The old mayor, Su Qing, the head of the Su family, would occasionally chat with Lin Chengyu, the son of the Lin family in the county town, and ask him all sorts of questions.
This made the head of the Fang family a little dissatisfied. Young Master Lin was a distinguished guest he had invited with great difficulty, and judging from the attitude of the old mayor Su Qing, it was obvious that he wanted to establish a relationship with him.
Seeing the old town mayor Su Qing and the head of the Fang family vying to compliment the young master of the Lin family, the head of the Pei family was secretly happy. He had different ideas from the old town mayor Su Qing and the head of the Fang family.
His attention was almost entirely on Xu Lian. It wasn't that he was not interested in the Lin family in the county town, but, compared to the Lin family in the distant county town, he cared more about the connection with the mining inspector in Lvzhu Town.
As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench nearby thirst, and distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. The same is true for personal connections! Instead of fawning over, flattering, and complimenting Mr. Lin, it is better to grasp Xu Lian.
Moreover, he once heard a piece of gossip that the Mine Inspector of Green Bamboo Town was extraordinary and not comparable to the Mine Inspectors of other towns. The Mine Inspector of Green Bamboo Town could have been promoted long ago, but for some unknown reason he was stuck in Green Bamboo Town as a Mine Inspector.
From this point of view, the power of the mining inspector of Luzhu Town is not necessarily inferior to that of the Lin family in the county town.
At present, the old town mayor Su Qing and the head of the Fang family do not know the relationship between Xu Lian and the mine inspector. This is a good opportunity for him to win over Xu Lian.
"Manager Xu, my concubines, although I can't say they are all beautiful, they are still pretty. Are you interested in taking two or three home?"
The head of the Pei family asked with a smile, like an elder caring for a younger one.
Beauty... Xu Lian has become a little numb.
If it were in the past, he would find it hard to imagine that a father would use the word "beauty" to describe his daughter, as if describing a commodity.
Now he has become numb, or rather he has become accustomed to it. This is the way the world is. The daughters of ordinary people's families are exchanged for food, and the daughters of wealthy families are exchanged for benefits. There is no essential difference.
What's more, she is just a concubine's daughter, so there is no need to have any feelings for her. She is treated like a commodity.
After hearing their father's words, the several illegitimate girls of the Pei family who were following behind tensed up. They knew that the moment that would decide their fate had come.
They were nervous but also a little expectant. This Xu Lian was the manager of the mine, so he would not have to worry about food, clothing and other expenses. Moreover, Xu Lian had a good appearance and was young, only a few years older than them. From the bottom of their hearts, they were willing to be Xu Lian's women.
"Brother Pei is too generous."
Patriarch Fang did not understand. "Although these nieces of the Pei family are only born out of wedlock, they are still your biological daughters after all. He is just a manager at a mine. It is a blessing for him to have one daughter. Why should he be allowed to have two or three?"
The old mayor, Su Qing, was even more dissatisfied. "If it was a family as prominent as Mr. Lin in the county, it would be fine if he allowed two or three people. But Brother Pei allowed two or three people to manage a mine, which would ruin the reputation of our three big families."
Patriarch Pei didn't want to explain it to them so clearly, and just smiled lightly, "Manager Xu is like my own nephew. I love him very much. I have dozens of concubines, so what's wrong with giving him two or three?"
Can you give me Zhao Xiyun... Xu Lian bowed and said tactfully, "Thank you Uncle Pei for your kindness, but my health is not good. I already have enough women at home. I can't afford more."
Patriarch Pei looked suspicious. "Manager Xu looks ruddy and healthy. He doesn't look like he's in poor health."
Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Xu Lian coughed twice and said, "This kind of thing... can't be seen on the surface."
Pei Heng remembered Xu Lian's use of tiger bones to make wine, and whispered to the head of the Pei family, "Father, Brother Xu is indeed in poor health. I know this. He once asked me to hunt a whole tiger bone to make wine and tonic."
The head of the Pei family felt regretful. "Well, if Manager Xu recovers in the future, you can come to my Pei family at any time. My concubines have been giving birth all the time, and I will always have good-looking concubine daughters."
The concubines of the Pei family who were following behind were also a little disappointed. How could he be in such poor health at such a young age
Pei Zhaoxi glanced at Xu Lian out of the corner of her eye. He was really good at pretending. She was sure that her father and brother had been deceived by Xu Lian. Didn't she know whether Xu Lian was in good health or not
"Uncle Pei, my nephew has something good to tell you!"
Seeing that everyone in the Pei family was paying attention to the young steward named Xu Lian, Fang Shaoze, as the future son-in-law, felt a little uncomfortable and spoke up immediately.
Patriarch Pei was puzzled. Could it be that the Fang family had already known that he had been chosen as the next mayor? "What good news?"
Fang Shaoze smiled and said, "Originally my father intended to compete for the next mayor, but after I knew that Uncle Pei was also interested, I asked my father to give up and not compete with Uncle Pei, so as not to hurt the harmony between our Fang family and the Pei family."
Pause.
He extended his hand to Lin Chengyu and said, "In order to help Uncle Pei become the next mayor, I specially invited Brother Lin from the county town to come here. I would like to ask Brother Lin to use his family connections to help Uncle Pei."
Patriarch Fang sighed a little sourly, "Brother Pei, my son is really filial to you. He cares about you more than his own father!"
Lin Chengyu said to Patriarch Pei, "I'd like to make it clear that I can use my family connections to help you talk to the higher-ups and try to get you the position of the next mayor of Green Bamboo Town. However, I can't guarantee who will be the next mayor, you have to know that."
Fang Shaoze smiled and said, "Don't worry, Uncle Pei. My father won't compete with you. There is no one in Green Bamboo Town who can compete with you. In addition, Brother Lin can use his family connections to lobby the higher-ups. It is basically a sure thing for you to become the next mayor, unless the higher-ups suddenly transfer a mayor from outside, which is unlikely."
Xu Lian's eyes became strange. The young masters of the Fang and Lin families didn't know yet that the head of the Pei family had already been decided as the next mayor.
Pei Huan felt a little embarrassed for his future brother-in-law. He opened his mouth but hesitated, not knowing what to say. The news had not been made public yet, so he couldn't reveal it.
Pei Zhaoxi looked at Fang Shaoze who was trying hard to please her father, and then looked at Xu Lian who was silent. She completely lost all feelings for Fang Shaoze.
In the past, before she met Xu Lian, the calm and steady young man, her girlish heart felt that Fang Shaoze, the young boy, met her standards for choosing a man. But now, in comparison, the young boy is still too young after all. He is one step slower than the older boy in picking flowers in the garden, and he is also one step slower than the older boy in getting her father the position of next mayor.
One step slow, every step slow, the young boy finally lost to the older boy.
Patriarch Pei didn't know what to say, so he could only smile and say, "Thank you for your kindness, nephew. However, I have my own plans for the next mayor, so I won't bother you to find someone to help me."