Chapter 11

"Alright, this matter has potential. If it really gets going, the villagers can have a steady income." After hearing Liu Yunxuan's intentions, Liu Tianlai affirmed it. "However, the investment is huge and involves every villager. We need to hold a meeting with the villagers to unify their opinions and avoid any trouble in the future."

"This is reasonable. The back mountain is a collective resource of the village, and my lease period will be long." Liu Yunxuan showed understanding.

"Villagers, please pay attention. At 6 PM tonight, one representative from each household should come to the village office to discuss the leasing of the back mountain. If anyone doesn't come, it will be considered as agreeing with the village office's decision." Since the village was small, Liu Tianlai personally made the announcements.

The village office was bustling that evening. There were 312 households in the village, with one representative from each, plus many others who came to watch the commotion.

"Everyone, please quiet down. Now let Yunxuan explain his plan." Liu Tianlai shouted, signaling the start of the village meeting.

"Actually, it's quite simple. I plan to develop the back mountain together with the village. I will fund the development, plant some fruit trees, and set up a chicken farm. The initial proposal is for me to lease the back mountain for 30 years, with 80% of the shares, and the village will have 20% of the dry shares. The construction costs for the back mountain, the chicken farm, and labor will be around 30 million yuan. When it starts to profit, there will be dividends. How to distribute them will be up to the village and everyone. During the cooperation, the village accountant will supervise the financial aspects. The labor needed for the development will be hired from our village, and formal employment contracts will be signed with our company."

"This matter is not urgent, as it involves everyone's interests. If anyone can offer better terms and is willing to lease the back mountain, I welcome it with open arms."

Liu Yunxuan added with a smile.

Suddenly, there was a buzz of discussion below.

Some said, "This has potential. We don't have to invest any money, and we can earn money by helping out."

Others said, "Liu Yunxuan has a good eye for business. Following him is definitely the right choice. Look at how much money he made from selling watermelons."

In the end, the feedback was mostly positive, with some questioning the village's share of the dry shares and suggesting it be increased.

After negotiations between Liu Yunxuan and Liu Tianlai, the lease period was extended to 50 years, and the village's share of the dry shares was increased to 35%.

Seeing the villagers excitedly sign and stamp the agreement, Liu Yunxuan was also happy. Although there was an initial investment, if it operates smoothly, this resource would be like a golden goose, providing a steady stream of income.

Liu Yunxuan and Wang Mingyuan went to the provincial agricultural bank, where they were received by a customer manager. The manager formally collected the documents and then told Liu Yunxuan to wait at home for news, and they would be notified by phone if approved. What Liu Yunxuan didn't know was that after he left, the documents were placed at the bottom of the file tray, in the least important position.

After waiting at home for over a week with no news, Liu Yunxuan went back to the provincial agricultural bank to inquire. The answer was that they were still evaluating the qualifications, but based on the current situation, they could only lend up to 500,000 yuan.

For a 30 million yuan investment project, only 500,000 yuan could be lent, even with the current government support for agricultural loans. Liu Yunxuan found it absurd.

Wang Mingyuan was also furious. His father had promised to support Liu Yunxuan's agricultural development, but it turned out that someone was already trying to sabotage it.

Liu Yunxuan, however, tried to console Wang Mingyuan. "We didn't even mention our father's name. Why should they give us special treatment? Forget it. If they don't approve it, we won't borrow. It just means we'll develop more slowly. At least I still have about 30 million yuan, which should be enough for the initial development of the back mountain. By the end of the year, with the income from the cabbage and the pig farm, we'll be fine."

Although the loan was not approved, the development of the back mountain had already begun.

The chicken farm was straightforward; they just hired a construction team. The tricky part was the back mountain. Although there weren't many trees on the original mountain, they still obstructed the light-loving peach trees. It was a village-wide effort, with children playing on the mountain and adults who had no work in the fields cutting down trees and digging holes.

Some of the elders couldn't help but marvel at the lively scene, saying they hadn't seen such a bustling scene since the days of the production team.

Liu Yunxuan didn't let the villagers work for nothing. He paid 5 yuan per tree hole and provided meals at noon and night. The kitchen was set up at the foot of the mountain to save everyone the trouble of walking back and forth.

The head chef was still Wang the Cook. He was delighted because since Liu Yunxuan returned to the village, he had plenty of work and it wasn't too demanding. Every day, he prepared one dish, one soup, and some pickles, with steamed buns as the main food. It was impractical to cook rice for so many people. For those who couldn't cook at home, Liu Yunhai drove a pickup truck to deliver meals to their houses. The project lasted four days, during which the sunny side of the mountain was completely cleared, with a total of 50,000 peach trees to be planted. Excluding the cost of meals, the expense for the tree holes alone exceeded 250,000 yuan, and the villagers didn't ask for much.

The nursery was initially reluctant to deliver the peach saplings at this time of year, as June is the dormant period for peach trees, making it less suitable for planting. However, with the assurance of the space water, Liu Yunxuan had the nursery deliver all the saplings at once. The customer is king, so the nursery had no choice but to comply.

The nursery's delivery truck arrived in the evening, and Liu Yunxuan bought two-year-old peach saplings. These saplings were more expensive, but they would bear fruit next year, allowing him to recover his investment sooner.

He took advantage of the night when everyone was resting to control the space water and spray it on the stacked saplings. The next day, when planting, he would mix the space water with the irrigation, ensuring the saplings would be planted successfully.

It was then that he realized the space water was not inexhaustible. Previously, he hadn't used much, so it wasn't noticeable. But now, spraying water on 50,000 saplings revealed the limitation. His head started to hurt, and the water level in the pool dropped noticeably. He could even see the thin spring in the center of the pool. Liu Yunxuan didn't fully understand how the space worked, but he knew the soil was fertile and the space water was powerful. He realized he needed to be careful in the future. If the space water pool dried up, his plans for wealth would be ruined, and he wouldn't be able to fulfill his grandfather's wish.

Thinking about this, Liu Yunxuan endured the headache and barely made it back to his room. As soon as he lay down, he passed out.

While some were happy, others were worried. That night, Liu Yunxuan was anxious about his space, while in the provincial capital, someone else was frowning.

He was the customer manager who had initially received Liu Yunxuan at the provincial agricultural bank. He never imagined that the seemingly unremarkable farmer had such a powerful backer. "If you know someone important, you should have said it earlier. This is just unfair."

Liu Yunxuan didn't hold a grudge, but Wang Mingyuan couldn't let it go. He mentioned it to his father during a weekend visit, and the secretary was present. That was enough. What the leader cared about, the secretary cared about. During a dinner, the secretary told the provincial agricultural bank's行长, "In the future, everyone must be more careful and thoroughly study the national policies. The leader has already heard some negative comments." The行长broke into a sweat, even though it wasn't a direct superior, the position was significant.

He didn't even finish his meal and rushed back to the bank to conduct a thorough investigation. The customer manager was demoted to a teller.