Chapter 96 - 86: Respect Others’ Fates
Chapter 96: Chapter 86: Respect Others’ Fates
That mountain was a small-scale gold mining site 53 years ago. The last mining operation took place roughly 37 years ago, after which this small gold mine ceased large-scale work due to resource depletion.
This was a conjecture Jiang Miao formed by tracing back information based on the state of the blasted rock.
However, the owners of this gold mine never realized that what they were mining was actually just a small section of a much larger vein.
’Is it because Yuecheng has experienced multiple major earthquakes in its history, causing the geological strata here to fracture and shift?’
Looking at the three-dimensional cross-section of the strata and the deposition times of each layer, he quickly pieced together the original positions of these formations.
At a depth of eight hundred meters beneath his feet lay a gold vein that extended beyond the range of his appraisal panel. The section that had been identified alone contained over seventy tons of gold.
However, when he turned to look into the distance, he saw that the vein extended toward a vast stretch of flat land covered in either farmland or orchards. There was even a village lying directly in its path.
Jiang Miao gently shook his head.
A private enterprise like his could never develop it. At least, not at its current stage. Hailufeng Company wasn’t in a position to spearhead the excavation of such a large-scale gold mine.
He immediately dismissed the thought of investigating it further.
Just then, a young man opened the plantation’s large iron gate. Looking at the group, he asked, "Are you the people from Hailufeng Company?"
Zheng Siwen smiled and walked over. "Hello, I’m Zheng Siwen. Boss Mao referred us. This is our boss, Mr. Jiang Miao."
The young man looked toward Jiang Miao, a strained smile on his face. "Hello, I’m Shang Yingze. This farm is my grandfather’s. Please, follow me."
"Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you," Jiang Miao said as he followed him inside.
A simple concrete road had been built inside the farm, leading directly to a house at the foot of the mountain. The brick-frame building stood five stories tall, with two sizable sheet-metal sheds to one side.
As they walked, he looked at the pineapple field to the left of the road. Although many of the plants had borne fruit, the pineapples were very small, and many had already rotted.
To the right of the road were the one hundred twenty mu of mango trees. Their condition was just as grim: the mangoes hanging from the branches were sparse and undersized, and they hadn’t even been bagged for protection.
After a walk of ten-odd minutes, they arrived at the house at the foot of the mountain. Behind it, on the mountainside, were the more than fifty mu of durian trees.
Not far from the house were three large ponds, presumably for water storage.
Shang Yingze led them into the house.
"Grandpa, we have guests here to see the farm."
An old man with a poor complexion emerged from a back room and asked with a look of resignation, "So you’re the ones here to see the farm? Did Boss Mao send you?"
Jiang Miao smiled and nodded. "Yes, I’m the one looking to purchase the farm. Hello, sir. I’m Jiang Miao, from Hailufeng."
"Hello, Boss Jiang, please have a seat." With his grandson Shang Yingze’s help, the old man sat down on a nearby mahogany bench. He then turned his head toward his eldest grandson:
"Yingze, go make a pot of tea."
"Okay, Grandpa." Shang Yingze got up to boil water and make tea.
After sitting down, Jiang Miao glanced at the old man’s physical condition.
Through his appraisal panel, he saw that the old man’s health was indeed poor. He already had two stents, but the stenosis of his coronary arteries was still worsening.
Given the presence of atorvastatin in the man’s bloodstream, he was clearly on medication to lower his cholesterol. However, the fact that his coronary stenosis was still worsening could only mean one thing: his diet had not been adjusted or controlled.
This was the most troublesome kind of situation. After all, if a patient takes their medicine but doesn’t change their lifestyle, it’s impossible to eliminate the root cause of their hyperlipidemia.
From this, Jiang Miao didn’t even need to guess to know that the old man was an extremely stubborn and opinionated person in his daily life.
People like that tend to be bull-headed; they won’t change their ways until they’ve hit rock bottom.
Therefore, Jiang Miao abandoned the idea of trying to persuade him.
To let go of the urge to save everyone and instead respect their destiny is a form of self-awareness in itself. The impulse to help anyone you see struggling is a classic sign of a people-pleaser.
Most of the time, Jiang Miao helped others for his own benefit. He wasn’t the type to be kind without a reason.
Since he had already figured out the old man’s personality, he naturally wouldn’t steer the conversation toward health, lest the man fly into a rage out of embarrassment. Instead, he cut straight to the chase.
"Sir, I can accept your asking price. I just need to know if the farm’s land includes this building, the sheet-metal sheds, the ponds, and so on."
The old man hadn’t expected Jiang Miao to be so direct, so he too dropped any thought of beating around the bush and began to explain the farm’s situation. "The land this building is on was originally agricultural, but I have a good relationship with the village committee, so it was converted to a residential plot over a decade ago."
The old man paused, panting slightly. After a moment, he continued, "The land for the two sheet-metal sheds, however, was not converted. It can only be used for agricultural facilities. You can’t build any more houses on it."
Hearing this, Jiang Miao thought for a moment. "Can the deed for the residential plot be confirmed with the local village committee?"
"Yes." The old man could probably tell Jiang Miao was skeptical.
It was no wonder Jiang Miao was being so cautious. In many rural areas, the sale of residential plots often involves legally gray private transactions, making the market notoriously chaotic.