308: Chapter 308 Surpassing the Sages

While Chen Wanqing called back to her hometown, preparing to refuse the construction of the ancestral hall, Lu Li was also sitting in the living room drinking tea.

Wang Peng and Lu Yaoguang stood on his left and right, like two door gods waiting to watch the fun.

Lu Li's eyelids twitched under their gaze.

"Can you two be normal for once?"

Wang Peng looked solemn.

"Bro, this is a key moment for you to bring honor to our ancestors. In ancient times, the whole village would have risen to heaven along with you."

Lu Yaoguang nodded.

"The village's brief history will remember this moment."

The hand Lu Li used to hold his teacup paused for a moment.

He suddenly regretted not throwing these two directly out just now, right into the lake in the middle of the villa area.

Beside them, Yang Yueru covered her mouth, her shoulders already shaking from laughter.

Su Qingxue didn't laugh, but there was a faint trace of amusement in her eyes.

Chen Wanqing's call was quickly connected.

On the other end, it wasn't just ordinary noise, but the sound of several people crowding together.

There was the sound of chairs scraping.

There was the sound of elderly people coughing.

And someone asking in a lowered voice:

"Did she pick up?"

Hearing this, Chen Wanqing knew that it wasn't just the village chief waiting on the other end.

She glanced at Lu Li.

Lu Li raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

Suppressing her laughter, Chen Wanqing turned on the speakerphone.

On the other end of the line, the voice of Village Chief Lu Changhe came through.

"Wanqing, what did Lu Li say?"

The living room instantly fell silent.

Even Wang Peng stopped laughing.

Chen Wanqing cleared her throat.

"Uncle Changhe, we won't be building the ancestral hall."

On the other end, there was instant silence.

The silence was so profound that it even made one wonder if the call had been disconnected.

Only after several seconds did an old but powerful voice come through.

"What do you mean, 'won't be building it'?"

This was the Lu clan patriarch, Clan Leader Lu Huaiyuan.

He was already over eighty years old, held a very high generational rank, and rarely meddled in other people's business.

But regarding Lu Li's matter this time, he was the first to stand up and say that it had to be written into the genealogy and that a separate ancestral hall must be built for him.

Chen Wanqing softened her tone.

"Uncle Huaiyuan, Lu Li said that since he is still alive, building an ancestral hall for him now is really unseemly."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Peng couldn't hold it in again in the living room.

He lowered his head, his shoulders shaking wildly.

Lu Yaoguang also turned her face away, pretending she wasn't laughing.

Lu Li glared at them with a dark expression.

But the patriarch on the other end of the phone didn't sound like he was joking at all.

"Wanqing, this is not a matter of whether it's unseemly or not."

"Lu Li is your son. You think he's young and that it's inappropriate, which we can understand."

"But we old bones know what's what."

His voice lowered slightly.

"In the past, when someone in the village passed the imperial examinations to become a Jinshi, their name had to be written on the very first page of the genealogy."

"Back then, a single Jinshi could make the entire clan hold their heads high."

"What Lu Li is doing now is more than ten thousand times greater than being a Jinshi."

"At most, a Jinshi is just one person being successful."

"But what about Lu Li?"

"He brought back factories, he brought back jobs, and he brought back schools, hospitals, industries, and the way home for the young people."

"If the village doesn't show any appreciation for someone like him, what will we say when the kids ask about it in the future?"

After this speech, the living room also fell silent.

Lu Li was originally a bit amused and exasperated.

But hearing the end, the helplessness on his face gradually faded.

He could tell that those elders weren't doing this for face, let alone to curry favor with him.

They truly felt that this matter could not be let slip by so lightly.

Another elder spoke up on the other end.

"Wanqing, your lives are good now, and Lu Li is standing high."

"But no matter how high a person stands, someone has to remember where he came from."

"If the village doesn't record it, and the genealogy doesn't record it, the children in the future will only know about Guanghui Technology and President Lu. Who will still know that he was a kid from our Lujia Village?"

Chen Wanqing also felt a bit put on the spot.

