11: Chapter 11 Hearing

The hearing was held in the old church in the town center.

Pastor Pat moved the pews to both sides, and a long table covered with a white cloth was placed in the middle. On the table sat the state government seal and a stack of documents.

Far more people came than Chen Yifei had expected.

The church could seat two hundred people, and it was full. Two rows of people stood in the back. Some were peeking in from the doorway.

Ivanka said the last time the town had gathered so completely was for Second Grandpa's funeral.

The hearing officer was sent by the state government—a middle-aged woman wearing glasses and a gray professional suit, with a businesslike expression. Before her lay the joint petition.

Bill Stone sat in the petitioner's seat.

His suit was crisp, and his hair was meticulously styled. His lawyer sat beside him, with thick materials spread out in front of them.

Chen Yifei sat opposite them.

Only Emily was by his side.

"Petitioner, please state your case." The hearing officer tapped the gavel.

Bill's lawyer stood up.

"Honorable hearing officer, my client, Mr. Bill Stone, representing eight hundred and forty-seven residents of Oak Town, submits the following request—"

"First, the current mayor, Chen Yifei, is not qualified to manage Oak Town. He is a Chinese citizen, has no administrative experience in the United States, does not understand local laws, and is unfamiliar with community needs."

"Second, since taking office, Chen Yifei has not performed any substantive governance. He has not submitted a work report to the state government, has not held a town meeting, and has not proposed any development plans."

"Third, there is ample reason to believe that Chen Yifei's true intention in inheriting the estate is to sell off the land for profit rather than long-term operation. This will lead to the alienation of Oak Town's land and harm the interests of the residents."

"In summary, we request the state government to revoke Chen Yifei's position as mayor and appoint a temporary trustee."

The lawyer sat down.

The hearing officer looked at Chen Yifei.

"Defense, please state your case."

It was so quiet in the church that one could hear a pin drop.

Chen Yifei stood up.

"Madam Hearing Officer, two of the opposing party's allegations are facts."

A commotion broke out in the church.

The corners of Bill Stone's mouth curled up slightly.

"First, I am indeed a Chinese citizen, and I indeed have no American administrative experience."

"Second, I indeed have not held a town meeting."

He paused.

"But there is one point that is not a fact."

"I have not sold a single inch of land."

"On the contrary—"

Chen Yifei turned to face the more than two hundred people sitting in the church.

"In the past seven days, I have done the following things."

He held up his fingers.

"First, I hired Jack Miller. A farm machinery operator who had been unemployed for three years. He is now working on my farm with a monthly salary of two thousand dollars."

Someone in the crowd whispered something.

"Second, I hired Old Tom Harrison as a mayoral advisor. Monthly salary: two thousand five hundred dollars."

More people began to whisper among themselves.

"Third, I purchased a John Deere 6110R tractor and supporting equipment. Bought from the farm machinery market in Omaha. Fifty thousand dollars."

"Fourth, I repaired the three-mile road from the town center to the farmland in the west of the town."

"Fifth—"

Chen Yifei took a deep breath.

"I planted corn on one hundred and twenty acres of wasteland in the west of the town."

He turned back to face the hearing officer.

"Seven days. Seven days ago, it was a wasteland, and the soil was so compacted that not even grass could grow."

"Now—"

"I invite the hearing officer and everyone present to go there and take a look."

Arguments broke out in the church.

Some shouted "waste of time," while others shouted "I want to see."

Bill Stone's lawyer stood up: "Madam Hearing Officer, the defendant is stalling for time—"

"It's not stalling," Chen Yifei interrupted him. "From the church to my fields, it's a five-minute drive or a fifteen-minute walk. It won't take more than forty minutes to go see and come back."

"If my corn is fake—"

He looked Bill Stone straight in the eye.

"I will automatically resign from the position of mayor. No vote required."

The church completely erupted.

Bill Stone's expression finally changed.

The corners of his mouth no longer curled up.

—

Fifteen minutes later.

More than two hundred people stood on the ridge of the field.

The hearing officer walked in front. She was wearing high heels and was a bit unsteady on the ridge, but she didn't stop.

Then she saw the cornfield.

One hundred and twenty acres.

Chest-high.

The stalks were thick, and the leaves shimmered with a pale golden luster in the afternoon sun. The ears of corn hung heavily, each thicker than an arm.

As the wind blew, the entire cornfield undulated like a golden ocean.

The people from the church—some who had signed the petition, some who were there just for the spectacle—were all stunned.

"This was wasteland seven days ago?" The hearing officer turned back and looked at Chen Yifei.

