Super Zoo

"In our town," he said, "those who are young and strong are all working in the county city. The better ones can earn more than two thousand a month, and even the less skilled ones make seven or eight hundred, which is much better than farming here in town. There was a time we had investment attraction projects, but in the end, none of them took off."

Suming was somewhat familiar with the 'investment attraction' initiatives the uncle mentioned.

The government's efforts to alleviate poverty were significant. If a businessman was willing to invest in impoverished areas, the government would offer very favorable policies and even provide various subsidies.

What should have been a positive initiative led to a scam where subsidies were fraudulently claimed. Some unscrupulous businessmen were not really interested in investing; they simply targeted the subsidies and benefits offered by the government, took the money, and left, abandoning a mess in the local communities.

Suming still remembered an incident that happened a few years ago in the county: an out-of-town boss claimed to want to build a large chemical plant that would employ a thousand people. He convinced the county government to grant him a large parcel of land for the plant at no cost, and then the county government helped to mortgage this land to a bank for a loan of forty million...

But as soon as the boss got his hands on the loan, he vanished without a trace. To this day there is no sign of that factory, only a vast, unfinished building to show for it. Essentially, the county government used its own land to secure a multimillion loan from the bank, the money was taken away by the boss, and now, not only is the land mortgaged to the bank, but the remaining debt is also on the county government to repay.

Maoxi County was already impoverished, with very low fiscal revenues. After several such incidents, it was burdened with a heavy economic load, making further development even harder. From the county's leadership to the villages, there was also a wary attitude toward outside investors, resulting in an investment environment far worse than before.

This created a vicious cycle: the more the county tried to attract investments, the more it needed to invest upfront. Much of that investment ended up being wasted, leaving the county poorer, and the number of businessmen willing to invest grew fewer. Naturally, this meant that the local residents couldn't make any money.

For now, Suming couldn't concern himself with the whole county's affairs, and frankly, he neither had the responsibility nor the ability to alleviate poverty. He was simply trying to figure out how to make life a little better for the people of Sun Town; after all, this was where he'd grown up, and its people were his friends and family.

"Uncle, would you be willing to go work elsewhere, like in the city, for instance? Even though it's not much, you could make three or four thousand a month, which is a lot more than what you'd get in the county city," Suming asked.

The uncle nodded. "Going to the city would certainly be good, but I'm worried about wage arrears. I had two workmates who labored for a year in the provincial city, and guess what, it turned out to be all for nothing; they weren't paid. The boss said, 'Sue me if you can!' We're uneducated and lack connections; how could we ever win a lawsuit? I've also heard of bosses who find all sorts of excuses to cut back on wages when they make payments so that the sum you get in the end is less than half of what was initially promised. It's still better than working in the county."

Listening to their conversation, Second Uncle interjected, "Suming, you know many people in the city. If there are trustworthy bosses, introduce one to your uncle. He can work hard. If he earns more money, he can support Er Ya to continue schooling. If she could go to college like you, it would give her something to strive for in life."

Mrs. Su probably knew what Suming was thinking, but she didn't say much. She understood the difficulties of doing business, and if she made too many promises now, it would be like setting a tight noose around Suming's neck. If he couldn't deliver later, it would be even harder for him to face his hometown folks.

"Alright, I understand. If there's any job opportunity, I'll definitely prioritize people from our Sun Town first," he said.

After chatting for a while longer, Suming and his family said their goodbyes. They left the house and after a short walk, arrived at the eastern side, at Mr. Gu's place.

Mr. and Mrs. Gu had opened up more than ten acres on a hillside and, following advice from county experts, specialized in greenhouse cultivation, regularly producing off-season vegetables and fruits. He was a well-known good samaritan in town; he'd often give away his harvest to anyone who needed it, as long as it wasn't excessive. A small portion of the tomatoes that Mrs. Su ate during winter was actually gifted by Mr. Gu.

Perhaps as a reward for his good deeds, Mr. Gu had two sons. His eldest, Gu Baoxian, got into a technical secondary school in the county a few years ago, making him one of the more promising young men in town; his other son, Gu Baojun, was also doing well academically, serving as a class representative in a county school.

As they entered, the Gu family was gathered together, listening to a flamboyantly dressed woman exuberantly describing something.

"San Sheng, you're really quite diligent, attending to matchmaking duties on the first day of the new year."

Suming found this auntie rather amusing, the widow San Shengzi, who lost her husband at twenty-five and has been professionally matchmaking for thirty years since then. In over a dozen towns and villages under Maoxi County, there wasn't a soul who didn't know her. One could say that if she earned a bit of merit for every marriage she arranged, she'd have enough to qualify as some sort of minor Bodhisattva by now.

Upon seeing Suming and the others arrive, everyone at the table stood up, exchanged warm New Year's greetings with a smile, and then San Shengzi pointed to a young man sitting at the edge of the table, wearing glasses, and said, "Mr. Gu's son, Bao Xian, is already nineteen this year. We're looking to arrange a marriage for him, so when he's of age, he can get married and ease Mr. Gu's mind."

This demure young man was Gu Baoxian, and beside him, slightly younger and with two bars on his sleeve, was his brother Gu Baojun.

"Found anyone you like?" Suming asked Gu Baoxian with a grin, looking at a large assortment of photos on the table.

He smiled shyly and said, "My dad will decide."

Old Gu seemed to have started on the wine early today, his face flushed as he said, "I've found a girl for the boy; she's pretty, and her family is good. We just need to sell the vegetables and fruits from the mountain next year, and we'll have the money for the bride price."

"Oh, then congratulations are in order!" Suming said with a fist salute.

"Dad, I'd like to find a job first," Bao Xian said.

"You just focus on finding your job; it won't interfere with the arranged marriage," Mr. Gu reassured.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

San Shengzi also smiled and chimed in, "Bao Xian, you should learn from your Su Ming. Just look at him, driving a big Buick now. If you also find a good job in the future, you could lift your brother up too. When the time comes, I'll arrange another marriage for your brother."

"San Shengzi, don't drag me into this," Suming laughed heartily, simultaneously pulling out two thick red envelopes and handing them to the brothers, saying, "This is from my mom; keep it."

The subject hadn't come up yet, but once Suming mentioned it, San Shengzi quickly gathered the photos on the table and pulled out a few more from her bosom, handing them all to Mrs. Su, "Your Suming is of marrying age too. Look if there's a girl to your liking. Given Suming's prospects, and considering the lad himself, I guarantee that no girl in our county would refuse him. If you don't fancy any of these, I can look further, even if it's the mayor's daughter, I'll speak for Suming."

Mrs. Su looked meaningfully at Suming and said, "San Shengzi, I'm afraid this kid might have found someone in the city..."

"Oh oh, right, right, look at my head!" San Shengzi slapped her forehead and said to Suming, "But Suming, don't underestimate those city girls with fancy dress and flashy looks; they're all spoiled to the heavens. A wife from town would surely be better at managing a household."

Suming chuckled to himself, thinking that no matter how spoiled, they were just like Nangong Yan—quite nice actually.

After chatting for a while, Suming and his mother took their leave, visited a few more relatives and friends, had lunch outside, and by the time they got home, it was nearly dark.

Shortly after entering the house and just about to sit down for dinner, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums outside, followed by commotion and someone shouting loudly, "The wild boars are ravaging the crops!"