Chapter 578: For the sake of the legend?
The village chief looked at Minister Bai: "Mengshan, since Dabaishan has been rented out, how about we rent it back in the name of the collective? You talk to that big boss! Or you can take me there, and I'll go and beg him!"
Bai Mengshan sighed: "Village chief, it's not that I'm unwilling. I mentioned it as soon as I found out, but do you know how much it cost them to rent that Dabai Mountain? Around 700 million! 700 million! That's more than a year's fiscal revenue for our county! That's the money we went to get!"
Everyone gasped. So much money! They'd never seen anything like it in their entire lives!
The old village chief frowned: "Where's the money from Bai Jingtian's family selling ginseng? Make them hand it over!"
Bai Mengshan shook his head: "Bai Cuishan paid off more than 300 million yuan in gambling debts, and then gave 50 million yuan to each of the four clan elders! Add to that the cars and houses they bought, and there's basically not much left!"
"The clan elders actually had a share!!"
"This is outrageous! This is blatant embezzlement! No wonder all four elders chose Bai Cuishan when the clan leader was being elected! There must be something fishy going on!"
"They are utterly unworthy of being called Bai family members! Drive them out of Baijia Village! Remove them from the family genealogy!"
"Drive them out of Baijia Village! Drive them out of the family genealogy!"
The old village chief trembled with rage: "Make them spit out everything they've swallowed!"
Bai Mengshan nodded: "We'll talk about that later. Let's talk about Da Baishan first."
The surrounding herb farmers didn't care about Baijia Village; they only cared about Dabai Mountain and what to do next. Upon hearing Bai Mengshan's words, everyone immediately sat up straight.
"The boss from Renmin University said that medicinal herb fields will continue to be cultivated in Dabaishan, but they will no longer be leased out. They will be unified, consolidated, and managed by them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the people below became unhappy and immediately started arguing.
"This is impossible! What do we do then?!"
"This is driving us to our deaths! Good heavens!"
"Get him out of here! Don't let him into the county!"
"Once you're here, you're not leaving! Let him know how powerful we are!"
Minister Bai, his face grim, rebuked, "I haven't finished speaking yet! How dare you have such thoughts in front of us! Do you have a death wish? If you don't want to live, then get out! Don't drag us into this! Do you even know who he is? He's a businessman from Hong Kong! The world calls him the Shipping Magnate! Even top leaders treat him with kindness! We're nothing! Let alone you! He's richer than a country! If you little shrimps were to make a move, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger! You wouldn't even know how you died!"
The people below looked at each other, thinking, "Wow, they've got such impressive backgrounds!"
"Since you're so rich, why would you want Dabai Mountain? Dabai Mountain isn't worth much money."
The old village chief narrowed his eyes and said, "Are they interested in the primeval forest?"
Bai Mengshan sighed: "I don't know either, but most likely it is because there is a legend of thousand-year-old medicinal herbs there. Rich people have everything they need, except for immortality, so it's normal for them to be interested in that."
The people below were bewildered: "Weren't those legends said to be false?"
"What could be fake? Bai Shao's ancestors obtained 500-year-old ginseng from there. However, it was too terrifying inside. I heard that thousands of people went in, but only a few came back! After they came back, they all got sick and died soon after."
"Who would dare to go?"
"How can you be so stupid! What era was it before? What era is it now? Plus, the other party is rich and powerful, has more people with advanced equipment, so they might actually be able to get in!"
"Now that you mention it, it does make sense!"
Bai Mengshan continued, "Mr. Zhou isn't a shrewd businessman. He said that the land in Dabaishan will be managed like the base. He'll invite experts over. With so much land, there will definitely be a need for medicinal herb farmers, so he said he'll hire people to cultivate it. The pay won't be bad, 5,000 yuan a month, with five social insurances and one housing fund, meaning medical expenses will be reimbursed, and there's an annual bonus. The better you perform, the more bonus you'll get. There are also days off, basically the same as those of us in the system! After 30 years of service, you'll receive a pension, but only those who truly know how to cultivate will be accepted. Those who are lazy and unwilling to work will not be accepted!"
The crowd below started to stir again.
"Only 5,000 a month! Only 60,000 a year! If we grew it ourselves, we'd make more than 60,000 a year!"
Bai Mengshan rolled his eyes inwardly: "How much land did you rent in previous years?"
The man called out, "Not much, just three mu of land!"
"Then you're saying more than 60,000. That must be during the peak season. How much did you earn during the off-season, or last year or this year?"
The man chuckled and said, "Not much, but it's not as little as 60,000 either."
Bai Mengshan ignored him and pointed to a man in the village: "Bai Shu! I remember you also have three mu of land. Tell me, how much did you earn last year and this year?"
Bai Shu stood up and replied, "I earned 10,000 last year, but I haven't even gotten my principal back yet this year."
Bai Mengshan looked at the man: "You have more than 60,000. Where did you get it from?"
The man smiled and said nothing more.
Bai Mengshan continued, “This 5,000 yuan a month, whether it’s peak season or off-season, whether it’s a natural disaster or a man-made one, you’re guaranteed to get it! If you do well, it will increase in the future. It’s a done deal that Dabaishan will be taken back, so even if you’re willing, it’s all legal and compliant! Now that they’re willing to arrange jobs for you, you’re still not happy. Let’s see if you regret it when they come to the county and city to recruit! Companies in the city only pay around 3,000 a month, without any social insurance or housing fund. If you want a higher salary, you have to go to another province or travel far away. You all have elderly parents and young children to support. If you go out to work in a factory, you’ll only get 5,000 a month, but you won’t be able to help your families if something happens. Now you can get 5,000 a month right here at home, plus a pension. If you don’t want this kind of secure job, there are plenty of people who will!”
Seeing that some people were already tempted, Bai Mengshan continued, "Mr. Zhou's company is very large, and it won't go bankrupt. It's a job you can work until retirement. All you need to do is plant and weed; you don't need to worry about anything else. Such an easy job sounds tempting to me! If it weren't for my own beliefs, I would have quit my job and come back to do it! If you have many siblings, 5,000 each would add up to tens of thousands a month, hundreds of thousands a year! Can you grow that many medicinal herbs yourself?!"
Those with six or more siblings in their families, raise your hands immediately: "Mengshan! Our whole family is signing up! We're all willing!"
"We'd love to!"
"Me! Me! My family is willing too!"
Bai Mengshan smiled and said, "This matter is not urgent. You can go home and discuss it first, and give me an answer tomorrow! The people of Baijia Village, please stay."
After the people from the other village left, Bai Mengshan looked at everyone and said, "Let's go to Bai Jingtian's house."
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