dentity to Secretary Liu, who laughed heartily.

"Who cares who he is! I just know he’s your godfather, and my honorary father-in-law. He gave us the permit!” Secretary Liu responded, kissing the mining permit enthusiastically.

“Fine then! You go ahead and sleep with your certificate!” Mrs. Liu retorted playfully.

“It feels secure!” Secretary Liu responded jokingly before drifting off to sleep.

When Elder Min left for the provincial city, he took Fu Le and Liu Xiaoyan with him for school. No sooner did he leave East Village, Secretary Liu eagerly prepared to convene a village-wide meeting but was stopped by Mrs. Liu.

“What do you want to say, dear? I have work to do for the project!” With one foot already out the door, Secretary Liu grumbled.

“Hold on!” Mrs. Liu insisted. “Godfather talked to me about the mine before he left.”

“What’s the situation?”

“Sit down, and I’ll explain.” Secretary Liu reluctantly returned to the sofa.

"He mentioned that this site’s characteristics suggest it’s a ‘chicken nest’ type mine, meaning the reserves might not be abundant. He didn’t want to dampen your enthusiasm, so he asked me to tell you to be prepared for short-term extraction.”

“What do you mean ‘chicken nest’? Can we mine it or not?”

“We can mine it, but the reserves might not be significant.”

“As long as we can extract something! I feel relieved now.” Secretary Liu exhaled deeply. “I was worried there might be another problem.”

The groundbreaking ceremony for the mine was personally officiated by County Magistrate Wang. The villages of East and West celebrated with firecrackers, making it a festive event. Since the establishment of the iron mine, even the township government regarded Secretary Liu with newfound respect.

Whenever he attended meetings in the township, not only did Mayor Nie cater to him, but even Deputy Secretary Zeng would take time from his busy schedule for special attention. Secretary Liu’s treatment at the township government could be compared to that of a favored royal prince in ancient times.

Thanks to the influence of the Secretary and the magistrate, more good news came to East Village, such as the county’s decision to pave a direct asphalt road to the county town. This news spread like wildfire, and surveyors had already begun their work.

East Village now seemed to ride the momentum of reform and progress, enjoying the benefits of modern development. However, the mining plan submitted by West Village seemed to vanish without a trace, leaving Deputy Secretary Fu and the villagers in a state of demoralization. Normally assertive, Secretary Liu became unusually humble, often inviting Deputy Secretary Fu for drinks under the pretext of seeking mining advice.

Though both were equally knowledgeable (or rather, clueless) about

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