A god-tier fishing spot, anglers lined up to give me money.

The morning sun was already high in the sky, and in the rice paddies on both sides of the road, the rice ears were sprouting and turning slightly yellow.

As the wind blows, the green waves bend down and then rise again, and according to the trend, they will be ripe around mid-October.

The green waves will also turn into golden rice.

Yang Qi rode his electric scooter, placing a box containing 500,000 yuan in cash on the foot pedal.

The air was filled with the smells of earth and rice, and the sweltering heat was just what summer felt like.

Yang Qi did not go home, but went straight to the home of Yang Siwen, the village party secretary.

Yang Siwen's house is located at the east end of the village. It is a two-story building with two osmanthus trees planted in front of the door. The leaves are bright green in this season.

Yang Qi parked his car at the entrance, picked up his suitcase, walked to the door, and called inside:

Is the Party Secretary home?

There was no sound, so Yang Qi peeked inside.

The room was clean and tidy, with a pot of tea and several teacups on the table, and an oscillating electric fan on the corner of the table.

A middle-aged woman came out from the side room. She was Zhang Xiu, Yang Siwen's wife, and everyone in the village called her Sister-in-law Zhang.

"Xiao Qi!"

When Zhang Xiu saw Yang Qi, a smile immediately spread across his face.

"You've come at a bad time. Old Yang just went out to the village chief's house. He said he had something to do."

I glanced at the clock on the wall. "I reckon he'll be back around 9:30. If you're not in a hurry, sit here and wait a bit. I'll get you a glass of water."

Yang Qi hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, I'll wait for Secretary."

"Sit down, sit down!" Zhang Xiu turned around, took a glass from the cabinet, poured a glass of cool boiled water, and handed it to Yang Qi. "It's hot, have some water."

Yang Qi took the drink, sat down in the chair, and placed the box at his feet.

Zhang Xiu looked at the box but didn't ask what it was.

The two chatted casually for a few minutes, with Zhang Xiu asking Yang Qi how things were going at the reservoir.

They're talking about farm stays and such, saying they're doing good deeds.

Yang Qi said it was alright, and Zhang Xiu said her husband kept talking about her, saying she was a promising young man.

Yang Qi smiled and said a few words of modesty.

During this time, Zhang Xiu sent a message to Yang Siwen and chatted for about twenty minutes before footsteps were heard outside the door.

Yang Siwen pushed open the door and came in, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

Seeing Yang Qi sitting inside, he smiled and said, "Little Qi, you're here? Sorry to keep you waiting?"

"No, no, I just arrived too."

Yang Qi stood up.

Zhang Xiuchao winked at Yang Siwen and gestured towards the box with his lip.

Yang Siwen's gaze lingered on the box for a moment, then she nodded slightly.

"Here, Siwen, have some tea," Zhang Xiu poured tea and handed it to her.

Yang Siwen took it and drank it.

"Ah, the sun is so strong today, it's making me dizzy."

He paused, then sat down opposite Yang Qi, picked up the teapot on the table, and refilled Yang Qi's cup with water: "Xiao Qi, have you raised the money?"

"Secretary, here's 500,000. Please count it." Yang Qi picked up the box and opened it.

Yang Siwen looked at the box of money, remained silent for a moment, then reached out and closed the box: "No need to count it, I trust you."

He stood up, took a document from the inner room—it was the contract from last night.

"I'll keep the money for now, and distribute it to each household in person later. Keep your copy of the contract; from now on, this reservoir will be under your management."

Yang Qi took the contract and nodded. "Okay, that's settled then. Secretary, I'll be going now. I still have things to do at the reservoir."

"Hey, wait a minute," Yang Siwen said, stopping them.

"Is there anything else, Secretary?"

"It's nothing, it's just..."

Yang Siwen paused for a moment, then continued, "Xiao Qi, you didn't tell me about this beforehand. If you had told me sooner, I could have worked with the village chief to mobilize everyone."

"No, not that something like what happened to Yang happy occurred."

"Uh..." Yang Qi was slightly embarrassed and said with a smile, "Well, Secretary, you're busy, and I didn't want to bother you for a while."

"Okay, I'll let it go this time. Next time, please discuss it with me first."

"it is good."

Yang Siwen nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "You've helped everyone get rich. I thought about it all night after the village meeting, and I plan to go to town in a couple of days to report to the higher-ups."

"Let's see if we can get some policy support for college graduates returning to their hometowns to start businesses and boost the village's collective economy. This is encouraged by the government. If it gets approved, we can get some subsidies."

