Chapter 126 The Magistrate

"Wait, what? You agreed with just one bite?!"

Liu Jianping exclaimed in disbelief.

Liu Wei nodded, a bit taken aback by his own impulsiveness. "I know, I know. I should have negotiated for a higher price. Maybe 600,000 or even 700,000 would have been more reasonable."

As the intermediary, Liu Jianping saw that both parties had agreed on the price, so he said nothing more.

"Alright then, let's finalize the deal. Liu Wei, you'll be selling your house, homestead, and even the vegetable field in front of your house to Liu Yong."

"The vegetable field isn't that big anyway," Liu Wei reasoned.

"No problem. Let's go pile some wood to confirm the area."

The group of people headed to Liu Wei's house and, with everyone as witnesses, marked out the area with several wooden stakes.

Zhou Jingkang even took out a tape measure to ensure sufficient space.

"This should be good," he said, satisfied.

Liu Yong, feeling relieved, pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check for 500,000 yuan.

"From now on, this land is mine," he declared.

Liu Wei took the check and scrutinized it, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Can I really exchange this for cash at the bank?" he asked uncertainly.

Liu Yong nodded confidently. "Of course. You can even go to the bank right now to exchange it."

Some bystanders chuckled at Liu Wei's naivety, while others envied his luck getting such a good deal.

A house like his could easily fetch over 500,000 yuan in a county with relatively cheap housing prices.

Liu Wei couldn't contain his excitement and happiness. His dream of owning a house in the county was finally coming true.

He left the check in hand, determined to immediately cash it at the bank.

Zhou Jingkang took the land measurements and drew a sketch based on the dimensions.

As he marked the length and width of the land on the illustration, he turned to Liu Yong and asked,

"Brother Yong, the area is enough. I calculated that it has an area of more than 900 square meters, which is enough to build a big villa according to your requirements. By the way, I want to ask, what is the approximate budget for this villa?"

Liu Yong responded, "For such a large villa, the budget needs to be at least two million. If it is to be built to a higher level, it may cost three million."

The idea of a 3 million yuan villa had many people inwardly smacking their tongues in amazement.

To build a house in rural areas, preparing 300,000 yuan was almost enough. The thought of Liu Yong planning to build a villa that cost 3 million yuan was surprising to them.

When Zhou Jingkang expressed disbelief, Liu Yong waved his hand and said, "If you want to build it, let's build it better. Let's tentatively set the budget at 20 million!"

This figure shocked everyone around them. A 20 million yuan villa was something they couldn't even fathom.

Zhou Jingkang was taken aback and asked Liu Yong to clarify, "Brother Yong, are you sure it's 20 million?"

Liu Yong confirmed, "That's right, tentatively set at 20 million. You try to make the villa more luxurious and upscale. If the money is not enough, I will have no problem adding another 10 to 20 million."

This statement left the people around them petrified. The idea that an additional 10 to 20 million could be added was beyond their comprehension.

The world of the rich was something they couldn't understand; to spend 30 to 40 million yuan just to build a villa seemed absurd to them.

Although it was nothing to Liu Yong, who had given his sister 20 million yuan as pocket money, he could easily have spent 100 to 200 million yuan to build this villa.

However, he was worried that it would scare everyone, so he kept the tentative budget at 20 million yuan, with the possibility of adding more money later.

As Zhou Jingkang noticed the embarrassed expression on his face, Liu Yong immediately understood what was going on.

He took out his checkbook and wrote it in a hurry for ten million yuan, handing it over to Zhou Jingkang. The recipient couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the check.

Liu Yong lightly patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'll give you 10 million first. If it's not enough, call me. I won't let you advance any money."

After regaining consciousness, Zhou Jingkang let out a sigh of relief and joked,

"Brother Yong, don't you worry that I'll run away with this ten million?"

Liu Yong chuckled in response, "If you dare to abscond with the money, I'll issue a global arrest warrant and make sure to catch you and have you build me a villa honestly."

As so many people were around, Liu Yong wasn't apprehensive about Zhou Jingkang taking off with the money. He handed over a check for 10 million to Zhou Jingkang, who smiled and carefully put away the check.

It was the most significant sum of money he had ever seen.

Zhou Jingkang was principled and insisted on making a card and keeping it in Liu Yong's hands, saying that they should settle accounts even though they were real brothers.

Liu Yong's house was always bustling with activity. People occasionally came to inquire about recruiting crew members, and some even decided to work as crew members instead of heading to the county for work.

Zhou Jingkang had planned to go home and change before returning to the county seat. Still, he could leave after four o'clock in the afternoon due to the continuous influx of people inquiring and gathering in the lobby.

Even after four o'clock, the gate of Liu Yong's house remained lively, with at least twenty or thirty people still present. Suddenly, a group of cars arrived and stopped directly in front of Liu Yong's house, causing a commotion amongst the crowd.

The leading middle-aged man was quite imposing. At first, Liu Jianping was taken aback, but then he excitedly exclaimed, "Mr. Liu, County Magistrate Wang is here!"

The entire crowd fell silent, stunned by the news that the county magistrate had arrived in person.

Many people looked at Liu Yong with even more admiration, impressed by his connections and influence.

Although Liu Yong did not know County Magistrate Wang, he realized the situation when he heard Liu Jianping's announcement.

Since a significant village leader had come to his house in person, he had to show respect and hospitality and enthusiastically greeted the county magistrate.

Liu Jianping was more excited than anyone else, introducing himself as the head of Dongmen Village.

County Magistrate Wang greeted him kindly and explained that they were there to visit Mr. Liu of Global Ocean Services.

It appeared that County Magistrate Wang had already been informed of the situation beforehand.

This afternoon, he had heard the news that a wealthy man with a net worth of billions was recruiting a group of crew members in Dongmen Village, and he was surprised to learn that he had never heard of Liu Yong before.

After further inquiries and gathering more details, County Magistrate Wang couldn't sit still.

He led several leaders in the county, a total of three cars, all the way to Dongmen Village and the door of Liu Yong's house.

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