The day after Mid-Autumn was Monday, and office workers everywhere went back to work amid a chorus of groans. Because of Chu Yifeng, Wang Cheng decided to take one more day off, though he planned to return that afternoon. He had told Chu Yifeng directly the night before and said he would call when he got back. Chu Yifeng had not objected, so Wang Cheng slept in until after nine the next morning.
Mama Wang had left him breakfast: homemade pumpkin cakes, glutinous-rice treats, and plain congee. The food in the pot was still warm. Wang Cheng cleared everything from the table, then headed out.
Guanjia Village was flatter than Wangjia Village, though mountains surrounded it on three sides. The trees grew densely and their roots ran deep, so serious natural disasters were rare. The air was clean, the villagers lived peaceful lives, and it did not seem impossible for someone to retire here and live to a hundred.
Part of Guanjia Village’s prosperity came from its rich forest resources.
Wang Cheng had once heard Papa Wang explain that the village secretary hoped to lead Guanjia Village toward prosperity, so several years ago he began encouraging villagers to contract land for commercial use. Most villagers, however, had spent half their lives as honest farmers, and very few dared to be the first to try. Eventually, Secretary Guan persuaded his brother-in-law to take the leap, and the venture turned out to be quite successful.
Only after the villagers saw an actual return did they become willing to put up money. The contract prices were high, however, and few households could afford them outright. After some discussion, Secretary Guan arranged for several families to cooperate and split the cost, or encouraged them to borrow from relatives. Only then did the approach begin to take hold.
Secretary Guan deserved a great deal of credit for the way Guanjia Village had developed. Wang Cheng had spent time in the mountains himself. Helping the villagers become better off was a good idea, but Guanjia Village’s natural advantages could not be squandered without restraint.
Grandpa had once told Papa Wang that after some villagers obtained contracts for forest land, the trees were cut down so heavily that whole stretches had become bare. Villagers had complained to Secretary Guan, but at first he had not taken the matter especially seriously.
Even now, some areas still looked thick with greenery from a distance when in reality entire patches had already been cleared. If transportation in Guanjia Village had been as convenient as it was in the city, the damage would probably have been even worse.
Wang Cheng followed the damp mountain path upward. Compared with Fengxia Mountain, the trail here was vastly flatter. He rarely encountered anyone along the way. It was the first day after Mid-Autumn, and most people had not yet fully shaken off the holiday mood.
Only once he reached higher ground did he see one or two villagers carrying hoes. They did not know one another, but still exchanged polite nods as they passed.
Deeper in the mountains, Wang Cheng saw fruit trees everywhere, heavy with produce. Nearly a month of autumn had already passed, and this was exactly the season for harvesting.
Guanjia Village had abundant forest resources, but there were plenty of wild fruit trees as well, especially near several surrounding wooded areas. Thick layers of fallen leaves covered the ground, mixed with ripe fruit that had dropped from the branches. Some pieces were still intact; others had burst on impact. Since this particular forest had not yet been contracted out, villagers and children often came up to pick fruit.
Wang Cheng more or less understood why nobody had contracted this fruit-rich hill. The reason was simple. Families with money were interested in the forest resources because timber and building-material businesses were more profitable than growing fruit. The villagers who actually wanted the fruit trees, meanwhile, could not afford the high contract price and could only look on helplessly.
The mountain climate was fairly damp. After walking for a while, even the cuffs of Wang Cheng’s trousers were wet. Just as he was about to turn back, he heard a familiar voice.
Wang Cheng followed the sound and found Wang Ningkai half-hidden behind a large tree. His girlfriend Lisa was beside him. The two of them had actually gotten up this early and seemed to have entered the mountain before Wang Cheng. He certainly did not believe they were here to admire the scenery. Sure enough, he heard Lisa complaining, “Wang Ningkai, this is all because you insisted on coming up here to look at some hill. My shoes are dirty and my skirt is wet. If you still want to keep going, count me out.”
“All right, all right. We won’t go any farther. I’ll come back another day.” Wang Ningkai looked every inch the henpecked boyfriend.
“I’m not coming another day either.” The thought of going through this again was enough to make Lisa refuse to set foot here a second time. Older people might appreciate a green, rustic life, but someone of her generation could not understand the appeal.
“Then I’ll come by myself.”
“Make sure you choose carefully. This is a task my dad gave you. If you can’t get it done, our marriage is going to be a lot harder to discuss.” Lisa raised an eyebrow slightly. Her words clearly hinted at another purpose.
