Becoming a Billionaire after Divorce-Chapter 763 - 286: Bringing Benefits to the Villagers (Part 2)
"You go wait in the car for a bit, I’ll go say hello to your parents." The old uncle patted his shoulder and headed towards the rear of the car.
Sun Dasheng didn’t sit back in the car, he just stood there quietly, savoring the smell of fireworks.
Wu Xiaoli came out with a concerned look on her face and asked, "Why are you standing outside? There are firecrackers everywhere, be careful not to get hit."
"It’s okay, I haven’t experienced it for a long time, I’ll stand for a bit." Sun Dasheng gazed far into the distance, where the shadows of the villagers flickered, and many children were playing with leftover firecrackers that had just been set off.
"Why aren’t you going inside?" Sun Dasheng turned his head to see Wu Xiaoli standing beside him.
"I’m keeping you company." Wu Xiaoli smiled softly.
"Alright, a husband sings and the wife follows." Sun Dasheng wrapped his arm around her waist, and they quietly nestled together watching the lively scene.
Who knows how long passed, the sound of firecrackers gradually faded.
The convoy slowly drove into the village.
After finishing the New Year’s Eve dinner.
It was followed by the Sun family hosting a three-day banquet, inviting young and old from the whole village.
What was the occasion?
It was naturally the first birthday banquet for the eldest daughter.
The younger celebration was held in the county, inviting some parents’ colleagues and neighbors from the county.
This time, of course, the villagers were to be invited.
In a village, most people are somewhat related.
So this banquet must be held separately for them.
Otherwise, various idle gossip would arise.
Like saying they’ve made money and look down on poor relatives, or that they’ve forgotten their roots.
Rural areas are not as bad as some imagine, nor as good as some think.
It’s neither a place that harbors filth and evil, nor a utopia for some people.
Like cities, there are good people and bad people here.
The only universally acknowledged difference is probably that there is indeed a neighborly bond here that’s absent in cities.
The bustling New Year celebration came to an end.
The old uncle found Sun Dasheng quietly.
"Uncle, if you have something to say, just say it. You didn’t have to block me at the bathroom in the middle of the night, did you?" Sun Dasheng, just out of the bathroom, looked dumbfounded at his old uncle.
The old uncle blushed and took his hand to walk outside, pointing at the bright lights in the village and said, "You see, the good times the village is experiencing now are all because of you. Logically, we shouldn’t ask you for anything more, you’ve already done enough for the villagers, but..."
The old uncle suddenly hesitated, which piqued Sun Dasheng’s curiosity: "Just say it, we’re family, no need to be polite."
The old uncle suddenly slapped his thigh: "Oh, if it were my own family’s matter, it would be easier to speak, but it’s because I’m now the village secretary, and people say I’m respected because of my virtue, but that’s nonsense, it’s because I have a wealthy nephew like you."
At this point, Sun Dasheng understood. The villagers had asked the old uncle for something, and he wanted him to pass it on.
But the old uncle was an honest person and couldn’t bring himself to mention it until the end of the year. Now, if he didn’t speak up, they were about to head back to the city.
That’s why he resorted to this desperate measure, blocking his nephew at the bathroom door in the middle of the night.
"Alright, I understand what you’re saying, just tell me what the villagers have requested."
"Don’t blame them, they didn’t ask for anything outrageous, if they did, I wouldn’t even respond." The old uncle gave a heads-up before continuing:
"Now, haven’t all the young people in the village gone out, most of them are working at your company, leaving only the old and the young behind? Life is worry-free, but because they have too much free time, they have started to have problems, with petty conflicts everywhere every day."
"So I thought of giving them something to do at home, something light that doesn’t require much pay."
After listening to the old uncle.
He deeply understood the words of a great man: Labor is the most honorable for the people.
These words carry not only their surface meaning but also a profound implication that people need labor to demonstrate their value and sense of existence.
The problem of the left-behind elderly stems from this root issue.
