Chapter 1491: Done

"Listen to me, you can't go wrong."

Knowing full well this was a chance to get rich, how could he not try to persuade his two nephews a bit more?

Anyway, if they really bought it, it would be split equally. Everyone had been following him around working so hard; it wasn't like it was all going to him.

If the two nephews didn't want it, it would just be split among the others anyway, so why not urge them to get a piece of the pie too?

"I'm afraid my dad will beat me to death!"

"If my dad finds out, he'll definitely beat me to death."

Ye Yaodong looked at these two cowards and could only analyze the pros and cons for them.

"Are you two stupid? Didn't you see the other uncles all want to buy? If it weren't good stuff, would they buy it?"

Ye Chengjiang retorted, "Isn't it because you, Third Uncle, kept telling them they had to buy? It's not like they wanted to buy it themselves."

Ye Yaodong was blocked, momentarily forgetting what to say.

"It was me who told them to buy, but weren't they convinced by me? Didn't they also think what I said made sense? They can think for themselves too."

"You know that Ah Shang, right? He's in the freight business, and even he took the initiative to say he'd buy. I didn't keep persuading him; he's so smart and he still wants to buy."

Both brothers were somewhat hesitant. "But this is such a big deal, we can't act first and report later."

Ye Yaodong stood up, pushed them back down onto the bed to sit, and then pulled over a stool to sit in front of them.

"How is this 'acting first and reporting later'? This is a 'miss this village and there's no such shop' opportunity. I'm going to buy it too; is your Third Uncle a fool?"

"Think about how much money I've already made. Can I be a fool? I must have seen it's a good deal, which is why I'm thinking of telling everyone to buy, and telling you to buy."

"Would Third Uncle harm you? You grew up following behind me. At worst, you can buy it individually; don't count it under your dad's name."

"Rest easy, your dad won't beat you to death; he's still waiting for you to carry on the family line."

Ye Chengjiang had originally been thinking seriously, but upon hearing the latter part, he was speechless. So they were still going to get a beating.

"So we can't escape a beating no matter what?"

"Do you want to get rich quick?"

The two nodded.

"The opportunity is right in front of you. Trust me and take a gamble. If it succeeds, the second half of your life will be worry-free, and it's just a beating now. If it fails, the worst result is losing a few thousand yuan."

"How long is a lifetime? Based on the ten or twenty yuan you can earn a day now, you're just gambling with one year's worth of earnings."

"Think about it carefully yourself. Does this logic hold up? Would Third Uncle harm you? You're not children anymore; you're grown men, you need to learn to think."

Ye Chenghe said, "But if we borrow money, we'll get beaten really badly!"

"You're not borrowing from outsiders, and it's not like you don't have the ability to repay. Gambling one year's salary for a lifetime—isn't that worth it?"

"That's all your speculation. Who knows if it's useful!"

"You pig-brained fool, if it's not useful, then wait until you have money and build a Western-style house there. If you say you have a Western-style house in the Magic City, what are you afraid of? You've already bought the land, what are you afraid of? What you should fear is not being able to buy land!"

Ye Yaodong was getting excited as he spoke.

"Throughout history, what have people fought and died for? Isn't it just the land of the Divine Land?"

"Think about whether what I'm saying makes sense with your pig brains..."

Just then, a knock came from outside. "Dongzi, are you settled in? Let's go eat..."

"Coming!"

Ye Yaodong responded, then said to the two, "Use your smart brains to think about it carefully. You need to see yourselves as adults! Learn to think for yourselves and make your own decisions! I've analyzed it for you, broken it down, and chewed it up to explain it to you. If you're still hesitant, then forget it."

The two looked at each other.

Ye Chengjiang said, "Then let us think about it?"

"Then you think about it carefully. Your Third Uncle wants to bring you along to get rich. I'm going to eat first."

Ye Chengjiang muttered, "I feel like I've boarded a pirate ship!"

Ye Chenghe nodded in agreement. They had indeed boarded a pirate ship today.

They thought they were coming to live in a Western-style house, but they didn't get to live in one, and now Third Uncle was telling them to buy land.

