Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 371, Section 372: Spring is Just Around the Corner
New Year's Day is over.

On the last day of the holiday, which was New Year's Day, the children of Shiliang Primary School took a bus back home.

On this trip, the children sang songs, played games, and visited all the famous tourist attractions mentioned in their textbooks, although they only took a quick look and snapped some photos.

But the magnificent architecture and the immersive feeling of being there.

All of these left an indelible and profound impression on the children, bringing them a sense of awe, excitement, and captivating beauty.

On the way from Nanzhou to Jingzhou, the children chattered incessantly, leaving the driver with an indelible psychological trauma.

The driver thought at the time that there was no money harder to earn in the world than this.

As it turns out, the uncle was still careless.

On the way back from Jingzhou, the children's screams and shouts became even more frenzied, eight octaves higher than on the way there, practically shouting all the way from Jingzhou to Mashan County.

The drivers are all locals from Mashan County.

This time, the people and the place name are completely numbingly incomprehensible.

There were 37 children when they went, but only 36 came back.

A fifth-grade boy named Han Tao developed a high fever on the day of the performance due to acclimatization issues and was taken to the hospital where he received intravenous fluids for half a day.

On the day of the return trip, the fever had subsided, but I was still very weak.

Taking a long-distance bus for more than ten hours to return is definitely not an option.

After learning about this, Lin Xiao volunteered to take the child back by plane, since he would have to fly back on New Year's Day anyway, as he would have to go back to work the next day.

As for his wife, mother-in-law, and daughter, they will stay for now.

My wife has other jobs in Jingzhou, while my mother-in-law and daughter were forced by my aunt Liu Lixia to stay a few more days. Anyway, one of them is retired and the other is an infant, so there was no particularly urgent schedule.

After a tug-of-war between the two sides, Lin Xiao saw that his aunt was genuinely trying to persuade him to stay, and was even on the verge of tears.

He reluctantly agreed to let his mother-in-law and daughter stay in Jingzhou for another week.

Ever since.

When they arrived, the whole family was very happy, and they had checked in a lot of bags and packages.

When they returned, only Lin Xiao and an unfamiliar, reserved, and sick 11-year-old boy remained.

At 11 a.m. on New Year's Day, the two boarded a plane to Yizhou.

Lin Xiao still bought a business class ticket.

I originally thought this country boy would be very surprised and excited. After all, it's an airplane, and a spacious and comfortable business class seat at that. From a physical point of view, the impact on a child is no less than that of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

However, the little boy named Han Tao did not react.

He simply stared out the window the whole time, his expression calm, though his eyes even held a hint of frustration.

Lin Xiao was puzzled and quickly asked, "Han Tao, are you still feeling unwell?"

Han Tao shook his head.

"Are you hungry? Shall I order you something to eat?"

Han Tao shook his head again.

"Is something on your mind?" Lin Xiao patiently played the role of a caring older brother, speaking with unusual gentleness. "The plane will be in the air for more than two hours. You're just killing time anyway, so you can have a good chat with me."

This time, Han Tao didn't shake his head; instead, he silently lowered his head.

This seemingly peaceful scene stirred a storm of emotions within Lin Xiao.

He roughly understood what was going on.

These past two nights, I was chatting with my wife, and we talked about Principal Shi Peng's concerns for the children before they left for Jingzhou. He was worried that the contrast between the dazzling capital city of Jingzhou and the dilapidated Xingguang Town would be too stark, leaving the children with a shock and a heavy shadow.

In retrospect, Shi Peng's concerns were justified.

The 11-year-old boy in front of me was clearly so shocked by the magnificent, luxurious, and seemingly alien capital city that he became completely withdrawn.

What I've seen and heard these past two days has been enough to shock my soul.

Now I'm on a plane again, in a business class seat that's spacious enough to fit three of them, with a flight attendant half-squatting in front of me, offering gentle and smiling service.

The impact was like a sharp arrow, piercing his simple, terrified, and fragile little heart with precision and force.

This is not about seeing the world.

