NOVPUB
Chapter 711: Chapter 711: Building Hometown 1
Upon hearing Si Xiaohui’s words, Auntie Wang became upset instantly. Not to mention that Si Xiaohui was disrespecting her in front of so many people, but more importantly, that man was her nephew. Si Xiaohui looking down on her nephew was the same as looking down on her, wasn’t it?
Auntie Wang’s face turned stern, and her tone hardened, "Xiaohui, what do you mean by saying that? We’ve never belittled you for being married multiple times. Yet, you have the audacity to look down on my nephew. My nephew is single because he’s selective, wanting a virtuous and resourceful woman. Find out for yourself, everyone in the surrounding villages knows my nephew is a good catch. Sure, my family may not be as wealthy as yours, but even if your family is rich, that wealth belongs to your brother and sister-in-law. It’s uncertain whether they’ll give you a dowry when you get married. What are you being so smug about?"
Si Xiaohui snapped back fiercely, "Even if my brother and sister-in-law don’t give me a dowry, not just anyone can step through our family’s door. Even if I, Si Xiaohui, marry ten men, it wouldn’t be your nephew’s turn. A toad lusting after swan meat, he should take a good look at what he truly is."
Auntie Wang was fuming with rage and would have started a fight with Si Xiaohui if Si Chen and Tong Yao hadn’t been present. People nearby tried to mediate, urging her to drop it and not start a fight. Swallowing her anger, Auntie Wang had no choice but to relent.
After some thought, she felt unsatisfied and couldn’t help but say, "Si Xiaohui, don’t imagine yourself as something extraordinary. Mark my words, no one here will want to marry you. You might as well prepare to be a widow."
"Who wants to marry in this dump? I’m going to marry in Kyoto. I have no interest in this shabby place." Si Xiaohui retorted contemptuously, rolling her eyes arrogantly.
Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian exchanged glances, sharing a knowing cold laugh. Truth be told, no decent man, once aware of Si Xiaohui’s character, would marry her. If there were to be a man who did marry her, it would only prove that he was no good man either.
Neither of them intervened in the matter. Si Chen and Gu Hongwei completely stayed out of it as well. In Si Chen’s eyes, he had long discarded Si Xiaohui as a sister.
Following this incident, Si Xiaohui no longer felt in the mood to go out and mess around. She huffed and returned home, feeling extremely uncomfortable because neither Si Chen nor Gu Hongwei had spoken up for her.
The villagers too felt awkward and each returned to their homes, leaving Tong Yao to enjoy her peace.
The village where Si Chen lived was situated next to a mountain. This location was rather backward, and without their funds to build a road, it would probably take another twenty years for a concrete road to be constructed. Not to mention the economic situation of the village.
After touring around the village, Tong Yao turned to Si Chen and Gu Hongwei, saying, "I think it would be great to lease the mountain to plant fruit trees. There’s a small river at the village entrance which would work well for farming. Living off these few acres of farmland won’t help our economy grow. I believe we can inspire the villagers to consider starting a business by leasing the mountain."
Now that Tong Yao was doing well herself, she had the idea to assist Si Chen and Gu Hongwei in developing their hometown. This way, when the Internet became more prevalent in the future, Si Chen and Gu Hongwei would have a more positive image, which would be beneficial to the company.
At this moment, Tong Yao had already started planning big moves for Si Chen and Gu Hongwei.
Upon hearing her words, Si Chen and Gu Hongwei looked at each other. They felt her suggestion was quite good, however...
Gu Hongwei raised a doubt, "Many in our village are struggling economically and probably don’t have the capital to lease the mountain. Also, the village lacks technical personnel."
Tong Yao had already thought about this and smiled, "That’s easy to solve. Collective investment. The whole village invests together, with the village head in charge, and shares are distributed according to the amount of money each family puts in. We bring in the technicians to teach them how to grow the crops. The villagers have been farming for generations and are familiar with agricultural work. They should be able to handle it easily."
"Only when everyone in the village holds shares and has a stake, can they work heart and soul towards a common goal."
Si Chen smiled, seemingly agreeing with Tong Yao’s idea. He nodded, "If there is truly such an intention, there’s no need to lease."
He pointed to two big mountains behind the village, "These two mountains belong to our village. If we really want to plant fruit trees, all we need to bear are human labor costs and the cost of seedlings and fertilizer."
Gu Hongwei also offered his analysis, "Our area is suited for growing chestnuts, oranges, and peaches. What do you think would be the best fruit to plant?"
Truth be told, Gu Hongwei approved of developing their hometown. For a successful man, being able to contribute to one’s hometown is indeed a gratifying matter.
Guo Jinnian, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, added, "I think oranges would be good. They can be sold as fresh fruit or canned."
With these words, the four exchanged glances. Tong Yao laughed, "Then let’s go with oranges. I also think oranges are a good choice. Orange trees are easy to maintain."
Neither Gu Hongwei nor Si Chen had any objections. After discussing this matter, they lost interest in moving around and went straight back to the village to find the village head. Upon hearing their ideas, the village head was overjoyed. With such influential people leading the village’s path to wealth, how could their village not prosper?
However, this decision couldn’t be made by him alone. The village head couldn’t wait to say, "I’ll go to the town first and discuss this with the town leaders. If this matter can be implemented, I’ll convene a meeting with the villagers tonight."
No sooner had the village chief said this, he left for the town on his bicycle. Before dinner time, he had returned from the town. Instead of going home, he went straight to the Si Family’s house and brought the town leaders with him.
The town leaders held a discussion with the group and were delighted upon hearing their plan to assist the village in cultivation. They faced no obstacles; on the contrary, the leaders said they would try their best to help with any difficulties they might incur.
With the rapid economic development in recent years, every town was striving to grow. If they could establish this cultivation business, other villages could potentially follow suit. In three to five years, he could earn a promotion.
In the past two years, other towns had made significant progress in various agricultural fields. Every time he attended meetings in the city, he felt immense pressure. He was very pleased when he heard about the Si Family’s road construction plan. He hadn’t anticipated that they were also planning to promote agriculture in the village.
It was indeed excellent news. The next time he attended a city meeting, he could finally hold his head high.
The village chief decided to seize the opportunity of having the town leaders present, with their rallying influence, to immediately convene a villagers’ meeting to discuss the plantation plan.
He took his megaphone and made a round of the village, inviting every adult to attend the meeting.
It had been years since the village chief last summoned everyone for a meeting. Thinking something major had happened, everyone hurriedly ran out of their homes to see what was going on.
