Thus, the three of them returned to Qingshan Village together. Chen Lishu specifically asked her third sister, Chen Lifei, to give Secretary Wang a tour.
"I never expected the entire mountain to change so much in less than three years," Secretary Wang said with emotion after walking around.
Three years ago, when he had first visited, it was still a barren mountain. Now, not only were the trees and flowers flourishing, but they also raised pigs and chickens, making it a small farm.
Secretary Wang had not given a definitive answer before leaving, but judging by the situation, the matter was almost certain to be approved.
"I plan to visit the agricultural machinery station in town tomorrow to buy a four-wheel tractor. This way, we can carry more goods and significantly improve efficiency," Chen Lishu said to Chen Lifei, Hu Si'er, and the others after seeing off Secretary Wang and Zhang Changhe. Da Feng Novel Network.
Hu Si'er asked, "A tractor costs four to five thousand yuan, right?"
Chen Lishu replied, "As long as it makes work convenient. More and more goods will be transported out from the mountain in the future. Horse-drawn carriages are too slow and have limited carrying capacity. Motor vehicles are more convenient. Uncle Si, see if you can find someone resourceful to go with us tomorrow to learn how to drive."
"Alright, I'll arrange it when I get back." Motor vehicles were scarce back then, and being able to drive was a remarkable skill.
During dinner that evening, Chen Lishu mentioned her plan to buy a vehicle from the agricultural machinery station. Gu Xingguo was somewhat interested.
After dinner, he returned to their room and discussed it with his wife, Zhang Qin.
"Your second and fourth brothers have both moved to the city. The two of us are managing several plots of land. Having a vehicle would save us some effort when we're busy, and we could also use it to collect grain during our free time. What do you think?" Gu Xingguo, being the least capable among the brothers, decided to diligently focus on farming at home.
"But a tractor isn't cheap. Xiao Song is fifteen this year, and didn't we say we were saving money to build a house?" Zhang Qin hesitated, as they already had a horse-drawn carriage. If they were to buy a car, their savings of several thousand yuan would be gone in an instant.
Gu Xingguo reasoned, "We still have a place to live. The house can wait a couple more years."
Zhang Qin thought about it and agreed. "Then I'll go and tell your third sister-in-law later. You can go with them tomorrow."
Thus, the next day, Chen Lishu, Gu Xingguo, Hu Si'er, and two other young men in their twenties traveled to the agricultural machinery station in town.
In the end, the two couples chose the same model of Dongfanghong four-wheel tractor. The staff patiently taught everyone how to operate it. Once they felt they had a good grasp of it, the group drove the tractors back to the village.
As the two brand-new Dongfanghong tractors arrived at the village entrance, the entire village was abuzz.
"The Gu family is truly doing well now. Two tractors, likely costing over ten thousand yuan. That's definitely a first for our village!"
"I heard the eldest and third families each got one. The Gu family was already well-off, but ever since they married Chen Lishu, the eldest daughter of the Chen family, their lives have become even more prosperous. Not only did she get into college, but after moving to the city, she brought her other brothers and sister-in-law with her. People used to mock Mantun's wife for having 'seven fairies,' but their daughters are truly born of celestial beings."
"Let's not even talk about the eldest Chen daughter. The second one became an accountant in a large factory right after graduation. The third one, 'Little Pepper,' manages that vast expanse of mountain. Who doesn't say the Chen daughters are all excellent?"
"..."
The courtyard at home couldn't accommodate two vehicles, so Chen Lishu had them driven directly to the Chen family's residence. The villagers watched for a while and then dispersed, with only the children still clambering over the tractors with fascination.
In the evening, shortly after dinner, Zhang Changhe suddenly arrived, looking at Chen Lishu with a smile and saying, "Secretary Wang from the commune called. He said the town leaders and reporters will be visiting in the next few days. Make sure to prepare a proper welcome and don't mess it up."
Chen Lishu was very pleased to hear this news. "Uncle, don't worry. I'll make sure everyone is well-prepared."
Two days later, Secretary Wang arrived in Qingshan Village with city leaders and two reporters.
"I never expected our county to have such a wonderful place," said one of the leaders with a smile, looking at the blooming fruit trees and green seedlings covering the mountainside.
"If you had come three years ago, you wouldn't have seen such a magnificent sight. Besides the fruit trees, they also intercrop medicinal herbs, sugar beets, and melons. Over there are the pigsties and chicken coops... Due to the development of this mountain, the living conditions of many surrounding villagers have also improved significantly in the past two years," Secretary Wang explained to the leaders, with Zhang Changhe occasionally adding supplementary information.
The leaders listened, nodding from time to time. The reporters took notes and occasionally snapped photos.
At noon, the leaders stayed on the mountain for lunch. The chicken, eggs, and meat were all sourced locally, and everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.
"There's nothing particularly special on the mountain, but the chicken, being free-range, has firm meat and a delicious taste. I've prepared two for each of you, so you can let your families try them too." As they descended the mountain, Chen Lishu gave a subtle signal to Hu Si'er and Lin Dazhong. Understanding her intent, they busied themselves carrying the bags containing the chickens, which had been prepared in advance.
"Thank you, reporters, for your hard work. These two bags are for you," Hu Si'er said, handing the bags to the two reporters as they were leaving. The reporters were pleasantly surprised that he had prepared gifts for them as well and happily accepted them. Raising chickens in the countryside meant people were reluctant to slaughter even one throughout the year, let alone in the city where buying a chicken was even more difficult.
Hu Si'er smiled sheepishly. "We are just humble farmers who rely on the land. I don't have much to say, but the whole village relies on this mountain. We hope you can help publicize our efforts further. As you can see, the leaders are also paying attention now, and we hope more people will learn about our place. To be frank, we even bought tractors a few days ago. Here's the village phone number. Please add a note that if anyone needs anything, they can call us, and we'll deliver it right to their door."
Touched by the gesture and knowing it was a simple matter to add a few words, the two reporters readily accepted the phone number Hu Si'er handed them and tucked it into their notebooks.
Three days after the leaders' inspection, it was the day of Nan Haitao's wedding. Chen Lishu woke up extra early, got herself ready, kissed her two little ones goodbye, and then headed to the village entrance to wait for transportation.
She arrived in town before eight o'clock and first went to the rented courtyard. Zhang Li had also just arrived at the small courtyard and was surprised to see her. "Sister Chen?"
Chen Lishu nodded, her gaze sweeping across the room. Since no one was living there, the area where the bed used to be was now cleared and filled with sewing machines. On the table by the window lay unfinished clothes from the previous day. After a brief look around, Chen Lishu asked, "Has anything particular happened during this time?"