Tang Jucheng could stand up and could even walk a couple steps with a cane. He had to stay home because he limped when he walked. There were still some problems with the nerves in his left leg.
Besides Jucheng, Tang Yin and Mrs. Tang were still present at the plaza, the former dumping grounds of the slums. This was a big day for them, after all.
A reconstruction program from the city cleaned up the trash and constructed a couple of landfills around the slums, removing the dump completely. The smell was unbearable during the summer, and now that it was no longer the case, people started visiting the area. The elderly exercised and played chess in the plaza, which also served as a playground for the children.
Today, the plaza was a place for business.
Between two large trees behind the plaza was a sign: "We welcome Qibing Real Estate to make changes to the slums!"
Zhao Qibing sat in the back of an Audi Q7 with Zhong Fabai acting as the driver. In the front passenger seat was Jin Gubang and sitting beside Qibing was an unknown middle-aged man whoâd appeared abruptly with Qibing.
Qibing didnât bother introducing him, and the man didnât bother speaking. Fabai and Gubang assumed that this must be Qibingâs bodyguard whoâd just arrived.
Tailing the Audi Q7 was a black van, and behind the wheel was a follower of Fabaiâs, an enforcer meant to deal with the stubborn residents of the slums.
The car was parked near the plaza, and the sign was right in Qibingâs line of sight. It was a pleasing sight, and he assumed that these people had been looking forward to moving out for a long time. As things stood, he decided that he should press on and lower the compensation prices.
"Master Bing, these people seem to be welcoming you!" Fabai said as he focused on planning his comeback.
"Hmph. Weâll see how welcoming they are when you give them the numbers." Master Bing was no idiot. He knew that these people would not be so welcoming the moment the prices were given.
"So what if they donât welcome us? The buildings are going down all the same. After all, itâs the first step to your reign in Songshan. We canât let these villagers ruin that!" Fabai said.
"Obviously theyâre not going to ruin anything, but itâd be a pain if they were unwilling." Qibing frowned as he looked at the crowd. "These people have clearly determined their prices with each other. Weâre not going to have a good time discussing with them."
"This depends on your determination, Master Bing!" Fabai smiled. "Iâm not completely aware as to why Cihua bro asked me here. I do have some methods, but I need a limit from you, Master Bing. How much trouble am I allowed to cause before it becomes a problem for you?"
"People like them. As long as they donât die, there wonât be a problem," Master Bing said evenly. In his eyes, the residents of the slums were a weak minority, akin to ants. They couldnât possibly cause any trouble thatâd affect him.
"Things will go smoothly with you here, Master Bing!" Fabai pounded his chest. "Master Bing, just sit back and watch! Iâm the best at dealing with scum like them. If all else fails, weâll just send our bulldozers in and ignore the lot. Come what may, they wonât be able to do anything."
"Mhm. As long as no one dies, anything goes!" Master Bing nodded. "But itâd be best if you set an example. Iâm worried I wonât be able to contain things if it goes to far, but some injuries or disabilities to one or two people here and there canât be helped, can it?"
"Understood!" Fabai nodded. "Master Bing, Iâll see if thereâs filth hiding among those villagers. Itâll be easy once I clear them out."
"Precisely. But Old Zhong, arenât you lacking a little manpower?" Qibing didnât think that Fabaiâs men were enough to deal with this many people gathered in the plaza. Naturally, he didnât fear any personal harm to himself. Heâd gotten a master from his fatherâs side because he didnât want anything happening to him. These couple hundred people werenât enough to make him worry about his safety, but the consequences would be rather troubling if his bodyguard were to attack them.
"Master Bing, these are just employees who came with us. Thereâre still bulldozers and other machines on the way," Fabai said as he looked at his watch. "It shouldnât be long."
"Good. Iâll leave it to you then." Qibing relaxed upon hearing that there were reinforcements.
"If anyone stands up to us, weâll just demolish his house. Thatâll demonstrate our strength. We donât want these people stepping on our faces." Fabai was planning on targeting Tang Yinâs house. Itâd be best if he caused a huge commotion and injured the girl. Lin Yi would have to intervene if that happened.
All he had to do then was push all responsibility onto Master Bing and let Lin Yi have a go at him! Although, thatâd be suicide for the boy.
Master Bing nodded and got out of the car. Along with Fabai, Gubang, and his bodyguard, the four arrived at a makeshift rostrum made from tables and seated themselves.
The residents quieted down, unblinking as they stared at the people on the stage. These were people in charge of deciding their fates, and their words were gold! This was of utmost importance.
"This is Chairman Zhao Qibing of our Qibing Real Estate company. The transformation project of the slums is under Chairman Zhaoâs authority, so any requests can be voiced as we discuss the relocation plans!" Fabai had taken Qibingâs words to heart. He had to set an example using one of the residents first, so he decided to wait for one of those bigmouths to stand up. Beating him up would result in silence from all the other residents.
Fabaiâs words took the residents by surprise. All previous companies always put their prices on the table right from the get-go with no intention of compromise, saying that there was nothing to discuss.
Could it be that this real estate company was one with morals? Had the slums finally been blessed?
The residents started thinking about their requests, but nobody stood up to voice them. After all, who knew if these people were telling the truth?
Fabai didnât rush them. "Discuss among yourselves. Once youâre done, send a representative to us. Weâll get something to eat first!"