When they saw what the Western-style houses looked like tomorrow, they would know what it meant to be sinister and what it meant to be a laborer.

They didn't say anything when they went out to eat. Nothing was settled, so it wasn't good to talk, and they couldn't envision the future. They could only hope that if they asked again tomorrow, it would go more smoothly.

"Dongzi, should we call Director Zhang tomorrow?" Ah Guang suggested.

Ye Yaodong nodded. "That's right. He's a local and from Pudong. Having him come forward with us to help persuade them will make it more likely to succeed."

"If the matter is settled, we'll give him a big red envelope then."

"Sure. After we eat, I'll go call him and see if he can take leave tomorrow."

Ye Yaodong felt a bit more confident now.

Having a local come forward to help persuade made it easier to succeed.

This was the benefit of knowing how to handle people. After the last matter was settled, he had given a big red envelope and didn't let the person run around for nothing.

Now that he was calling to ask for help, the person would definitely be more than willing. Anyway, for him, it was just helping to say a few words.

"Once is a stranger, twice is an acquaintance. When it comes to getting certificates and handling procedures, it'll be faster with Director Zhang there."

"Exactly. Once we determine how much we're buying, we'll discuss the allocation. It's too early to say anything now."

Everyone nodded.

As soon as Ye Yaodong finished eating, he hurried back to contact Director Zhang, fearing the factory would get off work and he wouldn't be able to reach him.

But fortunately, they had gone to their rooms to drop off luggage after getting off the boat and then went to eat. The sun hadn't set yet, and it was still early before they got off work.

After they agreed, they felt relieved and went back to their rooms to rest.

And Ye Yaodong didn't brainwash the two brothers anymore, letting them ponder it themselves. He had already said everything he needed to say.

If they still didn't listen to him, he had no choice. Anyway, he had done what he should have done.

If they really missed out, that was their fate.

It should be so.

Ye Yaodong lay down and closed his eyes to sleep immediately.

Seeing him sleeping, the two brothers didn't dare to talk in the room and disturb him, so they went outside to catch the breeze and chat, and incidentally, they discussed it among themselves.

When Ye Yaodong woke up, it was pitch black outside. The lights weren't on in the room, and it was pitch black.

He called their two names, but no one answered, so he turned on the light first.

"Where did those two little brats die off to..."

He muttered as he grabbed his clothes, threw them over his shoulder, and went out.

The two brothers were sitting on the railing of the Huangpu River wharf with their feet up, eating popsicles. As soon as they saw him, they immediately waved at him, telling him to come over and sit.

"Third Uncle, come quickly, it's very cool here."

"It's indeed quite cool at night. It's comfortable right by the river; the room is very stuffy."

"Yeah, and you were able to sleep for so long."

"I've been too busy lately and am a bit tired."

For the past week, he had been busy dealing with the matters that had piled up over the first half of the month, running around delivering goods, and networking. He felt so busy he couldn't even touch the ground. He had gone out early this morning and hadn't relaxed or rested for a moment.

Ye Chengjiang said, "Third Uncle, I heard them say it seems like there will be another typhoon in a few days."

"Ah? Then we must hurry up and get things done, then go back. Otherwise, if we wait for the typhoon, who knows how long shipping will be stopped."

"Third Uncle, Ajiang and I have discussed it. If the land is really bought, we'll each take a share."

"You've thought it through? This wasn't forced by me; you took the initiative yourselves!"

Both looked at him with an indescribable expression.

Ye Yaodong chuckled. "How did you suddenly become smart? You were resisting before."

Ye Chenghe laughed. "Wasn't it because we were afraid of borrowing money? But thinking about it, you're my Third Uncle, you definitely wouldn't come to our door to demand it."

Ye Chengjiang also said, "We thought that if we bought it ourselves, we wouldn't ask Dad and Mom for money, and we wouldn't need them to pay it back for us. We'll bear the gains and losses ourselves, so they definitely won't have anything to say."

"Yeah, Third Uncle, you're buying land everywhere, and others are following you to buy, so it must be right."