"I understand, this suggestion is quite good. Has the village committee come up with any specific measures?" Sun Dasheng asked seriously.
The village had originally planned quite thoroughly for these left-behind elderly people, with all kinds of entertainment facilities comparable to those in big cities, and even things like chess rooms and tea houses that aren’t found in big cities.
To enhance everyone’s spiritual civilization and to exercise.
At first, everyone was quite happy and enjoyed it, but as time went on, they found it boring and wanted to find something to do.
Some of the older folks couldn’t sit still and even went to the neighboring village to help with harvesting rice.
But now, everything is mechanized, and there’s no rice for them to harvest, so they came back empty-handed.
Finally, finding nothing to do, they all came to the village committee to complain to me, and that’s how this all started.
As for whether our village committee has any plans.
We do have some, but they don’t like our ideas.
"What ideas? Tell me about them," Sun Dasheng asked.
"Someone suggested setting up a factory and letting everyone work there."
Sun Dasheng was speechless, "Who came up with that idea? They’re all in their seventies or eighties, having them work in a factory? Are you crazy? The compensation would cost as much as setting up the factory."
"Ahem... I vetoed it," the old uncle looked awkward.
The village’s talents were all absorbed by his nephew’s company, only leaving some oddballs behind, what good ideas could they have?
"Alright, you don’t need to tell me any more ideas," Sun Dasheng said, rubbing his chin as his thoughts drifted away.
After a while, as if he thought of something, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at the village, "Uncle, what do you think of our village’s tourism resources?"
"Huh? Tourism?" The old uncle seemed to have heard a fantasy.
"No way, right? After Da Cheng made money with you, he also showed filial piety to me and his mom, and we’ve traveled around. We’ve seen the scenic spots across the country. Those places are truly beautiful. What can our ordinary little village show? There’s nothing to see."
"Where is this place?" Sun Dasheng asked.
"Jingzhou, yes, historically we’re a bit famous, but that’s all in the city, and their tourism isn’t great," the old uncle muttered.
The uncle’s words weren’t wrong; Jingzhou’s tourism is a mess.
Oops, getting off track.
"Ahem... uncle, I’m not talking about ancient city tourism; I’m talking about geographical location," Sun Dasheng hinted.
"The Jianghan Plain?"
"Congratulations, you’re right."
"What is abundant here?"
"Lakes and rivers?"
"Congratulations, right again."
"What’s abundant in the lakes and rivers?"
"Oh, I finally get it. You’re going around in circles to say we have rich aquatic resources and want us to do fish farming?"
The old uncle understood, but only partly.
"What kind of fish farming? Fish farming is exhausting, no different from running a factory. The older folks can’t handle it," Sun Dasheng vetoed.
No longer teasing him, he directly shared his idea: "Look, can our village refurbish those abandoned ponds and reservoirs, stock them with some fish, and then build some farmhouses to attract tourists from outside to come and fish?"
"This way, the older folks have something to do, it’s not tiring, and they can earn a bit of extra money."
"Can this really work? Why would someone come to our remote place to fish?" the old uncle doubted.
"If we want it to work well and attract people over, we indeed need to plan the village better, add some special buildings, and unique farmhouse dishes. We’ll need to bring in a few great chefs."
"Also, just fishing is a bit boring, but can we set up places for catching turtles or crayfish? Or clear out a pond area to plant lotus pods, and by then, tourists can take a small boat to pick them?"
"Just like the strawberry fields on the outskirts of big cities, we can have a lotus pod garden? These things are best eaten fresh. By the time they reach the market, they’re already old."
Listening to his nephew’s description of the scene, the old uncle was also drawn into that future vision.
Suddenly, it seemed plausible?
"Then I’ll go with your plan," the old uncle decided.
"Alright, I’ll cover the construction costs for the village, but the villagers themselves should jointly establish and manage the tourism company, to ensure good intentions don’t backfire."
"If they’re short of money, I can lend it to them."
