Chapter 1774: Road Construction

On the twenty-seventh day of the lunar month, Ye Yaodong and his party finally arrived home.

The village had been lively for several days already; every household hung red lanterns, and colorful flags were strung along the main road. As soon as they stepped into the village, a crowd greeted them with smiles, and children by the roadside ran to their home to deliver the news.

"Dad, should we go to our own house first, or to the new house?"

"Of course, go to our own house first, put down the luggage, and then head to the new house."

Ye Yaodong turned to look at Lin Lin Dongxue and her two siblings beside him. "You three will ride the motorcycle back later. Ah Ming, can you drive it?"

"Yes, of course I can. You parked that huge motorcycle in the factory, and I learned how to drive it secretly long ago."

"Good. Eat something to fill your stomach before heading back."

"Okay."

They had called ahead when they reached the town, so as soon as they arrived home, there was a hot meal waiting.

Everywhere in the village, there were sounds of children setting off firecrackers, dogs barking, or people playing cards and mahjong; occasionally, a few street vendors' cries could be heard. Everything was flourishing and bustling.

Even in front of their own door, two card tables were set up.

"Dongzi is back..."

As soon as everyone saw them, they smiled and greeted them.

Even the dog kept barking Wang Wang nonstop, running toward him and circling around him.

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and welcomed them. "You've returned just in time; a pot of noodles has just come out of the pot. Have a bowl to fill your stomach first; dinner will be ready soon."

"Everyone is over here? I thought they were all at the new house."

"The new house blocks the sunlight in the afternoon, so it doesn't get any sun. Unlike our doorstep, where the sun shines from morning till night. After finishing lunch, they moved over here."

Everyone went inside first, put down their luggage, and ate.

Ye Yaodong took his bowl of noodles outside to the doorway, chatting while watching others play cards. A dog at his feet kept following him, eager to climb onto him, and he had to kick it aside before he could eat in peace.

Ye's father walked up beside him and said, "Dongzi, the village mentioned that road construction will begin after the New Year. The funds were approved and allocated by the authorities before the New Year, and the construction plan has already been established."

"That's good news. It's been talked about for a year, and finally, the road is going to be built."

"The Village Committee asked for donations from the villagers, and a stele will be erected later. Everyone said you mentioned it, and no one objected, but they decided to wait for your return before collecting the donations."

"They have to wait for my return before collecting the donations?"

"Yes. Old Li (the Party Secretary) is so stressed he's got internal heat; he comes over every day asking when you'll return. They need to finalize the donation matter sooner. Now that you're back, they'll probably come over in a little while."

Ye Yaodong slurped his noodles, unconcerned, and said, "So urgent? Then we'll talk when they arrive."

"How much do you plan to donate?"

"That depends on which roads they plan to build. If they only build one main road and the authorities have already allocated funds, we don't need to donate so much. But if they build several roads, then we'll donate more."

Ye's father nodded.

Whether it was because coming over immediately would be awkward, Ye Yaodong didn't see the two village cadres arrive until after dinner.

Fortunately, the evening meal was quite abundant. Ye's mother had cooked two large tables of food as usual. Although they had finished eating, there were still plenty of dishes left, enough to invite the guests to sit down and have a drink.

"We heard Ah Dong returned this afternoon."

"We went to check on the seaside house earlier, but no one was there. The neighbors said you were eating over here, so we came over."

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "The children moved over here to live, so we saved the trouble of cooking separately and just came over to share a meal."

Ye's father brought out the wine and said, "We've been away all year round and haven't stayed many days upon returning. Let them not bother cooking; they can just eat over here. More people make it livelier."

Village Head Chen nodded repeatedly with a smile. "Yes, more people make it livelier. Besides, the New Year is coming, and it's time for a reunion dinner anyway."

Secretary Li said, "Your family is indeed flourishing. You have more than a dozen grandchildren. Ah Hai and Chenghe are both married with children. Time really flies."

Ye's father glanced at the two brothers, each holding a child and playing.

"Isn't that right? These two are also promising; they married and had children early, and each has their own job."

"I heard both brothers are their own bosses?"

"Where? They're just making a living out there..."

Ye Chenghu whispered to Ye Chenghe, "The boss who owes me 200 yuan."

Ye Chenghe glared at him. "Go play cards; I'll pay you back when I win."

Secretary Chen continued, "Your new house is indeed grand and spacious. With so many children in the family, they can run around freely. It's comfortable! Living in this house is so comfortable!"

