Chapter 315: Housing Allocation in the New District, the Entire Clan Boils with Excitement

Chapter 315: Housing Allocation in the New District, the Entire Clan Boils with Excitement

---

It was afternoon.

In Naye Village.

In front of Deng Yunqiang's house, two identical little rascals were chasing each other, playing with great joy.

These two little rascals were none other than the twin sons of Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying. The older one was called Gousan, and the younger one was called Gousi, typical rural nicknames for that era.

The twins were about four and a half years old, at an age where they were almost always on the go. Unless they were tired or sick, they would chase each other and play with other children of their age all day long, never settling down.

Guan Yongying was sitting at the door, sewing clothes. She would occasionally look up to see her sons chasing and playing, and a smile would naturally appear on her face.

When she was at her parents' house, their life, though not the worst in the village, was still very hard. They could rarely afford meat more than once a month, and it was a treat to have an egg every ten to fifteen days. Most of the time, they ate pickled vegetables and bland greens.

However, everything changed after she married into Naye Village.

Although they faced some difficulties at first, things gradually improved after the lychees started selling well.

Then, growing watermelons with Jiu Gong brought even higher income year by year.

When Jiu Gong led the clan to form a passenger transport company, her in-laws and her parents jointly invested in 10 shares, envied by many in the clan!

Next, when Jiu Gong initiated the clan's collective investment to build a housing district in the county town, they made a bold move and secured three houses, making their future even more promising!

Guan Yongying's smile widened as she looked at her mischievous sons again. She noticed that the younger one, while running, had his hand in his pants, an action she had seen before. She couldn't help but call out, "Gousi, come here!"

Gousi ran over and asked, "Mom, what's up?"

Guan Yongying said, "I noticed you keep putting your hand in your pants to scratch. Take off your pants so I can see what's wrong."

Gousi obediently pulled down his pants.

Guan Yongying leaned in and saw a slight redness and a small red dot. She immediately understood and said, "Gousi, there's a little bug. I'll pick it out, but you mustn't move!"

At this moment, Gousan also ran over, curious. "Mom, where's the little bug? Let me see!"

Guan Yongying pointed to the small red dot. "See, this little red dot is the bug. It bites you, so you should avoid playing in the straw piles or tall grass, where these bugs are common."

Gousan looked at his brother and saw the small red dot, feeling a bit scared.

Gousi quickly urged, "Mom, please pick it out quickly!"

Guan Yongying nodded and carefully used a needle to pick out the red bug (in Hakka dialect, it's called "feng ci," where "feng" means red, and this bug indeed targets little boys).

Deng Changfu came back and saw this, laughing he "Bitten by a 'feng ci'?"

Guan Yongying crushed the tiny bug with a needle and nodded, "They run around all day, so it's normal for them to get bitten by a 'feng ci.'"

Deng Changfu, passing over the minor issue, excitedly told his wife, "Jiu Gong just called, saying the housing district in the county town is finally built. The transport company will send a vehicle back, and early tomorrow, each household will send someone to participate in the housing allocation."

Guan Yongying's eyes suddenly lit up, and she exclaimed, "That's great! Mom is cooking in the kitchen, you should quickly tell her this good news."

Deng Changfu smiled and agreed, then went into the kitchen to share the good news with his mother.

---

At the same time.

Throughout the entire Naye Deng clan's village, dedicated messengers rode bicycles to inform the clan members of this good news.

Upon receiving the news, the clan members were all extremely excited. Since the end of the Spring Festival travel rush at the beginning of the year, the entire clan had started raising funds to build houses. Now, it was the end of the ninth lunar month, and it had been almost eight months.

During these eight months, the entire clan worked together in unity. Those who stayed in the hometown quarried stones, those who dug sand quarried sand, those who cut trees cut trees, and some clan members worked at the brick factory.

Now, it was finally time to reap the rewards!

"That's great, the housing district is finally built!"

"Tomorrow, we can finally allocate the houses. Once the houses are allocated, we can can we can immediately start the renovation and move in by the end of the year!"

