Li Ziling stuck out her tongue and quickly ran over to pick up Li Jianjun’s faded briefcase, saying flirtatiously, “Not at all, you must have misheard. Ask Hao Chen Ge if you don’t believe me.”
After saying that, she secretly winked at Li Hao Chen.
“I know you too well. Go back and study quickly. The college entrance examination is only a few months away,” Li Dejun said, sternly glaring at Li Ziling with a serious expression.
“Hmph!”
Li Ziling puffed out her rosy cheeks and slowly swayed upstairs to her room.
“Uncle Jun, don’t push her too hard. Studying is already stressful enough, and it’s rare for her to be back. Let her rest well.”
“Alas, if I don’t push her, how will she get by? If she doesn’t do well on the exam, her future path will be difficult.”
Indeed, in a poor area, to shake off the label of poverty, one had to leap over the dragon gate. But how many among so many impoverished areas could leap over the dragon gate?
The vast disparity in educational resources led to increasingly widening gaps between the rich and the poor. How could rural towns compare to big cities? For hope, people often spent generations of savings and incurred huge loans just to buy a second-hand house in a city, all for a child to have an equal opportunity.
Li Hao Chen lowered his head and sipped his tea. How could he not understand the importance of a good school for rural students? He himself had been one of those who studied diligently to break free from constraints.
“Hao Chen, the documents are all here. Take a look and see if there are any issues?”
Li Hao Chen took the thick stack of files and read them very carefully. About half an hour later, Li Hao Chen picked up the nearby signing pen and quickly signed his name.
“Uncle Jun, you also know that I don’t spend much time at home. I’ll have to trouble you to look after the factory from now on. As for sales, you can rest assured, we’ve already contacted merchants. If the demand increases in the future, we’ll also need to take care of the surrounding villages.”
“There’s also one more thing I’d like to ask for your opinion.”
Li Hao Chen straightened his body and said quite seriously, “Uncle Jun, as the saying goes, when the roads are open, wealth flows. The reason why our area is so poor is largely due to the roads. So, I want to repair the road outside the village, preferably one that directly connects to the town. Widening it by one lane would be even better. What do you think?”
“Really?”
Li Hao Chen nodded noncommittally.
“That’s great! If the roads are repaired, the development of our surrounding ten-odd villages will definitely accelerate. It’s just…” Li Dejun looked at Li Hao Chen with some hesitation, “Hao Chen, building a road to the town will cost over ten million. This…”
“What are you worried about? Issues that money can solve are not issues. This money is not a problem.”
Li Hao Chen spoke of the ten million amount so casually and naturally that it greatly surprised Li Dejun. He knew Li Hao Chen had earned a lot of prize money from fishing, but he didn’t expect it to be to this extent.
Sensing Li Dejun’s thoughts, Li Hao Chen smiled and said, “Uncle Jun, don’t worry. I’ve opened several shops in Binhai, and the income is quite stable. This amount won’t be a burden.”
“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful!”
Li Dejun tightly held Li Hao Chen’s hand, his trembling body betraying his excitement. His slightly reddened eyes contained his persistence and determination to revitalize Li Family Village.
“Time to eat!”
“Hahaha, come, come, come, I’ll drink a couple of cups with you today!”
During the meal, Li Hao Chen also discussed the construction of public toilets, fitness areas, and the renovation of the village’s appearance.
Due to excessive joy, Li Dejun became drunk again that night, just like when they celebrated the road repair outside the village.
After leaving Li Dejun’s place, Li Hao Chen returned home, grabbed a flashlight, and headed towards Shang Village.
It was eight o’clock in the evening, and the entire village was already silent. There was little entertainment in the countryside, so people went to bed early. Unlike the city, where old men and women were just starting their square dancing.
The road outside the village was pitch black, with only the chirping of insects and frogs to be heard. Walking alone on the quiet path was quite frightening.
When he was little, he didn’t feel this way. The older he got, the more he became afraid of encountering something.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Li Hao Chen wrapped his clothes tighter, quickening his pace. Fortunately, the two villages were not far apart, and after walking for seven or eight minutes, he arrived at Shang Village.
Li Linhai’s house was easy to recognize; it was the first house at the entrance of the village. There was also a large yard outside. At this moment, Lin Feng and the others were grilling chicken wings and oysters.
“Hao Chen, come in quickly, we’re waiting for you!”
Li Hao Chen recognized everyone present. They had studied together at the village primary school. However, as society changed and rural schools were gradually phased out, with education concentrated in towns and cities, their contact lessened, though he hadn’t forgotten their names.
“Come, everyone, let’s have a toast.”
“Cheers…”
The atmosphere of this gathering was very good. Although they knew Li Hao Chen had become successful, no one deliberately tried to flatter or curry favor with him. They ate and drank as usual.
Towards the end, a slightly tipsy Li Lin Feng pulled Li Hao Chen aside, took out a stack of crisp hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, and stuffed them into Li Hao Chen’s hand, saying, “I’m sorry about what happened last time!”
Li Hao Chen pushed the money back, “Let’s settle things separately. Your boat was broken by me. That matter is past. If you consider me a brother, don’t mention it again.”
Without giving Li Lin Feng a chance to speak, Li Hao Chen turned, waved goodbye, and left with his flashlight.
Upon returning home, seeing that it was very late, he didn’t call Murong Yanran to chat. After taking a bath, he lay on the bed, and within two minutes, loud snores filled the room.
The next morning, Li Hao Chen’s first action was to call Murong Yanran to report in. Upon learning that Wu Mingwei had reached a cooperation agreement with her, he felt relieved.
After ending the call, he naturally had to call Xie Baolian to let her hear his voice, lest he face severe punishment when he returned.
After washing up and getting dressed, he walked over to Li Dehai’s house for breakfast and then they went to the factory together. The equipment had been delivered long ago.
When Li Hao Chen and the others arrived, the factory was already filled with people, and a few unfamiliar faces were debugging the equipment next to the machines.
More than ten minutes later, a leading middle-aged man placed a section of bamboo on the production line. At this moment, everyone present held their breath, anticipating this moment.
“Click~”
“Sss~”
With the press of a button, the production line began to operate. The bamboo was slowly conveyed forward, and the round bamboo was quickly split into bamboo strips. Soon, five minutes later, round-headed bamboo chopsticks were produced.
Because cleaning and sterilization procedures were required, the automatic packaging machine was not tested.
The man grabbed a handful and examined them, nodding with satisfaction and smiling, “Boss, look at the results. They are round and flawless, very good.”
Li Hao Chen, Li Dejun, and the others also came over to inspect them and were very satisfied. Then, they all burst into laughter, “We did it, hahaha!”