Chapter 402: A World Apart from the Past

Chapter 402: A World Apart from the Past

The next morning.

Nanning Bus Station.

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Old Zhou, I'm heading back to Guangzhou. Remember to keep an eye out for a suitable storefront for rent, preferably around 300 square meters, in a location suitable for opening a hot pot restaurant."

Old Zhou patted his chest and said, "Uncle Jiu, leave this to me. I'm retired now, and I have nothing to do all day! Once you're back, I'll start making calls and find a suitable storefront for you to open a hot pot restaurant. It indeed has a promising future."

Zhou's mother also smiled and said, "Yes, Uncle Jiu, leave this to us. Once we find a suitable storefront, Azhu can come here to do business, and these two young people will have no geographical restrictions and will have the opportunity to come together."

Through this meeting, they were quite satisfied with Deng Yunzhu.

After all, as the boss of such a large hot pot restaurant, there are still branches in other places, and this business is truly thriving. Plus, with a decent appearance and a high school education, how could they be dissatisfied?

It was their first meeting, and it wasn't suitable to visit her family, so Deng Shirong didn't reveal to them that Wuyue Square was his business, nor did he take them to see the luxurious mansion on the fifth floor, which would only make them even more satisfied, they weren’t afraid of being high and mighty compared to Deng's family.

Because they were so satisfied, Zhou's father and mother didn't hide their feelings and already clearly expressed them to Deng Shirong.

As for Deng Shirong, he was equally satisfied with Zhou Hai Dong. If he wasn’t satisfied, it wouldn’t be possible for the Zhou family to travel all the way from Guangzhou to Nanning for a match.

Therefore, this marriage, both sets of parents were satisfied, and it could only be seen as a choice of Zhou Hai Dong and Deng Yunzhu.

Before getting in the car, Zhou Hai Dong looked at this increasingly satisfactory girl and said with a smile, "Azhu, I'll go back first. After I return, I'll give you a call or write you a letter."

Deng Yunzhu nodded, "Okay."

They chatted for a while, and as the time approached, Old Zhou said, "Uncle Jiu, it's not early anymore. Let's get in the car first."

Deng Shirong smiled, "Alright, when I get to Guangzhou, I'll find you and Old Huang for morning tea."

Zhou's mother and Zhou Hai Dong also said their goodbyes, then the family of three waved goodbye to Deng Shirong and his daughter,s), and got on the bus back to Guangzhou.

...

Shuang Township Government.

Party Secretary Lin rode out on a bicycle to inspect the road construction.

This time, the county really put in a lot of effort, not only allocating 20,000 yuan per kilometer but also organizing the local government to involve the villagers in the construction. They were determined to finish the road from Tanlian to Laotou Reservoir, which was no longer the old township road.

This section of the road, from Tanlian to Qingping, belonged to the township road.

From Tanlian to 19 kilometers, this township road, started in the spring of 1958, with the county self-raising materials and a contribution of 900 yuan, completed and opened to traffic that year.

Five years ago, in 1985, the county allocated funds for each township road, at 2000 yuan per kilometer, to widen the road base from the original 4 to 5 meters to 6 to 8 meters, with some sections reaching 10 meters, and the road surface from the original 3 to 4 meters to 5 to 6 meters.

However, the road base was poor, the road surface grade was low, and the road's pressure resistance was poor, making it a substandard township road in the county.

Previously, the township government, led by Party Secretary Lin, had reported to the county government, hoping for more funding to upgrade the road to a county road. Even if they couldn’t make it a national road like the one led by the Deng family, they at least wanted to widen the road base and surface, and if possible, pave it with asphalt or fill it with gravel to improve the pressure resistance.

Unfortunately, the county leadership, due to financial constraints, suppressed the township government's report.

Regarding this, Party Secretary Lin and other township leaders understood. After all, there were so many township roads that needed county funding for construction. As county leaders, without special reasons, they couldn't favor Shuang Township and specially allocate funds for road construction.

Originally, Party Secretary Lin and other leaders thought it was impossible to get the county leadership to agree to allocate funds, but unexpectedly, at the beginning of the year, the two sons of the Deng family's clan head got married and caused such a grand scene.

Not only did many cadres and section-level officials from across the country attend the wedding, but the most shocking to Party Secretary Lin and other township leaders was that the bride's father was a provincial leader.

