Chapter 170 Completely Out of the Circle
A long video about Donghua Town suddenly appeared. Within just one week, it received over 10 million views on multiple video platforms, over 30,000 comments, and was even forwarded by several official media outlets.
Donghua Town became a hit on the Internet.
And Xia Wu was gradually exposed to the eyes of more netizens.
A month ago, the popular personal anchor "Kuai Kuai Ba Ba" on Kuaishou came to Donghua Town by car without disturbing anyone.
Behind the account of "Kuai Kuai Ba Ba" is a couple. In reality, the male anchor's name is Sun Kuai and the female anchor's name is Li Ba.
The two fell in love in college, shared the same ideals and values. After graduating from college, they worked for a while but couldn't stand the high-pressure life, so they resigned and started their own media accounts. Both are good at expressing themselves, not panicking in front of the camera, and can make sharp comments on many current events and social phenomena.
It can be said that Sun Kuai and Li Ba made a living by talking.
They have offended quite a few people in the circle, but because of their impartiality, they have accumulated many fans who like their personal style.
Sun Kuai and Li Ba were once invited to join a self-media company and were offered an annual salary of over one million, but they refused. After the news came out, it was confirmed by the two of them, which once again confirmed their personality of preferring to tell the truth rather than give up money. Therefore, their fans can be said to have complete faith in them.
Many social phenomena are actually not something that two powerless small anchors can touch. Sun Kuai and Li Ba’s video accounts have been in and out three times, banned and released. After repeating this several times, the two have become much more cautious in their sharp comments.
It can be said that the two of them have long been discouraged and feel that they have deviated from the original intention of making videos. They have been suffering from insomnia all night and are considering giving up making such videos.
The reason for going to Donghua Town this time is that blogger Xia Xia has been very popular in the past two years. It is rumored online that she opened a company in the village and treated the villagers better than many large companies did for their employees. In the eyes of netizens, the village where Xia Xia is located has almost become a real utopia and a spiritual sanctuary for many people.
There are people who praise her, and naturally there are people who criticize her. Similarly, there are also some people on the Internet who spare no effort to discredit Xia Xia, thinking that she is performing and putting on a show. How can anyone be so selfless?
So some people repeatedly posted messages under Sun Kuai and Li Ba’s accounts, hoping that they could “fight the fakes” and expose Xia Xia’s true face.
Sun Kuai and Li Ba found this quite boring. There are many things in this world that should not be commented on sharply, while harmless things are constantly being paid attention to and criticized.
But they had no choice. Li Ba tried to buy a lot of agricultural products from Xia Xia's account. Except that some of them were a little expensive, they were basically genuine and of fair price.
Gradually, Li Ba also developed the habit of watching Xia Xia's videos.
They decided to come to Donghua Town to find out what it is like, attracted by the Taoyuan Community that has recently been circulating on the Internet.
A blogger who is famous for agricultural products built a residential community in his hometown, which was full of gimmicks. It was only for rent and not for sale, and it provided a home for young people. This resonated with many young people, who boasted online that Donghua Town was the paradise in their hearts and the utopia in the cyber world.
The hype online was so strong that it completely aroused the curiosity of Sun Kuai and Li Ba, so they decided to pay a secret visit. If possible, this would be their farewell video.
They want to leave the review industry and use the money they have earned over the years to improve and further their studies and explore new tracks.
So the couple traveled light, bringing only work supplies such as cameras and computers, and a few sets of clothes for changing.
After several transfers by plane, high-speed rail and bus, the two finally arrived in Donghua Town, but they did not expect that this was the beginning of a change in their lives.
The video of Sun Kuai and Li Ba, which has gone viral on the Internet, is two hours long, comparable to the length of a movie.
Rather than calling it a self-media video, it is more like an extremely real documentary.
Sun Kuai and Li Ba fully presented Donghua Town from their perspective through means of personal observation, visits, inquiries and comparisons. Although the video was long, netizens watched it with great interest.
Sun Kuai and Li Ba originally only wanted to stay in Donghua Town for two or three days and leave after filming the video, but in the end, they stayed here for a total of one month and twenty days.
The spring mornings in Donghua Town are foggy. The mountains in the distance are hidden in thick white fog, and the town is shrouded in hot steam from breakfast stalls, as if it is in heaven on earth.
In the videos of Sun Kuai and Li Ba, Donghua Town is no different from countless other towns in China. There are no high-rise buildings, no prosperous decorations, and even few big brand chain stores such as KFC and McDonald's.
All that's left here are some slightly outdated old-fashioned buildings and various unknown brands of milk tea and fried chicken shops.
But this place is different from other places. The people and things here all have a vigorous and upward momentum.
