Chen Lin smiled at the sight. "Secretary, what brings you here?"
Chen Guoguang was beaming too. "Xiao Lin, here to check on the construction? Perfect timing. These uncles of yours have something to discuss with you. Shall we sit down at the village office?"
Chen Lin glanced at the three men behind the secretary. They were all elders from the village, of the same generation as his second uncle.
He nodded. "Sure!"
He let Su Mei and Chang Chenghu know, then followed Secretary Chen Guoguang and the others toward the village committee compound nearby.
Inside the village committee office, Chen Guoguang made tea for everyone.
They sat down, the atmosphere a little awkward.
One of the older villagers rubbed his hands together and spoke first, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Well... Xiao Lin, here's the thing. Business at your Farmhouse Courtyard is booming every day. The parked cars stretch over a mile beyond the village entrance."
"I was thinking, what if I opened a little convenience store in front of my house? Sold cigarettes, liquor, drinks, snacks, instant noodles, things like that. What do you... think?"
As soon as he finished, another villager chimed in. "Exactly! I've been watching for days too! Lots of tourists come from far away, but they have to leave after eating because there's nowhere to stay. They can only drive into the city. My house is big, with plenty of spare rooms. I was wondering if I could turn it into a guesthouse, give the tourists somewhere to stay?"
The last of the elders was the youngest, not yet forty, and seemed to have the clearest grasp of things.
"Xiao Lin, the three of us have been discussing this for a long time. We've all eaten at your place, and it's no exaggeration to say we've never