Poverty Alleviation C24

Chapter 24

Chen Mengjie guessed right—this time, the production team seemed to have discovered the “secret to viral success.” Returning to Houzhai Village for the second time, the planning team fully absorbed the “collective wisdom” of online viewers and handed the director an entirely new script direction—

Using the show’s popularity to make something big happen!

The main reason was that there were already too many rural slow-life variety shows on the market, all with similar content.

They usually just invited one or two veteran celebrities from the entertainment industry, paired them with a few young actors or actresses with built-in fanbases, and had them experience rural life together.

There were also shows similar to X-Change, where guests were sent to impoverished areas with no money, forced to survive like some kind of “wilderness survival” challenge… In short, after being thoroughly inspired by Wei Sheng, the director could no longer tolerate such cliché and socially meaningless scripts.

He wanted to try something new.

For example, just as Wei Sheng had suggested, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The idea was to leverage the show’s popularity and the credibility of the TV station to help the people of Houzhai Village find a sustainable path to prosperity.

Ironically, it was the “second-generation government official” Zhang Zexuan who accidentally stumbled upon this opportunity.

Last time, when they were selling bamboo crafts during the livestream, Zhang Zexuan had also helped sell a batch of shallow bamboo trays through the education system.

Unexpectedly, one of the parents who received the goods commented that simply having the tools wasn’t enough anymore. Since schools had introduced labor classes, the old approach of just drawing pictures and doing small crafts as “pseudo-labor” was no longer sufficient to meet curriculum requirements.

“If only there were a place that could offer a full package deal and cover all the kids’ labor practice classes for the whole year—how great would that be!”

Wait a minute… They could totally do that!

Zhang Zexuan had excitedly brought this intel back.

But this guy, raised in a bureaucratic family, had been trained to be wary of responsibility. Worried that this whole thing would end up becoming his problem, he simply passed the information directly to the director, Wang Qun.

After all, variety shows ran on pre-planned scripts—why not let the production team handle the groundwork?

Wang Qun was speechless.

These damn kids from government families—not a single one of them is easy to deal with!

Does every single one of them have 800 schemes running in their heads at all times?

But he couldn’t just push this idea aside. After all, if it worked out, it would be an achievement under his name. Strictly speaking, Zhang Zexuan had actually done him a huge favor.

And so, while Wei Sheng was on vacation, leisurely buying groceries, cooking, and livestreaming at home, the miserable Director Wang Qun dragged his equally miserable buddy Wang Yang all over the city.

One day at the Education Bureau, the next at the Cultural Bureau, then the Civil Affairs Bureau… They nearly ran their legs off before they finally got the whole thing settled.

The final decision: A trial program would be launched for third graders at J City Experimental Primary School. Using a phased study-tour model, the practical component of their labor class would be packaged separately. Students would be organized into weekend batches to travel to Houzhai Village for hands-on labor practice.

The biggest advantage? Rural areas had an abundance of labor-related activities to choose from!

A single weekend trip would allow kids to experience real labor environments—working in the fields, feeding livestock, foraging for wild vegetables, and learning basic bamboo weaving techniques from local farmers.

If they wanted to push the experience further, they could even have these pampered little brats learn to collect cow dung, clean pigsties, dig manure pits, and fertilize crops.

A couple of trips, and they’d have an entire semester’s labor class completed!

And—more importantly—it would save parents from absolute torment.

The moment this pilot program was announced, parents of third graders at the Experimental Primary School practically lost their minds with joy!

Some of them were ready to send a giant silk banner to J Province TV Station in gratitude!

“This is amazing! o(╥﹏╥)o”

“We won’t have to suffer through these damn labor class assignments anymore! Boohoohoo~”

God only knew the nightmares they had endured trying to help their kids complete the so-called “labor practice homework.” Some were even forced to buy fertilized eggs and incubators online to hatch and raise chicks at home.

And they couldn’t let the chicks die! If they did, their child’s labor class assignment would be ruined!