"That's true. Once the tiles are laid, the floor is clean and shiny. The children can crawl around on the floor freely."

They twisted and turned, chatting aimlessly to warm up the conversation.

Only after three rounds of wine did they get to the main topic, talking about the road construction.

After Ye Yaodong understood the details of the road construction plan, he said, "Building roads is a great benefit for the entire village. If several main roads can be built, that would be best. I certainly support building more roads. Here's the deal: if the road can be built right to my father's doorstep, I will donate 500,000 to lead the way and respond to the Village Committee's call..."

The two old men's eyes lit up. 500,000!

They had thought 200,000 would be the maximum, after all, it was just a small village, and the authorities had already allocated funds.

Ye's father was also surprised. "500,000! That's so much? Why build the road to my doorstep? Wouldn't it be better to build it to your doorstep?"

Village Head Chen explained, "Your place is by the seaside, and the surrounding area is too vast. The project would be quite large. If they really build it, laying a single cement road would be useless. They would also need to build a seawall in front, and then a flat road on top of the seawall. That's a huge engineering project."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "It would be great if it could be built to your side. Then going out would be on flat ground, which is convenient. Elderly people and children won't fall easily, and it's easier to walk. On rainy days, we won't end up with muddy feet when going out."

Ye's mother said happily, "If it can be built to the doorstep, that would be truly wonderful. On rainy days, there's mud everywhere. Every time Hui goes out, she comes back into the courtyard with muddy feet. It's so dirty."

"Good, good, good. We'll go back and discuss which roads to build. Originally, besides the main road, we planned to build a few more roads separately."

"Then you should finalize it before the New Year. Anyway, I've made my statement here."

Ye's father added, "Since Dongzi is donating 500,000, shouldn't his name be carved at the front of the stele when it's erected?"

"Of course. With such a large donation and such a great contribution, his name must be carved first."

Ye Yaodong was satisfied; no one dislikes having their name recorded.

If he hadn't heard about the stele being erected, although he would still contribute to the village, he wouldn't have donated so much; perhaps just the 300,000 he originally thought of. But with the stele, the nature of the act is different.

As long as the stone stele doesn't fall, it can last for at least several decades.

Besides, it can be repaired right up to his father's doorstep; by then, the elderly won't have to worry about easily falling when they go out.

They reached an agreement here, chatting happily; the boys on that side played cards with great enjoyment, and quite a few of their friends also ran over to gamble.

The little ones would dash out early after eating to play wildly and find their playmates; how could they stay at home? They wouldn't return until it was time to sleep.

Lin Lin Xiuqing only learned before going to sleep that he intended to donate 500,000; after thinking for a moment, she did not object.

"That works too. We've earned a lot this year; just the factory's sales volume has already reached 20 million, not to mention the fishing boats. There are still many orders waiting to be shipped after the New Year, so it's foreseeable that next year won't be bad either."

"Mm, a few days ago while dining with a client, I received some news. Didn't the leader come to the south this year? He also promulgated a series of policies; it seems trade will be more relaxed next year as well."

Ye Yaodong had also obtained this news during social engagements; he hadn't had a chance to tell her. Now that he's back and lying in bed, he finally has time to tell her these things.

She definitely needs to know this; A-Qing is now a good assistant and helper.

"I heard the Canton Fair will undergo changes next year. In the past, only professional foreign trade general companies and a few industrial and trade companies affiliated with national ministries had the qualification; ordinary production enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises basically had no qualification to exhibit."

"Obtaining state-approved foreign trade operating rights isn't that easy either; generally, it requires foreign capital and making significant contributions to local construction."

"We definitely don't qualify, but after the leader's southern tour, policies were relaxed. Foreign trade operating rights were decentralized to break the monopoly situation in foreign trade; anyone who obtains foreign trade import and export operating rights can participate."

"This policy hasn't been promulgated yet, but it will be released after the New Year because the Canton Fair is in May."

"After the New Year, I'll also have Manager Qi apply for the import and export rights to see if it can be done; it should be no big problem."

"At that time, similarly, the factory will definitely expand further. If we can participate in the Canton Fair, our factory will truly reach another level; next year, it will be a factory with at least a thousand people."

Ye Yaodong got excited just talking about it.

1979 was a spring, and 1992 was another spring.

This year and last year, even wanting to participate in the Shanghai trade fair required connections; the threshold for the Canton Fair was even unreachable. But next year, as long as they obtain import and export rights, applying to participate in the Canton Fair will be no problem.

