After discussing the details of the contract with the three tea buyers, Su Ling borrowed the village committee's computer and printer, made a new contract, signed it, and the matter was settled.
After seeing off the three tea merchants, the village chief took Su Ling to climb Phoenix Mountain.
"When your grandfather contracted the mountain to plant tea trees, most people in the village didn't think highly of him. He lost money in the first five years, but gradually had a harvest in the eighth year. Now, 20 years have passed, and the rain and dew tea produced in our Phoenix Mountain has become famous." Village Chief Jin put his hands behind his back and looked deeply at the rows of neatly arranged tea trees. "I just didn't expect that your grandfather would leave so hastily."
Su Ling stood on the hillside, looking at the endless green tea trees, and couldn't help but be amazed. "So many tea trees, all planted by the second master alone?"
"How is that possible?" Village Chief Jin glanced at him and said, "Of course it was Old Man Su who paid the villagers to plant it together."
Being looked down upon, Su Ling touched his nose in embarrassment.
Village Chief Jin said: "Old Man Su was knowledgeable and educated. If it weren't for the desire to guard the Su family's old house, he wouldn't have stayed in the village as a farmer. But the eldest son of the Su family moved to the city after making a fortune and severed ties with his hometown. He ignored Old Man Su for 60 years and didn't even come to his funeral when he passed away."
Su Ling listened and his face felt slightly hot.
He had never heard his grandfather mention his hometown in his entire life. If Lawyer Liu had not called him, he would have forgotten that he had a relative in the country.
Two months ago, Lawyer Zhang accepted the commission from the second grandfather. Since he did not have his contact information, he went to a lawyer friend in S City and went to great lengths to find his phone number.
The first time Su Ling received a call from Lawyer Zhang, he thought it was a scam call and blocked the phone immediately. Later, Lawyer Zhang called him again from two or three different phone numbers and explained again and again. Su Ling finally remembered that when he was a child, he went to the countryside with his father and met this relative.
"Grandpa...has been busy with his career. He was ill a few years ago, so my aunt took him abroad to recuperate." Su Ling explained tactfully. Grandpa was not close to the younger generation. When he was young, Su Ling was a little afraid of him. He would stay away from him during family gatherings during the Chinese New Year. However, his third cousin, the son of his fourth uncle, was small and sweet, and he was quite liked by the old man.
Now that Su Ling has severed ties with the Su family, he knows nothing about what’s going on there. He also has no idea whether the Su family knows about the death of the second grandfather.
Village Chief Jin snorted coldly and said, "He is afraid that people will look down on him for being a peasant, right?"
Su Ling looked embarrassed.
It was difficult for him to answer this question, as no one could guess what his grandfather was thinking. But he knew that his grandfather was a business genius, and the Su family's current status was due to his grandfather's investment vision and courage.
Seeing Su Ling's silence, Village Chief Jin asked, "What are your plans for the future?"
Su Ling was slightly startled. "Plan?"
Village Chief Jin asked, "Now that you have inherited Old Man Su's inheritance, do you want to stay and continue running the business, or sell it and go back to the city?"
Su Ling was stumped by the question.
Due to the setbacks in his marriage, he did not want to stay in the city for the time being and went to the countryside to relax. He did not think about how to deal with his inheritance. The tea trees on the mountain were the result of the sweat and hard work of the people in Shixi Village. If they were sold, it would not only be a pity, but also be unfair to the deceased second grandfather.
But if he stays, how will his life change?
Su Ling fell into confusion.
At noon, Su Ling had lunch at the village chief's house.
The meal was prepared by the village chief's daughter-in-law, and the vegetables were picked from their own garden. They are all natural, green, pollution-free, fresh, tender, and refreshing. I was so satisfied with the meal that I couldn't get enough.
After dinner, Su Ling and the village chief went to the village committee office to discuss tomorrow's tea picking.
"In previous years, tea merchants would send their own trucks to pick up fresh leaves. This year, the selling price you set includes the shipping cost. Have you figured out how to transport it out of the village?" asked Village Chief Jin.
Su Ling said, "I want to go to town and hire some trucks."
Village Chief Jin shook his head and said, "Your idea is good, but I'm afraid the truck driver doesn't want to enter the village."
Su Ling was puzzled: "Why?"
