“What’s the point of going back to the village? Everyone has left, and the village is just too poor!”

Henry Shaw suddenly began to understand Diana Brooks’s thoughts. Living here with him was far better than staying at her own home.

“Don’t worry, as long as you want to stay, of course I won’t make you leave. I’m only going to your village to see if there’s anything I can do to help the people there. We’re just going to take a look and then come back. If you want to stay home, then stay home. If you decide to come back with me, then come back with me.”

Hearing this, Diana Brooks finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “Brother Shaw, as long as you don’t drive me away, I’ll stay here. I’ll study hard and serve you well.”

“All right, tomorrow we’ll go to Xiagou Village!” Henry Shaw slapped the sofa, deciding on the spot to go visit Xiagou Village.

There was no direct road to Xiagou Village. Guided by Diana Brooks, Henry Shaw walked along the mountain path. Both of them carried large backpacks—these were things Henry Shaw had bought after hearing from Diana Brooks about the village’s poverty and inconvenient living conditions. Henry Shaw had also helped Diana Brooks buy some gifts.

The scorching sun beat down on them, and their bodies were already soaked with sweat.

As they walked, Henry Shaw kept thinking about what he knew of Xiagou Village.

After more than four hours of trekking through the mountains, Henry Shaw finally saw the village nestled among the green hills and clear waters.

In fact, to be fair, Xiagou Village was quite a scenic mountain village; the only problem was the difficult road.

Looking at the village surrounded by lush mountains and rivers from a distance, Henry Shaw even felt that the place was full of spiritual energy—every breath seemed to fill his lungs with it.

Glancing at Diana Brooks beside him, Henry Shaw thought to himself that it was precisely such a spiritually rich village that could nurture such a beautiful woman. It seemed this village did have potential for development.

Their arrival caused no stir. As Diana Brooks led the way to a dilapidated house halfway up the mountain, Henry Shaw asked, “Is that your home?”

Looking at the rundown house with a complicated expression, Diana Brooks nodded slightly and said, “Brother Shaw, our house is a bit shabby, I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine, it’s all the same wherever you live.”

“Dad… Mom…” When they reached the door, Diana Brooks called out loudly.

At that moment, an old man came out of the house, looked at Diana Brooks, and said, “You’re back?”

“Grandpa, I’m back!”

Then a few more people came out of the house, and this time everyone was much warmer. A woman rushed forward and hugged Diana Brooks, saying, “Shuixian, you’re back!” As she spoke, she began to cry.

Diana Brooks was also full of grievances, and as she hugged her mother, tears streamed down her face.

Henry Shaw stood there watching the family, feeling a surge of emotion. If it weren’t for his appearance, Diana Brooks’s fate might have taken a very different turn.

After a bout of crying, Diana Brooks remembered that Henry Shaw was still standing there and hurried to introduce him to her family.

According to what they had agreed beforehand, Diana Brooks introduced Henry Shaw as her boss, saying he was here to inspect the village and see if there were any business opportunities.

Upon hearing that Henry Shaw was their daughter’s boss, the family immediately became even more enthusiastic.

Once inside, after Henry Shaw’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized there was hardly any furniture at all. The whole house was blackened by smoke, some places were open to the air, and the bed was just a few wooden planks covered with a straw mat.

“Mr. Shaw, as you can see, this is all we have. Sorry to put you through this!” Diana Brooks’s father looked at Henry Shaw a little uneasily.

“It’s fine, I think it’s pretty good.”

Henry Shaw hadn’t come here for comfort; his main concern was repairing his dantian, so he didn’t have high expectations for living conditions. As a cultivator, he could even meditate all night without a problem.

Still, the family took his arrival very seriously and quickly used bamboo to partition off a small room for Henry Shaw to stay in.

Soon, word spread that the Chi family had a guest, and many villagers came to see.

Henry Shaw also noticed that everyone’s clothing was very simple, and some of the girls’ clothes even exposed their skin.

This place really was very poor!

That night, worried about disturbing Henry Shaw, the family went outside to sit and chatted in their local dialect for the whole evening. Henry Shaw heard them talking and crying at the same time, probably because Diana Brooks was telling them about her experiences in the provincial capital.

Henry Shaw didn’t pay much attention to what they were talking about. His mind was occupied with his own concerns. After seeing the situation here, he realized how difficult it would be to develop this place.

He tossed and turned all night and didn’t know when he finally fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

He stepped outside, feeling the warmth on his body. Diana Brooks had already fetched water for him to wash his face.

“No need, no need, I’ll do it myself.”