Chapter 218

Lin Meng sneered inwardly as he looked at the ugly expressions of the villagers gathered before him.

When Li Dahai had oppressed the entire village, these people hadn’t dared to utter a single peep. Now that he was the village chief, they actually had the audacity to push their luck and walk all over him? In the end, it was simply because he wasn’t as ruthless as Li Dahai, which made them think he was a soft target!

"Listen to me, all of you!" Lin Meng suddenly raised his voice, his words exploding through the crowd like a thunderclap. "How I do things is none of your business! You have no right to dictate my actions!

"Where was all this enthusiasm when my family was struggling? Now that you hear there’s money to be made, you all come running! Do I owe you anything?"

Wang Wei stepped out from the crowd and loudly echoed his sentiments, "Mengzi is right! Where was this proactive attitude from you lot when Li Dahai was bullying people? Now that you’ve heard about making money, you’re practically tripping over each other to get involved!

"Even if Lin Meng can make money, that’s his own ability. What does that have to do with any of you?!"

The surrounding villagers’ expressions shifted rapidly, soon giving way to anger born of embarrassment.

"Lin Meng! You’re too heartless!"

"That’s right! You don’t deserve to be the village chief!"

The crowd grew agitated, and many of the grown men even clenched their fists.

Seeing this, Wang Wei quickly stepped in front of Lin Meng. "What do you think you’re doing? Are you going to hit him? I’m warning you, that’s against the law!"

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a cold female voice rang out from the back of the crowd. "What is all this commotion?"

Mu Qinghuan walked over briskly. Taking in the scene, she furrowed her brow. "Village Chief Lin, what’s going on here?"

Before Lin Meng could open his mouth, the villagers began complaining all at once.

"Secretary Mu, you’re here just in time! You have to stand up for us!"

"That’s right! You’re the one who said Lin Meng should lead us to make money. But not only is he unwilling, he doesn’t even take us seriously!"

"He’s only looking out for himself as village chief! He’s far too selfish!"

Hearing this, Mu Qinghuan’s expression grew somewhat grim. She hadn’t expected the villagers to react this strongly just because she had briefly mentioned the matter during the last meeting. If this continued, the situation would definitely get out of hand.

Taking a deep breath to stabilize their emotions first, she said, "Everyone, I didn’t think things through properly during the last meeting. Making money requires long-term planning. Please, calm down."

Upon hearing this, many immediately voiced their displeasure.

"Secretary Mu, you didn’t accept a bribe from Lin Meng, did you?" a shrill voice rang out.

"Exactly! That’s not what you said at the last meeting. There’s definitely something fishy going on here!"

Immediately, sounds of agreement rippled through the crowd.

Mu Qinghuan’s expression darkened further. For the first time, she truly witnessed what it meant to be utterly unreasonable.

"Shut up, all of you!" Lin Meng had completely lost his patience. He shouted coldly, his gaze sweeping over every greedy face present. "You want to make money? Then go make it yourselves if you have the ability! I, Lin Meng, owe you nothing!

"If anyone keeps running their mouth at my door, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Hearing this, the surrounding people were completely enraged.

"Lin Meng! What kind of attitude is that? We leased our land to you so you could make a profit. It’s one thing if you won’t bring us along, but to speak to us so harshly—how are you any different from an ungrateful wretch!"

"That’s right! If we hadn’t leased our land to you, how would you be making any money?!"

Lin Meng laughed out of sheer anger. "To help me make money? You did it to make money yourselves! The price I offered was much higher than what you’d make growing crops! So I don’t owe you a single dime!"

"Fine! Since you put it that way, my family is pulling our land!"

"Me too! I’ll refund your money, and you give me back my land!"

The surrounding villagers shouted one after another, trying to use this method to force Lin Meng to compromise. After all, in their eyes, Lin Meng had leased so much land because it was highly profitable. There was no way he would give it up easily.

"Fine by me!" Lin Meng had no intention of indulging them. With a sneer, he turned to Ji Liyang. "Go get all the lease contracts I signed! Whoever wants to withdraw their land today, I’ll refund them right here and now!"

Ji Liyang paused for a moment. Seeing Lin Meng’s resolute expression, she quickly jogged into the house to fetch the contracts.

The scene instantly fell quiet as the villagers exchanged uneasy glances. They hadn’t expected Lin Meng to take such a hardline stance, and for a moment, they were utterly stunned.

"Xiaomeng..." Li Wanrong tugged anxiously at Lin Meng’s sleeve.

Lin Meng patted his stepmother’s hand and murmured, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

Soon, Ji Liyang came running back with a stack of contracts and handed them all to Lin Meng.

Lin Meng took the stack and slapped them heavily against his palm. "Who wants to withdraw their land? Step forward right now! As long as you return my money, I’ll void the contract on the spot."

The villagers looked at one another, no one daring to be the first to step forward. They knew perfectly well that the leasing fees Lin Meng paid were astronomically high for Taohua Village. If they really withdrew their land, where else would they find such a lucrative deal?

"What’s wrong? Weren’t you all shouting happily just a moment ago?" Lin Meng asked, his face full of mockery.

"Stop pretending! You leased a few acres of land and suddenly think you’re some big boss. My family is withdrawing our land!"

Someone, thinking Lin Meng was just trying to scare them, walked straight up, pulled out his cash, and handed it over. Lin Meng didn’t waste his breath. He counted the money, then immediately handed the man his contract.

"Me too, I’m withdrawing!"

Following that, about a dozen more people went home to get their money and terminated their land lease contracts. As for the rest, they still lacked the courage to do so. After all, taking money out of their pockets once it was already in there was worse than killing them!

After finishing with the land disputes, Lin Meng spoke coldly, "Is there anyone else who wants to withdraw? If not, you can all leave. If anyone gathers at my door to cause trouble again, I won’t hold back!"

Seeing the situation, the surrounding people realized there was no advantage to be gained and had no choice but to turn and leave, unwillingly. Some muttered quiet curses under their breath as they walked away.

Lin Meng didn’t bother arguing with them for the time being. Sooner or later, they would regret their actions anyway.

Soon, the crowd gathered at the door completely dispersed.

Ji Liyang cursed indignantly, infuriated by the whole ordeal. "Back when Li Dabiao bullied them to such an extent, they leased their land to him for years without seeing a single penny. It was Mengzi who helped them resolve that!

"Now that they see Lin Meng making money, they try to take advantage of him, and when they fail, they take their land back. They have absolutely no humanity!"

Wang Wei echoed gloomily, "Just wait. Sooner or later, they’ll be begging Mengzi."

Lin Meng didn’t say anything. This incident hadn’t actually cost him anything; it just left a bad taste in his mouth.

Just then, Mu Qinghuan walked over, a trace of apology on her face. "Village Chief Lin, I’m sorry. I really was in the wrong regarding what happened at the last meeting."