The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 29 Contracting

(Dividing it into chapters is too much trouble, let's just treat it as two chapters, since there's a word count limit anyway...)

"If you spout any more nonsense, get out..." Zheng Dabao glared at the villager who had started the argument, then cleared his throat. "I won't say much more. Everyone here knows what the situation is with Caomao Mountain and Huagu Mountain. The annual contract fee of over 70,000 yuan is definitely not worth it... If anyone thinks it is, then fine, you can pay 70,000 yuan and contract these two mountains. The village won't treat you unfairly. Whatever policies you want, as long as they don't violate national policies and regulations, the village will definitely satisfy you." Zheng Dabao's last sentence immediately silenced the Wang family member who wanted to retort.

"The Party Secretary is right..." Wang Quangen could only agree with Zheng Dabao at this point.

"Cao Mao Shan and Hua Gu Shan together cover 500 mu, but the utilization rate is relatively low. Let's calculate the contract fee at ten yuan per mu per year... What do you think, Village Chief Wang?" Zheng Dabao said, glancing at Wang Quangen.

"Isn't this a bit low? Only five thousand a year isn't enough for our road repairs," Wang Quangen said.

"That's alright. Isn't the contract period 20 years? Whoever wants to contract it can pay the contract fee for 20 years in one go, which is 10. If you want to contract for a longer period, you can extend the term to 50 years or 70 years, as long as you can pay the contract fee in one go..." Zheng Dabao said.

"What Secretary Zheng said makes sense, but the township didn't give a 70-year contract period..." Wang Quangen said.

"It's alright. I said 70 years, and it's 70 years. If the township leaders have any complaints, let them come to me." Although Zhengjia Village's mountainous area is not large, it is part of the Taihang Mountains. Originally, it belongs to the state. If you want to contract it out, you have to go through a contract at the provincial level. Not to mention a township leader, even a county leader doesn't have that kind of power. The township leaders giving the contracting rights to the village is against regulations. Since the township leaders violated the regulations first, he can take the opportunity to add some conditions, and he's not worried that the township leaders won't agree.

"Who has contracted to run Caomao Mountain and Huagu Mountain?" Zheng Dabao's eyes turned to Yang Ming.

"I'll take it, 70 years, 35." Yang Ming raised his hand.

"Anyone offering a higher price?" Zheng Dabao's gaze swept across the room again.

35?

If people could afford that price, who would still be holed up in this remote mountain village? They would have moved to the county town long ago.

After waiting for a long time, no one surnamed Wang dared to make a bid. The main reason was that they were afraid of Yang Ming. What if Yang Ming suddenly changed his mind? How much money would that be? Could everyone just renege on their promise like Wang Dafang? If another person tried to renege, the Zheng family would definitely fight back.

"Alright, Caomao Mountain and Huagu Mountain will belong to Yang Ming for the next 70 years..." Zheng Dabao smiled and glanced at Yang Ming. "Yang Ming, remember to bring the money to the brigade tomorrow to sign the contract."

"I didn't bring that much cash with me. All my money is in my bank card. I need to go to the county town to get it," Yang Ming said.

"Go to the county town? Sure, Village Chief Wang and I are going to the county town tomorrow to discuss road repairs, so let's all go together," Zheng Dabao said.

"Okay, I happen to have a car." Yang Ming nodded.

Next were Longhu Mountain and Tiaozhao Mountain. These two mountains were indeed good mountains, with fertile and soft soil, full of rotten and fermented dead branches and leaves, where anything could grow well. Longhu Mountain was 150 mu and Tiaozhao Mountain was 80 mu. Both the Zheng and Wang families were vying for them. In the end, Longhu Mountain was bought by a man from the Zheng family named Zheng Laoshi for 21,000 yuan per year, and Tiaozhao Mountain was bought by Wang Duo for 9,600 yuan per year.

Around 10 p.m., the auction organized by the village committee, which had a somewhat comedic element, finally came to an end, and Yang Ming and Aunt Liu left the village committee together.

"Hehe... Tonight was really interesting. Those two, Wang Quangen and Wang Dafang, really made a fool of themselves..." On the way back, Aunt Liu was as excited as a lark, chattering away and occasionally letting out a giggle.

"They must watch too much TV. They think that by holding an auction, they can bid the highest price and rip me off! Do you think just anyone can hold an auction? If you don't do it right, you can easily end up hurting yourself..." Yang Ming shook his head and chuckled.

"Those guys surnamed Wang are all full of bad intentions. You've really offended them today, so you'd better watch out in the future," said Aunt Liu.

"I saw it. When Wang Dafang was leaving, the look he gave me was really fierce! I need to think of a way to subdue him," Yang Ming said.

As the two talked, they arrived at Yang Ming's house. On the window, black and white shadows alternated, indicating that Wei Qingqing and the others were still watching TV.

