A young man from another world returned to his hometown.

Chapter 7 The Tragic Village Chief

Lin Yecheng said casually, "Uncle Maocai, the rent that was owed before can't be counted against us."

Lin Maocai's face immediately fell.

"That debt was owed by someone else. The village wants that money and should go after the person who ran away. But that has nothing to do with the subsequent land lease. What we need to discuss is the future contract."

Lin Maocai opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. He knew Lin Yecheng was right; it was illogical to expect a newcomer to clean up the mess left by the predecessor.

Lin Yecheng leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice by half an octave.

"Uncle Maocai, your main problem right now is that you don't have any money to distribute. Everyone in the village is clamoring to go to the town to make trouble. We can sign a long-term contract to lease the village's land, and the rent will be calculated at the village's internal price. This will solve your immediate problem."

Lin Maocai pondered.

"Moreover, we can hire uncles and aunts from the village to do the work, such as fertilizing, pest control, and harvesting. We'll use all local villagers, and their daily wages will be double what they were in previous years. My brother is also planning to build a cold storage facility in the village so that we won't have to let outside buyers drive down our prices."

"Double the size? Build a cold storage facility?"

Lin Maocai sat up straight immediately. Lychees change color within a day, aroma within two days, and taste within three days after being picked. Previously, they had to be sold to buyers immediately after harvesting, even if the price was bad that day. This caused the village to suffer from price suppression. If the village had cold storage, they could contact refrigerated trucks and find suitable buyers themselves. This was also the reason why several nearby villages decided to jointly lease their land to the previous administration.

"You're not just saying that like you did with the last company, are you?"

The village chief was getting a little scared of being scammed.

Lin Yecheng repeated himself carefully, "Oh! Uncle Maocai, we're from the same village. How could we lie to our own people? It's just that my brother works in a big city, made a lot of money, and is preparing to come back to build up our hometown. We're going to build a cold chain transportation line here and do it long-term."

Lin Maocai didn't speak, but his fingers had already started tapping the table unconsciously.

"Uncle Maocai, what's your biggest problem right now? That old debt has left everyone without income, and this land is lying fallow, so there will be no harvest this year. Everyone has no work and no money to earn, and you're caught in the middle, not worthy of anyone's approval."

We're here today to give you a way out, to revitalize the land, so that the villagers can earn money this year, and more than in previous years. This will naturally calm everyone down considerably.

Lin Maocai slowly exhaled.

He had been the village chief for decades, and today Lin Yecheng spoke the truth in every word, leaving him with no room for rebuttal. Moreover, most importantly, they were children he had watched grow up in his village.

"Okay! The land is yours! I've also heard about your brother's plan to open a shop on the national highway. He's a capable person, and I trust you. That land originally belonged to the village collective, and the rent is the lowest possible price, the internal price for villagers."

"I'll also help you coordinate the road issue. There's a special fund for village road renovation. I'll go to the town and see if I can get some policy subsidies."

As Lin Maocai spoke, he stood up, ready to ride his motorcycle.

"Don't worry about the paperwork, I'll go today, and it'll be all done in three days at most!"

After saying that, the motorcycle sped away.

Become!

Lin Yecheng breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned again.

"However... Ah Yan, things will get tough from here on out."

Lin Yan looked at his cousin: "What's the problem?"

"Building cold storage and repairing roads are huge projects. They require someone who can manage and coordinate, and also knows the ins and outs of construction sites. Where in the village can you find someone like that?"

Indeed, it's already mid-March, and more than half of the young people who went out to work have already left. Those who remain are either too old or not very educated. They can manage a few acres of their own land, but directing a construction site... that's another matter entirely.

"Are there any people in the village who have gone to university and know anything about this?"

Lin Yecheng thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead: "It must be Jiayao!"

"Brother Jiayao!"

Lin Yan's other cousin, the eldest son of his third uncle, went to university and now works as an auditor in a large company.

"Yes, he studied accounting and now lives in a big city. I heard his salary is quite high."

I just don't know if he'd be willing to come back. People who've lived in big cities for too long, who would want to go back to this poor place?

"Let's try calling first," Lin Yan said.

"There's another problem. The workers, the group from the neighboring village who used to work on the project, were owed wages by the previous boss who ran away. I heard a couple of days ago that they all went to town to demand their wages."

He went over the two questions in his mind, then looked up and said calmly, "There's no problem that money can't solve."

Although he had encountered some setbacks in his previous endeavors, Lin Yan was still very confident at this moment.

In another world, conquering a territory only required taking the local noble leader as a dog, wielding both a big stick and candy. Although these people here are all his relatives and I shouldn't speak like that, the principle is the same.

After understanding the situation, Lin Yan took a bag of cash, went to his uncle, and handed the matter over to him.

Then I dialed a number.

The phone rang a few times before being answered by a slightly tired voice: "Hello, who is this?"

"Brother Jiayao, it's me, Ayan."

"Oh... Yan-zai! What's wrong?"

"Brother, I made a lot of money in college, and now I've started a project in the village. I need someone to manage the project, and you're the first person I thought of."

Jiayao's voice carried a hint of surprise.

"You're working on a project in the village? What kind of project?"

"Catering, cold chain logistics, and later, we plan to refer to urban construction. I'll offer you a million-dollar annual salary."

But Lin Jiayao, on the other end of the phone, was stunned, his mind went blank.

"...Are you serious?"

"Brother, the village needs someone like you. You work in the big city all year round, and all those accounts you check end up in whose pockets? Come back and put those accounts into your hometown's pockets, wouldn't that be better?"

Another silence.

At this moment, inside an office building.

Lin Jiayao rubbed his sore eyes and looked at the messy accounts he had just balanced on the computer, feeling a lump in his throat.

To put it bluntly, his auditing work was simply helping people legally and compliantly cover up a mess.

Running a catering business in a rural area? Building a cold chain logistics system?

As a professional auditor, Lin Jiayao knew all too well how murky this situation was! Rural areas were experiencing population loss, agricultural projects had cyclical payback periods, infrastructure investment was a bottomless pit, yet profit margins were pitifully low. In the city, capital simply wouldn't touch such a thankless task!

Yanzi has made so much money, why doesn't he do what he could better? Why does he have to throw all that money into that rural area?!

Lin Jiayao swallowed hard: "Yanzi, do you...do you know how much money it costs to start a business in the village? It's simply not a profitable venture!"

"I know. But someone has to do it..."

Lin Yan's original intention was simply to make a promise to his relatives, as they would feel more at ease using it.

But these words struck Lin Jiayao like a thunderclap.

Lin Jiayao's hand holding the phone began to tremble slightly.

Yes! How could someone as smart as Yanzi not understand this?

He wasn't in it for the money at all!

He did it to find a road for the villagers!

Looking at myself, after so many years of schooling, living in this concrete jungle, I spend my days scheming and calculating for outsiders. I've not only lost my original ideals, but I've also forgotten my roots back home!

How old is Yanzi? He has such a strong sense of gratitude and a broad-mindedness to help others when he is successful!

What am I, Lin Jiayao, still hesitating for?!

A long-lost surge of passion rushed to Lin Jiayao's head, instantly dispelling the fatigue from working overtime for many days.

"Yanzi, stop talking!"

Lin Jiayao's eyes welled up with tears, and he suddenly stood up, shoving the audit report off the table.

"If my younger brother has the resolve to sell everything he owns to build our hometown, how can I, your older brother, remain a coward outside?! I'll write my resignation letter right away and buy a ticket back to the village tomorrow!"

"...???"