"Yi Feng, I'm sorry, this land is mine now!" Liu Xin Cheng looked up at Liu Yi Feng, his mouth almost reaching the sky, after hearing the results.
"It's alright, since you like this land so much, I'll let you have it. I'll find another place then." Liu Yi Feng didn't argue with him.
He could have guessed with his toes that Liu Xin Cheng must have bribed people midway to get so many votes.
However, since the results were out, the process didn't matter anymore.
It meant he just wasn't destined to have that piece of land.
Oh well, he'd just find another one!
"Then you better hurry up. Don't be caught without a place when my agritainment resort is already built," Liu Xin Cheng said with a mocking smile.
Liu Yi Feng couldn't be bothered to deal with him. He said goodbye to Grandpa Village Chief and went home.
On the way, he met many villagers.
Some offered words of comfort when they saw him, while others showed guilty and evasive expressions.
It was clear who had voted for him and who had voted for Liu Xin Cheng.
However, Liu Yi Feng didn't blame them. After all, it was their freedom to vote for whomever they pleased.
He couldn't morally blackmail them just because he had promised they could invest.
Back home, Liu Yi Feng was greeted by Tong Tong's hug: "Daddy, I heard the results! Don't be discouraged, we'll definitely find a more suitable place."
Looking at the little one hugging his leg and earnestly comforting him, Liu Yi Feng's mood instantly improved. He smiled and said, "Thank you for the comfort, Tong Tong. Daddy believes you, we will definitely find a better place and build another agritainment resort."
"Yi Feng, it's good that you can take it. I was worried you wouldn't be able to accept this outcome!" Liu Chun Sheng said, relieved.
"Dad, you underestimate your son too much, don't you?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's Dad's fault! Since Liu Xin Cheng rented that land, we'll just look for another one. However, there's still one thing you mustn't forget, remember the approval process."
"I know, you don't need to worry about these things, old man. Just leave it all to me." After saying that, Liu Chun Sheng took Tong Tong's hand and went into the living room.
In the living room, he was eating chilled watermelon. After a while, he went out to take care of some business.
At this time, villagers started appearing in twos and threes.
At first, they found it difficult to state the purpose of their visit.
It wasn't until Liu Yi Feng broke the ice by saying, "You're here to collect money, aren't you?"
Some things didn't need to be kept hidden.
"Yes, yes, yes. Is it convenient now?" They felt a bit embarrassed about receiving money for free.
"Yi Feng, what red envelopes?" Liu Chun Sheng asked, utterly confused.
Liu Yi Feng hadn't had a chance to tell his father about preparing red envelopes for the villagers.
"Dad, it's just that the watermelons I grew in the back mountain had a great harvest, and I sold quite a bit. I thought it was thanks to the elders and folks who agreed to let me grow those watermelons, so I decided to use some of the money to give each household a thousand-yuan red envelope as a token of my appreciation."
After hearing his son's words, Liu Chun Sheng immediately started calculating in his mind.
One thousand yuan per household, ten households would be ten thousand, and a hundred households would be a hundred thousand.
Their village had over three hundred and eighty households, meaning over three hundred and eighty thousand yuan.
It was impossible not to feel a pang of regret giving away so much money for free.
Although the land in the back mountain didn't cost a penny, they had already given each household two large watermelons as compensation.
Now they were giving money directly, and such a large sum could have bought the land. He felt it wasn't worth it.
However, since Yi Feng had already said it, and people were coming to collect the money, stopping them now would mean losing face for Yi Feng.
He said nothing further, only watching as Yi Feng placed several stacks of cash on the table, then recorded names, and handed out the money.
In just a short while, ten thousand yuan had been distributed.
"Thank you, Yi Feng. I voted for you this morning, but I don't know how Liu Xin Cheng was elected," one villager said, receiving the money, to show he wasn't ungrateful.
Liu Yi Feng nodded, "Thank you, Uncle Liu. But you can't blame the voters for this. I appreciate your good intentions. The weather is hot, so I won't keep you. Take your money and go home quickly, and remember to keep it safe."
After working for a while, Liu Yi Feng's hand started to ache. He handed the pen to his father, planning to rest for a bit, then prepare the materials to submit for approval.
Just as he stood up, Li Dong Mei walked over. Seeing Liu Yi Feng, she immediately comforted him, "Yi Feng, although you didn't succeed in renting that land, don't be too sad. Our Liu Family Village has plenty of fields and land. You'll surely find a more suitable place if you look around."
"Thank you for your concern, Sister Li. Are you here to collect a red envelope? I'll have my dad give it to you!"
"No, I ate two of your watermelons for free, how could I possibly accept so much money? I came to say that the peanuts in the peanut field have been pulled up and bundled. We're just waiting to transport them back." Li Dong Mei said.
"Okay, when the sun isn't so strong, I'll use the cart to bring them back. But this money is what I promised everyone, Sister Li, so please accept it. You need money for various things at home. This money isn't much, but it can help you out in a pinch."
Liu Yi Feng said this in a normal tone, but to Li Dong Mei, it sounded like a special kind of care. She couldn't help but nod, blushing, acting shy like a young girl. Liu Yi Feng was bewildered; he didn't think he had said anything unusual.
Before he could speak, he saw his father glare at him fiercely, as if blaming him for talking too much. Then, he turned to Li Dong Mei and said seriously, "My son has always been like this, don't overthink it. You should take the money that's due to you. Including half a day's wages of fifty yuan, it's a total of one thousand and fifty yuan. The money is all here, just put your thumbprint on it."
"Uncle Liu, it's their business to collect it, but I can't. This money doesn't rightfully belong to us. Just give me fifty yuan for my wages," Li Dong Mei argued with Liu Chun Sheng.
"Take it if I give it to you, stop talking so much nonsense. There are others waiting to collect. Hurry up and put your thumbprint on it and take the money," Liu Chun Sheng said with a cold expression.
This made Li Dong Mei a bit awkward. Uncle Liu seemed to be hostile towards her. Seeing the people still queuing behind her, she reluctantly accepted the money. She remembered the white flour distributed at home and had planned to make vegetable buns. Now she changed her mind and decided to make meat buns instead, and would send some over to Liu Yi Feng's house later. With this thought, she left.
Liu Yi Feng went to Tong Tong's study to draft the construction plan. It would have to be submitted to the People's Government for review. Once approved by the People's Government, it would then be reviewed and approved by the agricultural department. Only after the agricultural department's approval could the vegetable greenhouses be reopened.
It was noon by the time Liu Yi Feng finished in Tong Tong's study, drafting the construction plan. This was his first time doing something like this, and he didn't know much. He could only think as he went and search on Baidu, trying to find a framework to make it easier to write. He wrote three or four drafts, but he was not satisfied with any of them.