Chapter 6

As night fell, the village of Moon Crescent lit up with the glow of lamps.

The village committee's loudspeaker was announcing the election for the next village committee, and the voice of the village chief, Lin Deshan, could be heard for miles.

Who to vote for was of no concern to Li Zian; it was unlikely he would ever become the village chief.

After a busy afternoon, the pot of soup was finally ready.

The broth was clear, slightly tinged with red, and floating in it were herbs like fish腥grass, gastrodia, and platycodon, as well as ingredients like scallions, ginger slices, Sichuan pepper, and black sesame seeds. There were also a few chicken feet and some morel mushrooms.

This soup was called the Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup. According to the secret recipe, this soup had general effects such as improving appetite, strengthening the spleen, promoting urination, calming the mind, and nourishing the blood. Additionally, it had a magical effect: it could turn white hair black.

With limited ingredients, Li Zian could only make this Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup. However, the herbs, ingredients, and seasonings were secondary; the most important ingredient was the furnace body blood. The recipe even instructed him to place his cut palm in the clay pot and simmer it for fifteen minutes over a low flame. His palm and the furnace body blood were the true "broth base." Without this step, no matter who cooked the soup with these ingredients, it would only be a clear stewed chicken feet.

Simmering a cut palm in water for fifteen minutes was not something an ordinary person could endure.

The water in the clay pot started from cold and took about ten minutes to boil. At the beginning, Li Zian didn't feel much, but as the water temperature rose, he started to feel uncomfortable.

However, just as he was doubting whether he could last the fifteen minutes, the Great Lazy Furnace appeared in his mind, and the heat from his palm seemed to be absorbed by it. His hand in the clay pot didn't hurt at all, feeling as if it were in warm water.

More surprisingly, when he took his cut left hand out of the pot, the wound had disappeared, leaving no scar. His left hand, which had been in boiling water, was still smooth and unburned.

This was something no scientific explanation could account for.

But Li Zian was a person who went with the flow. He didn't force himself to understand things, and he was too lazy to delve into the root cause. As long as his hand was fine and the soup tasted good, that was all that mattered.

"Zian, is dinner ready? I'm starving," Lin Shengnan's voice came.

"Almost, I'll be right there," Li Zian replied. He picked up a ladle, scooped half a ladle of soup, blew on it a few times, and then took a small sip.

This seemingly haphazard and slightly heavy-tasting Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup was surprisingly smooth and fragrant, leaving a lingering taste in the mouth.

Li Zian thought excitedly: "With this Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup, I could probably open a restaurant and make money. If it really can turn white hair black, business would be booming."

A few minutes later, Li Zian brought the pot of Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup to the dining room.

Lin Shengnan was already impatient. As soon as Li Zian entered, she started scolding: "Are you stewing a bull's head? It takes so long. Are you trying to starve me to death?"

Li Zian was used to her scolding and didn't mind: "Grandma, this is the Phoenix Hand Soup I specially made for you. Try it."

He ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Lin Shengnan, even putting the soup spoon in the bowl for her.

Lin Shengnan picked up the spoon and took a sip, her eyes narrowing slightly. She only opened them after the soup had passed through her throat. Then, her eyes sparkled as she looked at the soup and took another sip, and another.

Li Zian waited for Lin Shengnan's evaluation, but seeing her drink the soup mouthful after mouthful, he already knew it would be good.

Lin Shengnan finished the small bowl of soup and asked curiously: "Zian, what's so special about this soup?"

Li Zian said: "This soup is called the Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup. Grandma, drink more of it. It can turn white hair black."

"Is this soup really that magical?" Lin Shengnan pursed her lips. "I don't believe it, but your soup is indeed delicious. You've made some progress. Give me another bowl."

Li Zian ladled another bowl of soup for Lin Shengnan, watching her drink it, feeling a sense of accomplishment. If he remembered correctly, this was probably the first time Lin Shengnan had praised him since he had moved in with the Yu family.

After dinner, Li Zian practiced the Branch Breaking Fist for an hour, breaking out in a sweat. After a quick rinse, he went to bed.

Sleeping was practicing the Great Sleep Qi Cultivation Technique.

The next morning, Li Zian was woken up by the village loudspeaker before he could sleep in.

Village Chief Lin Deshan was reminding the villagers to attend the election meeting, and they would receive a ten-yuan subsidy for attending. The repeated announcements were annoying.

Li Zian got up and went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Today was Lin Shengnan's birthday, so he specially cooked her a bowl of longevity noodles.

When Lin Shengnan came to the dining room, Li Zian was surprised to see a few strands of black hair on the back of her head.

The Great Beneficial Phoenix Hand Soup really worked!

