Chapter 597: Village Project

Arrived at the house gate.

Gu Anran didn't get out of the car; if he had, he'd surely have left ink stains for a long time, and there was no need for pleasantries—he simply rolled down the window, greeted Lao Meng, and drove straight off.

Wu An got out of the car, saw Lao Meng sitting at the gate drinking tea, went over to ask for a cup of tea, and Lao Meng chuckled and said, "I heard you pulled off something big at the Village Committee."

Wu An smiled: "It was just a coincidence."

Lao Meng nodded at him and said, "You're smart, but don't ever treat others as fools; what you did is so obvious, Shen Nan will surely catch on."

Wu An took a sip of tea: "It's fine."

Lao Meng nodded.

Shen Nan knew it was no problem; after all, the two of them were just a step away from tearing the window paper.

In the courtyard.

Duan Dajie and her sister-in-law were chatting.

What they were talking about was naturally what happened today at the Village Committee; Wu An found it exciting listening, and Duan Dajie lived up to her reputation as a professional gossip.

She described it vividly, with a strong flavor.

Wu An drank two cups of tea; listening to Duan Dajie exaggerate more and more, to the point that she claimed he already had Xixi Village in the palm of his hand, he quickly got up.

Although this was his goal, it wasn't something to be spoken of.

Entered the courtyard.

He called out, "Duan Dajie, you're exaggerating—I don't have the power to control everything; if I really did, would you dare to make up stories about me?"

Duan Dajie exclaimed "Ay yo!" and clapped her hands, saying, "Look who's come—the great hero who saved our village is back!"

"With you holding the heavens in your hand, we live good days under your protection; getting rich is no longer a dream."

"A An, we're neighbors, as the saying goes, distant relatives are not as close as neighbors; you've practically grown up before my eyes, and once you become a big boss, don't forget your big sister."

Look.

Duan Dajie really is a talent.

Her words are so pleasant to hear.

Moreover, she can speak frankly and voice her thoughts.

You used to say she gossiped?

That was in the past.

We can't dwell on the past; we must look forward.

This wasn't something Wu An thought up; it was Duan Dajie who said it, and in just a few words she made the previous grudges clear as day, lightly putting the past behind.

Wu An even admired Duan Dajie's mouth.

She really can chatter on.

Wu An smiled: "What big boss? I'm just like everyone else, making a living by gathering from the sea."

"I'll have to go out to sea after I finish eating."

"There's no way your days are as easy as your sister's."

"Sister-in-law, what are we having for lunch?"

Mei Yueqin said, "I'll go check and then make it."

She said that.

She then tied on an apron and walked into the kitchen.

Duan Dajie saw that, said a couple of things, and left.

After the person left, the sister-in-law came out of the kitchen, smiling, and said, "Is what Duan Dajie said true?"

Wu An said, "There's some artistic embellishment, but it's basically nine-tenths true; Shen Nan performed poorly, so I happened to go and chat a few words with the Senior Leader, which should have helped Dad regain some standing."

Mei Yueqin gave a thumbs-up: "You really are capable."

That's praise.

It's not sarcasm.

Wu An smiled and said he'd help out.

Mei Yueqin told him to rest and tidy up, change clothes and such; the house never lacks vegetables, basically there are vegetables year-round, and the chickens and ducks are growing strong—in another month or two they'll be ready to slaughter.

Wu An said, "What's left to tidy? You've already done it all; I'll just grab my bag and leave later, I'll wash these greens."

Mei Yueqin couldn't stop him, so she just went along.

The food wasn't ready yet when Mei Wu arrived, adding another eager helper.

As expected, they made another full table of dishes.

Wu An called Wu Yingwei; not long after, the latter returned on his electric scooter.

In the afternoon they needed to go out to sea, Wu Yingwei also had work, so the two of them didn't drink.

Wu Yingwei took two bites and said, "A An, what do you think of Shen Nan's project?"

Wu An casually replied, "Pretty good."

As long as funds are invested and it's well managed, there shouldn't be big problems.

What support does the village have on this side?

Wu Yingwei put down his chopsticks and said, "First is road repair."

Next is to apply to the town for building toilets and improving the village's appearance.

It shouldn't be a problem, after all Shen Nan put in an initial investment of one million; this is an opportunity for the village's development.

"Cast a brick to attract jade; the town will surely have to contribute something."

Throwing out a brick to attract jade, the town will surely produce something.

Wu An nodded.

To tell the truth.

From the village's standpoint, he still hopes Shen Nan can get something done, asking: "Have we settled the village's land and sea shares, including the villagers willing to invest?"

Wu Yingwei nods: "The village holds a 30% stake; not many people in the village invest, at most 10%."

Wu An suddenly understands: "Then let's do that; it's quite good."

Wu Yingwei hearing Wu An say that, he also felt somewhat reassured.

Wu Yingwei asks: "When will you return to the village to invest?"

Wu An smiles: "Dad, we're eating; let's not talk business."

"When the time is right, I'll find you."

Wu Yingwei snorts: "You just look down on our village?"

Wu An shakes his head: "It's not like that."

"Zhenzhongcun's coastline has steep reefs, suitable for developing B&Bs with scenery to see, but if you really want to go tide-pooling for fun, it's not suitable."

"As for our coastline and that of the neighboring village, the soft sandy beach ranks among the best in the country."

Wu Yingwei chuckles: "Is it really as good as you say?"

Wu An nods: "The precondition is that we wait until the two villages merge."

"Otherwise, there will be trouble later."

When the two villages first merged, it caused a fuss for a long time; during that period, Father's notebook was filled with notes.

Wu Yingwei blinks: "Merge the villages?"

"Where did you get that news?"

Wu An smiles: "That's not convenient to say; let's wait a bit."

Wu Yingwei is full of doubts.

But thinking about how the senior leader values Wu An so much, having some gossip is normal.

Wu An reminds: "Dad, keep an eye on Shen Nan."

"The project is not bad."

"But the person is not necessarily so."

Wu Yingwei nods, knowing Wu An and Shen Nan don't get along, but Wu An also doesn't intend to have him sabotage Shen Nan.

It's just a reminder to be careful, also for the sake of work.

Although everyone says he is rigid and inflexible, he is not someone who doesn't know right from wrong.

……

After the meal.

Wu An and Mei Wu simply tidied up, and Mei Yueqin rode a tricycle to send the two to the dock.

Lao Fu Tou and the others were already on the boat.

Li Juan also came, having prepared plenty of food and drink, and Mei Yueqin also prepared.

Wu An looked and saw that within three days they could eat and drink well, without having to eat seafood for every meal three times a day.

Pretty good.

He gave a greeting.

Lao Fu Tou started the fishing boat and slowly pulled away from the dock.

Wu An came to the lounge, appearing to play with his phone, but actually checking the system.

Now the system has several light dots; those are coordinates after the Luck Boost, called coordinates but actually just a few points in a chaos.

Wu An tried to match the light dots with the sea chart, but found they didn't match, because within the system the distance between light dots is hard to determine.

But he can determine direction via the light dots and then head there.

One of them is a sand shovel, still with Luck Value; unexpectedly, it's still on one of Chen Lao Da's two trawlers.

Another light dot has only 12 Luck Value left, and that is Hu Zi.

And the two light dots are not far apart, indicating that Hu Zi has already helped him locate Ma Weiqun and the others.