Chapter 471: Startled and Delighted

Wu An said, "The Ambergris must be sold quickly; otherwise, no one can leave this side of the old house."

"A Qing."

"Go back home now, then come find me."

"I don't feel at ease sleeping alone in the old house."

A Qing nodded, "Alright, I'm leaving right now."

"Brother, can I tell Mom about the Ambergris matter?"

Wu An nodded.

Ambergris differs from White Butterfly Clam; it's a one‑off transaction—once said, it's said. Moreover, he plans to rest, then go see Elder Zhang; after selling quickly, even if Li Juan or family members let slip, it's no big deal.

At most he'll be envied, jealous, or cursed, with people saying things like, "Why the hell is this handsome guy so lucky?"

Wait for A Qing to arrive.

Mei Wu and Lao Fu Tou just left.

After they left, Wu An closed the doors and windows, and with A Qing positioned one at the head and one at the foot, they guarded the Ambergris as it snored.

In this state, the Ambergris doesn't smell very pleasant.

But the two couldn't care about that slight odor; they were already exhausted and drowsy, even at their limit. After lying down, they began snoring from head to toe.

………

Wu An woke up, picked up his phone and saw he'd slept about nine hours.

A Qing was still asleep.

He instinctively tried to prop himself up with his hands, but after several attempts he couldn't sit up; his arms felt not his own. When he tried to clench his fist—a motion that should be instantaneous—he took several seconds.

He even had to concentrate just to tighten his fist.

Lao Fu Tou had given him a preventive injection; this is a side effect of over‑exertion.

He kicked A Qing with his foot.

A Qing groggily woke up, "Brother, what's up?"

Wu An: "Nothing, just wanted to give you a kick."

A Qing: "……"

He got out of bed.

He struggled to open the door, saw Wu Yingwei and Wu Ping crouching at the entrance; when he opened it, they stood up and greeted, "You're up."

Wu An, surprised: "Dad, big brother, why are you here?"

Wu Ping said, "Could we not come? Your house has…"

At that point, he quickly covered his mouth.

Wu Yingwei coughed, "Come inside and speak."

They entered the house.

Wu Ping asked, "A An, let me see the Ambergris."

A Qing lifted the cloth covering the Ambergris; Wu Ping went over to look and couldn't help but gasp. The Ambergris, originally smaller than a fist, had sold for tens of thousands.

"What about this one?"

Wu Ping, a bit dizzy, said, "Heaven above, heaven above…"

He couldn't help but laugh.

This joy couldn't be suppressed.

Although he gets not a single cent from this Ambergris, he's still happy.

Then.

He hurriedly covered the Ambergris again with the cloth.

Wu An poured Wu Ping a cup of tea and said, "Brother, sit down, have some tea and calm down."

Wu Ping drank it in one gulp, "A An, another cup."

Wu An gave A Qing a look.

A Qing poured tea.

Wu An looked at Wu Yingwei and asked, "Dad, why did you all come?"

Wu Yingwei hummed, "Still saying…"

"It was your aunt Li Juan who mentioned it at home, so we learned about this."

"Yueqin originally said they'd come too, but I didn't let them; the whole family came to the old house to guard it, even a fool knows there's definitely something fishy."

Wu An scratched his head.

Wu Yingwei continued, "Don't worry, it's said inside the house, so the walls won't have ears."

"How heavy is this?"

"What could it be worth?"

Wu An said, "If we go by the price of those previous pieces of Ambergris, it's about twenty‑plus million. Elder Zhang had kept some for himself before; seeing his hunting heart, he offered a higher price."

"For Ambergris of this volume, the price is hard to say."

"But however cheap, it can still fetch eight figures."

After hearing that,

Wu Yingwei took two sharp drags of his cigarette.

He said nothing.

Wu An continued, "Dad, before I didn't have that much money in hand, there are things I never said."

"I plan to develop in the village from now on."

I want to ask what plans you have for the village's development?

Wu Yingwei was stunned.

Wu An was startled: "Dad, you don't mean you have none, do you?"

Wu Yingwei nodded: "What kind of plan is needed?"

"Complete the tasks assigned by the superiors, serve the villagers well; as the village head, that would be more than enough for me."

Wu An said bitterly, "Don't you want to lead the villagers to prosperity and a well‑off life?"

Wu Yingwei laughed: "I don't put that much effort into it; whether one can become rich depends on personal ability—whoever has the skill can achieve a well‑off life…"

Wu An didn't know what to say.

It can't be called merely getting by; the status quo is just like this.

He was too lazy to say more.

We'll see in practice.

He turned his head toward Wu Ping: "Brother, I heard you funded some students; if there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate."

Wu Ping smiled: "You've already helped."

"You received the compensation money earlier."

"I used it to fund the students, and I did it in your name."

Wu An glared: "You used my name?"

"You're silly."

"What use is that reputation to me? You don't want to become permanent staff, don't you?"

Wu Ping touched a cigarette: "It's not something I can just decide on."

Wu An said: "Fine, I'll handle it."

"Since you funded the students in my name, find some time to take me for a tour."

Wu Ping replied: "Alright."

"But our school is shabby and has nothing worth seeing; if you want to meet the kids, I can have them come to my house."

Wu An waved his hand: "Shabby, huh."

"Alright, that's exactly what I want."

"Let's go to the school."

Before, he had been pondering how to help his brother solve the teacher qualification issue; it was actually simple—any trouble that could be solved with money wasn't trouble at all.

He wasn't being pretentious.

Now that he has money, he started messing around.

In fact, these matters had been turning over in his mind countless times.

Before.

He suffered from lack of money.

Even if he thought about it, he couldn't implement it.

Now it's different.

Night.

Mei Yueqin called him to eat; after the meal, he returned to the old house, and Father and his older brother left only after that. As long as Ambergris is present for a day, the old house cannot be left unattended.

Wu Yingwei became even more careful and said that going alone was not allowed.

A Qing stayed behind that night.

Night.

The weather changed.

Wind blew and rain fell.

It wasn't a big deal.

Just another typhoon.

Early the next morning.

After breakfast, Wu An rode his bike to the town, went to the fast‑food shop, looked around, made a round, pointed out some minor issues, and asked Mei Wen to organize an opening event.

Something like a discount.

Mei Wen took a small notebook and recorded them one by one.

Leaving the fast‑food shop, Wu An rode his bike to Zhenzhongcun, made a round, unexpectedly met Leader Xi, who was very optimistic about the project, and Mai Hangyu said it was his third visit.

Wu An was very pleased about this.

The cultural‑tourism trend is about to pick up; who will generate this wind, who can amplify it, who will set it off?

No matter how well he does, support from the relevant department leaders is indispensable.

Leadership support is actually better than any interest‑free loan.