Chapter 658 Affluent Life
The charcoal fire was lit, the flames jumped happily, Qi Tongwei skillfully brushed oil and sprinkled seasoning on the chicken wings and meat skewers, and soon, the aroma filled the air. The eldest son Qi Dawei volunteered to sing, and his clear voice drifted away with the sea breeze. The youngest son Qi Xiaowei also clapped to the rhythm, and the laughter of the family seemed to blend into the soft night.
But just as everyone was immersed in this beautiful atmosphere, an undercurrent suddenly surged from the calm sea surface. A wave came without warning, instantly extinguishing the charcoal fire, and the food scattered all over the ground, soaked by the sea water. Qi Tongwei subconsciously protected his family, but he himself was soaked by the sea water, looking miserable. The children stopped singing in fear, their eyes full of horror, and Liang Lu was also pale and tightly grasped Qi Tongwei's arm.
For a moment, the atmosphere dropped to freezing point. Qi Tongwei looked at the mess in front of him with mixed feelings. But he quickly came to his senses, patted his family on the shoulders, and said with a smile: "It's okay, let's start over!" He bent down to pick up the ingredients that could still be used and re-lit the fire. Liang Lu also calmed down, helped wipe the tables and chairs, and comforted the frightened children.
However, misfortunes never come singly. Just as Qi Tongwei was trying to get the barbecue back on track, the sky suddenly became overcast and raindrops as big as beans fell. The sea breeze was howling, making it almost impossible to stand steadily. The barbecue at the beach was completely ruined. The family hurriedly packed up their things and rushed to the car. The rain mixed with the sea water, making everyone's clothes soaked, and they looked very embarrassed.
When they got home, the children were still frightened. Qi Xiaowei muttered, "Why are we so unlucky today?" Qi Tongwei looked at his dejected family, gathered everyone in the living room, and said earnestly, "Life is like the sea. Sometimes it is calm, sometimes it is stormy. But as long as our family is together, there is nothing we can't overcome." His words were like a ray of warm light, dispelling some of the haze.
In order to make his family feel better, Qi Tongwei suggested playing family games. Everyone sat together and played riddles and idioms, and laughter gradually filled the house again. Late at night, after the children went to bed, Qi Tongwei and Liang Lu sat on the balcony, looking out the window at the still stormy night sky.
Liang Lu said softly, "I wanted to relax today, but in the end..." Qi Tongwei held her hand and interrupted, "Although the process was not smooth, our family has become closer, and this is also a gain." He paused, and then said with emotion, "Thinking about the time when I was drifting on the sea, no matter how difficult or dangerous it was, I had to bear it alone. Now that you are by my side, I feel happy even if I encounter these small setbacks."
This "accident" of a barbecue at the beach made Qi Tongwei cherish the warmth of family even more. Since then, he has been more attentive to the growth of his children, tutoring them in homework and accompanying them in sports every day; doing housework with Liang Lu and sharing her hard work. On weekends, the family often goes out to play in the surrounding areas, visit museums, or go hiking. Every trip leaves a happy footprint.
Qi Tongwei has not stopped in his career. With his tenacity and wisdom, he continues to make suggestions for the development of his hometown. He has promoted the establishment of a fishery cooperative to allow fishermen to develop together and improve their ability to resist risks; he has introduced rural tourism projects to attract tourists with the beautiful seaside scenery of his hometown and increase the income of villagers. He travels between villages and enterprises, busy but fulfilling.
As time goes by, my hometown is getting better and better. A beautiful viewing path has been built on the beach for tourists to stroll and enjoy the scenery. The fishing village has been completely renovated, with homestays and seafood restaurants everywhere. Qi Tongwei stood on the newly built observation deck on the beach, looking at the land he loves so much, with his family's happy smiles beside him.
Qi Tongwei stood on the observation deck, looking at the prosperous scene in front of him, his heart filled with relief. The sea breeze blew gently, carrying the unique salty and humid smell of the sea, blowing his hair, his wife Liang Lu's hand gently holding his, the children were laughing and playing not far away, and their innocent smiles were like the warm spring sun, dispelling the fatigue accumulated in his heart from years of wandering. This should have been a perfect picture, announcing the perfect turn of his life, but the undercurrent of fate never stopped surging.
With the booming tourism industry in my hometown, more and more outsiders flocked to this once quiet seaside place. Capital poured in like a tide, and large tourism groups took a fancy to the unique natural resources here and intended to carry out large-scale commercial development. For a time, the tranquility of the fishing village was broken, and various conflicts and disputes followed.
At first, there was a huge disagreement between local fishermen and foreign investors on the distribution of benefits. Fishermen have lived on the sea for generations. Their ancestors worked hard in this sea area, using simple fishing boats and tough bodies to catch seafood to make a living. Now, investors plan to build large-scale bathing beaches and high-end seafood restaurants, which require the requisition of a large amount of coastline and fishing boat berths. In the eyes of the fishermen, the compensation plan is simply a drop in the bucket and cannot guarantee their future life at all.
The old fisherman, Uncle Zhang, held Qi Tongwei's hand, his eyes full of grief and helplessness: "Xiao Qi, our ancestors have been here for generations, and this sea is our lifeline. But now they are here and they are going to cut off our livelihood. How are we going to live in the future with this little money?" Uncle Zhang's rough hands were trembling, which were the traces of time left by years of pulling nets to catch fish, but now he seemed to have lost hope in life.
Qi Tongwei looked at Uncle Zhang's weathered face and felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He knew the difficulties faced by fishermen and the investors' pursuit of commercial interests. How to find a balance between the two became a difficult problem. He began to frequently shuttle between the two parties to organize negotiations. However, the process was much more difficult than he had imagined.
The investors, dressed in suits and leather shoes, sat at one end of the conference table, speaking sharply, emphasizing the huge amount of money they had invested in the early stage and the huge economic benefits they would bring to the local area in the future, and believed that the fishermen should consider the overall situation; while the fishermen, wearing worn-out raincoats and rubber shoes, walked into the conference room with the smell of the sea. Their simple words with a strong local accent told of the hardships of life and their persistence in their ancestors' industry, and every word was powerful. The two sides refused to give in, and the negotiations often reached a deadlock, and even almost turned into fierce conflicts several times. The atmosphere in the conference room was tense and quarrels continued.
At the same time, there was a split within the fishing village. Some young, strong and smart fishermen saw the business opportunities brought by tourism development and were eager to cooperate with investors to quickly live a prosperous life.