The market in the town is relatively concentrated, with two cross-shaped streets and a wide variety of shops on both sides. It only takes about ten to twenty minutes to walk the entire way. In addition to the shops, there are also elderly people from the villages below who carry their agricultural products to sell.
The spring chives, still covered with dew, are tender and green, and are tied into neat small bundles. A bundle costs only two or three yuan, enough for a family of three to have a meal of scrambled eggs with chives.
The old woman selling eggs took a sample of the domesticated eggs and placed it in a porcelain bowl. The bright yellow yolks proved that these eggs were indeed domesticated, not raised with feed.
Nowadays, the problem of de-youth in cities and towns is becoming more and more serious. Many young people cannot find jobs in their hometowns and have no living space. In order to make money, they can only go to first-tier cities.
Sun Kuai and his companions had been to other towns before. Of course, the people they saw most there were middle-aged and elderly people, as well as women and children who stayed at home.
The same is true in Donghua Town, but there seem to be more young people here than elsewhere.
Some shops on both sides of the street are being renovated. Sun Kuai and his wife introduced themselves and randomly interviewed elderly people selling vegetables, children going to school, a young girl who renovated and ran a milk tea shop on her own, and even teachers and students in a rural school.
Just like finding the thread to unravel a sweater, they traced the "changes" mentioned by many people in Donghua Town and found the source of many changes that have brought about Donghua Town.
Many people said that they were all granddaughters of Yang Hongen from Yanggou Village. They were promising students and came back to farm the mountains, bringing changes and vitality to the remote mountain villages. More and more people came from other places, and many local people could make money at their doorsteps.
The breakfast shop owner, surnamed Cai, told Sun Kuai that his family had run the shop in town for at least twenty years. From their humble beginnings selling fried fruit and pressed soy milk, they now expanded their offerings to include a wide variety of items. Many young people in town grew up eating his breakfast, like fledglings that, after growing their plumage, took flight without mercy. Those raised on his breakfasts all grew up and left, never to return.
But now, there are more young people in the town, and the business of the store has improved a lot. Just recently, more than a dozen foreigners came to their store, chattering in foreign languages. Boss Cai couldn't understand them, but he had only seen foreigners on TV and on his mobile phone before. Don't you think this is strange?
The old woman selling vegetables was at least ninety years old, with a pair of deformed feet that were particularly eye-catching. She was not tall, and when she stood up straight, her back was hunched, making her look like a small button. However, her eyesight was not blurry, her ears were not deaf, and her mind was still clear.
There were no other vegetables on her stall, only spring leeks, which were about the thickness of a thumb and neatly tied with straw. The leeks had no yellow leaves and looked clean, making people very tempted to buy them.
The old man seemed to have walked a long way to get here. After arriving at the market, he carefully took the leeks out of the fertilizer bag, moved a small stool from the back of the electric wheelchair, and sat in front of the leeks. When he saw Sun Kuai coming, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth before speaking.
Sun Kuai felt bad to see that the old woman still had to sell vegetables at such an old age, so he bought all seven bunches of leeks from the old woman so that she could go back first.
The old lady was still articulate and the interview with Sun Kuai went smoothly. The old lady's husband's surname was Sun and she was a child bride, so she also took the surname Sun. She had bound her feet for five or six years. When her feet were not completely deformed, the practice of foot binding for women was abolished and she was able to retain the ability to walk. Even so, she had to stop and walk many times when walking from the village to the town.
Since the road in the town was repaired, her family bought her a wheelchair so that she can move freely. The old lady couldn't stay idle at home, so she planted two rows of leeks and came to the town to sell them when she had nothing to do.
Li Ba felt sympathetic and initially thought that the old lady was from a poor family. However, when she saw her conversation and clothing, as well as her clean electric wheelchair, she felt that it was not the case. So she decided to visit her home under the pretext of sending the old lady back home.
When the old man learned that the two young people were from other places, he was very happy and wanted to take them home.
After following her back, Sun Kuai and the other man finally resolved the misunderstanding.
The old man is not poor. His family runs a homestay in the village. The two brothers worked together to demolish the original house and rebuild it. They renovated part of it as a homestay and rented it out to foreign tourists, truly making money at home.
The homestay is well decorated, and many places are built with stones. Flowers and plants are planted in the garden. In the yard where the family lives, they have even cleared two chive fields from the garden.
Upon learning that Sun Kuai and Li Ba were running their own media accounts, the two brothers who ran a homestay were very happy. They were the grandsons of the old man, who was in her forties or fifties. Both her father and grandfather had passed away, but her grandmother was still in good health, and the two brothers felt proud of it.
They talked about their own situation and how it was not like this before.
Before the village developed, one of the two brothers had to stay in the village to take care of the elderly grandmother while the other brother went out to work.
