Village chief Wang readily agreed, and the next day, he called a meeting of the heads of each household in the village in the yard; the meetings were held on the dam in summer, and in autumn and winter at the village chief's house. In spring and summer, the sun was good and it was not very cold, but in autumn and winter, it was not so cold.

"Village Chief, what do you want us to do?"

"Yes, Village Chief, it's so cold, what's the matter with you calling us here?"

"Isn't it nice to stay at home during the winter?"

"you do not say!"

"Stop talking. The village chief must have something to ask us to come over, otherwise he wouldn't have asked us to come."

The villagers had different opinions. Village Chief Wang watched quietly. It was not that he did not want to try his best in some matters; it was about whether they were willing to work hard and seize the opportunity. It would be clear at the critical moment whether they were dragons or worms.

"If you want to go back to Wodong, you can leave now. Don't regret it and come back to me after you leave." Village chief Wang had a smile on his face. Although he was smiling, he gave people a sense of calmness for no reason. Some perceptive people noticed something was wrong, while some dull people didn't notice anything at all.

A thin man with skin paler than anyone else stood up and yawned, "I'll go back first. I'm so sleepy. Who's too lazy to move in this cold weather?"

As soon as one person came along, another followed, and four or five more followed. Village Chief Wang said nothing, nor did he try to stop them. The others looked at him thoughtfully. For many years, Village Chief Wang had been the captain of Red Star Village, and later the village chief. Everyone knew his character, and it was only those few fools who kept missing out on such opportunities.

"Is there no one leaving?" Village Chief Wang asked, putting his hands on the table and raising his eyelids.

"Village chief, if you have something to say, just tell us. We are not ignorant." A strong man spoke, and the seven or eight people who stayed behind nodded in agreement.

There are a dozen or so households in Hongxing Village, and all the people who came are the men who are the heads of the families, so there are only a few people here.

Village Chief Wang nodded and said, "Since you are not leaving, I will talk to you."

"Village chief, you say."

Tapping his fingers on the table, Village Chief Wang asked, "Do you know the family that came from our village?"

"I know! We helped their family before, and we made quite a bit of money."

"Village chief, is there something good happening in their family again?"

"It's not them who's having good luck, it's you who's having good luck." Village Chief Wang stood up and walked around the table. "The Yan family has leased the mountain behind them, planning to raise some small animals for their own consumption. Now they need workers to build a fence. Don't worry about the wages, they're a kind family. Now, let me ask you, who is willing to do the work?"

The burly man who had spoken earlier quickly raised his hand and said, "Village Chief, I'll go. I've given them so much to repair their house. Building a fence is definitely necessary. I'll earn some extra money to send my daughter to school."

"Village chief, I'm going too."

"I want to go too."

"And me."

"I."

Everyone present spoke up, including the accountant and the village secretary. It was good that they were village cadres and had subsidies; however, that subsidy was not enough to pay the children's tuition, so they had to find a way out.

Hongxing Village is not a big village and its economic situation is too poor, so even if the village cadres wanted to be corrupt, they couldn't.

Village chief Wang nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll write down the names of all your families and then count mine. No matter how many people you plan to send, come and register." There was paper and pen on the table. The pen was not a fountain pen, but a pencil used by elementary school students. The paper was not bought from outside, but just ordinary red grid paper.

"There are three of us brothers in my family, and we haven't split up yet."

"There are two of us in my family."

"Village chief, please record four for my family. I have four sons."

This is when the advantages of having more sons become apparent. The historical preference for sons over daughters is not without reason; women were previously bound by dogma and kept from public appearances, a practice that later became a habit. Over time, even their own parents looked down on their daughters, let alone their in-laws.

Passed down from generation to generation, bad habits have become commonplace.

The same is true in today's rural areas. Men are strong laborers who can support the family, while daughters are meant to be married off. It is very common to favor boys over girls. It can only be said that women are in a weak position and have no benefits that would make the older generation love them.

Village chief Wang took note of each family one by one. Most of the people coming to the meeting were elderly, with only two young people. They had separated from their families and each family supported its own, so they didn't need to follow the elderly.

Some families provide three, some provide four, some provide two, and some provide one. The family will provide as many able-bodied laborers as possible. Some families will even bring their teenage boys along.

Building a wall is not a difficult job, it is just tiring work of moving some materials; these boys usually help out at home, and those who can do farm work are hardworking people, so if these boys go there, they will also be able to help.

Village Chief Wang finished recording, put down his pen, and looked up. "Okay, I've recorded it. I'll go talk to the foreman of the construction team that Mr. Yan hired later to confirm the number of people. We haven't yet discussed the food and drink, so we'll talk about it later. Don't worry, the wages you get are still earned, even if food and drink are not included."

"Village Chief, we believe in you."

"You've done a lot for us. At least we have work to do in the village, which is better than leaving home."

"you do not say!"

"Those working outside always come back and brag about it. They make money, but it's also really hard work. Their faces are even darker than ours who work as farmers."

Most of those who work outside are moving bricks on construction sites. Those with quick minds will teach themselves relevant engineering knowledge. When they finish their studies, not only will it be easier for them to find a job, but they will also be paid higher wages.

"Okay, stop, let me say a few words." There were so many people together, and they were still noisy and chaotic, with each of them talking back and forth.

Village Chief Wang said this and the scene became quiet.

"Mr. Yan is an honest man. You can't be lazy or slack when you go to work. If you are caught once, you will have no chance to participate in any good things in the village in the future." Village chief Wang knew better than anyone else why he dared to say this. Since the Yan family came to the village, they had income and their lives had become much better.

Yan Rushan has now contracted the mountain and wants to engage in breeding. There is also a breeding site in Zhongguancun. When recruiting workers in the future, their Hongxing Village will be the first to get the job because it is close to the water. Didn’t they see that Zhongguancun has not received any news yet?

The accountant continued, "They paid you a high salary, so you have to do your work to be worthy of it. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Seven or eight people spoke at the same time.

"I hope everyone understands that Mr. Yan is a capable man, and we will definitely benefit from him in the future," Village Chief Wang concluded. "Go back and tell your family I'll let you know when construction begins."

Seven or eight people laughed heartily and left in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing.

Building a wall is different from building a house. Building a house is really hard work, and there are a lot of things to move around. In their minds, building a wall is just building it with mud and stones, which is not that tiring.

When everyone returns home, they gather the men in the family. Those who have the habit of doing so will hold a meeting, while those who don't will just give a simple notice.