Chapter 476: Chapter 469: Benefiting Future Generations
Granny Zhao was also in bad spirits, spending the afternoon muttering about how despicable Wu Yun was, how foolish men are, and how pitiful male infants are.
Old Man sighed deeply after hearing about the hospital from Sisi, and smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in his gloom.
They were distressed because there was nothing they could do to stop these things from happening. It was the policy, and they had no choice but to support it.
"Oh, how nice it would be if things could be like they were before!" Granny Zhao lamented.
Could it be?
Sisi didn’t know if things could go back to the way they were before, where you could have children whenever you wanted, but she knew that in her previous life when she came here, the policy still allowed only one child, although it was implemented much more humanely, not as brutally simple as now.
It seems necessary to speak with Tian Xinhua to give the people at the Family Planning Station a heads up, to soften their approach, so as not to stir up public resentment!
Also, from the discussions of those at the hospital, it seems there might be cases of corruption among the Family Planning Station staff in the rural areas. They should really investigate this thoroughly so as not to let these people exploit the country’s policies to skim the hard-earned money of the farmers.
But these days, Tian Xinhua has really been too busy. He’s planning on constructing a reservoir in Huangyuan County with a capacity of 100 million cubic meters, which has already been scheduled for this year.
Huangyuan County has always been a water-scarce region, facing droughts every summer, with crops entirely dependent on the mercy of God. Thus, Tian Xinhua had long planned that once there was enough money, the first priority would be to construct a reservoir.
During this time, Tian Xinhua has been busy with the villagers’ resettlement work because the reservoir’s large area requires the submerging of a dozen or so villages. Tian Xinhua specifically had the Deputy County Head, Luo Wenlue, establish a resettlement office to be responsible for the villagers’ relocation.
But these villagers have been living there for decades or even centuries. The younger ones are better, hearing about the compensation, and roughly agree after a discussion. But the older ones aren’t so easily persuaded, as asking them to leave their ancestors and homeland is worse than asking for their lives!
So, the reservoir construction work has gotten stuck on the issue of resettlement. For these old men and women, one can only talk nicely, not forcefully. Luo Wenlue has talked until his mouth has gone dry, but still, it’s all in vain.
Luo Wenlue really had no other choice, so he had to seek help from Tian Xinhua, who also knew this issue wasn’t easy to deal with. Thus, he personally took the lead and even pulled in the old Secretary, Du Changlin.
Du Changlin had been an official in Huangyuan County for over a decade, having visited every village in the county and was highly respected among the people. Therefore, if even Du Changlin couldn’t handle this matter, no one else would be able to do any better.
Du Changlin was wholeheartedly supportive of Tian Xinhua’s reservoir building, so when Tian Xinhua mentioned it, he immediately dropped what he was doing and followed Tian Xinhua.
The first place they went to was a village called Xiao Yao Village. According to Luo Wenlue, the villagers there were the most stubborn, not just the elderly who were tough to deal with, but even the young ones, led by the village head who resisted.
Indeed, just as Luo Wenlue had said, Du Changlin tried to reason with them emotionally and logically, his throat practically smoking from all the talking, but the villagers remained adamant, repeatedly saying just one sentence: "We will not move; we cannot commit the unfilial act of leaving our homeland."
Tian Xinhua, holding back his anger, whispered into Du Changlin’s ear, "Secretary Du, should we take a tougher approach?"
Resorting to force was Tian Xinhua’s last move. Everything was ready to build the reservoir; only the relocation, like an east wind, was missing. He could not let these ignorant villagers disrupt his plans, even if it meant deploying paramilitary forces. He had to proceed as planned.
Secretary Du coughed violently several times and walked under a tree to spit a thick phlegm, took a deep breath, waved at Tian Xinhua, and said, "Don’t be hasty, let me try again."
He slowly ascended to a higher spot, looked down at the villagers, and shouted in a hoarse voice:
"Folks, I, Du Changlin, have risen from a minor village official to *******, having stayed in Huang Yuan for nearly twenty years. I drink Huang Yuan’s water and eat the crops grown on Huang Yuan’s land. Huang Yuan is my second hometown. My greatest desire is to see our townsfolk in warm clothes, with full bellies, our children attending school, and our elders enjoying their twilight years. But I, Du Changlin, lack the capability to lead everyone to a better life; I have let you endure hardships for many years, and I am sorry."
After finishing his speech, Du Changlin suddenly knelt on the ground, startling the villagers, who also knelt down. Tian Xinhua did not expect Du Changlin to take such a step and secretly praised him for his cunning approach.
"No, Secretary Du, please don’t say that. You are a good official. We don’t blame you for the hard times; we blame God for not providing food!" an elder villager tremulously spoke, and others quickly agreed.
Du Changlin secretly rejoiced, having successfully steered the conversation his way. With the help of Tian Xinhua, he stood up and continued, "That’s why we are suffering, folks. If God were merciful, we could live peacefully. But if God won’t grant us favors, we can only endure hunger and hardship!"
"Indeed, that makes sense!" Du Changlin’s words struck a chord, and they involuntarily nodded.
"But we are intelligent humans; we can’t let God toy with us. We need to fight against nature. If God won’t grant us favors, we must seize them!" Du Changlin encouraged loudly.
"But how can we seize them? Can humans really overpower God?" the villagers hesitated.
"How can’t we overpower? Building the reservoir is our way of seizing control from God. We store water during floods, and use it in times of drought. We needn’t worry whether God will favor us anymore!"
The villagers felt somewhat persuaded but remained skeptical, asking incredulously, "Is it really that good? Are you sure it’s not a scam?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the eldest villager scolded them, "Stop talking nonsense; Secretary Du wouldn’t deceive us."
The elder continued, "Secretary Du, I understand what you mean, but I just can’t bear to leave this place. Since the Qing Dynasty Jiaqing Year, my ancestors have been rooted here; our Lin family’s ancestors are all buried here. Suddenly relocating is distressing for me!"
Du Changlin solemnly said to the elder, "Mr. Lin, I understand your distress, but we must not dwell on the past; we must look forward. We can’t let our descendants continue suffering a life dependent on nature’s whims. We must create a better homeland for our children!"
"Looking forward, for our descendants...."
Mr. Lin closed his eyes and murmured for a long time, with everyone watching him, seemingly waiting for him to suggest a solution.
After a while, Mr. Lin opened his eyes, a spark of determination in them, and said through gritted teeth, "Secretary Du, I trust you. Xiao Yao Village won’t hold back; we’ll definitely complete the move within half a month."
With the most stubborn Xiao Yao Village taking the lead, persuading the other villages became much easier. The relocation process proceeded smoothly, and the County Committee and others all looked at Du Changlin with new respect; after all, experience and cunning often prevail!