Chapter 304: The Naye Deng Clan Community

Chapter 304: The Naye Deng Clan Community

1:30 PM.

At the Naye Deng Clan Ancestral Hall, the place was packed with people, all of them Deng clan members who had come to attend the clan meeting.

The meeting began with the scholarship awards. The list of recipients had been prepared in advance by those responsible for this task. After Clan Head Deng Shirong gave his usual opening speech, he and the other elders proceeded to present the scholarships to the outstanding students in the clan.

The economic conditions of the clan members had improved significantly, so the scholarship money was not as highly valued as it used to be. However, the scholarship awards were not just about the money; having their children receive the award on stage was a matter of great pride, as it signified their academic excellence and brought honor to the family.

Therefore, the parents of the students who received the scholarships wore broad smiles, basking in the praise and congratulations of their fellow clan members.

By the time the scholarship awards were distributed, it was already 2:00 PM.

Next, it was time to discuss important matters, and all the clan members looked to the clan head.

Deng Shirong, seated on the main platform, looked down at the gathered clan members and said, "First, I want to talk about the operation of the passenger transport company. I'm sure everyone is already aware of the situation, so I won't go into detail. After the Spring Festival travel rush, we can discuss the distribution of dividends."

"Great!"

"The company can finally distribute dividends!"

"Last year, with just ten vehicles, we made over 400,000 yuan during the Spring Festival travel rush. This year, with 25 vehicles, if everything goes smoothly, we could make over a million yuan. If that money is distributed as dividends, every family could receive at least a thousand yuan!"

"..."

Hearing the clan head mention the company's dividends, the clan members became excited. The money they had invested was finally starting to pay off.

After the clan members had a moment to absorb this information, Deng Shirong continued, "We'll discuss the dividends after the Spring Festival travel rush. Now, I want to talk about a very important matter. Some time ago, a group of locals in the county town tried to run a Guangzhou bus service to compete with our company. I'm sure everyone has heard about this."

"We all know about it!"

"Those three brothers must be blind to think they could challenge our company."

"Speaking of that, Clan Head, you really are something. Your influence in the county is so strong that those three brothers were scared into changing their Guangzhou bus to a Maoming bus the very next day!"

"..."

The incident with the Guangzhou bus had involved dozens of young men from the clan being temporarily dispatched to the county town, and the news had spread quickly among the clan members. Everyone knew what had happened and the details of the event.

After the clan members finished speaking, Deng Shirong continued, "Such incidents will definitely happen again in the future because the passenger transport business is extremely profitable. The number of passengers increases year by year, and there will always be people who see the potential and try to take a piece of the pie. More and more people will try to enter this market.

This time, the three brothers involved in the Guangzhou bus incident were not very influential in the county, and I still have some standing there, so it was relatively easy to suppress them.

However, we don't know what kind of background future competitors might have or how much influence they might wield locally. We can't wait until something happens and then mobilize people from the clan to deal with it. We need to take a proactive approach, like the leader said, 'One blow to open the door, to avoid a hundred blows later.'

We need to show our strength at every opportunity, so that others know we are not to be trifled with. This will reduce many troubles, and those who want to compete with our company will think twice before taking us on."

Deng Changxiong added, "Old Master, what you say makes sense. After the founding of New China, many countries didn't take us seriously. Even after the outbreak of the Korean War, despite our repeated warnings to the Americans not to cross the line, they dismissed our warnings.

It was only after the conflict that they realized our volunteer army was not to be messed with, and only then did those countries start to take us seriously. So, Old Master, it is indeed necessary to show our strength when we have the opportunity."

Deng YunGui said, "With the Guangzhou bus incident, we did show our strength, didn't we?"

Deng Changbao replied, "Certainly, but whether it will deter others, we can't be sure!"

Deng Yunqiang asked, "Uncle Jiu, since you mentioned this, you must have an idea, right?"

Deng Shirong nodded. "Our passenger transport company's greatest advantage is our numbers. This is a company for all of us in the clan. We need to leverage this advantage, making it clear to the outside world that our company has a strong backing. This will deter others from challenging us."

Deng Changjue (Landmine) shouted, "Old Master, just tell us what to do, and we'll follow your lead."

Deng Shirong said, "My idea is to build a Naye Deng Clan Community in the county town and make it our second home."

This statement left the clan members below looking at each other in confusion, not quite understanding the concept of a community.

