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墨書 Inktalez
The cold wind blew, and Zhang Yunye, dressed somewhat lightly, moved with an air of ease.
He stepped forward, standing before the village chief and Secretary, and spoke in a tone that was slightly authoritative and left no room for doubt: "I am from the Provincial Land Management Bureau. Someone reported that the village officials here are illegally demolishing residents' homes and encroaching on villagers' property. The bureau specifically sent me to investigate; here is my work ID."
After finishing, Zhang Yunye took out a blue booklet from his pocket and handed it to the village chief, who stood at the front.
"Wow, so impressive!" Song Pearl, who had always been proper in her behavior, silently cheered for Zhang Yunye. Standing beside him, she caught a glimpse of the ID he presented and felt puzzled. If she remembered correctly, this should be a Driver's License she had seen before; how did it suddenly become a work ID?
This guy was indeed unreliable, lying and forging documents while pretending to be someone important!
Even though the atmosphere was cold and serious, Song Pearl's mind was racing. She began to doubt whether this person was not actually Zhang Wan, whom she had encountered yesterday. Otherwise, how could he have grown seven or eight years older overnight, changed his hairstyle, and put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses?
She had been too busy getting out of the car earlier to take a closer look.
The village chief, Song Jianguo, took the ID from Zhang Yunye and examined it under the light. His expression changed slightly as he passed it to the nearby Secretary. The Secretary squinted at it under the light for a moment before looking up at the dashing Zhang Yunye. They had never seen provincial officials before! This was their first time encountering a provincial cadre in Song Family Village!
"Comrade Leader, this is not illegal demolition; we are also trying to help the entire village prosper. You traveled all this way to understand our situation; let’s go to the Team Headquarters to warm up first. We can explain everything in detail. Your superiors must have misunderstood; it’s truly a misunderstanding!" The Secretary spoke smoothly, his words carrying a hint of flattery.
"Yes, yes, let’s go to the Team Headquarters to warm up. You’re dressed so lightly..." The village chief chimed in.
"Alright then, let’s head to the Team Headquarters. For now, stop any demolition or filling in until we clarify things. Are these Elders and Brothers just here to watch or support?" Zhang Yunye scanned the crowd of villagers huddled together. "It’s freezing; everyone should head home and rest!" He raised an eyebrow slightly, exuding an aura even more imposing than that of the stout Secretary.
"Let’s go, let’s go; my legs are frozen stiff..."
"Yeah, why are we getting involved in other people's affairs?"
The villagers murmured among themselves and began to disperse. Meanwhile, the excavators and bulldozers turned off their engines as drivers wrapped in thick Cotton Coats climbed down and left with the villagers.
Zhang Yunye invited several village officials into the rented luxury SUV and then turned back to Song Pearl, saying: "You should go home and find out what exactly is going on."
Song Pearl nodded as she helped Liu Cuiying up. The cold wind tousled her somewhat loose hair, sticking it against her pale face, making her appear lost and helpless. Zhang Yunye called out to her with a gentle smile and added: "Don’t worry; nothing will happen."
Song Pearl stared at his warm eyes filled with kindness, feeling more gratitude than confusion; she truly owed him this time.
Although Zhang Yunye went to the village committee alone with the village chief Secretary, Song Pearl was not worried at all. What mattered most to her now was to figure out what was going on.
Back home, the previously strong and unyielding Liu Cuiying collapsed onto the bed.
Song Pearl picked up the Thermos, which was filled with hot water. No matter how chaotic the scene was, the hot water in their home never ran out. Liu Cuiying was a capable woman, and after her legs healed, she had not let Song Pearl handle any household chores.
Song Pearl heated a towel and wiped Liu Cuiying's face clean, then poured a cup of hot water and handed it to her. "Mom, drink some hot water to soothe your throat."
Liu Cuiying held the cup to her lips, blowing on it as the steaming White Mist hit her frostbitten cheeks.
Song Pearl poured herself a cup of hot water and took a gentle sip. She needed to calm down and think; she couldn't imagine what would have happened if she hadn't returned tonight.
