When Lin Chuan arrived at Stone Village, as he expected, even though it was the fifth day, no one went to Huang ngqi's house to demand the debt.
It seems having power really makes a difference, with just one word, no one dares to cause trouble.
"Uncle Houcai, do you think those two guys are trying to fool us? They don't look like they're here to invest!" a middle-aged man whispered in Shi Houcai's house. He was one of the companions drinking last night. Although he was nominally the deputy village chief, he actually didn't manage anything, and everything was entirely under Shi Houcai's command, who held both the positions of village chief and village party secretary, handling all large and small matters together.
Shi Houcai took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled slowly, squinted, and said, "Whether it's true or not, as long as we don't see the money, we won't allow them to casually start mining. For these few days, let's enjoy a few als from them. Even if they don't invest here in the future, at least they haven't taken advantage of us."
"Uncle Houcai is indeed wise," the middle-aged man tily flattered.
Shi Houcai laughed, seemingly having completely forgotten that his second son was still in the hospital.
At this mont, Lin Chuan walked in. Seeing there were guests in Shi Houcai's house, he hesitated for a mont but still walked in with a smile.
"Hehe, Boss Lin, are you looking for because President Zhao has so instructions?" Shi Houcai asked very politely.
Lin Chuan glanced at the middle-aged man, who caught the hint in Lin Chuan's eyes and voluntarily left Shi Houcai's house.
After the middle-aged man left, Lin Chuan took out a package wrapped in newspaper from his coat and placed it on Shi Houcai's table. He whispered, "This is a small token from President Zhao, please make sure to accept it, Village Chief Shi."
Shi Houcai opened a slit to take a look, and was shocked. He estimated it was over a hundred thousand yuan. Such a large sum of money, truly generous; it seems he had indeed backed the right horse this ti.
"Hehe, President Zhao is truly courteous. Just let know if there's anything you need, no need to be so troubleso," Shi Houcai said, though he had no intention of refusing.
Lin Chuan smiled, exchanged so pleasantries, but inwardly cursed, "Hmph, enjoy your mont today, there's a ti when you'll suffer."
By the ti Lin Chuan left Shi Houcai's house, the two had reached an agreent. To start the work quickly, Shi Houcai would hold a eting with the entire village the next day to discuss the land acquisition from villagers. The day after that, Lin Chuan would bring cash to sign the contract.
Money makes things easier. The main reason Shi Houcai was so eager to run around was because of the influence of that hundred thousand yuan.
After Shi Houcai held a discussion eting in the village, all the villagers in Stone Village learned about Lin Chuan and his friend's plans to mine stone. Although they didn't understand what this ant, from the village chief's words, all they heard was that this matter would be beneficial for everyone.
During this ti, Huang ngqi also asked Lin Chuan what was going on. Lin Chuan stamred so irrelevant answers. Huang ngqi knew she couldn't get a clear answer and didn't ask further, but her suspicions grew.
Finally, on the third day, Lin Chuan brought all the remaining money and went to the Stone Village committee office, where Zhao Zhonghai also showed up once more.
This ti he dressed up specially, looking very handso in a suit. At first glance, Lin Chuan couldn't help but admire the strong inner strength of this guy. Just two days after that incident, he had returned to his usual self. If it were him, he figured he'd still be too nauseated to eat.
After signing the contract with Shi Houcai, Lin Chuan handed over the money to Shi Houcai in front of the entire village, entrusting him to hold onto it. The contract stated clearly that once work began, Shi Houcai would distribute the money to the villagers based on the amount of land occupied since many of the hills were villagers' own farmland.
Seeing so much money being taken ho by Shi Houcai, the villagers, young and old, widened their eyes, eager to snatch it and keep it for themselves.
With the contract signed and money delivered, those villagers who planted crops on the hills promptly removed them in preparation for the mining to start in a few days.
All villagers with land in the mining area signed contracts with the village committee, dividing compensation according to how much land they had.
This mining plan only involved a dium-sized hill. As this was their first ti, according to Shi Houcai's plan, they would start small. If there were difficulties from higher-ups, they'd find a way to deal with it, but if left unchecked, they'd expand their efforts.
Zhao Zhonghai didn't know where Lin Chuan got so much money. When they left the village committee office, he tried to ask Lin Chuan but received no answers. Lin Chuan just smiled slightly. Zhao Zhonghai didn't ask further, thinking Lin Chuan might have robbed a bank and didn't want to implicate him by revealing it.
In a hospital room at the county hospital.
Seizing the chance while Shi Rongguang's mother was at ho, Shi Rongguang's brother recounted everything that had happened in Stone Village over the past few days. The more Shi Rongguang listened, the darker his expression beca.
