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Lin Xiao was taken to Cun Ren's home, where she washed herself repeatedly for a full half hour to wash away the disgusting smell. At that moment, she was incredibly grateful for her short hair; long hair would have been much harder to clean and would have held onto the odor more stubbornly.
Afterward, Lin Xiao put on clean clothes that Cun Ren had found for her. Lacking undergarments, she had to settle for wearing a long-sleeved jacket over her outfit. When she stepped outside, she learned that Li Hao had decided at the last minute to hold a village meeting that afternoon. This surprised Lin Xiao and everyone else as well.
Today had been chaotic; the sudden meeting brought too many uncontrollable factors into play. "Luo Ren, I hope nothing goes wrong," Lin Xiao quietly asked Luo Qianwei, who was standing at the entrance of the town government cafeteria. Luo Qianwei thought to himself, who could guarantee that?
The village loudspeaker was broadcasting information about the county head holding a discussion to address relocation issues. A group of people quickly grabbed some fast food in the cafeteria before heading to the village office in the relocation area.
Bai Guangqiang moved tables and chairs from the village office, and under the persuasion of the township officials, the villagers gathered in the square. The meeting began with Li Hao straightforwardly addressing everyone: "Dear villagers, I understand your reluctance to relocate. This is where your ancestors have lived for generations. However, as the old saying goes, 'Trees move but people live.' The transportation here is inconvenient; it makes it hard for you to get around and for your children to attend school. During the rainy season, you also have to worry about falling rocks and mudslides."
Li Hao spoke for about ten minutes without any response or interaction from the villagers below. At that moment, two police officers arrived with a burly man who had thrown feces earlier. The crowd erupted in chaos as villagers stood up, and it seemed like things were about to spiral out of control.
Seeing this scene, Li Hao felt his mind explode; he had just said they would let go of the burly man's actions. Now stabilizing public sentiment was of utmost importance. Bai Guangqiang's idea was simple: make an example out of him as a warning to others and provide an explanation to the county head.
Li Hao approached and signaled for the two police officers to release the man. "Zhi, you threw feces on one of our women today; do you want to take responsibility? I can't decide that; we need to ask her—Lin Xiao."
Called out by name, Lin Xiao stepped out from behind the crowd. Originally dressed in professional attire, she had changed into a normal dark blue long shirt worn by villagers from Gengxu Town. To avoid drawing attention, she had thrown on a gray jacket over it and wore baggy black trousers along with ill-fitting shoes.
The burly man felt somewhat embarrassed upon seeing Lin Xiao's loose-fitting clothes; he only intended to retaliate against those in power and never meant to target this girl. "Lin Xiao," Li Hao asked her directly, "do you want to hold him accountable?"
Lin Xiao was not foolish enough to misread the situation and did not give a direct answer. "Uncle," she began, "we all understand your feelings about not wanting to relocate. But look at this place; it really is inconvenient. The children can't go to school easily, and it's hard for young people to stay here. Why don't you express your situation in front of the county head? I'm sure he will find a solution for you."
The burly man hesitated; he had already been intimidated by those police officers earlier and realized that throwing feces constituted personal injury and could lead to detention.
"Uncle," Lin Xiao continued patiently persuading him, "you threw feces just to vent your frustration. If you voice your concerns, then maybe the county head can address them."
The burly man took a deep breath and began to speak loudly.
"These people have lived here for generations. Now, asking them to move to another place means they won't be able to farm anymore. How will they survive?"
He continued, expressing his concerns about the houses promised by the town, which wouldn't be ready until next year. With so many family members, there simply wouldn't be enough space.
The burly man rambled on, and gradually, the villagers began to loosen up, echoing his sentiments with shouts of agreement.
Li Hao's expression grew increasingly somber as he listened. The issues raised by the burly man were ones they had discussed during the initial planning of the relocation. It was clear that the policies from above had not been communicated properly.
"Fellow villagers," Li Hao called out, "the problems raised by this brother just now—aren't they the same issues that everyone is facing?"
The villagers responded with a resounding "Yes," and soon began to chatter among themselves.
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