After dinner, he lingered with Murong Yanran for a while before leaving, as it wouldn't be good to stay too long.
Upon returning to Dalong Village, he encountered the village chief, Huang Haiyuan, and struck up a conversation.
"Uncle Yuan, what's the rush?" Li Haochen offered a cigarette and helped light Huang Haiyuan's.
"An elder from the village returned from abroad and wanted to buy a plot to build a house for his retirement, but he didn't like any of them. It wasted a whole day of my time." It was evident Huang Haiyuan was somewhat displeased.
"This isn't a pilot county, is it? Can village land be bought and sold here?" Li Haochen asked with some curiosity.
"His household registration is still in the village, so the land can be transferred."
In fact, Li Haochen had always wanted to buy a piece of land to build his own house. Although the rented place was decent, it wasn't his own, lacking the true feeling of home.
"Uncle Yuan, if it's not village land, is there a way to buy some?"
Huang Haiyuan looked at Li Haochen. "You want to buy?"
"I really want to buy. Renting isn't owning."
Huang Haiyuan thought for a good while before saying seriously, "The first way is, the land can be sold to you, but without a deed, only notarization. However, I don't recommend this. Of course, if you have strong connections to get a deed, then it's no problem. The second way is the simplest, but almost no one does it."
"Uncle, please tell me." Li Haochen took another cigarette, handed it to him, lit it, and then stuffed the whole pack into Huang Haiyuan's hand.
Huang Haiyuan puffed contentedly a few times. "Just become a villager of our village."
"There are requirements, right?"
"Of course. Otherwise, a lot of people would flock in to buy land."
Huang Haiyuan took a few more puffs of his cigarette and said again, "You need signatures from over 80% of the villagers to join. As for these signatures, you understand..."
Li Haochen understood the gesture of Huang Haiyuan rubbing his thumb and index finger together.
"Uncle Yuan, how much would this cost?" Li Haochen made the same gesture.
"Seriously?"
Li Haochen nodded noncommittally.
"You see that three-and-a-half-story building at the entrance of the village? He paid this much five years ago. Now, it's this much." Huang Haiyuan held up three fingers.
Li Haochen pondered for a while. "Uncle Yuan, where is the land located?"
"There's only one plot left, in the middle of the barren hilly land at the entrance of Butterfly Bay, 120 square meters."
"There? I go in and out of Butterfly Bay frequently, but I haven't noticed such a place."
"It's all overgrown with weeds, covering it up. There are even low walls around it."
"I see. Can you take me to see it? If it's suitable, then we can discuss the rest. If not, becoming a villager is useless."
"Sure, I don't have anything urgent. I'll go with you."
The journey wasn't long, about a ten-minute walk. The place was indeed overgrown with weeds, many taller than a person.
Li Haochen followed closely behind Huang Haiyuan, fearing a snake might pop out.
After a few more minutes, they arrived at the empty plot. There were indeed low walls surrounding it. The size was quite substantial; building a three-and-a-half-story house would yield over four hundred square meters.
Li Haochen was quite pleased, but he worried if something unfortunate had happened on this land.
"Uncle Yuan, to be honest, this land is quite nice, and I like it very much. But there's no reason such a good piece of land wouldn't be noticed by anyone. Is there some hidden reason?"
"Don't worry, this land is very clean. As for why no one wants it?" Huang Haiyuan said with a wry smile, "How did we get here?"
Li Haochen looked at the entrance and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "No wonder. We still need to build a road of several hundred meters, and the surrounding open spaces also need to be cleared and maintained."
"And if you buy this land, you'll have to lease the entire hill as well. That's also a considerable expense, which is why this place has been so unpopular."
"So, how much is this land, and what about the rent and lease term for the hill?"
"The land isn't expensive, 400,000. This hill is about fifteen mu. It's 7,000 a year, and you can sign for ten years, renewing it upon expiration. Of course, the price will be higher after ten years."
Li Haochen was calculating in his mind. Although getting 80% of the villagers' signatures would make him a member of Dalong Village, when it came to interests, even one dissenting person could cause trouble. This meant that everyone had to be appeased. Coupled with the cost of building the road and house, it would be at least 2 million.
"Building the road and house can be postponed. The first things to address are the land and becoming a member of Dalong Village, which would cost about 800,000. I only have over 400,000 on me, so I'm still short by half..." Li Haochen muttered to himself, calculating.
"Uncle Yuan, please handle the villager matter for me. I don't have enough money for the land for now. Can I pay 100,000 first and the rest in a few days?"
"What?" Huang Haiyuan was caught off guard and stunned for a moment.
"You really want it?"
"Of course, I do." Li Haochen said with a smile.
"Alright then, let's go. We'll go back to my place and I'll get the relevant documents for you to fill out." Huang Haiyuan eagerly pulled Li Haochen towards his home.
The return trip was much faster than the way up, arriving at Huang Haiyuan's home in less than ten minutes.
Before long, Huang Haiyuan came out with several papers. There wasn't much to fill out, just the requirements and obligations for joining Dalong Village, and the most important point was that external villagers could not enjoy Dalong Village's various benefits.
There were a total of 126 original villagers in Dalong Village. Li Haochen transferred a round figure of 380,000, an extra two thousand yuan, which was understood without explicit mention.
Huang Haiyuan was full of energy and immediately posted the information on the Dalong Village WeChat group, simply stating that an outsider wanted to become a member of Dalong Village, without mentioning any money. The villagers understood, and the group immediately became lively, with everyone liking the post and saying what a good job Huang Haiyuan was doing as village chief.
Before long, Huang Haiyuan's house was swamped with people. The process was very simple: just sign and put a thumbprint below the document.
As each person left, they received a large envelope. Of course, everyone opened it on the spot, licked their fingers, and quickly counted the money, with skills no less than those of bank tellers.
After comparing and confirming there were no discrepancies, they left with smiles. Some families with many children received more than ten portions, which made many people envious and jealous. They hurried home, picked up their phones, and complained to their sons and daughters-in-law, urging them to have a second child.
Li Haochen stayed for a while and then left. There was no need to stay and watch. This matter was certain to succeed. A signature and a thumbprint would earn them 3,000 yuan, and it wouldn't diminish their own interests, so who would refuse to sign?
Back home, Li Haochen began preparing for his next voyage. The money for buying the land was still not secured, let alone the subsequent expenses, which were even greater. However, there was no need to rush. It wouldn't hurt to rest for another night. Murong Yanran now had some breathing room, and he could also catch his breath.