chsdbacks Chapter 1012 The Greatest Philanthropist of Our Time
Chapter 1012 The Greatest Philanthropist of Our Time
Lin Haoran had a very fulfilling two days.
I visited the site of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and also took the opportunity to visit the hometown of Li Weidong and Li Weiguo, a village in Huiyang near the northeastern border of Shenzhen.
Although Li Weidong and Li Weiguo have brought their families to live in Hong Kong, they still have many relatives on the mainland.
Therefore, Li Weidong and Li Weiguo were very excited that their boss had returned to the mainland to accompany them back to their hometown, and the two grown men kept thanking Lin Haoran.
There was a reason why Lin Haoran did such a small thing.
Although Li Weidong and Li Weiguo both have a loyalty rating of 100, it doesn't mean that their boss, Lin Haoran, can treat them badly. People are all human; treat others as you would like to be treated. If you treat others well, they will treat you well in return.
Li Weidong and Li Weiguo have followed him for so many years, risking their lives together, from Hong Kong to Britain, Japan, Southeast Asia, and then to the United States, and they have never made a mistake all these years.
His survival was largely thanks to the two of them!
Such a person deserves his time and effort.
Taking them back to their hometown was a simple matter, but for the two brothers, it was a great honor.
Moreover, Lin Haoran could also take this opportunity to see the rural areas of mainland China in this era.
Li Weidong and Li Weiguo spent nearly half a day in the village with the surname Li, where they met many relatives.
Lin Haoran had visited this village a few years ago, and his first impression of it was poverty.
But this time, he was able to deeply appreciate the tremendous changes that had taken place in the village.
While other villages have muddy dirt roads, the Li family village has a brand-new cement road that leads directly to the town.
In addition, the few dilapidated but inhabited houses he had seen before had clearly been renovated.
The houses of Li Weidong and Li Weiguo's uncles and cousins have been changed from mud-brick houses to red brick houses.
Lin Haoran learned from the villagers that the Li brothers, Li Weidong and Li Weiguo, had not forgotten their hometown in recent years and had donated millions of yuan to help the village and town repair roads, houses, and schools, improving the lives of the villagers.
This was millions of Hong Kong dollars in the early 1980s, not millions decades later.
In today's rural areas of mainland China, this amount of money is enough to bring about tremendous changes to the face of a village.
The Li brothers not only repaired roads in the village, but also donated money to the village school to buy new desks, chairs and books, giving the children better learning conditions.
There were more than a dozen families in the village who were in dire need of help, and they helped them renovate their houses and sponsor their children's schooling.
When the villagers talk about the Li brothers, they all give them a thumbs up, saying that they are the most promising young men in the village. Not only have they become successful themselves, but they also help their relatives and neighbors.
Lin Haoran couldn't help but sigh, Li Weidong and Li Weiguo truly deserved to be his most trusted bodyguards, loyal and righteous people who are worthy of trust at any time.
Their loyalty is not just a promise they make, but a quality etched into their very bones.
Such a person will be respected wherever he/she goes.
Lin Haoran was not surprised that Li Weidong and Li Weiguo were able to donate over a million Hong Kong dollars.
After all, he now pays his two brothers an annual salary of over one million Hong Kong dollars, and occasionally gives them bonuses.
So, over the years, each of them has accumulated assets worth several million.
Such an income would be considered that of an average wealthy person, even in Hong Kong.
"Boss, we owe everything we have today to you." Li Weidong scratched his head and smiled憨厚ly. "We're just doing this as a token of our appreciation. No matter how poor our hometown is, it's still our root. We can't let our roots be severed, or we'll have nothing left."
Moreover, our donation is but a drop in the ocean compared to your donations to the mainland.
As Lin Haoran's personal bodyguards, the two knew more or less about Lin Haoran.
Therefore, they have always greatly admired this boss.
Lin Haoran waved his hand and smiled, "It doesn't matter how much you donate, what matters is your intention. Your intention is more important than anything else."
After leaving Huiyang, Lin Haoran returned to Pengcheng.
January 6th, morning.
Lin Haoran, Guo Xiaohan, several senior managers of the Lin Haoran Charity Foundation, and a group of leaders from Shenzhen arrived at a primary school at the foot of Bijia Mountain in Luohu District.
Here, a brand-new school will be completed today. It is the first Hope School to be completed since he founded the Lin Haoran Charitable Foundation.
When they arrived, they found that many mainland media outlets were already waiting with cameras.
A red banner was hung at the school gate, which read "Warmly celebrate the completion ceremony of Lin Haoran Hope Primary School, donated by the Lin Haoran Charity Foundation".
The children, dressed neatly, stood on both sides of the school gate, holding flowers in their hands and beaming with innocent smiles.
This wasn't Lin Haoran's first visit to this primary school.
A year and a half ago, when Lin Haoran was inspecting an industrial park of the Landmark Group in Luohu, he took shelter in this primary school located at the foot of Bijia Mountain because of a heavy rain.
At that time, the village primary school had extremely rudimentary facilities. Many of the classroom windows were broken and were haphazardly blocked with plastic sheeting and wooden boards, making a creaking sound when the wind blew.
