“Old Master, it’s good that you’re back!” The villagers said excitedly and enthusiastically.
Although they didn’t know Old Master Gong’s real identity, the helicopters that came and went in the past showed that the Gong Family’s identity wasn’t simple. Furthermore, they heard that he was from the capital. He was someone for them to look up to. Plus, Old Master Gong was someone who was truly worthy of respect.
Old Master Gong had done many things for Taoyuan Village, and the villagers were all grateful.
“Hello, everyone!” Old Master Gong greeted each and every one of these villagers.
“Brother Daguang, I remember that your granddaughter-in-law is pregnant. Did she give birth to a big boy?” The person called Brother Daguang said with a smile, “Brother Gong, I’m not as lucky as you. Lingyu gave birth to a grandson for you, but I have a little girl.”
“Regardless of the gender, as long as they are born safely and grow up healthily, it’s good enough,” Elder Gong said with a smile.
“You’re right. My great-granddaughter is now the light of my life.” Brother Daguang said with a proud smile. “And there’s another child coming!”
“Congratulations. That’s a great blessing!” Old Master Gong said sincerely.
For the older generation, the more grandchildren they had, the better. However, for Old Master Gong, it didn’t matter if they were boys or girls, as long as they were safe and healthy!
“Old brother Zhong, I remember that your family raised a few puppies. I even went to pick one up to raise. Where are the puppies now?” Old Master Gong asked with a smile.
Brother Zhong asked with a smile, “They’ve all been given away. I wanted to give one to you back then, but I thought that it wouldn’t be convenient for you to have a newborn child and a puppy at the same time. Brother Gong, you won’t blame me, right?”
Elder Gong shook his head with a smile and said, “You’re so considerate, so how can I blame you? But if your dog has another batch of puppies, this time, you must save one for me.”
“Of course, of course,” brother Zhong said with a smile. “No matter how many puppies you need, I’ll keep them for you!”
…
Just like that, on the way back to the Gong family, Old master Gong chatted with the villagers. He held a cane in one hand and his great-grandson in the other. Beside him were Xiao Lingyu, grandfather Xiao, and the others.
Old Master Gong looked at the scenery in the village and sighed. “Our village has changed a lot!”
Grandpa Xiao nodded, “It’s now a tourist destination, so how can it not change? Look at these houses, row after row. They’re all new houses that have been built. Many people have even bought houses in the city. Also, many people have bought cars.”
Old Master Gong smiled and said, “Everyone’s days are really getting better and better!”
“It’s all thanks to you, Elder Gong!” Many people immediately replied, “Our village has started to change ever since you came!”
In the eyes of many villagers, the Gong family was a wealthy family. When Xiao Lingyu married into it, she became the young mistress of a wealthy family.
If it weren’t for the car accident with Gong Tianhao, Xiao Lingyu might have already taken her son to the capital to live.
However, Xiao Lingyu’s stay in the Taoyuan Village had also helped the entire village become rich. Everyone was very grateful to Xiao Lingyu.
At the same time, she was the daughter-in-law of the Gong family. Naturally, they were also grateful to the Gong Family.
Old Master Gong smiled, “No, this is the result of everyone’s hard work.”
Old Master Gong suddenly stood still and looked around. He seemed to be deeply moved as he exclaimed, “Our village is becoming more and more beautiful. It has truly become a paradise.”
Thinking back, when he first came to Taoyuan Village, he saw many old houses and dilapidated houses. There were also villagers wearing all kinds of patched clothes.
The scenery of Taoyuan village was beautiful, but the villagers who lived in the village were the most primitive and simple.
Now, the old houses and dilapidated houses had all been repaired.
Some of them retained their old houses because it was a farm attraction. It allowed those who came from the big cities to see the simple old houses in the countryside.
The new houses were also built in a very simple style. Although there weren’t carved railings or painted buildings, they were made of green bricks, glazed tiles, and red lacquered pillars. They fit the name of Taoyuan Village very well.
Old Master Gong asked in surprise, “What about the new design?”
The village chief said, “These houses were all built based on Lingyu’s suggestion. She was the one who got people to design the houses, and she was also the one who got people to build them. That’s why everyone’s houses look so good. Moreover, these houses are integrated with the scenery of our village, making a good impression on the tourists.”
The village chief was actually praising Xiao Lingyu in disguise.
Old Master Gong was even happier when he heard this. He did not hesitate to praise his granddaughter-in-law. “Yu ‘Er has always considered the bigger picture when she does things.”
Old Master Gong was most satisfied with the fact that he had gotten a granddaughter-in-law like Xiao Lingyu when he moved to Taoyuan Village.
