Chapter 1305: In Cahoots
Lin Tian glanced at his father’s face and nodded his head, "This is what I promised to Shishi’s father."
"Hmm, the girl has already compromised to be with you, it’s only right. By the way, do the girl’s family agree to marry her to you? And wouldn’t Qingcheng’s parents object?"
Lin Hao, Yan Xinrou, and Liou Zhengming had been interacted with, although they are usually quite affable, people of their status would hardly tolerate a son-in-law who has three other women.
To be honest, Lin Tian wasn’t sure about this issue. Considering Yan Xinrou’s character, she might just pick up a knife and do away with my means of committing the crime.
Seeing his son’s hesitation, Lin Hao knew the boy was confused too, so he didn’t pursue the topic further.
Lin Tian shifted the topic and asked, "By the way, what are Mr. Lo and Ha Wenbing here for? From their look, it doesn’t seem like it’s anything good."
"Ah~"
Lin Hao let out a long sigh, the worry was written all over his face and couldn’t be shaken off.
"I’m telling you this, don’t you dare mention it to your mom." Lin Hao said, lowering his voice.
Seeing his dad being so mysterious, Lin Tian’s curiosity was fully piqued. He actually wanted to ask during dinner, but it wasn’t the right time then.
"Go ahead, I’ll keep it secret."
"A few years ago, He and I started a fruit garden together. At that time, the orchard was still a wasteland, and He and I cultivated it for a year. We planted cherries and hawthorns then. A few hawthorn trees lived, but the cherries didn’t yield much for several years, then we started planting tangerines, plums, and apricots. We made some money in recent years, but those trees often had some problems, and we faced quite a few hurdles."
Lin Tian knew about these things. He would go to the orchard to help during vacations, back then we couldn’t afford to hire workers, everything had to be done by our two families, like fertilizing, watering, harvesting, packing.
Lin Tian wanted his father to get to the point but restrained himself and continued to listen.
"The Chinese New Year before last, Uncle He of yours was on his way to Kanyue City to buy New Year’s goods, and had an accident, he’s gone now. So, the orchard was taken over by his son, Ha Wenbing. That boy is sharp, said our marketing approach is outdated, talked about opening an online store. At the time, I thought he was just talking, but who would have thought he’d sell quite well online over the past year and a half."
Lin Tian asked, "Isn’t that a good thing?"
"It’s a good thing, at the time I thought our tough days were over, discussed with your mom to treat the orchard workers to a meal. But who would have thought that Ha Wenbing would swallow all the money, it was a considerable sum! He pocketed the money, which left us suffering, with money needed for fertilizers, labor costs, and a bunch of other expenses, in the end, hardly any profit remained."
"Then I went to ask him to reason things out. Who would have thought he invited me to a table of drinks, talking about discussing it while drinking. Later he said the orchard needed to be turned into a share system, with him taking seventy percent and me thirty percent. I naturally didn’t agree to it, it was previously a fifty-fifty split, he had only been here for a year and a half, how could he take a seventy-thirty split?"
"When did this happen?"
"About May or June last year."
Lin Tian puzzled asked, "Why didn’t you tell me?"
Lin Hao said, "At that time you were busy with college entrance exams, wouldn’t this thing be distracting for you?"
"..." Lin Tian was speechless for a moment if he performed as usual at that time, he might at best go to a third-rate vocational school. With grades like that, was there really fear of distraction?
Without dwelling on this issue further, Lin Tian continued to ask, "What happened afterward?"
"Afterward, things fell apart, many people in town knew about it. That boy couldn’t stand being criticized, eventually still agreed to a fifty-fifty split, I initially thought things were settled. But then a few days ago, the situation changed again."
"When He and I were clearing the land initially, we didn’t go to the town to get proofs, only to face rent demands now, claiming policy dictates land clearing and planting should be charged, thirty bucks per acre per year. People with cleared lands in town all paid up. I don’t mind paying what is due, making up for the papers that are missing. But unexpectedly, that boy Ha paid all of it not only that but also rented land for ten years, signed all documents in installments."
Lin Tian looked puzzled at his father, "Doesn’t seem there’s anything wrong with that?"
"Don’t interrupt, keep listening till I finish." Lin Tian obediently shut his mouth.
"In the files Ha Wenbing signed, there was a shareholding contract, he being the legal person taking seventy percent shares, and me only thirty percent. Now tell me, isn’t that shameless?" The more Lin Hao talked, the more worked up he got, his face turning red from what the drink hadn’t accomplished.
Knowing his father’s nature, advocate of kindness to others, with a good reputation in town, rarely gets into arguments with people. But that doesn’t mean he’s easily bullied.
"He couldn’t have done all the paperwork alone, right? He still needs your signature, right? Besides, everyone in town knows about our orchard, did the Planning Bureau just hand over the paperwork to Ha Wenbing so easily?" Lin Tian said.
Lin Hao snorted heavily, nodded and said, "That’s what it is, I didn’t sign, so the contract is invalid. As for the bureau you mentioned, isn’t Mr. Lo the biggest official in our town? Didn’t you see him come here with that Wenbing today? Surely, they’re colluding together!"
"If faces are already torn, and relations are this tense, why did they come?" Lin Tian asked.
"What else could it be? To get me to sign, of course! Ha Wenbing even said if I didn’t sign, he’d take me to court. By then, the orchard would surely go to him."
Lin Tian coldly chuckled, "Talk about the guilty vigilant, Dad, we don’t fear him, if he’s going to court, we’ll let him come smugly and leave him stripped!"
"No way, involving the courts will inevitably cost a fortune, it’s not worth it."
"Leave this to me, it won’t cost much."
"I think he’s just bluffing, I bet he doesn’t dare file a lawsuit. Also, Mr. Lo invites me over for a secret feast at his place tonight, I should just skip it, they annoy me!"
Lin Tian thought otherwise, filled his dad’s teacup with tea, smiled and said, "Go, why not go? Afraid of them? I’ll go with you."
Just as Lin Hao was about to speak, Zhang Nianping returned home with four beautiful daughters-in-law.
Lin Hao promptly signaled Lin Tian to drop the subject, not to continue discussing it further. Lin Tian nodded gently.
Zhang Nianping seemed to have heard some of their conversation earlier, curiously asked, "Where are you two planning to go? What’s with the fear or not thing?"