Chapter 23: Large-scale Mountain Contracting

Once this matter is settled, Cao Shujie will invest money to start the renovation, putting up fences around that mountain area, laying irrigation pipes, and repairing the small path leading up and down the mountain.

It has been more than 20 days since he returned on the 12th of last month. During this period, Cao Shujie has mostly been in a state of accompanying his parents, wife, and children, and adjusting his routine. He hasn’t been very busy, but that doesn’t mean he’s living a slow, complacent, day-to-day life just because he returned to his hometown to develop.

There are still many things in life, and many times when money is needed. It’s just that the passive impetus of life in a big city, which constantly forced him forward, is gone. But Cao Shujie understands that when it’s time to strive, he still has to strive.

He is not escaping life, but rather changing to a relaxed atmosphere to continue striving.

“Mom, I’m going to Uncle Jiangang’s house,” Cao Shujie told his mother, Wang Yuelan.

Cao Jiangang is Caojia Village’s Village Party Secretary, and Gao Weimin is Caojia Village’s Village Head.

Wang Yuelan, of course, knew who Cao Jiangang was. She wondered, “What are you going to his house for?”

“I’m thinking of contracting the area on the mountain that belongs to our family, including the surrounding area, planting more fruit trees and flowers, to make that place a bit prettier,” Cao Shujie told his mother.

The more he spoke, the more confused Wang Yuelan became: “Why are you doing so much? Won’t it be too tiring?”

“Mom, you can’t say that. I have to find something to do, and earn some money along the way, to give my dad some face,” Cao Shujie said with a smile.

“Give him nothing!”

After Wang Yuelan complained, she subconsciously asked again, “Shujie, do you not have enough money to spend? We still have a few passbooks at home. Should I go withdraw some more money for you?”

Cao Shujie felt a warmth in his heart. He knew that his parents’ love for him and his sister had always been unreserved.

From when he and his sister went to university, to when he bought a house in Beijing, his parents gave money whenever they said they would, even if they had to borrow it; they never hesitated.

The next moment, he said, “Mom, after I sold the house in Beijing, I still had over 1 million yuan left. Plus, I have some salary savings. I have plenty of money, enough for expenses. It’s really not about not having enough money; I just want to find something to do.”

“Just being idle isn’t good either, right? Being idle for too long can easily lead to problems,” Cao Shujie gestured.

Wang Yuelan became even more confused: “Didn’t you buy the house for a total of over 1 million yuan back then? I remember your loan alone was over 900,000 yuan. How come you still have so much money left after selling the house? Didn’t you pay back the loan?”

Cao Shujie knew his mother didn’t really understand these things and explained with a smile: “Mom, when I bought the house, it was only 15,000 yuan per square meter. When I sold it, it was 30,000 yuan per square meter. The price exactly doubled. After deducting taxes and fees, I still had over 1.4 million yuan left.”

Wang Yuelan’s first reaction after hearing this was to quickly glance outside the main gate. There was no one else. She then whispered to her son: “Shujie, you have this money, just keep it yourselves. Don’t tell anyone else. You can’t tell your dad either; that broken mouth of his doesn’t know what to say once he’s had a drink.”

His mother’s words amused Cao Shujie. He waved his hand, “Mhm, I understand.”

“Mom, I’m going to the supermarket in the north to buy some things.”

Cao Shujie turned to walk out. At this moment, Wang Yuelan called out to him again: “We’re not out of things at home, why are you spending money to buy more?”

As she spoke, Wang Yuelan pointed to the west room and said: “The wine you bought before is all in that room. Your Grandfather and your dad haven’t drunk much of it. Just pick two good bottles and take them.”

Cao Shujie wanted to refuse, but in the end, he was forced by his mother to choose two bottles and take them.

On the Mountain, Cao Huifang came over, holding her niece, with her classmate Deng Miaoshan. Cheng Xiaolin followed behind, leading two small huskies.

Mengmeng was held by her aunt Cao Huifang. At first, she struggled for a while, but then seeing she couldn’t escape, she simply gave up and made her aunt her “ox and horse”: “Giddy up, Auntie, run fast.”

“You little rascal,” Cao Huifang complained about her.

Deng Miaoshan, who was beside her, was also surprised to see her roommate so joyful.

In the dorm, Cao Huifang usually appeared very serious most of the time.

As soon as they arrived, both were captivated by the sea of flowers before them. It was too beautiful. Deng Miaoshan was already mesmerized by the sea of flowers before her eyes. She truly hadn’t expected there to be such a beautiful place.

Her family lived in the city, and she had been to many botanical gardens or parks, but to be honest, those flowers always felt a bit uneven in quality, unlike the fruit tree flower sea before her, where the flowers on every tree looked particularly striking, and every flower seemed particularly full.

“Huifang, is this really your family’s orchard? It’s even more beautiful than the flowers in many scenic spots,” Deng Miaoshan exclaimed.

She said: “It’s just that there are a bit few fruit trees here. If the whole mountain were covered in blooming fruit trees, and you added some other flowers, I think you could totally turn it into a tourist attraction to attract people to come and visit, or rent out this place for outdoor wedding photoshoots. Just thinking about it feels beautiful!”