This is seeing the sky and the universe, and at the same time, realizing one's own insignificance and fragility.

Before picking up Han Tao, the teacher specifically told Lin Xiao that the child's parents were divorced and had each started their own families in other places. His grandparents couldn't control him, so he was very naughty.

The teacher said these things because she was afraid that Lin Xiao wouldn't be able to control him and would cause trouble for Mayor Lin.

Lin Xiao was actually a little worried after taking over his responsibilities.

After all, my identity is sensitive.

If this child makes a fuss and attracts the attention of passersby, he will immediately be exposed.

However, nothing happened throughout the entire process.

Han Tao was so sensible that he was like a puppet, walking when told to walk and standing when told to stand, without saying a word and following instructions the whole time.

Lin Xiao thought he was weak because he had a lingering fever.

It seems now.

He was completely terrified by everything in Jingzhou.

This is a modern metropolis in the 21st century, but the mountain villages of Xingguang Town are not much different from those in the 1970s and 80s, and are even more dilapidated and desolate.

Faced with such a huge generational gap, anyone would be bewildered, let alone a child.

Lin Xiao didn't know whether this trip to Jingzhou would be good or bad for Han Tao, and he couldn't offer him any advice.

After all, at this moment, we should persuade him to study hard, learn well, and make something of himself in the future.

These words are too pale.

Lin Xiao, a nationally renowned musical prodigy and a top-tier celebrity, formed a family with Han Xixi, who is also a top-tier and first-class singer.

Even though he was in the remote and impoverished town of Xingguang.

But undeniably, he has transcended social class and become one of the small group of people who enjoy the demographic dividend.

Now, let him persuade this child, still trapped in a mountain village, to strive, to work hard, and to change his destiny through knowledge...

Lin Xiao couldn't bring himself to say it.

So after thinking it over and over, filled with emotion, he could only pat him on the shoulder in the end.

Han Tao turned his head back to the window, and a hot tear suddenly slid down his cheek, silently and without a sound.

Lin Xiao remained silent.

At that moment, all he could do was pick up a tissue and silently wipe away the child's tear of sorrow.

……

Back in Mashan County.

The holiday is over, and life goes on in its usual, repetitive cycle.

The only difference is that after New Year's Day, the Spring Festival is just around the corner, and everyone is increasingly unwilling to work, only hoping that the New Year will come quickly.

Unlike the others, Mayor Lin, who had been slacking off for over a month, suddenly became fully recovered.

His resurrection is certainly closely related to one thing.

That was the massive, wide-ranging, and month-and-a-half-long special inspection in Mashan County, leaving no blind spots.

The inspection results were officially released on the first day after New Year's Day.

Passersby, netizens, and various self-media outlets have consistently maintained a high level of awareness and attention towards this area.

Therefore, as soon as the personnel appointments and removals were announced, they quickly sparked heated discussions across the internet and even became a trending topic nationwide.

Yizhou City has not responded to this, and Lin Xiao himself will not make any statement.

Therefore, despite the widespread discussion from the outside world.

But the matter quickly subsided, and everything seemed to return to normal.

After all the annoying people were dealt with, Lin Xiao felt much better.

The villagers' grievances can be put aside for the time being. After all, the village-town merger project has been successfully completed. Those who were to go to the town to choose houses, and those who were to merge small villages into larger ones, have all signed and sealed their documents. Even the work summary report has been submitted to the county, bringing a perfect end to this key project that has lasted for more than three years.

Although the battle has ended in victory, this is not the end of the story.

When the second phase of Xincun Garden was first publicly selected, Lin Xiao promised that the villagers who moved into the town would have stable incomes and be able to find jobs, and that the village collective would uniformly repay the low-interest loans for the affordable housing for the villagers.

This is equivalent to taking on the responsibility of the entire Xingguang Town's economic development and people's livelihood.

Last year, Xingguang Town became the most famous online tourist destination due to the huge success of the TV show "Back to the Married Life".

Lin Xiao also wanted to capitalize on this trend and develop Xingguang Town into a tourist attraction.