Life is much better now. I can earn money without working and take good care of my grandmother. My family doesn't need my grandmother to farm to earn that little money. However, the old lady has suffered a lifetime and can't sit still. She can't eat all the leeks she grows, so she has to sell them in town.
When Sun Kuai learned this, he realized that his sympathy was really unnecessary, but he was also very happy to hear it.
The fourth generation grandson of the old man is still young and in elementary school. When he came back from school at noon, he saw two strangers at home, but he was not afraid. There were fried leeks bought by Sun Kuai and other dishes on the dinner table, which tasted good. The child talked about interesting things in school. He said that there was a new teacher in the school. He was very old, older than his grandfather. A library was built in the school, so there were many more books in it.
Children can borrow books, but they must keep them well. The most popular book on campus is Harry Potter, but unfortunately it has all been borrowed by senior students.
The kids want to watch it too.
Sun Kuai became curious about the village school, and after getting the child's consent, he followed the child to Dongkeng Primary School.
There are only a few schools left in the countryside.
Some schools have been forced to close down due to population loss, with less than ten students in all six grades, and have to send their students to other schools.
Dongkeng Primary School has a relatively convenient geographical location and has been preserved. Originally, there were about seventy or eighty students in the school. This semester, many children returned with their working parents, and currently there are 147 students in the school.
With more students, the teachers became increasingly busy. Dongkeng Primary School also changed a lot. Someone donated money to build the unfinished teaching building of Dongkeng Primary School. The campus was no longer a construction site, but a truly modern campus.
The children here no longer have to squat in the old-fashioned toilets that require carrying feces and cannot be flushed. In summer or when rainwater accumulates, they can only lay bricks to avoid the filth.
The bathrooms have been completely renovated. Each floor has a separate bathroom, both for men and women, with flushing facilities.
There is also a school clinic and a library on campus. Although there are still not enough staff, at least the necessary facilities are there.
There are several pine and cypress trees on the campus, towering into the clouds. It is said that they have existed since the school was founded. The branches are like gorgeous umbrellas, providing shade and coolness. During breaks, the children do exercises and play under the trees, laughing and talking all the time.
Sun Kuai met the principal here, who was about fifty years old. He was not only the principal of Dongkeng Primary School, but also the village secretary.
There is a shortage of talented people in the village, and many teachers have to take on multiple roles. For example, the math teacher of the sixth grade graduating class is also the village accountant.
In recent years, the country has introduced some support policies. For example, if you want to become a formal teacher, you can go to the countryside and work there for a certain number of years. Then you will have the opportunity to transfer to work in the city.
Although these young teachers will leave sooner or later, at least they can ensure that the village primary school will not be without new teachers.
Yan Lingling is the most representative of the new teachers who have recently arrived. She has brought great changes to the school. Many old teachers who have lost their motivation have also been infected by her work enthusiasm and their attitudes towards students have changed a lot.
Yan Lingling not only cares about the children's studies, but also cares about the physical and mental state of these left-behind children. Some younger children even call her "Mom". You should know that Yan Lingling is still a single girl.
It is conceivable how good Yan Lingling's attitude towards students is.
Yan Lingling invited an old teacher from Yanggou Village. I heard that he was a teacher in the city before retirement and was a special teacher. Since coming to the school, he has brought great changes to the teachers and students.
Sun Kuai met Yan Lingling and Zhang Cuiping, and learned that Zhang Cuiping came to Yanggou Village with her retired husband to live out her days. After meeting Yan Lingling during a home visit, he was moved by the young teacher and decided to continue to shine and make contributions to the village primary school.
At the end of the interview, Li Ba asked Yan Lingling whether she would leave after her time teaching in the village was up, but the answer she got was no.
Yan Lingling's smile is full of confidence and strength. She believes that she can teach wherever she goes, but unlike in the city, students in the countryside need her more.
Go where the people need you.
This is her philosophy of life.
Zhang Cuiping, an elderly special teacher, had eyes full of admiration for Yan Lingling, perhaps because she saw a new generation of successor.
Sun Kuai and Li Ba were also infected by Yan Lingling's belief. In the end, Yan Lingling gave them guidance, asking them to approach grassroots cadres and try to visit them.
With the help of Yan Lingling, the two of them successfully met Yang Guofeng, the secretary who was the grassroots cadre who changed Yan Lingling's mind.
After working with Yang Guofeng for a few days and getting to know the village secretary's daily life, Sun Kuai and Li Ba fully understood Yan Lingling's admiration for Yang Guofeng.
Yang Guofeng truly reached the level of sacrificing himself for the people.
He gets up at five o'clock every day, picks up the elderly people in the village and takes them to the mountains for a gathering. Then he visits the village, checks the reservoir, the riverside and the mountains, runs errands for the villagers to do business in the town, and implements the policies from above.
