Chapter 65 Lao Xiao's Request

The next day, I went to work at Youran Ju, and my master's wife told me that she and Aunt Chen were going to the countryside and would not be back until four or five in the afternoon.

I called my master and told him that reporter Sima was in trouble. Then I told him about the Shao family incident.

The master only said one sentence: "Everything has cause and effect," and hung up the phone.

I guess he is not in a position to speak.

At this moment, a loud voice was heard outside the door: "Teacher Wan."

I looked up and it was Lao Xiao.

Lao Xiao complained: "You don't keep your word. It's been more than a year and you haven't come to visit me yet."

I looked ashamed. "You should take some time to sit down. Come on."

Lao Xiao looked around: "Where is the master?"

I brought him a cup of tea and said, "He's out of town. He won't be back for a while."

Old Xiao looked a little embarrassed. "I'm bothering you again. My relative, Old Lin, actually followed the instigation of Mr. Liu, the fish farm owner, who I had a disagreement with, and formed a gang with a few people. He refused to move out of the Shen family compound and refused to sign the agreement."

"It's good to move out, why don't you sign it?"

“They don’t learn from good things, but only from bad ones. Some people say that those who don’t move always benefit, so they refuse to sign the visa.

They refused to move, and as a result, no one in the Shen family compound moved. The government is working on it, and if the work fails, the ringleaders may be arrested."

“How did the government resettle them?”

"As soon as the agreement is signed, construction will begin immediately. The original residential land will be distributed to the original owner as a vegetable plot according to the principle of 'whoever owns the land gets to use it.'"

When I heard this, I thought this was a reasonable arrangement, so I smiled and said, "It makes no sense not to move."

Lao Xiao rubbed his hands and said, "I think it's reasonable. I tried to persuade Lao Lin, but he wouldn't listen. I'm afraid if he's arrested, his son's marriage will be ruined."

"His son's marriage?"

"His son works in Guangdong and finally found a girlfriend in the city. They plan to get married at the end of the year. If Lao Lin is arrested, what if the woman changes her mind?"

"You didn't explain the stakes to him?"

"They said it. They actually said it in unison, blowing it right off the bat. If they didn't move, they could pay out six or seven hundred thousand. They meant that with six or seven hundred thousand, they wouldn't be afraid of no one coming to their door."

"I need to think about this carefully and can't answer you easily."

Lao Xiao took out a piece of jade from his jacket pocket and said, "I don't know the value of it either. Can you help me take a look?"

I waved my hand: "I can't see it."

"I'm giving it to you as a souvenir for helping me so much."

I confiscated it, and he wasn't being unkind, but he left after repeated requests.

As soon as Lao Xiao left, the master called.

The master said, "I was having breakfast and talking to people just now, so I was a little busy. You did your best to look after the land.

There's nothing much to say about that reporter. Even if nothing goes wrong once or twice, it will eventually happen. It's called fate in the industry."

I took the opportunity to report to him: "Oh, there is one more thing."

I told him what happened when Lao Xiao came to see me just now.

"You don't have to do the work," the master warned.

"Why?"

"Don't get involved in matters involving Party G."

After hanging up the phone, the neighbor came in quietly carrying a bag of things and said as soon as he entered the door: "A man named Xiao asked me to give these things to you."

I opened it and saw that it was two bags of high-quality ginseng.

I called Lao Xiao and asked, "What are you doing? Take it back."

"Whether you persuade me or not is another matter. Is giving something as a gift a kind of transaction? You have helped me countless times."

After saying that, he hung up.

At this time, a man came in and smiled: "Hello, Mr. Wan."

I nodded and motioned for him to sit.

He sat down, took out a pack of cigarettes, and said with a smile, "Have a cigarette."

I looked at the brand and laughed: "Is this your standard for bad cigarettes? Then don't good cigarettes have to be specially supplied?"

