Chapter 683: Dance of the Snow
The success of the operation filled the village with joy, but after a brief celebration, real problems followed. Qiangzi's road to recovery was like a thorny path, and every step required enormous energy and financial resources. Physical therapy, drug assistance, and regular checkups were like heavy boulders weighing on Qiangzi's family and the entire village.
In order to help Qiangzi recover as soon as possible, the village specially arranged young people to take turns to accompany him and assist him in rehabilitation training. The women prepared nutritious meals in various ways and sent them to Qiangzi's home, hoping to help him replenish his physical strength and overcome the disease. The elderly shared their own folk remedies and health-preserving tips accumulated over the years and gave him care to the best of their ability.
However, as time went on, the financial pressure of village development and the expenditure of supporting Qiangzi's rehabilitation gradually became contradictory. At a meeting of the village committee to discuss the subsequent development plan and fund allocation, a dispute broke out.
A committee member in charge of the village's account management frowned and said worriedly: "Secretary Qi, Secretary Hou, you are also aware of the current situation of our village. Although the industry has improved, the investment in various projects is huge. For Qiangzi's matter, everyone has worked together and made a lot of efforts, but the subsequent rehabilitation costs and the money for upgrading the village's infrastructure are really difficult to balance. Take Qiangzi's rehabilitation and nursing fees, for example. A large sum of money has been spent in the past few months. If this continues, other projects will have to be suspended."
Qi Tongwei looked solemn. He knew how difficult it was. Qiangzi was exhausted for the village. They couldn't just leave him alone. He looked at Hou Liangping, hoping to work out a solution together.
Hou Liangping pondered for a moment and said, "I understand everyone's concerns, but Qiangzi's situation is special. Since we have set up a special relief fund, we can't give up halfway. At present, we must actively expand funding channels and strive for more support; on the other hand, we must optimize the expenditure of village projects and see which links can save costs."
That said, implementation is fraught with difficulties. Hou Liangping encountered many setbacks when seeking funding. Some charities said that they had too many recent relief projects and limited funds to provide large amounts of assistance to Qiangzi. As for companies, considering the return on investment, they were not interested in funding individual rehabilitation cases in a village. Even though Hou Liangping took great pains to introduce the development potential of the village, only a few were willing to donate money.
In order to save money, some planned tourism facility upgrade projects in the village had to be temporarily shelved. This caused dissatisfaction among some villagers, especially those families who rely on the tourism industry for income. The young tour guide Xiao Li found Qi Tongwei and complained: "Secretary Qi, our village has finally become famous, and there are more and more tourists, but now due to funding problems, the rest pavilions in the scenic area are not built, and the road signs are not updated. The tourist experience is getting worse and worse. Isn't this damaging our own reputation? If this continues, everyone's income will be affected. We supported Qiangzi without hesitation, but we can't ignore the development of the village."
Qi Tongwei patiently explained: "Xiao Li, I understand what you said, but Qiangzi is still in the critical period of recovery. We can't just abandon him. The development of the village must not stop. We are trying to coordinate. Please give us some time."
Conflicts gradually accumulated, and some villagers even privately discussed that Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping were too partial to Qiangzi and sacrificed too much collective interests for him alone, disrupting the rhythm of the village's development and making everyone's "dream of getting rich" far away. These rumors were like cold rain, pouring on the hearts of the two village cadres.
Facing internal doubts and external pressure, Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping did not back down. They knew that if they could not properly solve the problem at this moment, the cohesion that the village had worked hard to accumulate would dissipate again. The two decided to hold another general meeting of all villagers, disclose the village's detailed accounts, development plans, and Qiangzi's recovery to everyone, and seek solutions openly and honestly.
On the day of the meeting, the villagers arrived at the venue early, and the atmosphere was somewhat solemn. Qi Tongwei walked onto the stage, cleared his throat, and said, "Fellow villagers, I called you all here today to talk about the difficulties our village is currently facing. Secretary Hou and I remember all the help you have given to Qiangzi. Without your efforts, Qiangzi would not have recovered to this extent. But I also know that the recent problem of fund allocation has affected everyone's lives and the development of the village. This is a mistake in our work, and I apologize to everyone." As he spoke, he bowed deeply to the audience.
Hou Liangping went on to say: "Our village is what it is today because of unity. Although there are many difficulties now, as long as we continue to work together, there will be no obstacles that we cannot overcome. Regarding funding, we have contacted some public welfare organizations. They are very interested in the development model of our village and are willing to provide partial financial support, provided that we further optimize the project and improve efficiency. At the same time, we are also communicating with higher authorities to strive for policy support. The special relief fund will continue to guarantee Qiangzi's rehabilitation expenses, but we will also look for more economical and effective rehabilitation methods to reduce unnecessary expenses."
The villagers in the audience began to talk among themselves as they listened to the two people's stories. The old Party branch secretary stood up and said loudly, "Everyone, stop arguing! Secretary Qi and Secretary Hou have been working hard for our village. Qiangzi is also a child we watched grow up. Now he is in trouble, we can't just ignore him. I think the solution they proposed is feasible! We can't just focus on the current difficulties, we have to work together to find a way to move forward."
The words of the old branch secretary were like a shot of adrenaline, which gradually calmed the villagers. Everyone offered suggestions, some suggested that the villagers could use the slack time in farming to spontaneously organize themselves to participate in the construction of tourism facilities to save labor costs; some suggested that they could cooperate with surrounding villages to jointly hold agricultural product exhibitions and sales activities to expand sales channels and increase income.
The old branch secretary's words gradually quieted the restless meeting place. The villagers' mood changed from anxiety to thinking, and everyone talked and discussed enthusiastically the future of the village.
Several young and strong men took the lead and said, "We have plenty of energy during the slack season. It's no big deal to build a few pavilions and pave a path. We guarantee that we can do it quickly and well, and will not delay welcoming tourists during the peak tourist season next year!" Their eyes were shining with a simple light, and their love for the village was beyond words. The women were not to be outdone, and sat together to discuss: "We can cook and boil water for the people who help, and provide good logistics support so that everyone can work more vigorously."