Chapter 72: Don't Let Yourself Regret
"Find a journalist!"
"Let's expose this issue!"
"As long as we get social attention, the problem will be solved."
...
Gao Fei shared his thoughts.
"Okay, we'll all listen to you." None of the hundreds of villagers objected, "Whatever you say, we'll do."
With that, a group of them took a trip to the city.
First, they sought out journalists, then they went to the city leaders to report the issue. With the efforts of Gao Fei and the others, the situation escalated, eventually catching the attention of a senior leader, who took time out of his busy schedule to meet them.
"Where are you folks from?" The leader had a dignified appearance and spoke authoritatively.
"We are from Fengshou County, Pingding Town, Gaohe Village," replied Gao Fei.
"You've been making quite some noise lately," said the leader.
"We had no choice but to act," Gao Fei shrugged, "The county wants to build a road through our village, which is great, and we're all for it. But the compensation offered by the county is too low. They only give fifty thousand yuan for demolishing a house, which isn't nearly enough to build a new one..."
"Fifty thousand yuan?" The leader frowned, "How big are your houses?"
"Some have three rooms, some four, and some five."
"How much area does one room approximately have?"
"Uh... over twenty square meters, I guess."
"So three rooms make up over sixty square meters, four rooms over eighty square meters, and five rooms over a hundred square meters—my math is correct, isn't it?"
"Right." Gao Fei nodded, "Exactly."
"Whether it is three, four, or five rooms, is the compensation always fifty thousand yuan?" asked the leader.
"The difference isn't much. Those with smaller houses get a few thousand less, and those with larger ones get a few thousand more," explained Gao Fei.
"A house of around a hundred square meters, only getting fifty thousand yuan in compensation? That averages to about five hundred yuan per square meter," the leader said with a furrowed brow, "How much does it cost now to build a house in your village?"
"Over a hundred thousand, roughly," Gao Fei gave an estimated price, "And that's not including decoration."
"A house worth over a hundred thousand, and you're only getting fifty thousand yuan in compensation. This is outrageous," the leader was angry, "I will handle this matter. Tomorrow I will send someone to investigate and try to resolve your issue as quickly as possible."
"Thank you, leader, thank you so much," Gao Fei sincerely expressed his gratitude, "We've approached many leaders on our journey, and you're the only one willing to help us."
The leader waved his hand, "Everyone has their difficulties. Try to be understanding."
After receiving the leader's assurance, Gao Fei and the others left. However, they did not return home but stayed in the city, waiting for news. If the compensation issue was truly resolved, they would go back; if not, they would have to continue searching for solutions.
...
The senior leader truly kept his word. The next day, he dispatched a working group to Fengshou County to investigate. Within three days, the working group had cleared up the situation,
This marked a perfect ending to the affair.
...
In gratitude, Gao Fei and the others specially made a silk banner for the selfless senior leader. This scene was captured by journalists and posted online, garnering praise from many who lauded the leader as a good official.
At the same time, this leader received commendation from his superiors and was likely to be promoted before long.
Fengshou County.
Gaohe Village.
A group of villagers brought various gifts to thank Gao Fei. If he hadn't led them to petition in the city, they wouldn't have received two hundred thousand yuan in compensation.
"My fellow villagers! Now it's a new society, a society ruled by law. In the future, when you encounter injustices, use the law to defend your rights. You can petition and seek out journalists, and if you can afford it, hire lawyers to sue. In a nutshell, no one should be allowed to bully you!" Gao Fei proclaimed loudly.
"Yes! Gao Fei is right! From now on, no one will bully us!"
"We may be farmers, but that doesn't mean we can be easily bullied!"
"We abide by the law; no one has the right to bully us!"
...
The hundred villagers said in unison.
At that moment, Gao Fei's prestige in the village reached its peak. If he ran for village chief at that time, he would have been elected by a landslide. However, he wasn't interested in being the village chief.
"Everyone, don't leave today. Stay for dinner; my treat," Gao Fei said with a smile.
That evening, Gao Fei hosted over a dozen banquet tables in his courtyard, complete with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and plenty of white wine and beer. Organizing these banquets cost a fair amount of money, but he didn't mind at all because it was money well spent.
That night, many people got drunk, including Gao Fei's father.
Gao Fei had drunk quite a bit, several jins of white liquor, but he was completely unaffected. His speech was clear, he walked steadily, his face was not flushed, he was not out of breath, and there wasn't the slightest hint of drunkenness in him; he was truly a god of wine.
