The atmosphere in the entire house became somewhat oppressive, and everyone's complexion looked grim.
It was like eating, where someone had already devoured the most delicious parts, leaving only leftovers with little nutritional value. Who would be happy about that!
A piece of land, at any time, the closer to the road or street, the more valuable it is. This is because houses built on street-facing land can be sold as commercial properties, far exceeding the value of other locations.
There is a huge chasm between residential housing and commercial properties.
Even though the property rights for residential housing are far higher than for commercial properties, ninety-nine percent of people would choose commercial properties first because commercial properties bring enormous profits.
Now that the best locations have been snatched up, who could possibly be happy!
Seeing the grim expressions of all the leaders on the stools, headed by Mayor Ye Qingping, the gathered villagers were also trembling with fear, none daring to speak.
The entire scene became deathly silent and very oppressive.
After a long while, Ye Qingping was the first to regain his composure and asked everyone, "Does anyone have the contract from the out-of-town businessman who bought the land? Can you show it to us?"
"Mayor, I have it!"
"I have it too!"
"We haven't gone home yet, so we still have the contracts with us!"
The villagers immediately scrambled to produce their contracts and handed them over.
Ye Qingping and his entourage each took a copy and carefully opened them for examination.
"Two hundred and eighty per square meter, this price is quite good!"
Ye Qingping murmured to himself, then whispered with the people beside him. The others were doing roughly the same.
Someone tried to find loopholes in the contract but was surprised to discover that it was meticulously drafted, clearly the work of an experienced hand.
"How could an out-of-town businessman suddenly appear and buy so much land?!"
A huge doubt arose in Ye Qingping's mind. Was someone on the inside colluding with them to maximize their profits?
But the planning for the new urban area had always been entirely under his responsibility, and he had used only his most trusted confidants. This shouldn't have happened!
In order to achieve some political achievements and to ensure a smoother path for future career advancement, he had gone to great lengths to find a major real estate developer to invest in this small county town.
If this incident were to displease General Manager Qiao and cause him to withdraw his investment, the loss would be too great.
Ye Qingping's mind raced, but he found that despite his self-proclaimed intelligence, he couldn't make sense of it all. Could it really be a coincidence?
"Do you have that businessman's contact information?"
Finally, Ye Qingping closed the contract and asked.
This time, the villagers all shook their heads, indicating they did not. Only Huang Naixiang showed hesitation, and finally, gritting his teeth, said, "Mayor, I have Mr. Qin's phone number!"
"He once instructed me never to give his number to anyone easily, but since you're asking, I have to give it to you!"
Ye Qingping's eyes lit up slightly, and he smiled, "Village Chief Huang, continue to do a good job. I have high hopes for you!"
This statement was more effective than anything else. In an instant, Huang Naixiang's cheeks twitched with excitement, and he immediately snapped to attention and saluted, "Please rest assured, sir, I will not let you down!"
The surrounding villagers were envious. Was Huang Naixiang about to soar to prominence, becoming one of the new mayor's close associates?
"Then, esteemed villagers, we shall take our leave!"
Ye Qingping stood up, and the others followed suit.
"Mayor, is the government still requisitioning our village's land?"
Seeing Ye Qingping about to leave, the villagers who hadn't sold their houses became anxious and asked one after another.
"At this moment, I cannot give you an accurate answer. We will discuss it after the leadership team has convened a meeting!"
"Farewell, esteemed villagers!"
Ye Qingping led his group out of the house. The villagers hurried to see them off, watching until all the leaders had gotten into their cars before they felt a mix of joy and sorrow.
However, this time, it was those who hadn't sold their houses who were happy.
Someone spoke with schadenfreude, "See, I told you that Mr. Qin wasn't any good. Throughout history, merchants are never honest. Who would do something without profit!"
"Judging by the new mayor's words, it seems he's going to re-plan this area. The houses we haven't sold will surely increase in value!"
"That's right. I was regretting it this morning, but now I suddenly don't regret it. In the future, we who haven't sold our houses will definitely sell them at a higher price!"
"Haha!!"
"To think you were so smug earlier. Now you regret it, right? The houses will definitely skyrocket in price later!"
The villagers who hadn't sold their houses openly mocked those who had. This truly lived up to the saying, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; fortune turns in cycles!"
The villagers who had sold their houses were happy in the morning, but less than an hour later, it was the ones who hadn't sold their houses who were rejoicing.
However, those who had sold their houses were not to be outdone and immediately retorted.
"Skyrocket in price, nonsense! Didn't you see that the new mayor has already left and said he's going back to hold a meeting to discuss it! They might just abandon the original plan!"
"Exactly! Once they abandon this area, where will you go to cry!"
The entire Huang Family Village was divided into two factions: one group had sold their houses and received demolition compensation, while the other group had not sold their houses and had not received any compensation.
Meanwhile, in an Audi, Ye Qingping was sitting with General Manager Qiao.
"General Manager Qiao, I apologize. I didn't expect this to happen so suddenly today!"
Ye Qingping apologized.
"Mayor Ye, you're too polite. This is hardly a big deal! It's fine!"
General Manager Qiao spoke with a rather awkward Mandarin accent.
"That out-of-town businessman named Qin, I think he's just mediocre. Otherwise, if he truly had substantial funds, why would he only buy such a small plot of land!"
Ye Qingping was overjoyed. "General Manager Qiao, you've hit the nail on the head! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
"It's just Huang Family Village. Since someone has already set their sights on it and snatched up the juiciest parts, we'll find another place!"
"This entire road, an area of hundreds of mu, and some other locations. Whichever you like, General Manager Qiao, I will give you the most favorable terms!"
General Manager Qiao smiled gleefully. "Haha! I like your straightforward approach, Mayor Ye!"
"Then shall we continue to tour the surroundings?"
Ye Qingping suggested.
"Sure, I'll follow Mayor Ye's arrangements!"
General Manager Qiao agreed. Soon, the Audi started, followed by three or four other cars, and they set off together.
Qin Chuan, who had already left, was completely unaware of all this. At this moment, he had driven back to the Butterfly Clothing Factory and arrived at Li Ya's office.
"Bang!"
Qin Chuan placed the briefcase on the desk and patted it forcefully. "Sister, open it and take a look!"
Li Ya suppressed her thumping heart and opened the briefcase.
Instantly, her eyes were met with stacks upon stacks of red booklets, piled like a mountain, and in addition to that, fully signed contracts.
The white and red colors formed a stark contrast!
It made one's breath catch in their throat!