Chapter 7

Carrying a large backpack, Ye Zetao walked along the mountain path with Yang Gencai.

Even though he was wearing a straw hat, the scorching weather still made Ye Zetao sweat all over. Thinking about how students like Yang Yuxian walked alone on such paths every weekend, Ye Zetao felt a deep sense of emotion.

"Comrade Ye, are you used to walking on such mountain paths?" Having become somewhat familiar with Ye Zetao on the way, Yang Gencai felt more at ease and asked.

"How often do you go out of the mountains?" Ye Zetao asked.

"We often go to the market in the town."

After climbing two mountains and feeling the sparseness of the population along the way, Ye Zetao realized that the biggest problem here was transportation, which was not something he could worry about at the moment.

"What kind of specialties do you have in the mountains?" Ye Zetao thought that if the transportation issue couldn't be solved, he could help the people in the mountains in their daily lives.

Shaking his head, Yang Gencai said, "There are plenty of mountain goods, but they can't be transported out, and even if they are, they don't sell for much."

Fortunately, Ye Zetao had practiced the Five Animal Exercises, so walking on the mountain path wasn't too difficult. After sweating a lot, Ye Zetao and Yang Gencai finally arrived at a small village called Yinliangjing on a large mountain.

The village was built with bamboo, and there were only a few scattered households, each at a considerable distance from the others.

Yang Yuxian's family lived on the waist of a stone mountain. It took a while to reach Yang Yuxian's home.

"Big brother, a comrade from the town, Ye, has come to visit your home." From a distance, Yang Gencai shouted.

After shouting, he didn't hear any response inside. Yang Gencai smiled at Ye Zetao and said, "They might be in the fields. Let's go in and sit down first."

On the way, Ye Zetao had already learned about Yang Yuxian's family situation. Her father was named Yang Genmin, her mother was named Li Yonghua, and she had a younger brother named Yang Dashan. The family relied entirely on Yang Genmin's farming, and they lived a very hard life.

When Ye Zetao pushed open the door, he saw a woman lying on a makeshift bed in the dark room, her eyes open, looking at the people who had entered.

"Sister-in-law, this is Comrade Ye from the town. He has come to see you about Yuxian."

By this time, Ye Zetao's eyes had adjusted to the dark environment, and he saw the woman lying on what appeared to be an animal skin, covered with a very old quilt.

"Sit down." Her voice was very weak, and she started coughing after saying this.

There was nothing valuable in the house. Seeing the situation, Ye Zetao could imagine how poor the Yang family was.

"Old Three, who's here?" A loud voice came from outside.

As he asked, a sturdy man walked in.

"Big brother, this is Comrade Ye from the town. He has come to your home specifically to talk about Yuxian. You can talk, I'll go back first."

After saying this, as if he had completed his task, Yang Gencai hurriedly left.

Looking at Ye Zetao with great respect, Yang Genmin seemed very cautious upon hearing that he was a town official.

"Comrade Ye, please sit down."

He moved a bamboo stool for Ye Zetao to sit on.

Opening his backpack, Ye Zetao took out some candies and bread he had bought before coming and placed them on a bamboo table. Ye Zetao smiled and said, "I came in a hurry and didn't bring much."

Yang Genmin's eyes were fixed on the items on the table, filled with suspicion and vigilance.

Town officials were always high and mighty. For a town official to come so far and bring gifts, this was a big deal to Yang Genmin.

Looking at the candies on the table, which were worth several dozen yuan, he could hear himself swallowing hard.

"Comrade Ye, how can we accept your gifts?"

After putting the items down, Ye Zetao looked at the couple and said, "I came specifically for Yuxian. I heard that you don't plan to let her continue her education. You should know that Yuxian is a good child, and her academic performance has always been excellent. With her grades, she can go to high school and even university. We can't let her education be cut off like this!"

Hearing Ye Zetao say this, Yang Genmin's face showed a look of distress. Looking at the woman lying down, she also had a look of helplessness.

After a while, Yang Genmin said, "Comrade Ye, you've taken a lot of trouble. Yuxian is growing up, and it's time for her to help reduce the burden on the family. We've already borrowed a lot of grain for her education. Now, her younger brother is also going to junior high school, and the family can't afford to support two children's education. I discussed it with her mother. Girls will eventually get married, and finding a good family will reduce the burden on the family!"

After saying this, he took out his tobacco pipe, squatted down, and started smoking vigorously.

Feeling the pressure and helplessness in Yang Genmin's heart, Ye Zetao knew that this was all due to poverty. No parent wouldn't want their child to have a good environment, but the Yang family seemed to be at a dead end.

