Rejecting Qinghua Baoyan, I became a military officer

"Xu Ye, what are you doing?"

Upon seeing the items Xu Ye was carrying, the village chief suddenly realized what was happening and revealed a mixture of reproach and barely concealed surprise.

Xu Ye is quite good; he hasn't forgotten his roots and still thinks highly of himself even after becoming a high-ranking official.

"Uncle Weidong, these are all worthless things," Xu Ye said casually.

After a few polite exchanges, Xu Ye sat down under the warm hospitality of the village chief and his wife.

"Xu Ye, are you really not going to invite one of us to be your companion?"

After his wife went to the kitchen to get busy, the village chief lit the cigarette Xu Ye had handed him and asked again.

In Henan Province, when hosting guests at home, it's customary to invite neighbors and relatives to accompany them as a sign of respect.

Xu Ye's identity is even more unique.

Unfortunately, Xu Ye had specifically instructed him not to call anyone, otherwise he would have driven away directly.

The necessary tasks have been done, and there's no rush regarding the house. Xu Ye just did a quick check, and because no one lives there, the house is in terrible condition, but it hasn't collapsed yet and should last for a few more years.

Therefore, there's no need for temporary repairs; Xu Ye wasn't just bluffing the village chief.

Xu Ye's desire to renovate the old house was not because he coveted the rural homestead—don't be fooled by the fact that a little over an acre of land is quite large.

However, in today's rural areas, even the largest homestead is not as valuable as a house in the city, and signs of "hollow villages" are already emerging.

Especially in their village, influenced by Xu Ye's and Chen Chen's families, they are even more determined to move to the city.

When Xu Ye entered the village, he casually observed that the village population was much smaller than he remembered, and the rate of population loss would only accelerate in the future.

In this situation, what use is a large rural homestead?
Xu Ye wanted to renovate the old house for two reasons. First, it held many happy memories of the original owner's childhood. Second, the original owner's father had mentioned that he would definitely renovate the old house when he had the chance, since it was the ancestral home of the Xu family and couldn't be left to decay.

Having inherited everything from the original owner, this naturally includes the original owner's father's last wish; it's not like they lack the ability to do so.

Besides, the area has mountains and water, and the environment is quite nice, which Xu Ye likes very much.

We can renovate it so that we can come back to stay whenever we have time and relax.

"Uncle Weidong, if you say that again, I'm really leaving!" Xu Ye pretended to leave.

It wasn't that he looked down on people, but if he really invited people over to entertain the guests, Xu Ye would have a headache just thinking about the scene. It was better not to invite anyone at all.

"Okay, whatever you say!"

Seeing this, the village chief dared not insist any longer and quickly said...

She thought to herself that she would have to explain things to Xu Ye later, so that everyone wouldn't hold a grudge against him.

Fortunately, the villagers here are of good character; there aren't any unreasonable or disruptive people among them.

People say that villagers are simple and honest, but only after living in the countryside for a period of time can you know what that really means.

"Uncle Weidong, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor!"

Seeing that he was no longer insisting, Xu Ye picked up the glass, took a sip of tea, and put the glass down.

And let me tell you, books from my hometown are just so sweet!
This wasn't just Xu Ye's imagination; it was genuine. Because of the proximity to the mountains, most families drank spring water drawn from the mountains, which was clear, sweet, and full of the taste of his childhood.

"Just tell me, as long as it's something I can do, I promise I won't refuse!" The village chief patted his chest, his face flushed, and promised.

In his eyes, Xu Ye was no longer the little kid he used to be, but someone Xu Ye looked up to and was proud of.

Nowadays, every time Chen Weidong goes to the town for a meeting, he receives special treatment from the town leaders, who praise him countless times, which makes him grow up very much.

Moreover, it's not just about looking good on the surface; they've also made a lot of real profits.

For example, their village was among the first batch of villages included in the county's recent road construction project.

All of this is because their village produced Xu Ye!
Therefore, when faced with Xu Ye's request, Chen Weidong agreed without even listening to it.

"Uncle Weidong, it's really nothing serious. It's just that my old courtyard, as you can see, is no longer habitable." As he said this, Xu Ye felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

Clearly, he was "struck" by a scene from his memory.