People have a herd mentality. At first, they didn't understand, but after pondering it carefully, they thought that since everyone was buying, they should buy too.

Anyway, if they really lost money, they wouldn't be the only ones losing; everyone would be losing.

They wouldn't be the most miserable ones. If everyone bears the difficulty together, that feeling is okay. Anyway, no matter how the money is spent, there's a piece of land in hand, so it's not like it's thrown into the water.

It's better than their mother being cheated by their cousin and ending up with nothing.

They are so young, and a few thousand yuan isn't an amount they can't afford to lose; they can earn it back in a year.

But if they missed the chance to get rich, that would be more painful than having their hearts dug out. What's even more painful is that they are already here.

"We just thought we'd take a gamble. Third Uncle, you're so capable, the decisions you make must make sense."

"Anyway, we'll decide for ourselves, we'll bear the consequences ourselves, and we don't need Dad and Mom to worry blindly, and I don't need them to pay it back for me. Third Uncle, you can give us an extension until the end of the year to pay it back, right?" Ye Chengjiang looked at him expectantly.

"No problem. As long as you've thought it through."

Ye Chenghe patted his chest. "We've already thought it through. I'm almost getting married, I'm an adult now. When I go back, I'll tell my dad the same thing."

"Fine, then he shouldn't be able to beat you to death; he still needs you to carry on the family line."

"Must be. He's still counting on me to support him in his old age. If he dares to beat me now..."

Ye Yaodong glared at him. "What are you prepared to do?"

"I'll run! I'm such a big person, can he still beat me? Besides, I'm an adult now, of course I can make my own decisions. I earn my own money and spend it myself, I don't need his money."

Ye Chengjiang nodded in agreement. "Right, and the money I earn will be paid directly to you. When I go home at the end of the year with empty pockets, my mom won't be able to get my money."

Ye Yaodong chuckled. "Still harboring this idea?"

"Of course. My mom will definitely say I'm not married, so I can't hold so much money, and she'll save it for me to marry a wife."

Ye Chenghe also said, "My mom will definitely say, do you know how much money it costs to marry a wife? It's for you to marry a wife, not for me to marry a wife. Don't you need to take out money to marry a wife?"

He spoke in his mother's tone, and it was quite vivid.

"The money for the engagement last time was paid by me!"

"You're marrying a wife, isn't it right for you to have money to pay a bit?" Ye Yaodong asked back.

"So didn't I give it? Now it's still early before marriage. When I get married, if I have money in my hand, I'll definitely give some."

"Alright, as long as you've decided."

Ye Chenghe asked again, "Third Uncle, are we still going to your Western-style house tomorrow?"

"Let's solve the land matter first. I'll take you to the Western-style house then. There will be plenty of time, and you can stay in the Western-style house longer."

"Great. You say, if I buy the land, can I use it to build my own Western-style house later?"

"Buy it first before you talk. Don't envision the future for now."

"Oh, then can I think about it in advance?"

Dreaming isn't impossible; there won't be a chance to do it later.

The next day, Director Zhang didn't go to work. He had taken leave and was waiting for them at home.

Having Director Zhang, a local, come along to persuade was much stronger than having a few outsiders like them go.

This time they had proof that they were representing the village, and Ye Yaodong even had the title of Deputy Village Director added to the proof.

Actually, it could be considered well-deserved; there weren't many party members in the whole village, and he himself was already a representative figure in the village.

Ye Yaodong even specially brought the newspaper he was on to show the locals that he was also famous in the local area, and the aquaculture developed in his village was recognized by the government. They could be considered to have government support behind them.

With someone helping to persuade, and them having proof, as well as the newspaper as ironclad evidence, the matter of buying land went smoothly. The reason was to build a warehouse to hoard the village's specialties.

Throughout the whole day, they were visiting villages, measuring land, and finalizing contract terms.

No matter which village they went to, as long as he took out the newspaper and proof, the village cadres of each village had nothing to say.

The time and date on the newspaper, and it was in the official daily newspaper, so it couldn't be faked. They were all willing to sell.

