Chapter Seven: Ordered to Leave Within a Deadline

Zhang Xiue approached, looking at Tang Long, who was sitting on a rock with a blade of grass between his teeth, gazing absentmindedly at the villagers fishing in the hollow. In a low voice, she asked, “The town officials said they’re going back for a meeting to discuss how to resolve the conflict between Qiangyuan Company and Yutou Village over the Liangou Hollow. They told us to return and wait for news. What do you think we should do?”

With hundreds of people in Yutou Village, not to mention the town officials—even those from the county would be at a loss. If this escalated into a mass conflict, no one could bear that responsibility.

Tang Long smiled at her and said, “But you’re the Party Secretary of Yutou Village!”

From her actions, it was clear she took her responsibilities seriously. In the past few days, she had taken the lead in communicating with the town officials and the police.

Zhang Xiue rolled her eyes and snorted, “I’m just a ‘bare commander-in-chief’; the whole village listens to you, not me.”

Tang Long looked at her earnestly and replied, “I listen to you.”

She was taken aback, then nodded, “Then let’s go back for now and give the town a little time. Leave some room for others—so we can meet again in the future!”

“All right!” Tang Long agreed with a nod. “But you must make it clear to the town officials—Liangou Hollow belongs to us. We’ll give Qiangyuan Company three days. If they’re willing to leave, good. If not, they’ll be forced out!”

Zhang Xiue put on a stern face. “I know what to say!” She turned and walked toward the direction where the town officials were waiting.

With Tang Long leading the villagers, perhaps a turning point would really come. Not all the county leaders supported the “methods” of Qiangyuan Company.

As long as the authorities were willing to investigate, there would surely be holes in the “Liangou Hollow” leasing contract signed between Qiangyuan Company and the town.

“Big Brother Ergou, Brother Liansheng, Brother Tang Long asked me to call you all back. Let’s listen to Sister Xiue and head home for now!” Zhao Xiaoyue stood by the hollow, her clear, melodious voice carrying far.

“All right, just one last net and we’ll come ashore!” Li Ergou responded from the water, accompanied by the villagers.

The official from Donghe Town was surnamed Qian, named Qian Youwang. He was in charge of this communication between Qiangyuan Company and Yutou Village. He had known the situation today would be serious, but it had turned out even more complicated than he expected.

Yutou villagers had beaten up Qiangyuan’s people, but there was nothing to be done. If the police dared to take away any villager, none of them would be leaving today.

With his understanding of Qiangyuan Company, Qian Youwang knew what kind of business they ran. Usually, he’d only seen them bullying others; it was rare for a group of villagers to get the upper hand like this.

“Manager Wang, why don’t we leave it here for today? Anyway, your people are mostly unharmed,” Qian said to Wang Chengwei of Qiangyuan Company.

Wang Chengwei was fuming inside. How could they say “mostly unharmed”? Security Captain Liu Jianming had almost been drowned, and the rest of the security staff had been punched and bruised. Even if there were no broken arms or legs like last time, the injuries weren’t light. How was that “mostly unharmed”?

What really concerned Manager Wang, besides the attention from town officials, was the team of journalists from a major domestic financial channel. If not for their presence, he would have already called for reinforcements from the county. Who would care then!

“I’ll follow your lead, Mayor Qian,” Wang replied through gritted teeth, pinching his nose as he nodded. He could tell Qian Youwang was favoring the villagers, but he too wanted the conflict to end quickly.

Qian turned to Zhang Xiue with a smile. “Secretary Zhang, Manager Wang has agreed to sit down and negotiate the ‘Liangou Hollow’ issue. Won’t you have the villagers go home and stop making trouble?”

Zhang Xiue responded sternly, “Leader, you’ve got it wrong. It’s not our villagers making trouble—Qiangyuan Company has pushed us too far.”

She paused, then continued, “As for the ‘Liangou Hollow’ issue, there’s nothing much to negotiate. Qiangyuan claims to have leased it from the town, but no matter if that’s true or not, any contract should have been signed with the Yutou Village committee—since the hollow is village land, isn’t it? Besides, Qiangyuan Company has been here over four years, and Yutou Village hasn’t received a cent in lease payments from either them or the town.

“So, the Yutou Village committee has decided—Qiangyuan Company must vacate ‘Liangou Hollow’ within three days, return our occupied land, and pay over four years’ use fees. Those are our only demands of the town and Qiangyuan Company!”

Off to the side, Xie Anran’s eyes gleamed. She shot a glance at her assistant, who nodded to indicate everything had been recorded.

If things were as Secretary Zhang said, then as a listed company, Qiangyuan would be caught in a scandal if this news broke, likely triggering a sharp drop in their stock price.

Xie Anran was preparing to dig deeper into the story. Whether the news was released or not, she was bound to benefit.

“We’ll discuss this after we return,” Qian Youwang replied as a representative of Donghe Town. He didn’t commit immediately—some issues required a leadership meeting to resolve. Besides, he himself wasn’t aware of any leasing contract between Qiangyuan Company and the town for “Liangou Hollow.”

Still, since Qiangyuan was making the claim, that loophole had probably already been tidied up.

Wang Weicheng was one of Qiangyuan’s top managers in Donghe Town and Taoyuan County. Though not the general manager, he was involved in daily operations and not someone who would speak carelessly.

Once again, Qiangyuan Company found itself outmaneuvered.

“Brother Tang Long, we caught over a thousand catties of fish today!” Zhao Xiaoyue called out in delight, chirping like a little bird.

Tang Long thought for a moment. “Let everyone share it out. Tonight, everyone should stew some at home.”

“All of it?” Zhao Xiaoyue’s eyes widened. It was over a thousand catties of fish—selling them would bring in quite a sum.

“Yes, all of it,” Tang Long replied with a gentle smile. “Everyone helped today.”

Zhao Xiaoyue laughed and nodded, agreeing, “Yes, that was satisfying. Let’s see if that bunch from Qiangyuan Company dares to cause trouble in the village again.”

But thinking of Qiangyuan’s people, her joy faded and she pouted. “That Liu Jianming should have been drowned in the hollow. If not for him, Ermao wouldn’t have lost his hearing.”

“Stupid girl, stop talking nonsense!” Aunt Yang scolded her from behind, glaring. “Are you crazy? If he died, your Brother Ergou, Brother Liansheng, and Brother Tang Long would all be taken by the police.”

Zhao Xiaoyue stuck out her tongue. She’d been to high school and wasn’t illiterate—she knew that killing was a major crime, one with serious legal consequences.

“I was just saying,” Zhao Xiaoyue defended herself.

But Tang Long’s gaze grew thoughtful. Liu Jianming was indeed a scourge, without a doubt. And today’s punishment seemed far too lenient.

No, he thought, perhaps he should pay him another visit tonight—at the very least, break a leg or two, so he could never again bully others.