Chapter 624: line with translation of chapter title

Wu An coughed and said, "Go back and say."

On the way.

Chang Ji said there was still work and left halfway.

Returned home.

Lao Mai was sorting out his fishing tackle when he saw them come back and asked, "Was the contract signed smoothly?"

Wu An nodded, saw three cups of tea on the table, picked one up and threw it into his mouth.

Not long after being at the Village Committee, he couldn't stop talking.

Lao Mai also sat down.

Mai Hangyu briefly explained the situation, and Lao Mai said, "Hangyu, don't just look at immediate gains; keep your sights long-term."

Mai Hangyu said, "If our tourist town succeeds, these shares will be worth more; wouldn't the loss be greater?"

Lao Mai nodded: "That's exactly right."

But, this is a rural area.

Do you know why villagers nowadays all go out and few come back?

Mai Hangyu: "It's better to develop in the city."

Lao Mai: "What's the reason?"

Mai Hangyu: "More opportunities, easier to find work, and the city is more convenient..."

Lao Mai said, "What you said are all the good aspects; what about the bad ones?"

"In the countryside, it's not that you fear doing poorly; you fear doing too well."

"Besides that, the year before last, our village's Li Lao San contracted an orchard; luck was good, sales were strong that year, prices high, and he made quite a bit of money."

"Last year... someone poisoned the trees, and all the fruit trees died."

"He came to me for help, crying and cursing; although we couldn't find out who did it, everyone knows it must be someone jealous of his making money and getting rich."

Mai Hangyu listened and then said nothing.

Wu An chuckled: "Lao Mai, you're being too serious."

"Actually, since we started with land shares in the village, we've been deeply tied to the village; even if we make big money later, no one will be jealous enough to sabotage us behind the scenes."

Lao Mai nodded.

"If anyone really causes trouble, Wu An doesn't even need to act; the village can take care of them."

"Cutting off one or two people's livelihood is easy to talk about, but cutting off everyone's livelihood needs no evidence; as long as you know who did it, that person is as good as dead."

Wu An doing this is quite clever.

Sometimes Lao Mai is genuinely impressed by Wu An; though young, his vision is far-reaching, as if he has considered many hidden dangers and devised strategies with foresight.

This is quite rare.

How could he think of that? Wu An is just copying homework from standing on a giant's shoulders.

Mai Hangyu: "Exactly, that's enough; why give an extra nine percent of shares?"

Wu An continued: "First, giving more shares doesn't affect my decision-making power."

"Second, I show sincerity by voluntarily giving more shares; the village is happy, villagers can get more money, and we can avoid potential disputes later."

"Most importantly, giving the village more shares will please the higher-ups, making it easier to obtain policy benefits and support."

"This also matches what I told the leaders at the start; no matter what, the persona must not collapse."

After hearing that, Mai Hangyu also pondered seriously.

Lao Mai nodded: "This is 'courtesy before force'; Wu An made concessions in advance, so if anyone later causes trouble, they won't have a leg to stand on."

"A An, not bad."

"You're not like a merchant; you're more like an entrepreneur."

Wu An poured him a cup of tea: "Lao Mai, don't put a halo on me; we handle only what we can manage. Basically, I'm afraid I can't shoulder such a big burden, so I want the village to help share the load."

Actually.

This is also true.

He actually has another plan: he currently holds fifty-one percent of the shares, and in the future he will also distribute part of it to attract investment.

"Wait until he comfortably makes money for a few years, the village becomes the largest shareholder; if he wants to sell his shares, the village would likely offer no resistance."

He drank a cup of tea.

Wu An greeted Lao Mai to go fishing, and also invited Gao Qiangqi and Qin Zong; although they weren't that free, Wu An's invitation made them drop other matters.

Gao Qiangqi is also a hardcore fishing enthusiast; otherwise he wouldn't have become friends with Lao Mai.

Qin Zong is the same.

He runs a restaurant; business is booming, and when he's free he likes to go fishing.

Like Lao Mai, he is also a veteran of the air force.

Half an hour later.

The four met at Zhen Dong Shuizha.

On the way to the fishing spot, occasionally someone greeted them, saying the three air force guys were gathering, which was going against heaven.

Someone joked.

More people joined in laughing.

These three air force guys naturally refer to Gao Qiangqi, Qin Zong, and Lao Mai.

Wu An followed at the back; no wonder he said he'd go fishing later—Lao Mai was so happy, and even though Gao Qiangqi and Qin Zong were busy, they still had to join.

"The title of air force guy" is not something just anyone can earn.

After all, this is not an inland wild river.

The resources here are abundant, and actually catching fish is relatively easy.

Even the Air Force can do this; you can imagine how rotten the three of their luck is.

Lao Mai and the other two stayed silent; they have experience, and retorting would only make these people laugh even louder.

Gao Qiangqi and Qin Zong were acting mysterious, saying that the fishing spot was quite potent.

The result was that we arrived at the place.

Someone had already claimed a spot.

They're all anglers here, and no one outdoes anyone else.

First come, first served.

Lao Mai casually said, "It's very troublesome."

"Let's just stay here."

"Hurry up and start fishing; my hands are itching badly."

Qin Zong said, "That won't do."

"This spot is an old air‑force location."

"Let's look around some more."

Gao Qiangqi set the things down and said, "No point in looking any further; we have A An with us today."

"Just enjoy it properly and that's it."

"Let's hurry then."

Wu An smiled and said, "Qin Zong, I have an appointment at noon, it will be less than three hours."

Upon hearing that, Qin Zong quickly packed up.

It was quick.

The four of them cast their rods.

The Luck Boost fishing gear, naturally very potent, let Wu An land a fish first; before he could haul it up, Lao Mai and the other two also caught fish.

They hauled them up.

Stone Nine Public, blackhead, sea tilapia, and the most valuable catch Wu An hauled up was a yellow‑footed perch weighing about two jin; the fish is good, and at noon it can be taken to a fast‑food shop for Mei Wen to grill.

"Continue."

Wu An kept casting, and soon hauled up a small grouper, only half a jin; Lao Mai said that grouper of this size is good for making soup.

Not bad, not bad; now we have fish soup again.

Continue fishing.

While fishing, Wu An talked about the investment situation in Zhenzhongcun, saying they aim to form a homestay cluster and vigorously develop the homestay industry.

The previous investment remains unchanged; he asked Qin Zong whether to continue increasing investment—he can offer ten percent of the shares, but the investment must reach five million.

In other words, Wu An put the valuation of this homestay cluster at fifty million; the investment certainly doesn't need to be that much, and they could even build while operating.

He personally provides an initial investment of five million for Zhenzhongcun; if Qin Zong is willing to join, a ten‑million capital injection would allow the project to proceed smoothly.

Qin Zong looked at Gao Qiangqi.

Gao Qiangqi said, "Don't look at me; you know what I'm doing now—if it's 1.8 million I could pull it out, but five million is really hard to say."

Qin Zong hesitated a bit and said, "A An, your project is a bit big."

Wu An smiled and said, "The larger one's assets, the bolder one can be."

"I am just going with the flow."

"Qin Zong, I won't say more; think it over and give me an answer tonight."

Qin Zong nodded.

An investment of five million is not a small amount; he really has to consider it carefully.