Even the classrooms were leaking.
The students studied in this kind of environment.
The vice mayor who accompanied Lin Haoran at the time told him that there were at least a hundred primary schools like this in Shenzhen. With the reform and opening up just beginning, the limited funds in the mainland were all invested in infrastructure construction, and there was indeed not enough capacity for education.
Looking at the dilapidated classroom and the children studying in such difficult conditions, Lin Haoran was deeply moved.
For this reason, he pledged to donate 100 Hope Schools to the mainland every year.
A year and a half has passed since then, and the dilapidated village primary school has now become the brand-new Lin Haoran Hope Primary School.
Therefore, when Lin Haoran saw this school, he was overwhelmed with emotion, and many memories flooded his mind.
"Brother Haoran, isn't this school beautiful? I personally found someone to design it. I oversaw every detail during the construction process, checking everything from the classroom lighting to the height of the desks and chairs, the smoothness of the running track, and the hygiene of the toilets," Guo Xiaohan said proudly.
After Guo Xiaohan finished her postpartum confinement, she started to get busy with the charity foundation again. After all, she was the chairperson of the Lin Haoran Charity Foundation, and she naturally had to do her best in everything to represent her husband.
She seeks neither fame nor fortune, only to live up to Lin Haoran's trust in her and to be worthy of the children who need help.
Lin Haoran smiled and patted the back of her hand.
“You’ve done a great job, I’ve seen it all. This school is even better than I expected.”
"Boss, our charitable foundation has successfully completed its goal of donating 100 schools in mainland China last year, and these schools are currently under construction."
This year, although only two months have passed, we have already confirmed investments in 25 of the 100 schools we have targeted this year.
These schools are located in various cities in Guangdong Province. They are recommended to us by relevant departments, and then we send people to investigate to ensure that only schools that are truly in need are eligible for donations.
Starting next year, we will no longer limit ourselves to Guangdong Province, but expand our reach nationwide, especially to mountainous provinces such as Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, where transportation is inconvenient and many children may not even be able to attend primary school. These are our key target groups for assistance!
The general manager of the Lin Haoran Charity Foundation, a middle-aged man in his early forties wearing gold-rimmed glasses, stood behind Lin Haoran and reported in a low voice.
Lin Haoran nodded and said, "The standards cannot be lowered. Every penny must be spent wisely. We don't pursue quantity, only quality."
The goal of building 100 schools must be achieved, but more importantly, each school must be well-built so that children can truly benefit from it.
As for expanding nationwide, we can't move too quickly. We should start with pilot programs, accumulate experience, and then gradually roll it out.
"Understood." The secretary-general nodded respectfully and wrote it down in his notebook.
Guo Xiaohan took Lin Haoran's arm and said softly, "Brother Haoran, don't worry, I personally oversee every school, there won't be any problems."
Furthermore, the school's construction was handled by a construction company under the Hongkong Land Group, and all materials undergo rigorous testing, ensuring absolute quality!
Lin Haoran nodded, giving Guo Xiaohan an approving look. She was meticulous and attentive in her work, never requiring him to worry about her.
The mayor of Pengcheng looked at Lin Haoran with admiration and said, "Mr. Lin, you not only invest and develop businesses in the mainland, driving economic development, but you also care so much about education and have donated to build so many Hope Primary Schools. You are truly the greatest philanthropist of our time!"
On behalf of the people of Shenzhen, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you.
Lin Haoran waved his hand and smiled, "Mayor, you're too kind. Education is a long-term plan, and children are the future of our country. What I can do is limited; I'm just doing my bit."
I hope these children can study in a better environment and become useful members of society in the future.
The mayor nodded and said with emotion, "Mr. Lin, we will always remember your kindness. Since the reform and opening up, you have been the foreign investor who has made the greatest contribution to Shenzhen. You have not only brought capital and technology, but also advanced management experience and an international perspective."
Shenzhen's achievements today are inseparable from your support.
Lin Haoran smiled and didn't say anything more.
He didn't donate to build the school for fame or recognition; he genuinely felt it was worth doing.
In this life, he is from Hong Kong and grew up in a privileged environment. However, in his previous life, he was an ordinary rural child from the mainland and knew how difficult the educational conditions were in impoverished areas.
He personally experienced those days when he went to school in winter wearing thin clothes, walking on muddy mountain roads, shivering to keep warm, and having his hands and feet frostbitten, yet still having to do his homework.
Because of his own experience, he understands even more what education means to a rural child—it is the only way to change one's destiny.
In his previous life, he had no power to change anything, so he could only rely on his own hard work to study and gradually leave the mountains.
In this life, he has enough wealth and resources, so naturally he wants to do something for children who are just like him back then.
Donating to build schools is not for fame or recognition, but because I genuinely believe it is worthwhile and necessary to do.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Since he has the ability and it won't affect his personal life or business development, why not do it?
"Mr. Lin, the ribbon-cutting ceremony is about to begin," the mayor reminded him from the side.
Lin Haoran nodded, took Guo Xiaohan's hand, and walked to the front of the stage.