Yang Qi smiled and waved his hand: "Secretary, no need to trouble yourself. I can handle the money myself, no need for subsidies from above. If you really want to help, just keep a close eye on the agritainment business and don't let some people in the village ruin the reputation."

"Don't worry, what you're doing is a good thing, it benefits the entire Yangjia Village. I'll keep an eye on it even if you don't tell me."

As he spoke, Yang Siwen patted Yang Qi on the shoulder: "Xiao Qi, don't refuse. Do your best. We'll all try not to hold you back. If there's anything we can help with, just ask. We'll do our best to help."

"Remember, you are not fighting alone..."

"...Okay, I still need to go to the reservoir to check on the progress."

"Okay, go ahead." Yang Siwen stood up and saw him to the door. "Ride carefully on the road. I'll manage the money properly."

"Um."

Yang Qi felt a warmth in his heart. If everyone in the village had such a high level of awareness, he really wouldn't mind making money together.

I rode my electric scooter towards the reservoir.

As the car passed the intersection, people on the roadside called out to it.

"Xiao Qi!"

Yang Qi slowed down and turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

A young man dressed casually, with a yellowish-white bottom, holding a little girl who was a little over six months old in his arms.

He was tall and thin, with a slightly naive smile on his face.

Yang Qi slammed on the brakes, bracing one foot on the ground, and laughed, "Chang Sheng? When did you get back?"

Yang Changsheng walked over, the child in his arms wearing a floral onesie, chubby and with a teething toy in his mouth, staring at Yang Qi with two big, dark eyes.

Yang Changsheng glanced down at his daughter, then looked up at Yang Qi: "She came back around 1 a.m. last night."

"It's getting late."

"That's right, Xiaohua was noisy and fussy all night, and didn't fall asleep until three or four in the morning."

Yang Qi got out of the car, walked up to Yang Changsheng, looked at the child in his arms, and said, "So cute. Your daughter will definitely be a great beauty when she grows up."

"Hahaha..." Yang Changsheng bounced the child up a bit, adjusting his holding position. "She's over six months old, recognizes people, and insists on being held by me to sleep at night. Her mother can't soothe her by herself."

Yang Qi reached out and teased the child.

The little girl held the teething stick in her mouth, stared at Yang Qi for a few seconds, then suddenly let go of the teething stick, grinned with her toothless mouth, and drool dripped down the corner of her mouth.

Yang Changsheng quickly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with the shirt draped over his shoulder.

"This girl isn't shy at all," Yang Qi said, his smile widening.

"Just like me, good-natured." Yang Changsheng laughed to himself. "I heard from my dad that you've made quite a big deal out of this place. As soon as I got home last night, he kept talking to me about how your reservoir is finished and you're starting a farm stay business, and he wanted me to work with you. I originally wanted to go to your house to ask, but you weren't home, so I came here to take a look at the reservoir and road construction from afar."

The construction team you hired is quite impressive; it must have cost a lot.

"Um."

Looking at his childhood friend in front of him, Yang Qi didn't want to admit that he hadn't spent a single penny.

Yang Changsheng was two months younger than him. The two grew up together, practically naked, and went to elementary and junior high school together.

Later, Yang Qi went to university and left, while Yang Changsheng dropped out of junior high school and went to work in another city with his family.

He had a girlfriend, got married, and had a child.

We only see each other occasionally during holidays, and it's always a rushed affair.

"So, do you believe I can pull this off?" Yang Qi asked.

Yang Changsheng smiled and said, "I've already decided not to leave, what do you think?"

"You rascal," Yang Qi changed the subject, "If my grandma sees you bringing your daughter to the game, you're going to get scolded again."

"Haha, then why aren't you hurrying up?"

"Come on."

The two stood there for a while and exchanged a few words.

Just then, the roar of an engine came from afar.

The two turned their heads at the same time and saw another convoy of construction vehicles coming from the foot of the mountain. The trucks were loaded with bundles of steel bars and bags of cement, and they were driving along the newly built roadbed toward the reservoir.

Looking at the long convoy, Yang Changsheng couldn't help but say, "You've really made quite a fuss."

Yang Qi smiled and said, "It can't be too small."

He got back on the electric scooter and said to Yang Changsheng:

"I'll go check out the reservoir first. Come to my house for dinner tonight."

"Okay," Yang Changsheng replied.

"Little Flower, say goodbye to your uncle."

"Hiss, call me brother, not uncle."

Upon hearing this, Yang Changsheng burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you..."

Yang Qi didn't look back, but sped up and rode towards the reservoir.