Becoming a Billionaire after Divorce-Chapter 606 - 211: Benefiting the Hometown, President Sun’s Major Investment (Part 2)
Secretary Zhu’s words touched upon a public case in the county.
Around 2010, I remember our county once made it to the CCTV news.
Of course, it wasn’t for anything good.
The headline was shocking: Four consecutive county committee secretaries in XX County, corrupt one after another.
Listen to that wording, it’s already very harsh criticism.
Because in over 2000 counties, this has set a record.
Unprecedented, and who knows if there will be any successors.
From the first secretary caught in 1997 to the fourth one, it spanned 16 years.
You can imagine how poor the county’s political ecosystem and commercial environment were.
It’s not like there weren’t any local tycoons who succeeded outside and thought about returning gloriously to contribute to their hometowns.
But back then, the government had deeply wounded their hearts.
Before bringing them in, they welcomed them with smiles.
After bringing them in, they extorted and plundered.
With this, who would dare to come back to invest?
Under the harm caused by these people, the commercial environment in the county naturally became stagnant water.
Secretary Zhu’s predecessor probably got scared, adhering to a philosophy that doing more means more mistakes, doing less means fewer mistakes, and doing nothing means no mistakes.
Indeed, there was no corruption, and he safely completed his term.
He safely completed his term, yet the county’s economy remained in shambles.
Secretary Zhu is a young and promising cadre, a county committee secretary in his early thirties, a major local official, who is highly regarded by the higher-ups.
Being assigned there was naturally to solve problems.
He also had the ambition for it.
In recent years under his administration, the county indeed saw some improvement.
But how should I put it?
It’s like a seriously ill patient nearing their end; a temporary improvement doesn’t help much.
Severe diseases require strong medicine.
Just when he was out of ideas, he suddenly saw hope for a strong remedy.
And it was this rising commercial tycoon in the county right by his side.
Faced with Secretary Zhu’s sincere words, Sun Dasheng was somewhat moved; an outsider coming to your county and working tirelessly for your county’s development.
As a local, of course, he felt touched.
"Secretary Zhu, I can tell you’re a good official, and our fellow townspeople also speak highly of you. Tell me, as long as it’s within my ability, I will definitely cooperate."
"Good!" Secretary Zhu, somewhat excited, held his hand: "This is the sentence I’ve been waiting for."
Then he looked towards the somewhat desolate countryside fields: "Rest assured, I won’t let these over a million people down."
"Farmers should also enjoy the benefits of socialist development. They are also the owners of our country and will remain the backbone of our nation for a long time. We cannot leave them behind on the train of this era."
Secretary Zhu’s words left Sun Dasheng deeply moved.
How long ago was it when he first set foot on the bustling streets of a big city, feeling a bit lost inside?
The disparity between urban and rural areas was too vast, so much so that he could hardly imagine.
For a while, he considered the label of being a farmer’s son as a shame.
He felt inferior because of being called a country bumpkin by his classmates.
After so many years of study and life, he deeply understood how much these farmers had shouldered for the country’s industrialization back then.
The scissors of industry and agriculture cut away much of the farmers’ productive value.
The development dividends of this country should rightfully include a share for them, and a substantial one at that.
However, he also knew the country was taking action, such as the recently completed poverty alleviation work, which was a tremendous undertaking.
But that’s still not enough.
Just feeding the farmers isn’t enough.
They should also lead a happy and beautiful life, as prosperous as city dwellers.
But that goal is too big; it might be the next stage goal for the country.
His small arms and legs couldn’t reach that far, so he should first lift the folks back home.
The convoy headed straight to the county government.
Seeing the towering government building.
Secretary Zhu’s face turned a bit red, stammering as he tried to explain something.
Sun Dasheng interrupted him: "Secretary Zhu, I’m a native of this county, I know this government building’s construction wasn’t your responsibility, it was built by those corrupt officials before you. Since it’s already built, we shouldn’t abandon it, making good use of it is the right thing to do."
Secretary Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, fearing this God of Wealth might have a negative impression of the government.
The sins of his predecessors truly weren’t his fault, but since he was the current official working here every day, he felt somewhat guilty.
