Chapter 21 The Rules of Li Family Village

"Ms. Yan, don't worry, I won't get into conflict with these villagers!"Qin Yu had a pretty good guess about Yan Mingyu's concerns.

"So... when will you go?"

Yan Mingyu didn't have a better solution at the moment and could only let Qin Yu give it a try.

"Now! If we wait until tomorrow, it will seem like we're not sincere about solving the problem!"

Qin Yu said.

"Alright, then I'll wait for your news!"

Yan Mingyu nodded.

After that, the two of them returned to the town together. Qin Yu drove back into the Great Meng Mountains alone.

When he arrived at the project site, the gathered crowd of villagers hadn't dispersed yet.

Seeing Qin Yu driving over, they all showed a wary expression.

"Folks, I'm here alone!"

Qin Yu got out of the car, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

"I don't care how many people you've brought, get out of here now, or we'll smash your car!"

Someone shouted impatiently.

"No, this car belongs to my boss, I'm just a worker. If you smash the car, I could never afford to pay it off in my lifetime!"

Qin Yu said with a wry smile.

"Then get lost fast!"

The villager glared and said.

"Just give me two or three minutes of your time, I'll just say a few words and then leave!"

While talking, Qin Yu reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and pulled out his ID card, "Folks, this is my ID card!"

"What do you mean by that?"

The villager looked at Qin Yu suspiciously, but still took his ID card, glanced at it a few times, and then passed it to the people behind him.

"Um... Wutong Town... Phoenix Village. I know this place, my cousin is from there, but she moved to the big city many years ago. It seems even more remote than Great Meng Mountains!"

Someone said while carefully looking at Qin Yu's ID card.

"Yeah, Phoenix Village is even more out of the way than our Li Family Village. The main source of income is from that small iron mine in the village. Over the decades, there have been at least twenty men who went into the mines and never came back up!"

Qin Yu nodded and sighed.

Grandpa was a barefoot doctor, and many who were injured in the iron mines, or who were left with sequela, went to see him.

Qin Yu certainly knew that working in the mines was hard, dangerous, and didn't pay much.

"Relying on the mountains, we live off the mountains, relying on the water, we drink from the water; what can be done?"

A villager said.

"Exactly, what's Phoenix Village's business got to do with us?"

Another person chimed in. Sёarch* The NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Heh, I just wanted to tell everyone that I am just like you, a rural person born and bred. I'm already twenty-seven this year, no house or car to call my own in the city. And on top of that, I'm in debt for hundreds of thousands.

Even after getting married, I haven't seen my wife since we got our marriage certificate, and now she's even looking to divorce me! Everybody, tell me, isn't that just unfortunate?"

With a smile on his face, Qin Yu recounted his own sorrows.

"Ah... This kind of situation is all too common in the countryside. But you're still lucky it's just about a divorce. There are others who are even more unfortunate, like families who have scraped and saved for half a lifetime only to have all their money swindled away through bridal dowries!"

Qin Yu's words resonated with some of the villagers.

"Has anyone ever thought about why kids from the countryside can't afford cars, houses, or even to marry a wife?"

Qin Yu seized the moment to ask.

"No money, poor as dirt!"

Someone said.

"Yes, it all comes down to this: starting from our grandfathers, we've been country folk, and our fathers too, and now us, still the same. Our family's foundation is too thin; it's hard to turn our lives around!"

Qin Yu began to gradually steer the conversation toward the purpose of his visit today.

"Who wouldn't want to turn their lives around, but where is money that easy to make?"

Someone muttered.

"That's why, when an opportunity to make money comes along, we must seize it! Instead of chasing away the opportunity, right?"

Qin Yu pointed to the project department behind everyone and said, "Once this resort project is completed, setting aside the compensation money, just by running a farmhouse or selling some local specialties, couldn't you make quite a bit of money?

With thicker wallets, you could support your children in the future, with buying cars, purchasing houses. When they stand on their own two feet in big cities, won't their destinies be changed?"

"Oh, after talking so much, you're still advocating for Four Seas Corporation?"

Someone said with a curl of their lip.

However, their attitude was no longer as stubborn and aggressive as before.

"Heh heh, I'm not speaking for the company, I'm advocating for myself. You all know my situation, a country kid who owes hundreds of thousands in debts, with no car, no house, and even my wife is about to leave.

I wish more than anyone for the company to thrive so I can work a few more years and pay off my debts!"

Qin Yu saw the changes in the crowd's expressions, knowing his persuasion was having an effect.

But it still lacked a final push.

"The current issue is that this resort project has disturbed the feng shui of our Phoenix Village, right? Being from a village yourself, you surely understand how important feng shui is.

Even if your company gives us more money, if the feng shui is destroyed, it's a minor issue for us old folks to fall ill or have reduced lifespans, but it's a major issue if it affects the development of our children!"

An old man with a goatee furrowed his brow as he spoke.

"The elder is right, if we lose our lives, what use is money!"

"Alright, young man, we don't want to make things hard for you, you can go!"

"Yes, it's not easy for you either, don't get involved in this mess!"

It seemed that this old man with the goatee commanded high respect among the crowd. When he spoke, everyone followed suit.

"Elder, if I may ask you a few questions before I leave, would that be alright?"

Qin Yu looked at the old man with the goatee and said.

It appeared he had found the respected elder he was searching for.

"Ask away!"

The old man with the goatee nodded.

"How long have the people of our Phoenix Village lived here? Over these years, has any prominent figure or very influential person ever come from here?"

Qin Yu asked casually.

"Roughly, for over three hundred years now! As for prominent figures, well, our place is too remote, we haven't really produced anyone significant!"

The old man with the goatee shook his head.

"Elder, that's exactly my point. Since we're on the topic of feng shui, let's talk about ancient emperors. Whether it was the palaces they lived in while alive or the tombs for after death, they chose unique and unparalleled sites for their feng shui.

But what was the outcome? Dynasties changed, tombs were looted, proving that such great feng shui didn't protect them at all!"

Qin Yu said calmly.

"This..."

With these words, Qin Yu left the old man with the goatee somewhat at a loss for words.

"The young man seems to make some sense!"

"We've been living here for hundreds of years, and haven't seen anyone get rich!"

"Yeah, thinking about it, our Phoenix Village's feng shui seems quite ordinary!"

The villagers began to waver.

"Well, young man. It's not impossible for the resort project to resume work, but it has to follow the rules of our Phoenix Village!"

The old man with the goatee stroked his beard and said.

"Oh, elder, what rules?"

Qin Yu's heart leapt with joy, but he asked without showing any emotion.