It was another remote village.
But this time it was different from the Great Northwest. Not only was there no desert or dust, but there were also blooming flowers, green trees, lush mountains, and clear waters.
It was a minority ethnic group along the Yangtze River.
The villagers lived in the mountains, in a beautiful but primitive environment.
The route they chose for power transmission needed to utilize water power, hence the road passing through their village.
The staff stayed at a hotel in a town about ten miles away from the village.
Zhang Gong rented two business vans to pick them up every day.
That afternoon, Jiang Nan Fang arrived at the location and, without any delay, went with Zhang Gong to the site of the incident.
Along the way, Zhang Gong kept telling her the details.
"Their village is very isolated. People rarely go out to study or work, and they can barely speak Mandarin. They chatter in their own language, and it's hard to understand."
"Also, the people here are very united. If one family has a problem, everyone helps."
"The family we've provoked has no male head of household, only a mother. She gave birth to five sons and never remarried. The first four sons have left the village and started businesses. Their family has high prestige in the village, making them difficult to deal with. You need to be mentally prepared."
Jiang Nan Fang thought to herself.
Since all four of her sons had left the village and started businesses, they must have seen some of the world and should be able to communicate.
Rural land is not valuable. If they want to sell the land, they'll compensate me. What else can they do?
Could it be that he wants to demand compensation as if it were commercial land?
As it turned out, she was still too naive.
She didn't understand the true meaning of the saying, "Poor mountains and bad waters breed difficult people."
Before the cars even reached the place, they saw a crowd of men and women dressed in vibrant colors standing in the middle of the road.
They were like primitive people, shouting and making noises.
Zhang Gong's face immediately turned pale.
"That's them. For a piece of land, the whole village has come to guard it. They've been guarding it here every day. As soon as they see us, they shout. Doesn't it give you the creeps?"
Jiang Nan Fang thought.
Perhaps this is their custom, and it's best to understand.
"If you're scared, you don't have to go down. I'll go first and see."
She got out of the car alone and approached the crowd.
Jiang Nan Fang smiled and offered her hand to everyone.
The woman at the forefront, with a dark complexion but good features, looked at her.
She spoke in her dialect, asking, "What do you do? What do you want to do here today?"
Jiang Nan Fang couldn't understand her, but her translation software could.
She had prepared it before coming. She opened her phone and immediately understood the auntie's words.
She used the translation software to communicate with her.
"I am in charge of this project. My name is Jiang Nan Fang. I apologize, I didn't know this was your land and I have offended you."
"But we must use this area, so can we discuss a purchase?"
"You can name your price or offer any form of exchange."
The translation software spoke for a while, and the villagers understood her meaning.
They lowered their guard and began to size her up.
This place was not like Nancheng, where it was chilly.
It felt like spring in April or May, with bright sunshine and pleasant weather.
Jiang Nan Fang had her hair in a high ponytail, wearing a light blue denim shirt with a black short jacket.
She paired it with black casual pants and sneakers, looking simple yet sharp.
Her skin was fair and delicate, and her features were lively and pretty.
Seeing such a beautiful girl for the first time, everyone felt a bit envious.
It was clear that the woman at the forefront was also envious.
She looked Jiang Nan Fang up and down, then turned and whispered a few words to a dark-skinned boy about half her height.
The boy looked at Jiang Nan Fang again and nodded shyly.
With a "whoosh," the crowd behind them burst into laughter.
Jiang Nan Fang didn't know what they were laughing about, but the woman said nothing further. She patted the boy's arm,
gestured to everyone, and made a motion to walk back. Then, without mentioning any compensation demands, the group inexplicably walked back towards the village.
Watching their receding figures, their bare feet treading on the rough yellow earth,
Jiang Nan Fang thought that primitive people were indeed the most simple and honest.
Perhaps they didn't care about money at all, but only wanted an explanation.
As long as you show them enough respect, you see, the problem is easily solved.
She held her phone and naively returned to the car.
Zhang Gong gave her a thumbs-up.
"You're amazing, Engineer Jiang. What did you say to them? You resolved it in just a few sentences."
"I gestured and chattered for a long time that day, and they almost beat me up. What did they say? How much do we need to compensate?"
Jiang Nan Fang replied, "They didn't ask for a single cent and left without saying anything."
"Perhaps you didn't explain it clearly that day. I brought translation software."
Is that so? Maybe it was me who didn't explain clearly.
In any case, she was still the capable one.
Zhang Gong praised her again and then said,
"I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip for such a small matter. You can go back now, and we'll continue working tomorrow."
"Hopefully, you won't be bothered by any more problems in the future."
It was the first time she had seen such a quaint and historic town. Since she had some free time, Jiang Nan Fang decided to explore it.
That evening, she treated everyone to dinner and went to bed early.
The next day, she was preparing to return to Nancheng.
However, before she could leave, Zhang Gong called again.
"What's going on? They've returned."
"We brought the equipment and were about to start working when that woman lay down on the ground and refused to get up. And her five sons are here today as well."
"I'm really afraid it'll escalate into a fight. Please come quickly."
Are they crazy? Yesterday they didn't have any demands themselves.
Jiang Nan Fang quickly called for a car and rushed over.
When she arrived, a fight had already broken out.
Several workers were bleeding from their heads.
The woman who had spoken to her yesterday was lying on the ground.
Jiang Nan Fang took out her translation software and went to negotiate.
A tall, sturdy man in his thirties told her,
"This is my mother, and I am her eldest son. Not only are your people occupying our land, but you've also made my mother ill with anger."
"Right now, I don't want anything else. I want you to send my mother to the hospital."
Are you being reasonable?
We also have many brothers who are bleeding from their heads. Can't you see that?
But since the situation had already occurred, Jiang Nan Fang didn't want it to worsen.
"I can send your mother to the hospital, and I can also pay you for the land you're occupying. Tell me how much you want? Let's settle it once and for all."
"We'll discuss the money after my mother is discharged from the hospital. For now, please send my mother to the hospital immediately."
Jiang Nan Fang was truly exasperated.
If you say they don't care about money, they come and cause trouble every day.
If you say they care about money, they avoid the topic whenever you bring it up.
It was so frustrating not understanding the local customs.
Jiang Nan Fang had people send the woman and her five sons to the hospital. On the way, she instructed Zhang Gong.
"Find someone to investigate the local customs thoroughly and deal with them accordingly. Otherwise, if they keep causing trouble like this, the project will be dragged down and ruined."