Chapter 304 - 200: Mother-in-Law Sets Up Lu Fan and Yixia, Mission Accomplished?

It was the following afternoon when Lu Fan returned to Yangcheng.

The cases involving Lin Qiang and the fraudulent company had already been resolved.

The evidence in both cases was ironclad, so the sentences were sure to be heavy. It was a measure of justice for the children.

He parked in front of Jiang Yixia's flower shop and went inside.

Jiang Yixia was arranging a new batch of lilies, and a faint floral fragrance filled the entire shop.

She wore a light gray knit sweater, her hair tied up loosely, giving her a gentle and serene look.

Lu Fan leaned against the counter, watching her with a wide smile.

Without looking up, Jiang Yixia said calmly, "You're back?"

"I had a court hearing yesterday. I came over to see you as soon as I was done," Lu Fan said cheerfully.

Jiang Yixia didn't respond, simply continuing to trim the flowers.

Lu Fan didn't mind and continued, "Both cases went smoothly. Lin Qiang will probably get three to five years. The ringleaders of the fraudulent company will get even more—seven years, minimum."

Her hands paused for a moment. She glanced up at him, then lowered her head again and muttered softly, "You worked hard."

Lu Fan paused in surprise, then broke into a grin that crinkled his eyes. "Not at all, not at all. It was for the children. It was the right thing to do."

Jiang Yixia didn't reply, but the corners of her mouth lifted in a slight smile.

Just then, Lu Fan's phone rang. He picked it up and saw that Pan Lanfang was calling.

"Hello, Auntie?" Lu Fan answered, glancing at Jiang Yixia with a smile in his voice.

Pan Lanfang's anxious voice came from the other end of the line. "Xiaolu, are you free right now?"

Lu Fan asked, "What is it, Auntie? Did something happen?"

Pan Lanfang sighed, her voice heavy with helplessness. "It's something in the village. Our vegetable patch, and the fields of several other families, they're all about to die from the drought. The village's irrigation ditch is broken and no one's fixing it, so we can't get any water. Your uncle is so worried he's got sores all over his mouth. He runs to the fields every day, but there's nothing to be done."

Lu Fan's brow furrowed. "Hasn't the village committee done anything?"

Pan Lanfang grew angry. "Done anything? The village officials said there's no money and that we should figure it out ourselves. But what can a bunch of us old folks do?"

"Don't you worry, Auntie. I'll come over and take a look right now," Lu Fan said after a moment's thought, his tone turning serious.

"Oh, Xiaolu, you're so busy with work, you don't need to make a special trip..." Pan Lanfang said hastily, taken aback.

Lu Fan cut her off with a laugh. "It's no problem, Auntie. I happen to be in Yangcheng, and it's only a little over an hour by car. You just wait, I'll be there soon."

After hanging up, he turned to Jiang Yixia and said, "An older woman I know from a village has a problem at home. I'm going to go help out."

Jiang Yixia listened and, without saying anything, just nodded slightly.

Lu Fan was about to leave, but he stopped and asked with a grin, "What? You're not going to tell me to be careful on the road?"

Jiang Yixia rolled her eyes at him, her face flushing. "Go as fast as you want."

Lu Fan chuckled, then turned and left.

As Jiang Yixia watched his back disappear out the door, her lips curved into a smile without her realizing it.

'He might be shameless,' she thought, 'but he always does the right thing.'

A little over an hour later, Lu Fan's car pulled into Qingshan Village.

From a distance, he could see a small group standing at the village entrance. Pan Lanfang and Jiang Guoqiang were both there, alongside a few other villagers with worried looks on their faces.

The moment his car stopped, Pan Lanfang hurried over, her eyes a little red. "Xiaolu, sorry to trouble you again."

Lu Fan waved a hand dismissively and smiled. "Don't say that, Auntie. There's no need for such formalities between us."

He glanced at the cracked earth of the distant fields, then at the dilapidated irrigation ditch, and asked, "How long has it been broken?"

Jiang Guoqiang sighed, his voice filled with anguish. "More than a week. The village committee keeps saying there's no money for repairs and tells us to wait, but these crops can't wait. A few more days of drought and this entire season's harvest will be lost."

Another villager chimed in, "Exactly. Our families depend on selling these vegetables for income. And what are the village officials doing? Sitting in their office drinking tea all day, not lifting a finger."

Lu Fan nodded. He didn't say anything immediately, but instead walked along the ditch to inspect the situation for himself.

It was an old earthen ditch, long neglected and in disrepair. It had collapsed in several places, and in others, tree roots had pushed up and cracked the walls, completely blocking the flow of water.

He walked back to the villagers and said, "Repairing this ditch is a big job. It'll need to be rebuilt with cement. It's not something a few of you elders can handle on your own."

The villagers looked at each other, their expressions growing even more grim.

Jiang Guoqiang sighed. "We know that. But the village won't give us any money, so what are we supposed to do?"

After a moment's thought, Lu Fan asked, "Where are your village officials?"

Pan Lanfang pointed in the direction of the village committee office. "He should be in there."

"I'll go have a word with him," Lu Fan said with a nod, starting to walk.

The village committee office wasn't large. A middle-aged man was sitting inside, drinking tea and scrolling through his phone.

He looked up, startled, as Lu Fan walked in. "Who are you looking for?"

Lu Fan sat down across from him and smiled. "You must be the village chief, correct? I have a small matter I'd like to discuss with you."

The village chief sized him up and asked in a lukewarm tone, "What about?"

Lu Fan explained the situation with the irrigation ditch.

After listening, the village chief waved a dismissive hand. "I know about that. But the village doesn't have the money for it, so there's nothing I can do. Just tell them to wait."

"Wait for how long?"

The chief was caught off guard and stammered, "Well... we'll have to wait for the higher-ups to allocate funds."

"Funding from the higher-ups?" Lu Fan smiled, his tone unhurried. "And when do you think they might allocate that?"

The chief's expression darkened, and his tone grew hard. "Hey, what's your problem? I said there's no money, so there's no money. It's no use coming to me."