However, the land they bought was relatively scattered, so it took time to visit back and forth and finalize the contract proof.

This time, they were buying usage rights from the village, which was more cumbersome than dealing with individuals.

They tossed back and forth for a week before they finished all the procedures and got the government's filing and notarization.

This was also what he strongly requested. The village originally said that signing a contract and giving them the usage rights was enough, no need to be so troublesome, and no need to go to the government for filing or anything. Their village wasn't that troublesome.

Ye Yaodong naturally disagreed.

For villagers, verbal agreements are fine, but for outsiders like them, it won't do. Of course, they have to go to the government for notarization and filing so that there will be traces to follow in the future and the filing materials can be found. Otherwise, there will be endless disputes later.

He would rather be cumbersome and spend a little more money, and he bought cigarettes and alcohol for the village cadres, which made them willing to accompany him to the government for filing.

This took a week. Otherwise, if they just signed a contract in the village and paid the money, it could have been done in two days.

And their subscription price for wasteland was 1,500 per mu. Farmland would be a bit more expensive, but it was still not comparable to the price in Zhoushan. Zhoushan has a fishing port and a large population, and land is scarce, so land is expensive.

At this time, Pudong was the countryside of the Magic City.

Also because their land was bought relatively scattered, one piece here and one piece there, so when they bought it, everyone had already divided it up, which piece of land went to whom.

So the land was also large and small, and it couldn't be split equally. Everyone chose a piece, and everyone didn't care. They could discuss the split at the hostel afterwards, and they could split the large land themselves.

Those who got more paid more, and those who got less paid less. Anyway, as long as everyone had a share.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Ji Shang chose the largest area, nearly three mu, while Fatty also had more than two mu, and others were around two mu. Some were adjacent, and some were separated.

Everyone had land in their hands, so this trip was not in vain.

After the matter was settled, everyone felt somewhat incredible, taking turns reading the filing materials in Ye Yaodong's hands.

"I've become a Magic City person just like that?"

"Haha, we are also half Magic City people."

"How come it's half?"

"You don't have a house, and you don't live here, so of course you're only half a Magic City person."

"Just wait and see. When I make money, I'll build a Western-style house on this land."

Everyone was extremely excited, walking back while talking.

"By the way, Third Uncle, we've been busy with the land these days and haven't been to see your Western-style house."

Ye Chenghe was still thinking about the Western-style house. He had been here for a week and hadn't been there himself. Now that the matter was finished, he hoped they wouldn't just go back directly.

He didn't even know which way the door of the Western-style house opened. He had come on this trip originally for the Western-style house.

As a result, the goal hadn't been achieved, but he had incurred a debt of 3,000 yuan.

"The sun is almost setting. I'll take you there tomorrow! Let you stay for a few days!"

Ah Zheng said, "Dongzi, we went last time, so we won't go. We'll go straight home tomorrow."

"That's right, you take your two nephews, we'll go straight home!" Xiao Xiao echoed, and Ah Guang nodded.

They didn't want to go and do manual labor.

"Dream on. Share joys and sorrows together, there's strength in numbers."

"Can't you just hire someone to do it?"

"I haven't been staying here all the time. It's not appropriate to hire someone to clean the house now. Let's deal with it when we have time. You all come with me tomorrow. Let's roughly repair the doors and windows first, so as not to let the typhoon make the floor and house even more broken. Anyway, the typhoon day has just passed, and you can't leave tomorrow, so stay for two more days."

"Looks like we can't escape this disaster!"

Fatty understood!

Dongzi had bought a broken house and still had to repair it, which was why he wanted to trick them into being laborers!

"I was wondering why you wouldn't live in your Western-style house. So it's a broken house and still needs repairs! Good thing I didn't listen to your lies!"

Ye Chenghe's eyes widened. "Ah? Third Uncle, you bought a broken house? Not a Western-style house?"

"It is a Western-style house."

Ye Chengjiang: "Then why do they all say it's a broken house and you still have to repair the doors and windows?"

"When someone buys a house, there are always damaged places. It's normal to repair it. Why are you talking so much? You'll know when you see it tomorrow."

