How can I justify myself as a Magnate if I don't indulge myself?

Anping Village's village committee courtyard just has a nice ring to it.

In reality, it's the big courtyard left behind after the former collective grain station was shut down, which was repurposed as the village office, and later became what's called the village committee courtyard.

By the time Gu Heng and his family of three arrived at the village committee courtyard, it was already bustling with people—there were quite a few of them.

Anping Village isn't very large, with only a little over a hundred households.

But even if each household only sent one representative, that would still make over a hundred people, so the originally spacious courtyard now seemed quite crowded…

"Gu Laosan is here?"

"Come, come, over here, I brought a long bench, let's sit and listen."

"Xiaoheng is here too? In the blink of an eye, he's grown into a strapping young man."

Someone with sharp eyes spotted Gu Jianguo's family of three and hurriedly greeted them with a smile.

Hearing the nickname "Gu Laosan," Gu Jianguo felt somewhat uneasy for a moment…

It had been over a decade since he was last called Lame Gu, and now suddenly being addressed as Gu Laosan, he didn't know how to respond…

Compared to Gu Jianguo, who had a touch of social anxiety, Xu Hong, the social butterfly, seemed right at home in this environment, diving straight into the crowd with a beaming face to chat people up…

Just then, someone burst out of the crowd, took Gu Jianguo and Gu Heng by the arm, and started making his way inside, saying as they walked, "Third Brother, why are you so late? The meeting is about to start.

I brought an extra long bench, come sit with me."

Looking at his overly enthusiastic uncle, Gu Heng was a bit stunned…

In his memory, this particular uncle always kept a wide berth from their family, as if afraid that coming too close might lead to some loss, and today's harmonious brotherly demeanor had almost never appeared since Gu Heng could remember…

But upon a moment's consideration, he understood…

Huang Bo once said that when he was poor and down on his luck, he was surrounded by bad people; when he became wealthy and famous, he found himself among good people…

For his mercenary uncle's family to show such a change was all too normal…

Although Gu Jianguo was slow-witted, he had, after all, eaten decades more rice than Gu Heng, so he reacted first. Father and son exchanged a smile, and with that, they were pulled by Gu Jianjun to the spot he had claimed much earlier…

"Third Brother is here? Have a seat, have a seat, this long bench was brought especially for your family."

Gu Heng's aunt was even more enthusiastic than Gu Jianjun, and upon seeing Gu Jianguo and Gu Heng, she immediately stood up with a sycophantic smile and invited the father and son to sit down…

Only after seeing that the father and son had both taken their seats did the couple then sit down beside them with a smile.

"By the way, Auntie, where's Xinran?"

Suppressing his discomfort, Gu Heng asked with a smile towards his aunt.

As the village's one and only top student, Gu Xinran was usually his aunt and uncle's most powerful bragging right. In such a large gathering where most of the village was present, it was hard for him to believe the couple wouldn't bring Gu Xinran along.

Hearing Gu Heng initiate conversation with her, his aunt's mouth stretched almost to her ears.

She was afraid Gu Heng, now successful, would still be holding a grudge against her family for their previous snobbish behavior. Now it seemed Gu Heng was willing to let bygones be bygones…

While inwardly rejoicing at having such a brilliant daughter, she replied with a smile, "We did plan to bring her along, but that darn girl said last-minute she needed to pick someone up and couldn't make it, so it's just your uncle and me who came."

Gu Heng nodded without asking further.

As more and more people arrived, the village committee courtyard became increasingly lively.

With the New Year approaching, those who worked outside had all come back, and nobody wanted to miss this big event; almost no family was absent…

A few minutes later, several middle-aged men with their hands clasped behind them ascended a platform in the center of the courtyard, where a simple yellow table and a few chairs had been arranged…

Gu Heng's eldest uncle was among those middle-aged men…

Gu Heng's seat was in the front row, quite conspicuous. Gu Jiandang could see him at a mere glance…

As soon as Gu Jiandang saw Gu Heng's face sporting a faint smile, his previously cheerful expression instantly turned sullen…

Clearly, he still held a grudge against Gu Heng for the other night's confrontation.

Gu Heng also saw Gu Jiandang's dark expression and didn't care in the slightest…

Fortune determines status, and status determines mindset.

If it were in the past, his uncle's role as a village official might have caused him some concern, and he would've considered whether this uncle could use his small amount of authority to make life difficult for his parents.

But that was only in the past.

With his current wealth, if he truly wanted to do something significant, such as opening a factory back home, he could create tens or even hundreds of jobs in an instant.

At that time, even the town mayor would have to butter him up.

Let alone his uncle, who hadn't even become the village head, just a common village official…

…

…

"Ahem! Quiet down, everyone!"

On the platform, the village chief sat in the center, pulled the meeting microphone closer to his mouth, deliberately coughed a few times, and slowly began to speak.

He had been the village chief since Gu Heng was a child and had held the position for more than a decade. He had some authority, and as his voice faded, the originally noisy village committee courtyard gradually quieted down.

Seeming quite pleased with the effect, the village chief nodded and continued, "I'm sure everyone is clear about the purpose of today's village-wide meeting, so I won't beat around the bush.

Our village's ancestral hall has been in disrepair for over three years, with the issue dragged out year after year. Now, the spiritual tablets inside are still stored in the village office. A while ago, when town officials came for an inspection, they pointed at the pile of spiritual tablets in our village office's storeroom and asked me what was going on.