Chapter 231: Talking Money

Wang He, you don't understand the power of capital.

Wang He was somewhat irritated upon hearing this. It was the second time today he had heard this phrase, and Zhou Ming's confident tone made him feel like a clown in a farcical performance.

Damn it! These bosses always like to put on airs, thinking they're superior and everyone else is inferior. Today, I'm going to see how you persuade the villagers of Shenglian.

Wang He thought angrily as he watched Zhou Ming's retreating figure.

Zhou Ming, of course, was unaware of Wang He's thoughts. Even if he were, he would merely smile faintly and pay no further attention.

Zhou Ming stepped to the center of the open space and addressed everyone: "From the introduction by Secretary Wang, I assume you all know me now. I'm the new owner of Factory 760. My name is Zhou Ming."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, someone immediately called out, "You're the one behind that so-called township industrial park project? You want us to go back to the commune era when we were impoverished and couldn't even afford enough food? Don't dream about it! Our village of Shenglian will never let you succeed! You black-hearted capitalist, get lost! Our village doesn't welcome you!"

Once the first person shouted, others quickly joined in, creating a chorus of boos.

Faced with these boos, Wang He slowly approached Zhou Ming and advised, "Mr. Zhou, maybe we should call it a day. It seems the villagers aren't welcoming you."

Zhou Ming glanced back at Wang He, noticing his smug expression, and replied, "Secretary Wang, don't worry. It will be fine."

Turning back to the villagers, Zhou Ming raised his hand to signal for silence and continued, "Please listen to me. I'm here today to tell you one thing: I'm here to help you make money!"

Another round of boos erupted. Clearly, everyone was dismissing Zhou Ming's words as a joke. They argued among themselves: "Mr. Zhou, your words are less credible than Secretary He's. You say you'll help us make money? I'd rather thank your ancestors! It's good enough if you don't swindle us. Making money? That's a lie! Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that!"

"Mr. Zhou, I advise you to stop being stubborn. Let's end today's meeting. Don't wait until you're really embarrassed. Our villagers won't care what kind of boss you are," Wang He said, with a hint of mockery.

Zhou Ming, however, was undeterred. He continued, "I know you don't believe me, and that's okay. I didn't expect you to believe me right away. Just trust that the money you receive is real."

"How can we believe the money we receive is real? Are you going to give us money?" someone asked immediately.

"Yes, I'm here to give you money!" Zhou Ming declared.

This left everyone stunned. They had thought it was a deliberate provocation, a joke to embarrass Zhou Ming, but now Zhou Ming was actually agreeing to it.

What's going on? Is he really going to give us money?

As everyone was stunned by this, Zhou Ming continued, "You already know that the township industrial park has been established at Factory 760. I won't make it too complicated. Simply put, I want to sign an agreement with you. I'll ask you to help me with farming. Once the crops are grown and meet the quality standards, I'll buy them all at prices higher than the national purchase prices. Isn't that just giving you money?"

"So, after all the twists and turns, you're still talking about your industrial park project. I thought you were actually going to give us money!"

Someone in the crowd responded, and others echoed: "This capitalist boss is just deceiving people. He keeps saying he wants to return us to the commune era. We should never believe him. Let him go away! Go away, go away!"

Seeing the villagers of Shenglian shouting in unison, He Qi, the town secretary, was genuinely worried. He approached Zhou Ming and said, "Mr. Zhou, maybe you should reconsider. These villagers are really hard to handle. You're a boss who's been specially looked after by county and municipal leaders. Don't make any mistakes!"

However, Zhou Ming paid no heed and continued, "Do you think I'm bluffing? Fine, today I'll sign the first production agreement right here. For villagers who have land and sign the agreement, I'll immediately pay half of the deposit on the spot!"

Zhou Ming then took out a contract, but this only momentarily surprised the villagers. They soon shouted again: "What agreement? It's just a scam! A scammer!"

Zhou Ming signaled to Su Han, who brought over a bag. Zhou Ming took out five hundred yuan and said, "I know you earn just over a thousand yuan a year from farming. Here's five hundred yuan. Anyone who signs the agreement will get this as an immediate deposit!"

The one-hundred-yuan notes had only been in circulation for a year. Seeing the five crisp bills in Zhou Ming's hand, everyone was taken aback, considering it was a significant amount of money.

