Daling Village was located in the Yangtze River basin. It wasn’t very large, with only about one mu of land per capita. Fortunately, the climate was moist, allowing for two harvests a year. Since the implementation of the household contract responsibility system, the villagers had been tending their plots with great care. That morning, everyone had gone out to weed their rice paddies, the village cadres included.
The village chief’s young grandson came running over, breathless, shouting for “Grandpa” from the edge of the field. The village chief, thinking something had happened in the village, washed his hands and headed ashore.
Once the village cadres returned to the village, the news spread among the villagers. Seventy percent of the residents had already arrived, surrounding the government clerk, anxious to ask about the demolition. However, the clerk kept his lips sealed, insisting on waiting for all the village cadres to arrive before making any announcements. Everyone had to suppress their excitement and wait eagerly.
Once the cadres were all present, they took the clerk and his team to the brigade headquarters for a meeting. The villagers stood guard outside, unwilling to leave.
Song Lanfang stood on the edge of the crowd, watching the village road. She had sent her daughter to get people from Qingqing’s house, but they were taking a long time.
Earlier that morning, Lin Weisen had been called over by Qingqing’s father to discuss the dishes for an upcoming wedding feast. Qingqing’s grandfather had been a professional chef, and people from nearby villages always hired their family to cater weddings. Lin Weisen loved food from a young age; he and Qingqing’s father were close friends and had both apprenticed under the grandfather. After completing his training, he often helped Qingqing’s father with his catering business.
Soon, Lin Weisen arrived with his daughter, followed by Qingqing’s family.
“Lanfang? How is it?” Qingqing’s mother asked. Their two families had a good relationship; when Qingqing’s father was overwhelmed with catering, he often hired Lin Weisen to help. Additionally, because Lin Weisen loved planting vegetables, two of his three mu of land were dedicated to crops, and Qingqing’s father always bought vegetables from him first.
Song Lanfang shared what she knew: “I think this time is for real. It doesn’t feel like the previous times.”
Before, they had only measured the land and asked about the population. This time, the entire body of village cadres had been summoned for a meeting. Song Lanfang felt nervous. “How much money do you think we’ll get for this demolition?”
Qingqing’s mother had a distant relative in a village closer to the county town who had been relocated last year, receiving three houses and 100,000 yuan.
“Three houses? That many?!” Song Lanfang was delighted. Having a house was a huge relief; she dreaded the thought of having to rent a place after relocation.
However, Qingqing’s mother quickly poured cold water on her enthusiasm. “But some villages don’t get much at all. You know Xiaowangzhuang? Qingqing’s dad catered there once; that village only got about 100,000 in total.”
While an average worker only earned 100 yuan a month, 100,000 yuan was equivalent to 83 years of wages—a significant sum. But after moving, they would lose their land and housing; even getting a drink of water would cost money. With such high expenses, it was hard to say how long the money would last.
Song Lanfang began to worry. “How will we survive after the demolition? Lin Weisen isn’t like Qingqing’s dad, who can earn money as a village chef. We’ve been farmers for generations; we don’t have any other skills.”
As they fretted, Lin Qionghua didn’t join the conversation, choosing instead to talk to Qingqing. They had been close friends as children, but they had lost contact after Lin Qionghua left the village. Later, when she returned as an adult, she learned that Qingqing had been betrayed by her husband and her best friend, with the shameless husband stealing half of the demolition money her parents had left her.
Lin Qionghua believed Qingqing’s gullibility stemmed from her parents’ sheltered upbringing, which had left her like a flower in a greenhouse—completely unaware of the deceitful nature of the outside world.
Qingqing was currently showing off her new glass marbles. “Look at how big this is! Do you like it? If you do, I’ll give you one.”
Normal marbles were about 15mm, but this one was twice that size. Lin Qionghua had liked them as a child, but with an adult’s soul and a child’s body, she had no interest in them now. She shook her head. “It’s your own item, keep it safe—why give it away?!”
“My mom bought me three,” Qingqing said happily. “I’ll share one with you, and I’ll still have two.”
