After reviewing the sketches, Yan Jie and Shen Yingyu decided to create a creative painting street for Canglang Village.

Upon hearing the news, the village chief rushed over in the middle of the day.

He took the honey water Chu Yang handed him, took a sip, and said, "Is this honey from our Canglang Village?"

Yan Jie raised his chin, pointed to the cameraman across from him, and implied, "Whether it tastes good or not, just say it to the live camera."

The village chief twisted his waist into a pretzel shape, turned around, and said to the camera:

"Canglang Village honey is incredibly sweet; you'll know once you try it."

After he finished speaking, he drank the honey water in his hand in one gulp.

Director Chen, with a dark expression, instructed the assistant director beside him, "When it airs on satellite TV, cut this segment out."

[The village chief's advertising campaign is brilliant; well, the village committee owns 30% of the shares.]

[The five chaebol executives start subtly inserting advertisements into every new product launch.]

The village chief got back to the main point and started talking about serious business:

"The creative painting wall is easy to arrange. I'll have the village committee paint it white, and then you can paint whatever you want. It's just that the village committee probably can't afford the cost of the painting wall."

Zhou Gongqi waved his hand dismissively: "No money needed."

"No, no, no, we must give this money. It's all from our hearts."

The village chief insisted on giving money, but Zhou Gongqi refused repeatedly. The two politely pushed and pulled each other back and forth, until finally the village chief slapped the coffee table and declared:

"So, whatever amount of money the village pays the master who writes the characters on the wall, I'll pay Zhou Gong the same amount."

Yan Jie and Shen Yingyu looked at each other, finding it hard to compare Zhou Gong's painting with the slogan on the rural wall that read, "If you should have a child but don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

This is an offense to the Duke of Zhou; it would be better not to give the money at all.

Before they could intervene, Zhou Gongqi asked anxiously:

"How much does the village pay the experienced craftsman to write a propaganda slogan?"

"five hundred."

The village chief paused strategically, then made an exception and raised the price for him, saying, "Considering you're a famous painter from the city, I'll raise the price for you. I'll give you six hundred for each mural."

Zhou Gongqi readily agreed, "Okay, it's settled then."

Comparing a 500-yuan toilet sign to a 600-yuan masterpiece by an art master? How ridiculous!

Did the village chief even know how much Mr. Zhou's huge painting sold for? At least several million.

I predict that once this creative painting street is completed, it will definitely become a new popular spot for internet celebrities to take photos.

[Zhou Gong truly deserves to be called the most down-to-earth art master; his vision is truly remarkable.]

Yan Jie and Shen Yingyu were both at a loss with what they were doing, so they wisely shut their mouths.

The village chief remembered the true purpose of his trip, and he said in a deep voice:

"Professor Luo's design plan for the egret ecological park was not approved by the higher authorities."

Shen Yingyu immediately asked, "Why wasn't it approved?"

The village chief sighed and said with a melancholy expression:

“The higher-ups don’t have a large sum of money to build the ecological park, so they want to postpone the project until they have more funds in the future.”

Yan Jie spoke up to remind them, "Once the popularity of farming variety shows fades, no one will pay attention to the ecological wetland park anymore."

This statement was only meant to be pointed out.

The village chief knew that this matter needed to be pursued while the iron was hot, in order to revitalize the overall tourism resources of Canglang Village, but there was nothing he could do. Without money, there was no money, and he couldn't do anything.

Shen Yingyu asked casually, "What did Professor Luo say?"

The village chief spoke with immense sorrow: "Professor Luo told me not to worry, that he and his wife would find a way to resolve this matter."

For a moment, no one spoke; the three of them remained silent.

Zhou Gongqi had previously watched a variety show about farming.

He knew that the retired professor couple had lived by Sanxi Lake for twelve years, and that they had personally transformed the surrounding islands, giving the egrets a habitat and allowing them to thrive.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and good people didn't get what they wanted.

It rained at noon, and after their afternoon nap, all seven of them gathered in the living room to drink honey water.

It's the off-season for farming, so the group isn't in a hurry to go to the fields. Looking at the torrential rain in the yard, they feel a rare sense of ease.

Shen Yingyu mentioned that the approval for the Egret Ecological Wetland Park had not been granted.

The living room suddenly fell silent.

Everyone wore a sorrowful expression.

They had visited the shores of Sanxi Lake and knew the immense effort Professor Luo and his wife had poured into it. They knew that the rejection of this application negated the couple's twelve years of hard work.

They can't say they truly empathize, but they simply can't easily let go of the past.

Yan Jie heard the heavy rain outside pounding against the doors and windows, and he remembered the words the village chief had said before he left:

“Building an ecological wetland park doesn’t cost much. It’s just a matter of leveling the roads and laying some bluestone bricks. The forest vegetation there is already abundant, so we can just plant some flowers and grasses to beautify the environment.”

He eventually couldn't continue speaking.

Everyone present understood what was left unsaid.

Chai Fei and Zhou Gongqi were guest stars, and since it was inappropriate for them to comment on the matter, they sat quietly on the sofa without participating at all.

The five members of the chaebol group remained silent.

No one knows what hardships they went through in those short two months.

Five people braved the scorching sun, driving a tractor to sow wheat in the fields, raising chickens, fishing, moving beehives, and picking peaches. To buy fertilizer, they filmed a fertilizer advertisement, and to make money, they held a banquet for a thousand families.

This gave us some extra money, which we could use to offset the huge debts we owed once the wheat harvest was bountiful.

Their luck had finally turned around, and their farming business was finally on the right track. But their joy lasted only a day before they encountered people and things that had nothing to do with them, and it was neither their responsibility to help nor to help them.

Jiang Hexi opened her mouth hesitantly, but before she could speak, everyone turned to look at her.

Should these people put all the pressure on her alone?

She immediately shut her mouth tightly.

Seeing this, Yan Jie, the "host," had an ambiguous smile in his eyes and took the initiative to call her by name, saying:

“Xi-mei, I see you have something to say. We’re all family, so you can speak freely.”

Jiang Hexi gritted her teeth and finally spoke:

"Our efforts over the past two months have indeed been very arduous, but compared to the professor and his wife's twelve years of perseverance, it's nothing."

Yan Jie summarized for her:

"Xi Mei means that we should help Professor Luo and his wife build the Egret Ecological Park free of charge."

"I...I didn't say that...You said it, so when everyone is too tired to keep going, we'll hold you accountable!" Jiang Hexi hurriedly defended herself.

Yan Jie didn't even glance at her, and decisively said:

"If everyone has no objections, then Ximei's proposal is unanimously approved."