"How can you refuse? What are you thinking? They don't want the eight million compensation, so you think they'll just listen to you and not sign the contract?"
"You really think you're something special as the village chief? With eight million in hand, they wouldn't even acknowledge their own fathers, let alone you, the village chief." The village chief's wife completely thought the village chief had gone mad.
"Hmph, just you wait. If I can't sabotage him, I've wasted all these years." The village chief grabbed his clothes and walked out, his eyes radiating confidence.
In terms of intelligence, no one in any of the villages is smarter than him; otherwise, he wouldn't have been the village chief of Xuri Village for over twenty years.
The village chiefs of the surrounding villages are replaced every few years and re-elected, but in Xuri Village, he has firmly held onto his position and remained unshaken. Could he have done this without some brains and cunning?
He soon arrived at Li Laoqi's house. As soon as he entered, he heard a noisy commotion inside, accompanied by the excited voices of the whole family.
"Oh, the village chief is here! Please come in." When Li Laoqi saw the village chief, he quickly welcomed him into the house.
"Hey, what's all the fuss about? Are you about to strike it rich?" The village chief chuckled as he sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked at them.
"No, it's not decided yet," Li Laoqi's wife said with a laugh, trying to make an excuse.
"You still want to hide it from me? I don't know what's going on in this village. I came here to warn you that there seems to be a trap here."
"If you're willing, tell me what happened and I'll take a look. If you're not willing, that's fine too. Just don't come looking for me later if you suffer a loss and say I didn't help you," the village elder said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Li Laoqi's family felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water, their excitement instantly extinguished.
They exchanged glances. Li Laoqi hesitated, then asked incredulously, "What kind of trap is this? No way, Chen Feng explained it all so clearly."
"How is this a scam? We didn't contribute anything. Is there a hidden trap in the compensation?"
"What do you think? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Eight million in compensation? Have you ever heard of that number?"
"Don't even mention eight million, even if he gave you four million, wouldn't you be secretly laughing and happy to sign the contract with him?"
"Is he really that kind of person, willing to give you so much extra money?"
"Didn't they even think about this themselves? They're all still grinning like idiots." The village chief sneered, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
"That's true, but the compensation is quite a lot. I saw it said on the news too." Li Laoqi scratched his head vigorously. He was completely confused and didn't want to believe what the village chief said at all.
“Come on, tell me exactly what Chen Feng told you, word for word,” the village chief said, taking a drag of his cigarette.
Upon hearing this, Li Laoqi immediately recounted the scene exactly as it happened, word for word. Now, even the village chief was making him uneasy.
Could it be that Chen Feng is lying to them? Is there really a trap here?
"Oh, I see." The village chief nodded subconsciously after hearing this, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Village chief, you're so knowledgeable and worldly-wise, can you tell me where the pit is? Are you sure you can?" Old Li asked, half-believing.
"Hmph, you haven't even been scammed yet, you're really letting people sell you out and then helping them count the money." The village chief sneered and shook his head.
"Ah, how could this be? What's wrong?" Li Laoqi was shocked when he heard this and quickly asked.
“Yes, village chief, we’re all from the same village. Our family has always voted for you. You can’t just stand by and do nothing about us.” Seeing this, Li Laoqi’s wife panicked and quickly spoke up.
"Don't worry, that's why I came here. Chen Feng is a real scoundrel, he even cheats people from his own village, what a piece of trash." The village chief flicked his cigarette ash and cursed.
"Did you notice that Chen Feng said the compensation wouldn't come immediately, but within a year?" the village chief asked them.
"Yes, that's what he said, but we don't think there's a problem. After all, how can you get money as soon as you sign a contract? Even if it's a subsidy for farming, it still takes six months to a year to come in," Li Laoqi said, puzzled.
"That's the problem. The key issue is that this is a gold mine he leased. How can the compensation be paid by the government?"
"It must be Chen Feng who sent it to you. Why would he give it to you within a year instead of immediately? Isn't that obviously suspicious?"
"Once you sign the contract, he'll take it to get the certificate. Once the certificate is issued, who cares about you anymore? You can sue him wherever you want. He just won't give it to you. What can you do about it?"
"He's rich and powerful, how can you ordinary folks possibly outmaneuver him?" the village chief snorted.
"Now you know why he gave you so much money?"
"It's all about getting the contract done quickly. Anyone can write an empty check. I could have offered you a hundred million, but let's see when you get the money."
Upon hearing this, Li Laoqi's family was instantly stunned, and they felt cold sweat pour down their backs.
Yes, once I sign the contract, the land becomes his. How am I supposed to ask him for money then?
He'll just keep dragging his feet and won't give it to you. What can you do? He's rich and powerful. Dealing with a nobody like you is like child's play for him.
"My God, Chen Feng can't be that despicable, can he? Is everyone in the village this treacherous?"
"Could it be that he never intended to give me the money in the first place?" Li Laoqi said incredulously.
"They will definitely give it to us. The first question is how long it will take, and the second is how much."
"It's normal for them to drag this out for a few years. You've lost your land and your source of income. When Chen Feng comes out again, he'll just give you some money and send you away."
"By then, you'll be starving to death. Even if it's only a few hundred thousand, would you really refuse it?"
"A few hundred thousand yuan, how does that compare to two hundred acres of land with a twenty-year lease? It's not even enough to cover the cost."
"When the time comes, you won't know whether to take the money or not. You're hoping for seven or eight million? Keep dreaming. You can have anything in your dreams. In the end, you'll just have to accept your losses. Look at what I'm saying."
The village chief sneered, looking as if he had seen through Chen Feng's little scheme completely.
"My God, Chen Feng is so unethical. How is he any different from those heartless bosses out there?"
Li Laoqi said with a lingering sense of fear, while also expressing his gratitude to the village chief for reminding them, otherwise they would have been preparing to sign the contract tomorrow.
If I actually sign this contract, wouldn't that be the end of me? My whole life would be ruined.
"What should we do, village chief? We can't sign it now, and we can't not sign it either. If we don't sign it, won't people say it's our fault?" Li Laoqi's wife said, looking troubled.
"Yes, if we don't sign the contract, we'll become holdouts, and the fate of holdouts is always worse than the last." Li Laoqi had heard about these things before; in the end, they'd be the ones who suffer.
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