It was another remote village.
But this time it was different from the Great Northwest. Not only was there no desert or sky-high yellow earth, but there were also lush green flowers and trees, and clear blue waters.
It was a minority ethnic group along the Yangtze River.
The villagers lived in the primitive mountains with beautiful surroundings.
The path where they were laying power lines needed to utilize water power, so the road passed through their village.
The staff stayed at a hotel in a town about ten miles from the village.
Zhang Gong rented two commercial vehicles to pick them up every day.
That afternoon, Jiang Nan Fang arrived at the location and, without a moment's delay, went to the incident site with Zhang Gong.
Zhang Gong kept explaining the specific details to her along the way.
"Their village is very secluded. People rarely go out to study or work, and they can't even speak Mandarin well. They jabber and it's hard to understand."
"Moreover, the people here are very united. If one family has a problem, everyone helps."
"The family we've offended has no male head of household, only a mother. She had five sons and never remarried."
"The first four sons have left the village and have done some business. Their family has high prestige in the village and is difficult to deal with. You need to be mentally prepared."
Jiang Nan Fang thought to herself.
Since her four sons had left the village and done some business, they must have seen some of the world and should be able to communicate.
Rural land is not valuable. If they want to sell the land, they can just compensate me, what else can they do to make trouble?
Could it be that he wants to make trouble as if it were commercial land?
The facts proved that she was still too naive.
She didn't understand the true meaning of the saying "poor mountains and bad waters breed difficult people."
Before the car arrived, they saw a crowd of men and women dressed in bright colors standing in the middle of the road.
They looked like primitive people, shouting "awoo awoo."
Zhang Gong's face immediately turned pale.
"It's them. For a piece of land, the whole village came to guard it. They guard it here every day, and as soon as they see us, they shout. Isn't it creepy?"
Jiang Nan Fang thought to herself.
Perhaps this is their custom. It's fine to understand.
"If you're scared, don't go down. I'll go down first and take a look."
She got out of the car alone and approached the crowd.
Jiang Nan Fang smiled apologetically and took the initiative to shake hands with everyone.
A middle-aged woman with a dark complexion but attractive features stood at the front, looking at her.
She asked in a jabbering voice, "Who are you? What do you want to do today?"
Jiang Nan Fang couldn't understand her words, but her translation software could.
She had prepared it beforehand. She opened her phone and immediately understood the aunt's words.
She used the translation software to communicate with her.
"I am in charge of this project. My name is Jiang Nan Fang. I apologize for not knowing this was your land and for offending you."
"But we must use this place, so can we discuss the purchase?"
"You can name your price or exchange it for something else."
After the translation software had jabbered for a while, everyone understood her meaning.
They were no longer wary of her and began to size her up.
This place was not like Nancheng, which was chilly.
It felt like spring in April or May, with bright sunshine and pleasant weather.
Jiang Nan Fang wore a high ponytail, a light blue denim shirt, and a black short jacket.
She paired it with black casual pants and sneakers, looking simple and cool.
Her skin was fair and tender, and her features were delicate and lively.
Seeing such a beautiful girl for the first time, everyone was a little envious.
It was clear that the woman at the front was also envious.
She scrutinized Jiang Nan Fang again, then turned to a boy about half her height, also tanned dark, and whispered a few words to him.
The boy looked at Jiang Nan Fang again and nodded shyly.
With a "boom," everyone behind them laughed.
Jiang Nan Fang didn't know what they were laughing about, but the woman said nothing more. She patted the boy's arm.
She gestured to everyone and made a motion to go back. Then, without mentioning any compensation, the group inexplicably walked back into the village.
Watching their retreating figures, their bare feet treading on the prickly yellow earth.
Jiang Nan Fang thought to herself, primitive people are indeed the most simple.
Perhaps they didn't care about money at all, and all they wanted was an explanation.
As long as you show them enough respect, you see, the problem is easily solved.
She took her phone and returned to the car innocently.
Zhang Gong gave her a thumbs-up.
"You're amazing, Engineer Jiang. What did you say to them? You solved it in just a few words."
"I jabbered and gestured for a long time that day, and I was almost beaten. What did they say? How much do we have to compensate?"
Jiang Nan Fang said, "They didn't ask for a penny, and they left without saying anything."
"Perhaps you didn't explain it clearly that day. I brought a translation software."
Is that so? Then it must have been that I didn't explain it clearly.
In any case, she was still more capable.
Zhang Gong praised her again and then said.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip for such a small matter. You can go back now, and we'll continue working tomorrow."
"There shouldn't be any more problems to bother you with in the future."
It was her first time seeing such an ancient and charming town. Since she had returned early, Jiang Nan Fang, being bored, went for a stroll.
She treated everyone to dinner that night and went to bed early.
The next day, she was preparing to return to Nancheng.
However, before she could leave, Zhang Gong called again.
"What's going on? Engineer Jiang, they're back again."
"We brought the equipment and were just about to start working when that woman lay down on the ground and refused to get up. And her five sons came along today too."
"I'm really afraid there'll be a fight. Hurry up and come over."
Are they crazy? Yesterday, they didn't ask for anything themselves.
Jiang Nan Fang quickly called for a car and rushed over.
When she got there, a fight had already broken out.
Several workers were bleeding from their heads.
The woman who had spoken to her yesterday was lying on the ground.
Jiang Nan Fang took out her software and went up to negotiate.
A tall and strong man, who looked to be in his 30s, said to her.
"This is my mother, and I am her eldest son. Not only did your people occupy our land, but they also angered my mother to the point of illness."
"Now, I don't want anything. I just want you to send my mother to the hospital."
Are they being reasonable?
We also have many brothers who are bleeding from their heads. Can't you see that?
But since the matter had already happened, Jiang Nan Fang didn't want it to escalate.
"I can send your mother to the hospital, and I can also pay you for the land you occupied. Tell me how much you want? Let's settle it all at once."
"We'll discuss the money after my mother is discharged from the hospital. Please send my mother to the hospital now."
Jiang Nan Fang was truly exasperated.
If you say they don't care about money, they come to cause trouble every day.
If you say they care about money, they avoid it whenever you mention it.
It's so painful not to understand the local customs.
Jiang Nan Fang asked someone to send the woman and her five sons to the hospital. On the way, she instructed Zhang Gong.
"Find someone to investigate the local customs and deal with them accordingly. Otherwise, if they keep causing trouble like this, the project will be dragged down."