Since we are all reborn, let’s arrest the senior!

The mysterious old man, named Old Chen, was thin with a full head of silver hair and a face etched with the wrinkles of time, but his eyes were remarkably sharp. One day, he approached Cheng Yu and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Young man, I've lived around here for most of my life and know this land intimately. Your method is feasible, but it's missing a crucial element." Cheng Yu looked at Old Chen curiously and quickly asked for his advice. Old Chen took a small cloth bag from his pocket containing some black powder. He explained, "This is a soil conditioner I developed myself, made from a special desert plant and several minerals. It can accelerate soil improvement." Cheng Yu was skeptical but decided to give it a try. Under Old Chen's guidance, they evenly spread the conditioner on the soil planted with salt-tolerant plants.

As time went by, a miracle slowly began to occur. Salt-tolerant plants began to thrive on the once barren saline-alkali land, and the soil's salinity gradually decreased. Seeing this change, the villagers and volunteers were greatly encouraged. However, new problems arose one after another. Due to the region's perennial drought and lack of rainfall, even with improved soil, the water supply needed for crop growth remained a major challenge.

Just as everyone was worrying about the water source problem, a water conservancy volunteer named Zhao Qiang stepped forward. Zhao Qiang was tall and strong, with tanned skin, and had participated in several water conservancy projects. Zhao Qiang proposed building a small water conservancy facility on a nearby seasonal river to divert river water to irrigation channels around the saline-alkali land. This proposal was approved by the team, but implementation was fraught with difficulties. First, building the water conservancy facility required a large amount of funds and materials, while the volunteer association's funds were limited; second, the riverbed geology of this seasonal river was complex, making construction extremely difficult.

To solve the funding problem, Jiang Zimei and Lu Mingze tirelessly sought help from all sectors of society. Their efforts garnered support from many charitable enterprises and individuals, and they quickly raised sufficient funds. Meanwhile, Zhao Qiang led the construction team to begin intensive construction. They overcame numerous difficulties, including complex riverbed geology and harsh construction conditions, working day and night on the construction site. During the construction process, a female technician named Sun Li played a crucial role. Wearing a safety helmet and with focused eyes, Sun Li was responsible for the project's quality inspection and technical guidance. Sun Li discovered that traditional concrete used in the construction process was prone to cracking under these special geological conditions. Therefore, after repeated research and experimentation, she proposed using a new type of crack-resistant concrete. This concrete not only improved the stability and durability of the water conservancy facilities but also significantly reduced construction costs.

After several months of hard work, the small-scale water conservancy facilities were finally completed. Clear river water flowed into the saline-alkali land through irrigation canals, nourishing the parched soil. Volunteers and villagers seized the opportunity and began planting crops such as wheat and corn on the improved land. To ensure a good harvest, Zhou Ting returned to the land to provide planting technology guidance to the villagers. Based on the local climate and soil conditions, she developed a scientific and reasonable planting plan and regularly organized training sessions for the villagers, imparting knowledge on pest and disease control.

In terms of educational assistance, with the deepening of the "Oasis Education Assistance Program," more and more children are coming to the ancestral hall for classes. Lin Yue gradually became overwhelmed, and at this time, a college student volunteer named Zhang Feng joined in. Zhang Feng is sunny, handsome, and full of energy. He graduated from a teacher's college with a major in educational psychology. Zhang Feng's arrival brought new vitality to the children's education. He used his professional knowledge to focus on the children's mental health, helping children who suffered from psychological problems due to family poverty or their parents working away from home to overcome their difficulties. Zhang Feng also organized various interest groups, such as football, painting, and calligraphy, to enrich the children's extracurricular life and cultivate their interests and hobbies.

Thanks to everyone's joint efforts, the villages surrounding the saline-alkali land have gradually changed. Crops are now thriving on the once barren land, creating a vibrant scene; dilapidated ancestral halls have been transformed into playgrounds for children, with the sound of children reading aloud filling the classrooms. The villagers' lives have also gradually improved, and smiles are becoming more frequent on their faces. However, the volunteer association is not content with the current achievements. They understand that to ensure the sustainable development of these villages, further industrial development and increased income for the villagers are necessary.

Following market research, the volunteers discovered that the region's abundant sunshine and large temperature difference between day and night made it ideal for growing grapes and other fruits. Therefore, they decided to help the villagers develop a grape-growing industry and establish a winery. To achieve this goal, the volunteer association invited a grape-growing expert named Liu Hua and a winemaker named Li Yang. Liu Hua, with many years of experience in grape cultivation, personally guided the villagers in planting grapes, strictly controlling every step from seed selection and cultivation to management. Li Yang was responsible for the planning and construction of the winery, introducing advanced winemaking equipment and technology to ensure the production of high-quality wines.

During the construction of the winery, a construction contractor named Wang Qiang proactively contacted the volunteer association. Wang Qiang, a burly and generous man, offered to build the winery for the villagers at a price below market value. Wang Qiang said, "I also come from a rural area and know how difficult rural development is. I feel honored to be able to contribute to my hometown." Under Wang Qiang's leadership, the construction team worked overtime and completed a modern winery in just a few months.

After the winery was built, opening up the market became another challenge. At this time, Zhao Yang once again demonstrated his marketing talent. He designed exquisite packaging for the wines and developed a detailed marketing plan. Through online live streaming and participating in wine exhibitions, Zhao Yang promoted the wines produced in this region to the national market. Soon, the wines were loved by consumers, and orders poured in. Through grape cultivation and working at the winery, the villagers' incomes increased significantly, and their living standards improved dramatically.

