Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Misunderstanding

“Village chief, the folks from town are trying to stop us from building houses. They even want to curry favor with Qiangyuan Corporation,” Aunt Yang called out.

Tang Long frowned. No wonder the villagers of Yutou were so agitated—if someone blocked them from rebuilding their homes, who wouldn’t be furious?

The official surnamed Zhao felt bitterly wronged. Qiangyuan Corporation? Nonsense. He’d come to the countryside on behalf of the county to assess the damage from the recent heavy rains, nothing more. As for why he insisted the villagers halt construction, it was all just a show. His brother-in-law worked in construction for the county.

Yutou Village was buying up building materials in bulk, talking about investing millions to reconstruct the entire village. For a contractor, that was a windfall. But Yutou Village wasn’t building any high-rises—just ordinary houses that didn’t require sophisticated techniques. They hadn’t even considered hiring a county construction crew, just bringing in skilled masons from the neighboring villages to keep costs down.

Last night, his brother-in-law heard he’d be coming to Yutou Village for an inspection and came by with gifts, hoping to use the official visit as a pretext to win the village reconstruction contract.

Things were nothing like Aunt Yang imagined. Zhao wasn’t trying to stick up for Qiangyuan Corporation at all.

This was all a huge misunderstanding!

He was genuinely terrified now. The people of Yutou Village were impossible to handle—bold to the point of lawlessness, even daring to assault a “leader” from the county.

He seethed with anger, but facing a crowd of villagers, he could only swallow his frustration.

Tang Long didn’t know the county official; the only leader he recognized was Qian Youwang from the town, who had always left a decent impression.

“Sir, what’s going on here? Since when does Yutou Village’s construction concern the town?” he asked.

Qian Youwang shook his head with a wry smile. “It’s not me! This is Zhao Huangfeng from the county office, here to investigate the recent storm damage. As for why the villagers were told to stop construction, I have no idea!”

He washed his hands of the matter—entirely clean and decisive.

He genuinely had nothing to do with this. Zhao hadn’t mentioned meddling in the village’s project, and if he had known, he wouldn’t have come today.

Why should the county interfere with villagers repairing their own homes? Their houses had been washed away—if they weren’t allowed to rebuild, were they supposed to move in with the county officials?

Qian Youwang was feeling rather resentful toward Zhao Huangfeng at this point.

From the moment they arrived in Donghe Town, Zhao had put on airs as if he were some grand official. Qian Youwang had only accompanied him, hoping to secure a little extra relief funding for the villagers.

“A county official?” Tang Long looked over at Zhao Huangfeng, frowning. “What does the county mean by not letting us rebuild our homes?”

Zhao Huangfeng forced a smile, adjusting his glasses quickly. “It’s a misunderstanding. We’re not stopping you from rebuilding. I just worry your houses might not be sturdy enough and could be damaged by the next storm. I was hoping to introduce you to a more professional construction team. Maybe your villagers misunderstood my intentions.”

A more professional team? A misunderstanding? So he was doing them a favor?

Tang Long rolled his eyes.

“We’re poor in Yutou Village. We can’t afford a construction crew. But if the county wants to send one over for free, we’d be very grateful,” Tang Long replied expressionlessly.

A free construction crew?

Zhao Huangfeng nearly choked. The idea of hiring a crew was entirely his own; the county had nothing to do with it. For a poor village, there was no way the county would send a team—there were countless places like Yutou Village in Taoyuan County alone.

“Scatter!” Tang Long waved, dismissing the villagers. Then he turned to Qian Youwang. “Any other business, sir? If there is, nothing can be done about it now. You brought this trouble on yourselves for halting our work without reason.”

Qian Youwang couldn’t help but laugh. No one else could be so staunchly on the villagers’ side.

Zhao Huangfeng’s expression soured. He was deeply dissatisfied—he’d taken a beating for nothing. If no apology was forthcoming, he at least deserved some compensation. He considered calling the police to arrest a few villagers, but thinking it over, he decided against it. If things escalated, the county might blame him for mishandling the situation.

“Tang Long, right? Brother Tang, could I have a word with you?” Zhao Huangfeng seized an opportunity to pull Tang Long aside.

Lowering his voice, he said, “Brother, the overall reconstruction project in your village isn’t small. I hear it involves several million. For my sake, could you let my brother-in-law’s company handle it? Don’t worry, you’ll be well taken care of. I know how these things work.”

Tang Long was speechless.

He was being remarkably blunt. What Zhao didn’t know was that the reconstruction funds had been forcibly wrung from Qiangyuan Corporation by Tang Long himself. If he’d known, perhaps he would have kept his mouth shut.

“It’s not impossible. But the contractor would need to cover the upfront costs. Once the project is finished, the village will settle the bill,” Tang Long replied with a smile. “If your brother-in-law is agreeable, I’ll talk to the villagers.”

Cover the upfront costs?

Impossible. A few million was no small sum, and with the villagers’ reputation for stubbornness, no one would dare take the risk. If the job was done and payment didn’t come through, who would they turn to?

Tang Long also hoped to find a capable contractor to handle the reconstruction, but they simply didn’t have the cash. The county’s construction teams wanted a piece of the action, but it was unlikely they’d ever get it. That’s why Tang Long had chosen to let the villagers build their own homes. Even the blueprints had been drawn up as a favor, thanks to Zhang Xiue’s connections, without spending a penny.

When villagers build their own homes, they don’t cut corners, and with experienced craftsmen leading the way, the houses might not be fancy, but they’d certainly be safe. Who would cheat themselves?

Zhao Huangfeng had come full of expectation, only to leave in disappointment—not only had he failed to pull rank or win the contract, he’d even gotten beaten up.

He’d heard tales of the “Ghost King Cave” in the mountains behind Yutou Village and wanted to have a look, but Tang Long brushed him off, saying the road was blocked.

After reporting the village’s disaster situation, Zhao and his party weren’t even invited to stay for lunch. Not that there was anything fancy—no delicacies, not even chicken, duck, or fish. Tang Long worried the officials wouldn’t be able to stomach the fare.

As he left, Qian Youwang told Tang Long that the county’s Geological Survey and Tourism Bureau might be sending people in the coming days.