Chapter 148 of "New Urban Farmers" (10103): Jixing Village (Two chapters completed)
Zhang Guodong received the call from the fat man on the afternoon of the second day. The "fake identity file" that had been prepared was very legitimate and worth five thousand yuan!
After examining the file, Zhang Guodong felt it was virtually indistinguishable from the real one; the phone number for the original place of residence police station was genuine and verifiable. He guessed it was an inside contact for Pockmarked Face and his associates.
However, Zhang Guodong didn't care about any of that. As long as it didn't get in his way, it was fine.
"Guodong had a classmate contact me yesterday, but I was visiting a company with my boss and couldn't get away, so I postponed it to the day after tomorrow. How about we all get together this weekend?" the fat man said with a wry smile.
The fat guy was surprised when his college classmate suddenly contacted him. This spoiled young master didn't have any close friends at school. The only exception was when his girlfriend at the time had an abortion at the hospital, and Zhang Guodong stepped in to cover for him, acting as her "boyfriend." After signing the papers, he and Zhang Guodong gradually became close friends.
But now his college classmates have contacted him. He was indeed surprised, and of course, very happy.
He couldn't go alone; he had to bring Zhang Guodong along, otherwise it would be awkward. He'd just left without even leaving a phone number. Now, being questioned, he'd be in a difficult position.
However, Zhang Guodong seemed even more surprised than him. Surely, this classmate shouldn't include himself?
"Who are they?" Zhang Guodong asked hurriedly.
"Xu Jing and Li Rulong, remember them?" the fat man said. "That tomboyish little woman, haha, I actually remember her. And that gentle, handsome guy!"
The fat man was making fun of himself.
Zhang Guodong naturally remembered that even though he had only been away from school for three years, his memory hadn't faded at all. He remembered everything from his childhood very clearly.
"Just the two of them? Let's get together then! Gatherings are a good thing. I think we should go. Besides, you're so powerful now, it wouldn't be right not to go." Zhang Guodong breathed a sigh of relief and then joked.
He naturally remembered Xu Jing, that little woman; she was lively, loyal, and a bit pretty. As for Li Rulong, he was a gentle person, a decent character, and somewhat handsome.
"I'm just worried that I'll lose face if there are too many people around," the fat man said sheepishly.
"Haha, serves him right!" Zhang Guodong finally understood what the fat man meant by being coy.
"Laugh at me? You'll be laughing later. Your family seems to have left without a word, just like mine!" the fat man retorted.
Zhang Guodong laughed for a while, and the fat man, who was about to burst out laughing, said, "Alright, let's go then. I'll be your follower. You're doing so well now, and I'll benefit from it. But I'm on my way to Jixing Village, and we'll be there soon."
"Have you got your documents processed?"
"Well, it's alright, I can't see any flaws," Zhang Guodong said with a smile.
The fat man was speechless.
If ordinary people could spot a fake ID, that would be terrible! But the fat guy is really jealous about this; it's infuriating to compare yourself to others.
"Fine, call me if you need anything, or if all else fails, just throw money at me! I know you're rich, richer than I am now. What can my meager salary possibly cover? My older sister never gives me much pocket money. Every time I ask, she says, 'Kangzi, you're a civil servant now, you have too much money. Be careful, without proper proof, the disciplinary inspection department might come knocking!'" the fat man grumbled. "Guodong, my future depends on you. If you have any money-making opportunities, could you share them with me? Um..."
Zhang Guodong gave this guy a disdainful look; his skin was as thick as a city wall. Fatty's older sister, Wang Lin, must have at least five or six hundred million in assets, right? And she's still calling herself poor?
What he didn't know was that the half-raw gold and jade piece Zhang Guodong gave him had been seen by the chubby older sister—a fist-sized, exquisite piece of gold and jade, which was extremely valuable. Wang Lin immediately took a liking to it and kept it, saying she would have it crafted by a master craftsman to make a set of jewelry for Lin Daiyu. But everyone knew that such a large piece of gold and jade could easily yield at least three sets of precious jewelry!
