Chapter 266: Who's Got the More Tricks?

Looking at the awkward expressions on everyone's faces, Gao Dayi felt a great sense of satisfaction.

The Li family was doing well now. Li Er had set up a factory in the forest and was also involved in the tissue paper business outside, making the whole forest wonder what kind of fortune the Li family had come into.

Especially with that wood chip factory in the forest.

Since the factory opened, some people in the forest had a new source of income. They were no longer actively participating in the various assignments and tasks in the forest. It was as if the wood chip factory had become a little kingdom of its own. Recently, Li You, that bastard, had even hinted at wanting to participate in the election. This was unacceptable! If he wasn't dealt with, people's hearts would drift away!

"Chief, we don't have any other intentions. It's just that we see how hard it is for Zhu Laowu's wife, raising six kids on her own. Now that someone is lending a hand, it makes us feel better too, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, Uncle Gao, we're all from the same village. If we can't help, it's still good that someone else is helping. We're just saying, Li You was managing the seedlings in the nursery before. How could he possibly be capable of being the chief? In critical times, it still needs you!"

"Chief Gao, rest assured, we're still voting for you this time!"

Seeing their eager expressions, Gao Dayi sneered. He put on his coat and stood up.

"Now you see who's useful, huh? When you were talking about Zhu Laowu's wife in front of me earlier, didn't you think about it?" As everyone was caught off guard, Gao Dayi waved his hand dismissively. "It's too late! I'm not going to deal with your issues. With such a massive hailstorm, the forest can't handle it either. I'll call the bureau to ask how to handle it. As for you... find whoever you want to. If Li You is so capable, let him handle it. Zhu Laowu's wife got help; why not let him help you too?"

With that, Gao Dayi left, ignoring the awkward and anxious looks from the crowd.

---

### Gao Family

Gao Dayi's wife slammed a large bowl of stewed melon and beans onto the table.

The impact caused the soup to spill all over the table.

Seeing the commotion from his wife, Gao Dayi put down his wine cup and banged the table. "What the hell are you making a fuss about?"

"I'm making a fuss?" Guo Guixiang, holding a greasy and blackened rag, pointed at her own nose.

"Gao Dayi, have you lost your mind as chief?"

Throwing the rag onto the table, Guo Guixiang sat down angrily. "Just now, Chen Laosan's family came to find me, saying that after the hailstorm, everyone went to you for help. Not only did you fail to assist, but you even pushed people towards Li You? It's just a week before the election. By doing this, aren't you just boosting Li You's reputation and making things uncomfortable for yourself? Is there any chief who handles things like this?"

Seeing his furious wife, Gao Dayi was almost amused. "You foolish woman, I've been chief for nearly ten years, and you think you know better?"

Seeing her husband's attitude, Guo Guixiang was taken aback. "What? Is what you're doing right?"

"Hah!" Gao Dayi picked up some meat from the bowl with his chopsticks, popped it into his mouth, and took a sip of wine.

With a wine-laden breath and seeing his wife's curious expression, Gao Dayi became smug. "Think about it. What's the situation now? The Seventeen-Mile Farm over there is nearly flattened by the hail. It's clear that every family is devastated. Those who keep livestock in the forest, how many of them lost a dozen or more? Now, you ask me to solve it. How do I choose whom to help?"

Guo Guixiang thought for a moment and realized her husband had a point, but she still had concerns. "But you can't push people to Li You!"

"You're so naive!" Gao Dayi slammed the table with his cup. "After a disaster, what should be done? Report it up the chain and let the bureau know who is in charge! Right now, the most important thing is to get the bureau involved to allocate funds and manpower for disaster relief. That's what's crucial for solving the problem. If I push everyone to Li You, do you think he can help?"

"Why can't he? Isn't Li Er rich? If he takes out some money, maybe it will solve the problem," Guo Guixiang said stubbornly.

