Chapter Thirty-Three: Heading to Jiang Village

At the An family home, the conversation from the previous day repeated itself once more: "A-Yu, are you truly certain about this?"

"If the demolition doesn't happen for another year or two, you will have missed the prime window for job hunting." Bi Lizhu looked at her daughter, still clearly disapproving of her decision.

Yet, as she glanced at the others in the family, she found that they held no objections to An Songyu's choice—not even the daughter-in-law who had only joined the family a few months prior. Feeling a sense of weariness, Bi Lizhu found she no longer had the energy to continue her attempts at persuasion.

An Songyu, however, did not overthink it. After nodding firmly, she began to exchange glances with her older brother and younger sister. After all, her mother’s efforts to dissuade her had been going on since last night. Even as An Songyu dragged her suitcase toward the door, ready to head to Jiang Village, her mother still hadn't given up.

An Songlin and An Songxiang, meanwhile, were less familiar with the situation in Jiang Village due to their school holidays. Hearing that their sister planned to stay there temporarily, they immediately began to think of all the things they wanted to know and do.

Even An Jianping, who had been busy juggling matters on both ends, felt a sense of relief. Seeing his wife’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed to knot, he quickly intervened: "Lizhu, it’s not impossible for A-Yu to stay in the village."

"Setting aside the talk of demolition, our house in the village is already built, and the orchard and silkworm shed are developing smoothly. Plus, the farmhouses run by most of the villagers are doing better and better. Even if A-Yu just stays there to learn from their experience, it’s a good thing. Otherwise, if she finds another job, it would be no different from her last one at the Xianquan Hotel—starting out as a lowly front-desk clerk. While there is no shame in any honest work, that role has very little to do with the major she studied for four years in college."

Bi Lizhu was not swayed by An Jianping’s logic. Instead, she looked her husband up and down and suddenly asked, "And what happens after she learns how to run a farmhouse? Are you thinking of investing in Jiang Village next year too? Why, do you see that others are doing well and want to jump on the bandwagon?"

"Well..." An Jianping rubbed his nose. To say he didn't have such thoughts would be a lie. Ever since Jianmin had finished building on the younger son’s homestead, not only had the fish pond business improved, but their houses had also hosted plenty of guests. And the year wasn't even half over yet!

Jianmin had recently contracted a small plot of land near the four homesteads, planning to plant the same vegetables and melons that were so popular with farmhouse guests. The people of Jiang Village had long since tasted the benefits of scaling up their operations. In the early days, when only a few people ran farmhouses and the village lacked attractions, they couldn't host as many guests in a full year as they did in a single season now.

As more villagers joined in, Jiang Village had become a well-known destination for agritourism, not just in Shun City, but throughout the surrounding region. Although some, limited by their service or skills, struggled to make money despite joining early, they knew that if they gave up now, they would have even less hope. Therefore, in Jiang Village, villagers were more than happy to help anyone who wanted to learn the trade—a rare spirit of cooperation that was hard to find elsewhere. Even after working in the city for so many years, the An family rarely encountered such opportunities.

To be honest, if it weren't for An Jianping’s deep attachment to the silk mill and the fact that his current income was a vital part of the family budget, he might have been tempted to start something himself. He felt he had been exceptionally restrained just by agreeing to support his daughter. Of course, he dared not voice any of this now.

Seeing the cold glint in his wife’s eyes, he coughed lightly and said, "If A-Yu wants me to invest, she will have to draft a plan and secure the consent of the whole family. But Lizhu, don't pin too many hopes on her. She may look determined now, but once she actually goes to the village and sees how hard the work is, she’ll realize the difficulty. Our children are all quite pampered; they can barely tell one grain from another. Finding a job in the city is one thing, but running a farmhouse in Jiang Village... I’m worried they’ll end up eating the guests' food just to survive!"

Hearing this, Bi Lizhu felt that perhaps she had been overthinking. A farmhouse was not the same as a mulberry-fish pond or an orchard, which the family only visited occasionally and could manage by hiring help. As for getting help from other relatives in the village, the two elders were already doing plenty by looking after the mulberry fields and orchards. It was too much to ask them to manage a farmhouse as well.

Besides, the eldest son, An Jianguo, had already been running a farmhouse for two years. He and his wife were usually busy enough, and during the holidays, they were so swamped that, as his sister-in-law put it, they barely had time to drink water, let alone use the restroom. With the fourth family also contracting an orchard this year and the younger uncle’s family preparing to open their own farmhouse, Bi Lizhu’s suspicions faded, and she felt a sense of relief. She finally relented and gave her permission for her daughter to return to the village. She figured that, given her daughter’s nature, she wouldn't last long there anyway.

With her parents’ consent, An Songyu picked up the suitcase she hadn't even unpacked and set off. An Songlin and his siblings watched her leave with envy. Although they were just as pampered, the novel charm of Jiang Village was far more attractive to them than their familiar routines.

Jiang Village was at its peak. The arrival of summer vacation had turned it into a goldmine. As An Songyu sat on the bus back to the village, she noticed it was much more crowded than usual. Seeing many families getting off at the village entrance alongside her, she gained a new perspective on the scale of the village's success. For a moment, she wondered if the villagers would truly be happy when the demolition finally came. After all, compared to a steady, long-term business, the value of a single, large payout was something no one could easily weigh.