Everything she needs, from vegetables to cooking oil to a broom, comes from a county-level supply center. She simply places orders via her phone. The steamed buns served daily are produced in a centralized kitchen in the county seat and delivered to each village dining hall before 7 am.

　　“The kitchen staff here only needs to do light prep work before meals. It really reduces our workload,“ Fang added.

　　The centralized kitchen is operated by the Luzhong Food Company, a government-supported enterprise. Li Xuebin, the company“s deputy general manager, told the Global Times that the facility has created more than 300 jobs for local communities.

　　The high-quality, standardized food products are also sold to the public and supply meals to local schools and government departments, further amplifying the project“s social benefits.

　　Each of Yiyuan“s 230 Happy Home complexes features not only a senior canteen, but also regularly operating bathhouses, barbershops, health clinics, convenience stores, and activity squares, providing “one-stop“ daily care for senior villagers.

　　In Longziyu village on the western edge of Yiyuan, village Party chief Dong Fangxin was rehearsing the village anthem with four residents in a community activity room.

　　He pointed out the window to the courtyard of the Happy Home complex, which houses various service facilities. In a room across the yard, a doctor from the township hospital was performing acupuncture treatments for villagers.

　　“We want to make sure seniors can enjoy the same convenience in their own villages that city dwellers do,“ Dong told the Global Times.

　　A system with warmth

　　In Yiyuan, eldercare is not some distant policy ideal - it starts with a hot meal, a clean bath, and a warm bed.