Led by Secretary Zhu, they toured around the government compound.
Then he declined the proposal to attend a meeting, left a liaison officer, and was about to head home.
Secretary Zhu expressed understanding and mentioned something about visiting the old comrade when time permits.
Sun Dasheng welcomed the idea and then left.
...
Sun Dasheng ended up buying all the properties in the villa community.
The county wasn’t able to sell them, so in a way, he made a contribution to the county’s economy.
He did this to avoid being disturbed by others.
You see, right after coming back, distant relatives, who would otherwise never reach out, came running.
It was quite chaotic.
In the words of Old Sun, who just finished a world tour: "When you are poor, no one asks in a bustling city; when you are rich, distant relatives appear even in the deep mountains."
Upon hearing this complaint, Sun Dasheng understood what was going on.
So, he instructed his people to buy out the entire villa neighborhood where his family lived.
Even for those already living there, he gave them double compensation, and the neighbors happily took the money and left.
"Mom and Dad, I’m back!"
As soon as Sun Dasheng walked through the door, he was scolded by Madam Xie: "Showing off your wealth, huh? Who told you to spend double to buy up all the neighbors’ houses? Do you want your dad and me to live all alone in this huge community without a single person to talk to?"
Oh no... what have I done.
At the time, I just impulsively thought about letting my parents live a quieter life.
Now it’s done, but I’ve messed it up.
It’s quiet, yes, but too quiet.
Fortunately, there are still some remedial measures that can be taken.
Sun Dasheng put down the bags in his hands and ran to Madam Xie, massaging her shoulders: "Mom, how about we invite those old neighbors of yours to come live here?"
"This... can we?" Mom’s heart was slightly moved.
Sun Dasheng felt a surge of joy.
He had gauged what his mom wanted.
After all, living in that old neighborhood for several decades, the old neighbors, even with some conflicts over the years, were generally good.
Back in the day when everyone was poor, any problems that arose at home were solved with the help of neighbors.
Their relationships were extraordinary.
At least people like Sun Dasheng, a millennial who grew up in a big city, just can’t understand it.
Because in big cities, neighbors? Sorry, you hardly see them in a year.
They’re practically strangers.
Feelings? They don’t exist.
"Sure, sounds great." Sun Dasheng’s eyes swept across and spotted Old Sun coming out of the study, and so he quickly said, "Don’t believe me, ask Dad."
Old Sun seemed to sense something. Looking towards the kitchen, he said, "Son, you’re back? Stop bugging your mom about cooking, I need to talk to you."
Madam Xie immediately shouted towards the living room: "Old Sun, come here; I have something to ask you."
"What’s up?" Old Sun’s expression was a bit apprehensive, wondering if his secret stash of money was discovered by his wife?
"Just come here, why ask so many questions?" Madam Xie raised her voice, asserting who was the head of the household.
"Alright! I’m coming, why are you shouting so loud? Be careful not to disturb the neighbors."
This was something Old Sun blurted out without thinking.
Sun Dasheng chuckled: "Dad, where do we have neighbors?"
Eh?
Old Sun was startled.
Oh yes.
Seems like we don’t have neighbors anymore.
He then glared fiercely at his smiling good son: "All thanks to the good deeds you’ve done, and you’re still laughing."
"Alright, don’t blame the kid, he meant well." Madam Xie immediately became the protective mom.
In her eyes, only she could scold her son, no one else, including Old Sun.
"Good intentions gone wrong." Old Sun muttered softly.
Sun Dasheng frankly admitted to his mistake and proposed a thoughtful solution: "How about we invite your old neighbors to come live here?"
This question stumped not only Madam Xie but also Old Sun. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
He took out a cigarette, held it in his mouth without daring to light it, and said wisely: "As the old saying goes, being benevolent with a liter might earn you resentment with a bushel of rice. Hosting people in the house for free, many problems will arise later."
"Old ginger is still spicier!" Sun Dasheng gave his dad a thumbs up.
Didn’t he already know this logic?
He just wanted to give his parents the feeling of being in charge.
In the outside world, he’s used to being the boss, but at home, he humbly takes a back seat, serving as the supporting role.
"So what do you think we should do?" Sun Dasheng asked.
