Contracting an Island

During his conversation with the village chief, Ye Yuan stated that if he were to contract the island, everyone in the village under 50 years old could come work there.

Ye Yuan would purchase a small ferry to serve as everyone's commute boat and build some staff dormitories to provide convenience for those on night shifts. The village chief was overjoyed upon hearing this and expressed his gratitude to Ye Yuan on behalf of all the villagers.

"Village Chief, you're being too formal. This is everyone helping our family."

Ye Yuan's father felt proud seeing his son succeed and help arrange jobs for the villagers. Before leaving, the village chief arranged to go to the county with Ye Yuan the next morning to finalize the matter.

After seeing the village chief off, Ye Yuan's father asked him, "Can you arrange something for your second uncle?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Yuan replied to his father, "I thought it was something important. How about this: tell Second Uncle that whether or not we get Fishing Bay Island, I'm definitely going to contract an island for aquaculture. Second Uncle's family can manage it for me, and I'll provide food and lodging. What do you think?"

Ye Yuan expected his father to be happy, but instead, his father glared at him. "If you have your second uncle manage it, what about me? Are you expecting your old man to become a laborer?"

"If your son can earn money, why would you still work? Isn't it better to take Mom around the country, and when you're bored, help your sister look after Niuniu?"

"No, I'll oversee the farm first. We can talk about other things after everything is stable. My health is still good, and I can help you. Once your business is doing well, then we can discuss other matters. Niuniu isn't in school yet, and we have a boat, so going to the county town is convenient. Niuniu can also come stay on the island when she has free time."

Ye Yuan couldn't argue with his father and had to let him have his way.

His father was the type of person who couldn't keep things to himself. Before long, he informed his second uncle of the plan. The second uncle expressed his gratitude. Originally, his family had intended to use their savings to buy a house in a cheaper village. Now, with Ye Yuan's promise, they not only saved on housing costs but also secured stable employment.

Before dawn, the village chief arrived at Ye Yuan's house. Ye Yuan groggily got out of bed, greeted the village chief, quickly washed up, and then left with him.

His father insisted on accompanying them, claiming he wanted to visit his daughter. Ye Yuan couldn't refuse.

Upon reaching the dock, Ye Yuan asked Ding Yi to start the boat. Ding Er quickly prepared some breakfast, and the three of them ate on the boat.

Both the village chief and his father were on a luxury yacht for the first time and were astonished by its opulence. "This yacht is truly something else. Look how fast it is yet so stable. Our old sampan can't compare," the village chief praised while eating.

His father felt a sense of pride. "Of course. How much does a sampan cost? I heard my little Yuan say this boat cost over ten million."

The village chief praised Ye Yuan's success.

Ye Yuan corrected him, "Ten million is for a new boat. I bought this one second-hand, so it wasn't that expensive."

The old village chief chimed in, "How new does this boat look? You can't tell it's second-hand. Little Yuan, you're truly capable. You're the most successful person in our Ye Family Village for generations."

Well, his explanation was wasted.

Upon arriving in Pinghai County, Ye Yuan drove his father to his sister's house. Then, he and the village chief went to the county government building, where a deputy county magistrate received them.

After negotiations, Ye Yuan's contract for Fishing Bay Island was quickly and efficiently finalized.

Ye Yuan contracted Fishing Bay Island for 200,000 yuan annually, with a contract period of 40 years, and the payment due every five years.

Ye Yuan also wanted to contract a larger area of the surrounding sea. After deliberation by the county, they decided to allow Ye Yuan to contract 500 mu of sea area at a price of 1,000 yuan per mu. This amounted to 500,000 yuan per year, with payments also due every five years, the same as the island contract.

The county government was very pleased, as the island that had been causing them the most trouble was the first to be contracted out.

Both parties reached an agreement, and a lawyer was quickly brought in to draft the contract. Due to the preferential terms offered to Ye Yuan by the government, the contract included a clause requiring Ye Yuan to create employment for at least 20 local residents. Ye Yuan agreed without hesitation; even without this clause, he would have hired villagers for the aquaculture farm.

After the contract was signed, Ye Yuan directly transferred 3.5 million yuan to the government's designated account. The county was surprised by the young man's swift action. The county magistrate even personally praised Ye Yuan, a young man returning to develop his hometown, and stated that the county would expedite the demolition work in Ye Family Village.

The village chief had other matters to attend to in the county and did not return with Ye Yuan. Ye Yuan drove to the new house and found his father, sister, and brother-in-law there. His sister and brother-in-law were inside discussing something with the renovation company, while his father was watching Niuniu.

Ye Yuan approached his father and said, "Fishing Bay Island is now ours."

His father was overjoyed.

Seeing his father happy, Ye Yuan shared his thoughts, "Let's give this house to your sister. I'll build a villa on the island. If you and Mom like the city, I'll buy you another place here. What do you think?"

His father didn't even look at Ye Yuan and replied, "Do I need to say? Your mother and I discussed it last night. We're giving this house to Huihui, and we've already changed the name to hers. It's a small compensation for her. Before, we were worried you wouldn't amount to anything, so we kept some money for your marriage. Now that you've succeeded, we have nothing to worry about."

Inside the room, his sister and brother-in-law were discussing changing the renovation layout with the construction workers. They had initially planned for the elders to live there, but since that was no longer the case, the layout needed to be altered.

His brother-in-law saw Ye Yuan and enthusiastically said, "Little Yuan, I never expected you to be so successful. In just a few days, you've earned so much. You're much better than me."

Ye Yuan didn't engage with that topic. Instead, he directly asked his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law, I want you to quit your job. Would it be convenient for you to start your own company?"

His brother-in-law was taken aback, then realized his brother-in-law wanted to help him. He gave a wry smile and said, "Little Yuan, I appreciate your kindness, but our county's development has lagged in recent years, and there aren't many construction projects. Starting a construction company now isn't profitable."

Ye Yuan smiled slightly upon hearing his brother-in-law's words and pulled him aside, handing him the contract. "Do you have confidence now? Although I don't plan to open the island to the public, there are plenty of construction projects: staff dormitories, villas, cold storage, factories, roads on the island, and some underwater construction. I'll give all of it to your new company."

His brother-in-law looked at the contract and listened to Ye Yuan's words. Their father had only told them that his younger brother had gone to Shangjing and sold some stones, but didn't mention how much he earned. He never expected him to contract an entire island so quickly.

According to Ye Yuan's plan, building all of this would cost tens of millions. If these projects were handed over to him, even with a smaller profit margin, it would still be a substantial income.

His brother-in-law nodded vigorously at Ye Yuan. "Little Yuan, don't worry. I'll definitely get you the cheapest materials and labor."

"That won't do. I don't need cheap. Including what you deserve, don't skimp. I have only one requirement: start as soon as possible, and I want the best quality," Ye Yuan said, half-jokingly, half-seriously, to his brother-in-law.

"Okay, no problem. I'll go resign right now." His brother-in-law then rushed off.

PS: Thanks to: 08A, Fa Ze Zhi Sheng for the rewards. Also, thanks to those who voted with monthly and recommendation tickets. Your encouragement is the driving force behind my writing.