If what they said was true, then taking this beating was really for nothing. Now even his own father was siding with them, so what else could he do?
But Shi Rongguang was not resigned. Since he was young, he had always bullied others and had never been bullied himself. The more he thought about it, the angrier he beca, but he couldn't co up with a good idea.
"Boss, we can't swallow this anger. I think we should do it this way!" The skinny guy leaned over and whispered into Shi Rongguang's ear.
The more Shi Rongguang heard, the happier he beca. He finally laughed happily, patted the skinny guy on the shoulder, and praised him: "Alright, I haven't seen you in a few days, and you've gotten a lot smarter! Let's do it this way. You guys go prepare now, and I'll be ready to leave the hospital in a few days. Once I'm out, we'll act according to plan."
Because Lin Chuan brought his friends to develop the mountainous area, he almost beca an overnight sensation in Stone Village. No matter where he went in the village, everyone who saw Lin Chuan greeted him warmly, including so who had just forced Huang ngqi to repay the money a few days ago.
However, nobody ntioned what happened a few days ago, nor did they ntion Lin Chuan's promise to pay back in five days. Now that there was more money to earn, that little bit of money naturally didn't matter anymore.
Over these few days, Lin Chuan also encountered Er Gou's wife and Liu the Cripple's wife in the village. Both of them avoided him like mice seeing a cat.
Lin Chuan just turned a blind eye to such people.
That evening after dinner, Zi Tong, feeling tired, went to rest in the Mystical Wood Box. Lin Chuan helped Huang ngqi wash the dishes while they flirted, enjoying their ti together.
At this mont, there was suddenly a noise outside the courtyard gate, followed by loud knocking and soone shouting Lin Chuan's na.
Lin Chuan felt a mont of doubt. He didn't know anyone here, so who could be looking for him at this hour? He ca out of the kitchen, opened the courtyard gate, and saw a young man panting heavily as he rushed in, saying to Lin Chuan: "You're Lin Chuan, right? Our village chief wants you to co over. He's found sothing in the mountains and wants you to take a look."
Huang ngqi also ca out, glanced at the visitor, and asked: "It's so late, and it's dark. Can't it wait till tomorrow?"
"The village chief is waiting for you in the mountains, so it's better to go now!" The young man was still gasping for breath, having obviously run a long way to get here.
Lin Chuan looked up at the darkened sky, which seed heavy and was on the verge of rain. However, since Shi Houcai asked him to go, Lin Chuan didn't decline further. He went back to the house, put on an extra coat, and followed the young man up the mountain.
For so reason, the further Lin Chuan walked, the more uneasy he felt, with a constant sense of ominous premonition. Seeing how sneaky the person in front was, his suspicions were further heightened.
Carefully recalling the appearance of the guy next to him, Lin Chuan beca more and more certain that he was one of Shi Rongguang's followers.
"Could they have set a trap for and are luring there?" Lin Chuan pondered. Even though he realized that this was a deliberate setup, he had no intention of retreating. Since others went to such lengths to sche against him, how could he disappoint them?
After walking a while, the young man actually led Lin Chuan to the front of the earth deity temple, where faint thunder could be heard in the distant sky.
"The village chief is inside. You go in first while I relieve myself outside," the young man pointed to the earth deity temple. There was a firelight inside, giving the illusion that soone was inside.
Lin Chuan glanced at the young man and had just walked to the temple door when he heard voices from inside.
"Huh? Could it be that I really suspected wrong? Is Shi Houcai really inside?" Lin Chuan was puzzled. Taking a few steps forward, he listened to the conversation inside and couldn't help but feel overjoyed for a mont.
The young man who brought Lin Chuan here had already hidden to one side. When Lin Chuan entered the dilapidated temple, Shi Rongguang led a group of people quietly out, each carrying a bundle of corn stalks, placing them at the doorway of the temple.
"Have you checked everything? No other exits?" Shi Rongguang whispered.
The skinny guy replied: "Except for the two windows on the sides, there's no way to escape. We've blocked both windows. Even if he tries to escape from there, soone is standing guard; he can't get away."
Shi Rongguang nodded and then asked: "Is the water ready? Make sure it's enough. I don't want to cause a fatality. I only want to ruin his appearance, that will satisfy ."
"No problem, once it's almost burned, we'll go in to rescue him. That should be enough," the skinny guy answered. He didn't understand why Shi Rongguang still planned to rescue the guy. Wouldn't it be better to just burn him to death? Although he had this question, he didn't dare ask. After all, it was a human life. If he really died, even if the police didn't hold them accountable, their conscience would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
User Comments
0 comments from readers