It was precisely because he handled matters properly, often accompanying others for social engagements and treating them to meals, that he could obtain some inside information.

If this policy comes down, it will also be the first time ordinary production enterprises obtain a legal channel to exhibit.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had stayed in Shanghai for a year; she had heard of the Canton Fair and had some knowledge, so when he said this long string of things, she could still understand.

"Can we really participate in the Canton Fair?"

"Wait until after the New Year to see the policy promulgation; as long as the exhibition conditions are relaxed, then we can apply to participate."

"Then expanding our factory by two or three times won't be an issue?" Lin Lin Xiuqing sat up, somewhat excited.

"Exactly, everything depends on next year."

"Why didn't you say it earlier?"

"I only got the news a few days ago while dining; how could I explain it clearly over the phone? Anyway, we were all coming back, so it's more convenient to tell you when we're back. Besides, it's not urgent; it's something for after the New Year anyway. Knowing earlier wouldn't have helped. I've already instructed Manager Qi to prepare in advance."

"Then we're going to get rich again!"

"Exactly! After the New Year, we'll expand the quality inspection department a bit more, find a couple more people specifically to inspect product quality. This quality must be strictly controlled."

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled. "If we can really participate in the Canton Fair, then donating 500,000 really isn't a big deal."

"It wasn't a big deal to begin with."

"If things continue to develop like this, retiring at 40 doesn't seem like a problem either?"

"Forget it, that's just talk. If I really retire at 40, what do I do with the remaining 40 years? Lie around like a corpse? Semi-retiring in my fifties or sixties should be about right."

By then, the country will be suitable for traveling everywhere; he can even take his grandchildren to walk around. Right now, the whole country is indeed building infrastructure; everywhere is dilapidated, roads haven't been repaired. Even if he retires, he has nowhere to go; it's better to keep working hard to make money.

Lin Lin Xiuqing chuckled. "That's true. You don't know how to farm; if you retire and come back to the village, there's nothing to do. The village is full of elderly people and children now; the young people have all gone out to struggle."

"Exactly. By then, playing cards would mean finding old people to play with; that would be awkward. It would take five minutes just to play one card."

Ye Yaodong thought of that scene and laughed himself.

"Go to sleep early. Tomorrow I plan to go to the city to deliver New Year gifts; let's see if the three children want to come with me."

"They'll definitely come; no need to even think about it."

"Then I'll take them. You don't need to cook for us then; we'll stay overnight and come back."

Tomorrow is the 28th of the lunar month; coming back the day after tomorrow will be the 29th, just right for the 30th, New Year's Eve, and the New Year.

Lin Lin Xiuqing suddenly thought of something and became serious and solemn.

"By the way, do you remember when I was pregnant with your daughter and Lin Lin Jianqiang extorted and threatened me, saying he'd report me otherwise?"

Ye Yaodong was stunned. "He's out?"

"Yes. A few days ago when I came back, I heard people say he was released. Then I heard his family hasn't had a single peaceful day."

"He was actually locked up for 10 years? The first couple of years, when A-Hong had his sentence reduced and was released early, Dad mentioned it once. Now he's out again to cause trouble."

"Isn't he causing trouble? Their family finally had a few peaceful years; the children were about to get married. Now it's unstable again. Your cousin has been beaten every day recently. Two days ago after I came back, she even ran to our doorstep to look around."

Ye Yaodong's eyebrows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly. "If he dares to cause trouble, kill him."

"He hasn't caused trouble yet; we can only be on guard. Why wasn't this troublemaker locked up for a few more years?"

"There are a thousand days for a thief to steal, but no thousand days to guard against a thief. It's only been a couple of days until the New Year. After the New Year, I'll find someone to set up a trap and send him back in."

The danger must be nipped in the cradle; otherwise, waiting until the danger happens to solve it might be too late. By then, there would be nowhere to regret.

Anyway, he's not a good thing. Sending him back in will bring peace to the whole village, saving us from having to guard against him while he's out making people sick.

He could specifically run to his family's doorstep; who knows, he might be full of bad water, thinking of revenge.

Lin Lin Xiuqing nodded straight up. "Yes, it's best to catch this scum and lock him up again to feel safe."

"Some valuable things at home, or important things, except for those buried in the fields, you should collect them tomorrow depending on the situation. Take them to the new house at your parents' place, lock them in one of our children's rooms, and ask Dad to weld an iron safe."

"Okay, I've been thinking the same these past two days. I was waiting for you to come back to tell you."

"Mm."