Chapter 9: The Unreservedly Wealthy Dairy Fat Man

Chapter 9: The Unreservedly Wealthy Dairy Fat Man

After greeting each other, Secretary Liu filled half a teapot with water and sat down to fan himself in a huff. "The management of the geological park is determined to shut down the village's handicraft shop this time; it seems we're really in trouble. They want to replace it with a cold drink store, which means there'll be nothing left for the village."

Accountant Xiong sighed, "Though barely making any profit, even a fly's leg is still meat. Now, even that's gone." The two shared a look of worry.

Xiong Zhaozhao interjected, "It's perfect timing as I've come to offer some money to the village. I'd like to buy the vacant land east of the small inn to build a residence. Can the village handle this?"

Liu replied, "The village won't be able to make any money from this. Although there's plenty of empty land on the island, the state no longer approves new residential plots. That piece of land wasn't designated as residential before, so you can't buy it."

Xiong Zhaozhao proposed her alternative plan: "What if we exchange the land for my old family home on the west side? The land is of equal area and more valuable due to its flatness. The small inn's plot is more remote and uneven, so I wouldn't be taking advantage of public resources."

The two village leaders exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement. "That's feasible. We can make the decision on our island. We'll wait for a village committee meeting; if everyone agrees, the exchange can proceed."

Having achieved her goal, she wanted to leave but was stopped. The two leaders pulled her into a lengthy discussion about the island's development, urging the prestigious college graduate to contribute ideas.

Jinshi Island, where mountains meet the sea, has little arable land. Its income comes from two main sources: fishing and tourism.

With the depletion of nearshore fisheries and lacking proper large vessels to venture into the open sea, most able-bodied men work for others. Those left behind rely on tourism for their livelihood.

The island's tourism industry has been limping along for years, with the only unique attraction on Jinshe Island being a geological park. While the Cambrian era is rare, few ordinary people find it both comprehensible and interesting, and the ticket revenue doesn't end up in their pockets. The greatest benefit for the islanders is a handful of job opportunities.

Even when tourists do come, the unscrupulous Dragon King Temple provides ferry services right outside its gates, leaving the island's guesthouses and fisherman's fun spots with little chance. Most visitors prefer to return directly to the bustling Dragon King Temple or the more commercially developed Changshan Island, remaining impoverished amidst the chaos.

"Could we tidy up and develop a beach resort on the southern coastline of our island? It's no worse than Dragon King Temple's, and being isolated out at sea could be a selling point," Xiong Zhaozhao mused. A seaside resort was about the only thing that could bring in crowds. During the hot summer months, the beaches by Dragon King Temple were packed like dumplings in a pot.

"A beach resort isn't that easy to establish. Not only would we need a proper sandy beach, but we'd have to spend a fortune clearing the underwater rocks. It would require a substantial investment! Where can we find a real estate tycoon for our island?" Secretary Liu waved his hand dismissively.

Well, back to square one—it all comes down to poverty. Over there, the beach resort was developed by a real estate tycoon.

After promising to do her utmost to create more job opportunities for the village in the future, Xiong Zhaozhao emerged, drenched in sweat.

The two leaders had successfully passed their anxiety onto her, and they themselves seemed visibly relieved, spending the morning basking once again in the warmth of their hometown...

On her return journey, she took Doggie on a detour to the seaside, where the large parrot was engrossed in eavesdropping on the sparrows' chatter in the trees, refusing to budge even when called, leaving her no choice but to let it be.

This stretch of beach was strewn with stones of various sizes, along with seaweed washed up by the waves.

Xiong Zhaozhao spotted a pair, one big and one small, gathering seaweed upon her arrival. In the past, villagers would only come here to collect it to dry and sell as animal feed when they were truly desperate for work; seaweed of this quality was unsuitable for human consumption. Due to transportation costs, hardly anyone bothered to collect it anymore, as the earnings were meager at best.

"Aunt Cauliflower, why did you think of gathering seaweed today?"

"It's Zhaozhao, I sprayed pesticide in my backyard garden, so here I am, picking some for the ducks. Normally, vegetable leaves would suffice, no need to pick seaweed." Aunt Cauliflower straightened her back as she greeted.

"Is that your grandson over there? Such a good boy helping out."

Aunt Cauliflower looked at the child in the distance and sighed, "My own is a year older than him, but not half as sensible. That's Yangyang from the Daqiao family. You just got back, you wouldn't know, his father died in a car accident over two years ago. His grandmother can't see well enough to leave the house, so this child comes over to gather seaweed for the chickens and ducks on his own. I'm staying here longer just to keep an eye on him."

She glanced at her again, "I wonder if you remember, his grandfather was Xiong Haisan, he passed away with your father. Sigh! Poor thing, children from poor families grow up too fast."

Xiong Zhaozhao looked at the five or six-year-old boy in the distance and asked softly, "Where's his mother?"

"His mom is helping out at the Dason family's fisherman's inn; they're the only ones on our island who still have a few customers to serve."

Still there, thank goodness.

"The old are old, and the young are young. Yangyang's mom can't go out to work either; his grandmother's eyesight isn't good. It's one thing for this kid to wander around unsupervised, but how could they let a five-year-old be here alone by the seaside?" Auntie Cauliflower was a talkative and warm-hearted woman who pulled Xiong Zhaozhao aside to share quite a bit with her.

