My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 554 Since we're already here, who wouldn't want to step down from their peak?
It's about poverty alleviation.

For Rang Weidong, a loser who had lived in Shangzhou for sixty years, he had never seen anything bizarre or outlandish.

The biggest change I've seen in my lifetime is that these national-level poverty-stricken counties, which used to compete for the title every year, have gradually shed their poverty status.

My elderly mother, who lived for decades after the reform and opening up, went to great lengths and exhausted all her efforts to change the face of these poor and remote villages.

So now, naturally, I'm learning to work hard.

Three years ago, even selling melon seeds would result in having your tail cut off, but now the situation has naturally changed drastically.

At least the old leaders behind them have already taken the lead in making the shift.

But for the people in the mountains, three years is just like one day, and they certainly won't feel any change.

I feel that it's not much different from ten or twenty years ago.

Some people even looked resistant. If they weren't so poor, if Rang Weidong didn't still have a semi-official position as the head of the prefecture-level city tourism development company, and if the herb gatherers hadn't witnessed the county magistrate's attitude towards Rang Weidong.

It probably won't go that smoothly.

The vast majority of people truly do not understand the meaning of "times change".

……

Now Wei Dong knows this is a rare opportunity.

Of course, he didn't think the key point was to show off to the leaders. Instead, he wanted to make the most important core point clear from the beginning: "What is the most important thing about this place? It's the tourists from other places who are willing to come and see the scenery they may never see in their lifetime, the shock they will never forget, the comfort they feel when they walk here, and the hospitality and help from every local they meet. That's why they are willing to spend money here and then tell others how good our place is. Then our descendants can enjoy the benefits of this mountain forever!"

Poor mountains and bad waters bring out unruly people.

Wei Dong still knew that the mountain people were not easy to deal with, and even Guan Zikou might not be able to control them.

Many famous scenic spots that I heard about later ruined their reputation in this way.

So he led the way toward the summit: “We’re used to seeing this every day, so we might not think much of it, but tourists from other places come wave after wave every day. As long as we spread this reputation, we’ll always benefit. Anyone who cheats or swindles tourists, anyone who tarnishes this scenery, is cutting off the livelihood of all their descendants!”

But the mountain people are also simple and honest; it all depends on how they experience this initial "enlightenment."

They would inevitably follow suit.

The entire trail first moves horizontally to the foot of the final mountain peak, and then begins a crazy zigzag climb, basically on the edge of a knife-cut cliff.

The narrowest zigzag path is only two or three meters wide, and it is through this constant back-and-forth that a path paved with stone slabs is carved out of the steep mountainside.

So when Wei Dong climbed up while talking loudly, it was as if he was leading a group of people along.

On the contrary, even the old leader, who was about ten meters away by the traction rope, wasn't that close.

But the old man remained silent, trying his best to keep up and listening attentively.

"I have a suggestion for you. We should divide the area into sections according to production teams. Each production team should be responsible for a section. Those selling water and food should also maintain the trail. It shouldn't be that any one family does this every day. Instead, each family should take turns doing it for a week or two. Whoever does a bad job shouldn't be allowed to come. Each section should help and support each other. Only when there are more tourists and everyone gives a thumbs up when they talk about it will everyone benefit. Anyone who tries to take everything for themselves or ruins the reputation should be kicked out by everyone!"

Wei Dong didn't know about other provinces and cities, but the tax bureau must have been in contact with major scenic areas like Shangzhou. There were many conflicts between government-run, contracted, and local villagers.

In many places, people would love to nationalize everything as a way to show their achievements.

For example, right now, Director Zi is actually thinking of telling Wei Dong to slow down so as not to tire out the old leader.

But as soon as he started feeding him, he was hit with a hiking stick, which scared the words back into his throat.

All the attention wasn't on those few golden words of advice.

By having Wei Dong act as the contractor and investor, he has cleverly taken on the entire responsibility of opening the scenic spot, presenting the whole dish to the guests, so that both the villagers and the scenic area can benefit, and then talking about his own benefits.

“We’re going to build a cable car in the back, so that those willing to spend a few dozen yuan to take the machine to the top of the mountain can easily get there. But this is cheating, it’s for tourists who really don’t want to get tired but still want to see the scenery. Without this cable car, people will feel tired just looking at it and won’t want to come. But once they come, they’ll insist that only by walking on this trail can they see the once-in-a-lifetime beautiful scenery. Everyone in the country knows that you’re not a true hero until you’ve climbed the Great Wall, so let’s just look around without climbing the trail…”

The villagers couldn't help but burst into laughter, and a few even followed suit.

The old leader smiled and walked with even more effort.

But given my age, after walking on the mountain path for almost two hours straight, and then the subsequent increase in altitude, I was extremely tired.

Even though some villagers noticed the old man being dragged by the rope and helped pull him, his physical functions began to reach their limit after half an hour.

Fortunately, not everyone has the extraordinary energy of Rang Weidong. Only the lean herb gatherers and hardworking villagers can walk on flat ground with ease.

