Chapter 91: A Fairy Descends to the Countryside

Page (1/3)

Le’er’s excitement was beyond words. Countless times, he had thought of this moment day and night; never in his dreams had he imagined Li Ying would come looking for him. Sitting in the passenger seat, he kept leaning forward, eager to catch sight of her as soon as possible.

Feng Shuya smiled as she watched him, seeing him like a child about to reunite with a beloved family member. It was clear how deep his affection for his sister ran. She wondered what kind of woman could evoke such feelings in him. After months of interaction, Feng Shuya realized that Le’er had remarkable self-control around girls; he wasn’t the type to lose his head upon seeing a girl.

She remained silent, but the scene moved her deeply.

Le’er stretched his hand out of the car window and waved vigorously. Then he leaned his head out and shouted loudly. The driver, Xiao Huang, instinctively slowed the car. Feng Shuya noticed a new car stopped at a fork ahead—another Mitsubishi, just as shiny as theirs.

What caught her attention most was a tall woman standing beside the car, dressed in a beige long trench coat, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, a white scarf wrapped around her neck. The coat fluttered in the early winter breeze. Hearing the shouting, her gaze naturally turned toward them, and she gently raised her hand, smiling. Though it was far away and Feng Shuya couldn’t see clearly, she could feel the warmth in her smile.

As they drew closer, Feng Shuya’s admiration for the woman’s beauty grew. She considered herself quite beautiful, but compared to this woman standing in the cold wind, a twinge of jealousy stirred within her. The woman’s elegance and grace were not something one could easily imitate; Feng Shuya’s beauty was serene and innate, but this was on another level.

The car slowly came to a stop. Before it was fully still, Le’er pushed open the door and stepped out. Yet he did not run; he walked gently toward Li Ying.

“Sis…”

“Le’er, you silly boy,” Li Ying smiled. “You’re a man—why are you crying?”

She reached out delicately with slender, fair fingers and naturally wiped away a tear rolling down his cheek. There was not a hint of affectation in her kindness, and Feng Shuya was somewhat stunned by the genuine tenderness.

Feng Shuya opened her car door quietly, got out, and approached Le’er.

“And this is…”

“She’s our village director, Teacher Feng Shuya,” Le’er quickly introduced her to Li Ying.

“Oh…” Li Ying extended her hand. “I didn’t expect the village director here would be so different—so beautiful. Director Feng, hello. My name is Li Ying.”

“Oh, Miss Li Ying, you’re the more beautiful one,” Feng Shuya replied graciously, offering her hand with a warm smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Le’er talks about you all the time—his sister in Guangzhou is always in his thoughts. My ears are about to grow calluses from listening.”

“Le’er, have you missed me a lot?”

Page (2/3)

A faint blush colored Li Ying’s cheeks as she smiled happily. Le’er nodded. He got into Li Ying’s car, and Feng Shuya returned to her own. The two cars headed toward Taosha Village. Sitting in the passenger seat, Le’er told Li Ying about the situation since returning.

“Not bad at all, my silly little brother becoming a village official—that’s a great start,” Li Ying said kindly. “So, what’s this poverty alleviation project you mentioned?”

Le’er explained the poverty alleviation plan to her.

“Good, very good,” Li Ying said excitedly. “This is your stepping stone. I think a young tycoon is about to be born in this mountain village. Let’s form a company quickly—I want to be a boss too. How about I take a share?”

“Of course, that’d be great,” Le’er said excitedly, looking at Li Ying. “I’ve been worried, calling you all the time, but your phone was out of service. Now that you’re here, I feel confident.”

“Hmm…” Li Ying drove on, the rough dirt road causing the car to bounce. “You can’t do that. You’re a man, and when you become a boss, you must be confident and resolute. You can’t be scared of any difficulties if you want to achieve great things. As long as you’re determined and confident, there’s nothing in this world you can’t accomplish.”

“With you by my side, I fear nothing.”

Li Ying glanced at Le’er, her face brimming with joy and happiness. Then she asked about the project’s progress. Le’er told her they were about to sign a land lease contract. When he mentioned the possibility of leasing a barren mountain in the village for free, Li Ying pondered silently. At this moment, they could see Taosha Village ahead.

Feng Shuya’s car had arrived at Taosha Village a step ahead.

