Just as Xie Sui had finalized his strategy against Li Jiaqing and had yet to take action, Li Jiaqing made his move first. As soon as people arrived at the construction site, Li Jiaqing, accompanied by the elders and youths of his village, blocked the entrance.
This was their usual tactic. As for the excuse, it was that the transportation of garbage had encroached upon their village land, and they demanded compensation for the losses incurred.
Xie Sui and Du Feiyang rushed to the scene. A crowd of onlookers had gathered, pointing and gossiping. They had pulled a similar stunt last year, forcing the project to halt. Now, they were at it again. Truly shameless.
However, despite their words, no one dared to step forward and intervene, as it was not their business.
Xie Sui glanced over and saw Li Jiaqing standing in the distance, beckoning him.
Xie Sui smiled and made a throat-slitting gesture towards him, causing Li Jiaqing's expression to change.
Such a person, acting as if he was someone of importance.
"Director Xie is here, let's go ask him for an explanation."
*Clamor!*
A group of people surrounded Xie Sui. His bodyguards tried to block them, but Xie Sui waved them away. "Let them come. It's cold to sit on the ground. Get some blankets. Let's sit down and talk. Get some tea. The weather is quite cold, add some ginger and brown sugar. The old ladies like this."
Xie Sui said with a smile, being so accommodating, the aunts and grandmothers were at a loss.
The blankets arrived, and Xie Sui sat cross-legged. "Come, sit down and talk. Tell me your demands. I, Xie Sui, don't have much ability, but I've made a little fortune and want to give back to my fellow villagers. Li Jia Village is also in our county. We are family when we step out."
Li Jiaqing's mother was among them, leading the charge for her son. Before anyone else could speak, she said, "You speak beautifully, but you are harming our village. What return? We haven't seen a single cent."
Xie Sui nodded. "This aunt is right. You haven't seen anything because it takes time. The year hasn't passed yet, and my plan hasn't been implemented. My plan is to build a school next to your village, where the village children can study for free. Those with children at home can register first and will have priority enrollment.
As the old saying goes, education is paramount, even if you are poor. When the children are successful, the whole family can make a living. Do you expect to get rich from the money you earn from farming?"
The crowd was moved. Free schooling for their children was a great thing.
"Do you mean what you say?"
"Don't listen to his nonsense. He just wants to fool us into leaving. How can he guarantee that he will build the school? And that he will let us study for free?"
Xie Sui said, "If I can't deliver, you can keep coming to block me. I won't run away. If you don't believe me, let's find Secretary Chen from the county to be our guarantor. I will put down one million yuan as a deposit. As soon as the location is confirmed, we will start construction immediately. At the latest, the children will be able to study by autumn this year."
"That's great. My child won't have to worry about schooling anymore. Those book fees are not cheap either. Can this be free?"
Du Feiyang's eyes widened. He had finally witnessed what it meant to be insatiable.
Xie Sui nodded. "Yes, tuition fees will also be free. We will even provide nutritional meals for the children, milk and eggs. Children are the future of the country."
"That's wonderful. I'll sign up first. Save a spot for my child."
Li Jiaqing's mother panicked and shouted, "Don't go."
This made everyone unhappy. "Why can't we go? You gave us two dollars and expect us to risk our lives for you!"
"He's lying, trying to fool us. Don't fall for it."
Xie Sui said, "It's not up to you to decide if I'm lying. However, you are the one who hired people to cause trouble. The number of people is huge, and the circumstances are serious. You are already suspected of unlawful assembly, which is illegal.
This is my last warning to you. Leave immediately, and I will not pursue the matter. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."
"Do you think I'm scared? Try and touch me. I have a heart condition. If anything happens to me, you'll have to support me for life."
Xie Sui said lightly, "Are you threatening me? If you want me to support you for life, you have to see if you have that fortune.
Alright, that's all I have to say. You decide for yourselves. Besides schooling, I also have fifty employee positions. My factory is expanding and needs to hire new staff. You can inquire about the salary and benefits at Chunfeng Food Factory."
This caused an uproar. While schooling was for the future, these fifty employee positions offered immediate benefits and income.
Someone said, "My neighbor works there. They earn over a hundred yuan a month. They also get over a hundred yuan in bonuses and welfare during the New Year. Their family lives very comfortably."
"That's right. I heard they even provide housing."
Xie Sui clapped his hands. "Your information is accurate. See this construction site? It includes housing for our factory employees. It will be built this year. If we speed up the construction, we can distribute the houses by the end of the year.
Employees hired this year who perform well will be eligible for housing."
"Really? Director Xie, I apologize. We'll leave right away. Can you save a spot for my son?"
"Fifty spots are too few. Our village has over two hundred households. Even if each household gets one, it's not enough."
Li Jiaqing's mother was very flustered. Hearing this, her eyes lit up. "Exactly. You must give one spot per household. You're giving fifty spots, like you're bribing beggars."
Xie Sui: "That's still more generous than the two dollars you gave. If this is considered bribing beggars, I think many people would want to be beggars."
"Exactly, Director Xie, bribe me!"
Du Feiyang sneered. "Greed knows no bounds. Why don't you say you want us to support your entire village? Your skin is thicker than the city walls."
"Who are you calling names? You outsider, how dare you curse me? Believe it or not, I'll hit you!"
Du Feiyang rolled up his sleeves. "Try and touch me. I'm a Hong Kong businessman. Even the county has to protect my safety. If you dare to touch me, I'll report you, and you'll go to jail."
Li Jiaqing's mother was so angry that she lunged forward to scratch him. The bodyguards were about to protect him, but Xie Sui gave a look, and the bodyguards hesitated. In that brief moment, Du Feiyang was attacked. Someone tripped him, and he fell to the ground.
Li Jiaqing's mother didn't let go and continued to scratch Du Feiyang. Xie Sui quickly intervened. "Feiyang, are you alright? Oh my God, Feiyang has fainted. He must have hit the back of his head. Quick, someone call an ambulance and send him to the hospital.
Poor Feiyang. His father is still unconscious in the hospital, and now he has been knocked unconscious again. How tragic, how pitiful."
Xie Sui's eyes turned red. Du Feiyang was unconscious, with scratches on his face, looking quite pitiful.
The others stepped back, leaving Li Jiaqing's mother. They all said, "It has nothing to do with us. We didn't do anything. She did it."
Xie Sui said with grief and indignation, "You are also accomplices. I gave you my all, and you are still not satisfied. Fine, from now on, people from Li Jia Village will not be included in our factory's recruitment range, and the school will not offer free education to you. I can avoid what I can't deal with."