Chapter 89

Wang Yong's words made everyone burst out laughing, dispelling the previous solemnity, awkwardness, and gloom (probably only Xia Xia felt this way).

"Uncle Li, rest assured. If Xia Xia marries into our family, I will treat her like my own sister. You know Wang Liang, and you know our family. If Wang Liang ever dares to bully Xia Xia, my aunt will definitely be the first to stand up and take action," Wang Yong quickly pledged his commitment. For his brother's lifelong happiness, he, as the elder brother, had to take on the role of a father.

"Alright, alright, you guys are having a lively discussion, but what do the two kids think? Xia Xia, are you willing to spend your life with Wang Liang?" Uncle Da, the old rascal, started teasing the future niece-in-law.

Of course, with an aunt who treated Xia Xia better than her own daughter, Uncle Da was destined for a tragic end.

"Drink your wine!" Auntie pinched Uncle Da's arm hard. Although it was winter and they were wearing many layers, don't forget this was a semi-mountain village. If you stayed in the village, you only needed a thin undershirt to keep warm.

So Uncle Da was in for a rough time. Auntie's pinch was really harsh. For the rest of the meal, Uncle Da would occasionally wince in pain.

Thus, in the absence of the main party, Wang Liang, his marriage was arranged by this group of elders.

Although the two were still young, the engagement was not celebrated grandly and had to be kept somewhat secret. However, according to custom, money still had to be given.

After the meal, Auntie and the two of them secretly went into the room and came back, each giving Xia Xia a red envelope. No one knew how much was inside. It wasn't really a red envelope; it was more like a regular envelope, bulging and full.

Auntie and the second mother both wanted to give something, but they were persuaded to stop. After all, the second mother was so old, who would have the heart to accept it?

Finally, Grandpa Er spoke up:

"Later, buy each of the kids a phone, the kind we use."

It was Wang Yong's turn. Without any hesitation, he took something out of his pocket and handed it to Xia Xia, feigning indifference: "Oh, I didn't prepare much. I just got this on the trip, take it and play with it!"

When everyone saw the green, translucent object in Xia Xia's hand, which wasn't as clear as glass and had an odd shape, it looked like a green stone.

"Jade!" Auntie and the second mother exclaimed simultaneously.

"Is this the valuable jade?"

"Yes, it's jade, and it's quite beautiful."

"Right, that's why it's so expensive. Wang Yong must have spent a lot. This piece must be worth tens of thousands of yuan, right?" Uncle Da's words earned him a glare from the second mother, but she didn't say anything.

"Ah! So expensive! Brother, I can't accept it." Xia Xia, hearing that a piece of jade smaller than her fist was worth tens of thousands of yuan, immediately tried to return it to Wang Yong.

"Keep it. It's valuable to others, but not to your brother. I have quite a few. Take them if you like them."

As he spoke, Wang Yong took out several pieces of jade, all of which were of a quality higher than ice jade, and dropped them on the table with a series of thuds.

Wang Yong's nonchalance made Auntie Liu Hui, who knew the actual value, almost choke. This wasteful child, even if you pretend not to care, don't ruin these treasures! This is high-end, even top-quality jade. Without exaggerating, the cheapest piece would sell for millions. What if they get damaged? This is jade!

Seeing the three women and Xia Xia chatting around the pile of jade, the men finished their meal and decided to take a walk.

Grandpa Er went straight home, saying he was a bit tipsy and needed to sleep.

But Uncle Da secretly told Wang Yong that Grandpa Er was eager to go home to take care of the two monkeys. Although he didn't say it, Grandpa Er's love for the two little creatures was no less than the second mother's.

Uncle Da, Godfather, and Uncle Li said they were going to Uncle Da's office to drink tea. The three of them left together, leaving Wang Yong alone to explore the village.

Although it was almost the coldest part of winter, and there had been a light snowfall a few days ago, the surrounding mountaintops were still covered with snow. However, there was not a trace of snow near the village, and it didn't feel particularly cold.

The various flowers and trees on the mountain were sprouting and turning green, forming a stark contrast with the snow on the mountaintops. In this snowy, mountainous area, there was a paradise called Half Mountain Village, a testament to nature's wonders.

