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墨書 Inktalez
A woman with children sneered at Liu Cuiying's words, "What good things do you have at home? They are all buried under the snow in your yard, who cares!"
The crowd burst into laughter, and Liu Cuiying couldn't be bothered to respond to them anymore. Her home was about to be demolished, and she couldn't even take care of her own assets; there was nothing more valuable than a house.
Song Pearl, who had been quietly eating, noticed the commotion outside. She picked up her bowl and pushed the last grain of rice into her mouth before turning to Zhang Yunye, who was eager to go out. "You stay inside. I'll let you know when it's time for you to go out."
"What do you mean, big sister?" Zhang Yunye's enthusiasm instantly deflated. "Do you not trust me?"
"This kid is just acting; she can't fool anyone! She's even more naive than the people in our village!" Song Pearl thought to herself but didn't say it out loud.
She gave Zhang Yunye a look that meant to stay put, and Zhang Yunye obediently sat down with a flattering smile on her face. "Don't worry, big sister, I'll listen to you."
Song Pearl smiled slightly; this was how a seventeen or eighteen-year-old high school student should behave.
As Song Pearl opened the door and stepped out of the main room, she saw Song Jiantao and Liu Cuiying at the entrance, both on edge. Liu Cuiying was jumping around angrily, pointing and cursing, spitting everywhere.
Song Jiantao pointed at Liu Cuiying and tried to step forward but was pulled back by the village chief.
"Mom..." Song Pearl timidly stood behind Liu Cuiying. She tugged at her sleeve, her eyes reddening as tears began to fall. Her voice trembled with a pitiful tone.
Seeing Song Pearl come out of the house, Song Jianguo nervously took two steps back. He noticed that the man hadn't come out with her, which eased his mind a bit.
"Pearl, I have something to ask you." Song Jianguo looked intently at the downcast Song Pearl and spoke kindly, "Did that official from the province come to your house this morning?"
He didn't directly ask if Song Pearl knew any kind of sorcery because seeing her demeanor made him doubt it. This poor child couldn't possibly be involved in anything like that.
"Yes, village chief, I invited him to my house for dinner this morning." The incident of locking Zhang Yunye away happened at night; the villagers were unaware of it. Those who did know could only pretend nothing had happened while swallowing their grievances.
Song Jianguo and Song Jiantao had already discussed that since he could come secretly, they would invite him back openly.
"How about this, it's too late at night, and it's not clear. You and him, let's go to the Team Headquarters to discuss the situation," Song Jianguo looked behind Song Pearl, "Where did he go?"
Before Song Pearl could answer, Liu Cuiying's loud voice came down: "Village Chief, I see the snow has stopped now. Why don't we just stay here? Almost everyone in the village came to my house this morning. We can open the window and talk; it's more public than the Team Headquarters."
Just after finishing a pancake wrapped with green onions, Liu Cuiying spoke, and a strong onion smell burst out, causing Song Pearl to step back slightly, but she didn't let go of her arm.
"That's right, it doesn't matter where we are. We all support selling the land and support the Village Chief. Song Shiting's house must be demolished." There are always some who flatter among the villagers; once someone started, the discussions grew louder.
"Demolish it if you want, but you can't hit people... Song Shiting is already in the hospital."
There were also voices of reason.
"Exactly, if we demolish Song Shiting's house, where will his family live? I heard there's no compensation; that's a bit unreasonable!"
"Exactly, even clay figurines have some earthiness. No wonder Song Shiting disagrees..."
"What are you talking about? The village leaders are doing this for our villagers to become prosperous. If we don't fill in the Fish Pond, it's just his family causing trouble and delaying everyone in the village. Isn't that right?"
While the Village Chief was still considering, the crowd of villagers had split into two factions arguing about everything—some agreed, some sympathized, and some opposed violence.
"Everyone quiet down!" Song Jiantao shouted at the noisy crowd. He didn't understand why the villagers had been so restrained before but were now rushing over despite the slippery road.
"Anyway, my house can't be demolished!" Liu Cuiying said sternly. "Just because my husband got hurt like this, unless the village... no matter how much compensation we get, we won't demolish it..."