Fine. My older sister swallowed one set of fat mom's clothes, one set of her own clothes, and one set of Lin Daiyu's clothes, so we'll just split them equally.
Only then did the fat man believe what Zhang Guodong had said. This "stone" was actually worth a million; if it were made into jewelry, it might even be worth two million.
I'm truly grateful to Zhang Guodong; he's a good friend. He treats money like dirt, giving away millions without batting an eye.
At the same time, it seems Guodong has made a fortune. Green Treasure Pavilion is still there, but he only opens it occasionally. It's quite embarrassing; maybe he's gambling on jade now?
No wonder the fat man guessed that way, otherwise why would he bring along something like Half-Origin Stone Akira on his trip to the south!
Zhang Guodong reluctantly agreed.
Jade gambling is generally conducted in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, and Yunnan, but resources such as Xinjiang Hetian jade, Inner Mongolia Tianhuang stone, and chicken-blood stone are basically depleted. However, Lantian jade from Shaanxi and jadeite from Yunnan are the most sought-after. The latter, however, has a larger scale and is more likely to yield top-quality pieces. Lantian jade, on the other hand, is less well-known.
Alright.
But can these officials really go to such a far place as Yunnan? Probably not. Zhang Guodong read a book that described this: A group of government officials took a vacation to Yunnan as a way for them to recuperate, and one of them actually won millions of yuan worth of top-quality jade in the gamble!
With so many people testifying that these millions of assets are legal, all that's needed is to register them with the relevant authorities.
The fat man wants to spend more money but is hesitant and worried about the consequences, so this is probably the only way, but it's not feasible.
Jixing Village is a small, remote village in Zhangba Township, a high-tech industrial zone, with only about a hundred households. Zhang Guodong drove his minivan, stopping and starting along the way, for dozens of miles outside the city before finally finding Jixing Village.
This village is indeed quite remote, but fortunately, the terrain is flat. If the city expands further in the future, perhaps this village can be included, and the real estate price will likely skyrocket! Of course, that's a matter for the future.
The fields are now lush and green, with seedlings a foot tall. Rows of them stand tall. You can see the old villagers of Eryou working in the fields, and also a small stream where many children are playing.
Someone saw Zhang Guodong's car enter the village. They immediately looked over, very curious.
Some villagers in this village own farm vehicles like tricycles, but luxury vans are extremely rare. Generally speaking, there is a significant gap in wealth between the villagers here and those in the surrounding suburbs. They can recognize any unfamiliar vehicle that comes into the village at a glance.
Zhang Guodong stopped a female villager. He got out of the car and asked for directions: "How do I get to the old village chief's house?"
"Are you here to register your household registration?" the woman asked rhetorically.
Zhang Guodong was surprised: "How did you know?"
"Call me Aunt Lan, and we'll be from the same village now. I'll take you there!" The other person immediately became very enthusiastic and personally led the way to the village chief's house. Zhang Guodong was puzzled and asked, only to find out that once people registered their household there, most villagers could get a share of the money after it was handed over to the government, which was a real benefit.
Aunt Lan was actually a farmer's woman in her thirties, considered quite pretty in the area. However, rural people often work in the fields, so her skin was somewhat dark. Nevertheless, she was very warm and welcoming.
From the conversation, I learned that the village chief and the party secretary are both the same person, surnamed Zhao and named Sanshun, but everyone usually calls him Village Chief Zhao. Village Chief Zhao's house is a row of blue-brick and tile houses next to the village committee office. It looks quite impressive. The front gate has a bright red "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character on the tile.
As Zhang Guodong drove closer, he heard dogs barking coming from the yard.
"Uncle's wolfhound, Abao, is an old wolfhound. Guodong, wait a moment!" Aunt Lan got out of the car and entered the yard. The old wolfhound stopped barking as soon as it saw Aunt Lan. It had clearly smelled a familiar scent!
"Third Uncle, Third Uncle, we have guests!" Aunt Lan shouted.
