VIP Volume Chapter 70: Dominating the Contract

Ye Xiaoxuan had always left the villagers with the impression of being aimless and idle—a good-for-nothing who, aside from petty thievery, accomplished nothing at all. He was just an ordinary ne’er-do-well; not exactly a villain, but not a person of great virtue either. His presence in the village was inconsequential—nobody would notice if he was there or not.

Although Ye Xiaoxuan had, of late, caused quite a stir with several sensational incidents, slightly altering people’s opinions of him, his reputation remained mostly a topic for idle gossip rather than a genuine shift in how he was perceived.

A middle-aged man with a long chin frowned and said to Ye Xiaoxuan, “Ye Laosan, you talk big. With such a large orchard, can you really handle it by yourself? Do you even know how to grow fruit trees? When the five-year contract is up, if the trees are all dead, what’s the use of this place?”

This man was Yuan Dechao, a distant relative of the village chief, Yuan Desheng. Years ago, he was the one who suggested starting up the orchard, but he soon lost patience waiting for the saplings to mature and turned to other ventures. Now that the orchard seemed profitable, he wanted it back.

Ye Xiaoxuan smiled faintly and replied, “Uncle Chao, even if this orchard were several times bigger, I’d still want it! I may not know how to grow fruit trees yet, but I can learn—no one is born knowing everything! If, when the five-year contract is up, the trees are all dead, I’ll pay double the compensation to the village!”

Everyone stared at him in surprise, wondering where he’d gotten such confidence after disappearing for just a few days.

An elderly man with a weathered face spoke up, “Sanzi, will you listen to a few words from Fifth Grandpa?”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded eagerly, “Of course, Grandpa Tian. You’re an elder; I’ll listen to whatever you say!”

Grandpa Tian pointed a finger at Ye Xiaoxuan and said, “Go home and tell your father, if he wants to save money to build a new house for his son, he should find another way. The returns from this orchard are too slow! What’s my trade? I specialize in fruit trees. If you want to make money from this orchard, don’t count on the first two years; if you can break even, you’ve done well. With your family’s situation, if you tie up your money here for two years, where will you find the funds for the harvest?”

So the old man thought Ye Xiaoxuan’s father had entered the bidding just to save up for a house and a bride for his son! Ye Xiaoxuan couldn’t help but chuckle and shook his head, saying to the crowd, “I’ll pay the full five-year contract fee up front—nineteen thousand in total. I can bring it to the village accountant right after this!”

Seeing their disbelief, Ye Xiaoxuan smiled again and said, “I’ve made my intentions clear—this orchard is as good as mine! If any of you want to compete, go ahead and name your price. I’ll outbid the highest offer by one yuan, whatever it is!”

Grandpa Tian’s beard bristled with anger as he scolded, “You rascal, you’re just playing dirty!”

Ye Xiaoxuan grinned, “Playing dirty isn’t all I know—I have other tricks, too, but I don’t want to use them. We’re fellow villagers; I don’t want us to end up as enemies over a patch of land!”

Just then, Wen Xiaoyu tugged at Ye Xiaoxuan’s sleeve and shook her head at him, biting her lip. She stood up and addressed the crowd, “Grandpas, uncles, you might not know me yet, but please call me Little Fish from now on.”

The beautiful young girl’s voice silenced the crowd; no man could refuse a pretty woman her due.

Wen Xiaoyu bowed to each of the elders, then continued, “I know Xiaoxuan’s character—when he sets his mind to something, he doesn’t let go! You are all his elders; why not give him a chance to grow?”

Yuan Dechao opened his mouth, ready to speak, but seeing Wen Xiaoyu’s sweet, innocent face, he swallowed his words for fear of upsetting her.

Wen Xiaoyu turned her bright smile toward Ye Xiaoxuan and went on, “Besides, Xiaoxuan told me that he isn’t taking on this orchard just for his own benefit. He wants to bring in all the idle young people from our village and nearby, so everyone has work and something to do.

“Grandpas, uncles, think about it—which is better: earning money for your own household, or leading all the village’s youth down the right path?”

The crowd looked at Ye Xiaoxuan in astonishment. Grandpa Tian pursed his lips and asked, “Ye Laosan, is this really what you intend?”

Ye Xiaoxuan cleared his throat and replied, “Grandpa Tian, it’s just an idea. Whether people will listen to me, who knows…”

“Fine!” Grandpa Tian swung his arm, cutting him off. “If you have such intentions, I’ll support you! Those boys fooling around outside will only get into trouble sooner or later. If you young ones can come together and find real work, that’s a good deed. And since your grandfather and I were sworn brothers, I won’t compete with you. What about the rest of you?”

The others hesitated when suddenly a voice called from outside the orchard, “San’er, is the meeting over?”

Ye Xiaoxuan turned and saw Ye Dajun approaching, carrying a locked case. Curious, he asked, “Brother, what’s this about?”

Ye Dajun strode over and asked, “Have you settled it? How much do you need? I brought it all!”

Ye Xiaoxuan quickly caught on and smiled, “Nineteen thousand, for five years. Let’s make it an even twenty thousand; the extra can go to the village for maintenance.”

Without another word, Ye Dajun set the case down in front of everyone and, with a flourish, unzipped it. Ye Xiaoxuan flicked open the lid, and with a click, the whole case sprang open.

“My goodness, that’s a lot of money!” The case was packed tight with stacks of bright red hundred-yuan notes.

Ye Xiaoxuan casually pulled out two bundles and tossed them to Yuan Desheng and Chen Jiatang, saying, “Count it—does it make twenty thousand?” Then he took a bundle to Grandpa Tian and said, “Grandpa, please accept this!”

Grandpa Tian frowned and barked, “What’s this? You think I’ve never seen money before? Even if I hadn’t spoken up, the orchard wouldn’t have gone to anyone else. Who wants to fight a child for it?”

Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head and replied, “Grandpa, this ten thousand is my payment for hiring you as technical advisor to the orchard. With your guidance, it won’t fail! If it’s not enough, I can add more, as long as you’ll stay and help me.”

Only then did Grandpa Tian’s expression soften. He nodded and said, “That I’ll accept. And let me say this—anyone who calls Xiaoxuan useless from now on will have to answer to me! The kid’s got real ambition, and money too—I’ve never seen so much cash in my life…”

The crowd fell into a stunned silence.

Chen Jiatang eyed the case with a mix of suspicion and envy. “Ye Laosan, where did you get all this money? Aren’t you…”

Ye Xiaoxuan laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Secretary. It’s all clean money! In fact, I owe you thanks—this is the payment I earned risking my life for the archaeological team!”