Director Zi didn't dare to utter a sound, gritting his teeth and enduring it, but Qin Yuye wasn't going to let him get away with it: "My God, take a break, my life is about to be taken away, I can't, I can't..." He got so excited that Wei Dongcai stopped and looked back at his old leader, who was indeed a little shaky.

But they all struggled to lift their trekking poles and forced smiles to encourage each other.

They even swayed slightly, meaning they didn't want to reveal their identity.

Then take a break.

Wei Dong even used him as a teaching material: "Many children and their elders also want to see the beautiful scenery. We can't force everyone to come and climb mountains, which is why we built the cable car. Only by attracting tourists who can climb and those who can't can we make money from them. But we also have to make money with a good attitude. We can't be like thugs robbing people. We have to say, 'Hey uncle, have some of our fruit. It'll make you feel energetic.' But we can't sell it at too high a price. The main idea is to make tourists come back and say that the locals in Qutang Gorge are really good. They say, 'I must go there next time. I'll recommend it to all my aunts and uncles.' Then we can make money here, and everyone's income will be higher."

Sitting on this ridge, which isn't even a ridge with slopes on both sides, the river is right on the edge of a knife, so you can't look down at all.

Anyway, Dawa, being such a simpleton, had never climbed such a steep mountain peak before, even though he had always lived on the plateau at an altitude of four or five thousand meters. He was so scared that he stayed close to the mountain wall and refused to look at the river.

In reality, humans are too insignificant. As long as you don't walk to the edge of the cliff, this trail is several meters or even tens of meters away from the edge. It may only seem like walking on a knife's edge from the perspective of a drone or from a distance at the starting point. But those who are actually in it don't feel that dangerous.

Like a small person caught in the torrent of the times.

Director Zi also wanted to take the initiative to shoulder the heavy responsibility of carrying the old leader up the mountain.

Wei Dong thought to himself, "You should train for two years on squats and bench presses before you talk about this. Look at you, all pampered and sweating, your legs trembling. And you want to bring someone along?"
But the herb gatherer had met Director Zi and seen him among the other county leaders, so he must have guessed how remarkable this old man was.

They then encouraged two strong mountain villagers to carry it and continue.

The old leader refused, saying, "Only officials in the old society would oppress the people and act like tyrants. Let's go, I must see this beautiful land!"

Let Wei Dong continue on his way with a smile, and continue to impart his wisdom.

He's never been here, but he's seen and heard a lot.

"Look, this is a good spot. Let's build a viewing platform here and name it Dragon Gate Platform. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a scholar who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. After his family came here to pray, he passed the examinations with top honors. You must tell this story carefully..."

The villagers were all stunned. Could someone really make such a ridiculous claim?
Fortunately, Xiaodie led the way, holy crap!

Everyone agreed.

The male employee then quickly recited it word by word.

Wei Dong was talking complete nonsense: "If we say that the scholar became the top scholar only after paying respects to him, then only the scholar would come to climb the ladder. But if we say that he is a family member, then it's easy for him to bring a whole bunch of family members. Wouldn't that attract even more people to buy food and drink?"

The crowd had already grasped the point and unanimously agreed.

The old leader, who was already panting from exhaustion, burst into laughter again, because the surrounding scenery was just too refreshing.

Looking down at the river below, it's like a dragon splitting through the mountains, but it's not so frightening; instead, it presents a majestic view of all the mountains below.

This further fueled my determination to climb higher.

Because Wei Dong continued to share his famous saying, "Since we've come all this way, why not take a break before we climb to the top?" So, a tea pavilion was built here, so people can rest and then continue their journey. That's why this viewing platform is called "Since We've Come All This Way!"

After a one-and-a-half-hour journey along the horizontal path, it took another three hours of walking and stopping before finally reaching the most despairing place. It is said that there is still about a kilometer left, all of which is a nearly vertical uphill mountain path.

Looking back on the journey, I'm truly amazed that I've persevered this far. If I hadn't finished, it would have been a complete failure.

So even the most exhausted person can muster up their energy at this moment.

Even someone as determined as Lao Geng could still guide Wei Dong to inspect various locations and offer suggestions for the construction.

Despite their aching limbs and pounding hearts, the three engineers went to the edge of the cliff to take photos and document their investigation.

Qin Yuye, on the contrary, didn't seem delicate at all. She even asked Shi Tou to film everyone, and in the end, she took the camera herself to record the surrounding scenery.

She still has a natural presence in front of the camera.

It was the old leader who urged them to set off, and all the talents encouraged each other to embark on the last mile.

This experience, which Wei Dong had never had before as a special forces soldier, finally made him realize what it meant to be "the last mile is the hardest."

I understand now why many organizations later started organizing team building activities like this.

It's true that friends who have gone through this together are more likely to develop a sense of unity.

Of course, all the perseverance leads to the peak of achievement when you reach the top.

(End of this chapter)