Chapter 686: Product Slow Sales
During the project preparation stage, villagers actively participated. Some provided their own idle houses for renovation; some joined the construction team, learned advanced construction techniques, and contributed to building a beautiful home. Everyone worked together, watching the unique homestays rise from the ground, and their hearts were full of longing.
On the opening day, the village was decorated with lights and was bustling with activity. Tourists wandered among the sea of flowers, farmland and exquisite homestays, reluctant to leave. The faces of the villagers were filled with happy smiles, and all the hardships they had experienced turned into sweetness at the moment.
Standing on the stage of the villagers' meeting again, Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping's eyes were moist again. Qi Tongwei's voice was slightly choked: "Fellow villagers, we have come a long way, with many thorns, but every difficulty has not defeated us, but made us more united and stronger. Now, our good days are just around the corner, which is the result of everyone's joint efforts!" Hou Liangping continued: "In the future, there is still a long way to go, but as long as we continue to think in the same direction and work together, our village will surely become a happy home that everyone yearns for!"
The folks in the audience burst into warm applause. The rough but powerful palms slapped each other like surging waves, full of eager expectations for a better life in the future. However, in this peaceful scene, something unexpected happened. In the back row of the crowd, a young man's eyes flickered. For some reason, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it towards the stage. The stone was wrapped in an inexplicable murderous aura, drew an arc in the air, and hit Qi Tongwei's head straight.
With a muffled "bang", Qi Tongwei felt his head buzzing, and stars flashed before his eyes. Warm blood gushed out from his forehead and flowed down his cheeks. Hou Liangping was standing by and saw this. He widened his eyes, and fear and anger instantly surged in his heart. He subconsciously shouted, "What are you doing!" The roar was like thunder, and it hurt the eardrums of the people below the stage. The originally lively venue suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at the stage in astonishment.
The young man seemed to be frightened by his own actions, standing there with a pale face. But before everyone could react, Hou Liangping's long-suppressed anger completely erupted. He pointed at the young man and cursed: "How could you do such a thing! We have worked hard to get to where we are today. Can't you see how much Secretary Qi has contributed to the village? You are such a scoundrel!" He was so angry that his chest heaved violently, his eyes were red, and veins on his neck bulged.
Qi Tongwei raised his hand to wipe the blood off his face, trying to stabilize the situation. He knew that if he didn't stay calm at this moment, the conflict would further intensify. He was about to speak, but he felt dizzy and his body swayed slightly. Seeing this, Hou Liangping hurriedly supported him, his eyes full of heartache and anxiety.
The villagers below the stage began to whisper and talk among themselves. A few elderly men frowned, their faces full of confusion and dissatisfaction, as if blaming the young man's reckless behavior. But there were also a few people with unfriendly expressions. Instead of dissuading him, there was a hint of gloating in their eyes, stirring up emotions in the crowd: "Officials only know how to talk nice things, what benefits have we gained?" "That's right, life isn't getting any better!" For a while, waves of dissatisfaction rose one after another, like an undercurrent.
When Hou Liangping heard these words, he was so angry that he was shaking all over. He was about to rush off the stage to argue, but Qi Tongwei forced himself to hold him back, whispering: "Liangping, don't be impulsive, there must be a misunderstanding here." But the situation did not calm down. The villagers who were incited became more and more excited. Several of them rushed onto the stage, waving their fists, and pounced on Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping.
Hou Liangping instinctively protected Qi Tongwei behind him and raised his hands to block the punches and kicks. In the chaos, his arms were hit hard several times, and he gasped in pain, but he clenched his teeth and said nothing. He had only one thought in his mind: Qi Tongwei must not be hurt again. Although Qi Tongwei was dizzy, he was clearly aware that the situation was out of control. He shouted with all his might: "Fellow villagers, calm down! Let's talk it out!" However, the angry shouts and the muffled sounds of punches and kicks intertwined and drowned out his voice.
Seeing that the scene was about to turn into a melee, the village director, Lao Wang, was extremely anxious. He squeezed through the crowd, jumped onto the stage, and shouted with all his might, "Stop it!" His voice became hoarse due to anxiety, and finally attracted the attention of some villagers. Lao Wang stood between the two sides, panting and saying, "What are you doing! Secretary Qi and Director Hou have made great efforts to get us to where we are today. How can you repay kindness with enmity!"
These words made the impulsive villagers blush, and some slowly put down their fists, looking ashamed. But there were still some stubborn elements, muttering: "They are just pretending, how can they really help us..." Old Wang stamped his feet in anger, turned his head to look at the injured Qi Tongwei and Hou Liangping, his eyes red, full of guilt: "Secretary Qi, Director Hou, I'm sorry, I... I didn't expect this to happen."
Qi Tongwei waved his hands and forced a smile on his pale face: "Old Wang, it's not your fault. There must be a problem in communication. We need to clarify things." Although Hou Liangping was full of grievances and resentment, seeing Qi Tongwei so calm, he suppressed his anger and nodded slightly.
At this time, the village doctor rushed over and treated Qi Tongwei's wound. During the simple bandaging process, Qi Tongwei kept thinking about what caused the villagers to suddenly lose control of their emotions and make such an extreme move. He knew that it was far from enough to just calm down the chaos. If he did not dig deep into the root cause and untie the villagers' knot, the future development of the village would still be worrying.
After the wound was treated, Qi Tongwei insisted on sitting down and talking to the villagers despite everyone's dissuasion. He asked Hou Liangping to rest first, and sat among the villagers, saying softly: "Fellow villagers, I know everyone is angry about what happened today. I want to hear what exactly is causing the dissatisfaction, and let's solve the problem together." At first, the villagers all lowered their heads and kept silent, and the atmosphere was so solemn that it was suffocating.
After a long time, a middle-aged woman timidly raised her head and whispered: "Secretary Qi, we are not causing trouble on purpose. It's just that the progress of the village projects has been too slow in the past few months. There is still no sign of the new road that was promised. The children still have to walk on that muddy road to go to school, and they can't go when it rains..." Her words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples. Other villagers also opened up and complained about problems such as unsold agricultural products and the small number of workers recruited by village factories.