Chapter 42: A Nocturnal Encounter with a Tragic Illicit Couple!

Tang Ye was startled and hurriedly helped Tian Daming to his feet.

He saw that Tian Daming's eyes were tightly shut, breathing heavily, his face deathly pale, exhaling much more than he inhaled.

Tang Ye quickly pressed a few times on the Zhongwan acupuncture point on Tian Daming's stomach.

"Blech!"

Tian Daming vomited out everything he had eaten and drunk.

The room was in complete disarray, reeking of a sour, foul odor.

"How much can Village Chief Tian drink?"

"About half a jin at most."

"Damn it, he sure has a stubborn mouth. I thought he could handle two jin!"

Tang Ye placed his fingers on Tian Daming's pulse and immediately knew he was in no serious danger.

"Quickly take him to the clinic for an IV drip!"

When Tian Daming woke up, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon of the following day. Upon hearing the whole story from the people around him, he slapped his head in agony!

The sky had fallen!

"Goddamn Tang Ye, you've nearly killed me!"

The outcome of this drinking bout quickly spread throughout the entire town.

When Wan Ming learned of the matter, he laughed so hard he doubled over. "This big-headed Tian was overestimating his own abilities. Challenging a drinking cask with a half-jin limit, isn't that just courting death?"

The next day, Tang Ye and Guo Liang came to Qianjin Village once again.

Additionally, they brought Sun Hai along with him.

Qin Ge now received monthly dividends, and his previous investments were gradually breaking even.

Hearing that Tang Ye had another way to make a fortune, Sun Hai naturally did not want to miss the opportunity.

However, his first reaction upon arriving at the village was: can this impoverished and remote place really make more money than mining gold, just as Tang Ye claimed?

Tang Ye stood on the riverbank, looking out over the boundless, misty expanse of the flat lake, and finally fixed his gaze on a stretch of tidal flats on the southwest side.

This plot of land was favorably located; in the town's urban planning, a county highway would pass by it in the later stages.

Suddenly, a clear picture formed in Tang Ye's mind.

A bamboo grove, a fish pond, an orchard, a rustic country kitchen...

However, it would be very difficult for outsiders to acquire land in Qianjin Village. Whatever you planted or raised would simply be stolen clean.

Just as Tang Ye was preparing to leave, a few sand transport trucks untimely appeared not far away.

He frowned.

Lost in thought...

Upon receiving Tang Ye's notice, Tian Daming hurried over from home, and his very first words were, "You caused me to sleep for a whole day and a night, you big wine vat. I'm never drinking with you again."

Tang Ye briefly touched upon the drinking incident.

Then, he made his intentions clear to Tian Daming.

"I came here today to introduce a friend to you. This is Sun Hai. He plans to lease a plot of land here in Qianjin Village to operate a agritainment resort. As for the funds needed to repair the village road, he is willing to contribute one hundred thousand, the town will contribute one hundred thousand, and I kindly ask Village Chief Tian to lend a helping hand."

He never expected Tang Ye to bring such good news—that the road would actually be repaired. This was the ultimate cure for his chronic heartbreak!

Tian Daming patted his chest and assured Tang Ye, "Mayor Tang, if you can get the road built, I guarantee that in Qianjin Village, not a single chicken will squawk and not a single dog will bark; I won't cause you a shred of trouble."

Capital was the most crucial element in road construction, and Tang Ye had resolved that key issue.

Of course, the one hundred thousand yuan that Sun Hai was putting forward for the road construction was not given for free; it could be used for tax deductions later, serving as an advance investment.

Tian Daming said land circulation would be no problem, but there were still a few households where they would need to visit in person to do ideological work.

Tian Daming led Tang Ye and Guo Liang to a certain household.

It was a three-room dwelling with black tiles and white walls, enclosed by a wattle fence. Although crude, it was kept very tidy. Green vegetables and chili peppers were planted in the plot in front of the yard, and gourds hung all over the trellis.

Tang Ye stood before the main gate, staring at the plaque reading "Home of Honor," stood solemnly for a moment, and then quickly followed Tian Daming.

A middle-aged woman in simple clothing was holding a handful of grain, feeding chickens. Upon seeing Tian Daming, she immediately guessed the purpose of their visit.

"Sister-in-law, this is Mayor Tang from the town. He has come to check on you."
"There's nothing to check about me. Let's get this straight: if you're here to persuade me to sell my ancestral land, leave right now and don't waste your time."

Tang Ye was not discouraged and patiently persuaded her, "Sister Wu, I want to talk to you about policy. It's not a sale, but a lease."

"What's the difference between leasing for thirty years and selling?" Sister Wu waved her hand at Tang Ye. "I cannot do something that will cause my descendants to point fingers at my spine."

Tian Daming spoke up in support of Tang Ye, "Everyone else in the village has signed, so stop being so stubborn!"

"Whether other people sign or not, what does that have to do with me!" Sister Wu glared at Tian Daming, turned around, and walked into the house, slamming the door shut.

Tian Daming spread his hands toward Tang Ye.

Tang Ye smiled faintly. "Ideological work is something we have to take slowly!"

Afterward, the group stayed in the village for a meal. Because Tang Ye had established his dominance during the drinking session earlier, the villagers from Qianjin Village were afraid of him, and no one dared to come forward to force drinks on him. Instead, Sun Hai was targeted, and the outcome was predictable—Sun Hai got dead drunk. Tang Ye and Sun Hai ended up staying overnight in the village.

Tian Daming and Tang Ye helped Sun Hai to the neighboring house.

Tian Daming turned on the light and explained, "This is my cousin's place. There are two rooms. They usually work out of town and rarely come back a few times a year. The quilts are clean, so please don't mind them."