She naturally understood the thoughts of these elders.

They didn't have any complicated motives.

They simply felt that with Lujia Village producing someone like Lu Li, there had to be some sort of acknowledgement.

But at the thought of Lu Li saying "I'm still alive" with a dark face, she almost couldn't help laughing again.

She calmed herself down before saying:

"Uncle Huaiyuan, it's not that Lu Li doesn't appreciate everyone's kindness."

"He said that an ancestral hall is really unnecessary."

"But if the village really wants to do something, it would be better to build a Neighborhood Center."

There was another moment of silence on the other end.

The patriarch clearly didn't understand.

"A Neighborhood Center?"

"Yes."

Chen Wanqing briefly repeated what Lu Li had meant.

There's no need to build an ancestral hall.

They can build a building for the village that is actually useful.

The elderly can usually do activities, get physical checkups, play chess, and watch plays there.

Children can read books and take remote classes there.

If young people want to learn Robot maintenance or smart equipment operation, they can also go there to receive free public welfare training.

The subsequent maintenance costs would also be covered by the Guanghui Foundation.

Chen Wanqing had explained it as simply as possible.

But the first reaction of the elders on the other end of the line was not pleasant surprise.

Instead, they grew even more anxious.

The patriarch's voice suddenly rose.

"How could we do that?"

"We talked about building an ancestral hall because the whole village wanted to give Lu Li an acknowledgement."

"How has it turned into making Lu Li spend money on the village in the end?"

Another elder also chimed in.

"Exactly."

"Lu Li has already been good enough to the village."

"Since the factory was established, how many young people have returned?"

"The village is now incomparably better than before."

"Why do we old bones need some activity center?"

"Having a place to sit, food to eat, and filial children is enough."

"For the kids to study, there are schools in the town."

"As for training young people, those who can enter the factory will do so, and those who can't can do other things."

"How can we let Lu Li take care of absolutely everything?"

These words were spoken very urgently.

It wasn't a complaint.

Rather, it was an almost stubborn concern for him.

They wanted to build an ancestral hall for Lu Li because they felt it was what the village ought to do.

But to their ears, the Neighborhood Center sounded like Lu Li paying out of his own pocket for the village again.

They were unwilling to let that happen.

Holding her phone, Chen Wanqing didn't know how to persuade them for a moment.

In the living room, Lu Jianguo sighed softly.

Lu Li remained silent.

He could picture the appearance of the elders on the other end of the line at this moment.

In the small village committee room next to the old ancestral hall, with a few wooden chairs and a pot of hot tea, a group of gray-haired elders crowded around the phone, their faces red with anxiety.

They didn't understand remote education.

They didn't understand Robot training.

They didn't understand smart medical checkups.

They only knew one thing.

Lu Li had already helped the village so much, they couldn't let him spend any more money.

Just then, a young female voice suddenly came from the other end of the line.

"Grandpa, the medicine is on the table."

Immediately after, there was another brief silence.

The young female voice hesitated for a moment.

"Wait."

"What did Aunt Wanqing just say?"

Village Chief Lu Changhe didn't quite catch on.

"What what?"

The young girl's voice suddenly became serious.

"Remote education?"

"Smart medical checkups?"

"Robot maintenance training?"

She seemed to walk quickly over to the phone.

"Grandpa, did Aunt Wanqing just say that the Guanghui Foundation would handle the long-term maintenance?"

The village chief froze for a moment.

"It seemed to be something like that."

The girl's breathing instantly grew a bit hurried.

"Don't be so quick to refuse."

Several elders in the room all looked at her.

Looking at the speakerphone on the table, the girl's expression slowly changed.

"This isn't just an activity center."

"This is Guanghui Technology paving the road for the next few decades directly to our village's doorstep."

On this end of the line, Lu Li raised his eyes.

Su Qingxue also tilted her head slightly to look at the phone.

The young girl's voice rang out once more.

This time, her tone was even more serious than before.

"Grandpa."

"We can't refuse this matter like this."

"You might not have understood what Brother Lu Li wants to do."