99: Chapter 99 Reunion with Tian Xiujun

The village leaders who had been surrounding Sun Ning left.

Sun Ning didn't stay idle either; he first took a stroll up the mountain by himself.

Before he knew it, he saw the elderly couple, Tian Xiujun and his wife. The two of them weren't idle either, as they were weeding a newly sprouted cornfield.

In the field, a married couple and a child who looked to be in their teens were also helping the elderly couple weed.

Judging by their attire, Sun Ning knew they were likely a family who had come to experience rural life.

The two groups worked in separate sections, not disturbing each other.

It seemed the old man was strictly adhering to the principle of not bothering the guests unless they initiated contact.

It was already mid-morning, and Sun Ning felt they should be wrapping up work soon.

It was August, and although they were in the mountains, the mountains of Mingyue Village weren't exactly deep, remote forests.

By noon, it would still be stiflingly hot.

Just as Sun Ning was wondering whether it was appropriate to go down and have a chat with Tian Xiujun, the family of three in the field began gathering their tools.

They had come to experience life, not to suffer.

If it got too hot and they suffered heatstroke, what then?

After watching the family of three leave, Sun Ning walked into the cornfield.

"Uncle Tian, were those your guests who just left? They looked like a family of three. Are they planning to stay at your place for a few days?"

"Haha, they've already been here for two days. This family of three is from Zhongzhou City. They all like peace and quiet, and came here to stay for a few days after hearing a recommendation from someone else."

"Then you must be making a fortune, Uncle Tian."

The joy on Tian Xiujun's face right now was a direct contradiction to his past self.

Sun Ning still clearly remembered this stubborn old man's furrowed brows and the firmness with which he had refused earlier.

However, Sun Ning didn't pay mind to the old man's chuckles.

He continued to ask, "Uncle Tian, do you think the entire village should be converted into cave dwellings, or should we just build them in suitable locations based on the current layout?"

To his surprise, the old man didn't even think about it, blurting out, "I only listen to the Township Head. Whatever the Township Head says, I'll do!"

Hearing this remark, which lacked even a hint of flattery, Sun Ning feigned indifference on the outside, but was secretly overjoyed on the inside!

This is what you call reputation!

The more someone is like this, the easier it is to earn their trust!

The prerequisite is that you must be dedicated to the public good!

"How come I heard that people in the village are getting restless, and Village Party Secretary Tian Lei is barely able to keep them in check? Are you really not tempted, sir?"

"Hah, what would a bunch of mud-legged peasants like us know? We're just short-sighted folks! If we had any real foresight, wouldn't we have gotten rich long ago? Why would we have to wait for you to come?"

Tian Xiujun said this with such sincerity that Sun Ning felt that working with the villagers might not be as difficult as he thought.

The main problem now still lay with the village's decision-making level.

These people were villagers first, and village leaders second.

Watching money blow into their homes as if by a strong wind every day, who wouldn't be tempted?

Sun Ning felt that letting them discover their own problems first would make it easier to work with the villagers.

"Uncle Tian, why belittle yourself? You are all elders; you've eaten more salt than I've eaten rice, and you've given me a lot of useful guidance."

"Haha..."

Tian Xiujun didn't know how to respond, so he could only offer a few awkward chuckles.

"Uncle Tian, since you're in the village every day, you must know what everyone is thinking. Could I trouble you for a moment?"

When Tian Xiujun heard there was such a good thing, he smiled happily.

He liked chatting with Sun Ning the most.

Sun Ning usually kept two types of cigarettes in his bag: one was a special supply, and the other was the mainstream cigarette used in Gongfan County's official circles.

Usually, when Sun Ning interacted with the common folk he was familiar with, he used the white-boxed cigarettes.

And the old man Tian was one of them.

Tian Xiujun had realized they were extraordinary the first time he smoked one.

Every time he saw Sun Ning, he would always put away his pipe and look at Sun Ning with eager anticipation.

This was his own unique kind of cleverness.

Of course, it was also because he understood Sun Ning and knew that this big leader (young man) was generous and particularly respectful of others, which was why he dared to act this way.

Tian Xiujun took a deep drag of the cigarette, let it filter through his lungs, and then exhaled deeply.

He groaned, "If I could smoke this every day, I wouldn't trade places even if a deity came."

Sun Ning didn't even know how to retort to this stubborn old man.

If he wasn't afraid that those cigarettes would get moldy over time, would he just take them out and offer them to anyone?

And wanting to smoke this every day—how many people in Heyang even had that qualification?

"Uncle Tian, you should smoke less. You know you haven't held a grandson yet, right?"

When the conversation reached this point, it seemed to have struck a nerve with the elderly couple.

Auntie Tian also stopped fussing over the barely visible weeds.

"Cadre Sun, speaking of which, Old Tian and I really have to thank you properly. It's only been two months, and our village's reputation has already spread for dozens of miles around."

"As for those chronic problems in our village from before, now our main rooms are packed with matchmakers."

"Not long ago, a matchmaker sent word that there is a young widow over in Mizhou who doesn't mind our Huande's situation."

"And she is gentle, virtuous, and filial. We're planning to go meet her in a few days."

"This stubborn old man of mine was still hesitating, talking about bad omens or something, so I gave him a good scolding."

"Cadre Sun, you need to help me scold him a bit too."

"If it weren't for the Party and the country, and if it weren't for Cadre Sun, could we be living such a good life?"

"Would anyone be matchmaking for your son?"

"Now you're suddenly into feudal superstitions; don't you know how much ability you actually have?"

They say all these aunties are trained by intelligence centers.

Her mouth just wouldn't stop, and as she talked, she started complaining about Tian Xiujun.

Seeing Old Man Tian's face turn bright red, clearly losing face, Sun Ning quickly changed the subject.

If he let the elderly couple continue, he wouldn't be able to discuss any serious business for the next hour.

He quickly said, "Brother Huande is lucky. I think it's best to go and see the young lady's character; when we marry, we're looking for someone to build a life with. As for those other things, there's no need to think about them."

In fact, this idea of marrying for virtue wasn't something Sun Ning said lightly.

He wouldn't think a girl was money-grubbing just because she knew Mingyue Village was prosperous.

Pursuing a better life is human nature.

Sun Ning understood this very well.

To put it bluntly, he would have to be picky when looking for a wife too.

He wouldn't dare touch women obsessed with supporting their younger brothers at the expense of their own family, or radical feminists, would he?

At the end of the day, marriage is just two people teaming up to live life together.

Finances, daily life, health, character—there has to be some alignment, right?

Most people, as long as they choose such conditions, are prepared to live a good life with you.

Unless you encounter someone trying to scam you into marriage, or someone excessively vain, and so on.

Hearing Sun Ning speak this way, Auntie Tian smiled with her eyes.

She shot a glare at Tian Xiujun and said, "Cadre Sun really knows how to speak well, unlike you, old man, getting carried away before we've even made any real money."

"You old woman, stop nagging and wasting the Township Head's time."

"The matter in the village was started by those few hooligans, and then they went around lobbying everyone in the village."

"At first, everyone thought we should follow the company's arrangements."

"But seeing the number of tourists increase, those people couldn't sit still anymore and one after another went to the village committee to petition."

"If you ask me, it's just that the government has been too good to them. If you locked those troublemakers up for a few days, they'd quiet down."

"They haven't even been eating good meals for a few days, and already they don't know who they are anymore."