146: Chapter 146 First the petty man, then the gentleman

Han Jingyang rejected Shi Xiaoya's kindness.

He comforted her, saying, "Our goal is the Octagonal Building and the bronze tripod inside. The more chaotic Dongpo Village becomes, the better. Only when things are in turmoil do we have the chance to fish in troubled waters, so setting fires everywhere is exactly what we should be doing."

"So you've been playing dumb this whole time? You knew Huang Zhiyu and those people were suspicious but didn't expose them? You even deliberately leaked your own goal?"

"As long as you understand. Just make sure not to lose the big picture for the sake of small gains."

"But being watched all the time is still a nuisance."

"It doesn't matter; we'll just make the fire burn a bit brighter."

"How do we do that?"

"When the time is right, we can state our purpose directly."

"How do we state it?"

"Through someone else's mouth."

"Whose? Huang Zhiyun's? Or Wang Yan's?"

"That depends on who is the most impatient."

At the farmhouse.

Wang Yan saw the fish bucket in Han Jingyang's hand and said with a smile, "You guys are in for a treat. Do you want me to cook them? Of course, I can also buy them from you."

"Cook two big ones for us, and the rest is yours as a processing fee."

"You're too kind. Just a moment, braising them won't take long."

"Bring them to our room."

"You got it."

Half an hour later, Wang Yan knocked on the door: "The food is ready. braised grass carp, braised mutton, stewed lamb, tofu ball soup, stir-fried greens, cold cucumber salad, and rice steamed on an earth stove."

However, Zhou Jianjun was also standing at the door.

Zhou Jianjun was holding a bottle of Moutai: "Master Han, I'm here to crash your dinner."

Han Jingyang nodded.

After Wang Yan left, Zhou Jianjun looked at Shi Xiaoya and Liu Jing: "They..."

"They are with me; there is nothing that cannot be said in front of them."

"Good, Master Han. Then I'll be blunt: is that Octagonal Pagoda ultimately good or bad for our village?"

Han Jingyang sighed, "How do you want me to answer that?"

"Speak your mind. If anything happens, I, as the village chief, will take full responsibility."

"Can you really bear that responsibility?"

"I can!"

"Empty words. Why should I believe you?"

"What do you want?"

"A letter of guarantee."

"That's impossible. Given my position, how could I write a guarantee for you? If it ever leaked, I'd be completely finished."

"See, you're not even willing to write a guarantee, yet you talk about taking full responsibility."

"It's not the same..."

"If you're not willing to take responsibility, I'm not willing to bear that karma. So, there's nothing to talk about."

"What if the whole village agrees?"

"Agrees to what?"

"Agrees to check the Feng Shui and then decide whether to make changes. Besides, it's time for a change anyway. Previously, with He Dingkun's funding, everything was simple. But what about the future? We'll have to change eventually. It's better to take this opportunity to break free from He Dingkun's influence. Using Feng Shui as a breakthrough point will have the smallest impact, and it'll serve as a clear statement to end the fantasies of some villagers, psychologically cutting our village off from He Dingkun."

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow.

How ruthless.

Regardless of what kind of person He Dingkun was, his help to Dongpo Village was real. His total investment amounted to tens of millions, and the scenic area and farmhouse projects were all sustainable. As long as the villagers didn't mess things up themselves, these projects would provide a lifetime of income and numerous jobs for the village.

And yet, while He Dingkun was still alive, Zhou Jianjun was already plotting to make a clean break from him.

Though it was a rational choice,

it lacked a certain human touch.

But it didn't matter.

This was my goal all along.

Only when the villagers of Dongpo Village start moving will I have the chance to act.

That Octagonal Pagoda is something only the villagers of Dongpo Village can move; outsiders absolutely cannot touch it, or they would become public enemies of the entire village.

After so much setup, Zhou Jianjun had finally taken the bait.

With this thought, Han Jingyang feigned hesitation before saying a moment later, "It's not impossible to help you look into it, but I charge a fee, and my rates are quite high. You should be mentally prepared."

Zhou Jianjun asked urgently, "How much?"

"One million."

"That... that expensive?"

Zhou Jianjun was dumbfounded, clearly shaken by the quote.

Han Jingyang remained calm: "The appearance fee alone is one hundred thousand. That is to say, just to have me make a trip without doing anything, you have to pay one hundred thousand first. The rest is the actual professional fee. This matter with your village involves a lot; charging you one million in total is not too much at all."

Zhou Jianjun's expression turned bitter: "Master Han, this money... we can't produce it."

"Surely not? Your village is a famously wealthy village; how could you not even be able to produce one million?"

"The village's finances must be made public; every cent spent must be clearly recorded. If it were thirty to fifty thousand, or even a hundred thousand, there might be some room to maneuver, but for one million, there's no chance at all. If I dared to embezzle that, it wouldn't be as simple as being dismissed; I'd likely end up in jail."

Han Jingyang thought about it and realized that was true.

Then he wouldn't take money.

He'd take something else.

Antiques?

With hundreds of families and over a thousand people in Dongpo Village, they should be able to dig up some old items.

As long as he could find a single magical tool, he wouldn't lose out.

So, he frowned and said, "Look at how this turned out. You want me to work for free?"

Zhou Jianjun gave a dry laugh: "I certainly can't let you work for nothing, but that quote really is too high. How about one hundred thousand? Any more than that is truly impossible."

Han Jingyang waved his hand impatiently: "No, absolutely not. In our line of work, everything else is negotiable, but we don't compromise on the fee."

"Can we use other things as a substitute?"

"What kind of things?"

"Antiques?" Zhou Jianjun said, suddenly slapping his forehead. "Our village used to have an ancestral hall. Although it's been abandoned for a long time, the village committee still has some old items kept from when it was demolished. How about..."

Han Jingyang feigned difficulty and hesitated for a moment: "Let's see them first."

Zhou Jianjun breathed a sigh of relief: "They are definitely old items, I can guarantee that. They have at least a hundred years of history, maybe even longer. The village committee was built on the site of the old ancestral hall. When I was in primary school, it was a school, and we used to rummage around there often; I have a very strong impression of it."

"I'll say more after I've seen them."

"Good, good. Let's eat, let's eat," Zhou Jianjun poured a glass of wine for Han Jingyang. "Master Han, to what extent can you handle this job?"

"The full package. I'll see it through, explain it clearly, and then tell you the specific methods for the operation until the work is finished."

"Master Han is truly straightforward," Zhou Jianjun said, very satisfied as he clinked glasses with Han Jingyang. "You're completely different from those old foxes who hide things and try to manipulate people."

Shi Xiaoya chimed in, "My boss's business philosophy is that you get what you pay for; he never does anything fake. Otherwise, how would he have such a great reputation?"

Han Jingyang was very pleased.

Now that is a qualified hype-man.

This kind of talk would inevitably sound like self-promotion coming from his own mouth.

But coming from someone close to him, it gave off a completely different vibe.

Of course, it would be most effective coming from an outsider, but since Zhou Jianjun was the only outsider present, Shi Xiaoya had to be the one to say it.

Han Jingyang then said reservedly, "I have little seniority and limited ability, and my fees are high, so I can only do my best to do things well and not let every cent the client spends go to waste. Village Chief, let's have the 'ugly words first and be gentlemen later'; I hope you can understand."