Chapter Seventy-Two: Resorting to Tactics

After Old Li closed the door, he finally got to the point.

"Zhao, this isn't the first time we've worked together. Last time during the disaster relief, I really ought to thank you personally. You have quite a few houses in Gaogang Village, and if you can persuade these elderly folks to move with you, I'll help you negotiate with the Relocation Office. You won't be treated unfairly," Old Li said.

Zhao Zejun smiled and replied, "Old Li, I appreciate your goodwill. Since you've spoken so frankly, I'll be honest with you too. I'm willing to move. However, some conditions might not be within your authority."

Old Li said, "You can tell me. I'll report to the leadership and try to negotiate. The sooner you move, the better it is for all of us."

Zhao Zejun pondered for a moment and said, "Old Li, you're straightforward, so I won't make things hard for you. I have just two requests. First, the compensation terms for the elderly living in my homes must be the same as mine. They're not fools; they trust me because I genuinely help them. If I were simply using them, they wouldn't follow my lead."

Old Li asked, "How many households living with you need equal terms?"

"Thirteen households, twenty-two people in total," Zhao Zejun added, "Furthermore, all of them are elderly without children. Even if their compensation terms are a bit more generous, you have plenty of justification—after all, the government is especially considerate of the solitary elderly. You could even present this as a model project for the Relocation Office to promote."

Old Li nodded, "Alright, I'll report this. Personally, I don't think it should be a problem. What's your second request?"

"The second is simple as well. Based on the current compensation, I demand to relocate back to the original site," Zhao Zejun said, enunciating each word.

Gaogang Village was within the first ring of Yijiang City. After demolition, the original location was to be developed into a high-end residential complex; the designated relocation housing was outside the second ring.

What Zhao Zejun meant by 'relocating back to the original site' was not moving to the relocation area outside the second ring, but receiving an apartment in the high-end complex built on the original site.

"That's impossible!" Old Li jumped up immediately, waving his hands in refusal. His tone was firm: "There's no need to report this to the leadership; I can give you a direct answer right now—absolutely impossible!"

"Then there's nothing more to discuss," Zhao Zejun leaned back in his chair and spread his hands.

Old Li frowned and tried to persuade him, "Zhao, don't be foolish. We're friends, so I'll be candid. Why is Baoye Company willing to pay so much for demolition? It's all about the prime location—once the high-end complex is built, it'll fetch a good price. If you insist on relocating back to the original site, you're asking Baoye to do a losing business! Let me make it clear: neither the Relocation Office, Baoye Company, nor the city government will agree to your condition. Anything else is negotiable, but relocating back to the original site is absolutely out of the question."

Zhao Zejun was unruffled; he had anticipated Old Li's reaction.

Because the bottom line for this round of compensation was no relocation to the original site.

The high-end complex built on Gaogang Village's original land had an opening price of five thousand per square meter in 2005, which only soared higher afterwards. It was one of the most exclusive residential complexes in Yijiang at the time.

In his previous life, not a single household from Gaogang Village relocated back to the original site. The villagers were famously poor, uneducated, and lacking in refinement. Anyone who could afford a five-thousand-per-square-meter apartment in 2005 would never want to live alongside farmers, laid-off workers, and unemployed drifters.

If even one household relocated back to the original site, the so-called high-end complex would be utterly ruined. One could trigger demands from a hundred or a thousand more. Besides, there was no policy from above to support this; the Relocation Office didn’t even have the authority to allocate a unit in the high-end complex.

In his previous life, the final tragedy in Gaogang Village occurred because they insisted on relocating back to the original site.

"Think it over!" Old Li squinted at Zhao Zejun, "I already said—anything but this, we can negotiate!"

But Zhao Zejun replied, "Old Li, I'm not making things hard for you. Just take my request to the leadership; maybe they'll agree."

"You have no other demands? You must have relocation to the original site?" Old Li said irritably.

"No, just this one," Zhao Zejun replied.

"Why are you so stubborn!" Old Li grumbled.

...

The negotiation eventually ended without resolution. Zhao Zejun insisted on relocating to the original site, and no amount of persuasion from Old Li could sway him.

Back at the Relocation Office, Old Li went to see Director Qian.

After hearing Old Li's report, Director Qian immediately agreed to the first request. But when it came to the second, his face darkened, "Relocation to the original site is absolutely impossible, Old Li. You know Baoye's bottom line. This isn't even up for discussion."

"So what do we do?" Old Li said. "This guy owns a lot of property and has considerable influence in the village. Many people are waiting to see what he'll do. If he moves, he'll mobilize a lot of others. But if he digs in and becomes a holdout, we'll have a big problem."

"Old Li, do I really need to spell it out?" Director Qian's expression was cold as he slammed the table. "Use force!"

"Director, what exactly do you mean?" Old Li asked nervously.

After all, he wasn’t part of Baoye. Once the demolition was over, he'd return to work at a government office. If the process got ugly, Baoye would profit, but those businessmen could just walk away, leaving him, Old Li, to take the blame.

Director Qian’s eyes flashed. "Isn't he a student? And you can't handle him? Go to his school—get him expelled, mark him down, push him out!"

"Director, he's already finished his college entrance exams; the school has no hold over him."

"What about his parents? Talk to them!"

"I've tried, but his parents aren't in Yijiang. They went back to their hometown before the demolition started." Old Li thought to himself, these little tricks hardly need your instruction.

Director Qian said sharply, "Then talk to their workplaces. If they refuse to move, fire them all!"

"Director, his mother is already laid off, and his father's school pays less than a thousand a month—he makes more tutoring on the side. That probably won't scare him either."

"What about other relatives?"

"His father's family is all in the provincial capital, his mother's family is in Shanghai..." Old Li muttered.

Director Qian glowered, "Who is this guy anyway? I refuse to believe he's completely untouchable! Get some people..."

This time, Old Li mustered the courage to cut Director Qian off, saying, "Director, he's indeed tough to handle. He has a construction company under his name. I checked—the boss is well-known in the local circles. Trying to intimidate him probably won't work."

"Who said anything about intimidation!"

Director Qian waved his hand forcefully. "Get some men, drag him out of his house in the middle of the night, and forcibly demolish it! Worst case, after it's done, I'll apologize to him personally, admit to a mistake, and pay him a few tens of thousands to settle it! Once his house is gone, let's see if he still insists on relocating back to the original site!"

"Director, that might not work either," Old Li was nearly exasperated, but pressed on, "You saw it yourself the other day—so many elderly people living in his houses. Dragging them all out? One or two is manageable, but so many, if it gets messy, it’ll be hard to control."

"Old Li, are you performing comedy with me? I say something, you counter it!"

"Director, that's the reality. Before the demolition started, I specifically investigated Gaogang Village. This Zhao Zejun is indeed the most troublesome. And I haven't even mentioned the rest—not only do those elderly folks listen to him, but his reputation in the whole village is excellent. If he stands up and leads the holdouts, mark my words, Gaogang Village will be up in arms."

Director Qian's face darkened, and he lowered his voice, "If all else fails, get permission and arrest him first!"

"Director, arresting people right as the demolition begins isn't a good look. Director Feng's opinion is, unless it's absolutely necessary, we shouldn't resort to that. We have to consider the city's reputation."

Director Qian paced back and forth, hands behind his back, "This is absurd. Where did this Zhao come from? Untouchable, immune—it's as if everything was prepared in advance to oppose the demolition!"

Old Li could only suggest, "Director, maybe we should try conventional methods first—cut off water and electricity."

"Fine, do that. Let's see how long he holds out in thirty-plus degree heat, without water or power."