However, Lin Shengnan didn't notice. Before sitting down to eat, she said: "Meilin will be back today. Prepare more food for lunch."

"Okay," Li Zian replied indifferently.

Yu Meilin was coming back today, but he didn't feel any joy or even a hint of anticipation.

To him, his wife was just a familiar stranger.

After eating the longevity noodles, Lin Shengnan handed Li Zian two ballots: "Village Chief Lin delivered the ballots yesterday. I've already filled them out. Take them to the village office and put them in the ballot box. Village Chief Lin is a good person and is related to us. We'll vote for him. I've already marked your ballot with his name."

Li Zian: "..."

Though it was a small matter, it reflected his status as a赘婿.

He couldn't even decide on something as simple as filling out a ballot.

Li Zian took the two ballots and returned to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for lunch. Yu Meilin was coming back, and the only thing he could do for her was to cook a few dishes.

After finishing, it was almost ten o'clock when Li Zian took the two ballots to the village office.

The courtyard of the village office was crowded with people, some sitting on small stools, others standing. The village chief was speaking on the stage, while the people below were chatting among themselves. Some children were playing hide-and-seek, hiding under the table where the ballot box was placed, and were caught by the militiaman with a red armband.

This chaotic and noisy scene made Li Zian uncomfortable. He stood at the entrance of the village office, waiting to vote when the crowd thinned out.

Ma Xiaorong and Chen Gang were also there, with a dog skin plaster on Chen Gang's wrist.

"Isn't that Li Zian?" A village woman turned to spit and saw Li Zian, pulling Ma Xiaorong's sleeve.

Ma Xiaorong and Chen Gang both looked at Li Zian, their eyes filled with resentment.

Li Zian didn't care. If Chen Gang caused trouble again, he would just fight him. Chen Gang couldn't win anyway.

"Everyone, let's start voting. I remind you not to scribble on the ballots, or they won't count," Village Chief Lin Deshan's voice came through the loudspeaker.

The villagers started voting, not forming a queue, pushing and shoving each other.

Li Zian waited until the crowd around the ballot box thinned out before walking over and casting his two ballots, then turned to leave.

At that moment, Chen Gang suddenly went up to the stage, slapped a ballot on the table, and shouted into the microphone: "I vote for Li Zian to be the village chief!"

Lin Deshan frowned: "Chen Gang, this is not a place for you to fool around."

Li Zian frowned and turned to look at Chen Gang.

Chen Gang said sarcastically: "I'm not fooling around. Li Zian is capable. If we elect him as the village chief, he can lead us to live off others and get rich! Hahaha!"

The courtyard of the village office erupted in laughter.

Li Zian's eyes grew cold, and he took a step towards Chen Gang.

The militiaman hurriedly blocked Li Zian's path, holding him back.

Chen Gang sneered: "I'll tell you a secret. There's a woman in our village..."

Li Zian pushed the militiaman away and rushed towards the stage.

This time, he would beat Chen Gang to a pulp, or he wouldn't be named Li!

Rumble!

A helicopter suddenly swooped down from the mountain, the sound of its rotors drowning out Chen Gang's voice.

Li Zian was stopped by several militiamen maintaining order.

Chen Gang was pushed off the stage by Lin Deshan.

However, the villagers' attention was drawn to the helicopter, and no one was watching Li Zian and Chen Gang.

What was the point of watching a fight when a helicopter was so much more interesting?

People in the mountains rarely saw helicopters, and they were quite a novelty.

The helicopter flew over the village office and landed in a vegetable field in front of it.

The villagers swarmed out of the village office.

The helicopter's engine shut off, the cabin door opened, and an aluminum ladder was lowered. A young woman stepped down from the helicopter.

All eyes were on the woman.

She was at least 1.7 meters tall, wearing a black tight skirt that revealed long legs, which made up two-thirds of her body. Her tall and slender figure was well-proportioned, with a slim waist and a curvy figure. Her face was also beautiful, even without makeup, making her very attractive.

"Isn't that the Yu family's daughter?"

"It's Yu Meilin, no doubt about it!"

"Wow, she must be rich, coming back in a helicopter?"

"How much does a helicopter cost? At least a few hundred thousand, right?"

"Maybe less."

"Definitely hooked up with a rich guy. She must be back to divorce Li Zian."

"Of course, Li Zian, a farmer, can't match the Yu family's daughter."

The villagers chattered, their imaginations running wild.

Li Zian had intended to take advantage of the chaos to beat up Chen Gang, but when he saw Yu Meilin step out of the helicopter, his mind and eyes were only on her.

Yu Meilin always came back on this day every year, but the previous three times she had rented a car. This time, she had come in a helicopter.

Li Zian was a bit confused.

What was going on?

However, his poverty limited his imagination.