On the wedding day, many county leaders also came in their cars to attend the wedding, and even if Party Secretary Lin wasn’t in the car, he could imagine how apprehensive the county leaders were.

Following this grand wedding, the county quickly approved their report from Shuang Township and allocated a large sum of 20,000 yuan per kilometer, construction cost, which was ten times more than five years ago, ensuring that Shuang Township had to transform this township road into a county road.

With the strong support from the county, Secretary Lin and other township leaders actively mobilized the villagers to participate in the road construction. The villagers from each village responded enthusiastically, as the slogan "To get rich, build roads first" had already become popular across the country. Everyone recognized the importance of road construction for development.

Secretary Lin rode his bicycle to inspect the construction site and returned to the township government with satisfaction. Once the Shuangwang Township road is upgraded to a county road, he believed that Shuangwang Township would see significant development. As the top leader of the township, achieving such results during his term would be something to boast about for the rest of his life.

Of course, he was more aware than anyone else that if Shuangwang Township could truly develop, Uncle Jiu, the head of the Ye Deng clan, would deserve at least eighty percent of the credit.

...

Before long, it was the grand wedding day for Bu Xiaoshi and Yan Shuwen.

The wedding, of course, was held in Baoshan Village.

For the rural residents of Bobai, even in later times, many still chose to hold their wedding banquets in their rural hometowns. In this era, it was even more common, with at least ninety-nine out of a hundred rural residents opting to celebrate their weddings in their hometowns.

Yan Shuwen's family lived in Guilin, which, although in the same province, was several hundred kilometers away from Yulin. It was impossible to welcome the bride on the wedding day, so they had to use the same method as Deng Yunheng, bringing the bride to a hotel in Bobai in advance and then returning to the hometown for the wedding the next day.

When his nephew led the team to Guilin to pick up the bride, Deng Shirong, as the matchmaker, also went along.

The process of picking up the bride went smoothly.

Upon returning to the Bobai Rich Hotel and settling in, Deng Shirong had a thought: Shuangwang should also have a decent hotel.

Speaking of hotels in Shuangwang, even in the early 21st century, there was not a single decent hotel in the entire township. It wasn't until 2010 that Shuangwang saw significant development, with several hotels of a decent standard being built in just a few years.

In this era, Shuangwang only had one small guesthouse with a few rooms, and the living conditions were quite poor. This was why Deng Yunheng and now Bu Xiaoshi did not directly bring the bride back to Shuangwang but instead returned to the county.

However, Deng Shirong also knew that building a hotel in Shuangwang at this time would definitely result in a loss, as there were no outsiders, and why would locals waste money on a hotel when they could stay at home? That would be ridiculous.

Although he wasn't short of money, he didn't want to do a losing business. He decided to wait a couple more years before considering it.

...

The next day.

A grand fleet of vehicles set off from the county, heading towards Baoshan Village.

Leading the way were the four Santana sedans provided by Deng Shirong's family, followed by a dozen large trucks provided by Bu Zhongshi, making quite an impressive procession.

In Bobai, it was customary for parents not to accompany the bride, but in Guilin, there was no such tradition. Therefore, Yan Shuwen's parents came to see their daughter off.

At this moment, Yan Shuwen's parents were sitting in one of the Santana sedans, feeling very satisfied with their daughter's grand wedding.

After all, in this era, it was quite rare to see Santana sedans used for a wedding, even in big cities, let alone in a rural area.

The road from Bobai to Tanlian was a county road paved with asphalt, although it was winding, it was quite smooth to drive on.

However, once they reached the Tanlian intersection and entered Shuangwang Township, the road became a bumpy township road. Although the township road was under construction, it would take time to upgrade it to a county road. For the time being, only part of the road base had been widened, and it was far from completion.

As a result, the vehicles began to shake violently once they entered the township road, causing Yan Shuwen's parents to feel quite dizzy and disoriented.

Their hometown, Guilin, had been the political, economic, and cultural center of Guangxi since the Song Dynasty. It was only in modern times that Nanning reclaimed this status.

The reason it was said to have reclaimed it was that Nanning had been the political, economic, and cultural center of Guangxi during the Tang Dynasty, though this period was short and its influence was far less than that of Guilin.

As the political, economic, and cultural center of Guangxi, Guilin's development naturally surpassed that of a backward city like Yulin.

