Chapter 63

From home to the construction site, it was at most a ten-minute walk, but Wang Yong took more than an hour. He suddenly realized that the village where he had lived for over twenty years was so beautiful.

The mountains were covered with green pines and cypresses, forming a stark contrast with the barren hills in nearby villages. This was the greatest wealth that the older generation had tried their best to preserve for their descendants.

Clear springs flowed everywhere on the mountain, converging into streams that passed through the village and quietly flowed away. The sweet stream water was once directly consumed by the villagers, and no one had ever fallen ill from drinking it. However, with the development of the economy and the broadening of people's horizons, very few people now drank directly from the streams. Perhaps only the thirsty children playing in the mountains would dive into the stream without hesitation, filling their bellies with the clear, sweet water.

There were countless wild chickens, rabbits, ducks, squirrels, various birds, fish, and shrimp, as well as countless types of wild vegetables, mushrooms, and fruits. The mountains had nurtured the village of Ban Shan, generation after generation, from ancient times to the present. The people of Ban Shan were grateful, which is why they spared no effort in protecting the mountains and forests.

Now, with the development of the village, backed by the mountains that had nurtured the ancestors of Ban Shan, the future of Ban Shan would be even more beautiful, prosperous, and thriving.

Our hometown

Lies on the fields of hope

Smoke rises from the newly built houses

A small river flows beside the beautiful village

A field of winter wheat, (that) a field of sorghum

Ten miles (oh) of lotus ponds, ten miles of fruit fragrance

Oh hey yo yo

Ah! We have lived on these fields for generations

For her prosperity, for her prosperity

Our ideals lie on the fields of hope

The seedlings grow in the farmers' sweat

The cattle and sheep grow in the shepherds' flute music

The western village spins, (that) the eastern port casts nets

The northern border (oh) sows, the southern country threshes

Oh hey yo yo

Ah! We have worked on these fields for generations

For her beauty, for her beauty

Our future lies on the fields of hope

People live under the bright sun

Life changes with people's labor

The elders raise their cups, (that) the children laugh

The young men (oh) play the piano, the girls sing

Oh~ hey~ yo yo

Ah! We have struggled on these fields for generations

For her happiness, for her glory

For her happiness, for her glory~

The old song that suddenly played over the village's loudspeaker perfectly expressed the emotions that Wang Yong could not put into words. Wang Yong couldn't help but sing along softly with his hoarse voice, a smile spreading across his face, lingering for a long time. The pleasant song mixed with the wind, bird calls, human shouts, and the roar of machinery, forming the most beautiful music in the world. This music was filled with hope, strength, and love...

Arriving at the construction site, Wang Yong looked at the gradually forming giant greenhouse, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction. But before he could indulge in his thoughts, he heard hurried footsteps, followed by Li Jianping's voice.

"Village Chief Wang, is the sun rising in the west today? Why are you here at the construction site?"

Hearing Li Jianping's teasing words, Wang Yong pretended not to hear and turned to look at Li Qiang, the manager who had come with Li Jianping. Seeing his anxious expression, Wang Yong wondered if something serious had happened. But that didn't seem right. If something serious had happened, Li Jianping wouldn't have started with a jab. Just as Wang Yong was about to ask what had happened, Li Qiang spoke up.

"Chairman Wang, you're finally here. The deposit you paid has long been used up. According to the contract, you should have made the payment a long time ago. I need the money to buy materials. Our company has already advanced over three million. If you don't come, the construction site will have to stop due to a lack of materials!"

"What? Out of money? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Wang Yong was surprised. He had transferred thirty-five million to the company's account, so this shouldn't have happened.

"Don't be surprised. Without your signature, the finance department won't release the funds. You've been hiding from reporters these past few days, and you didn't even bring your phone. Manager Li has been running around the village looking for you. If you hadn't shown up, he might have thought you had disappeared," Li Jianping explained.

So that was the reason. The transfer required his signature? Wang Yong didn't know about this rule and quickly apologized to Li Qiang. He then took him to the finance office, found the accountant, signed his name, and transferred twenty million to Li Qiang's company. After receiving the confirmation message, Li Qiang sat down, caught his breath, and immediately started making phone calls, telling everyone, "The money will be transferred to you soon, not a penny less. Send the materials quickly."

Wang Yong, watching Li Qiang confidently making calls, turned to Li Jianping and left the prefabricated house, feeling embarrassed. Due to his negligence, he had only paid a deposit of over three million. The rest had been advanced by Li Qiang's company. Yesterday, Li Qiang had come to settle the payment, but Wang Yong had disappeared. If Li Qiang hadn't known that Wang Yong had made over fifty million in Beijing, he might have reported Wang Yong for fraud.