Lin Haoran and Guo Xiaohan stood side by side, with leaders from Pengcheng and foundation managers behind them, and a large crowd and several cameras in front of them.
He even spotted the same elementary school students he had seen two years ago in the crowd; they had grown up quite a bit.
They wore brand-new school uniforms, bright red scarves on their chests, and their faces beamed with smiles. Their eyes no longer held the confusion and helplessness of the past, but were filled with anticipation and hope for the future.
Looking at them, Lin Haoran felt a surge of indescribable joy. These children were witnesses to his changing destiny and the source of his motivation to give back to society.
"I hereby announce that Lin Haoran Hope Primary School is officially completed!" Lin Haoran's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone through the microphone.
Applause, cheers, and firecrackers erupted simultaneously, and the entire campus was in an uproar.
The ceremony was simple, without any extravagance or waste, and cost almost nothing.
The children waved the flowers in their hands and shouted, "Thank you, Uncle Lin! Thank you, Aunt Guo!" Their voices were childish but sincere.
Guo Xiaohan's eyes reddened.
A little girl wearing a red scarf and with her hair in a ponytail walked onto the stage, came up to Lin Haoran, and bowed deeply to him.
Lin Haoran remembered this girl; he had chatted with her the last time he came here.
The girl walked up to the microphone.
"Dear Uncle Lin, Aunt Guo, leaders, teachers, and students, good morning!"
The little girl's voice was clear and tender, but amplified by the microphone, it reached everyone's ears clearly.
She held a page of manuscript paper in her hand, the edges of which were slightly curled, clearly indicating that she had folded it repeatedly.
Her gaze swept over the sea of people below the stage, she took a deep breath, and then began to read her prepared statement.
"My name is Lin Xiaomei. I am twelve years old and a fifth-grade student at this school."
A year and a half ago, Uncle Lin came to our school for the first time. At that time, our school was very dilapidated. The classroom windows had no glass, and in winter, the cold wind would howl in. We could only huddle together and keep warm by each other's body heat.
On rainy days, the classroom roof would leak, and we would use basins, buckets, anything we could find to catch the water. Sometimes, in the middle of class, suddenly "splash!" a basin would overflow, spilling water all over the floor.
“Our desks are full of holes, and the paper often gets torn when we write; our blackboards are peeling, and sometimes the teacher’s writing is hard to read; our playground is a muddy field, and it turns into a mud puddle when it rains, so we can’t go out to play and can only sit in the classroom.”
Some adults in the audience started wiping away tears.
"But things are different now. Uncle Lin helped us build a new school! The new school is so big and beautiful. The classrooms are spacious and bright, the windows have glass, the roof doesn't leak, the desks are new, the blackboard is new, and the playground is made of cement. We can go out and play even on rainy days."
We also have a library, with so many books—we've never seen so many books before.
The little girl's voice grew louder and brighter.
"Uncle Lin, thank you! Aunt Guo, thank you! We will definitely study hard and strive to improve every day, so that we can become useful members of society in the future, just like you, and help more people in need!"
After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply to Lin Haoran, and then shyly ran off the stage.
Lin Haoran's eyes reddened slightly.
This scene was captured by CCTV, Guangdong Provincial Radio and Television, Yangcheng Evening News and other television and newspaper media in the audience.
The camera lens was pointed at Lin Haoran, flashes went off everywhere, and the shutter clicked incessantly.
Lin Haoran did not avoid the topic, nor did he wipe away his tears; instead, he let them slide down his face.
He wasn't putting on a show; he was genuinely moved by the child's words.
He has never been a sentimental person; he is ruthless and decisive in the business world, never hesitant to act.
But his heart always softens when he's with these children.
Because they reminded him of his past life, the child who wore thin clothes, walked along muddy mountain paths to school, and relied solely on shivering to keep warm in winter.
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience and lasted for a long time.
Guo Xiaohan stood to the side, tears already streaming down her face.
She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, looking at Lin Haoran and the little girl who had already left the stage, and felt an indescribable surge of emotion.
She married this man not only because he was rich, powerful, and capable, but also because he had a kind heart.
Lin Haoran stood up, walked to the microphone, and glanced at the children below the stage.
"Students, Lin Xiaomei spoke very well just now, and I was very moved. Your school used to be very dilapidated, and the learning conditions were very poor, but you did not give up and have always persisted in your studies."
This is more important than anything else.
He paused, his voice becoming even gentler.
"I grew up in a privileged family. Although I have never experienced the kind of life you have, there are countless young people from impoverished families among my employees."
They grew up in poverty just like you, or even poorer, but through their own efforts and by studying hard, they got good jobs after graduating from university. Some even became senior executives, completely changing their own destiny and allowing their parents to live a better life.
So remember, knowledge can change your destiny. Therefore, students, you must cherish the learning opportunities you have now, study hard, and make progress every day.
Don't give up just because your family is poor, and don't be discouraged because of difficult circumstances. You are no less capable than anyone else. As long as you are willing to work hard, your future will be no worse than anyone else's.
Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, and the children shouted in unison, "Thank you, Uncle Lin! We will definitely study hard!"
Lin Haoran smiled and waved to them. (End of Chapter)