Chapter 399 – Building a Primary School
She missed her elder sister very much.
“By the way, big brother, there’s something else—I’m planning to build a primary school in the village…”
Qinghe Village was where she was born, where her big brother’s family was born and raised, and where her parents lived their entire lives and were eventually laid to rest.
Even though she had only lived on this land for five years, she knew her roots were here.
She wanted to do something for her hometown.
Yesterday, after Ning Di realized that the village didn’t have its own primary school, she made this decision.
She had always understood the importance of education.
She also knew that some people in rural areas didn’t place much value on their children’s education.
So, she decided to build a primary school and call it Qinghe Primary School.
“Once the school is built, I will bring in excellent teachers and educational resources. In the future, as long as the children in our village reach the appropriate age, they can attend school here for free until they graduate from primary school.”
“I also want to establish a scholarship fund and a financial aid fund.”
“Families facing difficulties can receive financial assistance as long as their circumstances are genuine.”
“Those with excellent academic performance can also receive scholarships.”
Ning Di knew that knowledge was the only way to change one’s fate, and she wanted to give the children of Qinghe Village this opportunity, to help them leave the mountains, and to ensure their futures became brighter.
Xu Aiguo understood Ning Di’s kind intentions.
As a father who had raised two top students at Beijing University, Xu Aiguo knew all too well the importance of education.
For instance, nowadays, when students attend university, there are government subsidies, so it doesn’t cost much at all.
Not just for university students—even high school and middle school students—just mentioning it is enough to earn respect from others.
Everyone admired top students and recognized the greatness of knowledgeable people.
Especially when a family had a child who got into university, everyone couldn’t be more envious. They would say that the family’s ancestors must have blessed them.
However, despite their envy, when it came to actually sending their own children or grandchildren to school, very few could persist.
Some were stuck in old ways of thinking, believing that since girls would eventually marry, spending money on their education was a waste.
Some families were struggling financially, unable to afford to send their children to school. Some children had to start working in the fields at a young age to help support their families.
Of course, there were also those who were shortsighted, thinking that even if education was useful, it would take many years to see any return. They preferred their children to start working early and earn money right away…
Some families lived far away, and none of the nearby villages had their own primary schools. For their children to attend school, they had to go to the primary school in the commune, and for middle school, they had to go to the county town…
For these and various other reasons, few families chose to send their children to school.
Even in recent years, as the village produced a few university and vocational school graduates, and even as the village slowly began to develop, the number of families willing to send their children to school didn’t increase by much.
But now, Xu Aiguo thought, if they really followed Ning Di’s plan and built a primary school in the village, along with setting up those scholarship and financial aid funds, the number of children attending school would surely increase significantly.
It might not just be the children from their own village who would attend; it could even attract children from other villages.
Xu Aiguo felt that his younger sister’s idea was excellent.
If he had the ability and enough money, he would want to do the same.
But…
“Little sister, your idea is great, but building a primary school requires a lot of money. And with the funds you mentioned, it would need even more—it’s almost like a continuous expense. Plus, building a school isn’t something that can be done casually; it requires official approval.”
Ning Di nodded and said, “Big brother, I know. But your little sister lacks everything except money.”
At this moment, Hans also chimed in, “Big brother, I have money too. If Ning needs it, I can help.”
Xu Aiguo was a bit confused. “How much money can you two have?”
Although his younger sister and brother-in-law had lived abroad before and had mentioned that they had lived well, Xu Aiguo wondered if they could really have enough to fund the construction of a primary school.
“Big brother, have you forgotten? I’m a medical professional…” Ning Di explained.
Ning Di was not just a medical professional; she was a renowned figure in the medical field in Country A, known internationally.
She was also a medical genius.
From a young age, she had demonstrated extraordinary talent in medicine. Her adoptive parents had noticed this and focused on her development in that area.
By her youth, Ning Di already held several medical patents, which continuously brought in substantial income each year.
Additionally, before she retired, her exceptional surgical skills sometimes led her to be invited to perform surgeries for private clients.
Each surgery was quite expensive.
Of course, those clients were willing to pay.
Combined with her previous earnings from her work as a doctor and teacher, Ning Di had amassed considerable wealth. Even after her departure, her patents would continue to provide substantial income to her designated heirs.
So, Ning Di was not short of money.
Not only could she build one primary school, but she could also afford to build ten.
As for whether the authorities would allow it, they would certainly approve.
Firstly, funding the construction of a school was a good deed, and the authorities would be very pleased to see it.
Secondly, after she returned to the country, the local officials had said that if she decided to settle here, she could make any reasonable requests, and they would try their best to fulfill them.
So, Ning Di knew that as long as she proposed the idea of building a primary school, it would definitely come to fruition.
Of course, Hans was sincere about helping his wife.
Even though he had contributed a significant amount of his assets to assist his wife in returning to the country, he still had plenty left.
In addition to the wealth he had accumulated previously, Hans was not short of money.
As for their children, they were capable individuals and did not need their parents’ money.
So, if his money could help his wife, Hans was more than willing to contribute.
“I see now…” Xu Aiguo said, feeling enlightened and somewhat shocked after hearing Ning Di’s explanation.
It seemed that in the decades they had been apart, his younger sister’s life had been even more extraordinary and impressive than he had imagined.
That’s great, that’s great!
“Alright, since that’s the case, I don’t have any objections. However, it would be better to first discuss this with the village head and the village secretary, and then have them approach the authorities.”
“Sure, I’ll leave it to you, big brother. If any funds are needed, just let me know.”
“Mm.” Xu Aiguo looked at Ning Di with a serious expression, “Little sister, I want to thank you on behalf of the village children.”
Ning Di shook her head and said, “Big brother, I am also a part of this village. This is the place where I was born and my hometown. Now that I have the ability, it’s only natural that I give back.”