Wang Yong and Li Jianping left the prefabricated house and went outside. Wang Yong told Li Jianping that he was about to accompany his elders to Tianhai City and asked him to work a few more days until Da Wei returned.

Hearing this, Li Jianping pouted. He thought, "I'm not much better off than you! No wonder we grew up together."

A phone rang, and Wang Yong quickly took it out and answered.

"Wang Yong, come to the village committee. The design institute people are here. We need to discuss the school's plan and then have them draw the blueprints. Hurry, we're waiting for you!"

"What's going on?" Li Jianping asked curiously, thinking they were going to build a school.

"Oh! I was thinking of building a school in the village next year to make it easier for the children to attend. The elder wants me to meet the planners and finalize the plan. How about it? If you have nothing to do, come along?" Wang Yong said hopefully. Li Jianping had studied abroad and was well-informed, so Wang Yong wanted to get his input on the school's construction.

"Sure, I have nothing to do now. Let's go!" Li Jianping said and led the way to the village committee.

When they arrived, they saw the elder sitting with three people in the office, drinking tea and chatting. Among them was a middle-aged man in his thirties, and the other two were young college graduates, looking quite reserved. Seeing Wang Yong and Li Jianping, the elder quickly introduced them: "Let me introduce you. This is Engineer Liu from the design institute, and these are his colleagues, Xiao Yu and Xiao Pan. Engineer Liu, this is Wang Yong, our village chief."

"Nice to meet you! I've heard a lot about you, the master of antiques and the grower of high-priced vegetables and fruits," Engineer Liu said warmly, shaking Wang Yong's hand. It was clear he had heard a lot about Wang Yong.

"You're too kind. I was just lucky," Wang Yong said modestly, causing Li Jianping to pout.

"Engineer Liu, let me introduce this one. He's quite remarkable. He's the vice president and HR manager of our agricultural company, a graduate of Harvard University in the United States, with a double degree and a master's. He used to work as the HR director in a Fortune 500 company," the elder continued, introducing Li Jianping.

The elder's introduction surprised Engineer Liu and his colleagues, especially the two young graduates. They had thought that graduating from college and working at the design institute made them superior, and they were always envied and flattered. They usually acted arrogantly, but now they were surprised to meet a Harvard graduate, and a master's degree holder at that! This world was too crazy. Could a Harvard master's graduate really not find a job and end up in a village enterprise? They didn't seem like fraudsters. The two quickly realized that there must be something special about this village. They exchanged glances, put away their arrogance, and sat behind Engineer Liu, carefully noting down the requirements Wang Yong and the others proposed.

After nearly an hour of discussion, they finally came up with a preliminary plan. Engineer Liu and his team would return to work on the design, and once the blueprints were ready, they would start construction if there were no issues.

The overall plan was largely as Wang Yong had envisioned, with a few modifications suggested by Li Jianping and the elder. Engineer Liu pointed out some areas that did not meet standards from a professional perspective. After summarizing the changes, Xiao Pan organized them and showed them to everyone for review. When it reached Wang Yong, he glanced through it:

Two two-story teaching buildings, with classrooms and teachers' offices on the first floor. Each floor had six classrooms and three offices, with restrooms on both sides. Since they didn't plan to recruit many students, the classrooms were not large. The second floor included a computer room, a multimedia classroom, and various activity rooms for music, crafts, dance, and nature. There were also restrooms on both sides, a canteen, and twelve dormitory rooms with kitchens and restrooms (mainly for resident teachers), a playground, and a library. Engineer Liu estimated that the entire project would cost about five million.

Seeing no issues, Wang Yong signed his name on the last page and passed it to the elder, who quickly signed as well. The design plan was now approved.

"Do we need to hold a village meeting for this?" Xiao Yu asked softly, "After all, it's five million!"

"Hehe, no need for a meeting. Wang Yong is funding the entire project. If he agrees, it's fine," the elder explained with a smile.

A tycoon! A real tycoon. Privately funding five million to build a primary school in the village was rare. Five million was enough to build a high school. Using it to build a primary school with few students might seem wasteful, but since it was a private project, Wang Yong could build it however he wanted, and no one could interfere.

The next day, thanks to the elder's big mouth, the entire village knew that Wang Yong was funding a five-million-yuan primary school. By the afternoon, when the road construction team came to survey the site on the eastern mountain, the news had spread to the county and the city. Yuan Yuan's uncle called to ask about it and offered to help with the school's procedures.

Feeling relieved, Wang Yong put aside all village affairs and began preparing for his trip to Tianhai with his uncle.

Recently, work has been very busy, and I often have to work late into the night. I will try to update the story regularly, but if I can't keep up, please bear with me.

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