The branch secretary and several other village cadres measured the entire village on foot. No matter how they chose, there were always some difficult places. After all, they had to build a road for the village. If the road was winding or not smooth, it would not be easy to build, and it would not be convenient to walk on it after it was built.

After walking around, when Village Chief Wang came over from the carpenter's house, the group discussed and decided to build the road symmetrically from the main road entering the village to the end of the village.

"Now that the location has been decided, you can each go home and bring the things you want to send, and we'll go together. First, we'll thank the Yan family for the many benefits they've brought to our village, and second, we'll discuss with Comrade Yan the location for the road construction."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"Lao Wang, don't go alone, wait for us!"

The village cadres dispersed, returning over half an hour later, several carrying chickens, ducks, fish, and mountain products. The cadre's home was a bit far from Hongxing Village, but he now had a place to live there, and crucially, he was married, with a wife and children. Living here, he didn't have to return to the neighboring village often, and his family had a good stockpile of mountain products.

"Village Chief Wang, we are back." The young official spoke first.

Several village officials hurried forward. Village Chief Wang took a look at their belongings and said, "Now that we have everything, let's go to Yan's house."

"Okay, let's go."

The group of five walked to the door of Yan's house and saw that the gate was wide open and there was no one in the yard. Instead, there was some faint laughter coming from the main hall, which would have been missed if one had not listened carefully.

"Old Wang, does the Yan family have guests? Or..."

"It shouldn't be. Let's knock on the door and call someone to check." Village Chief Wang raised his hand and knocked on the door, calling out, "Comrade Yan, Comrade Yan..."

"Yes." Yan Rushan walked quickly to the door. Seeing that it was them, he knew what was going on. "Village Chief Wang and the comrades are here. Please come in."

Village chief Wang led several cadres towards the main hall where Yan Rushan was. The main hall had become quiet now, without the previous laughter and joy.

"Everyone, please come inside."

After leading the guests into the main hall, Village Chief Wang and the others first greeted the old man, and then greeted Zhong Yuxiu; they were then led by Yan Rushan to the guest table and chairs to sit down.

"Mr. Yan, Mrs. Yan, Comrade Yan, I would like to thank you on behalf of everyone in the village. You always want to be ahead of us in everything. We all know the importance of having a good road, but we don't have the money and strength, so it is difficult for the village to build a good road. We no longer have this idea, but we didn't expect Comrade Yan to think ahead of us and be willing to do good deeds to help the village build a road. We are very grateful." Village chief Wang was very humble.

The village cadres nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! In our village, when it rains, the road outside is muddy and difficult to walk on. No one wants to go out when it rains."

"The village roads have been a problem for us for decades. In the past, we could only bring in stones and soil from elsewhere to fill them up to prevent them from becoming so rotten that we couldn't walk on them."

"Comrade Yan, this is a great kindness!"

The village officials knew Yan Rushan's willingness to contribute would save them a lot of trouble; they spoke freely, their words free of charge. They were grateful, but even more delighted. A good road, free of charge, would make things much more convenient for the village.

Yan Rushan rarely smiled in front of outsiders, and his face was stern. "Everyone, you're serious. We live in the village and are considered part of Red Star Village. Doing something for the village is nothing special."

"Your breadth of mind is beyond our reach."

Yan Rushan said nothing about this. Some things would be offensive if said too much.

"Mr. Yan, Mr. Yan, Mrs. Yan, this is a little gift from us." Village chief Wang put the things on the table first, and the village cadres also put their things on the ground; the things that Village Chief Wang brought were building blocks and small toys, which could be placed on the table, but what they brought were live chickens, ducks and fish, which were not suitable to be placed on the table.

"Everyone, take them back later. Your families don't need them. I can't accept your things just because you've done something useful for the village. If you do this, who am I to be? I've done what I should do for the village, hoping to have a clear conscience and to make things convenient for my fellow villagers. If it weren't for your things, if you continue like this, I won't dare do anything good for the village in the future."

After hearing this, Village Chief Wang and the village cadres sighed repeatedly, saying that Mr. Yan was truly upright, generous, and efficient, and was worthy of being a man who could accomplish great things.

"Mr. Yan, this is just a small token of our appreciation, a token of our appreciation on behalf of the entire village. Please accept it. It's nothing valuable, just our home-raised chickens and ducks, fish caught in the river, and local produce from the mountains. And this, a little treat for the children. I hope they like it."

These things are indeed worthless. They are worthless to the Yan family, but in their family, they would feel heartbroken for a long time even if they killed a chicken or a duck.

They came with full sincerity, and Yan Rushan couldn't refuse too firmly. "This won't happen again. This is the only time. Don't send anything to me again."

"Okay, okay." Village chief Wang and others nodded quickly, indicating that they would definitely not send it in the future. As for whether to send it in the future or not, it depends on the situation.

Yan Rushan nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Have the village affairs been resolved?"

"Yes, we have chosen a road to build as the main road in the village; it is convenient for entry and exit. The other small roads will not be built for the time being. We will build them ourselves when the village develops and has money in the future." Village chief Wang said it so clearly, and Yan Rushan admired their generosity.

No matter how poor or hard your life is, you must have backbone. Poverty is a life experience. If you lose your backbone, you will feel light and it will be difficult to be strong again.

"Okay, it's a good idea that you have. Only with a goal can you have the motivation to strive. Where do you want to build the main road?" He was pleased that they had this intention, but also felt a little ashamed. The idea of ​​building the road originated from making it convenient for the grandfather to take the children out for a walk, but he didn't think about the people in the village.

"We plan to build a straight road from the village entrance and pass through the middle of the village."

Yan Rushan recalled the layout of the village and thought that was indeed a good place for the main road. "Okay, then split it into two roads, one leading to the village, and the other leading to my side. I had originally planned to pave the small roads in the village as well. Since you have such an idea, I won't interfere."

People say that emergency relief is better than poverty relief. With a visible goal, the villagers will be more motivated. Once a good road is built and they enjoy the benefits, they will probably focus on other trails. This is also a way to boost the economy of Hongxing Village.

Although it is just a mental pull!

Village Chief Wang smiled and said, "It would be great to have a main road. It would be much more convenient to take the livestock out to sell in the future."