With this petition signed by all members over the age of eighteen, the next steps became simple and easy. After all, at this point, family land contracting and other systems were still just pilot projects, not even at a burgeoning stage. Once Liu Shouren presented his development plan for the Liu family’s village production team, the petition from the members was laid out, and the authorities passed it without any hesitation. The new town mayor even patted him on the shoulder kindly: "Whether maintaining the production team model or splitting production to households and contracting it out, it’s all about helping our members to shake off poverty and achieve a comfortable life as soon as possible. In this respect, you, Mr. Liu, have always been quite authoritative. If you have any good ideas about development and construction, feel free to go ahead boldly. I, along with our town’s party committee, am your steadfast supporter, ready to give you maximum support at any time!" With strong backing, strong ability, and personal dedication to the Liu family’s village production team without an ounce of ambition for power, he repeatedly refused promotions, wholly committed to benefiting his hometown. Such a straightforward and purely helpful existence that continually enhanced his political achievements was practically a model subordinate in the country, wasn’t he? Having good fortune with such a person, of course, he had to treat and support him well. Even if he couldn’t meet the people behind him, leveraging his achievements to further polish his own reputation was good enough! After all, the Liu family’s village production team falls under Luohe Town, and Liu Shouren’s outstanding performance as team leader also reflects positively on his leadership as the town mayor. This statement might be somewhat shameless. But can someone concerned about reputation navigate the officialdom effectively? Liu Shouren was also helpless regarding the mayor’s blatant, undisguised little thoughts. However, a true villain is inherently more transparent and endearing than a false gentleman. As long as this person sincerely cooperates with his work, not causing trouble or making underhanded moves, Liu Shouren says he can still accept such a direct supervisor. The two shook hands with a sincere smile, implying a mutual understanding without words. As the next year brought another blossoming spring, while other villages were actively promoting household-based production contracting, clamoring to be the decision-makers themselves, the Liu family’s village production team registered a series of enterprises: Number One Scholar Village Winery, Number One Scholar Village Wild Vegetables, Number One Scholar Village Dried Fruits, Number One Scholar Village Pickled Vegetables, Number One Scholar Village Seed Breeding Base, Number One Scholar Village Breeding Base, and Number One Scholar Village Medicinal Plant Cultivation Base. Why name it Number One Scholar Village? More than seventy percent of the members felt that while the name Liu family village was good, it lacked grandeur as a factory or trademark and was likely to be overly common. After all, with Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao, and Liu everywhere, rural settlements formed by clan villages are countless in the Republic, and Liu is a major surname. But the name Number One Scholar Village is different; after all, no village in the Republic has ever produced 213 college students without any failing. A top scholar, a top scholar, must be the absolute best in their field to be called a top scholar, right? Aiming to be first in production, quality, sales, and undoubtedly first in profits, ninety-five percent of the members quickly approved the Number One Scholar Village choice. Amid the overwhelming applause, Shuzhen, Lianshan, Wu Yinghong, and Liu Shouren, who were somewhat opposed, became discordant notes. Before their objections could be voiced, they were directly outvoted by the majority. In their glowing spirits, a series of factories and cultivation bases named after Number One Scholar Village were successively registered. Registering such a barrage of industries was like walking on many legs at once. The speed was up, but the consumption increased, and stamina was inevitably in short supply. The machines, equipment, workshops, packaging, personnel wages, and so on were truly daunting when calculated, with expenses everywhere. The village’s meager surplus dried up quickly, and Liu Shouren immediately sounded the call for fundraising and stock investment. The original down products factory was also equity-based, but the money for sewing machines, duck and goose feathers, and hiring members was taken directly from the production team’s account. After profits, they were distributed to individuals based on a certain proportion. But now members had to invest first to build the factory before seeing outcomes. With little family funds to start, holding back on investments, the raised funds from one round weren’t enough to support even half of several projects. As members worried whether to proceed slowly instead of rushing or to take the risk of getting a bank loan, their good team leader Liu Shouren sold some inherited items, and the three siblings collectively showed up with sixty thousand in funds. Not only did they fill all the financing gaps, but they also secured the seventy-year contract for a hundred hectares of movable land and two mountains from the neighboring villages. The three siblings, virtually going all-in to support the village, only took seventeen percent of the shares each. Despite providing eighty percent of the funds, they only held fifty percent of the shares. This act moved the members, who couldn’t help but praise them, repeatedly saying that having such a selfless and people-first team leader was truly a blessing from eight generations. Of course, years later, as the factories, transformed into the Number One Scholar Village Group, began to rake in money like a printing press, the higher they raised their thumbs in commendation today, the deeper their regret would run in the future. They only regretted having short-sightedness and narrow-mindedness. If they had known the group would develop and make money , they would have gone bankrupt just to buy even a fraction of a share! As for where did the Liu family’s three siblings get the money? Hehe, indeed, just like that! Adding together Liu Shouren, Lianshan, and the trio spent most of a night uncovering the deception by tearing apart the kang, digging up the treasure they buried back then. With the bank purchasing gold at 60 yuan per gram currently, sixty thousand was merely the matter of ten gold bars, wasn’t it? For others, this might be as difficult as reaching the sky, but in the eyes of these three siblings, it was truly trivial. After all, their father had a generous hand, leaving them with three hundred two-kilogram gold bricks. Not to mention the many silver yuan, antique books, albums, and such. Even Shuzhen’s forty-centimeter square rosewood box could yield tens of thousands in collateral at the bank with a few pieces of jewelry. If it weren’t for seeing their elder brother dedicated to serving the people and wanting to expand and strengthen the village officialdom, the three siblings had the complete ability to go it alone without involving the members at all. In one sentence: With gold bars in hand, I have the cash!