Money?
Nothing to offer but my life.
The four village chiefs spoke in turn about their difficulties, saying they lacked the ability and courage to apply for loans.
"Very well."
Li Zhengguo nodded, "I will apply to the town for a new village road, directly reaching our Kusanli, bypassing the unsafe section of Wuli Slope's curve."
The village chief of Wang'er Village immediately grabbed Li Zhengguo's arm, "Zhengguo, tell us, how much money? We'll pay. Both our villages are victims of Wuli Slope's curve."
Li Zhengguo broke free from his arm, "That depends on how much funding the road construction requires. As they say, 'to get rich, you must first build roads.'"
"If the roads are bad, we can't get our produce out, and people won't want to come in. No ideas can be realized."
"Look at the car I bought. Driving back and forth on this road causes a lot of wear and tear, and repair costs are high. All things considered, building a good road is more cost-effective."
"These are all plans for next year. This year, I am very busy."
The village chief of Wang'er Village glanced at the other three village chiefs and didn't press further. As Li Zhengguo escorted them out of Ku River and back to the hills to see the steel-frame greenhouses being built, the village chief of Wang'er Village approached him again.
Looking at the simple yet cunning old village chief, Li Zhengguo spoke honestly.
"Currently, I am focusing on cultivation, so road construction is key. I'm a bit busy this year, and the village road can't be repaired in time."
"Next year, I will not only repair the village road but also the Ku River bridge."
"By then, cars will be able to drive to the edge of the hills. Not only will labor be saved, but vehicle wear and tear costs will be reduced, transportation time will be accelerated, and watermelon spoilage will decrease."
"Everything is for Kusanli. You don't have to participate."
"Just now, I deliberately provoked Village Chief Ouyang. He wants to suppress me, but how can that happen?"
The old village chief grabbed Li Zhengguo and led him to a secluded spot, "You, a young calf, fear no tiger. Village Chief Ouyang has been in this position for over twenty years. Although he hasn't been promoted, he has connections in the county."
Since he planned to take this path, how could Li Zhengguo not inquire about the patrons of the village officials in this area?
And how could he not investigate the backgrounds of these patrons?
The patron of Village Chief Ouyang was precisely the person Town Chief Ji intended to replace.
The reason Village Chief Ouyang hadn't been promoted was because his patron was also getting old and had no upward potential, eventually retiring in a deputy position.
"Thank you. I understand. Please don't let him find any leverage against you."
"Me? Heh heh."
The old village chief chuckled indifferently, "The danger of Wuli Slope's curve has blocked the eyes of others."
"If it weren't for your significant actions, those three village chiefs wouldn't have come in."
Li Zhengguo comforted him, "I hope you can hold onto your position as village chief. Once our Kusanli develops, your Wang'er Village will benefit the most. Believe me."
"Hahaha, good. With your words, I will definitely stand firm to the end."
...
In '87, Kusanli only had sixty-eight households. Of these sixty-eight, except for the dozen or so households that had already contracted land, the rest went to the village committee to contract mountain land.
The contracted mountain land was uniformly covered with steel-frame greenhouses, which took more than two months to complete.
The greenhouses were built in order of their geographical location, so the watermelon planting had a staggered start.
However, the villagers had no complaints.
Because they already knew that it was not good to have watermelons and vegetables flood the market at the same time.
This way, they could avoid being pressured on prices due to timing and also ensure the village's big trucks and drivers wouldn't be overwhelmed.
It is worth mentioning that the newly hired driver was Yang Lei.
A twenty-seven-year-old man, he was steady and literate, and actively attended literacy classes. He helped Grandpa Xiao with tasks within his capacity.
The villagers were very confident in his ability to drive the big truck, more so than they were in Ouyang Meihua.
As it is, Yang Lei is diligently studying traffic rules and will take the exam next month.
Once the steel-frame greenhouses on the hills were completed, the construction of the village road began.
Households had already cleared the way for the village road.