While the idea of a community was known in the future, it had not yet become widespread in this era. Even in the county town, there were only a few residential compounds, and the concept of a community was still unfamiliar to the rural clan members.

However, from the literal meaning, it was understandable that this involved building houses in the county town.

"Old Master Jiu, what is a community?"

"Uncle Jiu, you mean we should build houses in the county town?"

"Old Master Jiu..."

Deng Shirong knew that the clan members were not very familiar with the concept of a community, so he explained, "A community, in simple terms, is like our village. For example, if we acquire 100 mu of land in the county town and build over ten buildings to form a whole, it can be called a community.

My plan is to raise funds to build a Naye Deng Clan Community in the county town, with each household getting one house. Once the community is built and everyone moves in, we won't be much different from the locals in the county town. If there are any issues with the passenger transport company, we can mobilize a thousand or more people at any time. With such a show of strength, who would dare to challenge us?"

With this community, it wouldn't just support the passenger transport company; even the Shuifeng Restaurant would benefit. Moreover, in the future, if clan members do business in the county town, they would also benefit. For one thing, no one would dare to collect 'protection fees' from them.

"Oh, so that's what a community is!"

"Having houses in the county town, does that mean we become city dwellers?"

"This is a great idea. Building houses in the county town, who wouldn't envy us? I just wonder how much it would cost to build these houses?"

"Old Master Jiu, I absolutely support raising funds to build houses in the county town, but I don't have much money right now. It's fine for building houses in the countryside, but it might not be enough for the county town."

"Old Master Jiu, can you tell us roughly how much it would cost to build in the county town?"

"Old Master Jiu..."

The clan members all voiced their opinions. They genuinely agreed with the idea of building houses in the county town, as having houses there would be a matter of great pride. Moreover, since it would also benefit the passenger transport company, they had no objections.

The only concern was the lack of funds.

Seeing that the clan members were worried about the money, Deng Shirong reassured them, "Don't worry about the money. We only need to spend on buying land and building materials. We can build it ourselves, and if each household contributes 5,000 yuan, it should be enough."

There were about 660 households in the Naye Deng Clan. If each household contributed 5,000 yuan, that would total 3.3 million yuan. Without paying for labor, buying land and building houses should be feasible, and even if it wasn't quite enough, they could raise more funds later. The community wouldn't be built all at once, so there would be time to gather the necessary funds.

For villagers in other villages, 5,000 yuan was a huge sum, impossible to come by. However, with the dividends from the Tenglong Passenger Transport Company and the money saved from growing watermelons this year, most households in the Naye Deng Clan could gather this amount. If a few households couldn't manage it, they would have time to save. By the next year's watermelon harvest, almost every household would be able to contribute.

Deng Changbao confidently said, "Old Master Jiu, if we need red bricks, my brick factory can fully support the project at cost price."

The old clan head Deng Shian excitedly added, "With Changbao's support for the red bricks, we don't lack sand, gravel, or timber. We just need to send people to collect them and pay for transportation to Bobai. This way, the only significant expenses will be for steel and cement, which should save us a lot of money."

"If it's done this way, 5,000 yuan per household should be more than enough!"

Deng Shirong scanned the crowd of clan members and asked, "Is there anyone who has any objections to raising funds to build the community in the county town? If you do, please speak up now. If there are no objections, then we'll proceed with this plan."

"Old Master Jiu, when do we need to pay the money?"

"After the Spring Festival travel rush, once the passenger transport company distributes the dividends, everyone can pay. If the funds are insufficient, you can pay a portion first and make up the difference later."

"Old Master Jiu, I want to ask about the houses. What will one house be like?"

"One house will be around 160 square meters, with four bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms."

"Uncle Jiu, my family is large. Can I pay extra to get an additional house?"

"Of course, my requirement is that no one in the Naye Deng Clan falls behind. Every household should have one house. If anyone wants more houses, they can pay for them accordingly."

"Old Master Jiu..."

Building houses was a significant matter, especially in the county town. The clan members asked many questions, and Deng Shirong answered them all.

After about ten minutes, all the questions had been addressed, and seeing that everyone had no further concerns, Deng Shirong decided, "Then it's settled. We'll form a real estate company to handle this."

After settling this matter, Deng Shirong remembered the rice pest problem for the next year and continued, "There's one more thing I need to discuss. After the New Year, everyone will need to help prepare materials like timber, sand, and gravel, and participate in the construction of the community in the county town. This might leave you with little time to tend to your fields."

