Chapter 315: From a Poor Mountain Gorge to a Prosperous Town, Everything Starts with Building a School!

Lu Qingshan's gaze shifted from the two men, as if it pierced through the walls of the small house and saw a farther, more brilliant future. He drained the last sip of hot tea from his cup, the scalding liquid sliding down his throat, igniting a ten‑thousand‑foot passion in his chest.

Clang!

He slammed the enamel jar onto the table, and the crisp crack it made in the silent night sounded like a thunderclap!

He lifted his eyes, his gaze burning as he looked at the already somewhat satisfied two, slowly shook his head, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

"A single elementary school isn't enough," his voice was no longer the calm of the earlier discussion but deep and far‑reaching, bearing a spell that made hearts sway and unconsciously convinced, "This is only the first step, the first cornerstone we lay for Shanwan's future!"

"Our current food factory, beverage plant, and Chinese medicinal material processing plant will keep growing. More and more people will come to work here."

"When the workers' children have a good school, they can settle here with peace of mind, treat this place as home, and work for us steadily."

"Therefore, in the future we'll not only have an elementary school but also a supporting middle school and high school!"

Lu Qingshan paused, looked at the two's now wide‑open eyes, and dropped a real bomb.

"When the timing is right, we'll also build a vocational technical university of our own for Shanwan!"

Middle school?

University?!

Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi felt a buzzing in their heads, as if struck by an eight‑pound hammer, halting all thought. Their hearts hammered wildly in their chests, nearly bursting out of their throats.

If building an elementary school is the fruit they can reach by standing on tiptoe and giving their all, then building a middle school, even a university… that's no longer myth or legend, it's a reckless dream they wouldn't even dare imagine in sleep!

Their mouths hung open, throats blocked as if by scorching branding irons, unable to utter a word, only staring at Lu Qingshan with the wild, alien‑visitor look.

Lu Qingshan didn't stop; he extended a finger, dipped it in the spilled tea, and on the paint‑splattered old wooden table drew a huge circle representing the whole Shanwan village.

"More people, a school alone can't hold hearts," he pressed a heavy dot inside the circle, his voice full of allure, "People need not only food and clothing, they also need aspirations and fun! When the spirit is rich, life gains flavor!"

"So we'll also need our own cinema so the folks can watch the latest films after work! A theater to invite provincial troupes for grand operas during festivals! A stadium, a gym! Let Shanwan's youth splash sweat on basketball and soccer courts, and see who's the real top lad!"

"We'll make every worker in Shanwan's factories stand tall with pride, faces shining with glory! We'll give them benefits envied by city dwellers, so they feel supreme pride in being part of Shanwan's factories!"

Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi listened dumbfounded, their brains having given up resistance, letting Lu Qingshan's words paint bizarre yet irresistibly tempting scenes in their minds. They had never imagined that the poor mountain gorge they'd lived in all their lives could one day become the radiant vision Lu Qingshan described.

Cinema? Gym?

Aren't those things only found in county seats or even cities? How could they exist in this mountain gorge…?

Lu Qingshan watched their despondent looks, smiled, and his tone became steady and pragmatic again, like a giant hand pulling the swirling imagination back onto solid ground.

"Uncle, Uncle Dazhi, don't think I'm bragging or blowing smoke."

"Our factories now total nearly two hundred workers. When the industry upgrades and our products sell nationwide and abroad, the numbers will multiply."

"Hundreds… thousands… even tens of thousands!" With each number he uttered, his tone grew heavier, his gaze sharper, as if each word carried a thousand‑pound force crashing into reality.

"With so many gathering here, workers' families will need jobs too; around our factories people will naturally open restaurants, shops, inns, repair shops, barbershops…"

"Then schools, hospitals, commercial streets will arise as needed. Shanwan will become a fully functional, vibrant, prosperous small town!"

"Rest assured, Shanwan's good days have only just begun; the truly great days are still ahead!"

His words landed like iron blocks heated red, branding themselves onto the two elders' hearts.

From initial shock, to instinctive doubt, to now, Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi felt only an indescribable scorching emotion. It was a dream suppressed by poverty and reality for a lifetime, suddenly ignited by this young man's wildest and most moving blaze!

They looked at him as if seeing not a twenty‑something youth but a giant wielding thunder, opening the heavens. The future he painted was so concrete, so within reach.

It wasn't fantasy, but a step‑by‑step clear plan grounded in reality!

Bang!

Zhao Yongnian slammed the table hard, leapt up! The chair beneath him slid back half a foot. The tea cup on the table shook and flew up, fell heavily, tea spilling over his hand, yet he didn't notice.

Excitement made every wrinkle on his face tremble violently, as if they had their own life. In his eyes, weathered by half a lifetime, an unprecedented dazzling light burst forth, blindingly bright!

"Qing Shan…" his lips trembled, wanting to say something, but found thousands of words stuck in his chest, finally turning into a heavy, ox‑like gasp.

Zhao Dazhi's face flushed red, his chest heaved wildly; he felt his blood burning, yearning to rush out and howl at the mountains. He grabbed Lu Qingshan's arm, knuckles white from the grip, and with all his strength, hoarse, shouted, "Qing Shan, stop! Don't say any more! Tell us what you want us to do!"

"Exactly!" Zhao Yongnian finally found his voice, waved his hand vigorously, the wind from his arm tinged with a resolve never felt before, "From now on, this village's land and its people answer to your commands!"

Silence.

When the words fell, the room sank into a brief deathly quiet. The weight of that sentence was as heavy as Mount Tai.

What Lu Qingshan wanted was exactly that sentence, that unconditional trust.

He rose slowly, solemnly looked at the two elders, a satisfied and firm smile spreading, and nodded vigorously.

"Good!"

One word carried all the promises and responsibilities.

He inhaled deeply, his gaze swept over the two and out to the dark village beyond the window, and he said, word by word, clearly:

"Starting tomorrow, we'll begin site selection and foundation surveying!"

"I promise you, and all the villagers—by the new school term next autumn, every child in Shanwan will sit in brand‑new, spacious, bright classrooms to study!"