Chapter 86: Completion of the Villa

Just as Principal Gu had anticipated, with the high-level leadership paying close attention to the matter, the truth behind Wei Xinyu's plot to harm Zhou Xuan was soon uncovered. Under intense pressure and overwhelming evidence, Wei Xinyu finally confessed that the entire incident had been planned and orchestrated by him.

Ever since he had lost face to Zhou Xuan in a wager last year, and subsequently heard rumors of a date between Zhou Xuan and Liu Yixue, Wei Xinyu had harbored a deep grudge against Zhou Xuan. However, as Zhou Xuan rose to local fame for both his academic and athletic achievements, and was protected by the principal, ordinary people dared not cross him. Consequently, Wei Xinyu shifted his focus to the high school entrance examination. He secretly discarded Zhou Xuan's water bottle beforehand, and after Zhou Xuan replaced it with a new one, he instructed Fatty Jiang to buy an identical bottle from the supermarket, coat the inside with laxative, and switch it with Zhou Xuan's.

Once Zhou Xuan took the bottle home, poured water into it, and drank, it would immediately induce persistent diarrhea. In that case, Zhou Xuan's entrance exam scores would likely be ruined, making admission to the First High School utterly impossible. Although Wei Xinyu's scheme was meticulously calculated, it ultimately led to his own undoing.

In the end, Second High School decided to expel Wei Xinyu, while Fatty Jiang received a major disciplinary demerit. As for First High School, they naturally refused to accept a student of such poor moral character. Although the entrance examinations were already over, these disciplinary records would remain permanently in their files, casting a significant shadow over their future academic pursuits. As for Wei Xinyu, not a single middle school in Rongzhou City would take him in, despite his relatively decent test scores.

This incident caused quite a stir in the county, especially since the confrontations between Principal Gu's faction and Wei Xinyu's family had been so fierce. Had Li Jing not stepped in at the final hour to suppress the fallout, Principal Gu probably would have struggled to deal with Wei Xinyu and his associates. Therefore, even though Zhou Xuan kept a low profile, many people in the county learned of a young man named Zhou Xuan who had completely outmaneuvered the Wei family. Moreover, because of Wei Xinyu's actions, his father's political career was likely hanging by a thread. Although the official punishment ended with Wei Xinyu's expulsion, everyone knew that Wei Xinyu's father would hardly see any further promotion.

Later on, word spread that Zhou Xuan was actually the top scorer in the county's entrance exams and was about to attend First High School in the autumn. Consequently, parents whose children studied at First High School repeatedly warned them to behave themselves and on no account provoke Zhou Xuan of the incoming freshman class. One could say that even before stepping foot into First High School, Zhou Xuan's formidable reputation had already spread like wildfire. Everyone knew a tough competitor was arriving in the freshman class, and it would be wise to keep a low profile.

Of course, Zhou Xuan remained oblivious to these reactions. Once the matter with Wei Xinyu was settled, Zhou Xuan returned to the countryside to help his father with the final stages of house renovation.

Ever since construction began four months ago, the new house had been successfully built and decorated. When Zhou Xuan went back to inspect it, he found it looked just like a luxurious villa in the city, exceptionally magnificent. Being a detached villa nestled halfway up a mountain, it enjoyed a wide field of vision, faced south, and was surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

Standing on the third-floor balcony, looking out at the rolling hills opposite and the vast landscape below, the picturesque rural scenery was captured in a single glance. Zhou Xuan had ordered numerous stylish sofas, beds, curtains, cabinets, chairs, and televisions from the city, all of which were moved in at once. In just a few days, the interior decoration of the rural villa was complete.

However, because the paint and materials were brand new, it was not yet safe to move in. Zhou Xuan bought many potted plants known for absorbing formaldehyde and other harmful toxins from the flower market, placing several pots in every room to thoroughly purify the air. The villa was equipped to handle firewood, bottled gas, and biogas alike. To ease the burden on his grandparents, Zhou Xuan specially brought a gas tank and stove from the town so they could cook with gas whenever they did not feel like gathering firewood. Zhou Xuan knew very well that if they failed to collect enough firewood, a stretch of rainy days would make cooking a major chore.

As the villa took shape day by day, it drew endless admiration from the surrounding neighbors, most of whom remarked that the Zhou family must have made a massive fortune doing business in the city. After all, when people in the countryside built houses nowadays, they usually stopped at two floors, and many still used old clay tiles on the roof to save a substantial amount of money. The interiors often lacked floor tiles, plastered walls, or curtains.

Seeing that the Zhou family had abruptly built a three-story house complete with balconies, a rooftop terrace, curtains, floor tiles, and all sorts of exquisite lighting fixtures, the villagers gasped in astonishment. Previously, the Zhou family's financial situation had been on par with everyone else's; nobody expected that within half a year, they could build such a magnificent home, arousing immense envy, jealousy, and resentment among the neighbors.

Therefore, on July 8th, the Zhou family hosted a banquet at home for relatives and neighbors to celebrate the completion of the villa. When his cousins stepped into the multi-story house for the first time, they wore looks of sheer amazement, declaring that Zhou Xuan's villa was impeccably designed and even more gorgeous than city homes.

In the past, the Zhou family's presence in the village had been rather ordinary and unremarkable. But this time, not only did the village head show up, but the party secretary came as well, and even a deputy township head made an appearance, leaving Zhou Xuan quite speechless. Still, since they had come, it was only proper to receive them. Fortunately, Zhou Xuan let his father handle the social duties while he retreated upstairs to chat with his younger cousins.

After the meal, Zhou Xuan asked his father, "Dad, what did Deputy Township Head Li come here for?"

"What else could it be? The township has been raising funds to pave the roads lately. Seeing that our family built such a grand villa, he came to ask if we could make a financial contribution, but I didn't agree to it." Zhou Dad pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and smiled.

Hearing this, Zhou Xuan recalled that the township was indeed collecting funds for road construction. However, those roads were not paved with asphalt or concrete, but merely laid with gravel. The current road connected to the asphalt road near the township government office, yet it remained nothing more of a dirt path built years ago through the collective labor of every household.

It wouldn't be until the year 2000 that this route would be upgraded to a gravel road, while a proper concrete road wouldn't become a reality until 2007.

"Let's wait until next year. Next year, I can donate a sum of money to pave the entire township road with concrete." Reflecting on his rebirth, Zhou Xuan felt he should make a contribution to his hometown. In his past life, every time Zhou Xuan walked home from school on a rainy day, the journey was agonizingly difficult.

Zhou Dad nodded. Knowing that his son had made a substantial amount of money, he smiled and said, "You rascal, you're much wealthier than I am, and I support this decision. But the township road is about eight or nine kilometers long, which will probably cost over a million yuan. You'd better not bite off more than you can chew."

"Haha, Dad, don't worry, I know my limits." Zhou Xuan intended to donate, but he wouldn't shoulder the entire cost alone. He was confident that the township and county governments would provide some financial backing when the time came.