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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Seventy-Five: What Must Come Will Eventually Arrive
“Dad!” Zhang Qiu said reluctantly as he looked at Zhang Zhi Hua.
Zhang Zhi Hua replied, “Let them in.”
Although Zhang Qiu was unwilling, he could not go against his father's wishes. He turned around and opened the door. The members of the Task Force were knocking vigorously on the door, and suddenly, when it opened, Backcombed Hair stumbled into the yard. The others looked at each other in surprise, fearing that Zhang Qiu might change his mind, and hurriedly rushed inside.
Glasses Man respectfully said to Zhang Zhi Hua, “Sorry to intrude.”
Zhang Zhi Hua simply replied, “Come in,” with no expression on his face. Zhang Qiu watched coldly from the side as Backcombed Hair got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and cheerfully followed them in.
Since the last incident where a "temporary worker" injured someone, the Task Force from the Relocation Office had changed their approach. They adhered to a principle of smiling and patiently explaining policies door-to-door. “If one explanation doesn’t work, we’ll explain it twice; if that doesn’t work, we’ll explain it three times. We’ll keep explaining every day as if it’s a tough battle,” Director Zhao of the Relocation Office stated at a mobilization meeting. Many were concerned that this would make their work even harder, but they were surprised to find that since the incident, opposition to the Task Force entering homes had significantly decreased.
Zhang Zhi Hua let the four of them into the living room, where they gathered around the Tea Table on the sofa. He turned to Zhang Qiu, who was the last to enter, and said, “Zhang Qiu, pour some tea.”
“Okay,” Zhang Qiu replied and took some tea leaves from the can under the Tea Table along with cups into the kitchen. Two minutes later, he came out with brewed tea and placed a cup in front of each person. Watching Backcombed Hair and others drink tea, Zhang Qiu suppressed a laugh.
Zhang Qiu was unwilling to serve tea to these people but felt compelled to do so; if he didn’t, given his father’s temperament, he would surely be forced to stand up and do it himself. So, Zhang Qiu decided to add a little something extra to their tea. Except for his father's cup, all the other teas contained a mix of Zhang Qiu's saliva.
After placing the tea down, he sat on the sofa as well. He wanted to hear what these relocation workers had to say.
After some small talk, Glasses Man took out a stack of papers from his briefcase. Fearing that his father might sign a contract, Zhang Qiu hurriedly picked up the teapot to refill their cups but accidentally knocked over a water cup. The papers Glasses Man had taken out were soaked and turned light yellow from the spilled tea.
Glasses Man hurriedly dodged, disregarding the contract, and tossed it onto the table. Zhang Qiu then realized that it was not a contract at all, but just a few blank sheets of paper outlining the relocation compensation plan. Shaking his head, Zhang Qiu handed a tissue to Glasses Man, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Glasses Man wiped the tea-soaked hem of his pants and said, "It's fine, it's fine."
Zhang Qiu turned to look at his father and found Zhang Zhi Hua glaring at him. Zhang Qiu smirked, stuck out his tongue, and sat back down.
After finishing wiping, Glasses Man asked Backcombed Hair for a few more sheets of paper to show to Zhang Zhi Hua, continuously pointing out some data on them while explaining to Zhang Zhi Hua.
After listening for a while, Zhang Qiu interrupted Glasses Man: "Both of your compensation options are disadvantageous!"
Glasses Man looked at Zhang Qiu and chuckled, "You have to think about it this way: if you choose the cash option, it will be much more than what your family paid for this house back when you bought it. If you choose the relocation housing compensation, a hundred square meters of fully equipped apartment is very convenient." Having dealt with relocations dozens of times, Glasses Man was already quite adept at handling these issues.
Zhang Qiu listened disdainfully and retorted after Glasses Man finished: "Buying this house was in the 1990s; do you know how much money has depreciated since then? Comparing prices from that era to now—are you kidding me? Moreover, my family's two-story house is also fully equipped with utilities, far exceeds one hundred square meters in area, has good sound insulation, and comes with a yard. Isn't that better than a hundred-square-meter apartment?"
Backcombed Hair interjected from the side: "Isn't this for building a new civilized Beiluan, improving our living environment and increasing our happiness index?"
"I feel like I'm listening to a joke. Improving living conditions means developing real estate? Civilization means forced demolitions and relocations? Forcing people to do things they don't want to do can increase happiness? The reason for demolition is all wrapped up in fancy words; isn't it just about money?"
Glasses Man awkwardly smiled and avoided Zhang Qiu's comments, instead saying, "Now it's all the rage to live in apartments. When getting married, one has to buy an apartment; many places are looking forward to being relocated for apartments."
Zhang Qiu coldly replied: "Then you should go develop those bungalows in South. Those people are indeed looking forward to being relocated."
Sweating profusely, Glasses Man felt desperate as every word he said was countered by Zhang Qiu, leaving him without any means to defend himself. Just when Zhang Qiu thought he could silence these people into leaving, Zhang Zhi Hua suddenly spoke up and said to Zhang Qiu: "Zhang Qiu, let me handle this."
Zhang Qiu looked at his father with a puzzled expression, unsure of what he wanted, but a bad premonition lingered in his heart.
Sure enough, his father asked the Glasses Man, "If I sign, can I get more benefits?"
Upon hearing Zhang Zhi Hua's words, the Glasses Man's eyes lit up. When one door closes, another opens; it was more important for Zhang Qiu to handle his father than to keep struggling. The Glasses Man suppressed his excitement and pretended to think for a moment before saying, "Well, it depends on how quickly we can proceed. Let me be clear: if you sign now, adding five square meters is not a problem."
"Then, you won't use any other means, right?" Zhang Zhi Hua asked next.
"Of course not. We're doing the urban renewal to enhance everyone's happiness," the Glasses Man replied with a sincere expression, but to Zhang Qiu, it was nauseating. Zhang Qiu couldn't help but say, "People are already happy now; it's the demolition that's making everyone unhappy. We have to move and find new places—it's such a hassle!"
"It is a bit troublesome now, but in the future, you'll enjoy the benefits," the Glasses Man said cheerfully.
Zhang Zhi Hua was caught in an internal struggle; deep down, he did not want to relocate. On one hand, the compensation plan was utterly unreasonable. On the other hand, he was reluctant to leave the house where he had lived for so many years. This two-story building witnessed his love story with He Mei and accompanied Zhang Qiu's growth. Zhang Zhi Hua truly found it hard to part with this place that held so many memories.
However, would refusing really make a difference? After a long pause, Zhang Zhi Hua sighed deeply, gritted his teeth, and fixed his gaze on the Glasses Man. "If you can do one thing for me, I will sign."
Hearing his father's words made Zhang Qiu's heart sink; what was meant to happen had finally arrived.
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