Chapter 393: Deng Yunheng, the Youngest Deputy County Chief in the Country!

Chapter 393: Deng Yunheng, the Youngest Deputy County Chief in the Country!

A few days flew by in a blink.

After the Spring Equinox, the entire Bobai County once again bustled with preparations for the ancestral worship and mountain clearing.

As mentioned before, according to local customs, if one decides to perform the ancestral worship, it must continue for three years, not just one.

Since the Deng Clan began the ancestral worship last year, as long as no irresistible circumstances arise, they will definitely continue this year and next year.

After a year of ancestral worship ceremonies, from the eldest to the youngest in the entire Deng Clan, most are familiar with the general procedures.

With Deng YunGui and other council members around, there was no need for Deng Shirong, the clan head, to worry. Everyone arranged everything meticulously.

Before the ancestral worship, Deng Yunheng, who had recently been promoted to Deputy County Chief, was busier than before and had no way to return to participate in the ancestral worship.

Thus, Gu Caiwei, the newlywed wife, had to return alone by plane.

For a clan, the more the clan members value the ancestral worship, the stronger the clan's cohesion will be. Now, the cohesion of the Deng Clan in Naye is unparalleled, starting from the first ancestral worship this year, to the present, it has never been stronger.

Therefore, on the day of the ancestral worship, as long as the clan members working within Guangxi Province have the conditions,, must try to return for participation, unless they are employed in public institutions and cannot take leave, in which case they will be absent from the ancestral worship ceremony.

In addition, the unmarried aunts and aunts also rush back for the ancestral worship.

As for the clan members from various places, it goes without saying that more people will come to participate this year.

This is a powerful testament to the clan's prosperity and flourishing.

The Qingming ancestral worship is not as highly valued in every place, for instance, Gu Caiwei's hometown, where this aspect is not as emphasized.

Seeing thousands of people gathered, Gu Caiwei whispered to the woman standing beside her, Zhang Xiuping: "Big Sister, is the ancestral worship here so grand?"

Zhang Xiuping smiled and said: "It is quite grand, but among the entire Shuangxiang, it is the Deng Clan in Naye that has the grandest ancestral worship. Other surnames have started their ancestral worship this year, but the number of participants can't match the Deng Clan in Naye."

Gu Caiwei asked: "Why is that? Do other surnames not have as many people as the Deng Clan?"

Zhang Xiuping replied: "There are reasons for this. The Deng Clan in Naye is second only to the Chen surname in Shuangxiang. However, now the Chen surname's cohesion is not as strong as the Deng surname, so the Chen surname from other towns may not come as much."

Gu Caiwei blinked her eyes: "Is it because the economic conditions of the Deng Clan in Naye are better, so other places are willing to save face and come to participate in the ancestral worship?"

Zhang Xiuping covered her mouth and laughed: "That's also a way to put it."

Indeed, if it weren't for the increasing wealth of the Deng Clan in Naye, developing better and better, the clan members from other places wouldn't be so enthusiastic about coming to participate in the ancestral worship and other clan activities."

It can't be blamed on the reality of the other places. If the economic conditions of the Deng Clan in Naye were as they were ten years ago, the other places would find it difficult to even provide simple hospitality. In such a situation, if the other places still sent so many people, wouldn't that add a burden to the Deng Clan in Naye?

At that time, in consideration of the situation, the other places wouldn't send so many people, at most, just a few representatives would come to participate.

In the next few days, the grand and bustling ancestral worship activities opened Gu Caiwei's eyes, and the other surnames from last year also envied.

Now, the momentum of the Deng Clan in Naye, in the entire Shuangxiang, is indeed unmatched.

Of course, influenced by the Deng clan, this year the Zhou surname in Shuangxiang, the Liu surname in Naqing, the Jiang surname in Baping, and other surnames have also begun the ancestral worship.

Throughout Shuangxiang, almost every day, a considerable number of large trucks shuttle back and forth. The trucks are adorned with large clan banners, and the people on the trucks occasionally beat gongs and drums. The entire Shuangxiang is enveloped in the special atmosphere of the Qingming ancestral worship.

