The Wang family was gone for only a short while when they returned with the village accountant, cashier, branch secretary, clerk, etc., all with anxious expressions on their faces.
"Old Wang, did the Yan family really say they want to build a road for our village?" The first person to speak was the village party secretary.
The other few people quickly followed and came to the front of Village Chief Wang.
Village Chief Wang nodded and pointed to the main hall, "Let's talk inside."
"Okay, okay, let's talk inside."
The group went into the house, and the other members of the Wang family dispersed. The village cadres were discussing important matters, and it was not appropriate for them to be here; they still had to maintain the necessary limits.
Everyone took their seats, with Village Chief Wang taking the upper seat. He said, "Mr. Yan came to our house just now and was talking about the road construction. You all know how our village's roads are. They're a long way from the good road in Zhongguancun, which has caused great inconvenience for our villagers. If the road can be built, our village will be as convenient and free to enter and exit as Zhongguancun, and trucks from outside will be able to come in too."
"Everyone knows what this means. As long as large vehicles can come in, wouldn't it be convenient for our village to do anything we want?"
The Party Secretary nodded repeatedly, "We know that. Are you saying that Mr. Yan will really build a road for our village unconditionally?"
"That's what Mr. Yan said."
"Then there's nothing wrong with that. We haven't spent much time with Mr. Yan, but we know he's a big boss, a man with a conscience who always keeps his word." The accountant rubbed his hands together, grinning from ear to ear. "Our village is a blessed place, right? We've been through so much hardship and sadness in the past, and even when disaster strikes, we've been able to unite and overcome it. After all this hardship, a benefactor has been sent to us!"
After hearing what he said, the others thought about it carefully and found that it was indeed the case.
"Who says they aren't? The Yan family are truly benefactors to our village. They solved our education problem, and now they've helped with the road construction too. We should be grateful to the Yan family and not just accept their benefits without giving anything in return." The Party Secretary was clear-headed. No one was stupid, and only those who treated others as fools were truly foolish. "The village's economic conditions are limited. I'll have my family send two laying hens over. Laying hens are the most nourishing. The Yan family has an old man and three little kids, so they're just the right supplement for them."
"You want to give me a chicken? What should I give me? A duck? My ducks are raised outside." The cashier was thinking about what to give.
"My ducks are also free-range. They won't come back even if you call them. We catch them and slaughter them when they're ready to eat. They're more authentic than yours."
Village chief Wang was also thinking about this problem. Given his family's financial situation, there were only a few things he could give away. The key point was that he couldn't afford to give away chickens, ducks, or fish. If the villagers gave them all as gifts, they wouldn't be able to finish them.
"Stop talking and talk it over." Village Chief Wang tapped the table with his fingers and said to the Party Secretary, "You can send a hen, and the accountant can send a duck. But the cashier should send fish. Didn't your family catch some fish the other day? I'll just send two big, fat ones. I'm sure you haven't finished them yet, right?"
The cashier waved his hand, "How can we eat all of that? We're still keeping it, so we can eat it slowly."
"That's perfect." Village Chief Wang looked at the only official. "What about you? What are you going to give?"
"I'll deliver some mountain products. I still have some that I picked up in the mountains last year. I wonder if the Yan family likes them." The clerk is a young man, and he was assigned here after passing the technical secondary school entrance examination. Although he was assigned here, his home is not far from the village and can be considered as being in the next village.
Village Chief Wang nodded slightly. "Yes, that's fine. They like mountain products, too. So what should I give them? You've already given them everything, so I can't go empty-handed."
He was in a dilemma when it came to choosing gifts for the village cadres.
A few people smiled, helped to think about it, and searched it from inside to outside; there was really nothing to give away, and all the good meat dishes at the moment were thought of, and they also offered to give it.
"Old Wang, if you don't want to send food, you can send toys. As for the three boys of the Yan family, the carpenters in our village are quite skilled and should be able to show them off."
When Village Chief Wang was reminded of this, his mind suddenly came to life. He slapped the table lightly and stood up.
"This is a good idea, everyone. Please survey how to repair the roads in the village. We can't repair every road. Choose a convenient and practical road to repair." If someone takes the initiative to offer money to build a road, they will definitely need manpower in the end. It would be better for them to be more self-conscious and not offend others.
After everyone dispersed, Village Chief Wang went to the home of the village carpenter, while the village cadres called one of the heads of each household in the village. They talked about the road construction and also made it clear that their fields might be occupied. It wasn't a large area, but it was true that some of their land would be occupied.
"Occupy our land? How much of it? How wide?"
"Yes, how much land do we occupy? We rely on the land for our livelihood."
"I have no problem with taking up the edges and corners, but I won't agree to too much."
The Party Secretary said, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment."
"Listen to me, don't make any noise."
The branch secretary shouted twice before everyone calmed down. They opened their eyes and looked at him, waiting for his next words.
Seeing they had calmed down, the Party Secretary spoke up. "We haven't decided which road to build as the main road yet. We're just letting you know in advance. Once we've decided which road to build as the main road, we'll measure it and then go to the landowners to discuss this matter in person."
“It hasn’t been decided yet!”
"It scared me, I thought it was settled."
"Secretary, we can't let anyone take over too much of our land. We still rely on the land to make a living. We can't just let them take it all. Secretary, you have to help us keep an eye on it."
"Yes! Our family depends on the income from the farm. We can't take it all away from us."
The Party Secretary said, "Don't worry, we will choose a suitable place to make the main road. Once the road is repaired, it will be very convenient for people to enter and exit. I hope you can cooperate. No matter whose land we occupy, please cooperate actively. If you don't cooperate, you will not have a share in any good things that happen in the village in the future."
"We will definitely cooperate, Secretary, don't worry."
How can the good things in the village be achieved without them? Why not cooperate? There should be compensation for occupying the land, right?
None of them asked the latter question out loud; because they knew that even if they asked, they would not get a definite answer. They had not even chosen a path yet, so it was too early to talk about these things.
"That's all for today. You can disperse. We'll go choose a suitable main road."
The villagers had a new topic to talk about, and when they left, they gathered in groups of three or four, discussing the matter as they walked. Before it was finalized, everyone had something to talk about, and they were all talking about what was happening to someone's fields, hoping that their land would not be occupied.
There is no other way to make money in the village, and the fields are their lifeblood.
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