The child in the distance seemed to have gathered enough and was about to leave. He had used an old plastic bag to collect seaweed, but after taking just a few steps, he tore it open with his hands, spilling the seaweed out. The small figure turned back to pick it up...

"Aunt Cauliflower, you go back first, I'll take him home."

"Well, alright. I should be going back to make dinner anyway."

After bidding Aunt Cauliflower farewell and waiting until she was out of sight, Xiong Zhaozhao pulled out from her storage space a basket she used for carrying fruits.

"Yangyang, your name is Yangyang, right? I have a basket here that you can borrow."

The child glanced at the plastic bag he could no longer lift, then at Xiong Zhaozhao's basket, and simply said, "Thank you, Sister."

A generation apart, we are.

Taking a closer look, the child was indeed quite adorable, with big, round eyes. Though thin, the baby fat hadn't completely vanished, meeting the criteria for an endearing and lovable tot. The clothes on the child weren't particularly new, but they were spotlessly clean.

Xiong Zhaozhao gathered the plastic bag into the basket and lifted it up, "I'm not your auntie; I'm Big Lin Zi's sister. You should call me your great-auntie. Your great-auntie will take you back home."

"Uncle Big Lin Zi, I know him, Great-Auntie, I can carry this myself." The small hand gripped the edge of the basket.

"You're not shy at all. Children should listen to adults. Why did you come to the seaside by yourself? Does your mother know about this?"

This time, he fell silent for a moment before changing the subject, "Auntie, why haven't I seen you before?"

"I did see you when you were just born."

"But I don't remember that, it was so long ago!" He sighed like a little adult, then asked again, "Has Auntie moved to live in the town? Xin Xin's family moved there and doesn't come back often."

"No, I didn't move away. Your auntie is staying at Zhaozhao's small inn on the East Bank. I used to study outside and have just returned."

"Am I going to study outside in the future too?"

"Of course, everyone needs to read."

"Then I'll have to bring my grandma and mom along."

"Auntie, can I pet your dog?"

"Certainly, if you can catch it."

At present, GunGun wouldn't even acknowledge Big Lin Zi's authority, refusing to let anyone touch him. Very soon, the two of them were engaged in a game of dodge around her, one human and one dog.

The little one was unafraid of strangers, speaking with clarity and intelligence, making it hard for anyone not to like him.

Arriving at his doorstep, an old woman with lifeless eyes sat by the entrance, hurriedly asking upon hearing movement, "Is Yangyang back?"

Xiong Zhaozhao called over Yaoguang, the large parrot arriving in an instant, perching on her shoulder. She telepathically asked it, "Can you see if her eyes can be cured?"

Yaoguang took a glance, "Excessive strain and age-related deterioration, treatable. What her eyes lack is vitality, the Spirit Spring can heal them."

It must be from all the crying...

Xiong Zhaozhao decided to help this ill-fated old man.

Yangyang had already thrown himself into her grandmother's arms, who hugged him tightly: "Where did my good grandson go this morning? You didn't go to the seaside, did you?"

Yangyang, clinging to his grandmother, changed the subject guiltily, "Grandma, it was an auntie who sent me back."

Turning around and seeing Yaoguang, his big eyes widened even more: "Auntie, is this bird you raised? Is it an eagle? How big and beautiful!" In his mind, the biggest bird was an eagle.

This kid was a little smart one; he didn't lie, he learned to skip over.

Grandma Yangyang was puzzled, "Which aunt?"

Xiong Zhaozhao stepped forward and greeted, "Auntie, I'm Zhaozhao from the small inn on the East Shore. Do you remember me?"

Grandma Yangyang joyfully responded, "Is it Zhaozhao from Uncle San's family? Why did you come back? Did you graduate so soon?"

After some small talk, Xiong Zhaozhao lied, saying that her school had developed a new eye drop formula that could alleviate her symptoms. She promised to bring some for her to try later, then took her leave.

Back home, she found a small bottle with a straw among her pile of beauty tools, filled it with the spirit spring water, and the next day picked some fruits not commonly seen on the island. Together, she delivered them to Grandma Yangyang's house.

After tasting the jaboticaba, the little one particularly liked it, successfully swayed by its deliciousness. Without any reserve, she said, "Auntie, did you grow this in your backyard? I'm quite good at catching bugs; let me catch some for you." You just take care of the fruits.

The islanders seldom buy fruits on a regular basis; they eat whatever grows in their backyards, storing apples for winter consumption. This little one assumed that the jaboticaba grew in her own backyard.

"There aren't any bugs to catch right now, but as for fruits, Auntie has plenty. Whenever you want to eat, come find me."

"I'll help you feed the chickens then, Auntie. My mom says we shouldn't take things from others without giving something in return."

Xiong Zhaozhao pinched his baby fat affectionately, teasing him: "My dear, you're too well-behaved. If you want to eat fruits, just come find me. We're family now, no need to be so formal!"

Upon hearing this, the unreservedly plump wealthy man suddenly became bashful. "Auntie, it's just that, well, when your eagle has a baby, could you possibly give me one...?"

This,

I'm afraid,

is out of the question.