He is basically busy with these things all day long. He either goes to the town for a meeting, comes back to inform the villagers, and then picks up the elderly in the village and takes them home in the evening. He is busy until eight or nine o'clock, then washes up and goes to bed, day after day.
In such a busy environment, Yang Guofeng's mental state is surprisingly good. He does not show any impatience. He receives endless calls and does endless things every day. He also gives advice to young people returning to the village on finding jobs.
When asked by Sun Kuai if he was tired, Yang Guofeng smiled and said that he was not tired at all. The most tiring moment for him was when he watched the young people in the village leave, the elderly in the village become decadent, and the children left at home were immersed in longing and grew into little bitter melons.
He was worried as soon as he opened his eyes at that time. He watched the village getting worse and worse. He was anxious, but he couldn't think of any good solution.
It was not until Xia Wu returned to the village to take charge of the mountain that fresh vitality was injected into the village. The old people had smiles on their faces, young people returned from other places, and children had the company of their parents, and their growth was no longer absent.
Yang Guofeng was happier than anyone else.
And now the whole town is developing in a good direction, and he feels that his life is becoming more and more hopeful.
"When I get old, as long as I'm still alive and can move for one day, I'll work for one day!"
Yang Guofeng's words are full of ambition to change the world.
All the above interviews point to Xia Wu.
Sun Kuai and his team did not go on to find Xia Wu, but instead interviewed many young people related to Xia Wu.
Among these people, there are unemployed young people returning home, factory girls who don't want to work in factories anymore, parents who are reluctant to leave their children behind, middle-aged people who are caring for their parents, single women who were driven out of their homes by the preference for boys over girls, and seriously ill patients with nowhere to go...
Sun Kuai and Li Ba saw more changes, and confirmed the rumors on the Internet one by one from the mouths of these people and the sincere smiles they showed.
It turns out that there are people who can be so selfless and use the company's skills to benefit employees and the elderly in the village.
In such a remote village, even a job with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan would be sought after by many people.
But Xia Wu did not give them only 3,000 yuan a monthly salary.
She gave them the money they deserved for their hard work, comparable to the monthly salary in first-tier cities, plus the protection of five insurances and one fund, as well as normal working hours and two days off a week.
These rules, which are written in the law and should be implemented, have been rewritten into 996 by some capitalists who are corrupted by money. Not working overtime is equivalent to not being able to embrace happiness.
It's simply putting the cart before the horse.
Labor should be a happy thing, but after being alienated, it becomes a source of pain.
Is it labor that makes people miserable? It is hard work that does not lead to reward.
When an employee dies suddenly at work, the boss can only live in a bigger villa and drive a better luxury car.
But why?
Everyone knows that this shouldn't happen, but everyone is trapped in the implicit rules that are written into their minds and cannot escape.
Xia Wu did not repeat the same mistake. She used the money earned by the villagers' hard work to improve their lives.
In addition to high wages, five insurances and one fund, and two days off a week, the company also has many hidden benefits.
For example, if villagers want to rebuild their houses, they will receive certain company subsidies to help with the renovation.
For example, about 20% of the company's annual profits are used for the construction of public facilities. The construction of roads, squares, senior activity rooms, reading rooms, etc. in the village are all paid from this fund.
Xia Wu truly took from the people and gave back to the people.
As a result, the village became more united than ever before. People in this circle tasted the benefits of unity and became more united and helpful to each other.
All the changes Sun Kuai saw in Yanggou Village, including the way the villagers got along with each other and the closeness between the children, could ultimately be described in just one word.
Utopia.
Li Ba believes that this place is like the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming, full of innocence and romance that is not involved in worldly affairs, like a dream written by a child who has not experienced the beatings of society.
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, had not spent more than a month visiting it, and had only heard about it from others, they probably would not have believed that there could be such a group of people in the world who could build such a place.
The experience of more than a month was finally edited into a two-hour long video by the two. After it was released, Sun Kuai and Li Ba felt like they had been baptized by the experience. Many of their pessimistic thoughts seemed to have changed.
They originally thought that this long video exploring utopia would not attract much attention, but they never expected that the changes brought about by this video would be phenomenal.
After watching this video, many young people felt like they had found a home for their souls, and their hearts were filled with desire and envy.
Some people are very disappointed with their employees. It turns out that a company can make a profit if it treats its employees so well. However, some capitalists want to squeeze the blood and blood out of their employees until only the bones and marrow are drained out.
The more you can't get it, the harder it is to forget it.
More and more people are forwarding this video and expressing their thoughts.
Different people see different things. Many official media saw the selfless rural teachers and grassroots cadres in the video and thought it was a good publicity point, so they publicized it widely.
Donghua Town, Yanggou Village, and Xia Wu were all exposed in this way.
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