After the ancestral worship at the public mountain, they continue to clear the family mountain.

In the morning, Deng Shirong, along with his children and grandchildren, cleared the mountain for the elders. In the afternoon, he led them to the big nest, clearing the graves of his parents and deceased wife.

While clearing his parents' graves, Deng Shirong, as usual, told his parents, "Father, Mother, this year you have one more granddaughter. She is Yunheng's wife, named Gu Caiwei, a person as virtuous as the eldest granddaughter. You should protect her well, and also protect our family to flourish."

Gu Caiwei also knelt down and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, I am your second granddaughter-in-law. I will strive to be a worthy daughter-in-law of the Deng family. I hope you, in your heavenly abode, will bless me and allow me to bear a healthy and strong grandson for the Deng family soon."

The others also took turns to say a few words.

This was a tradition that Deng Shirong had set in recent years. Every year when they cleared the family graves, he would take the lead in speaking a few words, and the children and their spouses would follow suit, making it a habit to speak to their ancestors during the clearing.

After clearing the graves of his parents, the last one to be cleared was Deng Shirong's deceased wife.

After clearing the weeds around the grave and placing the offerings and incense, Deng Shirong said, "Old lady, this year Yunheng has truly had a double blessing. He is now the County Chief of Fuqing County and has married a virtuous and kind wife. Her name is Gu Caiwei, remember that!"

Gu Caiwei, as usual, knelt down and said, "Mom, I am your second daughter-in-law. I am very sorry that I never had the chance to meet you. I have heard from Yunheng about your kindness. I will strive to learn from you and be a good wife and mother, a worthy daughter-in-law of the Deng family."

Then, Deng YunTai and others also spoke a few words to their mother.

Their mother was a very kind woman. Since she married into the Deng family, she had never argued with anyone or scolded her children. Even today, when the villagers mention Aunt Nine or Grandma Nine, they have only good things to say.

After paying respects to his deceased wife, Deng Shirong sighed and said, "I wonder if your uncle is still alive. There has been no news for decades, no sign of him alive or dead. It would be difficult to set up a symbolic tomb for him."

Deng YunTai asked, "Dad, which side did Uncle join when he went to serve in the military?"

Deng Shirong replied, "Of course, it was our side."

Deng YunTai sighed, "Then Uncle is most likely gone. If he had joined the other side, there would have been a chance he was taken to Taiwan and couldn't return. But since he joined our side, how could there be no news at all after the liberation?"

Deng Shirong nodded, "Most likely, he was martyred. But without any concrete information, we can't set up a symbolic tomb."

Deng YunHua asked, "Dad, did Uncle lose contact immediately after joining the military? Did he never send a letter back?"

Deng Shirong said, "I was young then and didn't know the details. In the first year, it seems he sent a message through someone, but your grandfather didn't tell me much and didn't allow me to ask. So, I know nothing about your uncle's situation."

Deng YunHeng said, "What could have happened? Even if he was martyred, there should have been some news."

Deng Shirong said, "There were people from the village who served in the military. When they were martyred, someone would come to notify the family. But there was no news about your uncle. I can't figure out what happened."

Gu Caiwei interjected, "Dad, have you asked the armed forces department?"

Deng Shirong replied, "I did, but there was no answer. I suspect your uncle might have entered a covert operation. As for why there has been no news, I can't think of a reasonable explanation. Perhaps something unexpected happened back then?"

Deng YunTai said, "Whatever happened, Uncle is most likely martyred. Otherwise, there would have been some news after so many years."

Deng Shirong said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. When Uncle reaches his hundredth birthday, I will set up a symbolic tomb for him."

...

After clearing the graves, the children and their spouses left the old home, while Deng Shirong stayed in the village.

Now, the new river channel dug by the Deng Clan in Naye has been decorated with large stones and willow trees for landscaping. The water has officially started flowing into the new channel, and the old, unused section has been filled in.

