Talking to the Village Chief About a Contract

The village head of Chen Family Village was also surnamed Chen. He was a distant relative of Chen Mo, named Chen Delin. Chen Mo called the village head Uncle Delin. Speaking of which, the entire Chen Family Village consisted of distant relatives. Even people like Rotten Mouth Chen were related. Therefore, the villagers generally got along well with each other, except for a few annoying individuals.

"Uncle Delin, what are you busy with?" Chen Mo asked upon arriving at the Village Committee Office and seeing Chen Delin, while handing him a cigarette.

The Village Committee Office was a building without a courtyard, located by the road. The structure was an L-shaped, two-story building. Chen Delin held both the positions of Village Party Secretary and Village Head of Chen Family Village. This was because most of the village's labor force had gone out to work, leaving behind the elderly and the very young, with few young people remaining. Therefore, the villagers generally didn't pay much attention to the positions in the village committee; as long as it didn't affect their own interests, anyone could be a village committee cadre.

Just like this time, when Uncle Chen Mo was running for village committee director, there were hardly any contenders. Of course, this was also related to the lack of resources and good income in the village. If it were a village on the outskirts of a city, the position of village committee member would be highly sought after.

"I was wondering who it was! So it's you, kid!" Village Head Chen Delin said with a smile, taking the cigarette and lighting it.

"Indeed, it's been a long time since I've been back to see you, so please accept this small token of my respect," Chen Mo said, handing over the cigarettes and liquor and placing them by Uncle Delin's feet. He didn't put them on the table; it wouldn't look good if someone happened to walk in and see them.

Chen Delin looked at the cigarettes and liquor on the ground, his eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled. It seemed that Er Wa, after going to university, hadn't changed at all and was still so sensible and polite.

"You! That's very thoughtful!" Village Head Chen Delin said. He was quite fond of Er Wa, Chen Mo. When Chen Mo was in university, his family had even pooled together several thousand yuan for his tuition, and bought him some clothes. By relation, he was from the same branch as Chen Mo's grandfather's father, so they were quite close. Therefore, he wouldn't refuse Chen Mo's gifts; it was the child's gesture of goodwill.

"Uncle Delin, why aren't there many people at the village committee office?" Chen Mo asked, having noticed that some offices were empty when he came in. The doors were locked with heavy iron padlocks, clearly indicating they weren't used much.

"Oh! It's because we're about to have elections for the village director. Also, the town might be sending a young cadre to be the village head soon, so there will be more people then," Village Head Uncle Delin said.

"Hmm? The town is sending a village head? What about you, Uncle Delin?" Chen Mo asked curiously.

"I was originally in charge of both the village head and village party secretary positions. However, policies don't allow that anymore. So, with a village head being sent, I'll just remain the village party secretary," Uncle Delin said.

"Oh! So that's how it is." Chen Mo nodded and then asked, "Uncle, can the young person sent by the town handle things as the village head?"

"What's there to be afraid of! I'm still here to oversee things. What trouble could there be! If they try anything, I'll definitely send them right back where they came from!" Uncle Delin said domineeringly.

Chen Mo just nodded. Forget it! These were not things he could control. He would just focus on his own matters.

"Er Wa, have you finished your studies?" Village Head Chen Delin asked.

"Not yet. I still have to go back in about half a year to collect my graduation certificate to be completely done!" Chen Mo replied.

"So, what are your plans? Will you work in the city?"

"No! My major is Biology. Even if there were jobs in the city, they wouldn't be related to my field. It's better to find something to do back home. I'm just thinking about what I can do," Chen Mo replied with a smile.

"That's true! However, most of the young people in the village have left. Not many people like you come back to develop here!" Village Head Chen Delin said with a sigh.

"Yes, I originally planned to stay in the big city. But considering my parents are getting older, it's better to be by their side and take care of them!" Chen Mo said.

"It's good to be home. Your parents must be waiting to enjoy their old age. But, Er Wa, you're a university student now. Don't you think it's a pity to give up city life?" Village Head Chen Delin asked.

"Hai! What's there to regret or not regret. The employment situation in the city isn't very optimistic either. Many university students are unemployed after graduation. It's better to develop in our hometown," Chen Mo said with a smile. Anyway, these were common sentiments, and most people had already come to this realization.

"Hmm! That's well said. Actually, the city isn't as good as our countryside now. After the state abolished agricultural taxes, it's also vigorously developing agriculture. It's a good opportunity. But you need good projects," Village Head Chen Delin said.

"Right! That's what I'm thinking too. My major is Biology. If I stayed in the city, it would be hard to find a job related to my field. It's better to come home and look for projects," Chen Mo said.

"Haha! Well said!" Village Chief Chen Delin asked.

"Uncle Delin, I came to see you today for two reasons. First, to see you after returning. Second, I want to contract the fields around my old family home. Also, there are a few abandoned homesteads near the old house that I'd like to buy. Do you think it's possible?" Chen Mo asked.

"Oh? You want to contract fields? Does your family agree?" Uncle Delin asked. Although he had a good impression of Er Wa Chen Mo, he was also aware of his family's financial situation, so he specifically inquired, showing the concern of an elder.

"Mm! I've discussed it with my Dad, and he agrees." Chen Mo naturally understood Uncle Delin's thoughts.

"That's good! Let's put the homesteads aside for now and talk about the fields first. There are a lot of fields around your old house, about two hundred mu. How many mu do you want to contract?" Village Chief Chen Delin asked.

"Uncle Delin, I want to contract all 200 mu of land. In addition, I also want to contract the hillside land next to these 200 mu, and the wasteland near Gourd Valley." Chen Mo replied.

"The wasteland near Gourd Pass is easy to contract if you want to, it's only about 20 mu. But if you want to contract the 200 mu of fields around your old house and the hillside land above, you need to think carefully. The entire hillside area is about 500 mu, plus over 200 mu of forest land on the mountain. That's not a small amount." Village Chief Chen Delin had watched Chen Mo grow up, and he didn't want to see Chen Mo impulsively rent the land. The annual rent would be a substantial sum.

"Uncle Delin, I've thought it all through. Don't worry!" Chen Mo said.

Chen Delin nodded. Since Chen Mo had thought it through, he couldn't stop him. He took out the village's Land Planning Map, pointed to the land locations on the map, and spoke to Chen Mo.

"Alright, the contract fee is 20,000 yuan per year. This price has been the same for the past few years and hasn't increased. If you contract it, it will be at this price. As for the more than 20 mu of wasteland in front of Gourd Valley, next to your old house, let's call it 20 mu. It will also be calculated at this price, 2,000 yuan per year, for a total of 22,000 yuan per year. As for the hillside, there are about 860 mu of hillside land, and the contract fee is 50 yuan per mu, which amounts to a contract fee of 43,000 yuan per year." Chen Delin said. Having been the head for so many years, he knew the village affairs like the back of his hand and could recite it effortlessly.

Chen Mo nodded. He already had a clear idea of the price, so he didn't say anything further. The price Uncle Delin gave was very cheap. If outsiders were to contract it, the price might increase significantly.

Every time I feel embarrassed asking everyone to vote for Recommendation Tickets, but I have to! So, life is full of contradictions! Tickets, how can you automatically come into my bowl?!