Who would refuse to do business if the money is too high?
Village Chief Jin stroked his beard and asked, "When you entered the village, you were riding in Old Liu's tractor, right?"
Su Ling nodded: "Yes."
Village Chief Jin asked, "How do you feel?"
Su Ling frowned, thinking of the bumpy and sour feeling, and never wanted to try it again.
"The road is narrow, uneven, long and winding, and not easy to drive on," he commented.
"So, our village is isolated and poor." said the village chief.
"Is it possible... that we can't build roads?" Su Ling asked. As the saying goes, if you want to be rich, you must first build roads. Over the years, has Shixi Village never thought about building better roads?
The village chief said unhappily, "Do you think we don't want to? Without money, how can we repair it?"
Su Ling was stunned. "The government won't approve it?"
Village Chief Jin said, "The approval has come down a long time ago. Your grandfather and I went to negotiate together. But how can we repair it without the money? The village is full of poor people. Even if your grandfather earns money from selling tea, it is not enough to pave the road. If the road is to be expanded, it will have to occupy farmland. The village is two kilometers away from Liuhou Pavilion. To build a two-lane road, at least 200 acres of farmland will be passed. The funds approved by the government are limited. The thousands of families in the village are not rich. Who can afford the extra money?"
Su Ling never imagined that building a road in the village would be so difficult. Without money, there were restrictions everywhere. No wonder Shixi Village has never been able to get rid of poverty.
"How much do you need?" he asked.
Village chief Jin raised his drooping eyelids, took out his abacus, and started to count. "We agreed with the villagers that the compensation was 60,000 yuan per mu, and the compensation ranged from 3,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan, depending on the proportion of land occupied. The government subsidized 1 million yuan, and we paid the rest ourselves. The money for road construction was added up. All in all, it would cost about 5 million yuan to build an ordinary highway."
Five million dollars?
This is an extremely high figure for rural people.
Su Ling sat in the chair, holding his chin, and fell into deep thought.
Village Chief Jin put down his abacus, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip: "The output of the tea mountain has increased this year. If the sales are good, we can make a million. Your grandfather originally wanted to wait five years before building the road, but now that he is gone, this plan has to fall through."
"It won't go bankrupt, and it can't go bankrupt." Su Ling clasped his hands and looked at the village chief with a firm expression, "I have money, I will repair the road."
Village Chief Jin's hand trembled and the water in the cup spilled out.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Su Ling left the village committee, put his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker, walked slowly on the gravel path, and admired the scenery of the fields along the roadside.
Most young people who are tired of the hustle and bustle of the city yearn for the tranquility and leisure of the countryside, and Su Ling is no exception. However, when he actually saw the poverty and helplessness of the rural people, he realized that the countryside was not as pleasant as he had imagined.
Where will he go in the future, where will he live, whether his relationship with Lu Feng will continue, these are all fantasies to him now.
At the moment, he needs to solve many problems.
For example, he had to go door to door to find villagers with tractors to discuss the matter of pulling tea leaves out of the village. He funded the road construction and had to negotiate with the villagers about compensation for occupying farmland. And, most importantly, how could he solve the problem of his three meals a day?
There is no vegetable market in the village!
Every household grows crops and leads a self-sufficient life.
So, he has to be self-reliant and grow his own vegetables!
and--
He wants to buy a bunch of home appliances: washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, water heater, dishwasher, water dispenser...
Standing on the bridge over the stream facing the wind and looking at the Su family residence in the distance, Su Ling suddenly felt a huge pressure.
————————
“Dongdongqiang——Dongdongqiang——”
"Crackle, crackle--"
At the entrance of Shixi Village, there were loud gongs and drums, and firecrackers blasting, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.
Under the big banyan tree, a large number of villagers gathered to watch. Children climbed up the branches and sat on high places to watch.
Su Ling's shoulder-length curly hair was tied into a ponytail. He wore a royal blue suit, a white Windsor shirt, a silver-grey Windsor tie, a silver watch on his waistcoat, and a pair of black inner-ear Oxford shoes under his straight trousers. His outfit was exquisite and elegant, like a prince from a painting. He stood at the entrance of the village with the village committee officials to solemnly welcome the arrival of the tea picking team.
