Qin Yao couldn’t continue inquiring after being brushed off by the village chief, Ma Hu.

Holding the copper gong, she mimicked the usual actions of the village chief and Liu Qi, banging the gong as she walked through the village, shouting.

She informed everyone that on the eighth day of the month, County Magistrate Song would lead people from other villages and towns here to observe and learn about the transplanting of rice seedlings.

After shouting through the entire village, her voice was hoarse.

Qin Yao thought to herself, if she were the village chief, she would definitely ask Liu the carpenter to make a big megaphone.

Otherwise, with this shouting every now and then, she’d sooner or later end up with a hoarse voice.

The news of County Magistrate Song’s visit sent the whole Liu Family Village into a frenzy.

Initially, families didn’t pay much attention, but now they got up early to clean, wipe windows, and sweep cobwebs, as if it were New Year’s.

Mrs. Zhang and her daughters-in-law in the old house even dug out their New Year’s clothes from the bottom of the box, smoothed them out and hung them up to let the wrinkles fall, planning to wear them to the fields that day.

Liu Bai said He was crazy, who wears new clothes to plant rice seedlings in the fields!

He snorted, "What do you know! Why do you care what I wear, acting like you can wash clothes!"

Liu Bai was left speechless by her retort.

Soon, the appointed time arrived.

Although they knew it was impossible for them to arrive so early from the county, the villagers of Liu Family Village still went to the entrance with the village chief and the Clan Leader, craning their necks looking down the road.

Agriculture is important, so the stationery factory also closed for two days to free up enough manpower for everyone to transplant seedlings.

With nothing to do at the factory, the outsiders Qian Wang and Yin Le came along to join the fun, and to help hang up the banners Qin Yao and Liu Dafu brought.

Fabric is precious, so the banners were provided as a courtesy by Qin Yao’s family, hanging on the clothesline outside Liu the carpenter’s tea stall.

This spot faced the main village road and was on higher ground, ensuring visitors could see it at a glance.

Liu Dafu had already agreed with Liu the carpenter that the visitors would eat at the tea stall.

Ingredients were contributed by different village households, making do with whatever they had, and the cooks were the womenfolk from Liu Dafu’s family, with others helping if they were free.

After hanging the banner, Yin Le stayed at Liu the carpenter’s to lend a hand.

She hadn’t yet learned to cook at the factory cafeteria with He and Mrs. Qiu, but she was already adept at lighting fires, washing dishes, and mopping floors.

An industrious girl is welcomed everywhere, and even though Yin Le didn’t talk much, the village women would invite her to join in the fun as she worked.

Besides, with He backing her, no one dared to bully her.

After instructing the Liu the carpenter family on seating arrangements for Song Zhang and the others, Qin Yao turned around and raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Yin Le busy in the kitchen.

With a towel tied around her face, she carried plates and soup, running back and forth in the preparation kitchen.

The aunts and sisters-in-law were busy at the chopping board and called out, "Yue Niang, come here!"

Recently, Qin Yao had been so busy with the delegation that she hadn’t been to the factory much, and since Yin Le hadn’t appeared before her, she almost forgot about her existence.

It seemed that the goal of a thousand words had been a considerable challenge for Yin Le, and perhaps she had come to terms with it and stopped struggling.

Feeling secretly satisfied, Qin Yao left Liu the carpenter’s place and went to the village entrance, dispersing the still-waiting villagers.

"The sun’s about to rise. If you don’t hurry up and plant while it’s still cool, it will be harder to work when the sun is up."

Qin Yao’s words made sense, but the villagers still instinctively looked at the village chief and the Clan Leader.

The Clan Leader didn’t say anything, after all, he wasn’t going down to the fields, so he had time to wait.

The village chief gave a helpless smile and waved his hand, "They won’t be here that quickly, everyone should go down to the fields first."

Time waits for no one, and good seasons don’t come every day, so farming was important.

The villagers, already a bit anxious about the sun, immediately dispersed.

The excitement of waiting for the County Magistrate had worn off after such a long wait, and soon the fields were filled with the sound of people jumping into the water.

"I’m going too," Qin Yao said to the two elders with a smile, "You two sit under the tree and watch."

Especially the village chief, just recovered from a serious illness, better not collapse again.

The village chief glared at her, defiantly stating his body was still strong.

But the heavy panting gave away his true physical condition.

After glaring at Qin Yao as she left, the village chief turned around and sat down heavily, making the Clan Leader laugh, "Old is just old, why not admit it gracefully instead of pretending."

Unexpectedly, this joke brought a heavy sigh from the village chief.

"Oh, you think I want to hold on? If there was anyone in the village who could replace me, I’d have been home playing with my grandchildren long ago!"

The Clan Leader looked at the busy clan members in the fields and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, "If only our village had a boy as capable as Yao Niang."

His gaze fell on Liu the carpenter’s bustling tea stall, and the Clan Leader tentatively said, "I think Da Fu is quite good."

"And there’s your Liu Qi. Though young, the young are energetic, resourceful... just lack some prestige." The Clan Leader found his own words unconvincing.

He cast a resentful glance at the village chief, it was all his fault!

While the two elders lamented the lack of successors in the roadside grass, the sound of hooves and wheels reached their ears, and they immediately stood up excitedly.

They are coming!

The copper gong sounded, and the villagers, bent over working in the fields, immediately straightened up, looking towards the village entrance.

Leading the way was a blue carriage, followed by four ox carts and some young men on foot.

At the front of the carriage were two riding government officers in official attire.

Judging by this entourage, it must be County Magistrate Song Zhang in the carriage.

Behind him, the ox carts carried the village chiefs and village leaders from each town of Kaiyang County.

Following them were their promising young successors.

The village chief from Jinshi Town, who was familiar with the Liu Family Village’s village chief, shouted first: "Liu Family Village!"

The village chief greeted them with a smile, and the young men who had just come out of the fields, like Liu Qi, Liu Bai, Liu Gong, and others, also rushed over.

Liu Dafu was quick, sprinting all the way from Liu the carpenter’s house, enthusiastically greeting them.

He was eloquent, and the atmosphere livened up immediately. The village chief and the Clan Leader exchanged a satisfied glance.

Song Zhang got down from the carriage, dressed in what he thought was simple attire suitable for fieldwork — a short-sleeved white cotton shirt and matching cotton trousers.

"Where’s Qin Yao?" Song Zhang asked, frowning when he didn’t see the familiar figure upon getting out.

Maybe she knew he was coming and was avoiding the hassle?

Just as he thought this, he saw someone outside the crowd, wearing a straw hat, dressed in gray hemp, pants rolled up high, and barefoot, waving at him.

"Come over here, roll up your sleeves and trousers, and follow me to the fields!"

Her five-mu field had already been prepared for them!