Chapter 179

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

In the Village Committee Office square, everyone discussed for a long time together.

In the end, everyone actually unanimously decided to bring mountain spring water down from the mountains; as for the tap water company's water, they were unwilling to connect to it.

First, it costs money; second, they're afraid it's not clean enough.

No place's water is as clean as the mountain spring water flowing down from inside Shanggou Village's mountains.

Many villagers think this way.

After all, Shanggou Village is surrounded by mountains on four sides, with green mountains and clear waters — why would it need someone else to uniformly arrange tap water supply?

"Everyone confirms you all want to connect mountain spring water? I'll say this in advance: if we connect mountain spring water, that requires you to pay material costs and labor fees yourselves!"

Zhang Zhongtian felt slightly surprised by this decision from everyone.

After all, this time everyone didn't try to get a bargain again.

But although it was unexpected, it was also perfectly reasonable.

Rural people naturally all feel their own family's things are better; not only do they feel their own tap water is better, even rice straw, peanuts, corn, vegetables, fruit, pork, chicken meat, and so on — they all feel what their own family produces is better.

And this is also an indisputable fact.

City things either have pesticides applied or chemical additives added — how can they be as clean as the countryside's?

"Everyone pools money together; estimated it won't be much — one or two hundred yuan per household should be enough to buy material costs; as for labor fees, that's even more unnecessary to spend — just need each household to contribute one laborer to do the work, where would labor fees still be needed?"

At this time, a villager spoke like this.

Everyone began to chime in agreement:

"Right right right, exactly!"

Zhang Zhongtian's face showed a trace of difficulty.

Originally he had thought to contract the tap water project to Wang Zhanggen as well, but now everyone is putting up their own money and labor to do it, so there's no question of contracting it to anyone.

Just afraid Wang Zhanggen won't be willing.

But fortunately, looking at Wang Zhanggen's expression carrying a smile, he seemingly isn't unwilling.

Only then did Zhang Zhongtian's heart let out a breath of relief.

Thus, the tap water project was discussed and finalized like this; next they need to survey the water source, then calculate expenses, then pool money, finally call on everyone to start construction together — these tasks all need Village Committee Secretary Zhang Zhongtian to personally preside over; he'll have his hands full.

But that's a matter for later.

Right now they still have to discuss one last thing.

That is the Village Cultural Room's construction.

"The last matter: the Cultural Room's construction. For the Cultural Room construction, the Town Government will allocate funding support, same as the road hardening — doesn't require us to put up money ourselves. However, we must select a piece of land in the village to build the Cultural Room; this is the difficulty of the problem."

Zhang Zhongtian looked at everyone and asked:

"Where does everyone think would be best to build the Cultural Room in the village?"

A crowd of villagers began chattering away, discussing heatedly.

"If you ask me, why not choose that empty ground outside the Ancestral Hall!"

A villager gave a suggestion.

In most villagers' eyes, this suggestion was a pretty good one, because the Cultural Room connected together with the Ancestral Hall — then later whatever activities the village has can all be held over there.

However, at this moment someone immediately stood up to oppose:

"I oppose! Outside the Ancestral Hall gate — that's my family's land. I was still thinking when I have money later, I'd build a new house there. If it's used for the Cultural Room, where would I go build a new house later?"

The crowd immediately had nothing to say.

It's their own family's land, indeed not good to forcefully demand it for the Cultural Room.

"Why not build it at the Village Entrance? The Village Entrance is our Shanggou Village's front face, and that place is the Village Committee's public-use land, not planned for anyone."

Someone at this time put forward this suggestion.

However, another person immediately stood up to oppose.

"I oppose. If we build the Cultural Room at the Village Entrance, wouldn't my small shop have to be demolished?"

The person standing up to oppose was shockingly the Village Entrance Small Shop's boss, Li Yunxia.

At this time Li Yunxia had already entered middle age; she had married and given birth to two children; because of over-quota birth she was fined quite a lot of money; her husband worked outside and couldn't bring back much money in a whole year; she relied on that small shop to sustain her livelihood.

So when someone said to take that piece of land at the Village Entrance to build the Cultural Room, she was the first to stand up and oppose.

Zhong Jianguo also opposed building the Cultural Room at the Village Entrance:

"Where has there ever been a Cultural Room built at the Village Entrance? I've been to so many villages, and still haven't seen a Cultural Room built at the Village Entrance. Generally they're either built in the village center, or built near the Ancestral Hall!"

Zhong Jianguo's reason for opposing was much the same as Li Yunxia's; his Health Station is also at the Village Entrance; if they build the Cultural Room at the Village Entrance, his Health Station would also have to be demolished and relocated along with it.

"Why not just build it at the village's very center."

Someone following along with Zhong Jianguo's words put forward this suggestion.

"Where is the village's very center?"

Someone asked.

"The village's very center is at the Village Center Pond."

Shanggou Village's most center is a pond.

The entire village is built surrounding that pond.

People say that pond used to be very large, five or six mu that wide; later the water in the pond gradually dried up, finally becoming the current area of less than one mu.

Now that pond also belongs to the village committee's collective property; the pond is leased every three years, rotated among local villagers for fish farming, and the one currently contracting this fish pond is Zhu Rou Rong, and the contract term will expire this year.

Zhu Rou Rong asked with a simple, honest laugh:

"Wouldn't that mean filling in the Village Center Pond?"

Someone answered:

"If the Cultural Room is built in the village center, then it would likely really require filling in that fish pond."

Everyone spoke one after another, discussing heatedly.

On the whole, everyone agreed to fill in the Village Center Pond to build the Cultural Room.

At this moment, Liang Yuanchao suddenly interjected:

"That is our Shanggou Village's Feng Shui Eye; are you sure you really want to fill it in to build a Cultural Room?"

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but be stunned.

Everyone had actually heard that rumor before.

The rumor went that Shanggou Village's rise and fall was related to the water volume in the Village Center Pond; when the water was more abundant, the village's population flourished, and when the water was scarcer, the village's population withered.

Judging by the current situation, it just so happens to match this rumor.

A dozen or so years ago, the Village Center Pond still had an area of three or four acres; back then Shanggou Village was incredibly lively.

But now, the Village Center Pond has dried up, the surroundings have all become vegetable gardens, even wasteland, and the lake's surface area is only less than one acre left.

And Shanggou Village's permanent residents have already dropped to less than one-third of before.

Newborns are even rarer; in a whole year, the children born in Shanggou Village don't even reach ten.

Shanggou Village Primary School was even forced to suspend operations because it couldn't recruit students.

The water volume of this Village Center Pond seems truly closely linked to Shanggou Village's lifeline.

If the Village Center Pond is completely filled in, with not a drop of water left, then will Shanggou Village head toward decline, even extinction, in the future?

Rural people are comparatively more superstitious about Feng Shui and metaphysics.

So once Liang Yuanchao spoke these words, everyone's expressions turned heavy.

The Village Center Pond concerns Shanggou Village's life and death; it absolutely cannot be messed with.

……