The county's repeated persuasions were futile. The villagers of Lishi Village emphasized the county's unfairness, stating they had been suppressed for years solely for Kushanlin. They didn't have advantageous terrain, and they endured it. But why were they given no opportunity at all? Yes, the Kushanlin scenic area's infrastructure was mature, and all tourists flocked to Kushanlin. Even if they only occupied a small portion of Wuligou, didn't they have the right to participate in its development?
The reception staff asked them what they had to develop with. Nowadays, machinery did most of the work, requiring very little manpower. Their meager funds were of no use to Kushanlin. The villagers were asked until they cried. They didn't want to be poor either. They wanted to be busy every day, but their village didn't have Village Chief Li.
The reception staff were stunned by the villagers' tears and could only report to County Chief Ji. After County Chief Ji personally spoke with these villagers, he made a bold decision. He decided to merge Lishi Village, Wang'er Village, and Kushanlin Village into one large village, with Li Zhengguo appointed as the village chief, leaving him to deal with the headaches. Of course, this matter also required reporting.
The villagers of Lishi Village joyfully returned to await news. The villagers of Wang'er Village, who had been observing, also happily went back to wait for news. Li Zhengguo, who had been notified to continue his work, received the notification a few days later. He was so startled that he almost fell into Wuligou. He hurried to the county to inquire.
County Chief Ji also expressed his difficulty: "Your village's development over the years has made them envious. And to prevent them from damaging the reputation of this route, the township has suppressed them repeatedly. This time, it's simply impossible to suppress them further." He added, "The scenery of the Wulipo bends is also not bad. You can lead them in developing it together."
Li Zhengguo refused. He had already given up 20%, and now, because of a bend, he had to share Kushanlin's revenue with two villages, comprising 400 households. Why? He felt like he was losing his wife and soldiers. County Chief Ji said he would ask the tourism bureau to transfer that 20% to the two villages. He suggested merging them into Kushanlin with each village holding a 10% stake.
Seeing that County Chief Ji was unyielding, Li Zhengguo reluctantly returned to Kushanlin to convene a village meeting that evening. The villagers of Kushanlin were also unhappy. They were willing to give 20% to the state. How could it inexplicably be given to Wang'er Village and Lishi Village? It was as good as giving it away for free.
Li Zhengguo was agitated, "If I resign, won't this problem disappear?" The villagers immediately fell silent. Village Chief Li also wanted to create more revenue for the Hot Spring Valley. Who knew that the cave river was actually upstream of Wuligou?
Zhou Chengbins stood up and declared, "I think merging villages is not a bad idea. Currently, the income from the village's greenhouses is too low. We can arrange for them to come and grow crops in the greenhouses, and select some people to work in the scenic area." He continued, "The construction south of the cave in the future will require a large labor force. We cannot just look at the present; we must look at long-term income." He emphasized, "After the cave is developed, the area of the Hot Spring Valley will double, and accommodation will increase tenfold." He projected, "Even with visitor limits, it can accommodate at least six thousand people. With a combined ticket price of one hundred yuan, six thousand people during the five-month peak season would generate ninety million yuan in revenue." He calculated, "After deducting taxes and wages, according to the villagers' proportion, for 68 households, each household could earn up to 270,000 yuan. Currently, each household's income is only fifty thousand yuan, which is not even a fraction of the future income. As the saying goes, a blessing in disguise, who knows what fortune may come from misfortune?" He pointed out, "Everyone is busy with their own businesses, and the people working in the scenic area are outsiders. If the people working in the scenic area knew that the scenic area also had their shares, wouldn't they work more diligently?" He urged them to think carefully, "Excluding others is sometimes not beneficial to ourselves."
The villagers became even quieter. They were astonished by the successive doubling of future income and even more surprised by Zhou Chengbin's growth. After being away for more than half a year, the changes were too significant. After a long pause, a warm applause erupted. They were blessed.
When the applause subsided, Li Zhengguo asked everyone if they agreed to the village merger notification. The villagers all agreed. However, after the merger, it would still be called Kushanlin Village; they, Kushanlin, were still the main body. Li Zhengguo nodded, "The Kushanlin scenic area has already established its reputation. After the merger, Lishi Village and Wang'er Village will disappear. Lishi Village will be called Kushanlin Second Village, Wang'er Village will be called Kushanlin First Village, and we will still be called Kushanlin."
The village merger was finalized. The next day, the loudspeakers in Kushanlin were connected to Kushanlin First Village and Second Village. The first thing Li Zhengguo announced was not a meeting, but that each household should select members to go to Wuligou to start construction. After the first snowfall and the work stoppage, a village meeting would be held. The villagers of Lishi Village, now renamed Kushanlin Second Village, were very excited; they carried the title of Kushanlin. Regardless of the original village chief's attitude, they sent their family members to work in Wuligou. Some also went to help at the new primary school, knowing that their children could attend school next year. Seeing the enthusiasm of Kushanlin Second Village, Kushanlin First Village quickly sent a team of middle-aged and elderly people. Their young people were either working in the scenic area or helping at the new primary school and the rafting site. Li Zhengguo could only send this team of middle-aged and elderly people to the primary school to swap with the young and strong workers. The construction of the primary school was nearing completion, and these middle-aged and elderly people would be good at land reclamation. After working for more than half a month, the first snow fell. The scenic area closed, the construction sites halted, and Village Chief Li convened a meeting. The original village chiefs of Kushanlin First and Second Villages would serve as deputy village chiefs, and the original deputy village chiefs would become village chief assistants. The original village chief assistants would come to Kushanlin to learn under me after the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.
The slack season was a time for villagers to learn. Kushanlin would send teachers for literacy classes and law popularization classes to the two villages, asking the villages to arrange classrooms. There would be exams for classes, and those who failed would be fined! The greenhouses in Kushanlin had been repossessed, totaling 1,360 greenhouses, with First and Second Villages each taking 680. These would be distributed by First and Second Villages, with the distribution principles determined by each village internally. The income from the greenhouses would be split 70/30, with villagers taking 70% and the village taking 30%. This 30% would go to Kushanlin, as the land and seedlings were provided by Kushanlin. All those who failed the exams would face two types of punishment: a fine on their share of Kushanlin scenic area's income, or confiscation of their greenhouses. It was not easy to be a villager of Kushanlin. Everyone only saw the glamorous appearance of the Kushanlin villagers, not the pain of them staying up late memorizing by heart. Since they were to be Kushanlin villagers, they must start by learning cultural knowledge and civilized hygiene.
Each household in Kushanlin Second Village would send a representative to First Village to learn the rules and regulations for civilized hygiene. Due to time constraints, cultural knowledge and hygiene civilization must advance hand in hand. Since Kushanlin had already created the initial difficult conditions for First and Second Villages, it was imperative for them to focus on improving their own qualities. The stage in Second Village would be removed, but the market would not be removed for now. Middle-aged and elderly people with skills could still set up stalls at the market to increase their income. Inactive elderly people could raise pheasants at home to supplement their income. The rafting in First Village would remain, with men over 35 years old working there. All men aged 18 to 30 in First and Second Villages would work in the scenic area. In the future, the scenic area would increase its visitor traffic, so the sedan chair industry could also be joined by Second Village, with individuals no older than 35.
After each household selected the personnel for each position, they would be submitted to the village committee of their respective village for verification. After the village committee verified and signed, they would be submitted to Kushanlin. Kushanlin would send personnel for a re-verification. Those found to be fraudulent would be punished, along with the villagers and the village committee verification personnel!