"Depend on!"

Jiang Yu, who is usually gentle and mild-mannered, uttered a rare swear word.

She knew these people; they were all business owners and residents near the urban village, and Jiang Yu had greeted them to varying degrees.

but……

Don't they need to sleep?

How come they arrived earlier than me?

Soon, Jiang Yu found the answer. Her gaze fell on the several tents and sleeping bags on the side, and she couldn't help but twitch her lips.

"So they sleep right here... These people are really going to great lengths for money."

Jiang Yu instantly understood why they had arrived earlier than her, and sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Well, I underestimated the allure of demolition compensation for ordinary people.

She thought she was very well prepared, but she still couldn't compare to these people.

Jiang Yu shook her head. The urban village wasn't very big, so the people living there, whether residents or business owners, all knew each other's situations.

She glanced around and saw several families with elderly members who were sick and hospitalized, so she guessed they really needed the demolition compensation.

Besides families with sick elderly members, there are also those who need a house for marriage, and those who need a house for their children's education...

It's no wonder they'd rather sleep at the neighborhood office than be at the forefront when it comes to such important matters.

The poor have the least valued time, and they are happy to exchange their time for some benefit. Jiang Yu is also poor, so she understands this.

"Next up, Cao Dewang!"

Because there were so many people, the neighborhood office had to use a queuing system, calling in one person at a time until they were served, and then letting the next person in line.

Otherwise, with so many people, the neighborhood office would be bursting at the seams...

Jiang Yu sat in her wheelchair, resting her chin on her hand, moving slowly with the long queue, feeling utterly bored. Queuing was really tedious. Even though she had already had enough sleep, she still felt sleepy while waiting in line.

"So boring..."

Jiang Yu sighed, then her ears suddenly twitched; there seemed to be some movement at the front of the line.

"Damn Qingshan Real Estate! My house is clearly 160 square meters, but when I wanted to exchange it for a house of equal value, they only offered me 80 square meters? That's half the area, plus 15 square meters of shared space... Are you kidding me?!"

The man who spoke was an old man over fifty years old. Although he was considered young among old men, he was quite old in a crowd. He was so angry that he could barely walk. His legs were trembling as he limped out of the neighborhood office, his face flushed red.

"Old Liu, what's going on? What do you mean by 'half the area'? What does that mean?"

People who recognized the old man quickly stopped him to ask questions, while others strained their ears to find out what was going on. Everyone looked very nervous.

Most of the people living in urban villages come with the idea of ​​moving to a new house; very few would choose to ask for money.

After all, housing prices in Jiang City have skyrocketed. The money they get from demolishing their houses might not be enough to buy a new one elsewhere. Everyone is smart enough to calculate that exchanging houses is the most cost-effective option.

But now that they've heard Old Liu yell like that, everyone's interests have been affected, so how could they not be nervous?

"Oh dear... I thought that with Qingshan Real Estate's good reputation in Jiang City, they would definitely offer the most favorable policies for the demolition and relocation. But I never expected this... I was tricked into signing the demolition contract as soon as I went in. They played word games with me! They said... they said they would exchange it for a house of equal value, but they didn't say it would be an equal-sized house. My house has been reduced by half. What am I going to do?"

“The contract is already signed, and I can’t back out now. My eldest son is waiting to live in this house as his wedding home, and then he’ll bring my wife and me over. Now it’s been reduced to half size, where are we going to live?”

"What a tragedy, what a tragedy..."

Old Liu was so angry that he kept slapping his thigh and sighing. It was a sight to behold that would bring tears to anyone's eyes.

"Huh? You can do that?"

"Damn, if this area is developed, it will become Jiang City's new economic zone. How can they sell it at such a low price? Even exchanging it for a new house at the original price would be a loss, let alone a 50% discount? Is Qingshan Real Estate really that heartless?"

"Even changing houses requires cutting the area in half; if you choose to exchange money, the shrinkage will definitely be even more terrifying, right?"

Old Liu's words were like a boulder thrown into the water, instantly enraging the crowd and stirring up a storm.

Most people are here to move to a new house, since the urban village is said to be developed into a new economic zone. But no one can say for sure what the future holds, since the current development of Jiang City is still focused on the area east of the urban village.

Even if it becomes a new economic zone in the future, it will probably take a very, very long time, and they don't think they can live to see that day.

Therefore, moving to a new house is the most cost-effective option for them.

But now that they've heard that the area will be cut in half, who can stand that?

Right now, a few organized individuals are gathering people to storm into the subdistrict office and have a serious discussion with the people from Qingshan Real Estate.

It's supposed to be theory, but judging from their angry expressions, they might just add some physical violence...

"Thank goodness, Xia Che told me beforehand to choose money over a house. I didn't realize Qingshan Real Estate was such a rip-off."

Looking at the farce unfolding before her, Jiang Yu clicked her tongue in amazement, feeling a surge of relief.

Even if Qingshan Real Estate is unscrupulous and they find a reason to withhold a portion of the demolition compensation if she chooses money instead of a house, it doesn't matter to Jiang Yu whether it's a lot of money or a little.

Once a person has died once, they can see things in a more positive light.

Jiang Yu is currently in a phase where she is indifferent to money. Right now, what she wants most is to recover her legs and live next door to Xia Che so that she can go to and from school with him.

As for the demolition compensation... as long as there is some, that's fine.

"Shut up! Do you know where you are? What are you trying to do by making such a racket?"

Suddenly, before this group of residents from the urban village, who were demanding an explanation, could even step into the gate of the street office, they were stunned by a stern shout.

"Everyone in Jiang City knows how conscientious Qingshan Real Estate is in its dealings! Do you need to interfere?"

A young man who looked refined but whose brows were furrowed with malice walked out of the street office gate. It was Li Junyang.

He was so angry he was about to explode.

These troublemakers!

It's already good enough that they've given us something. Do you know how much the Li family has invested in developing this piece of land?

If it weren't for the Li family, this dilapidated place in the city village, far from any other village or shop, would probably never have been demolished, even if it went for ages.

Instead of being grateful, they even want something from me... an explanation?