The villagers, being industrious, had planted various super vegetables provided by Wang Yong in the fields. The green seedlings had already covered the ground, making the scene very pleasant to look at.

Each seedling, despite the cold winter, was growing vigorously, stretching out its leaves and striving to grow.

The hot springs were indeed a great resource. In the cold winter in the north, people outside had to dress in layers: thermal underwear, sweaters, and thick coats. Even then, they would shiver in the cold.

But in Half Mountain Village, all that was unnecessary. Just a thin undershirt and a light jacket were enough to keep warm. As soon as he entered the village, Wang Yong saw several strong young men carrying basins and toiletries, wearing only shorts and tank tops.

Looking around, he noticed that the village had built a bathhouse. These guys were all there to take a bath.

"Brother, you came back yesterday? Where did you go?" Gao Hui, wearing a large pair of shorts and a T-shirt, was wandering around in the cold winter.

"Are you not cold? I'm shivering just looking at you," Wang Yong teased.

"Hehe, what's the big deal? We're doing this to create a 'hot spot' for the village's tourism. Think about it, in the dead of winter, people outside are bundled up in layers. Here, they see us in shorts and tank tops. They'll be curious and come to check it out."

"Wow, you've become quite the businessman! Who came up with this idea? Tell me, who thought of this devious plan?"

"What? Brother, how is this a devious plan?"

"Are you stupid? We can't even handle the number of visitors we have now, and you want more? Where will they stay? What will they eat? Drink? Do?"

Gao Hui was stunned. He hadn't thought about these things. He just thought it would attract more tourists, and more tourists would mean more business for him.

"This was all Wang Wei's idea. I'll go find him. Why doesn't he dress like this?" Gao Hui stormed off to confront Wang Wei.

Wang Yong was right. The village had nothing built yet. What would the guests do when they came? They couldn't just come for the hot springs, right?

Currently, all tourists were handled by Yang Haifeng from the youth hostel. The village didn't directly receive tourists. Every ten to fifteen days, he would organize a small group of ten to twenty people, or a self-driving tour group. This was to prepare the villagers for future scenarios, so they wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Although the village had stated it wouldn't receive individual tourists or tour groups other than the youth hostel, some locals and city dwellers still came to see the novelty. They didn't eat or stay in the village, so the village didn't force them to leave.

Wang Yong estimated that once his eco-greenhouses were built, with the super vegetables and Old Zhang's cooking skills, people would have to make reservations to eat. This would be handled by Yang Haifeng, and the village wouldn't be able to accommodate individual tourists.

But blocking them at the village entrance wouldn't be good either. If they all came in, the village would be overcrowded. This wasn't what Wang Yong wanted. He intended to turn the village into a resort, where relaxation was key. If it was crowded, how could people relax?

After much thought, he decided to leave the problem to Da Wei and Li Jianping. After all, he was the investor.

However, seeing the villagers coming to the bathhouse was quite common. In the countryside, especially when Wang Yong was young, taking a bath in winter was a hassle and could easily lead to a cold.

First, you had to boil a large pot of water, then add some cold water to a large aluminum or plastic basin, and sit in it to wash. Because it was so troublesome and easy to catch a cold, many people in the countryside didn't bathe for the entire winter, especially men.

Later, black water bags were sold. They could be heated by the sun during the day and used for a hot bath at night. This worked well in summer, but in winter, they were useless, and you still had to boil water.

In recent years, some wealthy families in the village had bought proper solar water heaters. As long as it wasn't overcast, they could be used in winter. However, when the temperature dropped below zero, they were useless unless the water was drained, or they would freeze and break.

So, in recent years, some enterprising people in the countryside had started building small bathhouses, which did good business in winter.

Wang Yong suddenly thought, since the village had hot springs, why not install running water? With two pipes, one for cold water and one for hot water, it would greatly benefit the villagers. At least, they wouldn't have to boil water to take a bath.

Thinking about this, Wang Yong immediately went to the village committee to discuss with Uncle Da whether they should bring the hot springs into every household. It wouldn't cost much, and if the village couldn't afford it, he would cover the expenses. Wang Yong was now truly wealthy, with mountains of jade in his small world, enough to last a lifetime, even if he wasted it. (To be continued.)