Han Lang had barely stepped out of the Tang family's gate when Han Kang called.
"Brother, I have great news! Our Han family has officially been promoted to one of the eight great families!"
"Really?" Han Lang was also exceptionally pleased. "Which family was squeezed out? The Wang family or the Gou family?"
Han Kang replied with a hint of regret, "It wasn't the Wang family, nor the Gou family! It was the Deng family, which has been in decline these past few years! They were always on the borderline of the eight great families. Now, with our two major products, we've skyrocketed, so they were naturally pushed out! Heh heh…"
"Alright! I don't really understand these things. You might as well tell me directly how much money we've made; that way, I can grasp it more intuitively!"
"8 billion! And there's still room for improvement!"
"8 billion? That's almost triple what we had! What did you eat to become so capable?"
Hearing Han Lang's praise, Han Kang felt a surge of pride and jokingly replied,
"Perhaps I ate a couple of Spirit Gathering Pills these past two days! Haha…"
"Spirit Gathering Pills aren't Treasure Gathering Pills; they don't have the effect of making money. However, Han Kang,"
Han Lang's tone suddenly turned serious as he spoke.
"What's wrong, brother? Tell me if something's up!"
Han Lang said, somewhat hesitantly, "Now that we've made so much money, can you allocate some to me? I need to help a friend…"
Han Lang habitually started explaining the purpose of the money to Han Kang, but Han Kang interrupted him without hesitation.
"No problem! Just tell me how much you need. Besides, brother, you're the biggest contributor to the money we've earned, so you don't need to explain anything to me!"
Han Lang was taken aback, then smiled. "Heh heh… It's just that I've been a family freeloader for so many years that it's become a habit! I'd like about 1 billion, is that okay?"
"Sure, I'll transfer it to you right away! But you're not a freeloader; you're the big brother I admire the most right now!"
Han Lang was touched, but he put on a brave face. "Alright, alright, you're making me get goosebumps! I have something else to do, so I'll hang up now. Call Miss Tao Peach, and tonight we'll have a family celebration. That's all!"
After hanging up, Han Lang immediately dialed Zhao Tong's number.
He had asked Han Kang for a billion because he wanted to help Shennong Tianyi fulfill his second wish – to build a hospital in Shennong Bay!
But Han Lang knew clearly that
to establish a complete medical system in a place, the people working there must have basic security.
Otherwise, just building a hospital wouldn't solve the problem.
Therefore, what he wanted to do was
develop the entire Shennong Bay!
"Hello, Zhao Tong!"
"Mr. Han, what can I do for you?"
"I have a rather large project here, involving the planning and construction of a mountain village. Can you take it on?"
"Really?"
Zhao Tong's voice was filled with extreme excitement.
He was merely an intern at the moment. If he could undertake a project to plan and construct an entire mountain village, it would undoubtedly be an incredibly impressive addition to his resume.
"I can take it, Mr. Han! May I know the specific location you're referring to? And what are the specific requirements for the construction?"
"The location is Shennong Bay, Liushan Town, Baihe County. As for the requirements…"
Han Lang thought carefully, unsure where to begin. He finally replied,
"I don't know much about this either. Of course, schools and hospitals are a must! As for what specifically is needed, perhaps we can go for an on-site inspection together tomorrow? We can see what the villagers' specific needs are!"
"Certainly! No problem, Mr. Han!"
"Okay, then it's settled. I have some things to do tonight. Send me your location, and I'll pick you up tomorrow morning!"
"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Mr. Han!"
After hanging up, Han Lang went to pick up Luo Jiaying, and then they headed together to the restaurant Han Kang had booked to celebrate the Han family's promotion.
The next day,
Han Lang, early in the morning, set off with Zhao Tong towards Shennong Bay.
Along the way, Han Lang's mind was filled with everything about Shennong Bay from Shennong Tianyi's memories.
It turned out that years ago,
after his family suffered a major upheaval, Shennong Tianyi, to escape pursuit, stumbled out of the city after receiving help from Luo Jiaying's parents and eventually collapsed from exhaustion in the wilderness.
Fortunately, fate favored him. The previous Old Tianyi discovered him by chance, healed his injuries, and brought him back to Shennong Bay, eventually passing down the mantle of Shennong Tianyi entirely.
After more than ten years of arduous cultivation, it was only when the Old Tianyi passed away that Shennong Tianyi descended the mountain with his master's instructions and the hatred in his heart.
Alas, fate played a cruel trick.
He died before his great undertaking could even begin. His soul was reborn into the dying Han Lang, who, not understanding what was happening, beat him to a pulp until his soul was scattered.
All of his lifelong learning was integrated by Han Lang. Only these lingering obsessions deep within his soul compelled Han Lang to help him fulfill his wish.
And the development of Shennong Bay was the Old Tianyi's dying wish!
Shennong Bay, surrounded by mountains on all sides, had inconvenient transportation and high development costs. Therefore, when relevant departments planned rural construction, they had to postpone it.
This also led to inadequate public facilities and extreme economic backwardness. The villagers' economic sources almost solely relied on the bounty of nature.
When the Old Tianyi was alive, with him overseeing things, the villagers had a pillar of support; at least they were free from disasters and illnesses.
But now that the Old Tianyi was gone, if anyone in the village so much as had a headache or a fever, they had to trek over ten miles of mountain roads to seek treatment in the nearest town.
This wasn't the most critical issue,
the most critical issue was that they had no money for medical treatment!
Even a common cold could leave them struggling and worsen their plight!
How could the kind-hearted Old Tianyi rest easy?
Hence, this final dying charge!
"Zhao Tong, after we pass this national highway, we'll have to turn onto the rural road leading to the village. The journey from here is estimated to be another forty to fifty kilometers. Can you help me estimate how much it would cost to build a national highway directly from here to Shennong Bay, following the standards of a Class III national highway?"
Zhao Tong quickly took out a map, took a rough look, and replied with a frown.
"If it's just to build from here to Liushan Town, where Shennong Bay is located, a distance of forty-five kilometers, it would cost around 25 million. However, to build directly to Shennong Bay, although the distance is only fifteen kilometers, there's a tributary of the Linjiang River, the Baihe River, which requires a bridge. Moreover, Shennong Bay is surrounded by mountains. If we expand the existing country roads as you mentioned, the distance would increase by nearly ten kilometers. But if we build tunnels, although the cost would be slightly higher, it would be more time-saving and labor-saving.
In that case, I estimate it would cost at least 60 million!"
Han Lang nodded thoughtfully. "What about the various facilities in the village? For example, schools and hospitals?"
"That wouldn't cost too much. Even if land acquisition is required to build a school and a hospital, the construction costs aren't that high. The key lies in the subsequent expenses for these two facilities. For example, teachers and teaching equipment for schools, and doctors, nurses, and medical equipment for hospitals. I'm not too sure about those."
"Hmm, don't worry about those things. I have my ways. But no matter what, we need to discuss it with the villagers first."
"Yes!"