"I also want to move in as soon as possible, but the houses in the county town are different from our rural homes. The renovation will likely cost a lot of money. I can't afford it this year, so I'll have to wait until next year when the transport company pays dividends to renovate."

"The renovation shouldn't cost too much, right? We can just paint the walls white, install some wires, and get a few beds!"

"That might work in the village, but in the county town, it might not be enough!"

"What do you mean it's not enough? Can't we just renovate the houses in the county town like we do in the village?"

"I can't say for sure now, but I feel the houses in the county town might not be that simple. We'll know more once we see them."

"Alright, we'll also ask others how they plan to renovate."

---

Knowing they would be allocated houses, the clan members were not only excited but also discussed how they could renovate and move in as soon as possible.

Even in the future, having a house in the county town would be a source of pride for rural people. Being able to afford a house in the county town proved that they were doing well outside. In the current era, having a house in the county town brought even more honor, comparable to having a house in the capital city in the future.

Therefore, the clan members all wanted to renovate and move into their new houses as soon as possible, so they could show off to their relatives and friends!

"Showing off," although a term that emerged in the future, the behavior of showing off had existed for thousands of years.

Boasting is actually a human nature, and there isn't a single person in this world who doesn't like to boast.

The difference lies in whether some people do it intentionally, while others do it unconsciously.

That evening, every household began to discuss who would represent them to go to the county town for the housing allocation for the entire clan. Many families wanted to go together, but the passenger transport company's large bus couldn't accommodate so many people, so each family could only send one representative.

For families with members already working in the county town, there was no need to send another representative; the family members already in the county town could represent them.

Of course, if an entire family wanted to go, it wasn't impossible, but they couldn't ride the transport company's bus and would have to find other means of transportation.

After much discussion, most families decided to send the head of the household, with a few exceptions where the head of the household had other commitments and sent a different representative.

...

The next morning.

The representatives of the Naye Deng clan boarded the large bus sent by the passenger transport company and set off for the county town.

Deng Shian, Deng YunGui, Deng YunQiang, Deng ChangBao, Deng ChangXiong, and others were on the same bus. They were all prominent figures in the Naye Deng clan, either clan elders or relatively wealthy clan members.

Deng ChangXiong said, "From the start of the construction of the housing district to its completion, I never went to the county town to see it. I have no idea what our Naye Deng clan housing district looks like."

Deng ChangBao replied, "I haven't been up to see it either, but I've heard from those who have that the housing district is so beautiful that even the houses of the county officials can't compare."

Deng YunGui smiled and said, "I went to see it three months ago, but at that time, the construction was still ongoing, and it was a mess everywhere, so I didn't see much."

Deng YunQiang added, "The clan members who have recently returned from the county town have been raving about the housing district."

Deng Shian, full of confidence, said, "Whether the housing district is beautiful or not is secondary. The most important thing is that after today's housing allocation, we will be no different from the city dwellers. This is a significant event that should be recorded in the clan's genealogy."

Deng ChangBao smiled and said, "The Secretary is right. Today is a day that our entire clan should remember, and this event must be recorded in the clan's genealogy."

...

At 10:43 AM.

The passenger transport company's fifteen large buses stopped at the south gate of the Naye Deng clan housing district.

Actually, the buses could have driven directly into the housing district, but to give the clan members who hadn't seen it a glimpse, the driver parked at the south gate, allowing the clan members to see the main entrance as soon as they got off.

Soon, the clan members got off the buses.

Seeing the gate with "Naye Deng Clan" inscribed on it, and the layout of the housing district beyond the gate, with its seven- to eight-story buildings, everyone was amazed.

"Too beautiful!"

"My goodness, is this our home?"

"No wonder the clan members who returned earlier raved about the housing district. Such houses are our new homes; it's simply unbelievable."

"The gate looks so grand, and the buildings are so tall!"

"If we live on the top floor, we can see the entire county town, right?"

"You don't need to live on the top floor. Even a few floors down, you can probably see the entire county town. Look around; how many buildings can compare to ours?"

