We drove to Happiness Village.
The village wasn't backward, but it probably wasn't wealthy either. Many of the houses were old and stood close together, perhaps because the villagers from Tang Village also lived here.
The slightly newer houses were probably where the Tang Village residents lived.
We found a larger house, planning to stay the night.
Compared with the other houses, this one was quite large, yet only one young man lived there.
And this young man was no ordinary person. He looked under thirty, yet he was the village chief of Happiness Village. His surname was also Zhang, and his name was Zhang Qihong.
When he heard that we wanted to stay for two nights, he warmly welcomed us in.
After putting away our luggage, we started chatting with him.
"Mr. Zhang, you're really impressive, becoming village chief at such a young age."
"I've never seen such a young village chief before."
Zhang Qihong smiled and said modestly, "Any villager who's at least eighteen and has lived in the village for a full year is eligible to run for election."
"Calling it a title just makes it sound grand. Really, it's all about serving the villagers and doing my part to develop my hometown."
I had to admit, young people these days really were capable.
They were well-rounded, too.
"Your surname is Zhang too. Were you originally from Tang Village?" I asked.
Zhang Qihong nodded. "There was a mudslide in Tang Village before. The place wasn't safe, and it wasn't very good for growing crops either, so everyone moved away. A lot of people moved here. I've lived in this village for over ten years myself, so I've grown attached to it."
"Besides, the two villages aren't actually that far apart."
I had wanted to ask about the