Just last semester, the school had a ridiculous incident—

A little kid had painstakingly grown garlic sprouts for two whole months, finally ready to submit them as his labor assignment.

But then, his rural grandmother came to visit. Seeing her grandson working late on his homework, she felt bad for him—so she plucked some garlic sprouts and made him egg pancakes.

The kid happily ate the pancakes, savoring every bite.

Then he realized—

The garlic sprouts in the pancakes were his homework.

He nearly passed out from crying.

Because of incidents like this, parents with school-aged children were now so desperate that they were seriously considering custom-ordering password-protected glass display cases to lock their kids’ homework inside!

Now, upon hearing that Experimental Primary School was piloting an outsourced labor class program, parents from other schools were seething with jealousy!

Some of the more hot-tempered ones even called the mayor’s office, demanding that the Education Bureau immediately expand this “outsourced labor class program” to every primary and middle school in the city!

“Damn this labor class! It’s like a death by a thousand cuts—every semester, it tortures parents to their limits!”

And the kicker?

The entire labor class program at Experimental Primary School would only cost 200 yuan per student per semester!

Do these education officials have any idea how much parents had already spent on farm tools, soil, fertilizer, and flower pots?! Way more than 200 yuan, that’s for sure!

“Screw the pilot program—just roll it out nationwide already!”

“I don’t care about the 200 yuan! Just don’t make me hatch chicks in my multi-million-dollar apartment! Hell, I’d gladly pay 2,000 yuan for this!”

“As long as I don’t have to hatch chicks in a house worth millions, forget 200 per semester—I’d gladly pay 2,000!”

So, even though the production team came to Houzhai Village this time without bringing any props, the director had already planned a major surprise—he brought an entire big project with him!

This time, the production team wasn’t going to bother with fake personas or scripted drama. Since their show was already obscure, they might as well embrace the chaos and go completely off the rails.

Once they settled in, the guests got busy preparing a community feast for the villagers.

Since inviting the villagers required a meeting with the village committee, after discussing the banquet details, Wei Sheng kept the village officials back for another matter.

“Uncle Tianbao, there’s something else we’d like to discuss with the village.”

“You see, once the road in the village is completed, we’d like to bring in another project. We think it’s a perfect fit for Houzhai Village. Why don’t you hear us out?”

Village chief Hou Tianbao was already a devoted fan of Wei Sheng. Before the other officials could respond, he immediately stood up and pledged his support—

“Xiao Wei, just say the word. We’ll do whatever you suggest!”

The other officials: “……”

Wei Sheng coughed lightly, pulled out the pre-printed proposal, and handed copies to the village chief and officials.

“Our production team gathered feedback online, and many viewers were worried that after the show ends, the hype will die down. If that happens, and the village’s bamboo and wood processing factory struggles again, won’t the villagers lose job opportunities?”

“So, after discussing, we took the initiative to reach out to J City Experimental Primary School. We’re planning to set up a rural labor education base here in Houzhai Village for elementary and middle school students.”

“Don’t be intimidated by the name—it’s actually a very simple partnership. It doesn’t require much investment from the village. We just need to select villagers who know how to farm, raise livestock, or forage in the mountains to guide students in agricultural activities.”

“We did a preliminary assessment and found that, based on seasonal divisions, we could start with two different packages.”

“For the spring labor education course, villagers can guide students in transplanting rice seedlings, weeding, fertilizing, transplanting vegetable seedlings, digging for bamboo shoots and wild greens, or taking them to the market to pick out and buy baby chicks, ducklings, and piglets, then teaching them how to raise them.”

“In the autumn course, the activities could include harvesting rice, picking corn, digging sweet potatoes and potatoes, pulling up radishes, gathering chestnuts and walnuts, foraging for mushrooms, picking wild fruits, or learning from villagers how to pickle vegetables and dry potatoes and radishes.”

“These tasks may seem trivial, but if this program takes off, our village’s elders could all find jobs! They’d just be guiding groups of students through farm work—practically playing around—and earning 200 yuan a day. Uncle Tianbao, do you think the villagers would be interested in that?”