The two pushed open the door and went straight into the inner room. Sure enough, Wei Qingqing and Zheng Bao'er were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), eating large peaches and watching TV with great relish. There were two more peaches on a large tea tray on the edge of the kang.

"You guys are so carefree..." Yang Ming picked up a peach, took a bite, gave the other one to Aunt Liu, and then sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What's wrong? What happened?" Wei Qingqing asked, sitting down on the kang (heated brick bed) to make room for Aunt Liu.

"It's nothing, just about contracting a mountain..." Yang Ming briefly recounted the events of the evening to Wei Qingqing.

"They're so stupid! This Village Chief Wang, and that Wang Dafang guy, their IQs must have been reset to zero..." Wei Qingqing shook her head and sighed.

"What do you mean zeroed out? They practically reduced it to a negative number. How much is two acres of land worth? They actually figured we'd have to lease two mountains for those two acres..." Yang Ming sighed and shook his head. "If the cost is too high, I'd rather leave that land barren than fall for that scam."

Wei Qingqing grew up in a big city and had no idea how much farmers valued the land. Sometimes, two neighboring plots of land could turn into a fight over a single ridge. Although Yang Ming grew up in the countryside, his parents always wanted him to settle in the city, so they didn't talk to him about matters related to the land. Besides, land disputes weren't a frequent occurrence.

"To be honest, the other four hills are all good hills, but the two hills you've leased are rather barren... What do you plan to plant on them?" In Aunt Liu's impression, Yang Ming's family was definitely not short of money, so it was normal that they didn't care much about the land; they were just here to have fun in this poor mountain valley.

"Why do we have to plant something specific? Can't we raise livestock up there? We can raise pigs, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, and all sorts of things on the mountain. Wouldn't that be great?" Yang Ming said.

"That's true. Raising ducks and geese doesn't mean you'll run out of water. There's a big pond in the Grass Hat Mountain, and it's even a mountain spring," Aunt Liu nodded and said.

"What does Aunt Liu plan to plant after lodgepodge mountain?" Yang Ming asked.

"There's not much to grow, just some medicinal herbs. People used to come to the village to buy goji berries, and they'd pay several yuan a pound for them," said Aunt Liu.

"Sister Liu, what do you think of the peaches you're eating?" Yang Ming asked.

Aunt Liu was a clever woman. Upon hearing this, she was taken aback at first, but her heart started pounding. She said, "It's quite delicious..."

"Let me put it this way," Yang Ming said. "These peaches were cultivated by a friend of mine in the agricultural society. They were space-bred, and the fruit is large and flavorful. If you want to grow them, take the peach pit back and plant it on the mountain. It will sprout next year, grow into a big tree in a year, and bear fruit in the third year. Of course, if you can crack the peach pit by freezing it, it will sprout this year and bear a late-season fruit next year."

Hard-shelled seeds such as peach and apricot kernels, when planted in the north, will not germinate until the following year after being planted. They need to survive the winter, allowing the cold to crack the hard shells, or even longer, until the microorganisms in the soil decompose the hard shells.

"You mean..." Aunt Liu's heart pounded, and her voice trembled. These big peaches are large, brightly colored, and taste good. If they could be grown, they would definitely sell well in the future.

"That's right, I can authorize you to plant them, but you can't sell the peach trees to anyone else without my authorization..." Yang Ming nodded and said.

"Well... if I sell the peaches, I can't exactly remove the pits too, can I?"

"That's not necessary. What I mean is that for the next two years, these peach trees cannot appear in any third orchard except for yours and mine." Actually, Yang Ming was just looking for a gimmick. If all fruit farmers could grow these peach trees, that would be great. That way, if he were to grow some other large fruits, it wouldn't attract attention.

"That's not right. Peaches take three years to bear fruit, and apricots take four. Don't peaches take three years to bear fruit?" Aunt Liu suddenly thought of something else.

"Space-bred varieties are definitely superior varieties. How can you compare them to ordinary peach trees? Aren't there many superior varieties nowadays that bear fruit in one or two years?" Yang Ming said.

"Then what do you want me to do for you?" Aunt Liu always felt that Yang Ming wouldn't help her for no reason.

"You need to pay me back the contract fees I advanced for you as soon as possible. It's over 20,000 yuan, which is no small amount..." Yang Ming said.

"Okay..." Aunt Liu nodded, pulled her daughter over, and said, "It's getting late. We can discuss things tomorrow. I won't disturb you two any longer." She then helped her daughter off the kang (a heated brick bed), and the two of them left.

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing, a married couple, quickly saw them off, all the way to the front gate.

Only after Liu Sao and her daughter entered their courtyard did the couple return to their house.

Wei Qingqing climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), crossed her legs, and glanced at Yang Ming with a provocative look. Mimicking Aunt Liu's tone, she said, "Hmph, so what do you want me to do for you?"