"Of course not! Sorry to trouble you tonight." Tang Ye looked at the soundly sleeping Sun Hai and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

After Tian Daming left, Sun Hai began to vomit. Tang Ye gave Sun Hai some water and cleaned up the filth on the floor. After all this tossing and turning, all sleepiness had vanished, so he simply stepped out of the house and strolled along the country path to enjoy the night scenery.

The night was pitch dark and very quiet. Within his field of vision, a cluster of firelight leaping along a ridge of a field caught Tang Ye's attention.

Fearing it might be a fire hazard, Tang Ye headed toward it.

As he drew closer, he discovered a man and a woman sitting side by side by the campfire, tilting their heads to gaze at the bright moon in the sky.

Tang Ye stood behind the stack of firewood, breathed a sigh of relief, and was just about to leave when he stepped on a withered branch, which made a crisp cracking sound. The man had sharp ears, turned around swiftly, picked up a stick, walked in the direction where Tang Ye was, and asked in a low voice, "Who's there?"

Although Tang Ye had done nothing wrong, he felt that hiding in the dark was not the behavior of an honorable gentleman, so he prepared to reveal himself.

A civet cat darted out from a corner.

The man lowered the stick. "Turns out it's just a wild cat."

Tang Ye shook his head with a bitter smile and prepared to slip away quietly so as not to disturb the couple whispering sweet nothings.

The two figures in the firelight leaned against each other gently, without any excessive intimacy.

Just as he was about to turn around, a piece of dialogue between the two made Tang Ye involuntarily prick up his ears.

The man pulled two train tickets out of his pocket. "I've bought the tickets. Let's go to Yunhai together and make a future!"

The woman raised her slender, straight neck, gazed blankly at the night sky, and shook her head. "If we just run away like this, what about your mother?"

The man reached out and placed his hands on the woman's shoulders. "I don't care. I don't want to watch you marry someone you don't love."

The woman's silhouette in the firelight was very beautiful. She gently shook her head. "We can't be that selfish."

The man's emotions finally broke down. He tore the train tickets to pieces and threw them into the campfire. "Stop finding so many excuses. Go marry a good family. I will never grovel and beg you again. I wish you happiness."

With that, the man ran wildly toward the intersection without looking back.

The woman squatted on the ground and cried for a while, then slowly stood up and walked toward the riverside.

Mistaking the woman for being emotionally distressed and about to commit suicide, Tang Ye rushed out from the shadows and grabbed her from behind.

The woman was slender and tall, probably around one meter seven, with very soft shoulders.

Looking from her side and back, the firelight shone on her face, making her skin look white with a rosy tint.

Tang Ye had no wicked intentions; his mind was racing on how to dissuade her without frightening her.

Not seeing Tang Ye's face clearly, the woman thought her lover had returned out of lingering concern. Her tone carried a hint of surprise as she said, "Ze, I've thought it through. I can go with you, but you must explain it clearly to your mother. Your mother has had it too hard."

Tang Ye froze for a moment, not knowing what to say. He thought to himself: as long as you aren't seeking death, it doesn't matter if you temporarily mistake me for your "Ze."

Seeing that the man behind her was not speaking, the woman found it a bit strange and took the initiative to press her slender, tender fingers onto the back of Tang Ye's hand, then squeezed it tightly.

"Ze, my heart will always be yours. Even if we cannot be husband and wife, we can still be friends, lifelong friends."

Realizing he could not let her continue with this misunderstanding, Tang Ye quickly pulled back his hand and said softly, "Miss, you've misunderstood. I am not your Ze. Please don't do anything rash, and certainly don't do anything to harm yourself."

"Ah? Who are you! Ah..."

Realizing the person holding her was not her sweetheart, the woman struggled fiercely to break free from Tang Ye's embrace and ran off frantically without looking back.

Tang Ye wore a wry smile, watching the woman's retreating figure. He vaguely felt she looked a bit familiar—she seemed to be a government staff member with the surname Xu, and a relative of Guo Liang.

The reason he was so deeply impressed was not only because of her outstanding appearance and sweet looks, but also because she possessed a bachelor's degree and had secured her official government position purely through her own abilities.

Catching sight of a water ladle left behind on the ground, he gently slapped his forehead, sudden realization dawning on him!

The woman had walked toward the river not to commit suicide by drowning, but to fetch water to put out the fire.

His own actions just now were entirely a case of making a mountain out of a molehill and being over-sentimental.

Tang Ye picked up the water ladle, scooped up water, and poured it over the campfire to extinguish it completely.

Just as he was about to leave—

A figure came running toward him at top speed.

It was unexpectedly the same woman returning.

Her face was covered in tears, and she said urgently, "Can you help? He... he... got hit by a car. I beg you, please help me."

Tang Ye's heart skipped a beat. He rushed forward and said loudly, "Where is he? Lead the way immediately."

The woman pointed in a direction. "Right ahead, about three or four hundred meters away."

Tang Ye immediately broke into a sprint, quickly leaving the woman behind.

While running, he dialed Tian Daming's phone and explained the situation.

Hearing that there had been a car accident, Tian Daming instantly scrambled out of bed. "Mayor Tang, I'm coming right over!"

Tang Ye spotted the dying man lying by the roadside ditch.

He jumped down into the ditch, squatted beside the man, checked his pulse, and examined his condition.

He had multiple fractures all over his body, and his cranial and brain injuries in particular were extremely severe.

He had lost consciousness and lapsed into a deep coma.

Who could have imagined that the romantic and idyllic scene from just moments ago...

Would turn into a bloody and cruel tragedy in the blink of an eye!