Ye Zetao understood the situation of the Yang family and knew that they couldn't afford to support two children's education. After some thought, he said, "Let's discuss this. What do you think? Yuxian is a good child with excellent academic performance. We can't let her education be cut off. From now on, I will sponsor her education. As long as she works hard, whether it's high school or university, I will sponsor her."

Hearing Ye Zetao say this, the couple looked at each other, their eyes brightening.

The woman lying down looked at Ye Zetao for a while, and her eyes suddenly filled with suspicion.

A town official coming so far to bring valuable gifts and offering to sponsor their daughter's education, what was his real purpose?

Li Yonghua saw Ye Zetao's handsome and young appearance.

Seeing Ye Zetao, Li Yonghua became suspicious. She wondered if this young man had his eye on their daughter.

Recently, a girl from a family in the mountains had reportedly run away to the city and was being kept by a boss, bringing back a lot of money. They were even rebuilding their house, and the whole family was very prominent in the village.

Although Yang Genmin was big and strong, he wasn't stupid. Seeing his wife's look, he immediately understood her meaning and looked at Ye Zetao.

Looking at Ye Zetao and the gifts on the table, he started to think.

When he asked his third brother to bring a message to his daughter, he had been considering whom to marry her to. He hadn't decided yet. There were no particularly outstanding families in the village. The family with the daughter being kept by a city boss was good, but their threshold had been worn down by people coming to propose. They had just arranged a marriage for their son, so marrying into that family was out of the question.

Smoking one pipe after another, Yang Genmin was still thinking about this.

"Comrade Ye, it's rare for you to come here. Why don't you look around first, and I'll discuss it with her mother," Yang Genmin felt this was a big decision.

Ye Zetao smiled and said, "I was thinking of looking around anyway. You discuss it, and I'll look around."

Unaware of the misunderstanding, Ye Zetao had come to truly understand the situation in the poor village and wanted to walk around.

Leaving the Yang family's house, Ye Zetao started walking around.

After walking for a while, he saw Yang Gencai coming with a middle-aged man.

"You're Comrade Ye from the town!" The middle-aged man walked over with a smile.

Ye Zetao remembered him. This middle-aged man had attended a meeting in the town and was the village chief. He shook the village chief's hand and said, "Are you Chief Yang?"

Smiling, the village chief, Yang Pinzhi, shook Ye Zetao's hand and said, "Comrade Ye, come to my house and have a drink."

Yang Gencai smiled and said to the two of them, "I'll go see my brother." He then walked away.

Ye Zetao told Yang Pinzhi that he wanted to look around.

Yang Pinzhi chuckled and said, "It's rare for a town official to come to our village. I'll accompany you."

The village wasn't large, but Ye Zetao made some discoveries. On his way, he saw that the village was rich in bamboo, and every household made bamboo products. If this could be developed, it might be a good income source. Additionally, the village had a type of black-boned chicken that city people loved, which was also a potential project. Moreover, every household collected herbs, and he learned from Yang Pinzhi that the mountains were rich in medicinal herbs.

Walking around, Ye Zetao had a clearer idea of how to develop the village.

After looking around, Ye Zetao agreed to have dinner at the village chief's house and returned to Yang Genmin's home.

This time, when he arrived at Yang Genmin's home, Ye Zetao found that the couple was much more热情了。

Yang Gencai was nowhere to be seen.

"Comrade Ye, I discussed it with her mother. We'll entrust our daughter to you!" Yang Genmin said with a smile.

At this moment, the woman lying down also looked better and said, "Comrade Ye, our Yuxian is hardworking and good at managing the household. We know this is common in the city. We don't ask for much, just that you take care of her and give her a future."

Hearing this, Ye Zetao looked at the couple with confusion, feeling that something was off.

Although it sounded strange, knowing that the Yang family agreed to let Yuxian continue her education, Ye Zetao felt very happy and said, "Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for Yuxian's life and studies. I won't let her down!"

When Ye Zetao said this, the couple seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Yang Genmin said, "According to village customs, we should have a banquet, but since you're an official, we'll skip it. These candies can be considered a gift?"

Only then did Ye Zetao realize that the family had misunderstood!

Looking distressed, Ye Zetao said, "I just want to help Yuxian!"

Yang Genmin said, "We understand, we understand. We'll tell Yuxian not to cause any trouble for Comrade Ye!"

Li Yonghua also said, "Comrade Ye is a public official, so we'll be careful about the impact. The villagers won't know."

Ye Zetao was speechless. The misunderstanding was deep!

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