"Do you know someone important up there?" he couldn't think of any other explanation for how Liu Yifeng's project was approved so quickly.
"I'm not entirely sure, Captain Wang. I have something to do, so I won't chat with you any longer," Liu Yifeng said, hanging up the phone.
With Su Wanru around, Captain Wang's "connections" seemed less important.
Around four o'clock, Liu Yifeng returned with the documents, which were all stamped with official seals. From now on, he could openly build the vegetable greenhouses without worrying about being reported.
Back home, he called the contractor and asked him to bring his crew to resume work the next day.
He then called Su Wanru to express his gratitude. The quick approval was all thanks to her behind-the-scenes help.
Otherwise, his hundred thousand yuan would have been wasted.
This was a trivial matter for Su Wanru, something that could be resolved with a single phone call.
She also offered to help Liu Yifeng with any similar future issues.
"Ms. Su, you've helped me so much. I don't know how to thank you enough," Liu Yifeng had always been grateful to Su Wanru since they met, as she had handled many of his difficult problems.
"Your watermelons have greatly increased our store's sales. I was worried we wouldn't meet our sales targets for this quarter, but we've already exceeded them, and I've even been commended by the head office. I should be thanking you. So, I guess we're even," Su Wanru said with a smile.
Hearing that Su Wanru had been commended, Liu Yifeng was genuinely happy for her. "Really? Congratulations!"
They chatted briefly before hanging up and getting back to their respective tasks.
The next day, Liu Yifeng signed the land lease contract with the village head of Wangjia Village.
He paid three years' rent, totaling two hundred and forty thousand yuan. Construction was set to begin.
However, Du Ziheng had said he would handle it, and Liu Yifeng truly didn't have the energy for it.
He also needed to count the number of people investing and the capital, and then allocate reasonable shares, otherwise, it would become chaotic.
He went to the village head's broadcasting room and announced that anyone wishing to invest in the vegetable greenhouses should come to his house to register. The registration would last for two days, and latecomers would not be accepted.
After that, he immediately returned home. He truly hoped to lead the villagers to prosperity.
Not long after he got home, people started arriving.
"Yifeng, I'm planning to invest thirty thousand yuan. How many shares will I get?"
"Me too! I'm investing fifty thousand. This is all I have. I'm counting on you to make me money."
"Everyone, please listen to me first. I need to tally up everyone's investment first. Only then can I determine the corresponding shares based on your contributions. So, for now, just give me your money and I'll register it. Once I've compiled everything, I'll call a shareholders' meeting and announce everyone's shares in front of you all," Liu Yifeng said solemnly.
The crowd quieted down, looking at each other. They had thought they would receive their share certificates immediately after handing over the money!
Now, being asked to hand over the money and wait two days to know their share percentage made them feel uneasy.
Sensing their concerns, Liu Yifeng thought of a compromise. "I understand you might be worried that I'll take the money and not honor my commitment. That's perfectly understandable. How about this: first, tell me your intended investment amount, and I'll register it. Then, when the time comes, we can exchange money for share certificates. What do you think?"
Everyone agreed to this proposal.
"In short, the more you invest, the more shares you'll hold. If you see that we're making a lot of money later and want to increase your investment and shares, that won't be possible. So, you need to think carefully about how much you want to invest," Liu Yifeng reminded them.
The person who initially said he would invest thirty thousand yuan gritted his teeth and changed it to fifty thousand, borrowing two thousand more even if it meant going into debt.
By noon, forty-six people had registered, with a total investment of two million three hundred and sixty-seven thousand yuan, averaging about forty thousand yuan per person.
After lunch, more people continued to arrive. Liu Yifeng sat at the dining table in his living room, continuing with the registrations.
"Yifeng, Uncle San trusts you. I'll invest five hundred thousand!" Liu Cha Sheng placed his bank card on the table as soon as he walked in.
The others' eyes widened when they heard Liu Cha Sheng was investing so much money.
Five hundred thousand yuan was not a small sum; it could buy a four-bedroom apartment in the county town. If the vegetable greenhouse business didn't take off, the money would be lost. However, after interacting with Liu Yifeng for a while, Liu Cha Sheng had grown to trust his capabilities. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invested such a large amount.
"Uncle San, where did you get so much money?" Liu Yifeng asked curiously.
"I called your cousin. He heard you were raising investments and transferred five hundred thousand yuan directly to my account, saying it was a sure bet to follow you," Liu Cha Sheng explained.
Liu Yifeng wasn't worried about his vegetable greenhouses failing. If his uncle invested so much, he would earn a lot in the future, so Liu Yifeng didn't dissuade him and registered the investment.
When others saw Liu Cha Sheng invest so much, they suddenly felt that their three to five thousand yuan investments were too small. They then added several more tens of thousands to their original investments. They wished they could invest hundreds of thousands, but they didn't have that much money! The money they were investing was borrowed from relatives. Some relatives even refused to lend them money when they found out it was for investment, saying they were being scammed and should not invest. But they knew that if they missed this opportunity, there wouldn't be another. They had to take a gamble.
Over the course of two days, a total of two hundred and twenty households registered. Liu Cha Sheng had the largest investment, followed by his elder uncle's family, who invested one hundred thousand yuan each. He also personally invested one hundred thousand yuan for his aunt. Then, his daughter-in-law, Li Qiuping, invested fifty thousand yuan. Finally, there was the second aunt. Liu Yifeng noticed that all of his father's siblings had invested, except for the second aunt, who was still unaware. He called her to see if she intended to invest.
Liu Ju was still angry with Liu Yifeng about the previous incident. When he asked her to invest, she refused without thinking. "I don't have money. Find someone else!" she said, hanging up before Liu Yifeng could say anything more. Liu Yifeng shrugged helplessly. It was her own choice not to invest, so he couldn't be blamed. He had at least made the offer.
As he was compiling the statistics, Li Dong Mei walked in. This was the first time she had visited Liu Yifeng's house since being spoken to by Liu Chun Sheng last time.
"Sister Li, are you here to invest too?" Liu Yifeng looked up and asked.
Li Dong Mei nodded. "Yes, but I don't have much money. After gathering it from various sources, I only have twenty thousand yuan. Do you think it's enough to invest?" Li Dong Mei directly produced twenty thousand yuan in cash. She believed Liu Yifeng wouldn't take the money and run, so she brought it with her. On the other hand, she feared Liu Yifeng might think her amount was too small and refuse to let her invest. By bringing the money directly, he would find it difficult to refuse.
So far, Li Dong Mei's investment was the smallest. However, Liu Yifeng understood her family's situation and nodded. "I said there's no minimum investment amount, but with only twenty thousand yuan, you probably won't get much equity." He had to make this clear.
Seeing that she could invest, Li Dong Mei quickly said, "It's okay, as long as I can invest, I believe you can lead the villagers to prosperity."
"Sister Li, you trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll take your money and disappear?" Liu Yifeng teased with a smile.
"If you dare to disappear with my money, I'll just squat at your house and not leave," Li Dong Mei said in a somewhat playful tone.
Liu Yifeng's expression became a little unnatural. He coughed a few times. "Sister Li, don't worry. If I were to cheat anyone, I wouldn't cheat you. I've finished my registrations here. You can go back now. Once I've allocated the shares, I'll hold a shareholders' meeting, and you'll receive your share certificate."
Li Dong Mei nodded. "Okay, thank you." With that, she left.
Right after she left, Qiang Zi arrived, carrying a bag. He placed the bag on the table. "Yifeng, here's fifteen thousand yuan. Register it for me!"