Zhou Yun looked at Chen Qian and said with resignation, "Forget it, since you are the boss, I won't interfere. I'll just wait for your instructions."

Chen Qian analyzed, "The election results are almost certain. You take some people and get ready to sign the contract. I've written the contracts already, and we must discuss all the details thoroughly to avoid any issues."

"I'm curious, with so many people of different temperaments, how do you plan to manage them? Surely we aren't keeping idle people at Xishan Manor?" Zhou Yun asked with some surprise.

"That's where the contract comes in. If they violate the contract, we'll fire them straight away. We're not afraid they'll act like they own the place. As for the specific implementation details, we'll discuss them in the meeting tonight."

Chen Qian appeared calm, obviously having thought through the conditions carefully, and it didn't seem like anything would go wrong.

"I think we shouldn't sign the contracts today. Sister-in-law, tell those who are supposed to sign the contracts to come to Xishan Manor tomorrow afternoon with all their materials to sign. Give us some time to discuss the specific details tonight."

Ling Zhenfei considered it for a while and still felt that they couldn't be too hasty. The specific plan still required further study.

"Alright, I also felt it was a bit rushed." Chen Qian and Zhou Yun both agreed.

The voting continued until one o'clock in the afternoon, as the rules couldn't be changed. The counting of votes would have to wait until the afternoon.

At noon, many villagers went home to eat, and when Ling Zhenfei saw that the staff from the town and the notary office hadn't eaten yet, he asked Zhou Yun to prepare meals for them, which she personally delivered.

"Mr. Ling, please wait." Ling Zhenfei had just finished delivering the meals and was about to leave when Xu Cai called out to him.

Ling Zhenfei turned to look at Xu Cai in surprise and said, "Li Hao, Mayor Xu, is there something you need?"

Xu Cai said with a smile, "Mr. Ling, you're delivering food during this critical time of the election. Isn't that likely to cause some gossip?"

Ling Zhenfei also smiled and said calmly, "What's there to fear? The innocent are guiltless. Surely, it's better than letting you go hungry because one fears idle talk."

Xu Cai nodded and remarked, "It seems that Mayor Feng wasn't wrong; you are indeed extraordinary."

Ling Zhenfei was taken aback, "Mayor Feng, he mentioned me?"

Xu Cai looked around to ensure no one was paying attention to them before saying, "Yes, the reason I came personally today is because of Mayor Feng's arrangements. He may not let on, but he doesn't want you to be at a disadvantage either. It looks like Mayor Feng really values you."

"Initially, I thought you were one of Mayor Feng's connections, but after a closer look today, I realize that Mayor Feng admires your talent. The voting has ended, and I think your position as village head is almost certain."

Ling Zhenfei smiled, "One shouldn't count their chickens before they hatch; everything depends on the final results."

Xu Cai said, "If they don't elect you after seeing your excellent plans for Qinghe Village, it would only show that these people are beyond hope."

"By the way, I wanted to ask, if you don't get elected as village party secretary this time, will you still go ahead with your plans?"

Ling Zhenfei thought about it and said, "I would still implement them, most likely, just with a bit more hassle to achieve them."

"Good, well done. Binyang needs doers like you. I'm glad you are in Yuxi Town, and although I'm just a humble town mayor, I will support the development of your manor fully. If there's any problem you can't solve, come to me."

Ling Zhenfei felt happy hearing this. It was an unexpected gain from delivering a meal. With the town mayor's support, the development of Xishan Manor would surely advance much faster and more smoothly.

After the two exchanged contact information, Ling Zhenfei made his way toward Xishan Manor, leaving the subsequent affairs to unfold without his involvement. As to whether he would be elected as the village party secretary, he was certain that someone would notify him when the time came.

"Hey kid, stop right there." As Ling Zhenfei walked down the road, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.

When Ling Zhenfei turned around, he saw the person who had spoken. Behind him stood a group of seven or eight individuals, all dressed like hooligans and looking quite ferocious. The leading figure among them was none other than He Dalong.

At that moment, He Dalong glared at him with a face full of rage, and his followers had an equally intimidating look as they stared down Ling Zhenfei.

"What seems to be the matter?" Of course, Ling Zhenfei was not concerned about these people. Even though his strength had not fully recovered, dealing with these thugs was incredibly simple for him.

"Quit your act, Ling Zhenfei. Do you even know who I, He Dalong, am?" He Dalong said to Ling Zhenfei, furious.

Ling Zhenfei gave He Dalong a once-over and said, "Who you are? I really can't see any difference between you and a normal person."

"You little shit, are you asking for a beating? Believe it or not, I can smash your face in right now so badly you'll be picking up your teeth off the ground," He Dalong threatened Ling Zhenfei.

Feigning fear, Ling Zhenfei said, "I don't understand what you're getting at. What do you want with me? Just spit it out."

Lighting a cigarette, He Dalong said, "You can't see the obvious? Fine, if you're going to play dumb, then I'll spell it out for you. Go find Xu Cai right now and tell him you're dropping out, quitting this election."

"Why should I do that? I'm running a good campaign, so why should I drop out?" Ling Zhenfei asked, pretending to be puzzled.

He Dalong became enraged: "Where do you get off questioning me like this? Just do as I'm telling you. If you don't listen, I'll make sure you're dead."

Ling Zhenfei laughed: "Kill me? Dare you?"

He Dalong's eyebrows shot up; he was accustomed to bullying people and had never imagined someone talking back to him like this.

"Okay, let me put it this way; I won't beat you or kill you. Xishan Manor is your property, isn't it? If you don't drop out, I'll burn your manor to the ground."

At the mention of burning down the manor, Ling Zhenfei's anger flared up instantly. His manor had already been set on fire by Wei Da Nian once before, so the mere mention of burning it triggered his fury immediately.

"Burn down my manor? I'd like to see who dares. If anyone touches my manor, I'll wring their head off and kick it around like a ball. When I say something, I mean it, and I definitely follow through."

"Haha, that's hilarious."

As soon as Ling Zhenfei finished speaking, the group burst into laughter.

"Did you hear that? This kid says he's going to twist our heads off and use them as balls. This is the first time I'm hearing that my head can serve such a purpose," one of them said amid laughter.

He Dalong also erupted into laughter and said while chuckling, "Ling Zhenfei, did you get kicked in the head by a donkey? You don't seem to recognize who I am. I'm He Dalong. No matter what you were in the village before, now that I'm back, I'm the one calling the shots here."

"You call the shots? And what gives you the right to?" Ling Zhenfei had no respect for He Dalong and relished the thought of putting him in his place.

He Dalong clenched his fist and gestured towards Ling Zhenfei, "You ask by what right? It's the right of my fist, that's what."

Ling Zhenfei laughed again: "Go intimidate someone else; that act doesn't work on me. Let me give you a piece of advice—if you want to stay in this village, don't mess with me, or else you'll regret it more than you can handle."

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