He didn't know whether he was moved by the seemingly absent words of the little Zhu Zhu in front of him, or whether he was moved by her suggestion.
But after a moment, he quickly gathered his thoughts and replied seriously: "I mentioned it before, but the old man cannot leave his hometown, and he really doesn't want to come here."
These young people are used to traveling around, pursuing a higher quality of life or a greater future.
But for the old people who lived in the previous era, death was a casual but grand event. At least when they realized that they were old, they wanted to bury them in their hometown no matter what.
Otherwise, Qi Lin would not have gone out of his way to learn more about raising cattle and sheep, and would have just wanted to provide companionship and sustenance to the old man.
After all, if he wanted to live, he had to leave that barren place, and he didn't want to face the embarrassment of not having enough money to support his future children.
As for now...
There are not many families left on the vast loess slopes. Even if he stayed, he wouldn't even be able to find helpers for farming.
There are three brothers and sisters in the same group. Yan Ran comes from a well-off family and dotes on her, loves her and supports her. Tang Xiaodong comes from a well-off family, and his parents' requirement for him is to have a job.
But it was just him. His grandfather didn't even have any other requirements. He had suffered a lifetime, and his children just didn't have to suffer.
Qi Lin's expression gradually became lonely.
However, Secretary Zhu Zhu smiled slightly, with a soft but determined smile on his slightly white cheeks trimmed in winter:
"That's because you didn't persuade me in the right place, right?"
"Come on, listen to me - you can call me back. Find a piece of wasteland in the village and tell your grandfather that it has been rented, but the workers are too busy at work and can't plant it, so they can only leave it to grow grass."
Party Secretary Zhu Zhu, who is now deeply engaged in agriculture, knows how barren the land in Huangtupo is. When she was a child, she looked through the textbooks of her relatives and learned about the hardships of a family of three moving rocks, collecting urine and feces, and working hard to open up wasteland in the mountains.
The Chinese people’s pursuit of land is deeply rooted in their hearts, regardless of region or age.
"Then one more thing, food and accommodation are provided for the family members here. Everyone else has family members, but you don't. It feels so bad when you can't take advantage of it!"
It depends on the level of the person who provides the family with meals, like Qi Lin... Now that Party Secretary Xiao Zhu spoke, Song Tan immediately nodded happily:
"Well, it's included, normal meals in the cafeteria, and accommodation. Don't you have a dormitory?"
Qi Lin was stunned.
Based on his understanding of the elderly person, if he said these two words, the other person would still talk about it at home even if he didn't come.
He looked at Party Secretary Xiao Zhu, but saw that the other party was still looking at him with a smile on his face, which made his heart heat up.
After a moment, he lowered his head slightly and asked softly: "Then... what if you still refuse to come?"
He had always been in a calm and unmoving state, but now there was a sudden change. As young people, Yan Ran and Tang Xiaodong on the side naturally noticed it immediately.
Then the two people clapped their elbows and winked, obviously aware of it.
This made Qi Lin obviously more uncomfortable.
But he felt uncomfortable, so he still looked back at Party Secretary Xiao Zhu seriously when he spoke.
Party Secretary Xiao Zhu raised his eyebrows: "Qi Lin, when talking to the elderly in the countryside, don't shy away from life and death. They can even arrange their own funerals calmly and ask for funeral arrangements to be carried out according to the standards."
Just don't be too direct and blunt.
Xiaozhu, the party secretary who just went to the countryside, didn't understand.
Her grandfather rarely mentioned these things at home, and it was not something their family had to worry about. Her ideas about funeral matters were still contained in the dogma of textbooks.
But after coming to the village for more than a year, she discovered that the older people could even discuss their own coffins calmly, invite the immortal to see them, consider performing rituals, and also talk about their own gravesites.
No matter how poor the family is, when the old man mentions the funeral arrangements and says that everyone is gone, it is of no use. Most of them still hope to live decently...
Song Tan, the seventh cousin of Zhang Wang's family, had promised to take care of things well.
In the same way, Qi Lin's grandfather may have similar thoughts.
"Why don't you do the math with your grandpa? If you can live to be 80, how many years will there be in the future? How much money can you save if you have food and shelter every year?"
"When I have enough money saved, I can go back to my hometown. I will have enough money to manage my affairs in a glorious way. No old man from far away will be as honorable as him."
"If you can't persuade him after these three measures, then he may be really attached to his hometown, so there is no need to force him."
At this moment, Qi Lin's heart beat like a drum.
The next moment he stood up suddenly and hurriedly walked out the door: "I'll call him right now."
When he opened the door and went out, he paused, turned around and asked, "Tell me, which piece of land should I show him better?"
Party Secretary Xiao Zhu thought for a while: "It's next door to the land contracted by the crew to plant grass. The grass buds there are growing vigorously, and it seems that it has been deserted for a long time. Moreover, the large area is quite eye-catching, even if the mobile phone used by the elderly cannot see it clearly.
, you can also roughly see it.”
"The most important thing is that if the old man really agrees to come, he is really willing to rent out the land. There are two acres in total, and one acre costs 600 per year."
A mere 1,200 yuan!
If his grandfather is willing to come, the beautiful mountains and clear waters will obviously be more nurturing than the barren loess villages. Moreover, living together here, the elderly people will no longer have to make do with their diet, and maybe they can really take good care of themselves!
Qi Lin pursed his lips, and finally solemnly said: "Thank you!"
After that, he ran away like a gust of wind.
When everyone looked at his back, Yan Ran exclaimed: "It looks like he is really excited."
No matter how insensitive Song Tan was, he had to notice it. At this moment, he pulled Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, and asked quietly: "What's going on? Do you like him like this?"
Party Secretary Xiao Zhu laughed: "Who doesn't like being down-to-earth and stable in mood?"
"He has pretty good conditions. He has good facial features and is of a decent height. He goes to a prestigious university and has a simple and clear career path. He is not easily involved in other dangerous relationships - you know, those who do business or finance. And the working environment is very good.
It’s easy to adapt to different regions, so it’s convenient to move around, right?”
"In addition, there is only one grandpa, and he himself is adopted. In the future, the requirements for a perfect family may be lower - and for things like children, there will not be too much pressure from the outside world and family members."
Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, talked eloquently. He didn't sound like someone talking about his own feelings, but rather objectively evaluating the interviewee.
But Song Tan obviously didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and just smiled and said: "You have thought so much about it?"
Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, was helpless: "That's what I just thought about. As you know, I'm almost the same age. And if I want to move up, the leadership will put more burdens on me. Family stability is also an important assessment factor."