So, next year, I suggest that everyone stop planting rice and just grow some sweet potatoes or something in the fields. That way, there won't be as much work, and we can focus our efforts on building the community in the county town. When that’s done, the Naye Deng Clan will be famous throughout the county!"

"Alright, we'll follow your advice, Old Master Jiu. Next year, we'll just grow some sweet potatoes and focus on this big project."

"No problem. Once the community in the county town is built, who wouldn't envy us from the surrounding villages!"

"Having a 160-square-meter house in the county town is so exciting. After the New Year, let's get to work and build the community as quickly as possible."

"Old Master Jiu, you organize everyone for the work!"

"..."

Seeing that the clan members were all on board with his plan, Deng Shirong smiled contentedly and said, "After the New Year, I will hold a small meeting with the team leaders from each village (even though the production teams have been dissolved this year, it's still fine to use this term, just like class presidents in school). We will assign tasks to each village, such as collecting sand, quarrying stones, and preparing the wooden supports and templates. We will also need the skilled builders from each village to lead the construction in the county town, and some women will be needed to help with laundry and cooking.

In short, we must mobilize the entire clan. Our main goal next year is to build the Naye Deng Clan Community in the county town."

The clan members naturally cheered in agreement, eager to get started.

With this, the clan meeting was essentially over.

Deng Shirong then answered some additional questions from the clan members. Seeing that everything that needed to be said had been covered, he announced, "That's all for today's clan meeting. Everyone should discuss with their families how many houses they need and handle any other matters promptly. After the New Year, we will start working on the Naye Deng Clan Community in the county town."

With their questions answered, the clan members dispersed, returning home in groups.

On the way back, they all discussed this major event.

Building a community in the county town with the entire clan was unprecedented, not only in this era but even in the future. This would undoubtedly be a major event for the entire county.

Once they returned home, each family gathered to discuss the matter in private.

...

Bamba Village.

As soon as Deng Changxiong's family returned home, Li Xiaolan, who had been holding back her questions, couldn't help but ask, "Old Bear, do you think our family should get more houses?"

Deng Changxiong sat down, took the tobacco pipe from beside him, and nodded, saying, "We definitely should get more houses. With the entire clan working together to build the community in the county town, the cost of the houses has been reduced to the minimum. We can't miss this opportunity!"

While he didn't know that house prices would continue to rise over the next few decades, he was one of the early entrepreneurs of this era and had a sharp mind. He naturally understood that the houses in the county town community, led by Old Master Jiu, would be the most cost-effective. Getting more houses would definitely be a wise move.

Li Xiaolan suggested, "Let's get four houses, then?"

Deng Si Ji asked, "Dad, Mom, four houses will cost 20,000 yuan. Can we afford it?"

Deng Changxiong took out his tobacco and matches, saying, "If we don't count the dividends from the passenger transport company, we really can't afford it. But if we include the dividends, it should be manageable. Getting four houses, one for each of you four siblings, is indeed the most suitable arrangement."

Currently, the wealthiest member of the Naye Deng Clan was undoubtedly Clan Head Deng Shirong, which was a given.

The second wealthiest was likely Deng Changbao from Jimao Ridge. His brick factory business was thriving, and he had made a considerable amount of money over the past few years, which was also why he held the second-largest share in the passenger transport company.

Next in line was Deng Changxiong. He ran a bamboo weaving factory, which was doing very well, earning him over 10,000 yuan a year.

For their family, the cost of four houses at 20,000 yuan wasn't too much of a burden.

...

Naye Village.

Deng Yunqiang's family was also discussing the matter.

Deng Changfu asked, "Dad, how many houses do you plan to get for the community in the county town, one or two?"

Hearing his eldest son's question, Deng Yunqiang was a bit hesitant. He had five children, three sons, and two daughters. Ideally, each son would get a house, but with their family's financial situation, getting three houses would be a significant burden, and they might not be able to raise the money.

Last year, to gain a larger share in the passenger transport company, Deng Yunqiang had pooled all his resources and partnered with his in-laws to buy 10 shares, with his family holding 6 shares and his in-laws holding 4 shares.

After emptying their savings, they earned about 5,000 yuan from the lychee and watermelon crops this year, which helped them recover some of their losses.

