Qu Qiaoliang furrowed his brow, his face etched with worry. After a long silence, he said slowly, "If we plan on building housing, we could cut some timber from the mountain. Kaoshantun may lack many things, but we certainly have no shortage of wood. However, looking at the situation now, time is too tight—I’m afraid we won’t make it. And then there’s the food. Although we have some reserves, a new group of educated youth is arriving soon. Feeding so many extra mouths will be a real struggle. What are we to do?"
Jiang Rou turned her head, looked toward Secretary Li sitting in the back row with a gentle gaze, and asked softly, "Secretary Li, you are experienced and knowledgeable. In your opinion, which area should we tackle first?"
Secretary Li rubbed his temples. His expression was weary yet composed as he replied, "Don't be anxious yet. Kaoshantun has always been held together by everyone working in unison. Let’s head back and hold a meeting with the fellow villagers to discuss this together. After all, Kaoshantun belongs to everyone; as the saying goes, 'when everyone adds wood to the fire, the flames rise high.' There are always more solutions than difficulties."
Chapter 26