Chapter 393: Reclaiming the Wasteland

Chen Yang wasn't familiar with Du Yue'e's mother, so he could only go to Hu Qingwan's villa to ask about the situation.

He had just reached the door when he heard Hu Qingwan complaining about Du Yue'e: "Your mother really, this is a luxury villa area where wealthy, high-status people live—how could they tolerate her using manure to grow vegetables?"

"Mom, sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's not your fault, so why apologize? The key is for your mother to change her mind. We don't lack those vegetables—Chen Yang's company sells vegetables sourced from the countryside, so why can't we eat them?"

"Mom, don't get angry; I'll properly persuade her later."

From their conversation Chen Yang guessed the focus of the conflict was the vegetable plot, especially since Du Yue'e's mother's use of manure as fertilizer had affected the nearby neighbors.

The problem is, the island is now entirely villas; the original residents have been relocated off the island. Where did Du Yue'e's mother get the manure?

Chen Yang entered the villa's lobby with his questions.

Seeing Chen Yang return, Hu Qingwan immediately ended her conversation with Du Yue'e.

"Chen Yang, have you eaten? If not, I'll go heat something up for you."

"Mom, I've already eaten." Chen Yang pointed toward the outside of the villa and asked Hu Qingwan, "Auntie, why is she crying in our backyard? What happened?"

Hu Qingwan sighed and said, "Du Yue'e's mother thought the bought fertilizer wasn't fertile, so she went off the island to get a bucket of manure to water the fields. The neighbors couldn't stand the smell, complained to the property management, who hauled the manure away and pulled up the vegetable seedlings."

Chen Yang was somewhat impressed by Du Yue'e's mother's ability—she quickly befriended the off‑island natives and even managed to bring back a bucket of manure.

The point is, since she's already on good terms with the natives, why not just buy their vegetables instead of growing her own…?

"Mom, did the property management cause any conflict when they came?"

"No!" Hu Qingwan shook her head slightly and said, "They were just trying to reason with Du Yue'e's mother out of goodwill. It's just that those complaining neighbors spoke a bit loudly. But we were in the wrong, so we could only endure it."

Although Chen Yang also came from the countryside, he doesn't like growing vegetables in his own villa. Moreover, Du Yue'e's mother even questioned the quality of his company's agricultural products.

Still, this is Du Yue'e's mother, merely staying here temporarily; even if Chen Yang isn't pleased, he can only tolerate it.

"Mom, if your sister‑in‑law's mother thinks my company's vegetables aren't good, she can go to the off‑island vegetable market and buy produce—those are all grown by farmers and should be healthy and eco‑friendly."

Hu Qingwan said helplessly, "I've told her that, but she won't listen!"

Du Yue'e also felt embarrassed, apologetically telling Chen Yang, "Chen Yang, sorry for causing you trouble. Otherwise, maybe let my mother go back to her hometown."

Chen Yang actually agreed with Du Yue'e's suggestion, but felt embarrassed to say it. If her mother's affair affected Du Yue'e's pregnancy plan, he couldn't escape responsibility.

After thinking, he told Du Yue'e, "There's plenty of wasteland near the river inside the island. I'll check later—if it's unclaimed, let your mother go there to reclaim and grow vegetables. As long as it's far from everyone's resting area, no one will complain again."

Upon hearing this, Du Yue'e's face immediately lit up with a happy smile. "Chen Yang, then thank you."

Chen Yang also asked Hu Qingwan, "Mom, what do you think?"

Deep down Hu Qingwan wished Du Yue'e's mother would return to Clearwater, but facing her daughter‑in‑law she couldn't say so. She could only accept Chen Yang's suggestion: "Chen Yang, go ask first—if it works, let her do it; if not, we'll just have to drop it."

Seeing Hu Qingwan had no objection, Chen Yang returned to his villa to call Zhao Feiyang for advice.

Zhao Feiyang's reply was: the riverside land doesn't belong to their company's holdings; if they want to use it, they'd better consult the local government.

Upon hearing that result, Chen Yang had actually already thought of giving up, because dealing with the local government is far more troublesome than talking with Zhao Feiyang.

Moreover, Du Yue'e's mother isn't closely related to him, so it isn't worth investing too much effort.

However, the next morning after waking up, Chen Yang found himself blocked at his door by Du Yue'e's mother.

"Xiao Chen, thank you." The other party eagerly shook hands with Chen Yang, then left the villa holding a hoe.

Chen Yang looked bewildered and hurried to find Hu Qingwan and Du Yue'e to clarify the situation.

"Mom, sister‑in‑law, auntie, what's wrong?"

Hu Qingwan replied unhappily, "Du Yue'e's mother said that in their countryside any wasteland can be planted. Look, she hasn't even eaten breakfast yet and has already taken her tools to go reclaim land."

Chen Yang was also a bit speechless. He told Hu Qingwan, "Mom, I've already inquired—those wastelands should belong to the natives. If we want to reclaim land, we first need to talk with the town government's leaders. If it's truly unclaimed, we can pay a little rent to lease it for vegetables; if it's owned, reclaiming it now would be working for nothing, as they could take it back anytime."

Hu Qingwan told Chen Yang, "Just leave her alone; let her mess around. Only by letting her suffer a bit will she learn a lesson."

After thinking, Chen Yang still decided to go to the Jiangmen Town Government. After all, Lin Wei isn't here, and if Hu Qingwan falls out with Du Yue'e over her mother‑in‑law issue, he wouldn't know how to handle it.

Family harmony brings prosperity in all endeavors.

Since they now live under the same roof, Chen Yang still hopes to have as few troubles as possible.

The Jiangmen Town Government is not far outside Jiangmen Island; Chen Yang drove there in just a few minutes.

To his surprise, the people in the town government seemed to know him; many greeted him along the way.

This made him feel strange; he almost mistakenly thought there was another person in the world exactly like Director Chen.

When he reached the mayor's office, the other party greeted him with a smiling face and shook his hand.

"Director Chen, welcome, welcome—what wind blew you here?"

Chen Yang looked at him doubtfully and said, "Mayor Wang, do you know me?"

Mayor Wang laughed at Chen Yang and said, "You're the most famous entrepreneur in Dongjiang Province, a red‑hot aide to Deputy Governor Liu Jianghua—how could we not know you?"

Chen Yang was still puzzled. After all, he isn't a government insider; even if Deputy Governor Liu Jianghua temporarily took notice of him, he wouldn't have any influence on the local government. Why the enthusiasm?

"Mayor Wang, I came here to inquire whether the wasteland near the river on Jiangmen Island is owned or not—I'd like to lease it to grow some vegetables."

Upon hearing that, Mayor Wang looked at Chen Yang in surprise. "President Chen, your company sells agricultural products—do you really need to personally grow vegetables?"

Chen Yang quickly explained, "It's my elder relatives on the island who are bored and want to find something to do, to exercise."

Upon hearing that, Mayor Wang immediately said, "That riverside land belongs to the original Jiangmen Village. Wait a moment—I'll go right away to talk with their village cadres."