Chapter 49: Invest 80 million, build roads, construct schools

Just as they were speaking, the courtyard gate creaked open.

Gu Huaijin and Su Qingyin walked out one after the other, still wearing aprons and with flour on their hands, clearly in the middle of cooking.

The two of them were stunned when they saw the scene at the gate.

Su Qingyin had sharp eyes and saw her son first; she wiped her hands on her apron, her voice trembling slightly: "Shan, Shanhe?"

Gu Shanhe's eyes grew hot; he strode over and pulled his mother into a hug.

"Mom, I'm back."

Su Qingyin patted his back twice, then suddenly burst into tears.

"You child, you didn't even send word before coming back... so Mom could tidy up the room and make your favorite food..."

Gu Huaijin stood to the side, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, it only turned into: "It's good that you're back."

The family of three hugged together.

The surrounding crowd was silent for a moment, then low discussions broke out, mixed with kind-hearted laughter.

An auntie wiped the corner of her eye.

"Look at this family, how wonderful."

After hugging for a good while, Gu Shanhe finally let go.

He turned around, opened the trunk, and took out several gift boxes.

The packaging was exquisite, shimmering with a delicate luster under the afternoon sun.

He first handed his father a long, narrow box.

"Dad, this is for you."

Gu Huaijin took it, feeling somewhat at a loss: "This, what is this?"

"Open it and see."

Everyone around stretched their necks to look.

Under his son's gesture, Gu Huaijin unwrapped the packaging and opened the deep blue velvet box—

Inside lay a watch with a deep, profound dial and a bezel set with a circle of fine diamonds, refracting tiny glimmers of light in the sun.

The strap was deep brown crocodile leather, and a line of tiny foreign letters was engraved on the buckle.

A young man in the crowd who had once been an apprentice at a watch repair shop in the county town gasped.

"Patek Philippe!"

Someone next to him asked: "What?"

"Patek Philippe! A world-famous watch! Even the cheapest one costs hundreds of thousands!"

"Hundreds of thousands?!"

The villagers exclaimed in shock.

Gu Huaijin's hand shook, and the box nearly fell to the ground.

Gu Shanhe caught it with quick reflexes and smiled: "Dad, try wearing it."

Saying this, he took out the watch and put it on his father's wrist.

Gu Huaijin's wrist was rough, covered in calluses and tiny cracks; the watch looked abruptly exquisite on him.

But he didn't take it off; he just looked and looked, his eyes slowly turning red.

Su Qingyin also received gifts.

Gu Shanhe handed her three boxes, and she opened them one by one—

The first was a gold bracelet, solid and heavy;

The second was a gold necklace with a pendant in the style of an auspicious lock, intricately carved;

The third was gold earrings, shaped like tiny peonies, gleaming with a golden luster that dazzled the eyes.

"Mom, do you like them?"

Su Qingyin touched the patterns on the gold bracelet, and after a long while, she said: "How much did this cost... Son, where did you get so much money? Don't tell me..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes full of worry.

Gu Shanhe put his arm around his mother's shoulders.

"Don't worry, the money was earned cleanly. Your son is a big boss now."

He paused, his voice not loud, but enough for everyone around to hear.

"I have companies and hotels in the city, and I bought this car myself. You two have worked hard for half your lives; it's time to enjoy life."

The crowd was silent for an instant, then exploded.

"Oh my! He really became a big boss!"

"The Gu family's ancestral grave must be smoking with good fortune!"

"Qingyin, you two have finally made it!"

"Shanhe, do you have a partner yet? Auntie will introduce you to one, the prettiest girl in our village!"

The villagers chattered, the scene incredibly lively.

Gu Shanhe smiled and handled the situation, ushering his parents into the courtyard: "Dad, Mom, let's go inside first, it's cold out here."

Just as they entered the courtyard, the village secretary, Wang Jianjun, hurried over.

The man in his fifties was covered in sweat, shouting as he entered: "Shanhe! Is it really Shanhe who's back?"

Gu Shanhe went to meet him: "Uncle Wang."

Wang Jianjun grabbed his arm, looked him up and down, his eyes also turning red.

"Good lad, good lad! You've made something of yourself! Your parents talk about you every day; you've finally come back!"

He glanced at the shiny black car outside the gate and lowered his voice: "That car... is it really yours?"

"Yes, just a means of transport."

"Good heavens..." Wang Jianjun smacked his lips, "What kind of big business are you doing in the city?"

Gu Shanhe didn't answer directly, instead saying: "Uncle Wang, I came back this time, first to see my parents and stay for a while; second, there's a matter I want to discuss with you and the village."

"What matter? Tell me."

The courtyard was already packed with people, and many heads were peeking over the courtyard wall.

Gu Shanhe looked around, his gaze sweeping over those familiar faces—Auntie Zhang, Uncle Liu, Grandma Li, and the fellow villagers who had pooled money for his tuition back then.

He cleared his throat, his voice not loud, but every word clear.

"All these years, I've been working hard outside, thanks to the villagers taking care of my parents. The year I got into university, we couldn't scrape together the tuition, and it was everyone giving five or ten yuan that helped me. I have always remembered this kindness."

He paused, seeing some people quietly wiping their eyes.

"Now that I have some ability, I want to do something for the village."

Wang Jianjun's breathing quickened: "Shanhe, you mean..."

"I plan to invest in building roads for the village."

Gu Shanhe said, "From the village entrance to the provincial road, it's eight kilometers in total. This road is currently full of potholes and impossible to walk on when it rains. I want to build a concrete road, two lanes in both directions, and install streetlights."

The courtyard fell into silence.

"Also," Gu Shanhe continued, "our village primary school was built in the 1980s; the roof leaks, and the windows let in the wind."

"I plan to donate and build a new school, from kindergarten to sixth grade, equipped with a playground, library, and computer room. I will hire the best teachers, and for the children attending, tuition will be free, textbook fees will be free, and lunch will also be free."

The surroundings fell into a deathly silence.

Then, a huge uproar erupted.

"Build roads?! Build a school?!"

"Shanhe, you're not joking, are you?!"

"How much money would that take!"

Wang Jianjun's hands were shaking; he grabbed Gu Shanhe's arm.

"Shanhe, this, this is not a small amount! Building roads and a school, you won't get away with less than 50 million! You..."

Gu Shanhe took out his phone, opened the banking app, brought up the balance page, and handed it to Wang Jianjun.

Wang Jianjun took it and squinted to look.

After looking for several seconds, he suddenly let out an "Ah," and the phone nearly slipped from his hand.

A sharp-eyed young man next to him leaned in to look and also gasped.

"One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand... hundred million?! Over 130 million?!"

The courtyard exploded.

"How much?!"

"Over 100 million?!"

"My God..."

Gu Shanhe took back his phone and said calmly: "I initially plan to invest 80 million."

"50 million will be used for road construction and building the school, and the remaining 30 million will be used to establish a village-level development fund, with the interest used for subsidies for the village's lonely elderly, critical illness assistance, and scholarships for children attending middle school and university."

He looked at Wang Jianjun.

"Uncle Wang, this matter needs you to take the lead and apply to the township and county. Whatever procedures are needed, if I need to show my face, I will cooperate at any time."