Chapter 40: The Contracting Proposal

Vegetable vendors work from dawn till dusk. To ensure safety on the road, most travel in pairs—often a husband and wife, or sometimes three brothers—and all carry real weapons.

For these vendors, the recent crackdown on bandits in Shiliying is undoubtedly a blessing. Without highwaymen and local bullies to fear, they no longer need to travel in groups. Now, one person can stay behind in Shiliying to queue for goods, while the other takes the bean sprouts to the market to set up a stall. By rotating shifts daily, they avoid the exhausting labor of the past. Some are even considering buying an extra vehicle so each can have their own, allowing them to expand and strengthen their business.

The same logic applies elsewhere. Without local thugs, vendors can enter and exit the local wholesale market or travel through the streets without being harassed by people demanding money under various pretenses. For the sake of their own interests, the vendors have begun to exaggerate the situation.

"Boss Yu lit three sticks of incense, set up two flowerpots—one tall and one short—and raised the banner!"
"He has 150 elite brothers under his command, over 3,000 underlings, and has even opened branch offices in the capital!"
"Do you know who I am? I’m the bean sprout liaison officer sent by Boss Yu!"

It even went further:
"What’s the code?"
"Planting beans beneath the southern mountain, the grass is lush but the bean sprouts are sparse!"
"Correct, let them pass!"

Because of this, in an era where information spreads slowly, the inside story of the Shiliying crackdown spread far and wide, thanks to the vendors’ word-of-mouth. And with every retelling, it became more absurd.

By the time the news reached the nearby city of Taishi:
"Sir, what about this matter?"
"It’s actually quite good. It’s far better than having highwaymen and bandits running rampant."
"I’m worried about the impact..."
"What kind of impact? This is a positive impact."
"But this man named Yu Yang..."
"Who doesn't have a dark history when they're starting out? If he were benevolent and radiant, this wouldn't matter; if he were a notorious criminal, he would eventually just be a primary culprit, a mere achievement in someone else's hands."
"What about our side?"
"Wait and see... By the way, Old Dong has been very active lately."
"He wants the position of project manager for the state-owned enterprise reform, and he has proposed many suggestions that have been approved by the higher-ups."
"His goal?"
"To have his son’s company, City Third Construction, annex City Second Construction and secure municipal projects, including sanitation, landscaping, and especially the lighting project the city decided to invest in recently."
"Has his son’s issue been resolved?"
"Dong Zheng submitted an adjustment plan for the 385 road section, redesigned the blueprints to be exactly like the existing bridge underpass, and claimed he could complete it with only 5 million in funding."
"If that old thief doesn't die, Taishi will never prosper!"

...

The next morning, at the village chief’s small villa, Yu Yang had the ground floor living room tidied up. He sent his Sixth Uncle to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a tea table set and some tea leaves. Once finished, he called for the township head, the deputy township head, and the director of the investment promotion office.

In everyone's eyes, having beaten up all the local thugs from the surrounding villages and the county seat, the big bosses who occupied the area should have shown their faces by now, at least to discuss territorial divisions. Yet, by noon, the tough guys had not appeared.

"So much for being 'big shots,' this is incredibly rude," Yu Yang remarked, feeling slighted. Little did he know, no one had been willing to invest or do business in a godforsaken place like Shiliying to begin with, and after what happened last night, even fewer dared to come.

After lunch, the group, having lost their patience, began discussing the detailed process of contracting 30,000 mu of farmland. For instance, whoever rented their land to Sanyuan Agriculture first would have their laborers and women hired by the company first. As for the number of recruits and their future roles, that would depend on the completion of the factory area. They also discussed the elderly and infirm: those who leased their land to Sanyuan Agriculture first would be provided with communal meals. This was purely Yu Yang’s way of reducing the burden on the township—though one could hardly call it that, as the township’s nursing home had long been abandoned. Of course, he wasn’t running a retirement home; where the old folks slept after eating was not his concern, given his limited funds.

