fan was still willing to spend money.

Moreover, with consumption cashback, the capital would not decrease at all, so why not do it?

Ying Xiaomei’s prestige in the village instantly reached its peak.

The villagers praised her ability and reputation endlessly, and her popularity soared.

On the day of the quarry and mine auction, the ancestral hall suspended its repairs.

The village loudspeakers repeatedly broadcast the auction process and start time.

At eight o’clock in the morning, the ancestral hall courtyard was already full of people.

The ancestral hall was a standard quadrangle courtyard; after entering through the main gate, there was a large courtyard.

To the east was a large stage, and the other three sides were viewing stands and rest areas, a standard old stage layout.

When Wu Fan entered the ancestral hall, the auction platform had already been set up on the stage, and microphones were fully equipped.

Ying Xiaomei was instructing the Village Committee staff about something.

Wu Fan looked at the rows of long benches in the courtyard, trying to find a seat.

Wu Danyan stood up in the corner and waved frantically.

Wu Fan smiled slightly and walked over.

He hadn't expected this woman to have already saved a seat for him.

Wu Danyan said with a teasing look, “Wu Fan, I knew you’d be late getting up because you were with your girlfriend, so I came to grab a seat at past seven.”

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