After the Spring Festival travel rush, the dividends from the 6 shares would be around 2,200 yuan, totaling less than 7,500 yuan. To get two houses, they would need to add the income from next year's lychee and watermelon crops, and getting three houses would be a significant burden.

Deng Yunqiang sighed and said, "The price for the houses in the clan's project is very reasonable. I would like to get each of you three brothers a house, but unfortunately, I don't have enough money!"

Guan Yongying chimed in, "Dad, if we need three houses, how much more money do we need? If it's not too much, I can go back and borrow from my parents." This year, her parents had made over 4,000 yuan from their lychee and watermelon crops, so they still had a fair amount of cash.

Deng Yunqiang replied, "I currently have about 5,000 yuan. If we add the company dividends, it will be around 7,400 yuan. If next year's lychee and watermelon crops yield the same income as this year, we can probably gather around 12,000 yuan."

Guan Yongying said, "That's not too far off. After the company dividends, my parents will have at least 1,500 yuan. If they can contribute another 1,500 yuan in cash, we'll have enough for three houses."

Changfu's mother, who got along with her daughter-in-law like a mother and daughter, said gratefully, "Aiyun, it's really troublesome to keep asking your parents for help every time we have difficulties."

Guan Yongying laughed, "Mom, it's no trouble at all. My parents have benefited from your kindness, so this is the least I can do. Let's settle it this way. I'll go back to my parents' place on the second day of the New Year and discuss this with them."

...

Most clan members, as long as their financial conditions allowed, wanted to get one or more houses.

After all, no one was foolish. Building a house of this size in the countryside would cost several thousand yuan, let alone in the county town.

In this era, almost every rural family had several children. A four-bedroom house was not enough for most families, and even if it fit, they couldn't expect each child to have their own room. If possible, they would naturally want to get one or two more houses.

However, while many had this desire, not every household had the financial capability of Deng Changxiong or Deng Yunqiang. For many, the most they could afford was one house, and more would be beyond their means.

Some families, though aware that a 5,000 yuan house in the county town was a good deal, had their businesses in the countryside and felt that one house in the county town was sufficient. They couldn't just move to the county town without any work to do.

In short, everyone had their own thoughts. Deng Shirong didn't want to interfere with the clan members' choices. As long as every household had one house in the county town, whether they wanted more was up to their ability and foresight.

After returning home, Deng Shirong also discussed the matter with his children and their spouses.

At the previous clan meeting, Deng Yuntao and his siblings were present. When they heard their father propose building the Naye Deng Clan Community in the county town, they were all shocked and deeply impressed by his grand vision.

Moving the entire clan to the county town was something only their father would dare to think and do.

Deng Yuntao asked first, "Dad, how many houses do you plan to get for our family?"

Deng Shirong replied, "I plan to get one unit of houses."

Deng Yuntao was puzzled, "One unit of houses means how many houses?"

Deng Shirong explained, "My plan is to build a seven-story building. Each building will be divided into three units, each with separate entrances and staircases. Each floor of a unit will have four houses, so one unit will have 28 houses."

This statement left his children and their spouses speechless.

Deng Yunzhen, looking shocked, asked, "Dad, why do you need so many houses?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "Actually, it's not that many. When we build, I will have them design it so that the four houses on each floor are connected into one large house. This way, it will be seven large houses in total, one for each of you seven siblings."

Even Deng Yunheng, who had seen many grand projects, was deeply impressed. According to their father, each house was 160 square meters. Connecting four houses into one would make it 640 square meters, which was an enormous space!

Deng Yuntao and Zhang Xiuping were also stunned. They knew that the Shuifeng Restaurant's ground floor was only about 1,000 square meters, and their current house's ground floor was 640 square meters. It was truly huge, and they couldn't imagine what such a house would look like.

Deng Yunzhu asked in surprise, "Dad, even if each house costs 5,000 yuan, 28 houses would cost 140,000 yuan. Where will we get so much money?"

Deng Shirong waved his hand, "Don't worry about the money. I recently took out another loan of 2 million yuan from the credit union. We won't run out of money."

Hearing this, his children and their spouses were wide-eyed.

Previously, Deng Shirong had taken out a loan of 800,000 yuan from the credit union, which already made them somewhat worried about repaying the bank.

Now, with the old debt not yet paid off, he had taken on a new debt of 2 million yuan. This was truly a bold move.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end