Li Ying stopped her car, and Feng Shuya and Secretary Huang of the Tao Branch came forward to greet her. Feng Shuya introduced Secretary Huang and Tao Branch Secretary to Li Ying. Gracefully, Li Ying shook hands with everyone. Secretary Huang was surprised by Li Ying’s breathtaking beauty and spontaneously offered a string of warm welcome words. Tao Branch Secretary was even more animated.

“Heavens, I thought a fairy had descended from the heavens,” he joked.

The village group leaders had already gathered. Uncle Shengtian was astonished to see Le’er had brought back such a stunningly beautiful woman—he nearly dropped his jaw. However, before he could greet her, Li Ying arrived, and Feng Shuya decided a few of the leaders should discuss the project further with Li Ying to hear her opinion before making decisions.

The village group leaders waited below, whispering about Le’er and the “fairy.” Tao Branch Secretary led Secretary Huang and Li Ying upstairs to a small conference room.

Feng Shuya carefully explained the project in detail, even more thoroughly than Le’er.

“We’re not experienced in running a business, so we need to learn from Miss Li Ying,” Feng Shuya smiled.

Li Ying listened quietly, then raised her head. She smiled faintly, her face calm as still water.

She first thanked everyone for supporting Sha Le’er.

Page (3/3)

“This project must be done, and it will succeed,” she said firmly and confidently. “But I have two suggestions. First, before the project officially starts, Le’er and I will establish a company, with Le’er as the principal and myself possibly as a shareholder. This project will be our company’s first. I suggest changing the poverty alleviation funds to a poverty alleviation loan with a longer term.

“Second, the land lease should not be free. The purpose of this project is poverty alleviation, so we must not infringe on the villagers’ interests.”

Everyone stared at Li Ying in astonishment, including Le’er. Yet he trusted her completely and could only describe his feelings as reverence for her talent. If she proposed this, there must be a reason.

Li Ying noticed their stunned expressions and smiled charmingly.

“There’s a saying: taking petty advantages often leads to big losses,” her smile felt like a spring breeze to all. “We all care about Le’er because we want the project to progress smoothly. But since we want it to develop, we must think long-term. While immediate benefits are important, long-term interests are even more so. I doubt Director Feng will remain village director forever, and Secretary Huang won’t always be in this town. You will all move up eventually, but our company must operate here permanently. If you leave, and new leaders come, how do you think they will view what we do now?”

Tao Branch Secretary and Le’er didn’t fully understand her meaning, but Feng Shuya and Secretary Huang were shrewd. Hearing Li Ying’s words, they immediately grasped the rationale.

At first glance, free land leasing would save Le’er money, but it posed hidden risks. If someone with ill intent exploited this, it could cause trouble. Secretary Huang, an experienced politician, and Feng Shuya, familiar with local power struggles, knew such a small issue could be made into a big problem.

The poverty alleviation funds were similar. Though the current funds don’t need to be repaid, if the company grows, envious people could exploit this money, even challenge ownership. Then malicious parties could claim government involvement and interfere, arguing the state has a stake—how could the company fight the government legally?

Switching to a poverty alleviation loan eliminates these risks. It’s an interest-free loan, and if we extend the repayment period, it’s like using our own money.

Moreover, with government support, the loan amount can be increased without government control. Though it seems like a loss upfront, it’s actually a big gain in disguise.

Feng Shuya and Secretary Huang sighed in admiration—Li Ying was a true entrepreneur. It would be strange if this project failed.

They finally agreed to cancel the direct grant, replacing it with a poverty alleviation loan. The land lease would be paid, at 3,000 yuan annually, prepaid for ten years, with a lease term of fifty years.

This relieved pressure on Secretary Huang and Feng Shuya’s shoulders. The village group leaders cheered, and no objections were heard. A barren mountain that had never yielded any output would now bring the village 3,000 yuan a year in income—a worthy deal in everyone’s eyes.

The meeting ended, and Le’er and Li Ying returned to Xiasha Village. Le’er invited Secretary Huang and Feng Shuya to his home.

“Le’er, we won’t go today. Miss Li Ying drove such a long way and must be tired. Get some rest,” Secretary Huang patted Le’er’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll meet often in the future.”

Two old men, Uncle Shengtian and Shengyuan, also rode in Li Ying’s car back to the village. Fortunately, when Le’er was building his house and snake garden, he had constructed a road through the bamboo forest, allowing the car to just barely make it through.

As soon as they arrived home, many children and women from the village came to see the “fairy” who had come down to the countryside.