Qi Yue and three other tea merchants led the girls of the tea-picking team and approached with smiles on their faces. When they saw the extremely handsome Su Ling, their eyes widened with amazement.
"Mr. Su, our tea picking team will trouble you for the next half month."
Su Ling said politely: "As long as they get used to living in the village, everything will be fine."
Before coming to Shixi Village, Su Ling knew nothing about tea picking. After a long discussion with the village chief yesterday, he learned that there are many tricks to tea picking. The method of picking tea leaves is very particular. In order to produce high-quality tea leaves, tea merchants generally use the ancient hand-picking method.
The villagers of Shixi Village can grow tea trees and naturally know how to pick tea. However, Qi Yue and others trust the tea picking team they hired more, so they bring people to pick tea every year.
Tea picking takes half a month. The road condition in Shixi Village is poor, so it is inconvenient to go there and back. The tea picking team stays at the villagers' homes. The villagers are used to this way of cooperation and are happy to charge accommodation fees. They vacated their rooms early after receiving the notice yesterday.
Qi Yue said with a smile: "Of course it's a habit. Some of the girls in our team have been picking tea here for five years. By the way -"
As soon as he changed the subject, his eyes sparkled with brilliance: "Mr. Su, have you found a truck to transport us out of the village?"
Su Ling said calmly, "We found it. But there are no trucks, but there are hundreds of tractors."
Qi Yue was stunned for a moment, frowned and said, "Will a tractor work? If the fresh tea is bumped, the quality will probably decline."
Su Ling smiled and said, "Don't worry, Boss Qi. I promise that the road will be smooth within today."
It was too late to repair the road, but it could be completed in one day by transporting some gravel and using bulldozers and rollers to fill the mud pit. Early in the morning, before dawn, the village chief went to the town to contact the construction team.
Without any worries, the tea merchants held a tea picking ceremony and officially went up the mountain amid the sound of loud firecrackers.
The tea picking work was in full swing. Su Ling followed the village chief, running around. Every day was extremely fulfilling, and he fell asleep as soon as he put his head on the pillow at night.
I've lived for twenty-five years and have never been so tired.
Whether before or after marriage, he lived a leisurely and comfortable life.
In the past, he would get up at 7 o'clock every morning at home, jog for half an hour in the community, take a shower when he came back, eat breakfast made by the nanny, and go to the painting studio to paint after dinner. If the weather was good, he would carry his drawing board to the park to sketch. In the afternoon, he would sit on the sofa in the living room, drink tea and watch his mobile phone. He would watch TV series, read novels, play games, and occasionally chat with friends. When Li Feng got off work, the two of them would have dinner together and go for a walk hand in hand after dinner.
From childhood to adulthood, Su Ling's demands were very simple: to do what he wanted to do, live a loving life with the person he loved, support each other, and grow old together.
But he didn't expect that such a small wish would suddenly be shattered in the third year of his marriage.
Problems unknowingly arose in his relationship with Lu Feng. After repeated disappointments, he finally came to his senses, temporarily left that home, and escaped to the countryside.
Now here, things are very busy and I am exhausted like a dog every day, but I am doing things that I have never done before, and I am happier than ever before.
By the eighth day, the tea picking team had gotten their work on track. Supervision was taken over by the village chief and village committee officials. Su Ling was relieved and settled down in the study to calculate the accounts.
What did he say to Lin Zhou when he first left S City?
Expenses are low in the countryside and you don’t have to spend much money.
Now, when I checked the list, haha, five or six hundred thousand were spent easily.
It cost more than 100,000 yuan to level the road, more than 1,000 yuan a day to hire a car to transport fresh leaves, and the purchase of furniture and electrical appliances was the biggest expense, costing more than 400,000 yuan.
As for the payment, the tea merchant only gave a deposit of 200,000 yuan, and the balance could only be paid after all the tea leaves were picked and weighed.
The village chief said that this year's spring tea production exceeded that of last year, reaching about 8,000 kilograms. After deducting costs and labor expenses, the profit may be more than 500,000 yuan. After the summer and autumn tea are harvested, the annual profit may be as high as more than 1 million yuan.
For rural people, more than one million yuan may not be earned in a lifetime, but for the generous Young Master Su, it can be spent in a month.