Liu Cuiying initially wanted fifteen thousand in compensation but suddenly changed her mind. "We also have a contract for the Fish Pond; Provincial Comrade is still here. It's unacceptable to forcibly occupy our Fish Pond!"
"Right, right! Even if they offer money, we can't let them!" In the crowd, there were those who didn't know their place and were stirring up trouble on one side.
Song Jianguo said slowly, "Regarding the demolition and filling of the pond, I assure you, we village officials are not benefiting from this. Both Jiantao and I genuinely want our village to prosper. Our village is remote and impoverished, far from County Town, and we don't even have a decent road. This is also about attracting investment, which is supported by both the county and township... You can't let your family's interests delay the entire village's path to prosperity!"
"Moreover, there won't be any shops beyond this village," Song Jiantao interjected firmly. "Last time Qing Yuansheng came, I asked him. As long as Hongqing Group buys our land, everyone in our village won't have to live this kind of hand-to-mouth existence anymore. We can all secure stable jobs in their group."
"Do you know about Hongqing Group? They rank first in the county and are well-known in the province. I've heard that many college students need connections to get in there, but for us, as long as Hongqing acquires our land, we'll all become city folks!"
Song Jiantao felt he was performing well, and the crowd's atmosphere was stirred up. The previously noisy crowd listened intently to his words, their eyes filled with genuine longing.
Hongqing Group may be located in County Town, but it felt so far away! It was said that they operated with mechanization; those working there only needed to stand and monitor instruments or count numbers. With mechanization, there wouldn't be much physical labor involved. Even if there were some physical tasks, these villagers could handle them as long as they got in.
After Song Jiantao finished speaking, instead of the applause he expected, a loud voice abruptly continued from the crowd: "Isn't it just about selling land to Hongqing Group? Our family’s pearl farm doesn’t need to be demolished or fill the Fish Pond; Zhou the Elder’s orchard doesn’t need to be cut down either. We can still sell the land to Hongqing Group!"
"Really? Is that true?" Cheers erupted from the crowd, led by Zhou the Elder mentioned earlier by Liu Cuiying. He had just contracted an apple orchard last year; the new trees hadn’t borne fruit yet, and now the village wanted to cut them all down and only refund the contracting fee. He had been unhappy about it but had been waiting for an opportunity since Song Shiting’s family was opposing it.
If Song Shiting's family didn't demolish their property and didn't fill the Fish Pond, then his orchard would surely be saved.
Liu Cuiying's words struck a chord with him.
"Does that mean my pigsty doesn't need to be demolished either?" someone else in the crowd asked.
Once matters concerning their own interests were brought up, the villagers were no longer passive.
"What about our wheat? We have over four acres; can we not plow it for now and wait until next year's harvest?"
"My family too..."
"I have some as well!"
Except for those whose land was destroyed by bulldozers and road rollers, the villagers whose crops still survived became agitated.
"Zhenzhu, you know the provincial officials, don't you? Are you also familiar with the leaders of Hongqing Group?"
"Zhenzhu, go talk to them and let them wait until after this harvest to buy the land!"
Land is the foundation of survival, and most villagers felt pained to see the wheat seedlings crushed into the soil.
Some villagers squeezed to the front to surround Song Pearl and her mother, while the village chief and Secretary were pushed aside. The more than ten members of the security team also stopped blocking them; they were locals who relied on farming for a living. They also had wheat fields in the southern part of the village. Although the village would provide compensation, as farmers who had cultivated the land for generations, having food made them feel secure!
"Don't worry, everyone’s crops, orchards, and piglets will all be kept. Our Zhenzhu guarantees that uncles and brothers will earn money from this harvest."
Liu Cuiying's face turned red as she patted her chest in assurance. "If you don't believe me, ask our Zhenzhu."
She turned her head towards her steadfast daughter, Song Pearl, only to find her daughter staring blankly at her. Why was this girl losing focus at such a critical moment?
"Zhenzhu, are you?" Liu Cuiying gave a light slap to the seemingly dazed Song Pearl.
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