Gourd Farm Chapter 71
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 71: Land Contract
The village chief pulled out a bunch of keys and took out a pair of reading glasses from his desk.
He opened a drawer, took out a stack of papers, and upon closer inspection, it was the land transfer and lease contract.
The village chief started writing swiftly with a "swish, swish" sound and put down the pen after a few minutes.
"Xiao Feng, come here and sign the document."
Following the village chief's instructions, Yang Feng signed the document five or six times in one go. After the village chief confirmed there were no issues, he took out the village office seal.
"Click, click, click."
After a series of chaotic stamping, when the last page was stamped, the contract was officially effective.
The village chief handed over the contract, saying, "There are two copies of this contract. Take yours back and keep it safe. Also, you need to pay a deposit of ten thousand yuan to Mr. Liu."
Holding the contract in hand, Yang Feng felt an indescribable excitement and a hint of nervousness.
"What? We still need to pay a deposit?"
Just a moment ago, caught up in his happiness, Yang Feng was a bit puzzled when he heard the village chief mention the need for a deposit.
"Of course, if you don't pay the deposit, and later on, we can't find you, the village will have to cover the losses," the village chief explained.
Listening to the village chief, Yang Feng realized there was some logic in his words. It wasn't just about him; everything was considered in the best interest of the people. This was a strict order from above.
"Go home and think about your development plans. In the afternoon, a professional survey team will come to mark the boundaries with you."
Walking home with the contract in hand, Yang Feng felt a surge of emotions. This was the first time he was involved in something so significant, and pretending not to be excited would be a lie.
Aunt Hua was getting ready to wash clothes by the pond and happened to see Yang Feng lost in his thoughts.
"Xiao Feng, you seem to have won the lottery with how happy you look."
"Xiao Feng?"
Aunt Hua called out twice before Yang Feng turned around, snapping back to reality.
"Oh, Aunt Hua, were you talking to me?"
"You silly child, it's just you and me here. If I don't talk to you, should I talk to ghosts?" Aunt Hua replied, slightly exasperated.
Feeling embarrassed, Yang Feng scratched his head. "Oh, I was lost in thought just now, didn't hear you."
Aunt Hua, always curious, sensed something good from Yang Feng's demeanor. She put down the basin she was holding.
"Xiao Feng, what's making you so happy?"
Yang Feng waved the contract in his hand. "It's about land leasing. I just leased fifty acres of land."
Aunt Hua widened her eyes in astonishment. "Oh my, Xiao Feng, you're really daring!"
"Anyway, I'll be farming on it when I come back. Whether it's thirty acres or fifty acres, it doesn't matter as long as I farm it well," Yang Feng said confidently, having resolved himself to this idea the previous night.
"Last night, the village chief came to our house to talk about this matter. Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by your uncle. He said he couldn't sleep at night already with just a few acres of land covered with a greenhouse. If it's several dozen acres..."
As Aunt Hua spoke, she picked up the basin and headed towards the pond, mumbling to herself.
"Oh my, that is a lot of land! This child must be out of his mind."
Just as he brought the contract home, Xia Ying happened to arrive.
"Yang Feng, what's making you so happy?" she asked.
Yang Feng didn't say a word; he simply handed over the contract.
Xia Ying looked puzzled. "What's this?"
"Just take a look for yourself," Yang Feng said.
Xia Ying took the contract and noticed it was similar to the one her family had received yesterday.
Wait, there seemed to be two extra words in this one: "contract for leasing."
"Yang Feng, you didn't already lease the land, did you?" Xia Ying asked.
Seeing this, Xia Ying immediately understood. No wonder Yang Feng was so happy early in the morning.
"Yeah, I just finished signing the contract," Yang Feng replied.
Xia Ying flipped through the contract, scanning the dense text of terms and conditions. When she reached the last page, a prominent number shocked her.
"Fifty acres? Yang Feng, you leased fifty acres of land?" Xia Ying's small mouth formed an 'O' shape, her naturally large eyes widened like glass marbles.
"Yeah, the survey team will come in the afternoon to mark the boundaries," Yang Feng confirmed.
Xia Ying checked again; it was indeed fifty acres.
"You're really daring. Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare," Xia Ying said, shuddering a little, as she carefully handed back the contract.
"Father, I just met Aunt Hua washing clothes by the pond. She said Yang Feng just leased fifty acres of land," Yang Meng said while they were having their meal at the table.
Yang Meng’s Father, who was sipping his porridge, coughed a couple of times, whether it was because the porridge was too hot or he was startled by the news of the land lease, no one could tell.
Uncle Yang put down his bowl. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely, Aunt Hua wouldn't lie. She knows everything around here," Yang Meng affirmed.
Uncle furrowed his brows. Yesterday when the village chief mentioned leasing land, he hadn't taken it seriously. He hadn't expected Yang Feng, this young lad, to act so swiftly. He must have quite a bit of courage.
"Eat quickly, then come with me to the village office," Uncle Yang said.
"But why the village office? I have plans to go to town later," Yang Meng protested.
"You're going to Strong's internet cafe again? If you dare to go, believe me, I'll smash your car," Uncle Yang warned sternly.
Yang Meng realized his father had guessed his intentions. He dared not say anything more. He had just upgraded his exhaust system, which had cost him a month's worth of pocket money. Seeing his grandfather's determined expression, he knew his threat was not to be taken lightly.
"Fine, fine, I'll go with you," Yang Meng grumbled in frustration.
By this time, Uncle Yang had finished his meal. He slammed his chopsticks on the table. "Quite audacious. I can't control you anymore, can I?"
The Father and son arrived at the village chief's office. Uncle Yang didn't bother to knock; he just pushed the door open and walked in. "Old Zhang, busy, eh?"
The village chief hadn't snapped out of his thoughts yet when Uncle Yang was already in front of him.
"Yeah, I'm working on the list. What's the matter?" the village chief replied.
On the side, Liu Wan'er furrowed her brows. She particularly disliked people who didn't knock. Since arriving in Huangshi Village, her impression of this father-son duo hadn't been too favorable.
Uncle dragged a chair from the side and sat down without ceremony. "I heard you talking about land leasing last night. I came today to learn more about it."
The village chief set aside his work, took off his reading glasses, and said in a deep voice, "I came to talk to you last night, but you interrupted me, saying you had no money and at your age, you shouldn't get involved in these messy matters."
Uncle blushed when the village chief pointed it out. "Well, I didn't fully understand the details yesterday, you see?"
The village chief knew exactly what was going on in Uncle's mind. "You couldn't sit still after hearing that Yang Feng leased fifty acres, could you?"
On the side, Liu Wan'er watched the old man being cornered by the village chief, unable to utter a word. She wanted to laugh, but it would be impolite, leaving her fair face flushed with suppressed laughter.
Yang Meng, watching Liu Wan'er, wanted to strike up a conversation but felt a bit awkward about it.
"Dad, you're not thinking of leasing land again, are you?" Sensing the implication from the village chief, Yang Meng felt that his father was starting another dispute with Yang Feng.
"You just stay out of this. Why are you always meddling?" Uncle was feeling a bit cornered by the village chief. Now, facing his son's skepticism, his unnamed anger surged.
Under his breath, Yang Meng grumbled, "It's not like you didn't force me into this..."