"How many households are there in the factory now? Even if Li Er is rich, can he help everyone? If he really had that much money, if he took out a couple of hundred thousand to address the hailstorm, I'd gladly resign as chief!" Gao Dayi said, getting agitated. He slammed the table again. "But if he can't come up with that money or doesn't want to, helping a few families won't be enough. Those who don't benefit will still resent him! People are like this—if you don't help to the end, you're just a fake good person! Wait and see. There will be people pointing fingers at his family! After living in the forest for half my life, I know these people well. Just watch. Li You thinks he can win people over by helping Zhu Laowu's wife? He's digging his own grave!"

After digesting her husband's words, Guo Guixiang nodded in understanding.

She cleaned up the spilled soup from the table with a cloth, then turned to leave with a mixture of respect and eagerness.

"Why aren't you eating?" Gao Dayi called out.

"Since the stove is still hot, I'll make you some peanuts!" Guo Guixiang replied from the stove.

---

### Li Family

After cursing the heavens for a while, Li Daoyun went to Zhang Yazi's place. Meanwhile, Li Xian and his brothers cleaned up the hail in the yard.

The hailstorm was indeed severe. By the time the hail melted, Li Xian sadly saw that the newly repaired iron roof from last year was pitted and dented. From a distance, it looked like a crushed tin can on the road.

The glass windows had also been shattered.

Additionally, the firewood shed in the yard had collapsed, and the doghouse was deformed. The local dog, Da Huang, was so frightened that it still didn't dare to come out.

The worst was the big pig in the pigsty, which had been forgotten for slaughter during the New Year. This pig, perhaps frightened out of its wits by Li Xian, had run into the pigsty upon seeing him. Now, with a head full of bumps from the hail, it crawled out with its head raised and grunted as if it had been stunned by the hail.

After cleaning up the yard, night had fallen. Zou Ni instructed Li Xian and his brother to help clean up at Li Qing's house, then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Before the meal was ready, guests arrived.

Although the Li family had a good reputation in the forest now, few people visited uninvited at random times. But since they were fellow villagers, Li You still invited them in.

As soon as Hou Da sat down on the stool, Song Laosan, who had ten acres of land, arrived. After inviting them in, a few more people entered the house.

Once everyone was settled, they looked at each other with awkward expressions.

"Everyone, is there something going on?"

Li You served tea and asked in confusion.

The room fell into a mysterious silence.

After a while, Hou Da stomped his foot and stood up. "Uncle Li, I'm not afraid of losing face, but after this hailstorm, more than half of the twenty cows at my place were killed. I can't just leave them to rot by the roadside. However, the slaughterhouse won't accept them, so I need to deal with it myself. I was thinking of hiring people and a truck to process the dead cows while the meat is still fresh. But you know how it is at my place—handling it will cost money, and I… I don't have any options left. I wanted to ask if you could lend me a thousand bucks for emergency use?"

"Uncle Li, our ten-plus acres of land are now flattened. The beans were almost ripe, and I can't just let them freeze in the field! I need to hire people and trucks to salvage them. But I don't have any spare cash! Uncle Li, your family is doing well. If you have some spare money, could you lend me four to five thousand to get the beans out of the field? Uncle Li, please help in this emergency. I won't use the money for nothing; I'll pay interest!"

The big men in the room all looked distressed and teary-eyed when talking about the hailstorm.

Seeing this, Li You felt a pang of sympathy.

Aside from these issues, the fact that the people in the forest were suffering made him feel quite pleased, as he felt he now had some weight in the forest.

Roughly calculating, the total amount needed was around fifty thousand, but the family didn't have much money. However, the wood chip factory's operating funds amounted to seventy to eighty thousand.

It wasn't a big deal.

"Everyone is going through a tough time, and I'm feeling for you

 too." Li You sighed, waved his hand, and sat up straight with a serious expression.

In front of everyone, he waved his hand grandly. "We're not short of money in our family. At this critical moment, forget about the interest. Just take it for emergency use!"

---

That evening, when Li Xian returned home, he saw his father looking incredibly pleased.

Wondering why his father was so happy despite the disaster, Li Xian moved a stool and sat beside him. "Dad, what's the good news?"

"Hehe!" Li You grinned, recounted what had happened earlier, and then said proudly, "Look, this time, Dad's position as chief is secure!"

Smack!

Li Xian slapped his thigh.

"Dad! You've gotten yourself into big trouble!"