To put it simply, Yan Shuwen's parents had never seen a road as poor and broken as the township road they were now on in Guilin.

In such a remote place, the appearance of a millionaire like Deng Shirong seemed quite unbelievable to them.

After a bumpy ride, the wedding procession finally arrived in Baoshan Village around eleven in the morning.

"Wow, the bride is really beautiful!"

"Yes, the three daughters-in-law of the Ertuzhu family are one more beautiful than the other."

"Rich people can marry any beautiful wife they want. With the current economic conditions of the Ertuzhu family, it's normal for them to have such beautiful daughters-in-law."

"Yes, it's great to have money. I heard the bride is from a big city!"

"If someone had told us a few years ago that someone from Baoshan Village could marry a girl from a big city, I wouldn't have believed it. But now, it's not surprising at all."

"The Ertuzhu family has really become something special..."

"..."

As the groom brought the bride back, the entire Baoshan Village was abuzz with discussions.

Originally, Bu Erzhu was just an ordinary villager, but with his brother-in-law's rapid rise, his family also rose in status. In just a few years, they became the most prominent family in the village, truly the wealthiest household.

Now, Bu Erzhu was the most respected person in the village, without a doubt.

While the newlyweds were busy with the ancestral worship, Deng Shirong accompanied Yan Shuwen's parents in the living room, serving them tea.

The house of the groom's family was a three-story villa built in the past two years. Although the interior decoration was not as elaborate as Deng Shirong's houses, it was still extremely luxurious. Even in a big city, it would be considered a beautiful home, let alone in a rural area. It had already become the benchmark for the ideal home in Baoshan Village.

Deng Shirong said, "Relatives, our township road is under construction, so it must have been a tough journey for you!"

"It wasn't tough."

Yan's father waved his hand and said, "Relatives, I noticed that the mountains in Yulin are similar to those in Guilin. They are all low hills, with no high mountains at all. The main difference is that the mountains here are much denser than in Guilin."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "That's not comparable. The mountains here are ordinary and lack any special features, while the mountains and waters of Guilin are world-renowned, like a beautiful painting, breathtakingly beautiful."

Yan's father sighed, "No matter how beautiful the mountains and waters are, they couldn't hold onto the status of being the political, economic, and cultural center for hundreds of years."

Deng Shirong comforted him, "Relatives, there's no need to be regretful. In the long history of our country, even the capital cities have been moved. Think of cities like Xi'an, Luoyang, Nanjing, and Kaifeng, which were famous capitals in ancient times."

Yan's father nodded, "That's true. Compared to losing the status of a capital city, losing the status of a provincial capital is less painful."

Deng Shirong said, "Whether it's a capital city or a provincial capital, there are many reasons behind the final decision. For example, in the case of Guangxi, the main reason for choosing Nanning over Guilin was its strategic importance. That's why the leader decided to make Nanning the capital of Guangxi."

Yan's father sighed, "I understand that. The leader's strategic vision is unparalleled. His decision to make Nanning the capital of Guangxi must have had deep reasons, even if we don't fully understand them. It's just that Guilin has been the leader of Guangxi for so many years, and losing that status is naturally a bit hard to accept."

Deng Shirong smiled, "It's like the old proverb, 'A blessing in disguise.' If Guilin had remained the capital of Guangxi, its renowned mountains and rivers might have suffered during modernization. Compared to the prestige of being a capital, I think preserving Guilin's natural charm is more valuable. It's a gift from Mother Nature, and we must cherish it."

Yan's father laughed heartily, "Relatives, your perspective on this issue is truly insightful."

...

After the newlyweds finished the ancestral worship, both sets of parents, the newlyweds, and Deng Shirong as the matchmaker took the stage to give a few speeches.

The speeches were brief, and then the wedding banquet officially began.

There were a total of 36 tables, and the scene was quite grand. The food was also very abundant.

The banquet lasted from noon until a little after two in the afternoon before it finally concluded.

After the other guests left, Yan Shuwen smiled at Deng Shirong and said, "Uncle, I plan to leave my clothing store in Guilin for my parents to manage. Xiao Shi and I are thinking of switching to a different business. I hope Uncle can give us some advice on what business we should do?"

This statement was also a way for Yan Shuwen to show her commitment to her new family.

After all, if she continued to run her clothing store in Guilin, Bu Xiaoshi, as her husband, would have to move to Guilin with her, which would be considered a form of attending to the wife's family for the people of Bobai.