A sensible, smart, and beautiful daughter-in-law who even managed to make his grandson fall in love with her.
Even though that Brat had lost his memory, Old Master Gong believed he would regain the memory soon. Otherwise… Old Master Gong would rather have a granddaughter-in-law and great-grandson over a grandson.
As for that grandson, he could do whatever he wanted.
Old Master Gong did not hide his love and satisfaction for Xiao Lingyu. Many villagers noted this and kept saying good things about Xiao Lingyu. Of course, they didn’t lie.
The Gong family had done the villagers a favor, and Xiao Lingyu had done them a favor.
If not for Xiao Lingyu, would Taoyuan Village have become so rich? It would probably still be the poorest village.
When the Xiao family heard the villagers and Old Master Gong praising Xiao Lingyu, they felt very proud and honored to have a daughter like Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Lingyu couldn’t help but blush from the praise from the group. She said humbly, “Everyone is responsible for their own life. At most, I am just a guide.”
Even the laziest family in the village would make some special products to sell in the scenic spots.
Every day, they would clean up the rooms that were given to the tourists so that they could live comfortably.
Now that the villagers were living better lives, they became more diligent.
After Taoyuan village was successfully developed, business was booming, and the number of tourists increased day by day.
In the second year, the entire village received dividends.
The village chief and Zhou Chengbang’s family, who invested the most, received the most dividends. Each family received a dividend of 300,000. At first, they only invested 70,000 RMB.
Other than the land rent, they took out all of their family savings and bought shares from other villagers.
But now, the dividends had increased by several times. This was the first year, and there would be dividends every year in the future. Thinking of this, many people felt regretful.
Thankfully, most villagers had chosen to invest in the shares back then. Only a few people were too narrow-minded. They were constrained by their current interests and were hesitant to invest, so they chose to give up.
Therefore, when they saw the villagers who had invested got dividends of tens of thousands, they felt regretful.
But it was useless. They had sold their shares to others, and they had signed a contract.
Even if they wanted to get back those shares, it was unlikely. The future was filled with uncertainty. How could a person not take risks but expect to enjoy the fruits?
However, some people still had thick skin. They went to make a scene.
In the end, Xiao Lingyu and the village committee came together. If these people continued to make a scene, they would be evicted from Taoyuan Village. They would have nothing to do with Taoyuan Village anymore. That finally quieted the troublemakers.
Xiao Lingyu would often bring everyone to get rich with her. Of course, it was also to facilitate the expansion of her own business.
If she was the only rich person in the village, other people would get jealous. Jealously could push people to do crazy things. What was more frightening was that jealousy would often produce a devil.
In order to prevent those devils from causing trouble, Xiao Lingyu was willing to lead the villagers to earn more money together.
Of course, she only provided the opportunity. Whether they would grab the opportunity was not her problem. Everyone was given the same chance.
Therefore, Xiao Lingyu would not be merciful and forgiving to the villagers who did not cherish the opportunity and tried to vent their anger on her.
Her principle was always: If you don’t offend me, I won’t offend you!
She had always been very strict with the villagers who caused trouble. From the time she had called the police to arrest Zhang Xiaolan for setting the fire to the time she had called the police to arrest Zhang Chunjiao, it was clear that she was not a soft-hearted person. These people pleaded with Xiao Lingyu to return the shares to them. It was simply impossible!
Of course, they could buy the shares back from her. However, it was at the current market price. Due to the successful development of the Taoyuan Village, the value had soared, reaching 200,000 to 300,000 per share. So, as long as they took out the money, she would sell them the shares back.
Obviously, the villagers didn’t have that much money. Therefore, they could only focus on their small businesses. Of course, even small businesses would earn a few thousand every month.
That was still better than being chased out of the village.
Therefore, the troublemakers could only settle down quietly.
Xiao Lingyu played a huge part in the harmony of the village. Xiao Lingyu was very loyal, but she was no fool. It was unclear when the villagers became afraid of Xiao Lingyu.
Were they intimated by her?
Actually, to most of the villagers, Xiao Lingyu had become the leader of the entire village. The majority respected her from the bottom of their hearts.
Therefore, everyone would carry out the orders given by Xiao Lingyu. Not many people dared to do things behind her back anymore.
Old Master Gong turned to look at Xiao Lingyu and said very kindly with a heartache, “Yu ‘Er, it’s been hard on you these two years!”
She had to endure the pain of not seeing her husband, and she had to work with so many troubling people and develop a whole village.
She was not defeated by difficulties and setbacks, and she became stronger because of them.