"The clan head said that the housing allocation will be done by drawing lots. I wonder if I can draw the top-floor lot. If anyone draws it but doesn't want to live there, we can exchange."

"I don't want to live on the top floor. If I draw it, I'll exchange with you."

"..."

As they spoke, some clan members led everyone to the central leisure square of the housing district.

By then, there were already over a thousand clan members waiting at the leisure square.

These clan members knew that the housing allocation wouldn't start so early and would wait for the clan members from the hometown to arrive. But now that the housing district was completed, the idle clan members couldn't stay put and gathered at the housing district on their own.

With the arrival of the clan members from the hometown, the two groups combined, and the housing allocation could officially begin!

Deng Shirong gave a brief opening speech and then began to announce the list of villages for the housing allocation.

As the clan head, Deng Shirong naturally had the full clan's records, including the number of households in each village and the number of houses each household required. He had spent time organizing the Naye Deng clan into twelve villages, with the smaller villages being integrated into the relatively larger ones.

Since Deng Shirong's house was special, Naye Village was bound to the 9th building and didn't need to participate in the drawing lots. The other eleven buildings would be allocated by drawing lots among the eleven villages.

The results of the drawing lots were as follows:

1st Building: Jimao Ridge Village

2nd Building: Bangba Village

3rd Building: Ma Village

4th Building: Shanggaohang Village

5th Building: Guanchong Village

6th Building: Yangdipu Village

7th Building: Longjing Village

8th Building: Daozhang Village

9th Building: Naye Village

10th Building: Zhadu Village

11th Building: Meitian Village

12th Building: Shejiao Village

The remaining smaller villages were dispersed among these twelve larger villages.

After dividing the twelve buildings by village, each village organized another drawing to allocate the houses to each household.

Naye Village, of course, also participated in the drawing.

Deng Shirong, who was in charge of the drawing, reserved the first unit of the 9th building for himself, but the remaining two units, with 56 apartments, were not enough for the other Naye Village residents.

After all, Naye Village, influenced by Deng Shirong the earliest, had the strongest overall economic power among the Naye Deng clan villages. Except for a few families, most chose two apartments, while Deng YunQiang and Deng ChangPing's families wanted three, and Deng YunGui's family even wanted four. These 56 apartments were clearly not enough to allocate.

So, Deng Shirong merged some of the families into Yangdipu Village, which was connected to Naye Village.

Before the lottery began, Deng Shirong looked at Deng YunGui, Deng YunQiang, and others and asked, "YunGui, YunQiang, ChangPing, you want more houses. Do you want all your houses to be on the same floor, or should we just decide by drawing lots?"

Deng YunQiang replied, "I'm fine with either way."

Deng YunGui, who wanted four houses, which would occupy an entire floor, said, "Uncle Jiu, if possible, I hope my four houses can be on the same floor."

Deng Shirong explained, "Generally, the best floors in a residential complex are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors because it's not so tiring to walk up the stairs. Floors 4, 5, 6, and 7 are not as good, especially the top floor. Not only is it troublesome to walk up the stairs, but during summer, it can be very hot, like a steam room.

However, the top floor has its advantages. The view is wide and you can see the entire county. Moreover, the buildings were designed with elevator shafts, so elevators will definitely be installed in the future, making it less tiring to climb the stairs.

But, to be honest, installing elevators is a matter for many years from now. If you choose the top floor now, it won't be as convenient and comfortable as the lower floors.

So, if you want all four houses on the same floor, you can only choose the top floor. I think everyone will have no objections to this."

Deng YunGui smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Forget it, let's just decide by drawing lots. At my age, climbing to the 7th floor every day would be exhausting!"

Deng Shirong then looked at Deng ChangPing and asked, "ChangPing, do you want the top floor, or should we decide by drawing lots?"

Deng ChangPing smiled and said, "Uncle Jiu, I'll take the top floor!"

They were in their prime and didn't fear climbing stairs. Having the three houses together would be much more convenient than having them scattered.

