PCJ – Chapter 620 First Arrival in Your Esteemed Village

“I can’t believe such outdated guesthouses still exist! To take a hot shower at night, you actually have to carry a thermos downstairs to fetch hot water. And this little plastic bucket—how’s that enough for a bath?” Zhao Ruiping knocked on Zhang Jiaohua’s door, complaining.

“I heard from the attendant that most people who stay here go bathe in the river nearby. I checked it out when we arrived. The water there is really clear—just like well water,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“What a pity I didn’t bring swim trunks,” Zhao Ruiping shook his head.

“It’s already evening—who wears swim trunks to bathe in the river at night? Just wear your underwear. I’m heading there in a bit. Want to come?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Zhao Ruiping hesitated, but eventually agreed. “Why not? I’ve grown up this much and never bathed in a river. Zhang Jiaohua, what does your family do? My family had originally arranged a job for me, but I wanted to experience life in the countryside. Plus, this kind of grassroots experience will look good on my resume later. I thought I’d use some family connections to get funds here, create some achievements, and have something impressive for promotions down the line. But out here in this remote mountain area, and with water shortages too—what can we even accomplish?”

Zhang Jiaohua laughed. “Didn’t you come to experience life? You wouldn’t really get the experience unless you came to a place like this. Sure, it’s poor, but the air is fresh, and the food’s clean. That meat we had at the small restaurant today—it tasted different from what we get in the city, right?”

“Definitely. It’s pure, all-natural, additive-free, green organic food,” Zhao Ruiping nodded.

Zhang Jiaohua continued, “Besides, the village doesn’t really lack water—it’s the water infrastructure that hasn’t been maintained. If the village had water and basic irrigation, crops could be grown, and people could eat. This village used to have over a thousand people. Why is it now hard to even feed a few hundred? There must be a reason. If you could get some funding here, maybe the problems could be solved. Sure, the place is poor—utterly barren—but that’s the beauty of it. A blank page is perfect for writing. Whatever you put down becomes your work. Everyone else is scribbling over messy paper—no matter what they draw, it’s still a mess.”

Zhao Ruiping’s eyes lit up. He slapped his forehead, clearly enlightened. “You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that? I’m telling you, my family has some connections. I didn’t want to use them just to land a cushy job as a village official. But later, I’ll secure some funding for our two villages. I guarantee it’ll be more impactful than what others are doing in the better-off villages.”

“Sounds great. Thanks in advance,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Don’t mention it. Out of so many university graduates assigned as village officials, only the two of us were sent to this godforsaken mountain area. We’re brothers in hardship now. Later, we’ll just be brothers, period.” Zhao Ruiping patted Zhang Jiaohua on the shoulder.

Though everything was unfamiliar, they found the village’s bathing spot at the riverside without trouble. Under the Tianba Bridge was a stone pier built with long blue flagstones. Women used to wash clothes here, and the stones had been worn smooth over time. Now that washing machines were common, the pier had become a play area for kids and a bathing spot for men in the evenings.

“Are we really going to bathe in the river?” Zhao Ruiping was still a bit shy.

“Well, why else would we come all the way out here? This is better than carrying a bucket to the bathhouse in the guesthouse,” Zhang Jiaohua said as he undressed, put his phone in his clothes, and set them in a noticeable spot.

Zhao Ruiping followed suit and jumped into the water with him.

“Whoa, it’s freezing!” Zhao Ruiping gasped as he hit the water.

“This water comes from mountain springs. Even during the day, it stays cold. Are you two from out of town?” a middle-aged man asked.

“Yeah. Just visiting for a few days. The air here is amazing,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Air’s about all that’s left here. You guys probably won’t last long before getting uncomfortable.”

“Not necessarily. We might be staying here for a year or two,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“You’re here to work? Which unit are you from? I’m from the seed station,” the man said.

“We’re working in the village,” Zhao Ruiping replied.

“Oh, you must be the new university village officials! I heard about that. They said you were assigned to the two poorest villages. The town government really screwed you over. They knew you just came to get a little résumé polish and still threw you into the worst mountains.”

“Big brother, what’s your name?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“I’m Wu Jianjun. I used to work at the seed station. Now I sell seeds on my own. If you ever need any, come to me—I’ll get you the best.”

“Don’t buy seeds from Wu Jianjun! His seeds are no good. His wife’s been married to him for years and hasn’t had a single child,” someone nearby shouted.

Wu Jianjun didn’t get angry. “Zhu Yuanpeng! If my seeds are no good, how come your son looks just like me? I feel guilty every time I think about it.”

Laughing, he turned back to the newcomers. “That guy’s my neighbor—Zhu Yuanpeng. Always joking. He’s actually a decent guy. But don’t go patronizing his shop—he runs a pharmacy. Sells fake medicine.”

“Hey now! Just because I couldn’t cure your infertility doesn’t mean I sell fake meds,” Zhu Yuanpeng swam over and laughed.

“Stick to the shallow side. The water’s not deep. But don’t go toward the middle—it may look calm, but the current is really strong and dangerous there,” Wu Jianjun warned.

“No worries, we’re just cooling off,” Zhang Jiaohua said with a smile.

After Wu Jianjun and Zhu Yuanpeng left, Zhao Ruiping said, “Hey, the people here are actually pretty simple and honest.”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “They are, but even the most honest people can have a cunning side.”

