Chapter 882: Meeting an Old Acquaintance

More than forty security personnel walked into the courtyard one after another, each pulling a combat shovel from their backpacks and getting to work with nimble hands and feet.

He Yuzhu pulled Shen Guizhi to one side and lowered his voice: "Mother, let's renovate this old house. If it continues to be neglected like this, I'm afraid even the courtyard walls won't be standing in a few years."

Shen Guizhi looked at the dilapidated scene throughout the courtyard, a hint of worry in her tone: "Zhuzi, tell me... does this house still count as ours?"

"Of course it does!" He Yuzhu said with certainty. "You and my uncle are both doing well; this is the Shen Family Ancestral Home, it has always been ours. If anyone really dares to occupy it by force, I will definitely help you take the house back."

As the two were speaking, three or four middle-aged men walked quickly toward them from the end of the alley.

The man in the lead walked the fastest, approaching with a puzzled look on his face: "May I ask... are you all from out of town?"

Shen Guizhi stepped forward and spoke candidly: "We are the Shen family, and this house is our Shen family's old home."

The leading man was stunned, looked Shen Guizhi up and down several times, and his eyes widened abruptly: "You... are you Sister Guizhi of the Shen family?"

Shen Guizhi nodded gently.

The man slapped his thigh, his voice trembling with excitement: "Oh my! It's truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King Temple—family failing to recognize family! My name is Shen Wenyu, and my father is Shen Shizhong. He often mentions you, saying he was only seven or eight years old when you left... In the blink of an eye, decades have passed!"

Images of the past flashed through Shen Guizhi's mind, and a smile gradually appeared on her face: "I remember now, was your father's childhood nickname 'Stone'? He used to always play with Wenying when he was little..."

"That's right!" Shen Wenyu grinned from ear to ear. "If my father knew you were back, he would be overjoyed."

Shen Guizhi looked at him, then glanced at the broken walls and ruins in the courtyard, and asked: "Wenyu, you are the Village Chief of our village, right? I want to ask, is this old house still ours today?"

Shen Wenyu nodded heavily without a second thought: "It is naturally your family's house. Actually, I have long wanted to help tidy it up and repair it, but the village has been short on funds, so the matter has been dragged out until now."

He Yuzhu knew this was just polite talk and remained silent.

Shen Wenyu continued: "I heard long ago that Brother Wenying was an official in Beijing, but life in the village has been hard these years, and we haven't had the money to go visit. Why didn't he come this time?"

Shen Guizhi smiled helplessly and explained: "My younger brother has diabetes and is physically weak; he doesn't dare come to the south in winter for fear of the cold."

Seeing the grand display of the He Family, Shen Wenyu naturally understood that they had the means.

He turned his head to greet the few people behind him: "Distinguished guests have arrived. You all hurry and tidy up the Shen Family Ancestral Hall in the village, and go book a meal at the restaurant; I want to treat my aunt to dinner."

Shen Guizhi looked at He Yuzhu, and He Yuzhu nodded.

Shen Guizhi said: "Fine, you go arrange it, I will pay for it."

"No need, no need. The village can earn some money from tourism now, we can afford to treat you to a meal," Shen Wenyu waved his hands hurriedly.

He Yuzhu took fifty thousand yuan directly from his bag and handed it to Shen Wenyu: "Take this money. We came in a hurry; buy some gifts for the fellow villagers."

Shen Wenyu hurriedly declined: "My aunt has returned, I should be the one to host—"

Shen Guizhi smiled: "Accept it, this is for the fellow villagers."

Seeing that the He Family was indeed wealthy and that there were dozens of people who came with them, Shen Wenyu smiled and accepted the money: "I will respectfully obey your command and go make arrangements immediately."

In the end, Shen Wenyu mobilized all the edible ingredients in the village, put together over thirty tables, and treated the village elders and the He Family group to a meal. Although it couldn't be called exotic delicacies, it was well-stocked with fish and meat.

Shen Wenyu specifically arranged for his father to sit at Shen Guizhi's table.

At the dinner table, Shen Shizhong sighed with emotion: "Sister Guizhi, of those of us who grew up together, not many are still alive. However, there is someone named Shen Guixiang who used to play with you and is still alive, though her life hasn't been easy; her son is a cripple..."

Shen Guizhi nodded: "She is three years younger than me. We were very close back then; I will go see her this afternoon."

Shen Shizhong said: "I also go over to see her often and bring her some grain."

Shen Guizhi met with the old and young in the village; there were truly not many people she recognized, as most were a generation or two younger than her.

After the meal, Shen Wenyu took Shen Guizhi on a tour of the village.

He sighed: "The country has invested quite a bit of money in recent years, but there are still some ordinary old houses that haven't been repaired. I have been thinking about wanting to renovate them all. If the descendants return, we give them back; if they don't return, we convert them into inns, which can also provide some benefits to the villagers."

Shen Guizhi caught the implication in his words and asked: "How much money would it take to get this done?"

Shen Wenyu scratched his scalp hard: "Sister, I don't mean to ask you for money by saying this. The village can earn some money now, and it will get better slowly."

He Yuzhu took over the conversation: "I think the way you collect entrance fees now is not very good. Because of this, many people are unwilling to come. It would be better to focus on service, for example, opening a few decent restaurants and hotels in the village. That way, earning money will be more sustainable."

Shen Wenyu said: "It's not that I haven't thought about this, it's just that if there are too many tourists, it will disrupt the normal lives of the villagers."

He Yuzhu smiled: "If you want to engage in tourism, you have to be thorough. Build houses outside and vacate these old houses as much as possible. This is something that must be done sooner or later; you can't want to earn tourism money while also being afraid of being disturbed. That way, tourism won't be done well either."

Coming from the future, He Yuzhu knew clearly that many popular small towns charged high entrance fees, were popular for two or three years, and then eventually no one went anymore.

Shen Wenyu already knew that He Yuzhu was the president of the Sijiu City Industry and Commerce Association, so he naturally trusted his words and asked him for advice on the spot.

He Yuzhu didn't hold anything back and poured out all the methods—canceling entrance fees, deeply cultivating the cultural field, holding film festivals and cultural festivals—letting the village have activities all year round, instead of collecting high entrance fees..."

He taught Shen Wenyu all the management methods of the more successful small towns from the future.

As for whether they would listen or not, that depended on their own fortune.

After listening, Shen Wenyu hesitated and said: "Your method is good, but if we don't collect entrance fees, the village still won't have money. Those who set up stalls earn money, but they won't share it with us."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "Renovating those ownerless old houses and turning them into shops and inns can also earn quite a bit of money."

Shen Wenyu still found it hard to make a decision.

He Yuzhu could understand—not taking the money right in front of them to do things that would only be beneficial in the future is something most ordinary people indeed cannot do.

He smiled and said: "I'm just giving you a suggestion. Remember my words, compare them slowly, and see which method is beneficial, then use that one."