Chapter 41

The members who came to the meeting were almost all present, and the village cadres had also taken their seats on the podium.

The reopening of the Tanxi Elementary School was the main topic for today, so Leonardo, as the host of this meeting, announced the start of the opening ceremony.

Despite the grand name, the ceremony was actually quite simple.

The main process involved speeches from the village cadres, followed by speeches from Summer and Logan.

When the village cadres spoke, the ten volunteers barely listened, just to show some respect. 

But when Summer and Logan spoke, they all started zoning out, whispering among themselves, clearly uninterested and reluctant to listen.

Once the speeches ended, so did the opening ceremony.

The village secretary asked everyone to applaud, and the members cooperated, clapping enthusiastically. Many children followed suit, cheering, except for the ten volunteers who didn't even lift a hand.

As soon as the ceremony ended, some of them were ready to grab their stools and leave quickly. They intended to get up as soon as the meeting was officially adjourned.

But after the applause died down, Leonardo didn't announce the end of the meeting.

They had stopped work for half a day and gathered all the villagers at the threshing ground, not just for the children. No matter how important the school reopening was, it didn't concern all the villagers.

The matters that concerned all the villagers were those related to production.

And before talking about production, Leonardo started with the usual segment of village meetings – commendations and criticisms.

Commendations naturally went to those who were diligent, excellent, and outstanding in their performance.

This list naturally included Summer and Logan, who had recently worked hard on admissions, ensuring the smooth reopening of the school.

The reasons for criticism varied.

There were those who were lazy, those who caused trouble, those who engaged in speculation, and those who stole. Minor offenders were just criticized on stage, while major offenders were sent to the commune's security team or even to labor camps.

This time, there weren't many to criticize, so the ten volunteers became the main focus.

Leonardo sternly criticized them by name, amplified by the loudspeakers at the threshing ground, accusing them of being lazy and shameless.

Henry, who was always indifferent to such criticism, remained unconcerned.

Since Henry, the one being directly named, didn't care, the others, who he often protected, cared even less. They continued to be indifferent, letting the criticism go in one ear and out the other.

Leonardo knew their attitude, so he didn't waste much time on them.

After criticizing Henry and the others, he adjusted his expression and tone, briefly summarized his points, and then handed the microphone to the village secretary to discuss the important matters of the day.

Secretary Liu took the microphone, found a suitable position, and began speaking to the members. He first talked about various recent situations in the village and then discussed the plans and goals for the upcoming year.

For farmers, the year's plan started in spring.

Only by ensuring a good spring planting could they hope for a good harvest and life for the year.

In addition to planting grains, he encouraged everyone to engage in side businesses to improve their lives.

Side businesses included raising pigs and chickens, and growing grains and vegetables in their private plots.

Secretary Liu spoke into the microphone with a measured tone, "As you all know, last year we didn't meet our village's quota for pork production. This year, no matter what, we must meet this quota. Families that can manage should raise pigs according to the two-head standard. To help everyone improve their side businesses and supplement their lives, we've invited experts from the county. These experts will teach you how to raise pigs to be fat, how to get chickens to lay more eggs, and how to take better care of your crops and vegetables to increase yields."

The reason for gathering all ten volunteers was not just for the opening ceremony but primarily to teach them how to handle side businesses.

In these times, relying solely on work without engaging in side businesses made life difficult.

These volunteers were just out of high school and didn't know much about managing life.

Having grown up in the city, they had no experience with raising pigs, chickens, or farming, so they had to be brought here to listen to the experts.

After Secretary Liu finished speaking, he handed the microphone to the expert from the county.

The expert didn't waste any time and started discussing the prepared content.

The members listened attentively.

Who wouldn't want their hens to lay more eggs, their pigs to gain more weight, and their private plots to produce more vegetables and grains? These were all money, making life better.

Summer and Logan also understood the importance of side businesses for the villagers. Even though they were now teachers, they still needed to engage in side businesses to improve their lives.

So, they went to the office, got some notebooks and pens, and took notes on the key points while listening.

Henry, on the other hand, remained indifferent, not taking it seriously.

Living a diligent life was the most boring thing for him. He just wasn't that kind of person.

At this stage, he wasn't thinking about everyday necessities; his mind was filled with youthful passion and romance.

The other nine volunteers, all centered around Henry, hadn't fully transitioned from their identity as urban high school students to rural inhabitants. They hadn't adapted to or accepted their new identity, remaining confused and inattentive.

When the meeting ended, they were the first to leave, quickly grabbing their stools and heading out together.

As they walked back to the camp, they couldn't help but complain about how long the meeting was, making their backsides numb from sitting.

Summer and Logan, of course, stayed behind to clean up the venue and desks.

After Leonardo collected the red silk and microphone, they called a few of the nearby children who were playing and asked them to help move the desks and benches back to the classroom.

The children moved the desks into the classroom, then turned and saw the blackboard at the back of the room, their eyes widening with excitement. "Wow!" they exclaimed, one louder than the next.

Summer smiled at them and said, "It's drawn to welcome you back to school. How do you like it?"

The children looked at Summer and said, "You're amazing!"