However, upon hearing this, Wu Hongguo started pondering to himself. Wu Hao, seeing his parents’ expressions, knew they had some clues, so he didn’t ask further.

He knew that his reminder would lead his parents to think in that direction. Wu Hao’s role was to follow their lead, ensuring someone was always there to protect them, no matter what they did.

Though this might cause discomfort over time, feeling like they were always monitored, it was unavoidable. With their changing status, returning to their previous way of life was impossible.

Three days later, after some preparation, the resort project Wu Hao invested in was finally ready to begin.

Wu Hao had already discussed the construction details with key company personnel during his recent visit to the city. They had been contacting contractors and selecting an auspicious day to start work.

On this day, a grand groundbreaking ceremony was held in the village. Attendees included Wu Hao, key personnel from Dongfang Yinhe Company, contractors, and some city and town leaders.

The ceremony was elaborate, befitting the city’s significant investment. Leaders who had signed contracts with Wu Hao attended.

After the ceremony, the construction team began the excavation and filling work according to Wu Hao’s plans.

Wu Hao aimed to quickly build his hilltop castle estate, so the focus was on this area first.

Complete excavation wasn’t possible yet since villagers hadn’t moved from their old houses, and the new residential area was still being decorated, taking at least another half month to finish.

Thus, full-scale construction could only begin in half a month. Meanwhile, Wu Hao concentrated the workforce on building the hilltop castle.

“Mr. Wu, based on your design, the earthwork and foundation will take at least 10 days to complete,” said a construction engineer after reviewing Wu Hao’s plans.

“Alright, 10 days it is, but you must adhere strictly to my design for quality and structure,” Wu Hao replied, satisfied with the timeline despite the challenges of building on a mountain.

The castle, over five stories high with three underground levels, had a floor height of over 6 meters, similar to commercial buildings.

The basement levels were equally high. While the construction team didn’t question why Wu Hao wanted such a castle, they knew it was part of his plan to transform Sanxi Village into a resort, likely to attract tourists.

Within days, the village became a massive construction site, with hundreds of workers and dozens of machines, many on the hilltop, working on the castle’s foundation and a road from the hill to the village.

Continuous 24-hour work transformed the hilltop, clearing vegetation and paving a simple cement road to the village.

“The foundation is almost ready. The remaining work on the castle’s base should take about 20 days,” Wu Hao was pleased with the progress, willing to pay extra for quicker completion.

Wu Hao demanded high standards for the castle’s construction, using top-quality materials and a robust structure.

In essence, Wu Hao’s castle was more like a high-spec fort than an ordinary castle.

…

On this busy construction day in Sanxi Village, some idle villagers gathered to chat.

“Although Yao Xinggui isn’t a great person, he’s pitiful now. His son is in prison, and he has no one to care for him in old age.”

“True, but even if his son wasn’t in prison, would he care for Yao Xinggui? You know his son’s character. He deserved to go to prison, being a societal menace.”

“You’re right,” another agreed. They had long seen Yao Kaiyin’s behavior, so they were glad he was gone.

Still, some sympathetic villagers felt bad for Yao Kaiyin’s father, saddled with an unworthy son, a truly unfortunate situation.