But he can't do that.

Because Xingguang Town only has rolling hills with no distinctive features, it is impossible to develop any eye-catching and unique natural scenic spots, and it cannot follow the traditional cultural tourism route.

As for the term "internet celebrity," it's utter nonsense and harmful.

The villagers are still dreaming of getting rich through their farmhouses, but anyone with a brain can see that the popularity of Xingguang Town comes entirely from Lin Xiao and Han Xixi, and has nothing to do with the town itself.

Now that Lin Xiao is working in Xingguang Town, it naturally attracts a large number of tourists, becoming incredibly popular and drawing countless netizens.

But can Lin Xiao remain the mayor of Xingguang Town for life?

It's definitely impossible.

Even ordinary cadres who reach the level of town mayor are considered grassroots leaders, and they will definitely be moved to another place at most within five years.

This is out of consideration for preventing leaders from becoming local tyrants.

Lin Xiao could never become a local bully.

But given his fame, popularity, and ability, the leadership of Nanzhou Province, unless they are fools, would never allow him to stay in that remote mountain village for a full five years.

This is something that has almost become a consensus across the entire internet.

As soon as Lin Xiao leaves, Starlight Town will return to its original state of being remote, impoverished, and unremarkable.

In the past two years, perhaps we could still benefit from the popularity left by Lin Xiao and enjoy the dividends of the cultural tourism industry.

But as the storm passed, the marks left by Lin Xiao were gradually erased.

Or even faster, Lin Xiao will stir up another storm in his new position, and Starlight Town will be forgotten by netizens at an even faster pace.

What will those restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, and farmhouses that have sprung up all over the town and villages rely on to make a living?
Relying on passion alone?!

Lin Xiao understood this vision and future, as did economic bloggers online, and even most normal netizens.

Only the people in the town and village didn't understand.

The villagers' strong resistance to the village-town merger project was partly due to this.

Everyone felt that: "Conditions are much better now, tourists are flocking in, and we can make money doing anything. Why are we being forced to move into the apartment buildings in town? There must be some conspiracy involved!"
Lin Xiao understood the villagers' shortsightedness and selfishness; after all, that's human nature. He also had human nature, which was that when misunderstood, wronged, or suspected, he wanted to quit and do whatever he wanted.

But after the holiday, I was able to relax and unwind.

His duties and mission as town mayor had brought him back to the top, forcing him to regroup, regain his composure, and continue the arduous battle for the long-term development of Xingguang Town.

Fortunately, he had already made a comprehensive plan for these things.

In addition, the potential of various industries in Xingguang Town has been discovered and recognized by various sectors, thanks to the pent-up interest and development in the second half of last year.

Therefore, the work can be carried out more efficiently and effectively.

In the week following New Year's Day, seven or eight groups of companies came to inspect the orange orchards in various villages of Xingguang Town.

In fact, these companies had visited several times before New Year's Day, including some industry leaders, such as the mineral water brand that produced the richest man in the country.

The brand has an orange juice product that emphasizes pure juice and NFC (Not From Concentrate) technology, which sells particularly well in this era where people are increasingly health-conscious.

The group also wants to expand its production capacity, so it plans to acquire more navel orange orchards to control the quality of oranges from the source and achieve full-chain control from planting, picking, pressing and selling.

Even if the group were to buy up all 2 mu of orchards in Xingguang Town, it wouldn't be enough to fill a gap in their teeth.

It's just a small factory being built in the central region.

Therefore, as long as Xingguang Town signs an acquisition and lease agreement with this brand, it will be guaranteed a stable income regardless of drought or flood, and there is no need to worry about the risk of the company going bankrupt or running away due to poor management.

The income of the village collective and the villagers will be guaranteed.

Lin Xiao was very willing to negotiate with the company, after all, the company was financially powerful and offered a fair purchase price, which was more than three times the price the village collective would pay when leasing the orange orchard to the local villagers.

Of course, Lin Xiao's influence played a part in this.

