Find a carpenter to make one for his son too; maybe later storytellers will tell his son's story.

Because communication was difficult these days, Xiao Tian was unaware that his father wanted to send him away; otherwise, he would have scolded Xing Baohua for meddling for days.

His father asked the village secretary and village head if it was alright to hold the wedding and funeral ahead of schedule since his son was going to war and might not come back. The organization had already taken care of the wedding, but he would have to handle the funeral himself.

The village secretary and village head had never encountered this situation before, and immediately asked, "How did you know the child was going to war?"

Then the old man slowly arrived and said that you were with the comrades from the county to find him that day. He went to the county with that cadre. It turned out that it was his child's workplace. He was going to the city to organize a meeting with his in-laws.

I heard their in-laws flew in. We're so naive, we just follow our bosses' orders. The old boss at my child's workplace said he's leading a regiment to attack a county town, but he didn't say where, saying it was a secret.

“I remember your son joined the army and got into military academy. He became a regimental commander so quickly? How old is he?” the village chief said.

"I told you to read the newspaper every day, but you're too lazy to even do it. The higher-ups have already issued a notice: recruit talent without being bound by convention! Boldly promote young cadres. What have you been busy with all day wandering around the village?" The Party Secretary retorted to the Village Chief.

The village chief scratched his head awkwardly and said to the old man Xiaotian, "Here's what we'll do: I'll organize some people to help you at your house tomorrow. It's such a big deal, the village can't just ignore it. The village will cover the cost of your house renovations. You'll have to pay for your own cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and meals. As for your child's funeral, don't worry about it. Since the organization takes care of weddings, they'll definitely take care of funerals too. While everyone's home for the weddings, go to the county photo studio and ask a master photographer to come and take a lot of pictures to remember us by."

The next morning, the village chief went door-to-door to find the village's unemployed laborers and told them about the renovation of Lao Xiao's old house.

They all went over to help.

In rural areas, whether it's building or renovating a house, there's an unwritten rule: if you help someone with their work, when that person builds their house, you'll have to contribute some of their labor.

It's like giving money as a wedding gift; what's given must be returned.

The village chief gathered the people he had called together to prepare for assigning tasks. Just then, two cars arrived in the village.

Since Xiaotian's house was near the village entrance, it was easy to spot the car. Seeing a dozen or so people gathered together, the people in the car stopped, got out, and asked, "Fellow villager, can I ask you something? Where does Xiaotian's family live?"

Everyone pointed to the door behind them.

A few moments later, seven or eight people got off the car. The village chief walked over and asked them where they were from, and quickly introduced himself as the village chief.

"I'm from the Municipal Design Institute, and behind me are colleagues from the County Planning Department and the County Construction Team."

When the village chief heard that it involved the city and the county, bypassing the township, he was a bit confused and had to call someone to bring the village secretary.

He's an expert at handling these kinds of things.

The village chief led his men to Lao Xiao's yard first and greeted Lao Xiao, saying that guests had arrived.

The visitor shook hands with Lao Xiao and then began to look around the yard, especially at the comrade from the city, who shook his head after looking at him.

He said to the planning department staff, "Old Hu, the area is too small."

"That's easy! When their village secretary arrives, we can just move to a bigger place. The village may not have much else, but it has plenty of land."

While offering them cigarettes, the village chief overheard their conversation and cautiously asked, "Are you planning to build a house for Lao Xiao's family?"

"Yes! I don't know who this Xiaotian is, but your county leaders are paying attention to this matter. Our institute's leaders sent me here directly, saying that we should build a two-story building in the style of the General's Building."

The villagers stared wide-eyed, especially the old man whose hands trembled. What had they said last night? What if he became a general? The information was conflicting, so they had to guess. Was this a title bestowed before the battle, or a reward given after the victory?

In ancient times, there was a tradition of appointing generals. Old Man Xiao was so excited he was shaking. Had their ancestral graves been emitting auspicious smoke? Had the Xiao family produced a general, and were they even bestowing upon him a mansion?

The more I think about it, the more I feel that the smoke rising from the ancestral graves isn't just auspicious green smoke, but thick, billowing smoke! What incredible good fortune that must be!

After the Party Secretary arrived and communicated with the people from the city and county, he started to take out the village's map. According to the comrade from the city design institute, the minimum area should be 45 meters long and 37 meters wide, with a two-story building and a courtyard.

The village secretary led the people to choose a location. After digesting the news, the people who came to help started spreading the word that Old Man Xiao's son had become a general, and that people from above had been sent down to build a general's mansion for him.

The news spread far and wide, and the next day, the famous matchmakers from the surrounding area practically broke down the door at Old Man Xiao's house.

Of course, we come happy and leave disappointed.

Township leaders also came over. After greeting a few familiar faces from the planning department, they watched as the village secretary led the city design institute to survey the vacant land.

The locations aren't great, so the advantages of a two-story building aren't really apparent.

Finally, I found two houses in good locations. If possible, could we exchange them?

There's no problem with that. The land belongs to the village. We can just reallocate a new residential plot for them. The old bricks and tiles that were demolished can still be used, and there is labor in the village that can help.

The two houses at the entrance of the village were just right. The design institute didn't care about the rest; he was only responsible for producing the blueprints and handing them over to the county construction team.

The planning department's work is a bit more complicated. The fact that they can come to the site means that they have simplified many procedures. As long as the village submits an application for homestead land, they will approve it.

Xing Baohua's original intention was to spend money to buy land and build a house so that Xiao Tianna could show off in the village.

Who knew that when Director Li came to Xiaotian County and revealed his identity, the city and county governments attached great importance to it. The chairman of the rice factory's labor union and the director himself came. They had to give him a high-level reception.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!