Jiang Cheng couldn't help but frown even deeper at the words. "The shoes were bought so you wouldn't have to go barefoot. What's the point of not wearing them? Besides, autumn is already here. If you keep this up, you'll get frostbite on your feet."
"It's okay, Big Brother. We're used to it."
"Yeah, we didn't wear shoes before either."
Seeing Jiang Cheng's speechless expression, Zheng Qiu explained helplessly from the side.
"Actually, it's a matter of necessity. The households in the village are quite scattered, and the children's homes aren't close together. Some live up on the mountains, some at the foot of the mountains; the distances are just too far."
"Some children are lucky; their homes are close to the school and happen to be near a paved road, so their commute is relatively easy."
Looking at the barefoot children, Zheng Qiu sighed and continued, "But some children live very far from the school. A normal walk usually takes over an hour. To get to school earlier, these children have to take shortcuts. The shortcuts are all wild grass and steep slopes, or they have to climb mountain paths. A single trip like that wears down shoes incredibly fast. I just took a shortcut up a wild slope myself—look at my shoes, they're covered in mud and the soles are starting to peel."
With Zheng Qiu's explanation, Jiang Cheng understood.
After returning yesterday, he had searched for 'left-behind children in mountain areas' on TikTok. Many of the resulting videos showed children walking mountain paths to school with flashlights before dawn.
There were also scenes of volunteer teachers trekking across mountains and rivers to conduct home visits.
For Jiang Cheng, who grew up in a big city, the transportation situation in these small villages was truly eye-opening.
Jiang Cheng couldn't help but lean down and say to them, "Wear your shoes from now on. I promise you, as long as you're still studying at this school, I'll have someone send new shoes every semester. Don't be afraid of wearing them out."
Hearing Jiang Cheng say this, the children couldn't help but grin happily and nod.
Some of the bolder children even ran over and hugged Jiang Cheng's legs.
Watching the heartwarming scene between Jiang Cheng and the children, Huang Yuqi couldn't resist taking out her phone and snapping a few photos secretly.
Zheng Qiu, watching this scene from the side, felt moved, his eyes reddening slightly. "Jiang Cheng, besides 'thank you,' I really don't know what else to say to you."
Jiang Cheng smiled and shook his head. "No need for thanks. I came here today to tell you that I plan to rebuild your school."
As soon as Jiang Cheng said this, the expressions of Zheng Qiu and Huang Yuqi froze for a moment. A few seconds later, both were beaming with joy.
"Rebuild? Are you serious?"
Seeing Zheng Qiu so excited that his eyes were turning red, Jiang Cheng patted his shoulder. "Of course it's serious, Principal Zheng. I was already considering this yesterday, but I didn't mention it then because I saw you were busy distributing supplies."
"Good, good, good... You really are a good child!" Zheng Qiu said, his voice choking up slightly.
"Jiang Cheng, I've never idolized anyone before, but from now on, you're my idol."
Huang Yuqi was telling the truth; she had never followed celebrities or had anyone she particularly admired.
But at this moment, she felt like Jiang Cheng was practically glowing.
Jiang Cheng showed understanding toward their excitement.
"I'll have someone arrange for a construction team to come. When the time comes for the demolition and reconstruction, you can bring up any suggestions you have."
Zheng Qiu nodded. "This school is indeed so dilapidated it can barely keep the rain out. To be honest, sometimes during heavy rain, water even seeps through the walls. It would be wonderful if it could be rebuilt."
"To avoid disrupting classes, construction will have to be scheduled for the winter break. I'll make sure a brand-new Hope Primary School is built for the children before the next semester starts."
Seeing Zheng Qiu's continuous thanks, Jiang Cheng waved him off and began walking slowly around the school.
By now, a vision of the brand-new Hope Primary School had already surfaced in Jiang Cheng's mind.
He walked and talked, explaining his plan to Zheng Qiu.
Listening to Jiang Cheng's grand blueprint for reconstruction, Zheng Qiu's mouth hung slightly open. He realized that what Jiang Cheng intended to build wasn't just a simple Hope Primary School.
Based on what he said—basketball courts, synthetic tracks, a soccer field, an indoor library, an audio-visual room, a music room, a multi-media activity room... wasn't this the template for the best schools in the city?
Just the materials and facilities for this trip would cost several million yuan.
One should know that building a typical two-story Hope Primary School usually only cost two hundred thousand yuan, or five hundred thousand for a better one.
PS... Since there's a lot of controversy regarding the school construction in the following chapters, let me explain here.
The first point is the issue of the school's scale.
Given the protagonist's current growth stage and his sudden wealth, his first instinct upon seeing this dilapidated school is to give these children the very best of everything.
This is just a mention; it doesn't mean it's being built immediately.
In the subsequent plot, the protagonist will come to understand, under his father's guidance, that a project of this scale for a Hope Primary School isn't beneficial in terms of public opinion or reality.
Therefore, the protagonist will later adjust the scale.
My goal in writing this is to depict the protagonist's growth.
Even wealthy people make mistakes and fall into traps; after all, no one is perfect.
Especially regarding systemic issues he has never encountered before.
I'm explaining this first so you don't flame me as you read on. *Cries a river.*