There’s a saying that the speaker may not mean it, but the listener takes it to heart.

Deng Miaoshan had originally just mentioned it casually, but Cheng Xiaolin took it to heart.

She seriously considered Deng Miaoshan’s two suggestions, and the more she thought about them, the more sense they made.

That wasn’t all. Deng Miaoshan had already taken out her camera: “It would be a real shame not to take some photos in such a beautiful place.”

As she spoke, she took dozens of photos of the sea of flowers from different angles, *click-click*.

Still not satisfied, she said to Cao Huifang: “Huifang, please take a few more photos for me too. I want to post them on my QQ Zone and on my Weibo. This place is truly amazing.”

Seeing Cao Huifang holding her niece and dawdling, Deng Miaoshan grew impatient: “Huifang, hurry up!”

“This place isn’t going anywhere, what’s the rush?” Compared to taking photos for her classmate Deng Miaoshan, Cao Huifang wanted to hold her niece for a bit longer.

In the end, Cheng Xiaolin came over: “Sister, I’ll help you take them.”

“Sister-in-law, you don’t have to…”

Deng Miaoshan felt a bit embarrassed. Cheng Xiaolin had already taken the camera: “Come on, sister, stand still, I’ll take more photos for you.”

Just like that, Cheng Xiaolin took over a dozen photos for Deng Miaoshan, and only then was it done.

…

On the other side, Cao Shujie, carrying two bottles of wine, rode his electric bike to Village Party Secretary Cao Jiangang’s house.

Speaking of which, although Cao Jiangang and his father Cao Jianguo are of the same generation, they are already beyond the fifth degree of kinship, so their relationship isn’t that close.

But there’s no harm in being polite.

Cao Jiangang was someone who knew his goods. He saw that the two bottles of wine Cao Shujie brought were not cheap, and welcomed him in with a beaming smile: “Shujie, your dad and I are like brothers. Why are you bringing wine when you come to your uncle’s place? Why are you so formal?”

“Uncle, I am a junior. How can I come to see you empty-handed?” Cao Shujie said this.

These words made Cao Jiangang feel very comfortable: “Shujie, I heard you’re building a house, a 2-story small building. It must cost a lot of money. So you’re really not going back to Beijing anymore?”

“No, I’m not going back. It’s too tiring to struggle outside, and I couldn’t earn much money. It’s more comfortable at home,” Cao Shujie said this.

Cao Jiangang nodded in agreement after hearing him say this: “Shujie, you’re right to think that way. The country now places great importance on the construction of our new rural areas, especially in the development of rural characteristic economies, where significant subsidies have been provided.”

“My Weige, I’m also planning to call him back to work here. He’s been blindly busy outside year after year and hasn’t saved much money. What’s the use of just convenience in life? In today’s society, what doesn’t require money?”

You know what, although Cao Jiangang was not young, he lived clearly and thought things through very clearly.

The two chatted for a while. Cao Jiangang proactively asked: “Shujie, do you have something on your mind? We’re not outsiders. Just tell your uncle directly what you want to say.”

“Uncle, since you’ve put it that way, then I’ll be direct. Aren’t there still many idle mountain fields above our family’s orchard? I want to contract all of them. How much do you think would be appropriate?” Cao Shujie no longer beat around the bush; he said it directly.

Hearing him say this, Cao Jiangang had an expression on his face that said, ‘I knew there was something,’ but then he said: “Shujie, have you really thought it through about contracting that mountain land?”

“Yes, Uncle, I’ve thought it all through.” Cao Shujie nodded heavily, his expression also serious: “The moment I resigned from my job in Beijing, sold my house, and decided to come back, I wanted to come back and do something.”

Cao Jiangang nodded: “The rent isn’t high; it’s just inconvenient, and a lot of money will have to be invested…”

“I know, Uncle, you also know that our family already rents a part of it and grows an orchard. I’ll rent the rest. A portion will still be used to grow orchards, and for the other portion, I plan to fence it off for breeding/raising livestock.” Cao Shujie thought for a moment: “As for the investment costs, I have a figure in mind.”

“That’s not a small sum,” Cao Jiangang reminded him.

This was also because they were from the same village; Cao Jiangang and Cao Shujie’s father occasionally got together to drink. If it were anyone else, Cao Jiangang would just scam them and be done with it, no way he’d give a heads-up.

“I understand, Uncle!”

“Alright then, the rent for one mu of land over there is 130 yuan. I remember, after deducting what your family is currently farming, there are still seventy or eighty mu in total, right? We can check the exact details.” Cao Jiangang had also forgotten, but he then asked, “Shujie, how many years do you plan to rent for?”

“The longer, the better,” Cao Shujie said.

Cao Jiangang nodded: “In that case, it will be a 30-year lease. Regarding the rent, there won’t be much profit in the first 5 years, so we won’t increase the price for you.”

“After 5 years, it will increase by 3% annually. All of this will be written into the contract. How does that sound to you?”

Cao Shujie considered it for a moment. The price was neither high nor low, and he accepted it.

“Alright, you go back first. I’ll discuss it at a meeting tomorrow, then notify the whole village, and the Village Committee will take a vote. If there are no issues, you can come over and sign the contract,” Cao Jiangang said finally.
(End of this chapter)