Damai's son was born on May 15th, the twentieth day of the fourth lunar month.
The nursery was very busy, and with Damai and Xiaomai gone, Ouyang Meihua couldn't ask for more leave.
Fortunately, it was only busy at the beginning and end of the month, so she could help out for a few days.
Yuan Man was also working hard to learn how to take care of his wife and son. So, at the end of the month, when Ouyang Meihua went to work at the nursery, he and Granny Li took excellent care of Damai and the baby.
...
In June, the entrance to the cave in the southern part of Wenshan Mountain was opened.
In July, work began on organizing the cave.
Tourists were very curious about the blocked-off southern area, so the young tour guides preemptively publicized the cave.
News spread that the Kushanli scenic area would have a new attraction next year.
On October 1st, County Chief Ji accompanied provincial leaders to inspect the Kushanli scenic area.
Given the large number of tourists, they wore casual clothes and blended in with the visitors.
After spending two days exploring the Wenshan Valley, they went to the southern side of Wenshan Mountain to find Li Zhengguo.
Li Zhengguo, who was accelerating the construction progress, arranged things for Zhang Shitóu and led the leaders on a tour of the cave.
They slowly descended the artificially chiseled steps from the entrance.
Not far in, they reached a corridor one hundred meters long, with railings made of artificially chiseled stone strips.
Standing on the corridor, one could overlook the entire cave.
Above, dense, massive stalactites hung down, with water droplets forming at their tips.
As their gaze moved down, various stalagmites and rock formations were visible between the mountain walls and the cave's center. Under the angle of the lights, they took on vivid resemblances to their subjects.
Looking further down, they saw a river about four meters wide.
The river flowed from north to south. Sunlight streamed in from the southern end, and the sound of gurgling water could be heard.
There was no light from the north, so its source was unclear.
County Chief Ji found it strange, as most rivers in China flow from west to east, but this cave river flowed from north to south.
Li Zhengguo explained, "The water in the north flows out from the fissures in the mountain."
"According to the geological exploration bureau's predictions, it should be flowing through the mountains from the northern range."
"The northern mountain range is covered in snow year-round, and it melts slowly in the summer."
"The survey personnel are confident that there are more caves further north."
"I don't have the energy to open other caves, so this is how it will be for now. The scenery here is quite good and worth seeing."
"We'll go down and boat along the river to the exit. You can look at the area outside the cave and give me some advice."
Li Zhengguo's words piqued the leaders' curiosity.
They returned to the steps and continued their exploration.
Descending to a level parallel with the stalagmites, there was another corridor. From this corridor, the stalagmites appeared even more lifelike.
The stalagmites stretched to the mountaintop, seemingly supporting the entire cave.
At the bottom of the cave, the three-thousand-square-meter floor was divided in half by the river.
On the other side were various stone platforms, stalagmites, and cave flowers. Water trickled down from the tops of these formations, falling into the river.
The area where they stood was divided into rooms by numerous stalagmites.
Looking up, the stalactites, over thirty meters high, were spectacular under the colored lights.
Several wooden boats were moored by the riverbank.
Li Zhengguo picked up life jackets hanging on the stone railing and distributed one to each leader. The river was over five meters deep, making life jackets essential for safety.
Li Zhengguo acted as the boatman, rowing the wooden boat towards the southern exit.
As they emerged from the cave, the dazzling sunlight forced them to close their eyes.
When they adjusted to the light outside, they opened their eyes in astonishment.
Before them lay a winding stream with a gentle downward slope.
The stream's end was obscured by the mountains.
Their boat remained on the still water surface outside the cave, not drifting downstream.
County Chief Ji voiced everyone's question: "Li Zhengguo, where does the stream lead?"
Li Zhengguo smiled, "This is why I don't know what to do. If you follow the stream down from here, it leads to a large pool."
"The pool is very deep, and the water flow slows down even more from there."
"I swam along this river. After the pool, it becomes a relatively straight stream that eventually leads to the thin, long Wuli Ditch in the Wuli Slope Bend."
"Villagers in this area all know that the water in Wuli Ditch comes from the mountains. I imagine no one ever thought it was such a beautiful river flowing down."
"I considered developing this river downstream, but who does Wuli Slope Bend belong to? Does Kushanli have the right to develop it?"
"I'm not afraid of Wang'er Village, but I'm afraid of Lishi Village claiming ownership. The first bend of Wuli Slope Bend belongs to Lishi Village."
The leaders understood Li Zhengguo's last statement.
Villagers were fiercely protective of their territory, unwilling to cede even useless land.
The provincial leader pondered for a moment and then gave his opinion:
"Kushanli scenic area will be incorporated into the county tourism bureau, with Kushanli holding eighty percent and the tourism bureau holding twenty percent."
Li Zhengguo sighed, knowing that Kushanli scenic area would no longer be privately owned by Kushanli.
County Chief Ji glanced at Li Zhengguo and added, "I will have the tourism bureau claim Wuli Ditch as an investment in Kushanli scenic area."
"You go ahead and broaden Wuli Ditch, connecting it to the Ku River. We'll use shuttle buses at the Ku River to take tourists back to Kushanli."
Li Zhengguo nodded, "However, Wang'er Village's rafting will be impacted."
County Chief Ji was unconcerned about Wang'er Village, seeing Kushanli as the priority.
"The big rafting and small rafting have their own appeals. Once this rafting route is open, Wenshan will remain free, and the combined ticket price will increase to one hundred yuan. The scenery of this rafting route alone is worth it."
The provincial leader agreed, "The original combined ticket price was a bit low. The prices within the scenic area are also reasonable. Other prices will remain unchanged, but an increase in entrance fees is necessary."
...
After seeing off the leaders, Li Zhengguo immediately went to the county to handle the relevant procedures.
Once all procedures were completed, Li Zhengguo notified the villagers that the Wenshan Valley scenic area was no longer a collective village industry. Those with questions could check the announcement board at the village committee.
The villagers were confused: how did a collective industry become state-owned?
After reading the explanation on the announcement, their primary concern was about profit distribution.
Li Zhengguo posted another notice stating that eighty percent of Kushanli's income would still be divided between the village and the villagers on a three-seven basis.
The villagers privately estimated with Zhang Shitóu that their income would definitely increase, and they returned to their work with peace of mind.
Zhou Chengbīn was summoned back by Village Chief Li. Both he and his wife were tanned but in excellent spirits.
Zhou Chengbīn had become steady and dignified, handling interactions with the demeanor of Village Chief Li.
With Zhou Chengbīn overseeing the village, Li Zhengguo set out with Zhang Shitóu to develop Wuli Ditch.
As soon as they started, Lishi Village indeed raised objections.
Recently, Wuli Ditch had been claimed by the county tourism bureau, ostensibly on behalf of Kushanli.
Why were all the good opportunities falling to Kushanli Village?
Were the outer villages so disregarded by the county?
Regardless of how Zhang Shitóu explained that Wuli Ditch was connected to the Kushanli scenic area, the villagers of Lishi Village disagreed.
Why wasn't it given to them to develop? If it was connected to the Kushanli scenic area, then they should develop it together with Kushanli.
Forcing Li Zhengguo and his team to halt construction, the villagers of Lishi Village collectively went to the county to demand an explanation.