Chapter 157: Gu Zhiheng's Choice

Watching the ghosts in the Gu family's ancestral hall depart for reincarnation, Gu Zhiheng spent the entire day alone in the hall. As the once bustling ancestral hall grew quiet, he found himself feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the stillness.

After all, he had grown up here since he was a child. This place held all his memories, bearing witness to his hard work and struggles.

Fang He could not comprehend his sudden, inexplicable sentimentality. To him, such emotions were nothing more than a waste of time and energy.

"I won't be going back. Tell my parents that I've gone out to travel and wander around on my own, and ask them not to worry about me." With a languid expression, Gu Zhiheng stood up and left the ancestral hall without even waiting for Fang He's reply.

With his tribulation successfully concluded, he had nothing left to do and found himself truly idle.

His trip to the Northwest had also essentially come to an end, and whatever remained to be handled would naturally be taken care of by others. For now, he only needed to do what he wanted to do.

He disliked the noisy clamor of the city. He wanted to find a place far away, a place where no one knew him, and simply live a quiet, ordinary life.

He did not care how prosperous his future might be; he only yearned to experience the life of an ordinary person, even if everything he wanted required his own effort and had to be started from scratch.

None of that mattered. As long as it was the life of an ordinary person, any hardship would be acceptable.

Ever since he was a little boy, he had longed to be an ordinary person. Now that the opportunity had finally presented itself, he would undoubtedly make this choice.

Leaving the ancestral hall, he wandered along aimlessly without any particular destination in mind.

Since he was driving, he did not feel tired. He just slowly moved forward, letting his feet take him wherever they pleased.

Marching onward with a completely blank mind, the further he walked, the more peaceful his heart became, until he finally arrived at a small village in the Northwest.

Gu Zhiheng explained to the village head, "My name is Ye Zheng. I'm twenty-five years old, and I've come out to experience life."

The village was very small, consisting of only twenty-odd households with a population of less than a hundred people.

Aside from the elderly, left-behind children, and women, there were virtually no adult men, who had reportedly gone away to work in other regions.

Gu Zhiheng felt that this place was quite suitable. After discussing it with the village head for a long time, the old man finally agreed to let him stay.

However, there were conditions: Gu Zhiheng had to finance the construction of a concrete road leading from the village to the town, and also help renovate the old village administrative office.

Gu Zhiheng agreed to these terms on the spot. That very day, he signed a contract with the village head, and the two of them set off to hire workers and a construction crew.

As for purchasing cement and sand, the village head insisted on handling it personally, stating that he could not trust anyone else with such matters.

Now, not only did they need to build the road and renovate the administrative office, but they also had to construct a small house for Gu Zhiheng right beside the office so that he would have a place to live.

Once these matters were settled, Gu Zhiheng paid the entire sum upfront and simply waited for the construction crew to begin work.

Before his house was built, Gu Zhiheng stayed at a local inn in town, taking the opportunity to look for a job as well.

To avoid drawing unwanted attention, Gu Zhiheng went into the city, sold his car, and traded it for a motorcycle, which appeared much more low-profile.

The clothes he bought for himself were very ordinary, and he chose everyday necessities that were as unpretentious as possible.

He wanted to completely blend in as an ordinary person, matching their appearance so that he would not stand out as strange or unusual.

"Hello, Village Head. I'm currently looking for a job and will be back this afternoon." Answering a call from the village head, who informed him that construction could begin tomorrow and asked what kind of design he wanted for his house, Gu Zhiheng was currently walking down a street. Passing by a small shop, he bought a pen and a notebook.

Squatting on the ground, he quickly sketched a rough draft. He originally intended to send a picture to the village head, but the moment he remembered the old man's basic, button-operated flip phone, he instantly dismissed the idea.

Packing up his things, Gu Zhiheng walked toward a nearby cell phone shop. It was time to get the village head a smartphone.

There were twenty-two households in the village, and all of them were still using antiquated mobile phones. On a sudden impulse, he decided to buy a smartphone for every single family.

Consider it a welcome gift from him to the entire village!

After purchasing the phones, he bought a large haul of daily necessities, various snacks, and plenty of school supplies.

He packed everything securely and tied it firmly onto the back of his motorcycle. Just as he was preparing to leave, Gu Zhiheng noticed a restaurant that was hiring a head chef.

This truly felt like someone handing him a pillow just as he was feeling sleepy!

He used to have no idea how to cook, but after recovering his memories, that skill came naturally to him. Cooking was a remarkably simple task, which meant he had managed to find a job just like that?

"Hello, Boss. Are you still hiring a chef?" he asked politely, standing aside to wait for the owner's reply.

"Yes, are you applying for yourself or someone else? I only want someone for the long term, at least three years." Looking at Gu Zhiheng's handsome appearance, the boss agreed immediately.

"For myself. If it's alright, I can start work tomorrow. You can test my cooking first before deciding whether to hire me." Gu Zhiheng suddenly felt that life had become much more fulfilling; having a job would easily pass the time.

"Alright. Here is my contact information. Come straight to me tomorrow, and we'll decide your salary after the food tasting." Putting aside everything else, just this young man's looks alone would make him a living attraction in the restaurant!

Even if he couldn't cook, he could easily work as a waiter. It didn't even matter if they paid him a higher salary—with this kid working in the shop, business was bound to boom!

Thanking the boss after receiving the confirmation, Gu Zhiheng mounted his motorcycle and drove away.

He rode very slowly along the way, mainly because he was carrying so much cargo and feared that the bumpy mud road might shake things loose or cause them to fall off.

After riding for about an hour, Gu Zhiheng finally reached the village, where the village head was waiting for him at the entrance.

"Ah, Ye Zheng is back. Why did you bring so many things? Aren't you staying at the hotel in town?" the village head asked curiously, wondering why the young man had bought so much stuff.

"Oh, these are welcome gifts for everyone—one share per family. You can help me distribute them later!" He rode the motorcycle to the village office and unloaded the cargo.

He had also bought a bundle of plastic bags at the supermarket, which would make it convenient for the village head to help him sort the items into separate packages for distribution.

"Do you know how to use a smartphone? There's one for every family, along with a share of daily necessities."

"Please accept these things. I'll probably be living here for a long time and will inevitably disturb everyone's peace, so I won't feel at ease unless you take them."

"You just need to insert your SIM cards into the phones to use them. If there's anything you don't know how to do, just ask the kids—I taught one of them how to use a smartphone yesterday."

"Make sure not to hoard the food; eat it while it's fresh, because keeping it too long will cause stomachaches."

As he helped the village head sort and pack the items, Gu Zhiheng chattered away earnestly. The old village head, who had never seen much of the world, was moved to tears.