...
In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.
This week was the happiest time in Gao Fei's life. He spent the days accompanying his parents, and the nights alone in his room practicing cultivation. His life was very regular.
Unfortunately, this period of peaceful happiness was interrupted by an unexpected phone call.
The call was from Luo Mingshan, a master jade carver.
"Mr. Gao, I've arrived in Huaxia and would like to meet with you. Do you have some time?" Luo Mingshan asked politely.
"You're in Huaxia?" Gao Fei was stunned, "When did you arrive?"
"I just came out of the Southern City airport," Luo Mingshan said, "Are you free now? I'd like to see you to discuss some matters."
"Not right now," Gao Fei shook his head, "I've returned to my hometown and am not in Southern City. How about this: you find a hotel to stay in, and I will come to see you tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
After chatting for a few more moments, they ended the call.
Gao Fei stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out, "Dad, Mom, I have to leave tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? So soon?" Gao Changhai and Zhao Qin were both startled, "Can't you stay a few more days?"
"There's an urgent matter; I must go back."
"Well... alright then, be careful on the road."
"Dad, Mom, are you really not coming with me?"
"No! We are farmers and won't get used to living in the city."
"If you don't want to go, then don't. It's okay." Gao Fei took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it to his parents, "Keep this card safe. There's a sum of money in it; the PIN is my birthday. If you need money, just go to the bank and withdraw it." This card was newly issued by Gao Fei with a deposit of ten million, which was more than enough for his parents' livelihood.
Since they did not want to join him in the city, he decided to give them more money.
"We can't take your money." Just as Gao Fei had expected, his parents flatly refused.
"You must take it!" Gao Fei was very insistent, "If you don't accept it, I'll withdraw all the money from the bank card and throw it away."
"You're trying to scare us!"
"It's not a scare, it's a threat!"
"You cheeky brat, have you grown wings now? How dare you threaten us!"
"Anyway, I've laid down my terms. It's up to you to decide," Gao Fei posed with the indifference of a dead pig not fearing boiling water, "Either you accept the bank card, or I withdraw the money and throw it away."
"...Fine, we'll take it." Under Gao Fei's threat, Gao Changhai and Zhao Qin had to compromise, but they had already decided they wouldn't touch the money on the card; they would save it for Gao Fei's future marriage.
Gao Fei saw right through his parents' intentions, the corners of his mouth slightly curving upwards, "Each month, you must withdraw money, and the amount can't be less than ten thousand..." Speaking of this, Gao Fei shook the cell phone in his hand, "I have bound the SMS notification function. I will receive a message when you withdraw money.
In other words, if I don't get a message, it means that you didn't withdraw any money, and then... I might do some things that would make you angry." This was all that Gao Fei could do; if his parents withdrew the money and didn't spend it, there would be nothing he could do about it.
"...You sly kid, you're really too cunning..." Gao Changhai cursed, "Even conniving against your own parents! Well done!"
"I'm totally doing this for your own good," Gao Fei said helplessly, "If I don't do this, you definitely won't use the money in the bank card. Dad, Mom, I am your son, and you raised me. It is only right for me to repay you. Besides, your son has money now, a lot of it. Just spend it freely, it's no problem."
"Okay, we'll spend money, spend your money, happy now?"
"Keep your word, okay? I will be checking periodically. We're about to build a new house, right? Make sure it's built well, get good decor, buy more furniture, appliances, etc. If the money isn't enough, just call me."
"Got it."
...
The next day, Gao Fei drove away.
Through the rear-view mirror, Gao Fei could clearly see his father waving goodbye and his mother's eyes turning red, soon followed by tears trickling down. Despite their calm appearance, deep down, they really didn't want to let Gao Fei go.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. Once my career is stable, I'll come back to see you more often," Gao Fei silently promised in his heart.
The greatest love in the world comes from parents.
The most selfless love also comes from parents.
No matter if they are rich or poor, you should honor them well and do your utmost to fulfill filial duties.
Don't wait until they are gone to feel regret.
...
At the entrance to the village.
"Let's go, let's head back," Gao Changhai patted the fragile shoulder of Zhao Qin, "No more crying; our son will be back soon."
Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Zhao Qin said, "Our son has become successful, and my heart is really happy. I don't ask for anything else in this life, I only hope that my son can be healthy and happy."
"Me too," Gao Changhai said with a smile, "As long as our son is doing well, I am happy."
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