After all, once Lin Xiao is transferred away in the future, Xingguang Town will not be able to keep riding on his popularity. However, leading brands in the industry with professional publicity teams have plenty of ways to permanently link this orange with Comrade Lin Xiao and brand it.

More importantly, they don't have to pay a single penny in endorsement fees.

This deal was a sure thing, and the brand owner was well aware of it, so they offered a very generous purchase price.

However, this cooperation was not finalized before New Year's Day.

At that time, the village-town merger project had not yet yielded a final result, and the brand owner could not predict whether the renowned Mayor Lin would be able to handle specific tasks with ease and success.

After all, as long as the work of merging villages and towns is not completely completed, and the villagers do not move to the town or merge with the village, then there is no way to guarantee that these large orange orchards will be vacated, changed owners, and rented out in a unified manner.

If the required scale cannot be met, large-scale planting and the company's demand for orange juice production cannot be realized.

Even if the company is wealthy and powerful, and even if Lin Xiao is extremely famous.

There's no need to waste time on this fragmented little orange grove.

At that time, the higher authorities were waiting for Lin Xiao to deliver a satisfactory report on the work of merging villages and towns, and the enterprises were also waiting for Lin Xiao's hard-won results.

Fortunately, the mission was completed without any major incidents.

After the holiday, the company naturally sensed the trend and reappeared in Xingguang Town to discuss the purchase of orchards.

Lin Xiao didn't do anything like raising prices on the spot.

After all, the price offered by the other party was already generous enough, and he didn't need to leave any hidden dangers for the future. So, after agreeing with the 12 village chiefs, he signed a purchase contract for 12000 mu of orange orchards in Xingguang Town, accounting for 60% of the town's orchards.

Moreover, the contract is for five years.

Of course, this also involves complicated matters such as village collective decisions and villagers' leasing and subcontracting.

However, given that the prices offered by the company were very reasonable, and seeing the gleaming silver beckoning to them, the villagers all agreed.

After all, the merger of villages and towns has already been achieved, so there's not much point in clinging to a few acres of orchards anymore.

They moved into a new house and received rent and dividends every year, with a guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood.

Furthermore, villagers can also be hired by companies to work in the orange orchards and earn wages, thus gaining an additional source of income.

Compared to leasing land, working hard, and earning money through labor.

Now, this plan provides a stable income and puts me in a good mood, mainly because it eliminates my worries about orange sales.

Which is more advantageous is obvious to anyone who isn't stupid.

Therefore, the work of acquiring orange orchards and promoting intensive and industrialized planting went very smoothly, and it was almost completed in just half a month.

It was already mid-January.

……

This year's Lunar New Year is neither too early nor too late.

Lunar New Year's Eve is on January 27th, and the following day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, is Lin Xiaoxi's first birthday.

This year was full of twists and turns and dramatic changes.

Lin Xiao and Han Xixi have both experienced the highs and lows of their lives, and have gained completely different insights into work, love, family, and marriage.

Of course, the most important thing is...

Lin Xiaoxi, who was born on the first day of the Lunar New Year, has grown from a wrinkled and ugly baby to the fair-skinned and beautiful chubby girl she is today.

The little chubby girl has just learned to walk and can't talk much yet, but she can already call out "Mama".

Logically speaking, if "Mom" has already been called out, "Dad" shouldn't be too far behind.

But ever since Lin Xiaoxi called out "Mom," moving her elderly mother Han Xixi to tears, the word "Dad" never came out again for a full two weeks.

Lin Xiao was so angry that he put his hands on his hips: This little chubby girl must have some problem with her dad.

He's not one to back down.

Every day after get off work, I change into my pajamas, and all I do is hug my chubby daughter and call out, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..."

Lin Yu, who was at home during winter break, was completely speechless and couldn't help but complain, "Brother, if you keep doing this... people will think that Xiao Chu is your dad!"

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes at him, sending him straight back to Java.

"Get lost! How dare you talk after driving your girlfriend away!"

"..."

Lin Yu was speechless for a second and slunk back to his room.

His family pieced together almost everything about his relationship with Liang Tian from both sides.

