Before long.
From a distance, a figure appeared on the horizon, walking towards them.
"Xiao Fan!" Tian Mengyao's spirits lifted, and she waved her arms and shouted.
Han Jiayun and the others looked over in surprise.
As Lin Fan approached, they realized he was a young man.
Although his clothes were simple, he exuded a calm demeanor, distinctly different from ordinary villagers.
"Xiao Fan, why didn't you let me come pick you up?" Tian Mengyao walked towards him.
"It's nothing, a bit of walking is good exercise." Lin Fan, not even out of breath, patted Tian Mengyao's shoulder and then turned his gaze to Han Jiayun.
"Is this him?"
"Yes, he claims to be the son of the quarry owner and has the old village committee's contract."
Tian Mengyao whispered, "I think he's here to extort money."
"I'll go ask."
Lin Fan walked over. "Hello, my name is Lin Fan, and I'm from Luofeng Village..."
"Deputy Secretary!" Tian Mengyao called out.
Wu Lei was about to step forward to help, but upon hearing this, his face darkened.
If Lin Fan was the deputy secretary, what was he, the village head?
Wu Lei flicked his sleeve and stomped angrily into the office.
"Hello, pleased to meet you." Han Jiayun politely extended his hand.
Lin Fan shook his hand.
Xu Zixin's face was full of disdain, and she turned her head away, not even looking at this ordinary country boy.
"The quarry in your village belongs to my father. I've been busy with my own business in recent years, and perhaps due to too much pressure lately, I've grown tired of city life."
Han Jiayun phrased his words very nicely.
"I wanted to find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to relax for a while. I stumbled upon my father's old contract and decided I wanted to reopen the quarry."
"Mr. Han, do you know why your father gave up this quarry back then?" Lin Fan asked.
Han Jiayun was taken aback and stammered, "I was studying abroad then. My mother mentioned something about an accident, I think."
He chuckled and added, "Don't worry, modern technology has advanced greatly compared to back then. I won't repeat the mistakes of the past and will ensure the quarry is operated safely."
Lin Fan was puzzled. Didn't this fellow know there were monsters in the quarry?
"May I ask about your father's current situation..." Lin Fan probed.
"Alas!" Han Jiayun sighed heavily. "My parents passed away from serious illnesses. Medical technology wasn't as advanced then, and they couldn't diagnose what it was."
Recalling the tragic scene of his parents suffering and dying from illness, Han Jiayun's face was filled with sorrow. "They were afraid it would affect my studies, so they never told me. By the time I returned home..."
Lin Fan's mind raced.
Han Jiayun's parents must have chosen to hide the truth to protect their son, not revealing the reality even as they were tormented to death by monsters.
Lin Fan looked at Han Jiayun with complex emotions. If not for such good parents, this fellow would likely have died long ago.
"Did your father leave any last words when he passed away?" Lin Fan asked again.
"Deputy Secretary Lin, do you know my parents? Or do your elders know my parents?" Han Jiayun became wary.
"No, I don't." Lin Fan shook his head.
"Then is this question important?" Han Jiayun countered.
"It is important," Lin Fan nodded.
"Honey, this person is so strange," Xu Zixin pouted, looking at Lin Fan warily.
Han Jiayun gently patted his wife's hand.
He also found Lin Fan peculiar.
However, he could also tell that Lin Fan, unlike the other villagers, was not hostile towards him.
"They didn't leave any specific words, they just wished me to live a good life in the future." Han Jiayun's eyes darted around; he was clearly not telling the whole truth.
"Did they really not say anything?" Lin Fan frowned deeply.
What was the quarry owner thinking?
Did the snake demon have the ability to erase people's memories?
Lin Fan suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
"Deputy Secretary Lin, Secretary Tian of your village committee has been waiting for you."
Han Jiayun took out a yellowed, old piece of paper and waved it. "Take a look. This is the contract signed and sealed by your village committee."
Lin Fan reached out to take it, but Han Jiayun quickly pulled it back, clearly afraid he would snatch it.
So, Lin Fan only managed a quick glance.
It roughly stated that Luofeng Village had contracted the quarrying rights to a businessman named Han for five thousand yuan.
And the contract period was a staggering sixty years!
Finally, there was Cao Dewang's signature and the village committee's seal.
Lin Fan was speechless.
Five thousand yuan for sixty years of exploitation rights, less than a hundred yuan a year on average.
Heaven knew if Cao Dewang was out of his mind.
Even considering the value of money more than a decade ago, it shouldn't be this low!
Lin Fan did some quick calculations. If the contract was executed, Han Jiayun wouldn't have to spend a single penny now and could exploit it for at least another forty years.
"Mr. Han, perhaps you don't know." Lin Fan pointed to the signature on the contract. "Cao Dewang is dead. His descendants have either left or scattered, and none of them can be contacted."
"The secretary has changed, but the village committee's official seal shouldn't have changed, right?" Han Jiayun sneered.
Lin Fan hadn't expected his bluff to not work.
He didn't know that Han Jiayun was at his wit's end, having lost all of his parents' inheritance through his business ventures, and was counting on the quarry to make a comeback.
"Mr. Han, as you can see, Secretary Tian is in charge of the village committee now. She's not from Luofeng Village and doesn't fully understand the local situation," Lin Fan began to play for time.
"Are you saying you don't intend to honor the contract?" Han Jiayun asked indignantly.
"Not exactly," Lin Fan shook his head.
He pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "How about this? I'll personally pay five thousand yuan to buy back this contract. What do you think?"
"Dream on!" Xu Zixin immediately retorted.
"Then how much do you want?" Lin Fan was not short of money now. He had over twenty million US dollars; he could buy planes and yachts, let alone a small quarry.
Han Jiayun and Xu Zixin exchanged a look.
Before coming to Luofeng Village, they had made two plans. If the village committee didn't acknowledge the contract, they would petition for compensation and make other arrangements.
"Five hundred thousand!" Xu Zixin blurted out after much thought.
It wasn't that she didn't want to ask for more, but she was afraid Luofeng Village wouldn't be able to come up with that much.
Tian Mengyao's eyes widened, and she rebuked, "Why don't you just rob us? From five thousand to five hundred thousand, even loan sharks wouldn't be this brazen!"
Xu Zixin crossed her arms and argued righteously, "So many years have passed, prices have multiplied. Besides, the equipment and such that my father-in-law invested in the quarry back then all cost money!"