The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 272 - 262: Urban Village

Chapter 272: Chapter 262: Urban Village

First, the two of them took a walk around the village and found that it was fully occupied, with very few vacant houses, leaving them somewhat disappointed.

Nevertheless, Lu Jingqiu dragged her along to ask the village team.

The village committee was in a small courtyard, quiet and serene, fortunately, the gate was open, and as they entered, a man in his forties came out, looking like a village cadre.

Before they could speak, the village cadre frowned upon seeing two strangers and was the first to ask, "Who are you looking for?"

Xue Jianian quickly replied with a smile, "Hello, we were hoping to speak with some officials here to inquire about a few matters."

Tapping the smoking pipe at his waist, the village head said, "I am the village head, what do you need?"

Finding the village head by sheer coincidence upon entry, they both were delighted and said hastily, "Village head, we are workers from the neighboring textile factory, and we were wondering if there’s any unused property here, whether for rent or for sale."

Realizing what they wanted, the village head responded, "Oh, you’re here to look at houses, huh? Just so happens that recently there’s been quite a few from your factory coming to rent houses in our village, but there are people in every household, and there aren’t that many houses for rent."

Hearing this, Lu Jingqiu felt disappointed and said, "Village head, are there really no houses available here? We aren’t picky at all."

The village head laughed and replied, "You say you aren’t picky, but just a few days ago, some from your factory came looking and said the same thing. But after looking at one of the houses that was a bit rundown, they just kept shaking their heads."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jianian exchanged a glance with Lu Jingqiu, feeling a surge of excitement, and hurriedly asked, "What house? We really aren’t fussy. If the house is run-down, we can always rebuild."

The village head, as if he had heard something extraordinary, said, "It’s not so easy to build a house. We do have a place here that was previously an old meeting hall. It’s a large space. If you want to buy it, it’s not impossible, but the price is steep."

"The old meeting hall?" They had indeed seen a row of dilapidated houses with collapsing roofs when they walked around the perimeter earlier. Surely the village head wasn’t talking about that place?

After some thought, Xue Jianian asked the village head to take them there to have a look, and it turned out to be that very place.

This area was on the outskirts of the village; standing in the yard, one could see the gate of the textile factory. There were five or six rooms in a row, the ceilings were high, the interiors lacked dividers, were very spacious, and there was even a stage.

Once there, the village head pointed out the area and explained, "Previously, when we were focusing on production, many activities and large meetings were held here. Later on, it was used to store farming tools and then fell out of use. Suffering from years of neglect, the roof was even destroyed by a storm. The village wanted to renovate it but lacked public funds. After we got a new location for the village committee, this place was left unused. Several families have wanted to buy it but didn’t have enough money."

Xue Jianian asked, "Village head, how much are you selling this place for?"

The village head answered, "Fifteen hundred yuan."

"One thousand five?" Xue Jianian said, "That seems a bit steep, this is a suburban area, not the city center, Uncle Village Head."

"I know this is the village. If this place were in the city, it wouldn’t sell for less than seven or eight thousand yuan, right? We only quote fair prices in our village.

Moreover, we intend to use these fifteen hundred yuan to build a school for the children in our village, not far behind this site.

Over the years, our village children have had to commute to the neighboring village to go to school, walking a long distance of about five or six li. Some children have dropped out because it’s too far.

We’re hoping to use this money to build a school for them."

Surprised, Lu Jingqiu said, "Uncle Village Head, this old meeting hall seems fine. With a little repair, it could serve as a school, couldn’t it? Why do you need to build a new one?"

The village head didn’t conceal the truth and continued, "There is an esteemed elder in our village, someone with influence. He used to be an official in the city, and his younger relatives are all doing quite well. Before the old man passed, he instructed his descendants to donate the family’s old house to the village. His old house is quite large and well-suited for a school. We want to build a school for the children but lack sufficient funds; it wouldn’t be right to sell the property that someone donated. So, the only option is to sell this place and use another for the school. The city has also allocated some funds for this cause."