Li Zhengguo looked at the width of the village road and notified the villagers via broadcast.
Since the village road was not wide enough for two trucks to pass each other, it would be widened by two meters.
The second row of house plots for all villagers would be moved four meters south, and the third row of house plots would be moved eight meters south.
For those whose southern land was insufficient, don't worry. Before the bridge construction next year, Ku River would be straightened.
This would ensure that each household's house plot would be sufficient and that future multi-story buildings could be built uniformly and aesthetically.
The villagers were reassured. The village road was being built for the better development of the village, and it didn't take advantage of them. What else was there to say?
While the cement village road was under construction, Li Zhengguo was incredibly busy, handing over all supervision and management to Deputy Village Chief Ou.
He was busy teaching the villagers watermelon planting methods over and over again.
His voice became hoarse from talking every day.
Tian Jing watched with heartache, but seeing the excitement and anticipation on her husband's face, she silently brewed mung bean soup and waited for him to come home.
The seedling room operated on a three-shift system. She would occasionally visit and quietly lend some of her special abilities.
Therefore, she very conscientiously added ginseng essence to all three meals.
Li Zhengguo enjoyed his wife's loving meals and smiled happily, "Once this season is over and they still haven't learned, I won't teach them anymore."
Tian Jing knew that he was just trying to appease her. Never mind teaching the villagers how to plant watermelons; even future bridge and road construction, school building, and tourism development projects would be personally handled by her husband.
"When I said I would support you, it wasn't just lip service. Do as you wish, and I will take care of your health."
Li Zhengguo's eyes crinkled with a smile, "Thank you, wife."
After putting down his bowl, Tian Jing urged him to rest. Washing dishes was a trivial matter; he didn't need to do it.
Li Zhengguo disagreed. He was busy outside all day and didn't have time to accompany his wife. What was wrong with washing a few dishes? It was only two pairs of chopsticks and bowls.
Tian Jing couldn't win against him, so she stayed in the kitchen with him, listening as he talked about whose watermelon was growing well and whose was not.
Tian Jing nodded, "Mmm, mmm, I've noted it. I'll go take a look when I have time."
Li Zhengguo cautioned, "Don't overdo it, and don't let them think that just planting casually will result in a bountiful harvest."
Tian Jing nodded, "Okay, I'll be careful. What about the crops behind the village?"
Li Zhengguo hesitated for a moment and said, "Give them some too. I'm actually very worried about not being able to repay the two million."
Tian Jing chided him, "Silly. We can use the gold bars from the Wu family then. We can't live on gold and eat chaff, can we?"
Li Zhengguo was uneasy, "Let's see. Chen Guangfu hasn't arrived yet, and the Xiao family won't give up either."
"If the first year isn't ideal, we'll plant three seasons of watermelons the second year and send them to the capital to sell at a high price."
Tian Jing nodded, "Mmm, mmm."
...
In late June, the first batch of watermelons planted ripened. Li Liguo, accompanied by Yang Lei, delivered two truckloads to the provincial capital.
After tasting the watermelons, Zeng Shengchun set the price at seventeen cents per jin.
"These watermelons taste good. If they all taste like this this year, I'll take them all."
Li Liguo smiled; his younger brother's guess was accurate. "Are you sure you can handle them all?"
Hearing this, Zeng Shengchun was pleasantly surprised. "You've planted a lot this year, haven't you?"
Li Liguo nodded. "Yes, dozens of households have planted tens of acres. The ripening times are staggered. Will you take them all, or should we find someone else?"
Zeng Shengchun eagerly agreed, "Take them all, take them all."
Li Liguo agreed, "Let's confirm this verbally for now. You should come and take a look when you have time and then sign an agreement. My younger brother is the village chief now, so he can't come."
Zeng Shengchun clapped his hands, "No wonder! No wonder your village has such boldness this time and understands staggered ripening times. So you've elected him as village chief?"
"With him as village chief, your village is truly blessed. I will definitely come and congratulate him on his smooth career progression."