Indeed, they would know when they saw it!

The Western-style house was indeed a Western-style house, and all the surroundings were Western-style houses. It looked very imposing, but it was too different from the Western-style house they had imagined, right?

When they walked to the vicinity the next day and looked at the group of Western-style houses, the more they looked, the happier they were. But when they stood in front of Ye Yaodong's Western-style house, they all felt incredible.

"Third Uncle, is this the Western-style house you were talking about?"

Fatty was amused as soon as he saw his Western-style house. "Tsk tsk tsk, Ye Yaodong's mouth, a lying ghost!"

"Now you know why we don't live in his Western-style house, right?"

"This is worse than my dog kennel. I'd rather spend a lot of money to stay in a hostel."

Ye Yaodong ignored their teasing, took out the key, opened the iron gate, and let them in.

"Third Uncle, is this the iron gate, white wall, red tile, luxurious 3-story Western-style house you were talking about?"

"I didn't say that!"

Ye Yaodong pointed to the things he had described. "Iron gate, white wall, red tile, grass, flowers, stone table and stone stools, swing! I didn't say a single thing wrong. Everything I described is there, and what I didn't describe, of course, isn't there."

Ye Chengjiang described what he saw with his own eyes. "Peeling iron gate, peeling white wall, broken tiles, overgrown grass, small wild flowers, a swing with a big hole, and stone tables and stools that are all trash!"

"If you help organize it well, it won't be so broken."

"Third Uncle, your mouth is really..."

"Everything I said is the truth. The adjectives were all added by you yourself in your imagination, so that has nothing to do with me. I stated it without adding adjectives."

Lin Ji Shang said objectively, "I think it's quite good. The layout is also good, and the floor height of the first floor is also high. It's imposing enough. It must have been a big family in the past."

Ye Yaodong looked at him appreciatively. "Exactly. It's rare to have a sensible person. If it were really such a good Western-style house, others would be fighting for it. There's no shortage of rich people in the Magic City."

"It's quite good to spend some money to clean it up."

"I don't have time to fix this house now. Just reinforce the doors and windows. When I have time, I'll fix it properly, and then I'll invite you to be guests."

"Then we just need to reinforce the doors and windows now?" Ah Guang asked.

"Right. Anyway, the waves haven't subsided yet, so we have to stay for two more days. Other things don't matter, but the doors and windows must be reinforced."

"Fine, let's work, everyone."

"I'll go buy you two watermelons."

Ah Zheng and Xiao Xiao held him on both sides. "Don't you dare think about running away, trying to dump the work on us while you go out to slack off!"

"How could I! I'm wronged to death. I'm even more wronged than Dou E. I was thinking of buying you a watermelon to quench your thirst on such a hot day, and not letting you work for nothing, and you think of me like this!"

"Hmph, don't I know you? Number one at slacking off, don't think about running."

"If you wanted to buy watermelon, why didn't you buy it just now?"

Ye Yaodong cursed. "Wasn't I thinking of leading you to the house first? Without me leading the way, would you still be able to recognize the road?"

Ye Chengjiang said actively, "Third Uncle, I'll help you buy watermelon."

"I'll go too."

Ye Yaodong was held by them, but still glared at Ye Chenghe. "You stay put. Does buying watermelon need two people? Are you treating Ajiang as a waste?"

Ajiang said while running, "I can do it alone."

"Third Uncle, I feel like I've boarded a pirate ship!"

"Who was it that kept asking every day when they could go to my Western-style house? Did I beg you to come? It was you who followed behind my butt begging to come."

Ah Guang said with a smile, "Now you know how sinister people are, right?"

"Hurry up and work, you guys. If you finish early, you can go back early."

"Third Uncle, let me visit first..."

Fatty said, "When I go back, I must tell everyone about your Western-style house!"

"Pfft, it was all spread by you yourselves."

Lin Ji Shang said, "I think it's quite good. The layout is also good, and the floor height of the first floor is also high. It's imposing enough. It must have been a big family in the past."

Ye Yaodong nodded repeatedly. "You are all straw bags."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1492 =====