Dong Miao saw that Julie wasn't planning to ask her anything and was just standing there awkwardly.
So, she told the officers to gather the villagers for a meeting to announce that Julie was the new village chief.
Since she was already here, it was an easy thing to do, and she was also curious to see what Julie could do.
After all, a person with such a bad reputation suddenly becoming a village official — even though it was a small position — was still a job with real authority.
Dong Miao didn't believe that no one would be jealous or eyeing the position.
She had a bit of a mischievous thought, wanting to see how Julie would handle the situation.
She didn't have bad intentions; she was just curious because Julie didn't give her any face earlier.
Julie didn't really care much.
At first, she hadn't thought about being a village chief.
But after being constantly bothered, she got tired of it.
Since Pan Li cared so much about this position, she figured she might as well take it — and it was Pan Li who helped her get it.
Whether Pan Li could rest in peace or not, Julie didn't know.
She had already thought it through: since she planned to live in the village for a long time, it would be better for her to be the village chief herself instead of having someone else boss her around.
It wasn't because she loved power; she just didn't want to be picked on anymore. Being just a regular villager was too low, and she would always be under someone else's control.
A village chief could manage a whole village, and that was enough for her.
She didn't have big dreams or ambitions, and she never planned to take the imperial exams.
First, because she was lazy. Second, because she knew her personality wasn't fit for that kind of life.
She had always understood herself very clearly.
Not long after, the villagers all crowded into the village center.
Dong Miao stood on the platform with a few officers and Julie.
Dong Miao simply repeated Pan Li's wrongdoings and announced that Julie was the new village chief. She encouraged everyone to unite and work well with Chief Julie in the future.
The crowd below was packed tightly. With the officers standing by, nobody dared to make loud noises, but their expressions said a lot.
Some looked sympathetic, some looked scornful, some were worried, and some were angry.
They didn't understand — why was this useless person made the chief?
What did she do to deserve it?
Then Dong Miao signaled Julie to speak.
She thought Julie would give a typical speech — saying some inspiring words, making promises for the future, and ending with an emotional appeal.
But Julie's first words completely surprised her:
"Is there anyone here who's unhappy about me becoming the chief? If so, come up now. If you can beat me in a fight, I'll step down right in front of Master Dong and never go back on my word. Anyone?"
Her tone was calm, like she was just asking what's for lunch.
Bailee, Haven, and Lorrie were standing in the crowd, their eyes full of worry, admiration, and trust.
Even though they didn't know why their wife said that, they believed she would never fight a battle she wasn't sure she could win. They trusted she had her reasons.
Julie didn't realize the brothers had such high expectations of her. If she had known, she would have thought they had good taste.
She wasn't thinking that much.
In the post-apocalyptic world she came from, the strong were respected — and that rule applied to any era.
She just wanted to take advantage of the officials being here today to deal with anyone too full of themselves and to scare off the troublemakers.
At the same time, she wanted to show the officials that she wasn't like the previous chief.
If they thought she would be like Pan Li — bowing and scraping, acting like a servant — they could forget it.
She became the village chief to live comfortably, not to live miserably or clean up other people's messes.