Since she came to this family, major matters had been arranged neatly by Song Shiting, leaving her free from worry as a daughter, which suited her dependent and timid nature. Now that she suddenly faced a change in circumstances, it awakened the resilience and strength deep within her soul.
She could endure hardships, but only to a certain extent.
"Recently, your dad didn't want you to know what happened because he was afraid it would affect your studies. But... I really couldn't hold it in anymore. Your dad had a stroke and has been hospitalized for three days. At least he woke up, but I dare not tell him anything; I'm afraid it would upset him again... But I'm worried I can't handle this alone. You coming back can at least help a little..."
Liu Cuiying's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Your dad's suffering can't be in vain; we have a contract for this house, and I need to protect this house and the Fish Pond..."
"Even though you're timid, you're still a college student who has seen the world outside... They just bully us because our family is small in number. Your dad is useless; his siblings are all short-lived... We can't even find anyone to help. Your brother is still young, and your dad's relatives are not close; when it comes to interests, they keep their distance. Sigh, but thankfully they..."
Liu Cuiying couldn't continue and started crying while holding the cup.
"Mom, please don't cry. It's the first time I've seen you cry like this..." Song Pearl handed Liu Cuiying a dry towel to wipe her tears. "What exactly is going on? Why does the village want to demolish our house and even target the Fish Pond?"
"It's that Aunt Liu from our village, the shaman who can call souls. Your dad took you to her house before." Liu Cuiying put down her teacup, wiped her nose, and slowly explained the cause of the situation.
"I remember that person; Dad called her 'Second Aunt.' Her skin is as rough as old tree bark." Song Pearl sat on a stool on the ground, adding two pieces of coal to the stove and poking it with tongs. A spark flew out, and she quickly covered it with an iron lid.
"She adopted a foster son named Qing Yuansheng, whom your dad also knows. They worked together in the city back then. Qing Yuansheng was smart and educated; he felt that working hard for little pay had no future, so he partnered with someone to start a steel business. Surprisingly, he did well and opened a factory that grew larger and larger—it's now the leading enterprise in the county: Hongqing Group."
"He is very filial and has repeatedly wanted to take his foster mother Aunt Liu to the city, but Aunt Liu can't get used to living in an apartment and refuses to go. So Qing Yuansheng contacted the village officials because our village is too backward; it's still like ancient times where villagers crowd around Team Headquarters just to watch one television set, and village officials don't even have decent mobile phones."
Liu Cuiying sighed, "This has stirred the hearts of the village leaders. They plan to sell the farmland in the south of the village to build a factory for Hongqing, and our family and the Fish Pond are in their way. The village Secretary came to find your dad, offering us thirty thousand yuan to move. The Fish Pond at our doorstep and the few pigs we have raised are our source of income. Thirty thousand yuan isn't even enough to build a house, so your dad disagreed. They resorted to force; your dad couldn't stop them and ended up getting beaten."
"How can they hit people? We can sue them!"
"They were just trying to intimidate us; it wasn't too serious, but your dad got so angry that he had a brain hemorrhage..."
A brain hemorrhage is very serious. From now on, Song Shiting won't be able to do any heavy labor. If he can still walk and isn't confused, that would be fortunate.
"Everyone in the village supports selling the land, and your dad is also in favor, but our family's loss is too great. If the village could raise the compensation to one hundred fifty thousand, we could still move. Thirty thousand is outright robbery!" Liu Cuiying's despair returned, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Song Pearl stood up, bit her lip, and said to Liu Cuiying, "Mom, we won't move or tear down anything. Just because Dad got sick from anger, we can't give in. No matter how much they offer, we won't leave!"
"Silly girl, we don't have the resources to be stubborn like that. We can't fight or resist them. I just hope they give us reasonable compensation; even if it's ten or twenty thousand less, I could accept that..."
"Mom, don't worry about it. Don't they just want to sell the land? I'll go find them. We won't fill in the Fish Pond or move out; they'll still sell the land!"
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