Chapter 39: The Gift Phone

After dinner, the two girls quickly washed up. Ethan didn't stand on ceremony with Fred. He handed him a cigarette and asked, "Uncle, you've retired with honor. How did you manage my matters?"

Fred chuckled, pulling out a stack of documents from his old briefcase. "Here. Whether it's the town or the county, I've taken care of it. When they heard you were building roads and bridges, they approved it right away. Oh, and not only did they approve the two houses in the west but they also approved the two houses of those families in the east as well."

"What?" Ethan's eyes widened. "That's amazing! The two east houses add up to more than twenty thousand square meters. But… isn't there still a house there?"

"You can just tear that down. Those two families moved their accounts away a year ago. How's that for efficiency?" Fred grinned.

Ethan almost beamed from ear to ear. "Uncle, you really came through for me. I'll give you two bottles of good wine later."

Fred waved his hand. "I'm not greedy. Just give me the bottles now so I can enjoy them."

"Haha, of course, the wine tastes good! One bottle costs more than two thousand. Do you think it wouldn't?" Suzie chimed in with a playful smile.

Fred choked on his drink. "What?! That means I drank a thousand yuan just now?! This…" His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Expensive wine is meant to be enjoyed." Ethan patted Fred's back, laughing. "Come, everyone, sit down. Since we're all here, let's talk about the village's development."

"Wait a minute," Natalie said, raising her hand like a diligent student. "Since we're discussing village affairs, I'll call Accountant Walter over to introduce him to Secretary Suzie."

"Good idea." Ethan nodded.

Natalie took out her phone and dialed. Ethan noticed the phone was old and battered, its paint chipping away. He silently cursed himself for forgetting something important.

Slipping outside, Ethan opened his car door, pretended to rummage around, and pulled out the brand-new phone he had bought earlier. Returning inside, he handed the sleek pink box to Natalie. "Natalie, I got a new phone when I went to the city. This one looked nice, so I picked one up for you too."

"F-For me?" Natalie's slim body stiffened, her face turning crimson. She whispered a shy, "Thank you," taking the box with both hands. She carefully opened it, her fingers trembling with excitement. Under everyone's gaze, she quickly swapped her old SIM card into the new device.

"No need to thank me. We're old classmates — it's no big deal." Ethan smiled. "Oh, by the way, let's exchange numbers."

The group shared their contacts, the mood light and cheerful. Soon, Walter arrived, jogging into the room. He greeted Suzie Cromwel with a polite nod. "You must be Secretary Suzie. I'm Walter Yang, the village accountant. Ethan's cousin."

Suzie stood to shake his hand. As they exchanged greetings, Fred shot Ethan a knowing look. Ethan sighed inwardly. Sure enough, Fred was implying that Walter's connection to Ethan would keep his job secure.

"Alright," Ethan said, clapping his hands. "Since everyone's here, let's get down to business." He held up the documents Fred had given him. "First off, thanks to Fred, the two houses in the east and west are officially mine now. Any objections?"

The group nodded in agreement.

"Great. Now, about the old society land — I want to use it to build a warehouse for my friend's company. How did the discussion go?"

Fred scratched his head. "We talked about it yesterday. Based on the land size, we decided on a rent of five hundred thousand for the first year. After that, it'll increase by fifty percent each year. Suzie agreed on the way here."

"Five hundred thousand?" Ethan frowned, tapping his fingers on the table.

Suzie hesitated. "Is… is that too high? We can negotiate if you want."

Fred nodded. "Yeah, this is just our initial offer. You can bargain."

Ethan shook his head. "No, you misunderstand me." He took a deep breath. "Let's make it two million for the first year, with a ten percent increase annually."

The room fell silent. Then, everyone erupted into coughs. Fred, who had been sipping tea, nearly choked, tears streaming down his face.

"Cough! Two million? Are you out of your mind? The rent goes to the village, not just Natalie. If you spoil her like this, she won't get a dime!" Fred sputtered.

Natalie's face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

Ethan chuckled. "Listen, you're only surprised because you don't know my plans yet. Once you see what I've got in store for the village, you'll realize I'm not overpaying — this is fair."

The group exchanged glances before nodding. Walter quickly drafted the contract, splitting it into three copies. Suzie, Natalie, and Walter signed, stamping them with the village seal, while Ethan added his name. Fred signed as a witness.

When Suzie asked for payment, Ethan casually handed over a card. She scanned it with her phone. Two million yuan. The screen didn't lie. She handed the card to Walter, a stunned look on her face.

As the night wore on, the group discussed future plans, their excitement growing with every idea. The village's transformation had begun — and Ethan Yang was at the heart of it all.