Chapter 224: Chapter 224: A pie from the sky?
Things seemed to be going well, but when the village cadres, led by Fourth Uncle, went to the villagers' homes again to explain the situation and ask the heads of households to sign, there were more and more questions.
The questions were not caused by the harsh conditions, but rather by the fact that the conditions were too good.
The town allocated 20 mu of land to Fengjiazhuang, which was valued at 200,000 yuan and invested in the cabinet factory under construction. More than 200,000 yuan was needed to repair the road, and Jia Sheng Kitchen Cabinets was nominally the first to provide it – in fact, Feng Yiping advanced the funds first, and the village paid interest at the prevailing bank rate.
All payments were repaid from subsequent dividends. If it weren't for the fear of attracting too much envy, Feng Yiping was even thinking of donating the money to have the road repaired in the family's name.
However, if he did that, it is estimated that the various people seeking donations to raise funds would immediately throng the doorsteps of his family.
In addition, the owners of the farmland requisitioned for road construction are also expected to take the opportunity to raise the price and demand compensation. Feng Yiping knows these folks very well. They are not bad, but when it comes to money, you should never imagine them to be good and reasonable.
So he changed his approach and advanced the funds in the name of the cabinet factory to be built.
Even so, they didn't pay a single penny, relying only on the land that the town had given them for free. The village got a road that everyone had wanted for years for free, as well as a stake in the factory and dozens of jobs. Such conditions were simply unbelievable for the ordinary people in the village.
They were not born with a diamond or gold key in their mouths, and would not take the various benefits that fell on them for granted. For them, such things that fell from the sky onto their heads were not quite real.
At the same time, judging from their own situation, if they had earned the money, would they do such a silly thing? The answer most people had in their hearts was, 'No!' So, at this time, they instead suspected that there was something fishy in this matter. Wasn't Teacher Feng just finding ways to give the village benefits to his brothers, buying everyone out and then counting the money?
The village officials first visited a few households. Except for one family whose son and daughter-in-law had signed the contract cheerfully because they ran a noodle shop outside the village, the others all said they wanted to think about it.
At the former secretary's house, the secretary who had already stepped down handed Uncle Si a fan. 'Teacher Feng is amazing, he's actually managed to get you such a big deal, worthy of being a teacher.'
His wife sent over a pot of tea, 'Uncle Feng is really amazing too, in just a few years, he's earned such a big family business in the province.'
Her words implied that it wasn't that her husband was incapable, but that Uncle Si was able to pull this off mainly because his third brother was rich.
Uncle Four smiled and didn't bother to say anything. What's the point of arguing with her? Besides, a man like the former village chief, who would only take ten yuan home and never give a cent away, would never have been able to do this even if he had a rich brother.
His son and daughter-in-law, who had built a house in town and set up a business there, also rushed back. Looking at the terms on the paper, they simply couldn't believe their good fortune. The son, who was just like his father, was desperately trying to find the hidden traps in the fine print, while his wife blurted out, 'Teacher Feng, are you trying to sell us out and make us count the money?'
Before Uncle Four could lose his temper, his father-in-law started lecturing him, saying, 'How can you speak to an elder like that?'
He had some information, knowing that Feng Zhenchang had been nominated as a member of the county CPPCC and had a fat wallet. He had been the village secretary for many years and had also learned some tricks of the political trade. When the situation was stronger than the person, of course, he followed others and could share some benefits. If he recklessly fought against others, he didn't have the capital to do so. Besides, he was not afraid of others dragging up old matters, right?
Everyone knows everyone else's business. He knows that he simply cannot withstand any investigation during his years in office.
'Mr Feng, you are a magnanimous person. Don't argue with these young people who don't know any better. I am the first to agree that this is beneficial to the village. If you don't mind my meddling, I can also help you walk around the village and do some work.'
'That's great. Then let's go to a few more households while it's still early?'
The next morning, when the village officials met at the village committee, they found that the situation was not ideal. Most people did not believe that a pie would fall from the sky, and they were all hesitant.
Uncle Four looked at the three or five people under him. He was the village chief and secretary of the party branch, and there was also an accountant, a director of public security, a women's director, and several village group leaders who had had no sense of existence for many years. 'Go out and make things clear. It's okay if you don't agree. The land in the town will just be left to grow grass, and maybe the town will take it back one day.
If they don't agree, it's fine, the town can just leave the land there to grow grass, and maybe the town will take it back one day. Without the money, the road will never get built, and the factory that Jiasheng wants to build will still be built. The town originally agreed to give them the land for free, and when the factory starts operating, they will definitely hire mainly from the town.'
'That's the way it should be. We don't need to go from house to house explaining things. Those who agree can come to the village to sign, and those who don't can just forget it.' The new director of the public security office is Feng Shengchuan, Feng Hongbing's uncle. His younger brother Feng Xinhua also owns a noodle restaurant outside the village.
'Shengchuan, you're right. Just wait for them to come to the village committee themselves. I'll also give Lao San a call and ask him to tell those who run restaurants outside to come back as soon as possible. You should also give your brother a call and tell him about this. They were the loudest in protesting the road construction, so they can't just sit back and do nothing.'
As for the road construction, it is true that those few dozen households are the ones who are most vocal. The money they borrowed when they opened their shops has long been paid back, and now they can earn several thousand yuan a month. They have some money in their hands. For these wealthy rural people, whether you say they have aspirations or not, the fact remains that they are rich. The first thing on their minds is to build the same kind of buildings in their hometowns as those in the city.
Building a house is not the same as the original adobe house. Cement, steel bars, bricks, and other materials have to be transported from outside. If people have to carry them all the way up the dozens of miles of mountain roads, they can only call for help, and if they call for help, they have to pay wages. When you add it all up, the cost of these building materials will have to increase several times. It is more convenient and cost-effective to build a road.
After receiving a call from Uncle Si, Feng Zhenchang notified everyone who had set up a business outside the village one by one, asking them to return for two or three days to help get the work done. He was also very frustrated and puzzled. He had wanted to do something good for the village, but it had caused so much trouble.
After waiting for dozens of families who had set up shops and made money to return to the village, these young men who had become rich first were not at all patient. They were young and had made money, so they spoke sharply, 'Why don't you agree to such a good thing? Are you all brainwashed?'
One by one, they started working on several projects. And, believe it or not, it really worked. Everyone quickly changed their minds and unanimously praised the merits of Uncle Si and Feng Zhenchang's family.
Of course, Uncle Si's previous words also played a role. They were suspicious of you if you gave them benefits, and they were even more suspicious if you took even greater benefits. As soon as they heard that these benefits were about to disappear, they panicked and desperately wanted to grab this big pie that had fallen.
However, some people had opinions about the use of the dividend funds.
The first rule for the use of dividends is to give preferential treatment to the widows, orphans, and the lonely in the village. A martyr's family came forward to voice their opinions: 'Are the martyrs not given preferential treatment?'
In the year the country was founded, their family lost a martyr while fighting bandits. The government has offered condolences and subsidies every year, but now this person is too unworthy, lazy, and has a very bad reputation in the village.
'This time, the widows and orphans will get one condition, and everything else will be cut across the board.'
'Why isn't there a dividend per capita every year?'
'Why can't the daughter-in-law who remarries from now on participate in the dividend?'
...
There are many questions, and now Uncle Four has also figured it out. He can't reason with these villagers like he would with students in school. The students listen, but the villagers are different.
If you give an inch, they will take a foot. Only by being tough and domineering will work progress quickly. So he kept a stern face on and said, 'These are the terms. If you agree, sign here. The company is being set up over there, so if we're late, we'll just have to watch from the sidelines!'