After washing their hands, the group didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat.
They had traveled to the capital by hard seat carriage. The long journey, with poor food and sleep, had been quite arduous.
Now, with hot noodles in front of them, everyone felt their stomachs rumble.
Liang Xiu hadn't made much, just one bowl of noodles per person.
"Eat a little to fill yourselves first," Liang Xiu said with a smile. "Dinner will be served soon. If you eat too much now, you won't have room for dinner."
"After eating these plain white noodles, what else is there to eat for dinner?" Su Changjiu replied while eating, not forgetting to answer.
Although life in Nanling Village had improved considerably compared to the past, the lives of farmers were still difficult. Most of their food consisted of cornmeal and coarse grains.
White flour noodles were eaten sparingly; those with better conditions had them once every other day, while those with poorer conditions could only have them every few days.
Su Changjiu and his wife were very frugal with their food, saving money for their daughter's dowry.
"We still need to eat dinner, otherwise, we won't make it until tomorrow morning," Grandpa Su said with a smile, stroking his beard.
"Alright, we'll eat the noodles and then have dinner later," Su Changjiu readily agreed.
After Su Changjiu had eaten most of his noodles, Grandpa Su spoke again.
"Changjiu, why didn't you let us know in advance? Carrying so much stuff, you must be exhausted!"
With bags and bundles, he couldn't imagine how they had managed to bring it all back.
Perhaps they hadn't dared to sleep along the way, guarding their belongings.
The train wasn't safe, with thieves and swindlers around. If they weren't careful, their belongings could disappear.
"What's there to say? With so many of us adults, we can manage these things," Su Changjiu said with a dismissive smile.
There was indeed quite a bit of stuff, mostly wild goods prepared by the villagers, a variety of items.
They were heavy in hand, but they were all people accustomed to farm work, so this weight wasn't too much of a burden.
"After eating, rest for a while. You all look so tired," Grandma Su said, her heart aching.
The capital was far, and the journey was truly arduous.
"Uncle, this is from the villagers. They said they couldn't come in person to offer congratulations, so they asked us to bring their well wishes," Li Zhuzi said after finishing the last bit of soup.
"We are grateful for everyone's thoughtfulness," Grandpa Su's smile grew brighter.
He truly hadn't expected everyone to still remember their family's affairs.
It was just that their family had welcomed a new baby, how could they be so considerate?
"Uncle, this is all because you have always been kind to others. If you hadn't helped so many people in the village, how could everyone remember you like this?"
Li Zhuzi himself had improved his life with the help of the Su family. He often wondered what his life would be like now if the Su family hadn't helped him.
"Not to mention your family's past, but even this year, if it weren't for Xiao Si and Uncle Zhuzi's help, everyone's lives wouldn't be as good as they are now. Uncle, everyone remembers it in their hearts."
"To be honest with you, our village's life is much better now than in the surrounding villages."
Su Changjiu had also finished eating and sat down, expressing his gratitude in one breath.
His tone was filled with pride and self-satisfaction.
The village's life was already good before, and now it was even better.
With the Su family and Li Zhuzi around, perhaps in a few years, the villagers' lives would be even better.
As the village head, he could rest assured if he could see everyone living a good life in his lifetime.
"We are all from the same village, so helping is natural. I only hope everyone is more diligent, and they can earn more money," Grandpa Su said politely.
Su Changjiu understood Grandpa Su's concerns and quickly replied, "Uncle, don't worry. Except for a few individuals, everyone in the village is working hard. I see that our village's good days are yet to come."
Hearing Su Changjiu's words, Grandpa Su felt more at ease. He had always worried that some people in the village might develop wrong ideas, thinking that money just fell from the sky.
If everyone worked hard to earn money, they could help more in the future.
"Changjiu, our family is just managing to get by, and our help to everyone is limited," Su Dan Xiaoshuo Wang.
"Xiao Tian said that when we are better off in the future, we might be able to help the villagers even more and let everyone live a good life sooner."
Grandpa Su remembered Su Xiao Tian's mention of building a factory in Nanling Village in the future, so he casually brought it up.
With just this sentence from Grandpa Su, Su Changjiu felt that his trip today was worthwhile.
With the Su family's words, the villagers would benefit even more in the future.
But he also understood that Grandpa Su's intention was clear: the Su family would continue to help the village develop when they had more money, but the prerequisite was to see how the villagers behaved.
But no matter what, there was still hope.
He stood up and bowed respectfully to Grandpa Su with a sincere attitude.
"Uncle, on behalf of the villagers, I bow to you."
Grandpa Su was taken aback by Su Changjiu's gesture, not expecting him to bow to him for just a sentence.
"What are you doing? Don't do this. Let's talk properly, you're making it like this..."
Su Changjiu then smiled honestly and sat down again. "Uncle, this is the respect you deserve."
Grandpa Su added, "Changjiu, how the village develops in the future will depend on how you, the leader, guide it."
"Uncle, I will keep a close eye on the villagers and ensure everyone works together for development!"
"With your words, I am relieved. Although our family can help the villagers, ultimately, they must rely on their own efforts."
Although he intended to help, Grandpa Su didn't intend to raise a bunch of ungrateful people.
"That's natural. Uncle, don't worry, everyone in the village knows."
As for those few who didn't know, Su Changjiu also intended to ignore them.
Su Changjiu had his own ideas. Anyway, he was the village head, not their father, so why bother with so much?
If he couldn't help them, then he wouldn't help!
It was fine if most people in the village were prosperous, and a few were poor.
Hmph, he wanted to show those who were unwilling to work hard and just waited for handouts how a good life was achieved.
The communal feeding system of these years had turned these lazy people into ancestors, always waiting for pie to fall from the sky.
Since they wanted to lie down and wait for pie, let them lie down and wait. One day, when they saw others living good lives, they would regret it.
Su Changjiu, although not very knowledgeable, was quite capable in grassroots governance.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to ensure the villagers had enough to eat even during the most difficult times.