"What are you doing?" Yang Ming raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face. He changed into a loose set of pajamas and a pair of slippers. "I'm going to plant the Tree of Life and the Tree of the World first, and I'll tell you what I need you to do when I get back..." As he spoke, he walked into the front yard. He had already planned to plant the Tree of Life and the Tree of the World on the persimmon tree in the yard, but there were too many people in the house before, and it was inconvenient with so many people watching. He only had the opportunity tonight.

"Plant the Tree of Life and the Tree of the World? I want to see them too..." Wei Qingqing quickly put on her shoes, got off the kang (heated brick bed), and followed her out.

The light in the yard was a 100-degree incandescent bulb, its bright light illuminating the yard brightly, attracting many mosquitoes to circle around the bulb.

Yang Ming stood under the persimmon tree, and two green orbs of light appeared in his hands without him noticing. One was light green, and the other was dark green, both emitting a soft glow. The light green one was naturally the world tree species, and the dark green one was naturally the life tree species.

Wei Qingqing stood behind Yang Ming, holding her breath.

Yang Ming slowly placed his hands on the tree trunk. The moment the two orbs of light touched the tree, they immediately entered and quickly spread throughout the entire tree. Instantly, the entire persimmon tree, including the trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit, was enveloped in a green light. The green light seemed to burst through the tree, giving the impression that it was about to overflow. This meant that the Tree of Life, the Tree of the World, was transforming the persimmon tree.

"puff!"

With a sound like bubbles bursting, specks of green light, like fireflies, were squeezed out from the branches and leaves of the persimmon tree and quickly disappeared into the air. The persimmon tree instantly returned to its original state. This was the result of the Life Tree Species and the World Tree Species completing their transformation of the persimmon tree and eliminating excess energy.

A fresh, natural scent emanated from the tree and quickly spread.

"The air is much better..." Wei Qingqing said.

"Of course it's better. Before the Tree of Life reaches maturity, it's used to purify the environment. It can produce negative oxygen ions, which are good for people's health," Yang Ming said.

The two looked at the persimmon tree in the yard for a while, but didn't feel that anything had changed. Mosquitoes started looking for food on their bodies, so they scratched their arms, which were covered in bites, and went back inside. They lit a mosquito coil, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

By the way, this mosquito coil was brought from Liu Sao's home. There are many mosquitoes in the mountains, and they are very vicious. Some of the poisonous mosquitoes can even kill people with their bites. Mountain people often keep mosquito coils on hand. However, this mosquito coil is not bought. It is made from a plant called mugwort, which is dried, ground into powder, and then made from soil. It is particularly effective in repelling mosquitoes and is also non-toxic and harmless to the human body.

Because lunch was cooked in a large pot, the kang (heated brick bed) was very hot. The two of them slept at opposite ends of the kang, one at the head and the other at the foot, which helped them stay cool. They talked for a while and then fell asleep.

The room was pitch black, with only a small red dot flickering eerily. The small mountain village was completely silent. It was said that anyone who suffered from insomnia would surely get a good night's sleep in this environment.

"what……"

Suddenly, a scream rang out in the room, startling Yang Ming. He abruptly turned on the light, shouting, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Rat, rat..." Wei Qingqing screamed, her face full of terror. She pressed her body tightly against the wall, trembling all over. Her two white little feet stomped on the kang (a heated brick bed), almost collapsing it. Her little hands trembled as she pointed to the spot where she had just slept. On Wei Qingqing's pajamas, there were several rat footprints, clearly the marks left by rats crawling on her.

Yang Ming followed Wei Qingqing's finger and saw a large, gray rat lying where Wei Qingqing was sleeping, looking around cautiously, not afraid of people at all.

Seeing Wei Qingqing so frightened, Yang Ming was filled with rage. He lunged forward, grabbed the rat by the neck, and snapped its neck before it could even struggle. He then got off the bed and threw it into the yard. After washing his hands in the outer room, he returned to the inner room.

Back in the inner room, they found Wei Qingqing squatting in the corner, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Alright, alright, I crushed that mouse to death." Yang Ming climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and comforted the terrified Wei Qingqing.

"Waaah...it climbed all over me..." Wei Qingqing cried, leaning against Yang Ming's chest. As she cried, she took off her pajamas, which were covered in mouse footprints and felt disgusting to wear.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Tomorrow we'll go buy a cat. With a cat on the kang (heated brick bed), we won't be afraid of mice anymore..." Yang Ming hugged Wei Qingqing and gently patted her back. Her smooth, jade-like back felt cool, and it was obvious that Wei Qingqing was quite frightened and was covered in a cold sweat.

After Wei Qingqing calmed down a bit, she turned off the light and went to sleep. This time, Wei Qingqing refused to leave Yang Ming no matter what. She snuggled naked into his arms and insisted on sleeping with her head on his arm.

Yang Ming sighed helplessly, "So be it, let it be a hot topic..."

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