Lin Qionghua sighed at her generosity but reminded her, “Your mom spent money on this, and your dad doesn’t earn money easily. You should cherish your belongings more; don’t just give things away. Don’t be a pushover.”
Qingqing blinked, confused by the lecture. Nearby, Qingqing’s father heard the exchange and felt a growing appreciation for Lin Qionghua’s maturity. He turned to Lin Weisen: “If the demolition happens, I’m planning to buy land in Meihua Village. How about you?”
Lin Weisen hadn’t thought about it. The news was sudden, and surely they would be given time to prepare? “If you’re moving to Meihua Village, I’ll keep helping you with your catering jobs.”
Lin Weisen was tempted. Jobs were hard to find, and managing his three mu of land while helping Qingqing’s father was enough to support his family.
They waited for over three hours, stomachs growling, but no one wanted to leave. Lin Weimu and Lin Weilin also returned from town and joined the crowd. When they learned what was happening, Lin Weilin felt a sinking feeling. He had just transferred his land deed to his older brother, and now the demolition was actually happening?!
“That can’t be right? Don’t listen to rumors. We’ve heard about this for a decade, it’s probably just another false alarm,” Lin Weilin said, trying to convince himself. Nobody argued, as they were all equally uncertain.
Half an hour later, the meeting room doors opened. The village chief, looking drained and famished, didn’t hold back. “It’s true! The documents are here. Farmland will be compensated at 10,000 to 30,000 per mu depending on the type, and homesteads will be compensated at 800 per square meter for adobe houses and 1,100 for brick-tile houses.”
The villagers exploded into discussion. The village chief, too hungry to talk more, posted the demolition documents on the door. “Everyone gather at the threshing floor at 2:00 PM for a meeting. Meeting adjourned.”
Lin Weilin’s head was spinning. Looking at his brother’s beaming face, he felt terrible. Why did it have to be today? Even one day earlier would have made a difference!
Lin Weisen took his wife and child home to eat. For lunch, they had simple rice and vegetables. Lin Qionghua happily crunched on the scorched rice from the bottom of the pot. Song Lanfang, too anxious to eat, asked, “How much money do you think we’ll get?”
Lin Weisen calculated, “Our house area is about 300 square meters. At 800 per meter, that’s about 240,000.”
“We don’t have 300 square meters!” Song Lanfang argued. “You’re counting the courtyard, but land deeds don’t count the courtyard.”
Lin Weisen waved his hand. “They do! I heard when I was catering in Xiaowangzhuang that the homestead includes the yard, the vegetable patch in front and behind the house, and the well.”
Song Lanfang was delighted. With the homestead and the three mu of farmland, they would easily get over 300,000. It was a great deal.
They rushed back to the brigade headquarters, and Lin Weisen asked his daughter to copy down the contents of the document so he could study it. As she wrote, Lin Qionghua asked, “Dad, where will we live after the demolition?”
“Qingqing’s dad is moving to Meihua Village, so we’ll buy a plot of land there and build a house. Between farming and helping with catering, we’ll be fine.”
Meihua Village? That was her maternal grandparents’ village. In her past life, after her father died, her mother had taken her back to her parents’ home, only to be treated like dirt and cast out by her own blood—the very people her mother had supported with her own labor and money for years. They were vampires.
Still, she didn’t oppose the move. Meihua Village would be demolished in three years, so buying land there would be another investment opportunity. But she really wanted to live in the county town.
Lin Qionghua probed, “Dad, why don’t we buy a house in the county town?”
Lin Weisen patted her head. “If we spend all our money on a house in town, what will we eat? Work is hard to find in the city; many state-run factories have closed down.”
Lin Qionghua smiled. “Dad, you could do business! You’re great at helping with catering; selling food would be better than working for someone else.” She knew her father had an entrepreneur’s heart deep down, despite the tragedy his previous investment had caused.
Lin Weisen touched his chin, looking thoughtful. Song Lanfang hurried them along, but she couldn’t help but boast, “See? I didn’t marry wrong. You’re the one with the vision!”
Lin Weisen beamed, feeling like a genius. For years, people had mocked him for staying on his small patch of land instead of working in the city, calling him lazy and useless. Now, he had something to prove to them all.