"Hearing all of this, they finally understood what was going on.
Indeed, it made sense.
In such a poor area, people can't possibly survive here indefinitely.
Young people are sure to venture out to cities to make a living and earn more money.
And once they have money, they might not want to return to their hometowns.
Mainly because their folks aren't there anymore, what would be the point of returning?
A big city is definitely different from a hometown.
Indeed, some aspects of city life are far more convenient.
In ordinary rural areas like these, you might have to walk quite a distance to find a convenience store.
Whereas in the city, there's almost always a convenience store under each residential block.
Moreover, the lifestyle and pace preferred by young people are definitely different from those favored by the elderly - the younger ones generally prefer faster lifestyles.
So, chances are that they wouldn't even think to reclaim the houses here.