Meng Zhaoquan considered it as buying time, since they hadn't stopped for a moment since arriving in Hongnong County. Especially in the last two days, when they went out to inspect land, they spent most of their time sitting in mule carts, which made their backs ache from the bumpy ride.
During this time, we were constantly looking at the land and mountains, never stopping for a moment. Every day when we returned to the inn, our legs were numb, and we didn't even have the strength to speak. All we wanted to do was soak our feet and go to bed.
Exhausted, Meng Zhao couldn't care less about anything else. Worried that Meng Dashan and the others wouldn't get a good rest after a long day of work, she booked several rooms for them.
After hearing from the broker that there was a restaurant in the county that served good food, the group headed straight there and ordered a few of their signature dishes based on the waiter's advice.
Gu Yun and Xu Ping rarely ate at restaurants. At this moment, they were looking around with curiosity. Along the way, Meng Dashan and Gu Changwu had a very congenial conversation. Now, the two were sitting together, talking about their experiences when they went out to make their way in the world.
Seeing the dishes being served, Meng Dashan swallowed hard and said, "Girl, just eating food is too bland. How about we order a pot of wine?"
Meng Zhao looked at Meng Dashan with a helpless expression. The mule cart ride had been uncomfortable, so Meng Dashan suggested that they have some wine, but she refused without hesitation.
However, judging from how things were going, the broker probably wouldn't give any news so soon, so they relented, "You can only order a small pot. You and your second uncle can drink it together. Don't drink too much, or I'll tell Mom when I get home."
Meng Dashan nodded quickly, and Meng Zhao then called the waiter to bring another pot of wine and two wine cups, which he placed in front of Meng Dashan and Gu Changwu.
In fact, Gu Changwu had wanted to drink for a while, but since the matter wasn't finished, he was too embarrassed to mention it to Meng Zhao. Now that Meng Dashan had brought it up, he was overjoyed. He picked up the wine pot, poured two cups, handed one to Meng Dashan, and kept the other for himself.
"Brother Meng, I am so grateful for your care along the way. I respect you."
Meng Dashan chuckled and raised his glass, saying, "We're all family, no need to be so polite."
The two of them drank, while the others didn't touch the food on the table, focusing instead on enjoying the delicious food.
The people at the brokerage firm were indeed seasoned locals; the restaurant they recommended was really good, especially the fried mandarin fish. It looked like it was coated in starch before frying, with a golden color and a crispy texture. It was also drizzled with a spoonful of sweet and sour sauce, making it incredibly delicious.
A pot of wine wasn't enough to get the two of them drunk, and their steps were firm as they returned to the inn. However, no one was in the mood to wander around; they just wanted to get back to the inn to rest as soon as possible, since they were all exhausted from the past few days.
Less than two days later, the broker found the inn. He was all smiles and said with a hint of delight, "Madam Meng, we've already negotiated for you. The land you've set your sights on can be acquired for just thirty taels."
Then, when the topic turned to Niutou Mountain, he frowned and explained, "Niutou Mountain is a bit complicated to negotiate because the two mountains are connected and belong to two different villages. In the end, we settled on a total of sixty taels. There's another reason: although the mountain is barren, it still has some trees. The nearby villagers usually go there to cut firewood. If we sell it, we'll definitely have to give the villagers a bigger share, so it's more expensive."
Meng Zhao considered it in his mind and felt that the price was within his expectations, so he did not bargain and immediately agreed.
The broker was surprised that she agreed so readily and was momentarily stunned. Fearing she might change her mind, he decided to take her to see the land deed right away.
They had rested for two days and their strength had almost recovered. Meng Zhao left Gu Yun and Xiao Chuan at the inn and took the others to the village.
Along the way, the broker's mouth never stopped, constantly promoting his shop. Meng Zhao didn't find it annoying at all. He didn't know much about the area, so he took the opportunity to learn more about it from the broker.
Whether he was tired of talking or realized she wasn't going to buy anything, the shopkeeper slowly stopped when they were almost there.
After Gu Changwu drove the mule cart into the village, Meng Zhao jumped off the cart, intending to walk to the village head's house and take a look at the village environment. The people from the left and right brokerage firms had already finished discussing things, so there was no need to worry about any more accidents.
She hadn't gone far when someone called out to her. The man approached her with a fawning expression, "Girl, it's you! Are you here to collect potatoes today?"
Meng Zhao looked at the old woman with a puzzled expression. "Grandma, do you know me?"
The old woman smiled broadly and said cheerfully, "How could I not recognize you? You came to our village to buy potatoes before the New Year, and I made a lot of money. This year's New Year was much more prosperous than in previous years. Since you haven't come for so long, I thought you weren't coming at all."
Meng Zhao then remembered that she had gone to Huian County to sell starch before the Lunar New Year. On her way back, she didn't want to leave her truck empty, so she picked up several truckloads of potatoes from a village along the way. Unexpectedly, she ended up buying land in the same village again.
Meng Zhao smiled and shook her head. "Grandma, I'm not buying potatoes today. I have something else to do with the village head."
The old woman looked Meng Zhao up and down a few times, and asked suspiciously, "Young lady, you wouldn't happen to be here to buy land, would you?"
"Yes, I'm here to buy land."
Yesterday, news spread from the village head's office that someone had taken a liking to a large tract of wasteland on the nearby hillside and wanted to buy it. Everyone wondered where this sucker came from, but it turned out to be the girl who bought potatoes before. The old woman couldn't let her get ripped off, so she slapped her thigh and...
“Girl, you’ve probably been scammed. Let me tell you, we can’t grow crops on this land, let alone that piece of land you’re looking at. That’s wasteland. If you buy it, you’ll have to spend a lot of time clearing it up. Isn’t that just a waste of money?”
The old woman spoke with such earnestness that she probably genuinely believed Meng Zhao had been tricked into coming here. After witnessing the unreasonable village headman yesterday, she was touched by the concern shown to her by someone she barely knew. Just as she was about to speak, the broker interrupted her.
"What are you saying? What wasteland? You know what they're up to, yet you keep talking like this. Go back now, they're not here to see you." With that, he tried to lead Meng Zhao away.
Meng Zhao frowned, glanced at him, and then looked at the old woman and said, "Grandma, I wasn't deceived. I wanted to buy this land myself. I have other purposes for buying this land, and you'll find out in a while."
After saying goodbye to the old woman, he followed the broker's apprentice to the village head's house.
They followed the village head along the winding path to the wasteland at the foot of the hill, found paper and pen, and began to draw the boundaries.
Where there were trees, they used the trees as markers. Where there were no trees, they found some large, oddly shaped rocks from the surrounding area, dug a hole, and buried them. After setting up many markers, the land that Meng Zhao wanted to buy was completely fenced off.
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