"Sigh, this is my fault!"

The village chief quickly took responsibility, saying, "If you trust me, give me the key when you leave, and I'll take care of things for you."

As the village chief, I do have this small ability.

Just like the weeds in front of Xu Ye's house, that's something he arranges for people to take care of regularly.

However, since they didn't have Xu Ye's permission, they didn't dare to break down the door and enter the courtyard, nor could they clean it up.

If it were someone else, they could just smash the lock—that lock is only good for keeping honest people out, not scoundrels.

However, if it were someone else, there would be no need for him to go out of his way to clean up the old courtyard for him.

"Uncle Weidong, of course I believe you!" Xu Ye said with a smile.

In his memory, their village chief was quite competent. Of course, some village cadres had minor flaws, but these did not outweigh his merits. Xu Ye trusted his character very much.

Besides, even if he's a bad person, given Xu Ye's current status, would he dare to cause trouble?

“However, as you know, this house is too old. My dad had been thinking about tearing it down and rebuilding it before,” Xu Ye continued.

"It is indeed quite old!" the village chief agreed.

In recent years, there are not many houses like Xu Ye's in the village that are still old-fashioned.

In the village, anyone with a bit of ability will rebuild their house.

As for Xu Ye's family, since they had already left the village, they were naturally not in such a hurry.

This delay has continued until now, and it has become one of the few mud houses in the village.

That's right. Apart from a few stones, the old courtyard of Xu Ye's family is made of rammed earth, and it has a history of about a hundred years.

If people live there regularly, even if it's an earthen house, it's not a big problem.

However, since Xu Ye's grandmother passed away eight or nine years ago, no one has lived in this old house. The rate of aging has accelerated dramatically, and it may collapse in a few more years.

"When do you plan to rebuild?" the village chief asked again. "Do you have enough money? If not, I'll give you some to use in the meantime!"

Although the village chief knew that Xu Ye was not short of money now.

However, the proper attitude is still necessary.

How do you know?
Of course, he heard it from the leaders in the town. Every time they mentioned the county and even the city's awards to Xu Ye, their envious tone made Chen Weidong puff out his chest even more!
From our village!

So, let alone rebuilding one house, Xu Ye could build several more without any problem.

"No need, I have money!" Xu Ye waved his hand and said with a smile.

He guessed that the village chief was just being polite, but Xu Ye also knew that as long as he asked, most people in the village, including the village chief, would lend him money.

This is the prestige he now enjoys in the village, something Xu Ye had already keenly sensed.

“I don’t lack money, but I lack time. As you know, I’m in the military right now and don’t have much time to stay and keep an eye on this matter.”

"So, Uncle Weidong, if you don't mind the trouble, I'll leave this matter to you."

Now that he had the idea, Xu Ye wasn't going to delay any longer. He figured he might as well do it today and get it done. "No trouble at all, not at all. Your willingness to do this shows your trust in me; I'm overjoyed!"

Upon hearing this, the village chief was somewhat flattered, his face flushed again, and he was quite excited.

To be treated like this by Xu Ye is such a sign of immense trust!
This isn't just a matter of a few thousand; it's at least tens of thousands of dollars' worth of trust. Chen Weidong's reaction is quite normal.

"Uncle Weidong, thank you so much!" Xu Ye thanked him quickly, offering him another cigarette as he did so.

During this conversation, the two had already smoked almost half a pack of cigarettes, and Xu Ye also smoked a few with them.

Although Xu Ye doesn't smoke, the village chief won't say anything.

However, since we've come to the village, we still need to observe the proper etiquette and social customs.

Moreover, the slight damage smoking caused him was gone after a good night's sleep when the "buff" was refreshed.

"Xu Ye, you mustn't say such formal things!"

As he lit a cigarette, a barely perceptible hint of heartache flashed in Chen Weidong's eyes—this was Hua Zi cigarettes, too expensive, one of them cost more than a whole pack of his cigarettes.

Normally, the village chief would smoke a few dollars worth of colorful butterflies and scattered flowers.

"If we really want to express our gratitude, then it's me and our village who should thank you properly!"

The village chief took a deep drag of his cigarette and said with a chuckle, "You saw it when I came, right? Our village is about to have its road repaired, all thanks to you!"

