Song Tan Jishi

 For a moment, Qi Lin was really moved.

He didn't know whether he was moved by the seemingly absent words of the little branch secretary Zhu Zhu in front of him, or whether he was moved by her proposal.

But after a moment, he quickly gathered his thoughts, and then replied seriously: "I mentioned that the old man has a hard time leaving his hometown, and he really doesn't want to come over."

These young people are used to traveling around, pursuing a higher quality of life or a greater future.

But for the elderly who lived in the previous era, death was a casual but grand event. At least when they realized that they were old, they wanted to bury them in their hometown no matter what.

Otherwise, Qi Lin would not have gone out of his way to learn more about raising cattle and sheep, and would have just wanted to provide companionship and sustenance to the old man.

After all, if he wanted to live, he had to leave that barren place. He didn't want to face the embarrassment of not having enough money to support his future children.

As for now…

There are not many families left on the vast loess slopes. Even if he stayed, he would not even be able to find helpers for farming.

There are three brothers and sisters who travel together. Yan Ran comes from a well-off family and dotes on her, loves her and supports her. Tang Xiaodong comes from a well-off family, and his parents' requirement for him is to have a job.

But it was just him, and his grandfather didn't even have any other requirements. He had to suffer a lifetime, and his children just didn't have to suffer.

Qi Lin's expression gradually darkened.

However, Secretary Zhu Zhu smiled slightly, with a soft but determined smile on his slightly white cheeks trimmed in winter:

"That's because you didn't persuade me in the right place, right?"

"Come on, listen to me - you can call me back. Find a piece of wasteland in the village and tell your grandpa that it has been rented, but he is too busy at work to plant it, so he can only leave it to grow grass."

How barren the land in Huangtupo is, Party Secretary Xiaozhu, who is now deeply involved in agriculture, knows all too well. When she was a child, she read the textbooks of her relatives and learned about the hardships of a family of three moving rocks, collecting urine and feces, and working hard to open up wasteland in the mountains.

The Chinese people’s deep-rooted pursuit of land does not distinguish between regions, old and young.

"Then one more thing, food and accommodation are provided for family members here. Everyone else has family members, but you don't. Seeing that you can't take advantage, I feel like I'm at a disadvantage!"

Taking care of the family members' meals depends on their level, like Qi Lin... Now that Party Secretary Xiao Zhu spoke, Song Tan immediately nodded happily:

"Well, it's included, normal meals in the cafeteria, and accommodation. Don't you have a dormitory?"

Qi Lin was stunned.

Based on his understanding of the elderly person, if he said these two words, the other person would still talk about it at home even if he didn't come.

He looked at Party Secretary Xiao Zhu, but saw that the other party was still looking at him, with a smile on his face and his heart couldn't help but feel warm.

After a moment, he lowered his head slightly and asked softly: "Then... what if you still don't want to come?"

He had always been in a calm and unmoving state, but now there was a sudden change. As young people, Yan Ran and Tang Xiaodong on the side naturally noticed it immediately.

Then the two people clapped their elbows and winked, obviously aware of it.

This made Qi Lin obviously more uncomfortable.

But he felt uncomfortable, so he still looked back at Party Secretary Xiao Zhu seriously when he spoke.

Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, raised his eyebrows: "Qi Lin, when talking to the elderly in the countryside, don't shy away from life and death. They can even arrange their own funerals calmly and ask for the funeral ceremony to be carried out according to the standards."

Just don't be too direct and blunt. Xiaozhu, the branch secretary who just went to the countryside, didn't understand.

Her grandfather rarely mentioned these things at home, and it was not something their family had to worry about. Her ideas about funeral matters were still contained in the dogma of textbooks.

But after coming to the village for more than a year, she discovered that the older people could even discuss their own coffins calmly, invite the immortal to see them, consider performing rituals, and also talk about their own gravesites.

No matter how poor a family is, it is useless for the elderly to talk about their funeral arrangements and say that everyone is gone. Most of them still hope to live decently...

Song Tan, the seventh cousin of Zhang Wang's family, had promised to take care of things well.

In the same way, Qi Lin's grandfather may have similar thoughts.

"Why don't you do the math with your grandpa? If you can live to be 80, how many years will there be in the future? How much money can you save if you have food and shelter every year?"

"When I have enough money saved, I can go back to my hometown. I will have enough money to manage my affairs in a glorious way. No old man from all over the country will be as honorable as him."

"If you can't persuade him after these three measures, then he may be really attached to his hometown, so there is no need to force him."

At this moment, Qi Lin's heart beat like a drum.

The next moment he stood up suddenly and hurriedly walked out the door: "I'll call him right now."

When he opened the door and went out, he paused, turned around and asked, "Tell me, which piece of land should I show him better?"

Party Secretary Xiao Zhu thought for a moment: "It's next door to the plot of land contracted by the crew to plant grass. The grass buds there grow vigorously, and it seems that it has been deserted for a long time. Moreover, the large area is quite eye-catching, even if the mobile phone used by the elderly cannot see it well. It’s clear and you can roughly see it.”

"The most important thing is that if the old man really agrees to come, he is really willing to rent out the land. There are two acres in total, and one acre costs 600 per year."

A mere 1,200 yuan!

If his grandfather was willing to come, the beautiful mountains and clear waters here would obviously be more nurturing than the barren loess villages. Moreover, living together here, the elderly’s diet will no longer be compromised, and maybe they can really be well maintained!

Qi Lin pursed his lips, and finally solemnly said: "Thank you!"

After that, he ran away like a gust of wind.

When everyone looked at his back, Yan Ran exclaimed: "It looks like he is really excited."

But here, no matter how insensitive Song Tan was, he had to notice it. At this moment, he pulled Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, and asked quietly: "What's going on? Do you like him like this?"

Party Secretary Xiao Zhu laughed: "Who doesn't like being down-to-earth and stable in mood?"

"He has pretty good conditions. He has good facial features and is of a reasonable height. He goes to a prestigious university and has a simple and clear career path. He is not easily involved in other dangerous relationships - you know, those who do business or finance. And the working environment is very easy. Is it easy to adapt to different regions? "

"In addition, there is only one grandfather, and he himself is adopted. In the future, the requirements for a perfect family may be lower - and there will not be too much pressure from the outside world and family members for things like children."

Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, talked eloquently. He didn't sound like someone talking about his own feelings, but rather objectively evaluating the interviewee.

But Song Tan obviously didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and just smiled and said: "You have thought so much about it?"

Xiao Zhu, the party secretary, was helpless: "That's what I just thought about. As you know, I'm almost the same age. And if I want to move up, the leaders will put more burdens on me. Family stability is also an important assessment factor." (End of Chapter)