Chapter 198 - 126: The Saintess Is No Longer Saintly

Chapter 198: Chapter 126: The Saintess Is No Longer Saintly

Su Ran had always been curious why Xie Yiren was so determined to develop her hometown, as if it were a mission she absolutely had to complete.

Ah Weng, however, was skeptical, though he didn’t let it show. Xie Yiren had previously told him about Su Ran’s plan to build a road, but Ah Weng had dismissed it as youthful naivete. Even with Su Ran here in the flesh, he still found it hard to believe. Building a road was an incredibly expensive undertaking. His biggest worry was that ’the city is full of traps, and my Yiren is too naive.’ He thought, ’Those rich city folk are rotten to the core. He’s probably just using ’building a road’ as a pretext to take advantage of her.’ Because of this, Ah Weng had argued with Xie Yiren several times, but she would always insist, "Su Ran is a good person. He would never do that."

It had made Ah Weng so angry he felt his blood pressure spike. But now, seeing Su Ran, he realized the man wasn’t what he’d imagined. He was gentle and carried a scholarly air. ’So what?’ he thought. ’There are plenty of wolves in sheep’s clothing. I can’t be too quick to trust him.’

After all, building a road wasn’t a matter of tens or hundreds of thousands, but a project costing tens, or even hundreds, of millions. No sane person would believe a rich man would make such an investment with no expectation of a return.

Despite his inner thoughts, he was still very polite on the surface, walking up to exchange a few pleasantries with Su Ran and inviting him inside to rest and have some tea.

This was a typical wooden stilt house of the Miao Clan. It had green tiles and upturned eaves, with strings of chili peppers and corn cobs hanging underneath. In the yard were a stone mill and a stone mortar for pounding rice cakes. Beyond the yard lay fertile fields, where an old man of the Miao Clan led a yellow ox.

A very primitive, idyllic scene—an undeveloped, ancient Miao Village.

Inside the house, portraits, a perpetual calendar, and a poster of Aaron Kwok were stuck to the walls.

The wooden door on the right was Xie Yiren’s bedroom. She was currently inside, changing her clothes.

Su Ran and Ah Weng sat before the stove. Firewood CRACKLED inside it, and a soot-covered iron pot hung above. As the water came to a GURGLING boil, Ah Weng used a ladle to scoop it into rooster bowls. "Please have some tea, Mr. Su."

"Thank you." Su Ran took a sip. "This is delicious. Sir, did you grow these tea leaves here yourselves?" Su Ran hadn’t used his Tongue Combat Power. He often avoided it, believing that life needed to have its simple pleasures. If he used his ability to analyze every last detail, he would understand everything instantly, and life would lose its charm.

"We grow the tea ourselves. Yiren knew I like drinking tea, so she picked and processed this batch herself." The moment he spoke of Yiren, the old man’s face beamed with uncontrollable happiness. "By the way, Mr. Su, are you here to invest? Our village doesn’t really have anything worth developing."

"Of course there is."

’Isn’t Xie Yiren waiting to be developed?’

Hooo~

Su Ran blew the froth from his tea, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Sir, you must be curious as to why I agreed to build a road for Xie Yiren. You’re worried I have an ulterior motive, aren’t you?" The old man didn’t respond, so Su Ran continued, "I’ll be direct. I promised Yiren that I would build a road for her hometown. And, well... I’m not short on cash. When I make a promise to a girl, I keep it. I don’t want to be called a liar. Of course, all of this is only possible because I have the resources. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made such an outlandish promise in the first place."

Ah Weng said, "So you’re building this road just because you promised Yiren? But have you considered that a road isn’t cheap? On your way here, didn’t you experience for yourself how treacherous the journey is?"

Su Ran replied, "I certainly felt it. All that climbing mountains and crossing rivers was very difficult. Building a road in these conditions would be a huge hassle, and the costs would multiply. But I actually looked at a map before I came. If it’s possible, let’s not build a road at all. Let’s just bore a tunnel. It’ll be simpler."

That...

Ah Weng was stunned. A tunnel was far more expensive than building bridges and roads. It might be simpler, but it would cost a fortune.

"Don’t worry about the money. I do what I say."

’The system’s paying for it anyway.’

"Really?"

"My words are no proof right now," Su Ran said. "But once I’ve finished my survey, I’ll return to the city and contact a road and bridge construction company. The road itself isn’t the main goal. What’s most important is that once it’s finished, you’ll be able to share the beautiful scenery here with the outside world. More tourists will come, and you’ll be able to sell your agricultural products elsewhere. That will bring prosperity, which is the best possible result."

The old man looked into Su Ran’s sincere eyes. He was starting to believe him, yet he didn’t dare to. ’A tunnel... It’s true, this land of the Miao Clan is surrounded by massive mountains, so a tunnel is the best solution. But it’s just too expensive! And for a stretch of seven or eight kilometers... just how much would that cost?’

’If he’s really the one paying for it, he’s guaranteed a spot in this year’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons and Top Ten Individuals Who Moved China awards.’

The old man decided to stop beating around the bush. You couldn’t tell truth from lies just by talking, after all. Still, there were some things he had to say. "Mr. Su, if you’re really going to build this road, we won’t let you foot the entire bill yourself. The city tried to attract investment before, and some private donors were willing to contribute, but it wasn’t enough. If you’re willing to pitch in, how much can you offer?"

"Whatever the shortfall is, I’ll cover it," Su Ran said without mincing words. ’It’s no big deal. The system is paying.’

The old man fell silent again, then said, "Uh... that will depend on the final cost. A road and bridge project for another village cost around 700 million. Our village’s terrain is more complex, so it would probably be closer to a billion."

"That’s fine. I’ll cover whatever is left after the other donors contribute their share. You don’t need to agonize over it anymore."