Speaking of these three houses, they owed a lot to Uncle Jiu's help. Their family's economic strength wasn't prominent in the village, and buying two houses would have them tightening their belts. But they had three sons, and lacking one house would make it difficult to divide things fairly.

In the end, Uncle Jiu took the initiative to help them, lending them money to buy three houses, allowing them to pay back the loan gradually as they earned money.

Deng ChangPing and his wife were truly overwhelmed by Uncle Jiu's kindness, not understanding why he was so good to them.

Previously, when the land was divided in the village, Uncle Jiu directly gave all the land to them to cultivate. Later, when the passenger transport company was established, Uncle Jiu helped them invest in six shares. During the fundraising for the housing project, Uncle Jiu helped them again.

While many in the village had received help from Uncle Jiu, no one had received as much help as they did.

They never dreamed that the reason Deng Shirong helped them so much was because, in his previous life, they had taken good care of him in his later years. Therefore, upon being reborn, he wanted to take care of them appropriately.

Deng Shirong smiled and nodded, "Okay, you can choose any of the two units. I believe everyone will have no objections."

Indeed, no one had any objections. The 7th floor was as inconvenient as the clan head described, and it was very hot during summer. Now that someone was willing to take it, it was a good thing for everyone, as it reduced the chances of others drawing the top floor.

Deng ChangPing thought for a moment and said, "I'll choose units 701, 702, and 703 in the third unit."

Deng Shirong nodded and handed him the lottery tickets for these three houses. He then looked at the other clan members and said, "Is there anyone else who wants the 7th floor? If so, please sign up quickly. If not, we'll start the lottery."

It must be said that everyone has their own thoughts. Most people disliked the top floor, but some were attracted to it. Therefore, several clan members quickly volunteered to take the other five top-floor houses.

Everyone was pleased with this arrangement.

With the top floor settled, the formal lottery began.

In the end, Deng YunGui's four houses were distributed across different floors, with one on the 2nd floor, which he was very satisfied with. When he came to live in the county town, he could stay on this floor, making it very convenient.

Deng YunQiang's three houses included one on the 1st floor, one on the 4th floor, and one on the 5th floor, which was also acceptable.

By noon, all the villages had completed the lottery, and the houses were officially allocated to each household.

Deng Shirong made the final summary, "Clan members, the houses have now been allocated to each household. The next step is house renovation, which is a personal matter. Some want their houses to look nice, while others just want to get it done. This can't be standardized.

As of now, there are still several hundred thousand yuan left from the clan's fundraising. However, this money will not be returned. It will remain in the company's account because the company will establish a specialized department to manage the housing complex. I'll call this department the Property Management Department.

The main responsibilities of the Property Management Department, which I will explain now, are to manage the entire complex. For example, handling public hygiene, taking care of the greenery, and maintaining public facilities.

In short, the county town is different from the countryside. If there's no one to manage such a large complex, just the garbage disposal would be a big problem. We can't just throw garbage around like in the countryside.

This is our Naye Deng clan's second home, and the houses are so beautiful, with such good greenery. Everyone must take care of it.

So, the remaining money will temporarily be used to pay the salaries of those working in the Property Management Department. Once our complex's shops are rented out, the income should cover the salaries of the Property Management Department members."

"I agree with your proposal, Uncle Jiu. Our complex is so beautiful, and we must have dedicated people to manage it. Also, clan members must maintain hygiene in the county town, unlike in the countryside where children can relieve themselves anywhere, and we can't raise chickens and ducks in the complex."

"Indeed, everyone must maintain hygiene in the county town. If children relieve themselves anywhere and the complex is filled with chickens and ducks, even the most beautiful complex will become unrecognizable."

"I also support the clan head's proposal. Establishing a property management department to manage the complex is necessary."

"..."

Deng Shirong's proposal was reasonable, and the clan members all expressed their agreement.

Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, Deng Shirong didn't want to keep everyone too long, so he said, "It's getting late, so I won't say more. For those who have been working in the county town, if you plan to stay and renovate your houses, the clan will cover your rent until the end of the year.

