77: Chapter 77 Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

Upon hearing Sun Ning say that Tian Huande could get married, Tian Xiujun's eyes lit up.

And when he heard about a chubby grandson, he stood up in excitement.

He picked up his large tobacco pipe, taking puff after puff as he paced around the main room.

A spark of life seemed to appear on Tian Huande's previously despondent face.

"Cadre Sun, will people really come?"

Sun Ning smiled upon hearing this.

An elder in the house is like a treasure.

This was why someone like Grandma, the village's resident know-it-all, couldn't possibly be without a solution.

Now, Tian Xiujun's focus had shifted from refusal to hope.

He hoped that tourists would come, rather than believing, as he had before, that the government was just wasting its time.

Watching this scene, Sun Ning felt a secret pang of regret.

He had previously only known how to feed the old man empty promises, without truly addressing the core of the issue.

Through this experience, Sun Ning realized that he needed to be even more meticulous and patient in his work.

Sun Ning knew that his approach to solving problems had been a bit superficial.

Faced with Tian Xiujun's words, which sounded partly like a murmur to himself and partly like a question directed at Sun Ning.

Sun Ning did not give him a direct answer.

Instead, he asked, "Uncle Tian, based on our previous plan, how many tourists do you think you'd need to host in a year to become a ten-thousand-yuan household?"

A ten-thousand-yuan household—what an old-fashioned term.

Yet, it was exactly what Tian Xiujun responded to.

People of his generation had an obsession with becoming ten-thousand-yuan households.

Faced with Sun Ning's enticement, Tian Xiujun was clearly more moved.

Seizing the opportunity, Sun Ning continued to entice him, "Uncle Tian, your family has three cave dwellings; that's truly unique."

"Who knows, your family might become one of the most well-off in the village in the future."

"With the money, you could build a two-story western-style house, get Brother Huande's wife a car—wouldn't that be a wonderful life?"

The elderly couple and Tian Huande were stunned where they stood as they listened to Sun Ning.

Their minds were already filled with visions of a happy future.

Sun Ning did not interrupt them, letting the family of three indulge in their daydreams.

Several minutes passed before Tian Xiujun finally looked at Sun Ning.

His gaze was a complex mix of directness, eagerness, suspicion, and trust.

It eventually softened into a sigh.

"Cadre Sun, I know you're a good official. It was you who gave the order to stop the village from forcing levies on us."

"They're just some abandoned cave dwellings. If the government wants them, they can have them; no one would say otherwise."

"You respect us simple folk, and we've all seen it."

"We're grateful from the bottom of our hearts that you want to give us a hand."

"You're a college graduate and the Township Head; you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

This was the survival wisdom of the common people: flattering those in power.

However, there was truth in what Tian Xiujun said, so Sun Ning accepted the praise with a measure of modesty.

He solemnly extended his right hand and said to Tian Xiujun, "This is my responsibility and duty as Township Head."

With Tian Xiujun's agreement, the most difficult household in the village had finally been won over.

It wasn't that Tian Xiujun was difficult, but rather that he was worth saving.

Sun Ning wouldn't waste his breath on the village loafers or troublemakers.

Those people could be handled by local power brokers like Village Party Secretary Tian Lei.

After all, who in a village—the Party Secretary or the Village Head—was ever a simple character?

First, they had to be a Party member; second, their family was usually the largest in the village.

And finally, they had to have some prestige within the village.

What were those loafers and troublemakers most afraid of?

They were most afraid of the most respected figures in the village.

In truth, deep down, if Sun Ning weren't the Township Head, he wouldn't have been willing to waste his breath on such people.

But given his current responsibilities, he had to treat all the residents under his jurisdiction equally.

Next, Sun Ning visited several more proactive families.

His goal was to persuade them to invest more and set an example for others.

Regardless of anything else, the idea of "letting some get rich first to lead the rest" still held some validity.

At the very least, seeing others in the village get rich would motivate them to work harder themselves.

One day, Sun Ning and Village Party Secretary Tian Lei were visiting a rather unique family.

It was a household consisting of a widow and her child.

They owned a cave dwelling that had fallen into disrepair over the years, but the young mother didn't know how to fix it up.

However, she was among the most proactive people in the village.

This struggling mother and child simply wanted to seize this hard-won opportunity.

After learning about their situation, Sun Ning decided to have the village committee mobilize the local Party members to fulfill their duties.

Village Party Secretary Tian Lei readily agreed to this.

Sun Ning also hinted that Village Party Secretary Tian Lei should collect some photographic evidence; these would make for excellent positive case studies.

They would be very useful for the Party-building work in Mishui Township.

Through their conversation, Sun Ning began to see the young widow in a new light.

Her perspective was far beyond that of most villagers.

After some subtle inquiries, Sun Ning discovered that she had a high school education and had even worked in the south.

But fate had been cruel; not only had her parents-in-law passed away one after another, but her husband had also died in an accident while working in the south.

"Village Party Secretary Tian Lei, I believe Ms. Wang Jing is fully qualified to join the company the village is establishing and take charge of a specific area. You should assess her carefully."

By saying this, Sun Ning was practically offering Vice President Wang Jing a 'deputy general manager' position.

It was likely a position as an executive deputy general manager in charge of specific operations.

Sun Ning wouldn't interfere in the day-to-day affairs of Mingyue Village, but he would be evaluating the company they were establishing.

And just like that, Sun Ning had managed to discover a talent in the village.

Sun Ning, Village Party Secretary Tian Lei, and Vice President Wang Jing chatted animatedly, with Sun Ning mostly sharing his management experience with them.

Just then, a phone rang. Sun Ning checked the caller ID and saw it was Deputy Chief Wei Minhang.

Sun Ning calmly walked out into the courtyard to answer the call.

What could Deputy Chief Wei Minhang possibly be calling about at this hour?

It was undoubtedly about the white-hot battle for the mayoral seat in Zhongzhou City.

On the other end of the line, Deputy Chief Wei Minhang said urgently, "Sun, I heard that Yan San hasn't been at the train station lately, and a friend told me today that he's come to our area!"

A thief with a conscience had appeared!

That was Sun Ning's first thought. He told Deputy Chief Wei Minhang over the phone, "You must keep a close watch on the family residential compound."

In truth, Sun Ning's instruction was redundant.

He had every reason to believe that Deputy Chief Wei Minhang had already reported to Gao Feng before making this call.

Deputy Chief Wei Minhang was no longer a small fry.

He was now a bona fide Deputy Chief of the Linzhai Police Station.

He was a man of real power at the Linzhai Police Station and had a vast network of connections.

Gao Feng was the one behind Deputy Chief Wei Minhang's recent promotion.

It was just a promotion for a deputy chief, so the whole affair had been handled quietly.

This was also to add to Deputy Chief Wei Minhang's credentials for future promotions.

After hanging up, Sun Ning returned to the room to continue their earlier discussion.

The mayoral race in Zhongzhou City was a major matter; Sun Ning couldn't afford to be careless.

Therefore, he didn't intend to discuss it over the phone, but rather planned to visit Zhongzhou City in person.

He had already thought of his excuse: he was going to Zhongzhou City to pursue project funding.

The "Village-to-Village" infrastructure project was coming; although every region would be involved, there were still priorities to be set.

Sun Ning intended to fight for the advantage of being first.