What? Did that even need asking?

Forget the elderly—just hearing this made the village officials incredibly tempted!

Their official salaries averaged out to less than 100 yuan a day.

Now, just by supervising some kids doing farm work, they could make 200 yuan a day?

And from the way Wei Sheng put it, if enough students came, the demand might exceed supply.

Which meant that anyone who could do farm work could sign up?

For larger families—like the village chief’s, which had five people—that would be 1,000 yuan a day!

1,000 yuan a day—30,000 yuan a month?!

Realizing the potential profits, the village officials were suddenly fired up.

Wei Sheng had just gained several more middle-aged fanboys…

“And that’s not all,” Wei Sheng continued after taking a sip of water. “When the teachers and students come for the courses, they’ll need to eat lunch, right? That means we can set up a rural restaurant in the village.”

“We can also open a local specialties shop to sell our handmade bamboo crafts and farm products. That way, even if my side of the business struggles, the village can still sell its goods independently. And if we open a shop, won’t we need employees? That’s more job opportunities right there.”

“Plus, younger students usually come with their parents. So we must make sure the villagers guiding the tours leave a great impression on them!”

“We need to make sure the parents think Houzhai Village is beautiful—the scenery, the people, everything! That way, even after the program ends, if their kids had fun, they might bring them back for weekend trips.”

“That means Houzhai Village could develop rural tourism!” the village chief blurted out excitedly.

“Exactly! Rural tourism!” Wei Sheng gave him an approving nod. “And we need to make sure Houzhai Village has a unique brand in this industry. For example, we could specialize in family-friendly trips!”

“We could dig a fish pond, plant a small orchard, and let parents go fishing and fruit-picking with their kids.”

“We could also break down the labor education courses into smaller experiences—one-hour, half-day, and full-day packages—to make the activities more flexible and engaging.”

As Wei Sheng continued refining the plan, the cameraman, Wang Qun, was completely numb.

None of this was in the script! o(╥﹏╥)o

At this point, he didn’t even dare meet Wei Sheng’s bright, beautiful eyes—he was feeling way too guilty.

He didn’t even dare to look into Wei Sheng’s beautiful, bright eyes anymore—he was feeling way too guilty.

He and Wang Yang had been doing everything they could to push Wei Sheng into the entertainment industry. Had they made the wrong choice?

This kid was clearly more suited for entrepreneurship and business!

Just look at the rural family tourism plan he had laid out for Houzhai Village!

Wang Qun had no doubt that if Wei Sheng had enough startup capital, he wouldn’t even need the show—he could single-handedly partner with Houzhai Village and launch this project himself.

If they turned the entire village into a large-scale parent-child tourism and education base, generating tens or even hundreds of millions in annual revenue, why would he still bother fighting for a contract at a TV station?

Being his own boss sounded way better, didn’t it?

As one of Wei Sheng’s career fans, Wang Qun suddenly found himself torn.

On one side, there was the high-risk but potentially explosive success of the entertainment industry.

On the other, there was the tourism business, which required substantial upfront investment but could become a long-term, stable venture.

Sigh! Having a kid this talented was a dilemma—every path led to success, and fans of his career could literally end up fighting over which road he should take!

Behind the camera, Wang Qun was deeply conflicted.

Meanwhile, Wei Sheng—armed with the sharp business instincts inherited from his Grandfather Hu—had completely brainwashed the village officials. They were now huddled around him like a group of devout followers, eyes shining with anticipation as they waited for him to assign tasks.

No need for more talk! Boss, just give the orders!

The other guests, who had unknowingly been squeezed to the outer edges by the village officials: “……”

So this… is what being cast aside feels like?

(End of Chapter)

—In Chinese schools, labor classes (劳动课) are courses that teach students practical life skills and the value of hard work. These classes cover activities like farming, cooking, cleaning, repairing household items, and handicrafts.

In recent years, China has emphasized labor education more, making it a mandatory part of the curriculum to help students develop independence, responsibility, and appreciation for manual work.