After returning to the city, they all went out for a meal. Afterward, Gu’er and Sun Jiaming got into a car with Grandma, Lin Shuying, and Zheng Xinghua, as they were all headed in the same direction.

Meanwhile, Li Zhi was responsible for driving Chen Fengjiao, Dingzi, and Grandma Dingzi.

After getting home and chatting for a bit, they all went to their respective rooms to sleep.

Gu’er had been in the car all day and felt dizzy and a little sick from the bumpy ride. After washing up, she lay down on the bed to wait for Sun Jiaming. By the time he finished his shower and returned, however, Gu’er was already asleep.

Sun Jiaming lovingly stroked Gu’er’s hair. Not wanting to disturb her, he lay down beside her and quietly drifted off to sleep.

In the following days, they began organizing their documents and submitting them to the relevant government departments.

Opening a nursing home and building a Hope Elementary School weren’t things you could do just because you wanted to. You needed approval from the relevant departments and all the proper permits.

They had submitted everything required, and Gu’er wasn’t in a rush, content to wait for the permits to be issued. What she hadn’t expected, however, was a phone call summoning them to a meeting with the vice mayor.

Gu’er frowned as she hung up the phone. Sun Jiaming had gone to Cao Qiu’s place. Apparently, Cao Qiu’s older brother—Sun Jiaming’s maternal uncle—was celebrating his birthday. Cao Qiu had wanted both Sun Jiaming and Gu’er to accompany her, but Gu’er didn’t want to go. She didn’t know any of the relatives on Cao Qiu’s side of the family and wouldn’t know what to say to them. The whole scene would be chaotic, and she knew she’d feel out of place. So, she told Sun Jiaming how she felt, and he didn’t force her. He just told her to rest well at home and went by himself.

Now, with Sun Jiaming away and no phone at the Cao Family’s home, Gu’er had no way to reach him. After thinking for a moment, Gu’er called Li Zhi and asked him to get Dingzi so they could go together.

"Dingzi went out with his grandmother today. What should we do? How about I go with you?"

Li Zhi hadn’t expected the vice mayor to summon them at a time like this either.

"Okay, let’s go together then. If anything comes up, we can figure it out together."

Gu’er nodded.

"Alright then. Wait for me, I’ll come pick you up."

Li Zhi hung up and went downstairs.

Gu’er got into Li Zhi’s car.

"Why do you think the vice mayor wants to see us? We haven’t done anything recently."

Gu’er asked Li Zhi. The person who called hadn’t said what it was about, only that they needed to go. Gu’er honestly couldn’t think of any reason why the vice mayor would need to see them.

"I don’t know either. You don’t think the city found out about us using those train cars to ship white sugar to the Soviet Union, do you? What if they don’t approve and want to give us a warning? If that’s the case, maybe we should just go back."

Gu’er frowned. ’If it really is about that, who knows what the city officials will say. This era isn’t like the ones to come. They could easily slap a profiteering label on us. And with us going in and out of the Soviet Union so many times, would they accuse us of being spies?’

"Don’t scare yourself. I don’t think that’s it. Could it be about the nursing home? That shouldn’t be a conflict with the city, right?"

Gu’er thought about it seriously. The only recent project of theirs was the nursing home.

"Could be. Let’s not overthink it. We’ll find out when we get there."

Li Zhi figured there was no point in guessing.

When they arrived at the government building, they signed in, and someone led them to an office.

The vice mayor was there when they entered. He invited them to sit, had someone pour them water, and after a few pleasantries, he stated his purpose for the meeting.

Gu’er glanced at Li Zhi, who happened to be looking right back at her. It was about the nursing home, just as she’d suspected.

The vice mayor’s point was this: the city didn’t have a single nursing home yet, but a village was about to build one first. This made the city look bad. He wanted Gu’er and her partners to fund the construction of a nursing home in the city as well.

Gu’er looked at Li Zhi. Although she had guessed it was about the nursing home, she hadn’t expected the vice mayor to put it like this.

"Vice Mayor, isn’t building a nursing home in the city the government’s responsibility?"

Gu’er asked, feeling a bit helpless. She was building a nursing home in the village because she felt the elderly there had hard lives. Besides, the cost of living in the village was nothing compared to the city. It wasn’t like she had money to burn.

"Yes, it is the government’s responsibility, but the government has no money. If we had the funds, we’d also like to do good things for the country and its people. The government is willing, but lacks the resources. That’s why we’ve come to you, hoping you can do your part for the government and the people. Your contribution will not be forgotten."

Gu’er was speechless. ’He’s really putting us on the spot. What can I possibly say to that?’

"Vice Mayor, if we’re unwilling, does that mean we won’t be allowed to build the nursing home in the village?"

"Not at all. No matter what, what you’re doing is a good thing. The people in the city are our people, and the people in the village are our people, too. To us, they’re all the same. We can’t forbid you from building just because you won’t invest in the city."

The vice mayor shook his head.

"Does that mean if we don’t agree, the project in the village will face restrictions?"

"No, you can rest assured on that point. You are doing a good deed for the people. We will inform the township and tell them to give you their full support."

The vice mayor shook his head again.

Gu’er and Li Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the vice mayor was a reasonable man. If he had forbidden them from building, it would have been a real problem.

But the vice mayor’s reasonableness created a different kind of problem. If he had tried to force them, they could have put up a fight. But now that he was appealing to their sense of civic duty, what could they do?

"Gu’er, Li Zhi, I know you didn’t earn your money easily. But as you can see, our city’s development is lagging far behind the major cities. We want to serve the people, we want to provide for our elderly, but we simply don’t have the money. I know you care deeply for the people in the village, but there are also many elderly people in the city who are childless, who can’t afford food, who have no one to care for them when they’re sick or help them when they can’t get around. Even with the best intentions, there are gaps in what the government can provide. This nursing home you’re proposing is a wonderful thing. It gives the elderly a place to go. It’s a great undertaking that benefits both the country and the people. I truly hope that our city, and in the future, the entire province and the whole country, will have places like this, so that the elderly can be cared for and have a place to depend on."

The vice mayor spoke to the two of them with genuine emotion.

Gu’er fell silent.

"We want our local economy to grow, but we really don’t have anything to drive that growth. If you could take the lead by building a few nursing homes in the city, perhaps it would inspire others to contribute. If everyone works together to help our city, maybe it will start to develop. Of course, we won’t force you. If you are truly unwilling, then just pretend I never said anything."

After speaking, the vice mayor looked at Gu’er and Li Zhi.

"How many?"

Gu’er asked.

"If possible, four would be best. One for each of the four main districts: north, south, east, and west."

The vice mayor stated his request to Gu’er.

"Vice Mayor, we were completely unprepared for this. It’s not a small matter, and it’s not something that can be done with a small amount of money. Can we discuss it among ourselves?"

Gu’er knew Sun Jiaming would support whatever she decided, but they were all partners in this. She couldn’t make the decision alone; she had to discuss it with Li Zhi and the others.

"Of course you can."

The vice mayor nodded.

「」

I’ve been busy for the whole seven-day holiday. Tomorrow should be clear, so if nothing comes up, I’ll post an extra Chapter. Thank you to GUCCI-no-Yun and Chen Lanhao for the peace charms, thank you to Happy Bean for the monthly pass, and thank you all for your support.