Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"Oh, Mr. Chen, it's our fault for not doing our job well!"

Chen Dong smiled and shook his head. "No, Director Feng, your comrades in Nanshan County have done an excellent job. It's just that the people in Zhaoyang County are a bit greedy!"

"Director Feng, go back and tell Secretary Lin that it was I, Chen Zaidong, who said that we do not accept Hongping Village's proposal to increase the land acquisition compensation price. The shareholders of Guangdong Company have unanimously decided to revise the blueprints and bypass Hongping Village!"

"As for Zhaoyang County's disagreement with my company's request to modify the blueprints, my company will decide, depending on the circumstances, whether to abandon the construction of the Nanzhao Highway and instead build a section leading to Nanshan County. You can convey this message to Secretary Lin verbatim!"

Chen Dong had already said all he wanted to say, so Feng Yuanshen had nothing more to say. He could only hastily leave Lianzhai Village and drive back to the county government compound in the county seat.

Lin Deying frowned as he listened to Feng Yuanshen's report, then asked, "Is that really what Mr. Chen said?"

"Yes, Secretary Lin, Mr. Chen's attitude is very firm, leaving no room for negotiation. He said that if Zhaoyang County does not agree to modify the blueprints and insists on building from Hongping Village, then Guangdong Company will decide, depending on the situation, to abandon the construction of the Nanzhao Highway!"

Lin Deying gritted his teeth and shook his head, saying, "Things are getting complicated. If Guangdong Company really withdraws its plans because of Hongping Village, no one can handle the anger Secretary Zhou will unleash!"

"Secretary, that's a matter for Zhaoyang County. You just need to pass on the message to them and let Zhaoyang County handle it themselves. If something goes wrong, it was Zhaoyang County that caused it first," Feng Yuanshen said in a low voice.

"Those people in Hongping Village are indeed too greedy, Secretary. To put it bluntly," Feng Yuanshen continued, "they must have heard from somewhere that Guangdong Company has put up a hundred million US dollars for infrastructure construction. They think they can get a big bite out of it, which is why they are so fearless."

"We can't tolerate these kinds of people. We have to let them come up empty-handed. Only when other villages benefit from the improved transportation after the Nanzhao Highway is completed will they regret their greedy demands!"

"That's all we can do," Lin Deying said, frowning. In any case, no matter what Guangdong Company decides, Nanshan County will definitely make a profit.

Hong Quan, the county party secretary of Zhaoyang County, hung up the phone call from Lin Deying. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He picked up the documents on the table and slammed them heavily on the ground.

Then Hong Quan picked up the phone and called Cao Qiulie of Mengyu Commune, "Hello, this is Hong Quan from the County Party Committee!"

"Secretary Hong, has the other side replied?" Cao Qiulie didn't notice anything amiss in Hong Quan's voice on the phone and was still asking about that matter.

Secretary Hong Quan did not answer Cao Qiulie's question, but continued in a cold tone, "Immediately send someone to Hongping Village to bring back that land expropriation compensation document!"

After saying that, Hong Quan didn't give Cao Qiulie a chance to ask any more questions and hung up the phone with a snap. Cao Qiulie listened to the busy tone on the phone, completely bewildered.

What's going on? Did they really agree?

Cao Qiulie didn't understand what Secretary Hong Quan meant, but he still had to do it. He called over Xiao Ma, the clerk who had delivered the documents that day, and said, "Xiao Ma, could you make another trip to Hongping Village and retrieve the documents that were delivered that day?"

"what?"

Xiao Ma asked, puzzled, "Secretary Cao, shouldn't we bring another copy of the new document? Otherwise, we'll have to make another trip!"

He really didn't want to go to Hongping Village. That awful mountain road would shake his hemorrhoids out if he rode it. He was exhausted from making him go back and forth like that all the time!

"No need. The county committee hasn't said anything, so don't say anything. When you go to Hongping Village, just say you're bringing the documents back for revisions. As for their questions about that matter, just say the county is still negotiating with Guangdong and they should wait for the county's reply!"

"Okay... alright!"

Clerk Xiao Ma rode his old-fashioned bicycle to the Lianzhai Village brigade headquarters again, only to find Hua Zhenhong and the brigade leader, Lü Zhaotai, drinking tea inside. When they saw Xiao Ma arrive, Hua Zhenhong greeted him with a smile and a cigarette.

"Comrade Ma, you've worked hard. Come in and have a smoke and some tea," Hua Zhenhong warmly invited Xiao Ma into the house.

After Xiao Ma sat down, drank some tea, and smoked most of his cigarette, Hua Zhenhong finally asked, "Comrade Ma, what was their response to the compensation offer of three thousand yuan proposed by our Hongping Village collective?"

Xiao Ma tapped his leg, casually flicked the cigarette ash onto the ground, and said with a smile, "Secretary Hua, it seems there's some progress."

"oh!"

Hua Zhenhong and Lü Zhaotai both smiled and raised their eyebrows. That overseas Chinese from America actually agreed. Could it be that the compensation price of 3,000 yuan per mu they offered was too low? Otherwise, why would he agree so quickly?

Oh dear!

That was too hasty; we should have proposed 5,000 yuan per mu from the beginning!

Why not raise the price again? He already agreed to 3,000, so adding another 2,000 would probably get him to agree to the road construction so it can proceed smoothly.

Hua Zhenhong was lost in thought when Xiao Ma saw the two people opposite him smiling. He said to Hua Zhenhong, "Secretary Hua, Secretary Cao asked me to come here to take the land expropriation compensation document I brought that day back to the commune. He said he would take it back to the county to make changes."

"Change this, Comrade Ma, it's like this," Hua Zhenhong said. When he heard that Xiao Ma wanted to take the document back, he knew that the county and the other side had reached an agreement and planned to take it back to change the land expropriation compensation price from 700 yuan to 3,000 yuan.

Hua Zhenhong probably tasted success and decided to change his mind at the last minute, raising the price from three thousand to five thousand. He didn't want to let Xiao Ma take the documents back just like that.

So Hua Zhenhong stammered, "Comrade Ma, it must have been hard for you to come all this way. How about this, I'll have someone kill a chicken and cook two dishes as a token of our gratitude to you, Comrade Ma, for your tireless efforts in handling our village's land acquisition!"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Secretary Hua," Xiao Ma said, and when he heard that there would be wine and chicken to eat, he wasn't in such a hurry to go back anymore.

"It's alright, Comrade Ma, you can have some tea here first. Captain Lü and I will go out and pick out a chicken for you to kill," Hua Zhenhong said, gesturing for Lü Zhaotai to come out with him.

"Secretary, why did you prepare a feast for him?" Lu Zhaotai asked in a low voice after walking out of the room.

"I guess the county and they reached an agreement. Didn't you hear Xiao Ma say that the documents need to be taken back to the county for revisions?" Hua Zhenhong said with a smile.

Lu Zhaotai rubbed his hands together. "They actually agreed! That's wonderful! That's over fifty-six thousand!"

"Look at you," Hua Zhenhong laughed, rolling his eyes at him. "Didn't you ever think that since that overseas Chinese is willing to pay 3,000 yuan per mu, what if we asked for 5,000 yuan per mu?"

"Five thousand per mu!"

"Wow! Only you, Secretary, dare to bring this up!"