With the development of the grape growing industry and wineries, more and more young people are choosing to return to their hometowns. They bring new ideas and technologies, injecting new vitality into the village's development. To enrich the villagers' cultural life, Ailiya organized the establishment of a cultural activity center. The center has facilities such as a library, chess and card room, and gym, where villagers can read, entertain themselves, and exercise in their spare time. Ailiya also frequently organizes cultural performances and sports competitions, making the villagers' lives more colorful.

In this process, the volunteer association has also grown and developed continuously. More and more people have been inspired by their spirit of public service and have joined the volunteer team. The volunteer association has established a comprehensive volunteer management system, rationally assigning work positions based on volunteers' professional expertise and interests, allowing each volunteer to leverage their strengths. At the same time, the association regularly organizes volunteer training and exchange activities to improve volunteers' service levels and team cohesion. With the continuous expansion of public welfare undertakings, the volunteer association's cooperation with the local government has become increasingly close. The local government has provided policy support and financial subsidies to the volunteer association, helping them to better carry out public welfare projects. The volunteer association, in turn, actively cooperates with the government's work, contributing to local economic development and social stability. Through the joint efforts of the government and the volunteer association, this once impoverished and backward land has undergone tremendous changes, becoming a hopeful oasis.

However, the volunteer association has not forgotten its original aspiration and mission. They know that there are many other areas like this across the vast land that need help. Therefore, they began to summarize their experiences in public welfare work in the saline-alkali land and Crescent Lake Village, and formulated a more long-term development plan. They plan to promote these successful experiences to more places, helping more people escape poverty and realize their dreams.

In the days to come, the Volunteer Association will continue its arduous journey in public service. They will continuously explore innovative models of public service, integrate social resources, and provide more comprehensive and professional services to those in need. They believe that as long as everyone works together, we can surely create a better world. Every volunteer is a shining star; together, they form a dazzling starry sky, illuminating dark corners and warming countless hearts yearning for happiness. This oasis of hope will also become a monument to the volunteers' public service endeavors, inspiring more people to dedicate themselves to public service, allowing love and hope to take root, sprout, and flourish in every corner.

Over time, the Volunteer Association has achieved increasingly significant results in its public welfare work in Northwest China. Their story, after being reported by the media, has attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society. Many enterprises and social organizations have expressed their willingness to cooperate with the Volunteer Association to jointly promote the development of public welfare. During a public welfare exchange activity, the Volunteer Association met an entrepreneur named Lin Xiaofeng. Lin Xiaofeng is young and promising, and his company has achieved great success in the technology field. Lin Xiaofeng strongly agrees with the Volunteer Association's public welfare philosophy and decided to establish a special public welfare fund to support the Volunteer Association's projects in education, environmental protection, poverty alleviation, and other fields.

With Lin Xiaofeng's support, the volunteer association's public welfare work has been greatly strengthened. Utilizing a special public welfare fund, they have launched a series of public welfare projects in more areas of Northwest China. In education, they have not only built teaching buildings, libraries, laboratories, and other teaching facilities for schools in impoverished areas, but also equipped schools with advanced teaching equipment and excellent teachers. In environmental protection, they have organized volunteers to carry out activities such as afforestation, desertification control, and water resource protection, striving to improve the local ecological environment. In poverty alleviation, they have developed distinctive industries based on the actual conditions of different regions, helping farmers increase their income and achieve prosperity.

Among numerous public welfare projects, one called "Dream Takes Flight" has garnered significant attention. The main purpose of this project is to help children in impoverished areas realize their dreams. Volunteers interact with the children to understand their interests and aspirations, and then provide them with corresponding training and support. For example, for children who love music, volunteers offer musical instruments and music training courses; for children who love painting, volunteers provide painting tools and painting classes; and for children who love science, volunteers provide science experiment equipment and science lectures.

In the "Dream Takes Flight" project, there was a boy named Li Xiaoming. Li Xiaoming was a left-behind child from a remote mountainous area. He loved football, but due to his family's poverty, he had never received formal football training. After learning about his situation, the volunteers provided him with a set of professional football equipment and invited a professional football coach to instruct him. Under the coach's careful guidance, Li Xiaoming's football skills improved rapidly. After several years of hard work, he was finally selected for the local youth football team and won the championship in a provincial football competition. Li Xiaoming's success not only allowed him to realize his own dream but also inspired many more children to bravely pursue their own.

In addition to the "Dream Takes Flight" project, the volunteer association also carries out an environmental protection project called "Green Homeland." The main content of this project is planting drought-resistant plants in desert areas to combat desertification. Volunteers, in cooperation with local governments and villagers, have planted a large number of drought-resistant plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron and Hippophae rhamnoides on the edge of the desert. These plants not only stabilize sand dunes and prevent further desertification, but also provide excellent protection for the local ecological environment. During the implementation of the "Green Homeland" project, volunteers also organized a series of environmental awareness campaigns, raising the environmental awareness of local villagers. Many villagers have joined the tree-planting efforts, contributing their own strength to protecting their homeland.

With the continuous development of public welfare, the influence of volunteer associations is growing. Their deeds have not only inspired more people to devote themselves to public welfare but have also attracted international attention. Several international public welfare organizations have established connections with volunteer associations, hoping to cooperate with them to jointly promote the development of global public welfare. Through exchanges and cooperation with international public welfare organizations, volunteer associations have learned many advanced public welfare concepts and management experiences, further improving their own public welfare service levels.

In its future development, the Volunteer Association will continue to uphold the volunteer spirit of "dedication, friendship, mutual assistance, and progress," constantly expanding the scope of public welfare and innovating public welfare models to contribute to achieving social fairness and justice and promoting harmonious development between humanity and nature. They believe that as long as everyone works together, they will surely be able to create a better world where everyone can enjoy happiness and warmth. (End of Chapter)