"I see, road construction is great!" Xu Ye nodded. "However, this is all thanks to good national policies, it doesn't really affect me!"

Xu Ye still has to say something modest.

It's best not to be so arrogant in front of elders like the village chief.

"hehe!"

The village chief chuckled and didn't argue with Xu Ye.

Not only did the town leaders tell him about this, but even if they didn't, the village chief could guess it.

If it were really about building roads, it would have been done long ago.

difficulty?

Putting aside other towns, there are other villages in their town that need road repairs even more than theirs.

However, this time it was not included in the first batch of the list.

However, Xu Ye is not wrong. It is indeed a national policy to benefit the people, but the order of implementation is different.

He didn't know, but Xu Ye did. Even in 2024, the "Village-to-Village Road Project" was not completely finished, and some roads in some villages were still not fully paved.

Therefore, there are still significant differences between them.

"Uncle Weidong, let's not talk about that anymore, let's talk about the house!"

Feeling somewhat helpless under the village chief's gaze, Xu Ye changed the subject.

There was nothing we could do; the village chief was telling the truth!

The reason for this outcome is most likely due to my own actions.

As for Chen Chen, he is currently just a staff member and doesn't have that much influence.

As for his father, he is rich, but he is unlikely to get involved in this kind of thing.

If someone really has the idea, they can pay for the road repairs themselves.

"Well, let's talk about the house." The village chief didn't dwell on what had just happened.

After all, Xu Ye had just said that he was to entrust this matter to him. Since Xu Ye trusted him so much, he had to handle this matter so well that no one could find fault with it.

"Uncle Weidong, this is what I'm thinking..."

Pretending to take out paper and pen from his pocket, Xu Ye drew a picture while speaking to the village chief.

If the village chief had any questions, Xu Ye would explain them to him in detail.

His "teaching" skills kicked in, and nearly sixty-year-old Chen Weidong managed to understand and remember everything Xu Ye meant.

(The rendering will be similar to the one above, but the yard will be much larger.)
"It's possible to build it, but the bricklayers in our town might not know how!"

About ten minutes later, after the village chief understood Xu Ye's meaning, he rubbed his hands together and said with some worry.

Although, in his view, the large glass windows Xu Ye requested were somewhat impractical, and the porch...

However, the village chief simply thought he was too ignorant and didn't say anything to deny it.

"I almost forgot about that!" Xu Ye said somewhat awkwardly.

This kind of modern Chinese-style architecture is not difficult at all. If Xu Ye had the time, he could handle most of it himself.

However, nowadays, the bricklayers in the town might not be able to handle it.

"I'll figure something out. You just need to keep an eye on things for me!" Xu Ye had an idea.

If it doesn't work in the town, then go to the county; it'll just cost a little more money.

Moreover, with Chen Chen around, Xu Ye wasn't afraid that anyone would try to sabotage him.

"That's no problem!"

The village chief breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed.

As they were talking, the village chief's wife had already brought the prepared food to the table, and the village chief invited Xu Ye to sit down and eat.

"Sigh, I knew it!"

Xu Ye, who had already returned to the old courtyard, said with some helplessness.

As for the village chief?

She's already asleep in bed!
In Henan Province at that time, it was impossible not to get drunk when meeting important relatives and friends.

In most cases, it's the guests who get drunk, because there are many people accompanying them and drinking with them.

But even if it were just the two of them, and they had invited guests to drink together, Xu Ye still wouldn't be the one who got drunk in the end.

However, that would last for a very long time.

It was precisely because of these considerations that Xu Ye firmly rejected the village chief's offer to have someone accompany the guests from the very beginning.

Shaking his head, Xu Ye stepped through the lush weeds and arrived at the old house. Looking at the completely rusted lock on the door, Xu Ye reached out, grabbed it, and twisted it with a little force.

Xu Ye broke the rusty iron lock without using much force, and his fingers were only slightly red.

I carefully pushed open the door, and what came into view were several black and white photos. I sighed softly.

More than half an hour later, Xu Ye returned to the gate of the courtyard. He had already put the commemorative items from each room into the system space. There weren't many; most of them had already been placed in the house in the city.

Xu Ye glanced back one last time, then turned and locked the door. (End of Chapter)