Bashir smiled. "All the land leased out is desert—a part of the Sahara Desert. That area is uninhabited; not even birds can fly across it. We've also surveyed underground and found no mineral deposits. It was worthless to begin with, so the lease price is perfectly fair."
Martin: "But Chenghuang Oasis Company claims that it can turn the desert into farmland and grow large quantities of crops on it. That would allow the land to generate enormous profits. Do you believe that claim?"
Bashir nodded without hesitation. "I do. I've seen it with my own eyes."
Martin: "You've seen it yourself?"
Bashir: "Chenghuang Oasis Company first leased five hundred mu of desert as experimental farmland. My mother chose the location. She's seventy years old and has lived there since childhood. She knows every sand dune as well as she knows the palm of her hand. She swore to me that no one could grow crops in a place like that. I said I thought it was impossible too. There was nothing there but snakes and ghosts."
Bashir: "But a month later, my mother and I flew there again to take a look. From far away, we could already see a beautiful, magnificent stretch of green. Rows of vegetables had already grown. The sight was incredibly moving—an absolute miracle. My mother and I both shed tears. So Chenghuang Oasis Company really does have that ability. They can grow vegetables and grain in the desert."
Martin: "In that case, the desert is no longer worthless desert, but farmland capable of generating stable profits. Considering that, does charging only a few dollars per mu per year still count as selling the land off cheaply?"
Bashir: "I need to correct one point. Money is only part of the rent. Besides money, the contract also