Wang Ningkai immediately thumped his chest. “You can tell Father-in-law not to worry when I’m handling it. It’s only one hill. In all of Guanjia Village, there isn’t a family that can match ours financially. If I can’t secure one hill, I’d be embarrassed myself.”
“As long as you’re that confident. If you complete the task he gave you, my dad will definitely be even more satisfied with you.” After saying that, Lisa’s expression changed again. “All right, hurry up. I seriously don’t want to stay in this place another second.”
By this point, Wang Cheng was basically certain that they had their eyes on Guanjia Village’s forest resources. More and more people had been thinking the same way over the past two years. Demand kept rising, and this year the cost of contracting a hill had more than doubled in some cases, frightening off plenty of interested parties. Wang Cheng had no desire to keep watching. He left even faster than Wang Ningkai and Lisa, and when he returned home, Papa Wang happened to be there.
“Chengcheng, you went into the mountains?” Papa Wang could smell the dampness on him. Wang Cheng poured himself a glass of water first. “I had nothing to do after I woke up, so I went up for a look.”
Papa Wang nodded. “If you’re hungry, go find something in the kitchen. Your mom will be back after eleven.”
“I’m not hungry. Dad, there’s something I want to ask you.” Wang Cheng set down the glass and sat beside him.
“What is it?”
“What kind of business does Eldest Cousin’s girlfriend’s family run?”
“Since when have you been interested in their business?” Papa Wang looked at him in surprise. Why had his second son suddenly taken an interest in this?
“Dad, don’t worry about why. If you know, just tell me.”
“I heard they’re in the building-materials business.” At dinner in Fugui Restaurant the night before, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law had been practically bursting to brag about it.
No wonder Lisa’s father was interested in Guanjia Village. Wang Cheng finally understood. Building materials were a profitable business in Shanhai City too. In fact, Wang Ningkai’s first attempt at business had also been in building materials. Unfortunately, he had not known how to run it, and bad timing had not helped, so it failed.
“Did something happen?” Papa Wang knew his son well enough to realize he would not ask something like this for no reason.
Wang Cheng did not think it was anything that needed to be hidden, so he told Papa Wang what he had overheard between Wang Ningkai and his girlfriend on the mountain.
Papa Wang fell silent for a moment after hearing it. “This may not be that simple.”
“What do you mean?”
“I went to your grandpa’s house a few days ago, and he happened to mention this. Too many people have complained, so Secretary Guan doesn’t dare hand out contracts for Guanjia Village’s hills casually anymore. Raising the price is part of the reason. But that’s only a temporary measure. If your eldest cousin’s girlfriend’s family really has money, taking a few hills wouldn’t be difficult. It’s just a shame. If development keeps going at that pace, Guanjia Village’s forests really may be cut bare one day.”
Once the mountains lost their forests, Guanjia Village’s peaceful life might come to an end as well. The villagers wanted to become better off, but if prosperity meant destroying their home, most would rather go without it. To the village’s older people especially, no matter how good a big city was, it could never compare with home.
“Dad, why don’t you find some time to ask around? Find out exactly what’s going on, which hill Eldest Cousin’s family has their eye on, and what Secretary Guan thinks about it. Our family plans to live in Guanjia Village long-term. If something happens here, we’ll be affected too. Some things are better prevented early.” Wang Cheng suspected that Eldest Cousin planned to use Guanjia Village’s hills to curry favor with Lisa’s father. If he really married Lisa in the future, their family certainly would not remain in Guanjia Village. When trouble came later, it would have nothing to do with them.
Papa Wang thought it over and agreed that his son had a point. Something like this really did need to be addressed early. When Mama Wang returned, neither of them mentioned it to her. She did not know much about the matter anyway. After lunch at home, Wang Cheng waited until a little after three before leaving.
Papa Wang really did go ask around afterward. Since he had only recently arrived in Guanjia Village, he did not have many connections, so he went to Grandpa. Grandpa knew far more people and said he had some friendship with Secretary Guan’s father. With that connection, Papa Wang was soon able to meet Secretary Guan.
Wang Ningkai and Lisa also left Guanjia Village that afternoon because Lisa needed to return to the city. Eldest Uncle did not leave with them because he could handle the forest matter himself. But Eldest Uncle was new to the village and had no connections, so he was one step slower than Papa Wang. By the time he carried a meeting gift over to see Secretary Guan, Papa Wang had already left.