Pan Mingzhong thought about it at home for many days and discussed it with the members of the brigade leadership several times. They felt that it would be better to wait for Lijiapo to take the initiative to come to them.

First, they have to beg others to buy, so they can't negotiate the price. Second, they also have their own ulterior motives.

If Lijiapo can really make money from saline-alkali land, can't we follow suit and make money too?

A steady, long-term relationship is much better than a one-off deal!

Therefore, the people of Panjiazhuang did not rush to find Li Jin.

However, this was within Li Xiangdong's expectations.

Pan Mingzhong was indeed a capable man. In his previous life, he led the Panjiazhuang Brigade to first establish a rubber products factory, and then a construction engineering company. The work points of the Panjiazhuang Brigade members were the highest in the surrounding area!

After the production team was liberated, he contracted the rubber products factory and the construction company, and continued to serve as the village party secretary.

In the decades that followed, he not only made a fortune for himself, but also built a residential complex in the village, where villagers could buy an apartment at half price. Panjiazhuang Village was also recognized as a national advanced civilized demonstration village.

Therefore, Li Xiangdong did not think that Pan Mingzhong was a brainless person who blindly followed the crowd.

Such people only act when they see tangible benefits. It's like the old saying, "They won't act until they see the rabbit."

Having figured this out, Li Xiangdong stopped worrying about the 800 mu of land in Panjiazhuang; he still had many things to do!

After acquiring the saline-alkali land, Li Xiangdong and Li Lan were approved to use two adjacent plots of saline-alkali land as residential land.

However, Li Lan's plot of land was large enough to build four main rooms with an outer 5-meter radius, which is the normal size for a residential plot. Li Xiangdong's plot, on the other hand, was slightly larger, four times the size of hers!

When the land for homesteads was being approved, everyone on the leadership team disagreed with Li Xiangdong's plan to build a house on such a remote saline-alkali land, shaking their heads like rattles.

"That won't do! No one can go there, not even eastward! There are so many good plots of land in the village, can't we find a good house site somewhere?"

"Captain, move my plot of land eastward, I'm going to the saline-alkali land!"

"My area is fine too! Sending the kids to such a faraway place feels like being exiled!"

Everyone was so enthusiastic; Li Xiangdong could tell they genuinely didn't want him to suffer any losses.

"If you uncles and sirs agree, could you please grant me a slightly larger plot of land?"

He wanted to build a courtyard house, a large courtyard, with two pomegranate trees and a grape trellis.

Seeing that Li Xiangdong really wanted to go to the saline-alkali land, they had no choice but to compensate him in terms of area. With this, the land was three times larger than a normal homestead!

Everyone enthusiastically expressed that they would help Li Xiangdong when he builds his house.

Next, we need to go to the county brick kiln to order red bricks and tiles, and also buy roof purlins, reeds, cement, and sand.

Most importantly, you need to use concrete and lay a deep foundation so that the house built will be sturdy and last a long time.

While purchasing materials, Li Xiangdong drew a sketch of the house, which had the exterior of a traditional courtyard house but incorporated modern villa design elements inside.

It has underfloor heating, a toilet, a shower room, and the bedroom is a suite with a relatively large window.

Li Jin looked at the drawing Li Xiangdong had finished and clicked his tongue, "Will underfloor heating work?"

Every household in their village uses a heated kang (a traditional heated bed) for warmth; stoves and radiators haven't appeared yet!

“Sure! We’ll lay the heating pipes on the ground, then cover them with cement. When we light the stove in winter, the floor will be all warm.”

Another advantage of doing this is that it prevents heat from spreading underground.

However, heating pipes and toilets need to be purchased from Yanjing City, as their small county town of Huichuan doesn't have them!

If possible, buy some insulation boards to insulate the sides and roof of the house.

His and Li Lan's house site was in the middle of nowhere, far from any village or shop. If a northwest wind blew in winter, the walls would freeze solid, and no matter how hot the underfloor heating was, it wouldn't be effective!

Therefore, in order to have a warm winter, we need to consider all aspects.

Li Jin then found more than a dozen of his relatives to help level the foundation for his daughter and son, water it, turn the soil over, and let it dry, thinking that they could remove as much alkali as possible!

He didn't waste his time using his brothers; he paid each of them 50 cents a day.

However, since no one wanted it, Li Qing said, "This is just being stingy!"

Li Jin had no choice but to accept the free meals.

Rice and wheat flour every day, and plenty of potatoes and stewed meat.

When the villagers saw them going to work, they spontaneously carried shovels to help.

They don't even eat at Li Jin's house. They go to work in the morning, go home for lunch, and then go back over. They're more punctual than when they go to work!

Li Jin would cook more food and dishes. For those who didn't come to eat at home, he would pack a bowl of vegetables and two steamed buns and have Li Lan and the children deliver it to each household.

Seeing this, the villagers, not wanting to trouble Li Lan and the children, automatically went to Li Jin's house for dinner after finishing their work.

People in Panjiazhuang have been watching how Lijiapo deals with its saline-alkali land!

Little did they know that after watching closely for a while, and until Li Chang and his men started digging the foundation, they were finally convinced that he really intended to build a house on the saline-alkali land!

Pan Mingzhong stroked his chin, puzzled. Did they buy the saline-alkali land just to get approval for residential land so they could save the fertile land for farming?

After thinking it over and over, this is the only possibility.

The wheat has all sprouted in neat rows, and in two or three months it will be time to deliver the grain to the state.

After thinking for a long time, Pan Mingzhong decided that he should sell off the 800 mu of saline-alkali land before the wheat harvest.

So one night, just as Li Jin's family was about to have dinner, Pan Mingzhong came to their door.

Li Jin glanced at Li Xiangdong, thinking to himself that just as his son had predicted, Pan Mingzhong would be visiting in the next couple of days.

Perhaps because the Li family was involved in Pan Dachun's downfall, Pan Mingzhong naturally felt a certain warmth towards Li Jin, and Li Jin also liked this shrewd and capable young man very much.

Li Jin also invited Pan Mingzhong to dinner at his home, and Pan Mingzhong accepted the invitation without hesitation, and they chatted as they ate.

Unlike Ma Jinfu, who resorted to feigned indifference, Pan Mingzhong got straight to the point, saying, "Uncle Li, I wonder if you have any ideas about our village's 800 mu of saline-alkali land?"

Li Jin didn't reply, but instead looked at Li Xiangdong.

Pan Mingzhong naturally noticed the tension between the father and son, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Li Xiangdong put down his chopsticks. "Captain Pan, our village wants the saline-alkali land near Guanyutai because the two plots are adjacent. Your brigade's 800 mu of land is a bit far from our village!"

The saline-alkali land of Panjiazhuang is separated from Lijiapo by a village called Panjiazhuang.

"It's a bit far compared to the Fish Viewing Platform, but our two villages are right next to each other, so it's not that far."

"Then the price will be different."

Such a straightforward approach.

Pan Mingzhong also knew that now he was the one begging others, not the other way around.

"The subsidy for Guanyutai is four yuan per mu, can we ask for three and a half yuan?"

"Two yuan and fifty cents!"

Pan Mingzhong gritted his teeth, and after thinking for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

This was their first encounter.

It was very brief and unremarkable.