But soon, someone reacted and yelled at Zhou Ming, "You capitalist, you think you can bribe us with this little money? We won't be deceived. Take your money and get back to your factory!"

Someone led the others in shouting: "Exactly, we won't be bribed!"

Seeing this, Zhou Ming calmly took out another five one-hundred-yuan bills and held them up high, saying, "Fine, I'm offering a thousand yuan as a deposit. This is just the deposit, extra for you. The rest will be paid according to the agreement. Who wants this thousand yuan?"

"Look at this capitalist's ugly face. He raised the price when he saw that the money wasn't enough to bribe us. We mustn't fall for this trick. Let's go back and ignore him."

Someone in the crowd shouted this and tried to lead others away, but it was clear that not everyone was eager to leave. After all, no one would refuse money, especially when it was more than they could earn in a year.

Faced with this situation, Zhou Ming decided to add more fuel to the fire. He took out more money and shouted, "Two thousand yuan! Anyone who signs the agreement will receive this immediately!"

Zhou Ming's words struck like a thunderbolt, making everyone gasp. They stared at the money in Zhou Ming's hand, instinctively swallowing.

"No one wants the money?" Zhou Ming continued, shaking the money to make it make a crisp sound.

"I… I'm willing to sign the agreement," a middle-aged man suddenly stepped forward and said to Zhou Ming.

This man immediately drew everyone's attention. As he stepped forward, someone scolded him: "Old Zhang, what are you doing? We agreed to resist the township industrial park together. Are you betraying our village?"

Some scolded, while others advised: "Yes, Old Zhang, don't trust that capitalist. He's just trying to lure you in. He won't give you money. Remember how we were bullied by Factory 760? You forgot that other bosses came here before and deceived us too? These rich people are all about deception. How can you believe him?"

"Uh…"

Old Zhang hesitated. Zhou Ming said to him, "You're Old Zhang, right? Whether you make money or not is your own business. You need to make your own decision."

Old Zhang clenched his fist and made up his mind, saying, "Fellow villagers, my family needs money for my child's education and for marriage. I really have no other option. I want to give it a try."

Old Zhang continued walking toward Zhou Ming. When the others saw Old Zhang really moving forward, they rushed to stop him: "Old Zhang, don't go. That capitalist is deceiving you, trying to sow discord in our village. Don't fall for it! If you go, we won't consider you a friend anymore. We'll scold you for the rest of your life. You'll lose both money and reputation. It's not worth it…"

"Everyone, be quiet! Let him make his own choice!" Zhou Ming shouted angrily.

His voice, like thunder, stunned everyone. They stared at Zhou Ming as Old Zhang stepped out of the crowd and approached him. Old Zhang said, "Mr. Zhou, right? I'm here to sign the agreement."

Zhou Ming appraised Old Zhang and gave him a thumbs up, saying, "Old Zhang, you're great!"

Old Zhang impatiently waved his hand, "Stop with the flattery. Are you planning to default on the payment?"

"Why would I default? I never default, especially not on honest farmers like you."

Zhou Ming handed the agreement to Old Zhang and said, "This is the production agreement between you and the factory. Take a look. If you can't read, you can have the old secretary from the town check it for you. If everything is in order, sign it or make a fingerprint. I'll give you the money immediately."

"No need to check. As long as Mr. Zhou gives the money, it's fine with me. Even if it means selling myself, I'm okay with it. We rural folks don't fuss over these things."

Old Zhang said as he made his fingerprint on the agreement. Zhou Ming took the agreement and set it aside, then led Old Zhang a few steps forward and handed him the money in front of everyone.

Old Zhang, possibly never having held so much money at once, hurriedly tried to return some to Zhou Ming, saying, "Mr. Zhou, I don't need so much. A thousand yuan is enough."

But Zhou Ming firmly held his hand down, saying, "Old Zhang, I said two thousand, so it's two thousand. Not a penny less. Take it!"

"Today, you might hesitate to take two thousand yuan because you've never had that much before, but is it too much? I can responsibly tell you that once the township industrial park is established and you work with me, not only two thousand, but even five thousand, ten thousand, or even twenty thousand yuan, you can all get!" Zhou Ming declared loudly.