Such rapid progress was partly due to Deng Shirong's efforts. Last year, he used his spatial abilities to secretly fill the channel with large stones, accelerating the process.

As for the ginkgo trees, only a part has been transplanted so far. Deng Shirong plans to transplant them gradually over the next few years, without rushing.

The villa complex and the sewage treatment plant are also under active construction, with almost all the remaining labor force in the old home participating. The construction progress is quite fast.

The Duan Clan Group also began to develop rapidly. The existing Kangshifu instant noodles and eight-treasure porridge were already well-established, but under Duan Shirong's guidance, the group also established a mineral water company called Nongfu Spring. They sent a team to Changbaishan to find high-quality water sources and prepare to establish the first water source base for Nongfu Spring.

Additionally, the Wanglaoji herbal tea formula was being improved, and Kangshifu Iced Black Tea was also under development.

Furthermore, they needed to construct the Duan Clan Group's headquarters in Nanning. Even though the Duan Clan Group's earnings were very good, the available cash was not enough to cover such a large expenditure.

To put it simply, just the water source base in Changbaishan alone would require an investment of at least a few hundred million or even more.

Of course, this could be divided into Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III projects, so it wasn't necessary to invest all the money at once.

However, the construction of the Duan Clan Group headquarters was also a significant investment.

Although this headquarters was only for temporary use, and it would need to be replaced with a new one in about ten to twenty years when the Duan Clan Group truly grew and developed, the construction of this headquarters could not be taken lightly.

After all, it would be used for more than a decade, and it needed to have the appropriate grandeur.

Therefore, the cash-strapped Duan Clan Group had no choice but to take out a loan from the bank.

The bank was more than willing, as a high-quality enterprise like the Duan Clan Group, whether in the present or the future, was the best partner for the bank. Lending money to such an enterprise was simply—reliable!

...

Duan Shirong, who stayed in the old hometown, was not idle either. He rode his motorcycle around every day, visiting Bai Ping Village one day, Han He Village the next, and Na Qing Village the day after.

In short, he traveled everywhere, and in every village he visited, he bought chickens, ducks, geese, and their eggs, as well as various fresh vegetables.

These chickens, ducks, and geese were all raised for over a year, and the longer they were raised, the more he liked them.

He also bought large fish, eels, snails, yellow cattle, goats, frogs, various fresh fruits, and even rice.

For the next month and a half, Duan Shirong not only traveled to all the villages in Shuangwang but also to neighboring towns like Longtan, Shabi, and Songwang, always buying these items.

Duan Shirong did this not for business but for future food safety.

In the future, one of the most heart-wrenching and helpless issues for the Chinese people is food safety. There are very few truly safe foods on the market, either due to pesticide residues, hormones, or carcinogens.

In short, there are very few foods that can be eaten with peace of mind.

Adults might not be as affected, but children eating these problematic foods can lead to various issues.

Duan Shirong could not solve these problems, but he could take advantage of the current situation where rural foods were still free of pollution to stockpile enough food for his family to eat for a lifetime. That way, even if others couldn't, his family could still eat safe food.

While Duan Shirong was busy traveling between the towns and villages in his hometown to purchase food, far away in Fuqing County, Fujian, Duan Yunheng encountered the greatest opportunity of his life.

The higher-ups issued a document stating that Fuqing County would be upgraded to a city, directly under provincial administration.

This change did not affect the administrative levels of others, but as the County Chief of Fuqing, Duan Yunheng leveraged this great opportunity to skip the section-level position, which would have taken another two to three years of hard work, and directly became a member of the standing committee.

He became the youngest deputy at the provincial level in the country.

Such a change was unexpected, not only by others but also by Duan Yunheng himself.

Countless people envied him to the point of red eyes. While others struggled to climb a single step, Duan Yunheng did nothing and directly won, ascending to a level that many people fought their entire lives to reach.

Who wouldn't be envious of such a huge opportunity?

However, no matter how much envy and jealousy there was, it was useless.

He caught this fast train, and that was his skill and luck. Luck is crucial in any field.

...

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(End of Chapter)

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