“So you’re thinking that instead of using that money—enough to buy an apartment—you might as well develop something here in the village?” Jiang Wenlin asked, half joking and half serious, as he sought confirmation.
However, regarding another matter, he hesitated slightly.
“But this residential land… is it meant to be applied for on behalf of your second child?”
“Is that not allowed?” An Jianping asked casually as he took a sip of tea.
Jiang Wenlin couldn’t quite gauge An Jianping’s attitude, but he still gave the matter careful consideration.
“There aren’t actually any explicit rules against it in the village.”
“Especially now that almost every household has started developing farmhouse tourism. Applications for residential land aren’t as strict as they used to be.”
“It’s just…” At this point, Jiang Wenlin couldn’t help but once again observe An Jianping’s expression.
To say the village had no rules regarding residential land applications was impossible.
But to say the rules couldn’t be applied flexibly was also not true.
One thing was certain, though.
Even if An Jianping truly wanted to apply for residential land for his second daughter, it wouldn’t be against village regulations.
An Jianping didn’t seem in the least bit anxious and quietly waited for Jiang Wenlin to continue.
Jiang Wenlin sighed inwardly and carried on.
“It’s just that your family’s original residential land wasn’t really compliant to begin with.”
“And especially since it’s been left vacant up till now—suddenly applying for more residential land naturally makes the village a bit concerned.”
“If that’s the case…” An Jianping set down his empty teacup, poured another small pot of tea, and thought for a moment.
When the fresh tea was once again poured into their cups, he finally spoke slowly:
“If this plan is feasible, we were already planning to move the household registrations of the whole family back here.”
“In that case, the issue of the residential land being noncompliant wouldn’t really count anymore, would it?”
“As for the prolonged vacancy—if we truly decide to develop here in the village, then construction on those residential plots will definitely be arranged at the earliest opportunity.”
Hearing this, Jiang Wenlin’s expression turned more serious.
He looked at An Jianping carefully and asked,
“Jianping, do you really mean that you’re genuinely preparing to come back and develop here?”
An Jianping nodded slightly. “I truly am considering it.”
“To be honest with you, Uncle Lin, today I walked around the village with you.”
“And I realized that there are really quite a lot of abandoned areas.”
“Leaving everything else aside, just the mulberry groves and fish ponds—reviving them wouldn’t actually be all that difficult.”
“It’s just that no one in the village is willing to focus on that direction anymore.”
“But does your family have someone who can manage that?” Jiang Wenlin asked skeptically.
“Why does it have to be handled by family members?” An Jianping raised an eyebrow and countered.
But immediately afterward, he added with some regret,
“It’s a pity that although I have plenty of ideas, actually turning them into reality is difficult.”
Jiang Wenlin instantly understood what An Jianping meant and couldn’t help but sigh as well.
For a moment, the two of them were at a loss for what to say next.
Then An Jianping recalled the information he had gathered the day before and spoke up directly:
“Uncle Lin, I truly do intend to develop something in the village.”
“So I was thinking—right now, everyone in our family has a job.”
“I’m not sure whether the higher authorities have any policies supporting this kind of development.”
“I’m not talking about anything else—just things like relevant loans.”
“Our family already has repayment capability.”
“Over the past few years, the village has found a new development path and practically has no interest in mulberry–fish ponds anymore.”
“But I’m still with the silk factory, so naturally I understand current demand for silk better than anyone.”
“It’s only increasing.”
“Especially with South Province’s rapid development in recent years, many places in our region that used to do quite well with silkworm breeding and mulberry cultivation have gradually switched industries.”
“As a result, both the price and supply of cocoons have become problematic.”
“If I can restore the mulberry–fish pond system in the village, at most I’d just need to hire some people to help with the work.”
“In the early stage, I’m not expecting to make much profit, but after two months we should at least break even.”
“Over the course of a year, even if we don’t make money, we should at least be able to cover next year’s contracting fees.”
“You’re serious about this?” Jiang Wenlin listened to An Jianping’s unusually earnest thoughts and couldn’t help but stare at his face closely, watching for any reaction.
“If I’m not serious, there’s no other choice,” An Jianping replied with visible helplessness. “All three of my children are at the age of starting families and careers.”
“If I don’t make a real effort now, grievances are bound to arise.”
“Three?” Jiang Wenlin asked quickly. “So you don’t just intend to apply for residential land for your second child?”
“That’s right. If I truly manage to develop something in the village, I plan to apply for one residential plot for each of my three children.”
“And then use the money originally meant to buy a house for the eldest to build all four houses.”
“Four?” Jiang Wenlin’s mouth twitched slightly. Had he underestimated An Jianping’s financial strength?
An Jianping nodded without hesitation.
“If we’re applying for one plot per child, then it wouldn’t be appropriate for the two of us old folks to live with just one of them, would it?”
“But didn’t you say you don’t have enough money to buy a house?” Jiang Wenlin still felt that something didn’t quite add up.
“An apartment in the city costs over two thousand per square meter! Buying one set costs more than two hundred thousand—before renovation,” An Jianping said with feigned helplessness.
Since he had already made up his mind to stir up something big back in Linjiang, he naturally didn’t mind exposing his family’s financial standing.
“More than two hundred thousand?” Jiang Wenlin muttered in a daze, repeating it twice.
When he looked at An Jianping again, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
He had originally thought that at around a thousand per square meter, buying a smaller place would cost fifty or sixty thousand.
Even a larger one costing just over a hundred thousand would already have been astonishing.
It was perfectly normal for An Jianping to be unable to raise the money.
After all, although households with savings of ten thousand yuan were no longer rare in the village, families with deposits reaching a hundred thousand were extremely uncommon.
And yet An Jianping was saying that buying a house required over two hundred thousand?
No wonder he couldn’t come up with the money!
After mentally complaining bitterly for a moment, Jiang Wenlin began to seriously weigh the matter.
It was indeed difficult to buy an apartment in the city with two hundred thousand.
But building four houses in the village might not even use up that amount.
Nowadays, building a house in the village costs as little as ten to twenty thousand, or at most thirty thousand.
Even five-story houses don’t usually exceed forty or fifty thousand in cost.
If An Jianping’s family built four houses at once… wait, wasn’t his youngest also planning to build a house recently?
If the two families hired workers and ordered materials together, the cost might even drop further.
In that case, An Jianping’s idea actually seemed quite feasible.
But wait—he clearly wasn’t returning to the village just to build houses.
After all, whether managed by family members or hired hands, houses alone wouldn’t generate much income in a short time.
Then whether An Jianping would return to the village to build houses ultimately depended on whether he could successfully contract mulberry groves and fish ponds.
Once this point clicked, Jiang Wenlin finally came to a realization.
(End of chapter)