Asking them to make concessions now will definitely elicit different reactions from the farmers.

However, things did not develop as Liu Shengxing had imagined.

In the rural areas of Gongcheng, many people are busy with spring planting, burning weeds and wild grasses in preparation for tilling the land and sowing new seeds.

He also took advantage of the group's lunch break to investigate related matters from the public.

Wearing a straw hat and casual clothes, Liu Shengxing walked into the field in two steps. Seeing the farmers eating lunch boxes next to the fields, he also warmly walked up to them and exchanged pleasantries.

"Hey fellow villager, I'm from the newspaper. I'd like to ask how your fields are doing this year?"

Several farmers around him blinked, looking at Liu Shengxing with great curiosity, completely baffled as to what he meant.

However, a busy woman in the crowd put down her chopsticks and started yelling at Liu Shengxing.

"Why are you asking me all this?"

"Life goes on as it always has to be."

"What's the point of asking that?"

Faced with the woman's fiery personality, Liu Shengxing was not in a hurry. He quickly had his apprentice behind him hand out cigarettes and distributed them to everyone.

This attempt to get closer to them lowered their guard somewhat.

When the woman saw the whole bag of Hongtashan cigarettes that Liu Shengxing had given her, her mouth stretched to her ears in a wide grin, and she hurriedly wiped her hands with her clothes.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Sit down, sit down."

"We thought it was someone from above who arranged this visit."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shengxing and his apprentice's eyes lit up.

Was this a visit arranged by higher authorities?

The implication is that someone had instructed them in advance on what to say when they encountered leaders from higher up.

There's no need to mobilize the masses to build this factory.

Liu Shengxing was also laughing and joking with the others.

"What kind of talk is that?"

"I started the People's Voice newspaper to report on the lives of us poor people, to see if we can reflect our situation to the government and improve our lives."

"I'm too embarrassed to ask now."

Several shirtless men around him were smoking cigarettes that Liu Shengxing had given them.

One of the men raised an eyebrow.

"It's the People's Voice newspaper from Shanyang City."

"Yes, yes, yes! You've heard of us too?"

"Hey! We always buy your newspaper, you're a really good newspaper that does things for the people!"

After revealing their identities, the group's relationship improved considerably.

Several of the men also made room to sit, helped wipe the dirt off with their clothes, and even laid them down as a makeshift mat.

Liu Shengxing looked at the clothes he was going to put under his buttocks, laughed, picked them up and handed them back, and sat down without any disgust.

This attitude also made those around Liu Shengxing feel closer to him.

After a brief chat, Liu Shengxing did not inquire about the foreign investment in the factory, but instead asked about everyone's lives.

The purpose of this is not to do anything in particular, but to let the farmers bring it up themselves, so that if someone asks, they can give a brief explanation.

When the government comes to Liu Shengxing and his group, they can say that they are only investigating the situation of the surrounding farmers, thus covering up their secret investigation.

After chatting for a while, his apprentice wrote furiously, which made many farmers around him see Liu Shengxing's sincerity and treat him as one of their own.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Liu Shengxing took the initiative to guide the process.

"Well, as long as our lives get better, that's all that matters."

"As long as nothing unexpected happens this year, it feels like it will be another peaceful year."

Upon hearing this, the people around fell silent.

Liu Shengxing glanced around and saw a rather enthusiastic man beside him letting out a long sigh.

That's what they say.

"It's not that simple here."

Liu Shengxing raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a surprised expression.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

The farmers looked at each other.

The feisty woman didn't hide anything and began to explain.

"It's hard to say about this."

"They say the Japanese devils are coming to build a factory here."

"The government is preparing to requisition the land."

"We still don't know which village we're going to requisition."

Liu Shengxing was overjoyed.

This was the news he had been waiting for, and his young apprentice beside him was also pretending to ask.

"Huh? The Japanese devils?"

"What are they doing in Gongcheng?"

With this as a starting point, the farmers spoke freely and quickly explained the situation in detail.

But the result surprised Liu Shengxing and his apprentice.

When these Japanese devils came to visit the factory, although many people were still resistant, some of them still expressed their support.

The main reason is that the government's offer was too tempting.

Once the factory is built, the Japanese company has decided to give priority to the farmers whose land was requisitioned, and also provide them with a large sum of compensation.

Those with urban household registration also have priority in registering.

These days, being able to work for a foreign company, regardless of which country it's from, is something many people would envy.

With such a chance to rise to the top, how could farmers who have spent their entire lives working in the fields possibly let this opportunity pass by? As long as a younger member of the family can get into the factory, they will have a lot of prestige in the family tree.

Moreover, these days, the habit of using connections to become factory workers for generations hasn't changed. In the eyes of these people, getting into the factory is like getting a guaranteed job.

After a brief chat with the farmers, Liu Shengxing and his apprentice went for a walk around the area, and the result was obvious.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!