The village head of Chen Family Village was also surnamed Chen. He was Chen Mo's distant relative, Chen Delin. Chen Mo called the village head Uncle Delin. Come to think of it, everyone in Chen Family Village was distantly related, even Rotten Mouth Chen and the like. That was why the villagers generally got along reasonably well, aside from a small handful who were especially annoying.
"Uncle Delin, what are you busy with?" Chen Mo asked when he arrived at the Village Committee Office and saw Chen Delin, handing him a cigarette.
The Village Committee Office was a building without a courtyard wall, located beside the road. The building itself was an L-shaped Two-story building. Chen Delin served as both the Village Party Secretary and village head of Chen Family Village. That was because most of the village's able-bodied workers had gone out to Work as Migrant Workers, leaving only the old and the young behind. There were hardly any Youngsters left. So, unless their own interests were involved, the villagers generally did not care about positions in the Village Committee. Anyone could serve as a Village Committee official.
Just like this time, when Uncle Chen Mo was running for director of the Village Committee, hardly anyone competed with him. Of course, that was also because the village had few resources and no decent source of income. If it had been a village on the outskirts of a city, Village Committee positions would have been highly sought after.
"Who did I think it was? So it's you, kid!" Village head Chen Delin said with a smile as he accepted the cigarette and lit it.
"Yeah. I haven't come back to see you in a long time, so this is a small token from your nephew," Chen Mo said, placing the cigarettes and alcohol by Chen Delin's feet. He could not put them on the table; it would look bad if someone came in and saw them.
Seeing the cigarettes and alcohol on the ground, Chen Delin smiled so broadly that his eyes narrowed into slits. It seemed Er Wa had not changed after going to university. He was still so sensible and polite.
"You're thoughtful!" Village head Chen Delin said. He had always looked after Er Wa, Chen Mo. When Chen Mo went to university, not only had his family helped scrape together several thousand yuan for Chen Mo's tuition, they had also bought him clothes and other necessities. By family ties, he came from a branch of Chen Mo's grandfather's father's generation, so they were fairly close relatives. That was why he would not refuse the gifts Chen Mo had bought. It was the child's thoughtfulness.
"Uncle Delin, why are there so few people at the Village Committee?" When Chen Mo came in, he had seen that several offices were empty, their doors secured with large iron locks. They were clearly rooms that no one used.
"Oh! Isn't the village about to elect a new village head? And recently, the town might send over a young cadre to be the village head. It'll be livelier then," Village head Uncle Delin said.
"Hm? The town is sending a village head? Then what about you, Uncle Delin?" Chen Mo asked curiously.
"I was handling both the village head and Village Party Secretary positions myself, but policy doesn't allow that. So when they send over a village head, I'll just serve as the Village Party Secretary," Uncle Delin said.
"Oh! So that's how it is." Chen Mo nodded, then asked, "Uncle, can a young person sent over here really handle the job as village head?"
"What's there to fear? I'm still here holding things down. What the hell could happen? If he starts messing around, I'll make sure he goes right back where he came from!" Uncle Delin declared domineeringly.
Chen Mo merely nodded. Forget it. This was not something he could manage anyway. He just needed to do his own thing.
"Er Wa, have you finished your studies?" Chen Delin asked.
"Not yet. I still need to go back once in another half year to collect my Graduation Certificate. Then it'll be over," Chen Mo replied.
"Then what are your plans? Are you going to work in the city?"
"No. My major was Biology Major. Even if I stayed in the city, the jobs available wouldn't really match my field. I figured I might as well return home and find something to do. I've been thinking about what kind of work I can take up," Chen Mo answered with a smile.
"That makes sense. But all the young people in the village have left. There aren't many like you who return home to develop," Village head Chen Delin said with a sigh.
"Yeah. I originally planned to stay in a big city too, but my dad and mom are getting older. It'd be better to stay by their side and take care of them," Chen Mo said.
"It's good to return home. Your parents are finally going to enjoy some comfort. But Er Wa, you're a university student. Don't you think it's a pity to give up life in the city?" Village head Chen Delin asked.
"Hey, what's there to regret? The employment situation in the cities isn't all that promising right now either. Lots of university students graduate without finding jobs. It's better to return home and develop here," Chen Mo said with a smile. Those words were more or less true, and many people already had that awareness.
"Mm! Well said. Actually, cities really aren't necessarily better than the countryside these days. Since the country abolished the agricultural tax, it has been vigorously developing agriculture. It's a good opportunity, too. Of course, you still need a good project," Village head Chen Delin said.
"Right! That's what I thought too. My major is Biology Major, and it wouldn't be easy to find work related to it in the city. I might as well return home and look for a project," Chen Mo said.
"Haha! Well said!" Village head Chen Delin said.
"Uncle Delin, I came to see you today for two reasons. First, I wanted to visit you after returning. Second, I want to contract the fields around my family's Old House. There are also several abandoned homesteads near the Old House, just sitting there unused. I want to Buy them too. Do you think that'll work?" Chen Mo asked.
"Oh? You want to contract land? Does your family agree?" Uncle Delin asked. Although he thought highly of Er Wa, Chen Mo, he also knew Chen Mo's family's financial circumstances, so he specifically asked. It was an elder's concern.
"Mm! I discussed it with my dad, and he agreed," Chen Mo said. Naturally, he understood what Uncle Delin meant.
"That's good! Let's put the homesteads aside for now and talk about the land first. There are a lot of fields around your family's Old House, around 200 Mu of Land. How many mu do you want to contract?" Village head Chen Delin asked.
"Uncle Delin, I want to contract all 200 Mu of Land. Also, I want to contract the sloping land beside those 200 mu, as well as the wasteland near Gourd Valley," Chen Mo replied.
"The wasteland near Gourd Pass would be easy enough to contract. It's only around twenty mu. But if you want to contract the 200 mu of fields around your family's Old House and all the sloping land above them, you need to think it through. The entire slope covers nearly 500 mu, and there are another 200-plus mu of woodland on it. That's no small amount." Village head Chen Delin had watched Chen Mo grow up, and he did not want Chen Mo to rent the land on a whim, with his head spinning from excitement. 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 already thought it through, there was no reason for him to stop him. He took out the village's Land Planning Map and spoke to Chen Mo while pointing at the locations on it.
"Alright. The contract fee is 20,000 yuan per year. That was the rate from several years ago, and it hasn't gone up. If you contract it, we'll use that rate. As for the twenty-odd mu of wasteland in front of Gourd Valley, beside your family's Old House, let's count it as twenty mu. That will be calculated at the same rate, 2,000 yuan per year, making 22,000 yuan annually. Then there are about 860 mu of sloping land. The contract fee is 50 yuan per mu, which comes to 43,000 yuan a year," Chen Delin said. Having been a leader for so many years, he knew the village's affairs inside out and could rattle off the numbers without hesitation.
Chen Mo nodded. He already had an idea of the prices, so he said nothing more. The rate Uncle Delin offered was extremely cheap. If outsiders came to contract the land, the price would probably rise considerably.
Every time I feel like asking everyone to cast a recommendation ticket, I feel terribly embarrassed, but I have no choice! Life is full of contradictions! Tickets, how can you automatically land in my bowl?!
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