Chapter 19

No one in the family spoke about the matter, and they all silently returned home to their respective tasks. However, they wouldn’t let Lin Nanye do anything, despite him joking that he wasn’t made of porcelain. Still, Lin’s mother scolded him.

—-

The next morning, Lin’s father, mother, and Lin Nanye booked tickets to the capital and would be away for several days, leaving the house in the hands of three people.

Lin Nanzhi remembered it was time for planting season. In the past, their family always planted around this time. When she stepped outside, she noticed that the fields opposite their house, which did not belong to them, were already being tilled—likely in preparation for planting.

Thinking of this, she decided to find the village chief. However, she made sure to bring along the fruits and two boxes of supplements her mother had bought.

After all, if you want someone’s help, you shouldn’t show up empty-handed!

The village chief’s house was next to hers, but the pigsties of both families blocked the direct path, requiring her to take a detour.

The village chief’s family was considered well-off in the village, owning three rows of earthen houses and even a water cellar. His son was quite capable and had built a red-brick house with white tile walls beside the main house—something that used to be the envy of the entire village.

At this moment, the village chief was reclining in a chair outside, sunbathing. He wasn’t very old, only about ten years older than Lin’s father. He wore a Zhongshan suit and a black leather hat, looking like a character straight out of a spy drama.

His face was somewhat stern, and his eyes sharp as he smoked a pipe.

Lin Nanzhi greeted him, “Fourth Grandpa.”

Most villagers shared the surname Lin, with only a few families having different surnames. There were also various family branches—the main lineage, to which Lin Nanzhi’s family belonged, and the side branches, like the village chief’s family.

“Oh, it’s Zhi Zhi. Are you out shopping? Why are you carrying so much stuff?”

Lin Nanzhi didn’t beat around the bush and directly stated her purpose. The village chief was visibly surprised.

“You want to buy land?”

“Yes. My parents said there’s not much money to be made outside, and they saw others making good profits from fruit orchards. So, they decided to start one themselves. They took a liking to the land across from our house.

But since my brother had school matters to attend to, my parents went to the capital, leaving me to handle it. However, as a child, I’m not in the best position to negotiate, so I came to you, Fourth Grandpa, since you’re the village chief—it’s more convenient this way.”

“A fruit orchard, huh? That’s not a bad idea. Alright, I’ll help you reach out. Did your father mention which land exactly?”

“Yes, all the land along the river, from the foot of the opposite mountain.”

Upon hearing this, the village chief sat up straight.

“That much?!”

He had expected them to buy maybe ten acres at most, but this was far beyond his expectations.

The land along the river, stretching around the entire opposite mountain, was about a hundred acres. While some of it was barren, most were dry fields. Could they really afford all of that?

He studied Lin Nanzhi, wondering just how wealthy the Lin family had become. They had already built such a big house, leased an entire mountain, and now they wanted to buy this much land.

All things considered, this would cost at least two million yuan.

Though curious, the village chief didn’t ask further. He simply agreed to handle the matter for her. Lin Nanzhi thanked him with a smile, chatted briefly, then politely declined his invitation to stay for lunch before heading home.

The village chief was efficient. Within two days, he had completed the negotiations.

Since Lin’s father was away, the contracts were signed under the village chief’s name, with the final registration to be completed when Lin’s father returned. To prevent any last-minute changes of heart, they only paid half of the total amount upfront—but even that was a hefty sum.

Lin Nanzhi also gave the village chief a red envelope, which he accepted with a satisfied grin.

Although they had acquired the land, there were no official land ownership certificates in this area—just a contract-like document proving ownership. Lin Nanzhi wasn’t too concerned. As long as the document was well-kept, it would serve as proof.

—-

In a few years, once the official green land certificates were issued, they could process the paperwork then.

With the proof of ownership in hand, she could start working on the land.

First, she planned to till the soil again, water it with spiritual spring water, and wait for her father to return before purchasing fruit tree saplings. Not only would they have an abundant supply of fruits at home, but they could also sell them for profit.

A few days later, Lin’s father and mother returned, but only Lin’s father came home. Lin’s mother stayed in the hospital with Lin Nanye.

When Lin’s father arrived, Lin Nanye immediately juiced some red fruits with a newly bought juicer, mixed in spiritual spring water, and instructed Lin’s father to tell their mother to give Lin Nanye one glass per day. He also prepared a stewed chicken in a thermal container.

Since Lin’s father couldn’t carry everything alone, Lin Nanxuan helped out. Meanwhile, Lin Nanxun had already started school, and Lin Nanzhi was set to enroll in three days. She planned to delay it as long as possible.

A few days later, Lin’s father returned to oversee the house construction. Lin Nanzhi informed him about the land purchase and left the rest to him.

Of the fifty million yuan she had received earlier, although Lin’s father claimed he was keeping it for her, he still gave her a bank card. Most of the money was stored in another bank account, with a small portion in Lin’s father’s account—so she wasn’t worried about him running out of funds.

Qingya High School was eight kilometers from home. Taking the bus daily wasn’t practical or safe, and the teachers required students to stay on campus for evening self-study. So, she continued living in the dormitory.

Upon arrival, she found that Class One had been merged, and students were reassigned to different classes.

She was placed in Class 2, where she had a few old elementary school classmates. However, she wasn’t interested in socializing. Her days were spent either attending class, writing novels, or studying first-year math.

Fortunately, Class 2 was full of studious students. Except for a few playful ones, most were deeply focused on their studies, leaving her undisturbed.

The school wasn’t large, so encounters were inevitable. She frequently ran into Wang Zi and Ma Shishi—especially since Ma Shishi was also in Class 2—but she simply ignored them.

Her life followed a routine: classes, meals, sleep. She could only return home on Fridays.

Lin’s father eventually received the official paperwork for the mountain lease. He hired excavators to till the barren land, flatten uneven areas, and shape it into terraces in preparation for planting fruit trees.

To prevent theft, they also built a fence around the orchard.

The house construction was mostly complete, and the village had started digging irrigation ditches. With enough manpower, it only took about ten days to finish.

Not only were the ditches widened, but cobblestones were also cemented along the edges and bottoms. The village was installing water pipes to connect to each household, planning to draw water in a few days.

To conserve water, they even extended the ditches a kilometer out to an abandoned area, where they dug a deep, small lake.

Of course, excavators did most of the work, and the villagers only needed to compact the soil and cement the cobblestones into place.

With two workgroups involved, progress was swift.

Although the expenses were significant, securing a reliable water supply meant saving their crops. Plus, villagers no longer had to manually fetch water.

Since the costs were evenly split, no single household had to pay too much.