Chapter 702: You're not dead!
As Gu Jianguo walked, he introduced, "My family used to live in the middle of the village, and your grandmother's family lived there too. I remember there was a well there, but I don't know if it's still there now. During the drought, the water level in that well dropped to the bottom, and we couldn't draw water."
As Gu Yin walked, she observed that the area had indeed developed tourism, but perhaps because it was relatively remote or lacked promotion, not many people knew about it. There were very few tourists on the streets, and the occasional backpacker who passed by spoke with the same accent as the local vendors.
The scenery here is beautiful, with mountains, water, and quaint villages. In a few years, with the development of the internet and the rise of online celebrities, this place, with a little manipulation, could become a very attractive spot for taking photos.
"This place should be a small tourist destination planned with the help of the government. The government invested money and effort to develop it. There are fruit trees all over the mountains, which have supported a generation. But the local government did not take advantage of it, resulting in this half-dead state. I estimate that if this village is not revitalized, everyone will have to go back to farming. It's a pity to waste such a good environment."
As a businessman, when Zhou Wansheng arrives in an unfamiliar place, he will naturally observe, think, and consider the next step in his mind.
Gu Yin's eyes lit up upon hearing this. She walked over to Zhou Wansheng and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, do you have a solution?"
Zhou Wansheng tilted his head: "Let's see how things go first, whether it's worth it or not. If it is, we'll talk about it later. If it's not worth it, then our money doesn't grow on trees."
Gu Qingming was walking in front of the two of them and naturally heard what they were saying. He agreed with Uncle Zhou's words, so he had to stay by his father and mother's side at all times, for fear that they might soften their hearts and take on some unnecessary trouble later!
After walking for about ten minutes, Gu Jianguo stopped in front of a fenced-off vegetable garden.
Nurse Gu stepped forward, looked at the old man, and tentatively asked, "Grandpa, is this...is this our hometown?"
Looking at the lush green vegetable garden in front of him, Gu Jianguo hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I think so."
"Are you going to buy groceries? Grandpa! Someone's here to buy groceries! Come out and see!"
A young male voice came from not far away. Everyone looked over and saw a young man walking in front, followed by an old man with no hair, leaning on a cane.
The boy walked up to the group, opened the fence, and looked at Gu Jianguo, saying, "Esteemed guest, what vegetables would you like? Would you like to pick them yourself or have us pick them for you? If you pick them yourself, you can experience the fun of farm work, but your shoes and clothes might get dirty. If we pick them for you, you can come to my house and wait. There are all kinds of food there. No matter which way you choose, the price of the vegetables is the same: 3 yuan per jin!"
Gu Shu asked curiously, "Are all the vegetables in the garden 3 yuan each? I've seen some vegetables that sell for more expensive outside. If you keep the prices the same, won't you be at a disadvantage?!"
The boy smiled sheepishly and said, "It's alright, they're all grown by our own family, so the price is uniform and easy to calculate. My grandfather isn't very good at calculating, and I usually study in the county and rarely have time to come back, so I made him a simple price list beforehand. Just pay according to what's written on it for how many kilograms."
Gu Yin asked, "What about something like 9.3 jin, with a fraction of a jin?"
The old man had already come over, smiling as he said, "The extra bits are for the guests! We're not short of a few vegetables! Gentlemen, how many do you plan to take? Will you pick them yourselves or will my grandson and I pick them? Don't worry! The vegetables I grow are the best in the whole village, grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers! The guests who bought them all say they're great! They'll definitely buy again next time they come!"
Gu Jianguo himself grows vegetables, so he naturally knows that the old man's vegetables are good. However, looking at the person in front of him, Gu Jianguo hesitated and asked, "Is this Second Uncle Gu?"
Gu Jianguo's grandfather had two brothers: one was Uncle Gu, who passed away when he was a teenager, and the other was Uncle Gu, the father of the person in front of us. The youngest of them was Gu Jianguo's grandfather.
There's no need to talk about Uncle Gu's lineage. Uncle Gu's lineage only has Aunt Gu and Uncle Gu. As for Gu Jianguo's lineage, there's only Gu Jianguo's father. He's an only child. Not to mention Aunt Gu who married out, Gu Jianguo remembers that Uncle Gu's family had a son and a daughter.
After Gu Jianguo's parents passed away, he was taken care of by his second cousin for a long time. However, in those days, the burden on the family increased several times with each additional person to feed. As Gu Jianguo grew older, he started to work and support himself.
He remembered that during the year of the famine, his second cousin's family also fled, but on the way, they detoured to his aunt's husband's house. At that time, they also asked Gu Jianguo to go with them, but Gu Jianguo was too old and didn't want to be a burden to others. Secondly, Li Mingfang and her mother were also there at the time, and he had feelings for her. If he were alone, he would be a laborer, but if he brought Li Mingfang and her daughter along, everyone would feel uncomfortable after a while. If something happened, they would definitely be the ones who would be sacrificed. So after Gu Jianguo made things clear with his second cousin, he followed Li Mingfang and her daughter and walked together towards Li Family Village.
Looking at the clean-cut, energetic man before him—a man who clearly came from a wealthy family—Second Uncle smiled and said, "Does the guest recognize me? Did other guests recommend me to you?"
Gu Jianguo stepped forward, shook his head, and sighed, "Second Uncle, it's me, Jianguo."
Uncle Gu Ertang exclaimed in surprise: "Jianguo? Gu Jianguo?!"
Gu Jianguo nodded with emotion: "It's me! Long time no see. I never thought we'd meet again! I've gotten so old!"
Uncle Gu, his eyes wide with excitement, swayed as he leaned on his cane: "Gu boy! You're not dead! Heaven has eyes! You're actually alive! I knew you were alive! When you left, we followed behind, and there were new graves everywhere along the way! The further we went, the more panicked we became! The more we went, the more new graves appeared. Our children were still young, so we had no choice but to turn back. Dying out there was worse than living at home, at least our family would be together, even in death! Who would have thought that when we were starving and eating dirt, relief food arrived! With the relief food, we finally survived that winter! Experts were even sent over to inspect the situation, and after they came, we were allowed to plant fruit trees for free, and they arranged for people to come and teach us. Slowly, everyone's life returned to normal! None of those who fled back then came back, so we all thought you…"
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