I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

"Brother Chen! Something terrible has happened! The sky is falling!"

Wang Dagou rushed into the yard like his pants were on fire, his voice so loud that even the stray dog ​​dozing under the eaves jumped up in fright.

Jiang Chen was squatting on a small stool, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, and didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard this.

"What are you wailing about?"

"It's even more serious than a funeral!"

Wang Dagou ran up to Jiang Chen, his dark face flushed red, and his forehead covered in sweat.

"Diesel! The diesel we need for the farm machinery, we're out!"

He was panting heavily when he slapped his thigh.

"I drove my pickup truck to all five gas stations in Qingshui Town, and I couldn't find a single drop of agricultural diesel!"

"The gas station staff said that a big boss from out of town bought them all up by charging extra!"

Jiang Chen paused for a moment while cracking sunflower seeds, then precisely spat the shells into the trash can beside him.

Spring has arrived.

As the ice and snow melt, all things come back to life.

The newly merged 20,000 mu of fertile land has been transformed, with its dark soil turning up and exuding a rich aroma, ready for planting.

This is the golden season for spring plowing; not a single day of farming can be wasted.

The village's hundreds of newly purchased large tractors and seeders, all heavy-duty machines that drink a lot of oil, are lined up on the farm road, ready to put their skills to good use.

Without diesel fuel, these machines, worth millions or tens of millions, are just a pile of scrap metal.

Before Jiang Chen could speak, another series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Wang, the former village head of Liushu Village, rushed in with leaders from several other villages, all looking anxious.

"Boss Jiang!"

When Village Chief Wang entered the door, he saw Jiang Chen leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, and he was so anxious that he almost cried.

"This is a major disaster! If we can't sow now, all 20,000 mu of our land will be left barren this year!"

"Yes, Boss Jiang!" another village chief chimed in. "If we miss the planting season, even if we can plant later, the harvest will be halved! The thousands of people who just moved here depend on this land for their livelihood!"

Several old farmers were so anxious that they paced around the yard, not knowing what to do with their hands.

Attorney Zhou also walked in from outside. He was quite calm, but his expression was somewhat solemn.

He walked over to Jiang Chen and reported in a low voice.

"President Jiang, I've checked."

"It's a manager surnamed Liu who used to work for Chu Tiankuo who's behind this."

"Although Chu Tiankuo went to jail, he left behind a considerable amount of idle funds, which are now under the control of this Manager Liu."

"He not only bought out the quota of agricultural diesel for Qingshui Town, but also locked it out in advance at a high price for all gas stations in Qinghe County and even the city."

"His goal is very clear: to stop our spring planting and make our 20,000 mu of land yield no harvest."

Attorney Zhou's words brought the atmosphere in the courtyard to a freezing point.

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Wang plopped down on the ground, slapping his thigh in despair.

"We're doomed...we're doomed...this is driving us to our deaths!"

Wang Dagou was so angry that his eyes turned red and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"That bastard surnamed Liu! I'm taking men to the city right now and drag him out!"

at the same time.

The top floor of the most upscale office building in downtown Qinghe.

A middle-aged man in a bespoke suit with slicked-back hair is standing in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine.

He is Manager Liu.

He looked at the photo on his phone, a picture sent by his subordinate showing the empty gas station in Qingshui Town, and a cruel smile crept onto his lips.

"Jiang Chen? Just a nouveau riche."

"Trying to do business with me? You're still too green."

He took a sip of the red wine in his glass, his eyes filled with the thrill of impending revenge.

"I'd like to see how your hundreds of tractors will get to work without fuel."

"Go ahead and cry while you guard your 20,000 acres of wasteland!"

In Jiangjia Village, in Jiang Chen's courtyard.

The atmosphere was terribly oppressive.

Everyone looked at Jiang Chen, waiting for him to make a decision.

Faced with this seemingly unsolvable deadlock, Jiang Chen remained unusually calm.

He slowly finished cracking the last handful of sunflower seeds in his hand.

Throw the sunflower seed shells into the trash can.

Then he stood up and patted the crumbs off his hands.

Amidst the anxious, expectant, and confused gazes of the crowd, he smiled.

That smile carried a hint of enigmatic playfulness.

"He likes to hoard diesel fuel, doesn't he?"

"Okay."

"Then let him hoard as much as he wants."

Jiang Chen glanced at the group of people with worried faces, his tone as relaxed as if they were going on a picnic.

"I'll try a different approach."