Su Ling is not a person who would compromise himself. Although the second grandfather's house is antique, the interior configuration is too simple. As he is used to city life, it is natural for him to add some high-quality and modern things.
For example, in the study, there is a soft carpet on the floor, elegant gauze curtains on the windows, a calligraphy work of his own is framed on the wall, and in front of the antique round window facing the corridor, there is a set of mahogany chairs, and on the tea table there is a crystal clear white porcelain tea set.
The other rooms, like the study, are all brand new.
Of course, Su Ling knew nothing about housework. The day before yesterday, he went shopping in a mall in H City, bought a bunch of things, and paid a high fee for delivery to have the things delivered to his home. Then he increased Aunt Zhang's salary to one thousand per month and asked her to help take care of the house.
Aunt Zhang was beaming with joy and was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. It took her a whole day to clean up everything neatly.
Having a refrigerator in the kitchen makes it convenient to store food.
Su Ling bought fish, crabs and shrimps at the town's vegetable market and stored them in the freezer. He also put the vegetables that Aunt Zhang gave him in the cold storage, and thus he had a week's worth of food.
The induction cooker is a great thing, it can be used for both cooking and hot pot. After discovering it in an electrical appliance store, Su Ling decisively gave up the earthen stove and spent the past two days learning to cook by following recipes, successfully lighting up his culinary skills.
After finishing the account, Su Ling bit the tip of the pen, wrinkled his delicate eyebrows, and sighed in his heart.
Only those who don't manage a household know how expensive food and daily necessities are. When he lived in the city, he used the supplementary card given to him by Ruifeng to spend money like water, buying whatever he liked. Now he has to earn money on his own and feels it is very hard.
I wonder if the 10 million he has on hand can last until the end of the year.
In addition to building the road out of the village, he also had to repair the road from the village entrance to the Su family's old house. All in all, it would cost several million just to build the road.
Building bridges and roads is a good deed and the money is worth spending. Su Ling does not feel bad about it. Instead, he feels an incomparable sense of satisfaction.
This is a feeling he has never had before. Helping others within his ability and doing real charity makes him happy from the bottom of his heart, which makes him feel that his life is meaningful and valuable.
After worrying about money for a while, Su Ling relaxed his brows.
The ancients said: God has given me talent and it will be useful, even if I spend all my money I will get it back.
He believed that he could make money with his own hands. Thinking too much now was just a waste of time. At most, he could paint a few paintings and entrust Lin Zhou to sell them at an auction. He could probably sell them for hundreds of thousands!
After coming to his senses, Su Ling closed the account book, raised his hands, and stretched his body.
The author has something to say: Lingbao: Money, you are a mature money now, you have to learn how to get into my pocket by yourself~~
————————
Note: Many people in the comments have said that NT$5 million is too expensive to build a road, so I will explain it here. ^ ^
What needs to be built in the village is not a small cement road, but a formal highway leading out of the village.
There are five levels of highways: expressways, first-class highways, second-class highways, third-class highways, and fourth-class highways. (If you don't understand, you can go to Baidu~)
According to the minimum standards, a two-lane fourth-level highway should be built here.
This road is not a privately built road, but an official highway that the village chief applied for approval from the town, so the families whose land was occupied can get some compensation.
The approved funds are insufficient, and the village committee needs to make up for it. The village committee has no money and cannot build it, so it needs donations from kind-hearted people (such as some philanthropic businessmen, celebrities, etc.)
Here, Su Ling is the donor.
If we assume that the occupied area is 200 mu, the compensation should be 3,000-30,000 yuan, which is 10,000 yuan in the middle. The budget should be more than 2 million yuan.
The cost of building a fourth-level highway is about 1.5 million to 1.8 million per kilometer (the actual price fluctuates according to different materials, which can be checked on Baidu)
The road in the village was about 2 kilometers long, but later it was shortened to more than 1,000 meters by taking a straight line, so it was calculated at more than 2.5 million.
The remaining several hundred thousand are used for road greening, paving, street lighting facilities, installation of various pipelines, labor costs, etc.
This is the 5 million I estimated, and it is based on the lowest standard. Since I am not a professional, I can only use an estimate.
[Bold at the end: This article is fictional. If you feel that it is different from reality, it is the author's personal setting. Please follow the author's personal setting~]