The township head was happy to see this. However, a disagreement arose regarding the rent. Yu Yang proposed 10 yuan/year for remote farmland and 20 yuan/year for fertile farmland, with a 10-year contract. The township's stance was that with over 10,000 people of varying characters, to prevent them from falling back into the trap of working in brick kilns, the rent for Sanyuan Agriculture must be uniform—perhaps 10 yuan/year for all, with a 5-year contract.

Yu Yang thought it over. 30,000 mu at 10 yuan/year for 5 years would be 1.5 million. If the township wasn't willing, he could always pay more later. He agreed immediately. After discussing the terms and costs, the township officials re-planned the various roads.

By evening, the officials left after dinner. Just as Yu Yang was about to rest, his AMG Mercedes-Benz returned, sporting the license plate "66666." The business manager from the county’s agricultural bank brought news that was neither good nor bad.

"Liu Danian heard about the Shiliying incident and fled in a panic. But he got drunk last night and accidentally drove his car into a frozen river. They saved him, but he lost half his life and is paralyzed from the waist down."
"He’s lucky. Otherwise, the kiln pit would have been his final destination. Can you get promoted?"
"Should be no problem, at least Deputy Branch President."
"How much loan quota does your branch have left?"
"1 million at most."
"I have a plastic factory that can produce fast-food boxes, instant noodle bowls, and food storage containers, mainly for Sanyuan Agriculture. I’m planning to produce plastic wrap, but I lack molds and equipment, which will cost about 1 million. If Sanyuan Agriculture grows and drives vegetable production in surrounding townships, this factory will sell to others, so repaying the loan won't be a problem."
"I understand. I'll handle it when I return. What about the interest?"
"Follow standard procedures; I'm just helping you boost your performance."
"Thank you for your understanding, Boss."
"Mutual benefit. By the way, you can use that Santana with the '13579' plate parked outside for now."
"You got it!"

Yu Yang sent the manager off and had scaffolding delivered to the construction site. He then gathered his brothers to hoist the AMG Mercedes-Benz onto the roof of the building. If the wheels went missing again, it wouldn't be as simple as just a "crackdown on bandits" this time.

...

The next day, the township arranged for officials to survey, map, and explore the land. They also posted a public notice announcing the land rental details. Shiliying instantly erupted.

"10 yuan per mu?"
The director of the investment promotion office, not daring to show his face too much, nodded seriously. "10 yuan per mu, must sign a 5-year contract. Whoever rents first gets hired by Sanyuan Agriculture first."
"Does Sanyuan Agriculture also provide the grain?"
"That's right!"
"That's great! If there's work, I wouldn't have bothered planting this lousy land anyway."
"Does it have to be specific land?"
"As long as it belongs to Shiliying, located in the north and west of the highway, we want it all!"
"When can we transfer it?"
"All the village chiefs are at the village chief's villa. Contracts have been written, signed, and thumb-printed. It takes effect immediately, with the township acting as guarantor."

Whoosh... Everyone ran as fast as they could.

On the other side, in the villa courtyard, twenty square tables were lined up in a row with benches placed behind them. Yu Yang sat in the middle, with the 18 village chiefs on either side. Everyone held a thermos, sipping the tea bought yesterday and smoking the "Red General" cigarettes bought today. The township head walked into the courtyard and, seeing this, felt a slight sense of unease.

*Where is my seat?!*

Just then, a group of men rushed in. The first one, before even reaching the table, reached into his jacket and pulled out three blue banknotes.

"10 yuan per mu, 5 years, my family has 6 mu, here’s 300 yuan. Sign the contract for me first. Also, Boss Yu, once I start, what kind of work will I be doing? It might make you laugh, but I only know how to farm, hehe."
"???"

Yu Yang was stunned. *Why are they giving me money?* He looked at the township head, who nodded. "That's right!"

"..."
"In the city, people pay ten thousand yuan just to buy a job. We're taking their land, providing the grain, and giving them jobs. Asking for 10 yuan/mu/year is already being very kind to the local folks."

"..."
*You management types sure know how to play the game.*