Qian Lizheng had planned to wait until the people of Hongshupo occupied one or two hundred mu of land in their village before saying anything. After all, the trees were planted with great effort and couldn't be easily destroyed. In that case, the land would have to be sold to Hongshupo, which would be doing Lu Ye a favor.
If one mu of land sold for five taels of silver, two hundred mu would be one thousand taels of silver.
Good heavens, he was going to get rich!
So, Qian Lizheng secretly cheered on the people of Hongshupo every day, hoping they would occupy more sand land as soon as possible. The more they occupied, the more money he would make.
Unexpectedly, when only five mu of land had been occupied, it was discovered by Xiao Chibao's grandfather.
He ordered work to stop immediately and then rushed to find the boss.
He had been in Hongliu Village for decades. In the vast expanse of sand, even without reference points, he knew where the village boundaries were. It was just that he wasn't in charge of planting trees, and only saw it by chance when he went out today.
Lu Ye then instructed the tree-planting team to move to another location. As for the five mu of land occupied in Hongliu Village, he would handle it.
Qian Lizheng of Hongliu Village cursed Xiao Chibao's grandfather inside his heart. This foul-mouthed old man had cost him a thousand taels of silver for nothing.
However, Qian Lizheng dared not directly offend the Lu Ye family. After all, their current status was far beyond what they could contend with.
Therefore, as the wronged party, not only was their land occupied without their trees being damaged, but they also took the opportunity to sell the land to them. This was how he was doing Lu Ye a favor, Qian Lizheng kept encouraging himself.
In front of Lu Ye's house, Qian Lizheng of Hongliu Village, along with more than a dozen villagers, arrived.
He was very polite, without any ill intentions or tone. He simply smiled and said, "Young Brother Lu, I, Qian, have taken the liberty to disturb you today mainly because your family's trees have accidentally been planted on our Hongliu Village land.
Originally, this sand land would not be needed for some time. If you were planting crops, it would be fine. After all, it's only for one season. But once trees are planted, it's a century-long plan, and they definitely cannot be casually damaged.
I can understand that it is very difficult for your family, Young Brother Lu, to grow a tree successfully. Therefore, I have not had the saplings pulled out. However, this land belongs to our Hongliu Village. If I don't come to demand an explanation, the villagers will definitely not stand idly by.
Therefore, after much consideration, I, Qian, think it's best to sell the five mu of sand land to you. This way, both parties benefit. What do you think, Young Brother Lu?"
After Qian Lizheng finished speaking, the original Hongliu Village villagers standing by, Dog Egg's Father, Scale's Father, and San Wa's Father, were all furious.
Even before the drought, the wasteland at the village entrance was unused and unsellable. Now, after two years of drought, it was even less likely to be sold. Qian Lizheng actually wanted to extort money from the boss and his wife for that barren land, which was simply like treating them as porcupines to be skinned.
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng exchanged a glance and smiled, "Qian Lizheng, it is our fault that our tree-planting team has accidentally occupied your village's land. We hope Qian Lizheng can forgive us. The five mu of land we occupied can indeed be bought. May I ask Qian Lizheng, how much do you plan to sell the land for per mu?"
Qian Lizheng rolled his eyes and picked at his fingers, pretending to calculate. After a moment, he said calmly, "Young Brother Lu, I have calculated. Five taels of silver per mu, which is the current market price."
"Five taels?!" Dog Egg's Father exclaimed. He was furious, "Qian Lizheng, are you robbing us? Five taels per mu is for the best fertile land, and that too when it's not drought season. No one buys that barren sand land at the village entrance for even one tael per mu! You dare to ask for the sky-high price of five taels per mu! Why don't you tear down the sky and make it a quilt?"
Qian Lizheng's face turned pale and then blue. Just as he was about to argue, Scale's Father immediately interrupted him, "That sand land has been barren for decades. Now, look, our boss has already planted the trees, and you've come to extort money. You are too… too unethical."
"Qian Geda! Don't slander me! How am I extorting money? Young Brother Lu planted trees in our village, and I have every right to pull out all those saplings, but I didn't. I thought it was difficult for the young brothers to plant trees, but the land in the village is shared by the villagers, and it's not something I can decide alone. This is the villagers' intention!"
"Whose intention is it?" San Wa's Father retorted. "Half of the villagers in Hongliu Village work for the boss. They won't ask the boss for money for that barren land. If you don't believe me, let's find those people now and ask them!"
Qian Lizheng's face twitched. He forced himself to remain calm, "That is also the intention of half the villagers." Originally, they were only incited by the Zhang clan leader and his gang from Huangsha Village, which led them to oppose Hongshupo. However, Lu Ye and his wife were too petty, refusing to let these people work at Hongshupo and only hiring those who did not participate in the disturbance.
Now, half of the people in his village wanted to move to Hongshupo. The village of Hongliu was on the verge of collapse. If he, as the village chief, could not secure any benefits for the remaining villagers, what prestige would he have in the village?
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng were not angry. It was a deal between two parties. If they sold at a high price and they didn't want to buy, they could simply pull out all the saplings. However, they didn't want to pull out the trees, so they could only negotiate the price.
"Three taels of silver per mu. If you don't sell, I will order people to pull out the trees," Lu Ye said calmly.
Bai Sheng smiled, "Three taels is already a sky-high price. Qian Lizheng, consider it carefully."
"Boss, Boss's wife, three taels is too much!" Dog Egg's Father couldn't help but say.
Lu Ye smiled and glanced at him, signaling him to stay silent for now.
Dog Egg's Father stopped speaking, but his gaze towards Qian Lizheng was filled with disgust.
Qian Lizheng was hesitating when a cold voice suddenly rang out, "One tael of silver per mu. If you don't sell, get lost!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Everyone stood up and bowed respectfully to the Royal Prince.
The Royal Prince sat down in the chair next to Lu Ye, popped a piece of yellow bean cake into his mouth, crossed his legs, and looked at Qian Lizheng with a roguish air. "Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king, and all people are the king's subjects. The land of your Hongliu Village belongs to my jurisdiction, and I can confiscate it all!"
If he chose to be unreasonable, he was invincible in the world.
Qian Lizheng was so scared that he immediately knelt on the ground, "But... but whatever Your Highness decides."
The Royal Prince looked towards the three directions that were already green, his gaze profound. "What happened today has reminded me. Lu Ye and Xiao Heilain want to plant trees and crops, and I strongly support them.
However, they cannot freely use this sand land. It has been dry for so long, and it is still barren. It would be better to hand it over to them to use. I have decided to reallocate the land of Huangsha Village, Hongliu Village, and Caomiao Village. Hongshupo will immediately establish a village, and it will be called Hongshu Village!"