Village chief Zhao Sanshun was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) listening to Qinqiang opera, while his wife was doing needlework next door. Hearing someone call him, Zhao Sanshun frowned and got up: "It's that girl again. Can't she let a person rest for a while?"
The old woman said, "A lot of people have settled in the village lately, and everyone gets a share of the money. It's a good thing, so who else would we ask but you?"
Aunt Lan called out a few more times.
"Coming, coming!" Zhao Sanshun came out of the house wearing his clothes.
Zhang Guodong also got out of the car and followed Aunt Lan, where he saw Village Chief Zhao. He was in his fifties, with half-gray hair, dressed simply but cleanly, and had a somewhat serious demeanor.
The old wolfhound originally wanted to come over and sniff Zhang Guodong. But when it saw its master come out, it immediately went over to fawn over him and wagged its tail vigorously.
"Third Uncle Zhang Guodong is here to register his household!" Aunt Lan said quickly. Zhang Guodong, standing behind her, broke out in a cold sweat; Aunt Lan's enthusiasm saved him the trouble of saying more.
"Hello, Village Chief, I am Zhang Guodong, and I want to settle down in this village!" Zhang Guodong shook hands with Village Chief Zhao and said with a smile.
Zhao Linchang looked at Zhang Guodong and then smiled, "Young man, welcome! Jixing Village welcomes everyone to settle down here. Please come inside and sit for a while!"
Aunt Lan also wanted to go in.
Village Chief Zhao scolded, "Girl, go do what you're supposed to do."
Aunt Lan, however, didn't mind the scolding at all. She laughed and said, "I'm afraid you'll mistreat my little brother."
Zhang Guodong smiled helplessly. "Sometimes she's an elder, sometimes a peer—it's hard to tell who's on the hierarchy," he said. "But Aunt Lan is really straightforward!"
Village Chief Zhao frowned helplessly and ignored her.
Upon entering the house, the village elder's wife served Zhang Guodong tea. The tea was initially bitter, but then sweetened. He learned it was made from the dried leaves of a plant called "bitter vegetable," which was believed to lower blood pressure and prevent many diseases, making it suitable for middle-aged and elderly people.
“I’ll call you Guodong too. Where are you from, Guodong?” Village Chief Zhao said.
“He’s from Qinghe in Xiqin!” Zhang Guodong said. He carried an identity file folder with him; the pockmarked man and his colleagues had also prepared information about Qinghe in the same province. “However, he currently works in the provincial capital.”
"Oh, city people are knowledgeable and cultured. Especially someone as young as you! Our Jixing Village is a great place with beautiful mountains, clear water, and plenty of farmland. It's nestled against the mountains, like a dragon vein," Village Chief Zhao said, praising the village as if he were promoting it.
Aunt Lan chuckled, interrupting him.
"Third Uncle, you've been talking about these old stories for ages. They're here to register their residency. As long as they live in the village, they'll have plenty of time to chat," Aunt Lan said.
Village Chief Zhao was holding his breath and couldn't quite shake off his embarrassment.
Zhang Guodong quickly replied, "Aunt Lan is right. I'll come back to stay often in the future, and who knows, we might even become part of the village!"
"Why call her 'Auntie'? She's less than ten years older than you! Calling her 'Sister' would be more appropriate! If you want to act like an elder, you should act like one!" Village Chief Zhao instructed.
"How have I not acted like an elder?" Aunt Lan and Sister Lan blushed and said unconvinced.
"Alright, let your third uncle and the others talk about serious matters. Help me thread the needle. This old man's eyesight is failing." The village elder's wife pulled Sister Lan to another room.
Finally, some peace and quiet!
“Since we’re about to be in the same village, you can call me Third Uncle,” Village Chief Zhao said to Zhang Guodong. “Keeping up with business!”
"Since you know about Jixing Village, you should know that there's a fee for registering residency: 20,000 yuan per person, plus another 25,000 yuan to the township. Is there a problem with that?" Village Chief Zhao lit a cigarette and took a puff.
Second update! Nearly 7,000 words today. Two updates complete. Tomorrow's two updates will be at 10:02 AM and 10:04 AM sharp.
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