For an ordinary family, this might not be a big deal, but for a family like the Bus, it would be less ideal.

Deng Shirong was very pleased to hear this and asked with a smile, "Do you have any ideas about what kind of business you want to do?"

Yan Shuwen replied, "Uncle, Xiao Shi has no experience in business, and I only have experience running a clothing store. I don't know much about other industries, so I don't have any good ideas."

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "I can give you a few options. The first one is to invest in excavators."

Yan Shuwen was surprised, "Excavators?"

Deng Shirong said, "The country is developing rapidly now, and construction is booming everywhere. Excavators are an essential part of modern construction. If you buy a few excavators, you're guaranteed to make a lot of money."

In his previous life, many people in Yeyu Village were involved in this business. They would buy an excavator and operate it themselves. As long as they had work and the excavator was of good quality, they could easily earn hundreds of thousands of yuan in a year.

If they could get a few excavators, making a million yuan a year would not be a dream.

Of course, not everyone could make money this way. If they couldn't find work and were idle for most of the time, or if they bought poor-quality excavators that broke down frequently, they might not just fail to earn money but also incur losses.

However, this was true for the competitive era of his previous life. In the early 1990s, it was a different story. As long as they bought the excavators, they could earn money with their eyes closed, as there were no competitors.

There were too many construction sites in this era, and very few people had excavators. Everyone had more work than they could handle, so there was no competition at all.

Bu Xiaoshi, intrigued, asked, "Uncle, where would we go to find work with the excavators?"

"Any city will have plenty of work. You won't have to worry about finding jobs. Start with a few excavators to test the waters. Once you gain experience and build connections, you can expand your excavator team. When you have dozens or even hundreds of excavators, you'll be making a fortune every day."

Deng Shirong then added, "However, in this era, no industry is without its challenges. Once you grow and become successful, you'll attract the attention of certain thugs and gangsters."

"So, the best choice for now is Nanning, where I can still protect you."

This wasn't just empty talk. The 1990s were a very chaotic period, with dark forces emerging in almost every city. Besides extorting protection fees, they would also use force to monopolize certain industries.

For example, in the gas refilling industry, these dark forces would define their territories. Within these territories, whether it was for household use or for restaurants, gas could only be refilled by their company. If anyone tried to refill gas from other companies, these dark forces would beat up the delivery personnel.

Over time, no delivery person would dare to enter these territories.

This kind of competition was unsolvable and caused great suffering for legitimate gas companies. Reporting to the police was also ineffective and offered no solution.

The same applied to other profitable industries. If Bu Xiaoshi only had a few excavators, it wouldn't be a problem. But if he expanded to have dozens or even hundreds of excavators, it would attract the attention of these dark forces, which would be far from ideal.

However, if they were in Nanning, it wouldn't be an issue. Deng Shirong could handle it.

After all, his official connections and personal strength were formidable. As long as he revealed a bit of his strength, no dark force would dare to provoke him unless the stakes were extremely high.

Bu Xiaoshi nodded repeatedly, acknowledging his uncle's strength in Nanning. He then asked, "Uncle, besides excavators, what other businesses would be suitable for us?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Apart from excavators, I think opening a beauty salon has great potential. Dyeing hair is becoming popular in big cities. The cost is low, and the profit is substantial. If you open a large beauty salon, you won't lack customers, and making money is inevitable."

Yan Shuwen's eyes lit up. Compared to excavators, she was more inclined towards opening a beauty salon. "Uncle, how big should the beauty salon be?"

Deng Shirong replied, "A storefront of one or two hundred square meters would be good. Hire eight to ten hairdressers who know how to dye hair, and also hire a dozen attractive shampoo assistants. Make it the largest beauty salon in Nanning, and the business will surely be great."

Yan Shuwen beamed. "Thank you, Uncle, for your guidance. I think the beauty salon would be perfect for me."

Deng Shirong said, "If you want to open a beauty salon, go to cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are at the forefront of fashion. I'm sure you'll gain valuable insights."

"Thank you, Uncle."

...

PS: Thank you to all the relatives for your support and votes. The book is updated daily, and while there might be some rough spots or less-than-perfect writing, it's now nearly 1.5 million characters long, and the support and subscriptions are still strong. I genuinely appreciate everyone's support and understanding. Thank you all!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end