"Yes."

"What method did you use?"

"Soil improvement, use of high-quality seeds, and scientific management."

The hearing officer walked to the nearest corn plant and reached out to touch an ear of corn.

It was hard. Full.

She turned her head and looked at the more than two hundred people behind her.

People in the crowd were already taking photos. Some were making phone calls. Others stood there with their mouths agape.

"Is this for real?" A middle-aged man in a plaid shirt—Chen Yifei remembered he had signed the petition—his voice trembled.

"It's real," another person beside him replied. "When I drove past three days ago, it was only waist-high. Now—look."

"I've been growing corn for thirty years." A white-haired old man knelt down and brushed aside the soil to check the root system. "I've never seen it grow so fast. For the roots to develop to this extent—it should take at least two months—"

He looked up at Chen Yifei, his eyes full of disbelief.

"What kind of seeds did you use?"

Bill Stone stood at the very back of the crowd.

He didn't enter the cornfield.

He stood on the ridge, hands in his pockets, looking at the golden field.

There was no expression on his face.

But his lawyer walked up to him and whispered something.

Bill shook his head.

Then he turned and left.

No goodbyes, no arguments.

He just left.

—

Back at the church.

The hearing officer sat back in her seat, flipping through the documents in her hand.

There were even more people in the church than before—many who hadn't come earlier had heard the news and rushed over to see the spectacle. The entrance was packed.

"Does the petitioner have anything to add?"

Bill's lawyer stood up, opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He glanced at Bill's empty seat.

"...No."

"Does the defense have anything to add?"

Chen Yifei stood up.

"Yes."

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

"This is a withdrawal statement signed by fifty of the original petitioning residents."

He handed the paper to the hearing officer.

"They signed it after seeing the corn."

The hearing officer took it and counted.

Fifty-two names.

Adding them up—eight hundred and forty-seven minus fifty-two leaves seven hundred and ninety-five.

It was still a majority.

But the trend was already clear.

The hearing officer was silent for ten seconds.

"This court decides—to suspend the execution of the joint petition. Chen Yifei is granted a ninety-day observation period. After ninety days, the state government will re-evaluate the governance of Oak Town."

"If the townspeople's satisfaction exceeds fifty percent at that time, the joint petition will be automatically invalidated."

The gavel fell.

A burst of applause erupted in the church.

Not many—about thirty or forty people were clapping.

But someone was clapping.

Far more than a week ago.

Chen Yifei stood there, listening to the applause.

A golden notification popped up on the system panel in his mind.

```

[Major Event Completed]

Event: The Hearing · Retaining the Mayoral Position

Result: Success

Rewards:

· System Shop · Construction Category Unlocked

· Reputation +200

· Achievement: New Official in Town (Formally Tested)

[Townspeople Satisfaction Updated]

Current Satisfaction: 51.7%

Rating Re-evaluation Triggered—

Evaluating...

Oak Town Rating: E → D

[town prosperity system · Rating Change]

╔════════════════════════════╗

║ Town Name: Oak Town ║

║ Rating: E → D ✓ ║

║ Population: 10,047 ║

║ Satisfaction: 51.7% ║

║ Today's Income: $10,047 ║

║ ║

║ D-Rank Bonus Unlocked: ║

║ · System Shop · Construction Category Open ║

║ · Daily Quest Rewards ×1.5 ║

║ · Recruitment Order · Common Available for Purchase ║

╚════════════════════════════╝

```

D-Rank.

From the E-rank on the brink of abandonment, it rose to the D-rank in decline.

Although it was only a one-rank increase.

But this rank meant—

He had kept his position as mayor.

The system shop had fully opened the construction category items.

Daily quest rewards increased by half.

And—

He had ninety days.

Ninety days to raise D-rank to C-rank.

By then, Bill's joint petition would be completely nullified.

Chen Yifei walked out of the church.

The sunlight was wonderful.

Ivanka ran up and gave him a hard slap on the back.

"You did it!"

"It's not over yet."

"Don't be a spoilsport! Can't you be happy for just one second?"

Chen Yifei glanced at her.

The sunlight hit her blonde hair, and her blue eyes shone like gems. She smiled so widely that her dimples showed.

"I'm happy," he said.

Then he took out his phone.

"Jack."

"Yeah?"

"Starting tomorrow, the remaining nine hundred acres. Plant them all."

There was a second of silence on the other end of the line.

"Copy that."

Jack's voice was still raspy.

But Chen Yifei heard it—

It was the voice of a man who had waited three years and finally had something to do.