I got up and made a cup of tea. Based on my experience, this person wasn't here to have his fortune told.

As expected, he introduced himself as the village chief of Shaojia Village, with the surname Qiao and the name Qiao Siyuan, while gesturing his name on the table.

I smiled at him. It wasn't genuine, but it wasn't fake. It wasn't threatening, but it wasn't modest. It was mysterious and intimidating.

"You've been a great help with the Shao family's affairs." After saying that, he took a sip of tea.

"When you accept money and do things for others, of course you have to do your best. However, I have noticed that your place is only three or four miles away from the city, but it is like a paradise, with green mountains and beautiful waters."

"Your praise is excellent. It may appear to be a picturesque landscape, but in reality it is a barren land of mountains and waters. It's only four or five miles across the city, yet it's a completely different world.

Few people are at home now; everyone is setting up stalls in the city. People don’t call me village chief, they call me stall owner.”

I followed his lead and jokingly said:

"There are so many stalls, so the director of the Urban Management Bureau must be a good friend of yours."

Old Qiao laughed and said, "I can't get the job of Director of the City Management Bureau, but those who want the job of Director of the Dongcheng District Branch often try to get close to me."

"Is there anyone with the surname "Qiu"? " It was the first time I heard this surname.

He chuckled, "The chiefs of the East City branch all have the surname 'Qiu', no matter who they are."

I also burst out laughing: "That's right, everyone asks you to take good care of the villagers, you are really humorous."

He looked around and asked, "Has your master not returned yet?"

"It'll take another half month."

"You are good at Feng Shui. You will surpass your master in the future."

I waved my hands around, "Don't tell anyone. If it gets out, I won't even be able to continue as your apprentice."

He smiled and said, "Some things should only be said once in a lifetime, and they should be said in person."

I know in my heart that this guy is quite powerful. So let the bullets fly for a while.

He said, "I have two things to do today. One is to go to the city to visit a relative, and the other is to come and visit you."

I still looked at him with a smile.

"To be honest, I just want to explain one thing to you. Last time, Shao Youxiang wanted to bury Old Mrs. Shao on the mountain next to my house, but I didn't agree. The reason I didn't agree wasn't because I didn't agree, but because my father didn't agree."

I didn't interrupt and lit the cigarette he handed me.

"Our conflict is between our generations. I don't have any conflicts with Shao Youxiang or his cousin."

I understood that Village Chief Qiao didn't know about the bird falling from the tree, and judging by what he said, there must be some truth in it.

"Everyone in the village knows this, and I'm afraid you'll misunderstand me as someone who takes advantage of others' misfortunes."

I smiled and said, "The village chief is a careful person. As for me, I only visit one place after another. I just pass by and forget about it."

He said seriously, "Actually, I'm very touched. The Shao family is in such a state that it's the turn of the local earth immortals to do something about it. You've done your best and still piled up a pile of dirt in the back. The people have seen it and say that you're dedicated to your work."

I finally understood why he came. He came in to sit for a while in name only, but in reality he came to explain to me that he was not the kind of person who would kick someone when he was down.

I smiled and said, "I understand."

He changed the subject: "You are so kind, I'd like to invite you to my house someday. Come and fish, I've rented a pond."

This resonated with me. I've loved fishing since I was a kid. But I couldn't express my opinion so quickly. So I just said, "I'm not good at fishing."

"I'll teach you. I can set up the pot and wait for the fish to be put in."

I like people to have unique skills. If anyone has a unique skill, I must learn it. I gave him a cigarette and said, "Do you have such a skill? When my master comes back and I have time, I will definitely come and learn from you."

He left my phone number, then stood up and said, "Then I'll wait for your news. I'll leave first."

I walked him all the way to the gate.

After seeing off Village Chief Qiao, I kept Lao Xiao's request in mind. Although Master told me not to intervene, I thought it would be okay to give Lao Lin a call and find out more about the situation.

I called Lao Lin.