“Since Xiwan Village can produce a university student, it can set an example for the other villagers and show them that studying isn’t useless.
But for a university student to return successful and accomplished would take many years. The village can’t just wait for them to come back before developing, can it?
So I think learning should definitely continue. But more importantly, if we don’t want others to laugh at Xiwan Village, we must first become prosperous.”
As Lin Qiuman spoke, she quietly observed the old village chief’s reaction.
Although she had spent ten years reforming herself in prison in her previous life, after she was released she quickly learned about the huge changes that had taken place during that decade.
Reform and opening up, the shift in economic systems, the rise of private enterprises… It was through these step-by-step reforms that the country had grown stronger and wealthier.
Xiwan Village had been poor for so many years. It was time for change.
For a moment, everyone fell silent. Even the female students copying down study notes raised their heads. At such a serious moment, they cautiously glanced at Lin Qiuman.
Everyone knew the old village chief was famous for fiercely defending his village. Whenever the topic of poverty or wealth came up, he would bristle immediately.
Xiwan Village was poor, yes—but he hated it when others talked about it carelessly.
Teacher Lin had just arrived and didn’t know the chief’s temper. She had deliberately gone and poked the tiger’s tail…
“Hahaha! Teacher Lin, what you said is right—who doesn’t want to be rich?” The old village chief laughed as if he had heard a joke, along with the other two village cadres. “The problem is, how do we get rich?
“Our township has six brigades. There’s a grain station and a slaughterhouse that provide jobs.
“Dongwang Village has a brick kiln. Their people don’t even need to farm—they just make bricks. Of course they’re richer than our village.
“The township leaders and the county leaders both say we should boldly take action. But what can our village do? If the higher-ups don’t allocate funds, how can we start anything?”
The more the old village chief spoke, the more excited he became. His voice grew louder and louder until he finally slapped the table twice.
Everyone straightened their backs nervously, waiting to be criticized.
“Village chief, why are you discussing these things with a young girl like her?” Shen Linghua thought that Lin Qiuman had only started this discussion to help him explain himself.
Now that the conversation had collapsed, he couldn’t just sit by and watch.
Shen Linghua usually joked around with the village chief without much formality, so he casually added, “Besides, Dongwang Village’s brick kiln and the township slaughterhouse weren’t inherited from their ancestors either. Didn’t they fight to obtain those opportunities themselves?”
“I came all the way from the train station along the mountain range before arriving at Xiwan Village,” Lin Qiuman said. “There are all kinds of trees in those mountains. If we could open a furniture factory nearby, at least the villagers would all have jobs.”
Her gaze subtly drifted toward Shen Linghua. He was also very skilled at carpentry.
In her previous life, after marrying him, he had once used leftover wooden strips to make a small table with storage compartments—the kind with a lift-up lid.
Inside it could hold books and small items, and the lid had a reflective piece of glass attached so it could function like a mirror. When closed, it could even be used as a desk.
Later, when she worked as a cleaner in a supermarket, she saw similar dressing tables being sold for quite high prices. It made her realize that Shen Linghua’s ideas had actually been quite ahead of their time.
If there were jobs in the village, Shen Linghua wouldn’t have to leave to work elsewhere. And if he stayed, the two daughters-in-law of the Shen family wouldn’t dare bully Shen Lingkang.
“The timber on the mountain is scheduled for harvesting and transportation. Where it goes is already decided. How could we just use it whenever we want?” The old village chief waved his hand dismissively. He had thought Lin Qiuman might suggest something useful, but Lao Maohua had said similar things many times before.
“Village chief, is it possible that Xiwan Village has simply never applied to use the timber?” Lin Qiuman asked.
“….”
The old village chief thought for a moment. Years ago, Lao Maohua had indeed suggested something similar, but he hadn’t accepted it. He believed it wouldn’t work.
About three years ago, Lao Maohua mentioned it again, but he still didn’t adopt the idea.
The main reason was that the leaders had never been satisfied with Xiwan Village’s performance. Whenever he attended meetings, he rarely spoke and would slip away as soon as they ended, afraid the leaders might call him aside for a talk.
His old face really couldn’t handle the embarrassment…
Lin Qiuman bit her lip and gathered her courage.
“What if the village collective purchases the timber?”
“Purchase it?” The old village chief frowned deeply and took a breath. “If our village had money, the first thing I’d do would be repair the school!”
“Xiwan Village is poor right now, but we could apply to the leaders for help. Once the furniture factory is running, we could repay the money. That might work.”
Lin Qiuman also knew that people who owed money often had the upper hand. If Xiwan Village could first use the materials and pay later, even if it became difficult to find sales, the county leaders would definitely help find a market for the furniture to recover the debt.
After all, this was still the era of centralized purchasing and distribution. Even if the factory produced furniture, it would need layers of approval before being sold. With support from the authorities, things would be much easier.
“Village chief, if you’re afraid to go alone, I’ll go meet the township leaders with you,” Shen Linghua said with a mischievous grin. “After all, I’ve repaired a few farm vehicles for the county agricultural machinery station. My name is pretty well known in the township.”
Seeing that the old village chief was finally wavering, he deliberately provoked him a little.
Originally everyone had gathered to study, but unexpectedly the discussion turned into a debate about Xiwan Village’s development plans.
The conversation grew heated. They went from discussing the county records to the village chronicles of Xiwan.
It wasn’t until ten o’clock at night that everyone reluctantly dispersed.
“Teacher Lin, are you really okay living here alone? Why don’t you come back with me?” Gu Suzhen asked.
Gu Suzhen was the same age as Lin Qiuman, and the two had quickly become friends.
“Thank you, Suzhen. I’ll be fine. I don’t want to trouble you,” Lin Qiuman replied, declining her kindness.
She planned to settle down in Xiwan Village permanently, not just stay for a couple of days. There was no reason to trouble others.
“Then keep this wooden stick. Make sure you lock the door well at night,” Gu Suzhen reminded her before leaving with the kerosene lamp.
Lin Qiuman closed the wooden door of the small house. Because the ground was uneven, she wedged one end of the stick against the door and the other end into a groove in the dirt floor.
This made her feel somewhat safer.
It didn’t mean someone couldn’t break in, but they would have to smash the door down with force first. With that much noise, even if she were sleeping deeply, she would wake up.
After finishing everything, she finally relaxed and felt exhaustion wash over her. She collapsed onto the simple wooden bed to rest for a moment before hurriedly getting up again.
She took her high school diploma, introduction letter, and other important belongings with her and entered the shopping mall.
She organized the locker room she had used when she worked as a cleaner into a private storage room, placing all her valuables inside. Then she took the elevator to the women’s clothing section.
If she remembered correctly, ever since the refugee journey began, she hadn’t changed her clothes—including her underwear…