Arriving at Wangjia Village at the foot of Mengshan, Liu Yifeng found Village Chief Wang. "Village Chief, do you still remember me?" he asked with a smile.
"Of course, I remember. I know why you're here looking for me. I was actually about to call you! Regarding the land you mentioned last time, I've already discussed it with the village committee. They agree to rent it to you, but the money..."
At this point, Village Chief Wang suddenly stopped.
Liu Yifeng immediately said, "Village Chief Wang, please speak frankly. As long as I can afford it, money is not an issue."
Seeing Liu Yifeng's straightforwardness, Village Chief Wang cut to the chase. "This piece of land is not small in area, and there's also a free parking lot nearby. So, after much deliberation, we've decided on a yearly rent of eighty thousand yuan, and you must rent it for at least three years."
Truthfully, eighty thousand yuan a year was not a small sum, but it was still within Liu Yifeng's acceptable range, and he could afford it. Moreover, he was confident that once the rural inn was built, it would definitely bring in a lot of money. However, this was not something he could decide alone; he had to discuss it with Du Ziheng.
"Village Chief, please wait a moment. I'm going to make a phone call!" He didn't give an immediate answer.
Village Chief Wang nodded understandingly. "Alright, go ahead and make your call!"
Liu Yifeng then found a quiet spot and called Du Ziheng.
The call was answered quickly. "Hello, Brother Liu, what's up calling me?"
"It's like this, I've found a piece of land that's perfect for building a rural inn. You should remember this land, the empty lot at the foot of Mengshan," Liu Yifeng reminded him. It was worth mentioning that his acquaintance with Du Ziheng also originated from Mengshan. Back then, he had brought some friends to climb Mengshan, had a meal at Liu Xiaohai's place in their village, and bought his own crayfish, which led to their cooperation.
As expected, upon hearing this, Du Ziheng immediately recalled. He exclaimed excitedly, "There is indeed a large plot of land there, which is perfect for building a rural inn. And it's right next to Mengshan. How did I not think of it! If you're asking for my opinion, then I have no objections. Let's rent that place!"
"The village chief quoted a rent of eighty thousand yuan per year, with a minimum rental period of three years. So, I wanted to ask for your thoughts and opinions, whether you can accept it."
"You can make the decision on this small matter yourself. Eighty thousand is not much, considering the size of that empty lot. Since that village chief said the minimum rental period is three years, let's rent it for five years directly. This way, we can avoid them increasing the price after three years if our business is good!" Du Ziheng was a bold and ambitious person. It was said that the bold thrive and the timid starve. If he were hesitant in everything he did, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today. When he first started his aquatic business, his entire family opposed it, but now they all relied on him for their livelihood. Therefore, once he set his mind on something, he would pursue it regardless of the cost.
Liu Yifeng valued this attitude. To do business in partnership, one couldn't be too indecisive, or the business wouldn't last long.
After receiving Du Ziheng's clear affirmation, he immediately approached Village Chief Wang. "Eighty thousand yuan per year is acceptable, but I hope to rent it for five years. Village Chief Wang, can you make that decision?"
Village Chief Wang hadn't expected Liu Yifeng to agree so readily, and to rent it for five years directly, which amounted to four hundred thousand yuan! It seemed this young man had a lot of courage. He had already anticipated a scene where Liu Yifeng would haggle and had prepared his responses. Now, it seemed all his preparations were unnecessary. He immediately replied, "Of course, I can make that decision. We'll proceed as you said. However, the contract needs to be drafted by a professional. I'll find a lawyer specializing in this field to help us write the contract. Once you've confirmed it, you can sign and add your thumbprint. As for the payment, I don't need it all at once, but the first three years must be paid upfront!"
"Alright, we'll do as Village Chief Wang said. When the contract is ready, please call me, and I'll come over again!" Liu Yifeng had no objections to this.
After agreeing, Liu Yifeng headed home. Just as he arrived, he heard a familiar voice: "Chunsheng, where did Yifeng go? I don't see him around." It was his second aunt. They hadn't seen each other since he last gave her a watermelon. It wasn't a holiday today, so why had she come? Liu Yifeng wondered to himself.
"This child is busy with many things. He'll probably be back soon. Is there something you need him for, second sister?" Liu Chunsheng's voice pulled Liu Yifeng back to reality.
"It's nothing, it's just that my two grandsons want to eat watermelon and vegetables from your place, so I've come to get some!" Liu Ju said with a smile, showing no hint of embarrassment.
"This is Yifeng's produce, after all. Let's wait for him to come back and see what he says!" It wasn't that Liu Chunsheng was stingy, but he knew his second sister's character too well. If there was a first time, there would be a second, and if there was a second, there would be countless more. If all his relatives were like her, he wouldn't need to sell his produce; he could just give it away.
Liu Ju feigned displeasure. "I'm not asking for much. Do you have to bother Yifeng about such a small matter? You're not much of a father if you don't have any say! Besides, I'm Yifeng's aunt. Would he refuse me?"
"I'm sorry, Auntie. I'm afraid you've made a wasted trip!" Liu Yifeng walked in.
Liu Ju turned to look at Liu Yifeng, her expression not very pleasant. "What do you mean by that? As your aunt, what's wrong with me taking some food from your place? Besides, you have so many watermelons and vegetables in your field. I'm not taking all of them."
"Auntie, if you genuinely only wanted them for yourself, I certainly wouldn't be so stingy. But if you're planning to sell them for money, I absolutely will not agree," Liu Yifeng said in an uncompromising tone.
Liu Ju blushed at first, as she knew her own intentions for coming to get the items better than anyone. However, even so, she couldn't admit it, as she hadn't achieved her goal yet. She feigned sadness and said, "Yifeng, do you have some prejudice against your second aunt? I just want to take some back for your two eldest nephews to eat. How can you see it as selling them to others? Is your second aunt such a terrible person? I admit that at first, Auntie shouldn't have sold the watermelon you gave me to others, but back then I saw that the watermelon was too big, and I was afraid it would go bad if I couldn't finish it after cutting it. I didn't really want to sell it, you can't misunderstand Auntie!"
Liu Yifeng was somewhat impressed by his aunt's composure as she spun tales with a straight face. However, he was confident that his next words would leave her speechless. "Auntie, you sold the watermelon with my consent, and I don't blame you for that. But what about the vegetables? After I left, you went downstairs and sold the vegetables to people in the neighborhood, didn't you?"
Facing Liu Yifeng's questioning, Liu Ju remained unblushing and even loudly retorted, "Who is this gossip monger spreading rumors? How can such baseless accusations be pinned on me? Yifeng, don't you know what kind of person your second aunt is?"