"Oh, I see."

Since the village head said the money was for building a school for the children, it didn’t feel right for them to haggle over the price.

Xue Jianian said he needed to think about it and left the village with Lu Jingqiu.

Past the village and a kilometer through the wheat fields, there was a large crossroad. On one side, there was a housing complex said to be for the employees of a shoe factory. It comprised five buildings in total, two tube-shaped buildings and three newly constructed single courtyard houses, as well as a row of small residential houses.

The two of them inquired at the entrance and found out that one of the houses in the front row was for rent—a bedroom with an adjoining kitchen. The tap water was communal, which was conveniently not far from the house, lined with a row of water pipes. The bathroom was also shared, with the public toilet located at the back of the complex, some distance from this row of houses.

Xue Jianian was quite satisfied with the place, except that the toilet was far away. Her grandparents were getting on in years, and the thought of them having to make such a long trip to use the restroom every day worried her, especially on rainy days.

At a loss for what to do, she said, "Jingqiu, which of these two places do you think is more suitable? That auntie said that there have been quite a few people from the textile factory looking for houses recently. I need to hurry and rent a place for Grandpa Xue and Grandma Xue."

Lu Jingqiu didn’t answer the question immediately but asked, "Do you care about the money?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you have some savings, I suggest you go for the one in the village. Buy it outright and tear it down to rebuild."

Xue Jianian looked at Lu Jingqiu with incomprehension in her eyes and kept silent, waiting for her to continue.

"This area near the shoe factory is quite clean, and the houses aren’t bad, but as you said, the toilet is too far. Grandpa Xue and Grandma Xue are old, and it would be very inconvenient for them to live here. Since you’re not by their side, what would you do if something happens in between?

The property in the village may seem expensive right now and not worth it, but the place is genuinely spacious. Tear it down and rebuild, and there will be more than enough room for three interconnected courtyards."

"Ah, build three courtyards?"

"One courtyard with three rooms, a bit smaller, will be enough for your grandparents to live in. The other two courtyards can be completely rented out."

"Rented out? Who would want to rent a house in the village?"

"You’re forgetting about the textile factory nearby. Some families are actually in need of housing. Of course, building houses is not cheap, and it’s uncertain how many years it would take to get your investment back.

But, if you consider the long term... Niannian, have you ever thought about the future development here?"

"Development? This is the suburbs, what kind of development can it have?"

"Have you ever considered why the government approved the construction of a textile factory here?"

Xue Jianian shook his head.

"The government has plans for the city too. Believe it or not, if the textile factory is established here, and if later other factories need space to develop and apply for land, the government is likely to allocate it here. Plus, new investors wanting to set roots here and build factories will also be directed by the government to suitable sites.

Another thing is, with the city’s growing population, the government is also looking for ways to solve housing problems. Some factories in the city center impede urban planning and development, so they might be moved further out."

Xue Jianian said, "You mean, this area could potentially be a planned industrial zone by the government?"

Lu Jingqiu said, "It’s possible. If there are more factories here, do you think this village will remain just a village? The land here could become very valuable."

Xue Jianian understood and said with a smile, "Jingqiu, I trust what you’re saying. If it really turns out as you’ve described, then this village will become a sought-after spot in the area."

Lu Jingqiu said, "If there are all big factories around here and it develops well, the government will also find ways to plan the villages around here. It might even involve demolishing and rebuilding them into apartment buildings."

Xue Jianian, being so smart, understood all of this immediately and said decisively, "Let’s go, Jingqiu. We’ll go straight to the village and sell that big auditorium."

"You... won’t go back and discuss it with Grandpa Xue and Wei Jincheng first?"

"Discuss what? It’s my money; I make the decisions. Let’s sell it quickly and see if the village chief can find some people to help me tear down the house. I need to get a small courtyard built for Grandpa right away."