Zhao Ruiping nodded. “True. With water this clean, there must be lots of fish, huh?”

“Probably. We could try fishing sometime, but if word gets out, people might say we’re here on vacation, not to work,” Zhang Jiaohua chuckled.

“As long as we get the job done, I don’t care what they say. So, when are you heading to the village?” Zhao Ruiping asked.

“In the next couple of days. We can’t stay in town forever,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Yeah. I just worry that when we get there, there might not even be a place to stay,” Zhao Ruiping said pessimistically.

Zhang Jiaohua knew that was a real possibility. He’d grown up in a poor mountain village himself, so he could handle it. But for someone like Zhao Ruiping, who’d lived in the city all his life, it would be a lot harder.

The next day, they went to the township to request a visit to their assigned villages to see their future workplaces.

Zhu Qingdong wasn’t surprised by their enthusiasm. It was normal for young people to be full of idealism when they first arrived. But once they experienced the hardship of rural life and encountered setbacks, that passion would cool off quickly. He guessed they wouldn’t last a week before coming back in tears.

“Well, your enthusiasm is admirable. I hope you achieve something in the villages. But there are no phones or cell signals in Yingpan and Wanyaoshu villages, so I can’t inform the village to send someone to fetch you. I’ll take you myself,” Zhu Qingdong said.

After traveling some reasonably flat roads, they hit rough terrain.

“These roads are barely passable on sunny days. When it rains, even this old Jeep can’t get through. The villages are so poor that they can’t raise enough funds for road repairs. People can’t even feed themselves, let alone fix roads. As the saying goes, ‘To get rich, build a road.’ But Yingpan and Wanyaoshu are stuck in a cycle: too poor to build roads, and without roads, they stay poor. Other villages are getting better, but these two just get worse,” Zhu Qingdong explained.

The two villages were located on different branches of the same road, each about three to four kilometers from the fork.

“Today, we’ll go to Yingpan first, have lunch there, and then I’ll take Xiao Zhao to Wanyaoshu. Once you’re both settled, I’ll head back to town.” In the Jeep, Zhu Qingdong lit a cigarette and offered some to the two young men. Zhao Ruiping took one without hesitation, while Zhang Jiaohua declined but didn’t mind them smoking.

Yingpan Village Party Secretary Gu Baishui heard the car and came out to greet them, grinning. “This morning, the magpies were chirping like crazy on the eaves. I knew we were getting important guests. I just happened to catch a wild chicken in the mountains today. You’re in for a treat!”

“Secretary Gu, I’m not here for the chicken. I’m here to deliver talent to your village—university graduate village officials appointed by the city. They’re here to help lead your village to prosperity,” Zhu Qingdong introduced them.

“You’re kidding. Look at our village—unless the higher-ups send us funding, we can’t even feed ourselves. No matter who you send, it’s useless. And who could even live here?” Gu Baishui chuckled, clearly unimpressed with Zhang Jiaohua.

“Well, I’m just following orders. Let’s settle Xiao Zhang here for now. You can’t lead the village to prosperity—maybe he can?”

“What could he do? Anyway, sit down—I’ll go help my wife prepare some dishes,” Gu Baishui said and walked off toward the kitchen.

His home was a brick house with six rooms, one of the better homes in the village. Many villagers still lived in wooden houses with roofs made of bark or straw.

“Don’t worry, Xiao Zhang. Secretary Gu may not be too supportive of this program, but he’s a decent guy—very warmhearted. Yingpan Village wouldn’t have functioned at all without him. He’s the only one left in the village committee. Now that you’re here, your first job is to rebuild the committee. That’s the official line. But off the record, try to get along with the villagers and avoid stirring trouble. We’re too poor for any disruption. If you’ve got connections and can bring in funds, then by all means—do what you have to. You get what I mean?” Zhu Qingdong was frank.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say,” Gu Baishui added. “It’s not easy for you to be sent here. We’ll take care of your food and such—but don’t stir things up. We can’t handle it. But if you bring in funds, the whole village will thank you.”

He was testing to see how much support Zhang Jiaohua could bring in. But Zhu Qingdong knew that the real goal of the policy wasn’t just poverty alleviation—it was to strengthen grassroots organization. Funding wasn’t guaranteed unless the official had their own connections. But those with real pull were already placed in better-off villages.

Mountain life was simple, but firewood-cooked meals were flavorful. The wild chicken stir-fried with chili peppers was fragrant and spicy, making everyone sweat. Homemade herbal liquor was mellow, with a faint medicinal aroma and a special taste.

Originally, Gu Baishui planned to host Zhang Jiaohua in his home, but Zhang preferred more freedom. He ended up staying in the abandoned village school. There were too few kids left in Yingpan—less than ten in a grade—so the school had been shut down. Children now had to attend school ten kilometers away and live in dorms from a young age.

The schoolhouse had been left to rot for years, but Gu Baishui promised to gather some villagers after lunch to help fix a room that didn’t leak.

Wanyaoshu Village was in a similar situation. Since Zhu Qingdong had to return to town before dark, he didn’t linger and drove Zhao Ruiping there after the meal.

“Zhang Jiaohua, I’m heading over now. I’ll come find you another day. It’s just that the road is really long,” Zhao Ruiping said, patting Zhang Jiaohua on the shoulder.