If you don't plan to renovate this year, please give up your current accommodations so that others who need to renovate can stay there.

In any case, everyone should coordinate well to ensure that those coming to the county town for renovation have a place to stay.

If we can't accommodate everyone, you'll have to make do by setting up mats in your own houses. For bathing, washing clothes, and using the toilet, there are public facilities in the complex that are already set up and ready to use.

That's all I have to say. Feel free to do as you please now. Those who want to go back to the village this afternoon, the company will send a vehicle to take you back."

After the announcement, the hungry clan members went to find some noodles to eat, while those who weren't hungry eagerly went upstairs to see their new houses.

Deng YunGui came over and asked, "Uncle Jiu, how about we go up and see your house? I'm really curious about what a 640-square-meter house looks like."

Deng YunQiang, Deng ChangBao, Deng ChangXiong, Deng ShiAn, and Deng ChangPing also gathered around, all curious about the clan head's massive house.

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Sure, let's go up and take a look."

The 9th building was already within the complex, close to the leisure square. In less than half a minute, Deng Shirong led them to the second floor of the first unit.

Seeing the house with its extremely spacious view, even those who had been mentally prepared were still stunned.

Deng ChangPing exclaimed, "Oh my, this house is really huge!"

Everyone walked around the house, their faces full of shock, and returned to the super-large living room. Deng YunGui then marveled, "Uncle Jiu, your house is really big. You could even set up a basketball court in this living room."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "A larger living room is more comfortable. Otherwise, if the space is too small, placing a few pieces of furniture would make it feel cramped."

Deng ChangXiong curiously asked, "Uncle Jiu, how do you plan to renovate this house?"

Deng Shirong replied, "I plan to renovate it in an ancient style."

This answer surprised Deng ChangXiong, who looked puzzled and said, "Ancient style? What does that look like?"

The others also exchanged glances, completely unable to understand how to renovate a house in an ancient style.

It was no wonder they didn't understand. In this era, rural people's understanding of renovation was simply painting the walls and adding furniture. They had no concept of ancient, modern, or Western styles.

Even city dwellers, who had more experience and better aesthetics, didn't pay much attention to such details. The most fashionable renovation at the time was having a ceiling and a polished stone or marble floor.

Ancient style?

What was that?

Deng Shirong knew they wouldn't understand, so he didn't explain further. He just smiled and said, "I've already asked an architect from Nanning to help design the renovation plan. When the house is finished, you'll see what it looks like."

This statement undoubtedly shocked them again. Hiring an architect from Nanning to design a renovation plan for a house seemed as ridiculous as hiring a master to design a piece of clothing.

It was Deng ChangXiong, who ran a bamboo weaving factory, who first recovered and said, "To hire an architect from Nanning to design the renovation plan, it seems you're going to make your house extremely beautiful!"

Bamboo weaving is an art, and as the boss, Deng ChangXiong had better aesthetics than the other clan members, so he could somewhat understand Uncle Jiu's approach.

Although the others didn't fully understand, they knew that hiring an architect from Nanning to design the renovation meant the house would be extremely beautiful, not just a simple renovation.

Thus, they all became eager.

Deng YunGui said, "Uncle Jiu, I originally planned to paint the walls, install some wiring, and add some furniture to move in. But seeing that you hired an architect to design the renovation, I'll just do a simple renovation for one house to live in, and wait to see how you renovate before deciding on the other three."

Deng ChangBao also nodded and said, "I'll do the same. I'll wait to see how Uncle Jiu's house is renovated before deciding on mine."

"Then I'll set an example. Once you see how it's done, you'll have a better idea of what to do."

Saying this, Deng Shirong looked at the time and invited them, "It's getting late. Let's go to my place for a few drinks!"

Deng YunGui, who was still in business with Uncle Jiu, naturally didn't need to be formal and nodded, "Sure, it's been a while since we last had a drink together!"

With Deng YunGui leading the way, the others didn't refuse and all nodded in agreement.

Thus, the group went downstairs and headed toward the Suifeng Restaurant.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end