Chapter 1030: Sarcastic and Uncomfortable
After it was decided, Gu Yin originally planned to drive her family there herself, but Wei Yue disagreed.
"Your safety is the top priority. Although this is your hometown, it is still important to pay attention to it. This is also my responsibility to come here with you. Please take our car."
Gu Yin wanted to say that it was such a short distance, there was really no need to make such a big fuss about going there, but seeing his insistence, she agreed.
After getting everything ready, the group headed to Li Mengxin's hometown amidst the curious gazes of the villagers.
Half an hour later, the car stopped at the foot of the mountain.
This place is different from Lijia Village. There, Li Sen's family helps look after the old house, so you can move in as soon as you come back. But here, the houses have been uninhabited for a long time, and they're almost dilapidated.
So Gu Yin and her group didn't stay long. After finishing their worship, they lit a few rounds of firecrackers in front of their house and then prepared to leave.
"It's Mengxin! You've returned from Beijing?"
Gu Yin turned her head and saw a group of people approaching, but she didn't recognize any of them.
Li Mengxin smiled and nodded: "Happy New Year, Village Chief. Yes, I just got back. I'm here to offer incense to my parents."
The village chief smiled and nodded upon hearing this, his gaze sweeping over the Gu family.
After many years, Gu Qinglang and Li Mengxin were no longer the same as before, exuding an air of nobility.
I heard that Gu Yin has become a member of the Academy of Sciences and deals with people in the military every day. Look at these soldiers next to her, they all look quite impressive.
“You’ve finished everything, come to my house for a meal. Even though your parents are gone, your clan is still here. It would be unreasonable for you to come back and not even have a place to eat. It wouldn’t look good if word got out.”
Upon hearing this, Li Mengxin shook her head: "Village Chief, there's no need for a meal. We're in a hurry to get back!"
The village chief didn't dare to object: "Alright then, come back and visit more often when you have time!"
Seeing that they had finished speaking, Gu Yin stepped forward and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, my maternal grandfather's family only has my mother living alone. Keeping this house is a way of remembering her, but there is a policy that says houses that have not been lived in for a long time are in danger of collapsing. According to the requirements of the authorities, it needs to be demolished. My mother's household registration is no longer here, but she can still inherit the house on the homestead. Although only necessary repairs can be carried out, we don't have any requests. It's just a matter of remembering her."
When the village chief heard Gu Yin's question, he was a little worried that she would use her power to oppress people. After all, if the only daughter in the village got married and moved her household registration, there was no use for the house. After it collapsed naturally, the village collective had the right to take it back.
"Well, you all live in Beijing now. If this house is left uninhabited and collapses, the land will be reclaimed," the village chief said, somewhat embarrassed.
Gu Yin knew he had misunderstood: "I wanted to leave my mother with something to remember her by, so I thought I'd pay for the house to be renovated. Then you can arrange for a reliable family in need to live there, which will help us look after the house. If my mother wants to come back and visit, she'll have somewhere to look. We won't live in the house; it's just for the sake of remembering her."
This is, after all, the place where Li Mengxin grew up. Every place is filled with traces from childhood to marriage. With parents, there is home; without parents, where is the way home?
As people get older, they often think back to their childhood. It's nice to have a place to remember.
The village chief, thinking it was something serious, smiled and nodded, "No problem! You can come back whenever you want! After you've repaired the house, I'll arrange for someone to look after it for you!"
Li Mengxin hadn't thought that much about it, but she was really saddened by the aging of the house. Every plant and tree here was exactly the same as when her parents were still alive; it was all a memory.
"Then I'll leave it to the village chief. I'll discuss it with my family when I get back, and then I'll tell you!"
"OK!"
After Gu Yin and her group left, someone asked, puzzled, "Village Chief, the Li family's house will collapse in another year or two. When the foundation is reclaimed, it can be used by newly married families. They live in Beijing; they're so wealthy, why would they come back? You…"
The village chief chuckled: "You guys don't understand, do you? As long as it's within the rules, making things convenient for others is also making things convenient for ourselves. Gu Jia is incredibly fortunate. Not to mention the whole city, there aren't many families in the country as powerful as them. It's a good thing that Mengxin still cares about her home. In the future, if there are any major accidents or problems in the village, we can use this favor of guarding the house to make some connections. They're a big shot! Alright, let's go back and have a meeting to see which young man is clean, tidy, and hardworking. If he's suitable, we'll arrange for him to move in."
Everyone suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! As expected of you, Village Chief!"
Everyone has their own little thoughts, as long as they're harmless.
When they returned to the Gu family home, they found that there were still several cars parked in that small alley.
"Are there people at home?" Gu Yin looked at the license plates of the cars; they were all local, but none of them looked familiar.
"Let's go in and take a look first." Gu Qinglang looked around, but didn't recognize it either.
The gate was wide open, and once inside, you could see that the room was full of people, but none of them were from the village.
However, Gu Yin recognized one of them: the county magistrate.
"Old Wang? What brings you here?"
Wei Yue was also taken aback when he saw the people inside.
Secretary Wang stood up and joked with a smile, "You're allowed to come, so why can't I?"
Wei Yue was speechless: "That's not what I meant. You're really making no sense!"
"I'm not going to waste my breath arguing with you. This is Comrade Zhou, right? I'm Wang Yueming, the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee. You probably haven't met me before; I was just transferred here last year. It's our first meeting, and Comrade Zhou is indeed as legendary as they say—outstanding, exceptionally talented, and truly remarkable..."
Hearing his long string of praise, Gu Yin immediately raised her hand to stop him: "Stop, stop, stop! Secretary Wang! I know I'm excellent, well, it's Chinese New Year today, and there are so many people here, let's not talk about these embarrassing things, okay? Why are you here?"
Secretary Wang wasn't embarrassed by being interrupted. He smiled and said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about these formalities. We all know the mission you came back for. I just came to see if there's anything else we can do, and also to pay my respects for the New Year! I wanted to see what secrets the village holds that have raised such an outstanding family like yours!"
This person is indeed a veteran of officialdom; after saying a few words, he's already playing the game of currying favor with everyone.
Gu Yin raised her eyebrows: "Well, this is the place, this is the village. There's no secret. It's just that the place is blessed with outstanding people. Since everyone is here, let's have a meal together."
She was not comfortable with this kind of small talk.
Wei Yue pulled Lao Wang aside with a headache: "This is a private occasion. You're here, so can you speak more casually? This kid has always worked in a research institute and is surrounded by straightforward people. If you pull this stunt, you'll be the one who gets embarrassed later. Stop it!"
Secretary Wang nodded upon hearing this: "I'm used to it, I'll definitely change later! Okay? Also, will we make a mistake eating this meal? I see that the dishes and wine they prepared are not cheap, some of them I can't even buy. After this meal, will we lose our jobs?"
Wei Yue's mouth moved slightly: "How about I make a call and ask?" To be honest, he wasn't too sure either.
Secretary Wang's vision went black: "Who are you going to call?"
Wei Yue: "Old leader! Do you think those people in the provincial capital can make the decision?"
Secretary Wang rolled his eyes: "The person who can make decisions is right here! You call Beijing just to ask if you can drink? Who do you want to embarrass? Who do you want to embarrass in Beijing?"
Wei Yue: "...You mean Comrade Xiao Zhou?"
"Otherwise what? You? Or me?"
Wei Yue: "...Just say what you want to say, why are you being so sarcastic? Go by yourself, I'm not going!"
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