Chapter 120: Don’t Underestimate the Village Chief as an Official

Xu Wenshan’s former house in Xiyuan was no longer sufficient to accommodate him and the monsters under his command. Therefore, he hired a group of craftsmen and retainers to build a new mansion elsewhere. Although the new mansion was still under construction, Xu Wenshan and the monsters had already moved out, leaving the old house to serve as an office.

Naturally, Li Qing took charge of the office affairs.

Originally, Li Qing was merely the "manager" of the Luhe Grain and Oil Shop. In truth, she wasn’t really a manager, but rather a literate young woman with a literary temperament. Since becoming involved with Xu Wenshan, her life had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Xu Wenshan had paid a fortune to recruit Li Qing to serve as the shop’s manager. At first, she felt quite embarrassed because her daily work was very light—mostly just reviewing account books. She worried that her efforts didn’t quite justify her salary.

However, since Xu Wenshan returned to the village, her responsibilities had expanded a hundredfold. He brought back a workforce and launched several projects simultaneously. Naturally, the crucial tasks of managing personnel placement and the flow of funds fell squarely on Li Qing’s shoulders.

Her duties now extended beyond the grain and oil shop in Luhe Valley; she managed the arrangements of half the village’s people and finances.

To legitimize her authority, Xu Wenshan had even promoted her.

She was now officially the “Section Chief of the Village Office,” although she had no idea where such a strange title had come from.

Moreover, her office had been relocated to the old house in Xiyuan. The conditions there were quite humble; the only sign of its special status was a plaque hanging above the door that read “Village Office.”

“Office? What’s an office?” When the three of them arrived at Xiyuan, Xu Jing couldn’t help but ask upon seeing the sign.

“It’s a place for handling official affairs,” Xu Wenshan explained.

“Official affairs?”

“That means collective matters. I know you’re going to ask what ‘collective’ means. It refers to a public organization or group… never mind, you wouldn’t understand even if I explained. Let’s just go inside.”

Xu Wenshan led the two inside, only to hear a muffled voice from within, “Who is it?”

Xu Jing couldn’t see anyone at first and searched around until spotting a head peeking out from behind a mountain of papers on a desk. Approaching, she realized it was a woman, roughly her own age.

Xu Wenshan replied, “It’s me.”

“Doing what?”

“Busy.”

The two exchanged these cryptic words twice more, incomprehensible to outsiders, while the woman continued writing intently.

Turning to the two behind him, Xu Wenshan said, “This is Li Qing, our Village Office Section Chief. She’s very busy with official business and can’t entertain visitors right now. Please forgive her.”

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Xu Wenshan elaborated, “Because she’s so busy, this is how she talks to me—basically asking why I’m here, and I tell her to focus on her work; I can wait.”

Xu Jing was still confused. “What exactly is a Section Chief?”

Xu Wenshan decided to explain in detail: “The village affairs have increased so much that relying on the villagers to manage everything themselves is no longer sufficient. As village chief, I wanted to take on my responsibilities properly, so I established this ‘Village Office’ under the chief’s authority. The main person in charge here is this young woman.”

By now, Qian Dabin had understood. Having once managed the entire Salt Guild’s affairs, he was familiar with such organizational structures. Judging by this tiny room, it must be the political center of the entire village. The young general’s trust in bringing him to such a central place moved him deeply.

Yet he remained cautious, suppressing any expression of sudden realization, lest the young general suspect him of being cunning and grow wary.

Meanwhile, the young woman disguised as a boy beside him must have some background; otherwise, why would the young general personally take her all over the place, even bringing her here?

Xu Jing, however, didn’t think so deeply. What struck her most was, “You’re actually the village chief?”

The idea that Xu Wenshan was the chief of Luhe Valley struck her as the most absurd thing she’d ever heard.

“What’s so surprising? Whoever has the money calls the shots,” Xu Wenshan said with an expression that seemed to say, “Sorry, rich people can do whatever they want,” which made Xu Jing almost want to slap him.

Meanwhile, Li Qing seemed to have finished what she was writing. She arranged the documents in her hands and stood up, saying to Xu Wenshan, “The human resources report is ready. Take a look.”

Xu Wenshan took the thick stack of papers she handed him, skimmed through it, and remarked, “The labor shortage at the brick kiln is still considerable.”

Although Xu Wenshan was Li Qing’s superior, she seemed quite disrespectful toward him. “Not only is the shortage severe there, but I’m short-handed here too. When will you find some capable workers for me? I’m already struggling.”

Xu Wenshan returned the documents with a grin. “Look, I brought some people for you just now.”

He then pushed Qian Dabin forward. “This person can read and write; he should be able to help.”

Qian Dabin nearly fell flat on his face. He had prided himself on his unparalleled skills, yet to Xu Wenshan, his literacy was all that mattered—such a ridiculous misjudgment!

Li Qing scrutinized Qian Dabin carefully, squinting. “How many characters can you write? A hundred?”

Qian Dabin’s face turned pale. “I can write a thousand.”

Li Qing showed a satisfied expression and whispered to Xu Wenshan, “He looks promising, but seems a bit headstrong.”

Xu Wenshan said, “Good. From today on, you’re a staff member here. Everything must be reported to leadership. Get familiar with the work quickly.”

Poor Qian Dabin stood pitifully at the office door, watching Xu Wenshan and Xu Jing walk away. Xu Wenshan said aloud as they walked, “I pay their salaries. They’re quite high—800 wen a month, and the Section Chief gets 1,000.”

Xu Jing was startled. “That much?”

She used to have no sense of money, but now she had some understanding. She knew that firewood carriers earned only 10 wen a day. After learning these low wages, she couldn’t sleep all night—she recalled how Xu Wenshan had cheated her out of a lot of money with a few skins.

“That’s not even much. The literacy rate in this poor place is less than one percent. Finding a literate worker isn’t easy. Nowadays, except for that guy Qian Dabin, literate people usually have status. If you offer too little, they won’t take the job… like you, for example.”

Xu Wenshan said the last part while looking at Xu Jing.

Xu Jing felt her heart pound fiercely. Taking a deep breath, she was about to say something when Xu Wenshan suddenly said, “Forget it, never mind.”

They walked in silence for a while until Xu Wenshan pointed ahead at a building under construction. “This will be Luhe Valley’s first school. Many people will come here to learn and gain knowledge.”

“Would you like to be a teacher here?”