It's all a pity.

This matter can be big or small.

To put it simply, it was just a misunderstanding between two young people who were interested in each other; they cleared it up and it was all resolved.

On a larger scale, the young couple clearly had feelings for each other but hadn't confessed their feelings yet. Now that they've had such a big misunderstanding, they could easily break up completely because of a moment of anger.

After all, there are many cases around us where a small misunderstanding can cause someone to miss out on a lifetime of happiness.

The most arrogant lovers are those who are truly in love!

People's self-esteem is strongest when they are dealing with emotions.

The family members were very worried and regretful, but that was all they could do.

As for Liang Tian, ​​no matter how much her parents were convinced that Lin Yu was their son-in-law, they still hoped that the boy would take the initiative and not be a coward.

Apologize when you need to apologize, explain when you need to explain, and confess when you need to confess.

All the necessary procedures must be followed.

After all, they approved of Lin Yu's original intention because they valued his purity, sincerity, and deep understanding of his background. They also believed that Liang Tian would be able to live a stable and happy life after marrying him.

However, Lin Yu's current behavior has conflicted with his future in-laws' judgment.

It's supposed to be a boy's job to confess his feelings, but he hasn't made a move yet.

Now, for no apparent reason, she's offended a senior student, leading to a stolen kiss and confession, which has caused a misunderstanding.

Both of these incidents are stains on the journey of love.

Honestly, it's already a favor that Liu Lixia and Liang Bin didn't immediately blacklist him as a future son-in-law; the fact that they're still willing to give him a chance is entirely because of Lin Xiao and Han Xixi's influence.

The couple absolutely refused to let their daughter pay for their own things.

Lin Xiao's thoughts were similar to those of his aunt and uncle; they felt that his younger brother should take the initiative.

But he couldn't persuade them.

Because I listened to my younger brother's heartfelt words last time, I know that he is not used to or likes life in a big city, and has decided to go back to our hometown after graduating from university to continue living a simple, peaceful, and "unambitious" life.

He was actively distancing himself from Liang Tian, ​​and his reasons were reasonable and well-founded.

Lin Xiao is both the older brother and the brother-in-law.

Both are my flesh and blood; I can't favor one over the other.

If he were to persuade Lin Yu to take the initiative and explain things clearly to Liang Tian, ​​the two of them could focus on the present and not worry about the future.

That's easy to say, but then what?
Are you hoping that the two children will grow closer and closer so that the younger brother will stay in Jingzhou for his girlfriend in the future, or that Liang Tian will come to the countryside for her boyfriend?
None of that seems very realistic.

They were originally two completely unrelated people from different parts of the country, from cities to rural areas.

One is reserved and brooding, never uttering a sound; the other is enthusiastic and lively, like a beautiful little sun.

If it weren't for Lin Xiao and Han Xixi's sudden marriage...

Two people like these have no chance of ever crossing paths, and even if they wanted to be attracted to each other, they would have no opportunity.

But now, the attraction has been achieved just like that.

The young hearts fluttered, they fell in love, and it was irreversible.

Lin Xiao hoped they would be well, but he couldn't bear to see them face the choice between a big city and a small county town after graduating from university in three years.

Whether it's one party compromising or it ends in a breakup.

None of them seem to have a happy ending.

Because he and his wife are currently satisfied with their careers and family life.

But so what?
Meeting once a week on average – how many people could accept this lifestyle?

Lin Xiao was unwilling to see humanity and love put to the test.

Therefore, it's better not to start now than to face a choice in the future.

Lin Xiao wanted his younger brother to explain the misunderstanding from the bottom of his heart, but reason told him that this was not the way to go; hesitation would only lead to trouble.

After thinking it over, he decided to keep quiet.

This difficult choice is left to Lin Yu and Liang Tian themselves.

His immediate priority is to prepare for the Lunar New Year and his daughter's first birthday party.

This is the most important thing.

A warm breeze arose overnight, and the bright sun warmed the branches.

Spring is just around the corner!

(End of this chapter)