Xu Zheng's efficiency was remarkable. Sand extraction operations began the very evening the equipment was installed.
The next day, two excavators were arranged to build a road, bringing stones from the eastern mountains for compaction to ensure large trucks could pass.
The commotion attracted the attention of the villagers of Yangli Village. Those who had already sold their land and received payment watched the spectacle, also checking if their land had been encroached upon.
Only Yang Dalin, hoe in hand, was weeding his paddy field. His land, bordering the machine-cultivated road for thirty meters, had not been sold to Xu Zheng. He was there to see if the excavators had damaged his crops.
"Stop, my land hasn't been sold, you can't dig any further."
An excavator, digging a trench along a lime line to determine the foundation, soon reached the edge of Yang Dalin's paddy field and was halted by him.
The excavator operator naturally dared not move further. Such matters were handled by the person in charge on site.
As soon as the excavator stopped, three or four young men rushed over.
"What's going on? Why did you stop?"
A young man in a white t-shirt and floral shorts questioned the excavator operator.
"This master says his land wasn't sold and won't let me dig," the excavator operator pointed at Yang Dalin.
The one in floral shorts sized up Yang Dalin. "Are you Master Yang Dalin?"
"I am."
"Master Yang, all the land along this line has been sold to us. We went to your house yesterday, and your wife said she'd wait for you to return. Since you're here today, it's perfect to finalize the paperwork."
"What paperwork? I haven't decided to sell my land."
"Master Yang, just state your conditions. As long as they aren't too unreasonable, we'll do our best to meet them."
Yang Dalin shook his head. "I have no conditions. I have no intention of selling this piece of land."
"We can offer you double the price, but you can't tell the other villagers."
The one in floral shorts patiently persuaded him. Without securing this piece of land, it would be a bottleneck, as there was a fish pond opposite, preventing expansion in that direction.
"I won't sell, no matter how much you offer. This is state land, and I dare not buy or sell it privately. I might end up in jail or fined, unless you have official documents from higher up."
Yang Dalin offered a flimsy excuse. Thirty meters long and three meters wide was only about a tenth of an acre, hardly grounds for imprisonment. However, he was Yang Jian's paternal uncle and felt obligated to protect his nephew's interests.
His wife, Guihua, earned more at the template factory than the three of them combined earned from reinforcing steel work outside.
Currently, the template factory and the trading company employed four to five hundred people, all eating together. The factory provided one meal a day, and Guihua was responsible for purchasing the ingredients. Only their family knew how much profit was involved.
Moreover, his son and he planned to return to contract part of the upcoming Yaochi Garden project. Given their family ties, it was a sure thing.
Therefore, offending his nephew for the sake of the meager income from this small plot of land would be foolish.
"Master Yang, are you deliberately making things difficult for us? Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Seeing that he was unyielding, the floral-shorts-clad man's expression changed. If persuasion failed, force would be used.
Yang Dalin, also known for his temper, retorted, "What, are you going to snatch my land?"
"Fine, you don't have to sell. Just don't come begging us later."
The floral-shorts-clad man said no more, directing the excavator to bypass this section and resume work. He dared not openly damage farmland, nor did he dare resort to violence against Yang Dalin at this time.
Yang Dalin knew these thugs liked to act unscrupulously, but he wasn't too worried. His son and he were rarely home, and while his wife Guihua managed the purchasing, she seldom went out; deliveries were made to their door. They were safe staying at the village and the factory.
Evidently, Yang Dalin had underestimated the thugs' methods.
Around eleven o'clock that night, Yang Dalin and his wife were awakened from their sleep by the sound of motorcycles, followed by the shattering of their window glass.
Bricks and beer bottles rained down on Yang Dalin's newly built house. The glass windows of all four two-story rooms were smashed, and bricks and bottles flew into the rooms.
Yang Dalin grabbed his hoe, intending to rush out, but Guihua held him back.
By the time the neighbors, alerted by the commotion, came out to investigate, the roar of the motorcycles had already faded outside the village.
The couple emerged and turned on the porch lights, their faces turning pale with anger. Not only were all the windows of their two-story house smashed, but the exterior walls, tiled with white ceramic, and the two large gates had been splashed with red paint, resembling bloodstains, which was chilling to behold.
This house was intended for their two sons to get married, with two rooms each. They had already found partners, and wedding banquets were scheduled for the latter half of the year.
"Guihua, who did this despicable deed?"
Liu Xingzhi also got up and came over to take a look.
Guihua, usually fiery, now had tears streaming down her face. "Sister-in-law, it's because we didn't sell our land to them. These beasts are retaliating at night."
"Alas, you've been implicated because of us. I'll have Yongli come tomorrow to replace all the glass and arrange for some people to clean the walls. It'll be fine."
"Sister-in-law, replacing the glass is easy, but what if they come again?"
Before Liu Xingzhi could reply, someone nearby shouted, "Call the police quickly! This is too lawless. If these people aren't arrested, they'll become even more arrogant."
Yang Dalin did not hesitate and immediately called the police.
The police arrived quite quickly, with two officers showing up about ten minutes later. They surveyed the scene, took some photos, asked a few questions, and then left, stating that such cases were difficult to solve without witnesses and that Yang Dalin should await news.
"Guihua, why don't you just sell the land to them? We can't afford to provoke these people, can we?"
Liu Xingzhi felt very apologetic. It was she who had urged Guihua not to sell the land, and now that this incident had occurred, it was her responsibility.
However, Yang Dalin was stubborn. "I refuse to sell! I don't believe there's no law. If those thugs dare to come to our door again, I'll chop a couple of them to death."
The neighbors also expressed their willingness to help if anyone else showed up, vowing not to bow to thugs.
Liu Xingzhi didn't say much more, only calling Jing Yongli to come and make repairs the next day.
The next morning, Jing Yongli arrived with Feng Wu. Seeing the scene, they were both furious and cursed profusely, but there was nothing they could do for the moment.
"Yongli, my men will arrive this afternoon. Tonight, I'll smash their sand extraction site. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll really think we're easy to bully."
Feng Wu, also having a background in the underworld, knew that only by retaliating in kind could the problem be solved.
Jing Yongli, usually a bit timid, was also enraged. "Let's do it. These bastards have gone too far. They're playing dirty, so we'll play dirty too. But be careful, they have many people. Make sure not to leave any evidence."
"Don't worry, I have experience doing this kind of thing. The money you give me won't be wasted."
While recruiting people in his hometown, Feng Wu also sent thirty thousand yuan to have them bring some firearms.
Jing Yongli, without consulting Yang Jian, tacitly approved Feng Wu's actions.