After Wen Ruan put her things down, she took some necessities and followed Zhou Shengsheng onto the bus from the county town to the brigade.
According to Chow Sang Sang, the journey takes about an hour by car, followed by nearly an hour of hiking on mountain roads. Wen Ruan was asked to prepare in advance, and she even changed into a more casual and sporty outfit.
But the journey was far longer than Wen Ruan had anticipated...
The weather in September was extremely hot. It was afternoon, when the sun was at its most intense. Wen Ruan and his companions were traveling, and the complicated road conditions made it even more difficult for Wen Ruan.
But in order not to hold Chow Sang Sang back or delay his plans, Wen Ruan could only grit her teeth and persevere, trying her best to keep up with him.
Wen Ruan observed that Zhou Shengsheng seemed very familiar with the road. In some places, there were many stones and the road was very uneven, but he walked as if it were flat ground, very freely.
If Wen Ruan hadn't learned from their previous conversation that Zhou Shengsheng was a local from Shanxian County, she probably would have thought he was just a kid from her village, given how familiar he was with all kinds of road conditions.
Wen Ruan couldn't help but ask.
Upon hearing Wen Ruan's question, Zhou Shengsheng scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "It's alright. When I first came here, I fell several times along the way, and I didn't perform as well as you."
"In addition, I've walked this road so many times that it's only natural that I'm familiar with it."
"Director Song is really amazing. I heard that his father was a soldier and he trained from a young age, so he is in excellent physical condition. Walking these roads is really easy for him."
"When Director Song insisted on planting economic forests in this brigade against the majority of the opposition, many people in the county opposed it, believing that the brigade was too poor and even needed to receive relief grain every year."
"In the end, it was Director Song who spoke up directly, saying that while we are paying attention to the collective benefits of the county, we should also make up for the shortcomings. Just because a certain place is poor or has difficulty developing, does that mean we should ignore it? Otherwise, all kinds of gaps will only get bigger and bigger."
“No matter how well the county’s economy develops, it’s still unhealthy and unbalanced development…” Zhou Shengsheng vividly imitated Song Yan’s tone during the meeting, and Wen Ruan couldn’t help but imagine Song Yan’s expression and demeanor at that time.
"Later, Director Song consulted many agricultural experts and technicians and researched a lot of information. Finally, he decided to plant apple trees here. Fortunately, after much effort, the apple trees have borne fruit successfully. It is said that the yield is very good. The next step is to find a way to sell these fruits!" Zhou Shengsheng's eyes were full of trust in Song Yan, and he praised Song Yan in every word.
Although Zhou Shengsheng talked about the work Song Yan had done during her absence, Wen Ruan could tell from the few words that it had been difficult.
How much time and effort must Song Yan have put in to achieve such a good result! Wen Ruan couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
After taking two breaks, the two finally arrived at their destination. As they reached the entrance of the brigade, Wen Ruan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Walking this far, Wen Ruan felt like her legs were about to break.
Song Yan, Zhou Shengsheng, and those agricultural experts had to travel this route countless times...
Upon arriving in the village, they encountered many local villagers along the way. They all greeted Chow Sang Sang warmly, and Chow Sang Sang responded in kind. Wen Ruan could tell that they had indeed been there for quite some time, as everyone they passed recognized Chow Sang Sang.
Some people noticed Wen Ruan and seemed curious, speaking in a local dialect that Wen Ruan couldn't understand, as if asking Zhou Shengsheng something. Zhou Shengsheng answered them one by one in the dialect.
Wen Ruan could clearly sense that the villagers were more enthusiastic towards her, greeting her one after another. Some villagers even generously stuffed wild fruits and strawberries into Zhou Shengsheng's hands, which startled Wen Ruan, who quickly refused. However, the villagers refused to accept them and mumbled something incomprehensible to Wen Ruan...
Wen Ruan could only look to Zhou Shengsheng for help. Zhou Shengsheng translated for Wen Ruan, saying that he was very happy to learn that she was Song Yan's wife and welcomed her to his home. He also said that if they had time, he would like to invite Wen Ruan and the others to his home for dinner.
Wen Ruan was deeply moved after understanding the meaning. She waved her hand repeatedly to refuse and expressed her gratitude. She knew that she was so warmly welcomed by the local residents because of their simple and hospitable nature, and also because of Song Yan.
This shows that the locals have seen Song Yan's efforts here and highly approve of his measures. Wen Ruan is both happy and proud for him.
Zhou Shengsheng said that at this time, Song Yan should still be in the orchard. It is currently the autumn harvest season, and all the able-bodied men in the village should be there. In the near future, they need to pick the fruit, count the yield, and then transport it out to sell in the county and city.
It is said that Song Yan also helped with sales, contacting several canneries and various stores, so sales were not a problem.
But the matter of shipping it outwards is indeed a huge problem...
Both Song Yan and the county government are actively trying to find a solution.
As Wen Ruan walked along, she could clearly sense that this brigade was different from the brigade of Uncle Song's family. There were mostly low mud houses and almost no tiled houses. Wen Ruan thought that there was only one decent house in the whole village, which was said to be the brigade headquarters.
Wen Ruan could see the poverty and backwardness of the village, but she could also feel the vibrant and energetic spirit emanating from everyone she met.
Their tenacious vitality makes one unconsciously believe that life will only get better and better.
Finally, after passing through rows of low mud houses, we arrived at a relatively spacious area where fruit trees were neatly arranged, laden with tempting fruit.
As Wen Ruan approached, she smelled a strong fragrance of fruit.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Wen Ruan spotted the figure she had dreamt of countless times in the dead of night, and tears welled up in her eyes...
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