The Ambitions to Conquer the Official Career
Chapter 57 - 57 57 Ji Yang's Thoughts

57: Chapter 57 Ji Yang’s Thoughts 57: Chapter 57 Ji Yang’s Thoughts After almost a day, everyone finally entered the village.

It was a closed village, where dogs barked and chickens roamed, and pairs of eyes stared at them as they entered.

If one were alone, the gazes of the people crouching under the eaves or hiding in the bushes would likely unsettle them.

Ji Yang and his group were all incredibly fatigued, but Ji Yang was an exception; he didn’t feel much.

Even Chu Shuyuan had to be half-carried up the mountain.

Wu Changfa and the others occasionally greeted those people before entering the village committee.

After sitting down, some raggedly dressed women went to boil water and cook meals.

Chu Shuyuan was nearly exhausted, sitting there massaging her legs, and said with a bitter smile, “Your village is really not easy to navigate.”

Lu Xiaoyun said, “My goodness, it’s my first time walking such mountain paths, really tough to traverse.”

Fan Chunhua said, “This is my second time here; I almost collapsed from exhaustion last time.

Thankfully, there were many people.

If I were alone, I might have fallen down the cliffs without anyone knowing.”

“That dangerous?”

Wu Changfa laughed and said, “It was because of this very situation that our ancestors settled here, otherwise who would live in such a place?”

Ji Yang nodded and said, “Our county has many mountains, and many villagers live in them, primarily to avoid chaos during wars.

Over time, they’ve propagated and now have disconnected from the outside world, with many not knowing what’s happening outside.”

Wu Laofu said, “Here, we can roughly ensure food, though it’s not very good.

There’s plenty of mountain produce.

However, purchasing daily necessities is quite challenging.”

Gu Xiaogui asked, “There’s no signal here?” Although he worked in the finance department, he had never been here before.

Zhang Feng said, “Many mountains have no signal, making it impossible to make calls.

When we handle cases, we’ve visited many villages where if someone dies, they deal with it internally without notifying us.

The external world is unaware of many of their circumstances.

Mostly, these villages are managed in a familial way.”

Ji Yang said, “From what you’re saying, this isn’t just an issue of poverty, but rather an aspiration for a better life.”

“Indeed, the young people are not staying here; they all want to go outside.

Only the elderly remain.

In time, there will be no one left to tend the fields or to care for the elderly.

That’s the most challenging issue,” Wu Changfa commented.

Ji Yang said, “Well said, a village without young people loses its liveliness and vitality.

What we need to address is precisely this issue.”

Zhang Feng said, “One big problem in these villages is the difficulty in schooling.

Nearly none of the children attend school.

Once they go outside, due to their lack of education, finding a good job is hard.

They end up in the service sector, often landing in foot massage parlors and such.”

Chu Shuyuan said, “If that’s the case, the relocation proposal mentioned by Mr.

Ji Yang now seems very good to me.

Relocating the elderly out of the mountains would improve conditions in many aspects.

Additionally, the issue of schooling needs to be addressed.

Development is hampered without education.”

Wu Changfa said, “The key issue is that many elderly are accustomed to living in the mountains and don’t want to relocate.

There are also those who have made money outside and bought apartments intending to move their elderly, but no one is willing.”

Ji Yang said, “I think it’s not that the elderly are unwilling, but that once they move out, they lack familiar faces and aren’t comfortable with the outside conditions.

If we were to build houses uniformly and allow everyone to live together, would they get used to it?”

Wu Laofu nodded slightly and said, “That’s a possibility.”

By then, Wu Laofu’s wife had already brewed some tea.

“This is old mountain tea I made myself.

Try some.”

After taking a sip, Ji Yang praised, “The mountains indeed have many good things; it’s not necessary to abandon the produce of the mountains.

We could organize young people to harvest these goods for sale, while the elders and children could live outside, significantly improving everyone’s living conditions.”

Chu Shuyuan asked, “How many people live in the mountains throughout the county?”

Ji Yang replied, “I’m not sure, but definitely many, at least a hundred thousand.”

“That many?”

“Only more, not less.”

Wu Laofu said, “Vice Mayor Ji Yang is right.

We know there are many villages in the mountains, and some have only one family living on an entire mountain.”

Ji Yang looked at Chu Shuyuan and said, “If our county could relocate a hundred thousand villagers out of the mountains, it would be a significant benefit to both the nation and the people.”

Chu Shuyuan’s eyes lit up.

She discerned Ji Yang’s intent, which, if realized, could become a historic feat.

“We’ll conduct a preliminary investigation on this issue first.

After returning, we’ll discuss it further in a meeting; I think it’s feasible.”

Ji Yang continued, “They live deep in the mountains, losing contact with the outside world.

Many live almost like wild men.

If we could get them out of the mountains and into modern society, it would be beneficial.”

Everyone listened intently to their conversation, realizing more and more how incredible this project would be.

Wu Laofu said, “Actually, since the information about life outside reached our village, everyone has been discussing it whenever they’re idle.

Everyone wants a better life; the key issue is that they don’t know what to do once they go out.”

Ji Yang nodded slightly, some ideas forming in his mind, but for now, as only a deputy mayor, he couldn’t bring them forward.