The Villages
The people who came were the leaders of several nearby villages—village chiefs, village Party secretaries, and village directors. There were more than a dozen of them in all.
No one knew who had spread the news, but after hearing that the big boss (major shareholder) of Yongling Agriculture had arrived, the surrounding villages had rushed to Meijiao.
Ma Jing, the manager, should have received them, but these people had immediately sought out Li Bai.
He had no choice but to receive them in the study at the back of the three-courtyard compound.
"Tea and snacks—help yourselves!"
As the true owner of this place, Li Bai ushered the guests to their seats.
There was a long table made of raw timber. He sat at the head, while the guests sat on either side. Each person had a cup of clear tea, along with snacks and fruit such as sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, satsumas, and bananas.
Manager Ma Jing sat at the other end of the table, facing Li Bai from a distance.
"Mr. Li, we're not very good with words. If anything we say sounds unpleasant, please don't take offense."
The first to speak after everyone had taken their seats was Xu Si, Village Chief Xu Ao from southeast of Meijiao.
Many villages were often named after the main clan surname of their residents. Meijiao, for example, had quite a few villagers surnamed Mei, while Xu Ao had many residents surnamed Xu.
The character ao meant "depression" or "hollow" and referred to a flat area among the mountains. This naming style was relatively common in Qianjiang Province and Lingnan Province. Replacing it with "village" would not be wrong; it would simply lose an extra layer of meaning.
Of course, there were also cases where another surname predominated. These were