Chapter 298: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 298: Hometown Situation, New Rural Construction Almost Finished

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan chatted idly with her two sons on the phone for over half an hour before reluctantly hanging up.

After hanging up, she sat alone in the living room.

Dim lighting, silent air.

Apart from the insect sounds coming from outside, the spacious living room had no other sound.

Now this home was much lonelier than before.

Previously, all three sons were at home; although it was messy, it was lively and bustling.

Ever since the children went off to study one after another, the hometown had become extremely quiet.

Li Xiulan still had not fully adapted to this quietness.

She dared not imagine how deathly silent this home would be if, in the future, even her youngest son went to the city.

At least now her youngest son still came back once every few weeks.

Although after her youngest son came back, most of the time he would hide in his room studying and not come out much, at least the atmosphere at home would be different.

That night, Li Xiulan suffered insomnia.

She tossed and turned in bed, with Wang Zhanggen snoring beside her.

She suddenly thought of a very important matter she had not told Wang Dashan and Wang Erhai.

She and Wang Zhanggen planned to build a new building, and she wanted to ask her two sons for their opinions.

It seemed she was truly old, her memory was poor; such an important matter, and she had actually forgotten it.

But it was already very late now, and she did not want to call them again.

She would say it next time she called; anyway, this matter was not urgent, or she could wait until they returned for the Mid-Autumn Festival on August fifteenth to tell them.

Li Xiulan did not sleep well that night, but early the next morning, she still got up early as usual.

She got up after five o'clock to make breakfast, feed the chickens, feed the pigs, water the vegetable garden, and wash the clothes she had taken off the previous night.

These trivial household affairs, she had done for more than half her life, and they had formed muscle memory; every task she did so naturally, so skillfully.

First she cooked the congee, then went to the vegetable garden to feed the pigs; while feeding the pigs, she picked some green vegetables to bring back.

The pigsty in the vegetable garden gave off a strong smell of pig manure, but she did not dislike it; she even went into the pigsty, shoveled out all the manure, piled it up, and used it to ferment fertilizer.

The vegetables in this vegetable garden grew so lush thanks entirely to the fertilizer fermented from this pig manure.

Pumpkins were also grown on the shed over the pigsty, and now the pumpkins were almost ripe.

When the two sons returned on August fifteenth, she could have them take a few to the city to eat.

Pumpkins grown at home in the rural area had no pesticides and tasted much better than those in the city.

She busied herself until after seven o'clock in the morning before Li Xiulan carried the steaming hot breakfast to the dining table in the living room.

Wang Zhanggen had just gotten up, brushing his teeth with sleepy eyes.

After brushing their teeth, the two ate breakfast together.

After breakfast, the two went to work together.

The new rural construction project was already mostly done.

The renovation of the cultural room was finished.

The tap water was also finished.

Because it was connected to mountain spring water, no water meter was installed, saving quite a bit of cost.

Now only the road hardening remained.

It was estimated it could be completed within this month.

New rural construction had indeed given Shanggou Village a completely new look.

Outside the cultural room, a square was built, with a basketball court, table tennis tables, and exercise equipment; inside the cultural room, a library reading room was also set up.

Wang Zhanggen did not understand this at all; what did the rural area need a library reading room for? What did it need exercise equipment for?

Carrying a hoe to work in the fields every day—wasn't that enough exercise?

As for the table tennis tables and basketball court, she thought they were necessary.

At least when young people came back for the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, they could gather and play ball.

They would not gather to gamble and drink.

Playing basketball was much better than gambling and drinking.

But Zhang Zhongtian did not think so; Zhang Zhongtian, this Village Committee Secretary, said these were all standard features of new rural construction; other villages' cultural rooms all had reading rooms and exercise equipment; if Shanggou Village's cultural room did not have these, it would be shabby, and it probably would not be rated as a new rural village.

So even if it was just for show, even if no one used it, it had to be built.

New rural construction valued looking good, not practicality.

It was to make the leaders look comfortable first, and only then to make the villagers live comfortably.

The priorities had to be clear.

Wang Zhanggen found this absurd; wasn't building a new rural area meant to let the villagers all live better?

How was it now instead to make the leaders look comfortable?

He did not understand; he had no education.

But since he had taken on this project, however they said to do it, he would do it that way; this was the most basic professionalism he should have.

"Changgen, come here; I have something to tell you."

It was past ten in the morning, and Wang Zhanggen was leading the workers in paving the road when Zhang Zhongtian walked over and waved at him.

Wang Zhanggen walked over with a puzzled look on his face:

"Party Secretary Zhang, what's the matter?"

Zhang Zhongtian first handed him a cigarette, then spoke:

"I bought an apartment in the County Town for my son, a bare shell. Once we finish this project for our Shanggou Village, can you help me with the renovation in the County Town?"

Hearing this, Wang Zhanggen was immediately surprised.

Zhang Zhongtian's villa at home had already been made luxurious enough.

Yet he had actually bought a house in the County Town!

"Party Secretary Zhang, your house is big enough, why buy another one in the County Town?"

Wang Zhanggen really couldn't understand it. The New Rural Construction had only just begun, and the Whole Village had already been made beautiful, so why was Zhang Zhongtian buying a house in the County Town?

He still remembered that when they first started the New Rural Construction, Zhang Zhongtian had repeatedly said that through New Rural Construction, they would attract more people to return to the Rural Area to develop.

Yet now he had actually bought a house in the County Town for his son.

"My son just got married and had a baby not long ago, you know that. For my grandson, I had no choice but to buy a house in the County Town. You know, our Shanggou Village has even closed its Primary School. I can't let my grandson grow up with nowhere to study, can I?"

Zhang Zhongtian said this with a face full of sincerity.

Wang Zhanggen had nothing to say.

Indeed, the Primary School had been closed for several years now.

Children's schooling was a major problem and a major obstacle preventing Young People from returning to the village to develop.

Wang Zhanggen had originally planned to build a new house at home, but now seeing that Zhang Zhongtian had bought a house in the County Town, he began to waver again in his heart.

Was it better to build a house at home, or better to buy a house in the County Town?

"Party Secretary Zhang, the County Town is very far from our Shanggou Village. If I go to the County Town to help you with the renovation, running back and forth every day would be very inconvenient. Why don't you just hire a renovation team in the County Town?"

Wang Zhanggen was a bit reluctant to take this job; running back and forth every day was indeed very inconvenient.

Besides, he might need to build his own house.

"Isn't there a bus now? You take the first bus in the morning and take the last bus back in the afternoon. If that doesn't work, you can rent a house in the County Town, and I'll pay the rent. Anyway, renting a small house in the County Town doesn't cost much. Changgen, to be honest, I don't trust anyone else's craftsmanship and character; I only trust your craftsmanship and character. I'm reassured when you do things!"

Zhang Zhongtian was speaking the Honest Truth. Thinking back, when Wang Zhanggen knew he had miscalculated the Contracting costs, he still continued to help him build the house. Just this kind of work style made people feel reassured and trusting.

Since Zhang Zhongtian had said it to this extent, Wang Zhanggen felt too Embarrassed/shy to refuse.

But he still said:

"Let me discuss it with my wife. Once we've discussed it, I'll give you an answer. How about that?"

Zhang Zhongtian said cheerfully and readily:

"Fine, No problem! Tell me after you and your wife have discussed it. Additionally, the wages are easy to discuss; just name your price!"