Reborn in 1994, escaping from marriage and going sea fishing, I won!

Chapter 1261 Not a Single Point

Tang Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Dad, don't worry. I'll ask Meilan after dinner."

Mayor Tang sighed, "Xiaoyu, if you can buy the pearls the villagers have, you should come and buy them as soon as possible! Each household has taken out loans of hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan. If the pearls can't be sold, some people might really jump into the sea!"

Tang Xiaoyu nodded, "Okay, I'll ask later how to handle this situation! After all, we're on the same island, we'll run into each other all the time! What if we try to negotiate a lower price?"

Mayor Tang thought for a moment and said, "It's not necessary to drive down the price. I work at the grassroots level and I know best that the problem isn't scarcity but inequality. If your purchase price is different, even if you buy their pearls, these people will still feel uneasy."

Tang Xiaoyu frowned slightly. "But if we don't lower our prices, won't we lose face? They immediately broke their contracts with us after the buyers outside offered a slightly higher price! Now that other buyers aren't buying their pearls, they're crying and begging to sell their pearls to us! We're not a garbage dump!"

Mayor Tang shook his head and chuckled. Breaching a contract and breaking a promise comes at a price; otherwise, anyone would easily break a contract.

Even written agreements can be repudiated, let alone verbal agreements!

Mayor Tang smiled. "I understand your feelings, but of course we can't just let this slide. Don't these villagers have the buyers' deposits? Why don't we just let them return the deposits to you? That way, you'll have a way out, and then you can buy their pearls at the same price, and they won't have anything to say!"

Tang Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. After careful consideration, she gave her father a thumbs up and said, "Old ginger is spicier, Dad, your idea is really good!"

Mayor Tang said modestly, "This way you've gotten the money and feel better! They're willing to accept that you might be unhappy selling pearls at the same price, and they're even grateful that you're buying their pearls!"

After dinner, Tang Xiaoyu brought her child over to play with the Liu family's children.

She came not only to bring gifts for Zhang Xiufang, but also for Mi Xiaonan. The two pregnant women are now the apple of their family's eye.

The bird's nests that were delivered were all top-quality and good for your health.

"Little Fish, thank you." Zhang Xiufang expressed her gratitude.

Tang Xiaoyu chuckled, "Sister Xiufang, don't be so polite. This is a joyous occasion for you, of course I came to celebrate. How is Fujian doing?"

Zhang Xiufang replied, "I'm recovering very well and can now get out of bed and walk around. However, I injured my head and will need to rest for a few more months. Thank you for your concern."

"As soon as Ye Qiang arrived on the island, he went to the hospital and started bragging to Hu Jian," Tang Xiaoyu said with a smile. "No matter what problems you encounter, you can talk to me and Ye Qiang."

Ye Qiang and Hu Jian were comrades-in-arms, fought in the same trench, and had a life-or-death bond.

If money can solve the problem, Ye Qiang will pay for the classes himself. If money can't solve the problem, Ye Qiang will also find a way to solve it.

Zhang Xiufang was deeply moved. "Having so many good comrades-in-arms is Ye Qiang's greatest treasure in life. As for not having biological parents, he doesn't regret it so much."

Liu Meilan asked, "Sister Xiufang, now that the relationship is severed, but Hu Jian isn't their biological son, didn't you check?"

Zhang Xiufang scratched her head and said awkwardly, "I checked, but I haven't told Hu Jian about this yet. He needs to recover now. The matter of his adoptive parents hurt him a lot. If he finds out he's not their biological child, he'll definitely miss his biological parents. He needs to recuperate, so we'll talk about it after he recovers."

Tang Xiaoyu was a gossip; she loved hearing about these things. "So, have you found the person yet?"

Zhang Xiufang nodded. "The hospital has records. I've already found the names. Hu Jian's biological parents are Cui Wenfang and Lu Wenyi. They went to Southeast Asia in the 1970s because of their family background. I've specifically asked someone to investigate where they went in Southeast Asia. I'll tell Hu Jian once I've found out everything."

Liu Meilan agreed, "That's true. Telling Hu Jian now will only make him worry and overthink things, and won't solve the problem."

Zhang Xiufang smiled. "That makes sense. But as long as we keep investigating, we'll eventually find out whether they're alive or dead. Xiaoyu, many members of the Ye family went to Southeast Asia, and quite a few have considerable influence abroad. Could you help us find them?"

Tang Xiaoyu nodded, "Okay, I'll talk to Ye Qiang about this tonight, and he'll definitely help."

After discussing personal matters, Tang Xiaoyu began talking to Liu Meilan about the pearl acquisition, "Meilan, this is what my dad said... Do you think this is okay?"

Liu Meilan was taken aback. "Do we still need to collect the deposits from last year's buyers?"

"Yes!" Tang Xiaoyu nodded. "Although there's no law against doing this, we can't let others do whatever they want to us, or it'll be difficult to manage later!"

Liu Meilan stroked her chin, thought for a moment, and then said, "This money is reasonable, but not fair. How about this, not accepting it is indeed difficult to manage. This way, it will also help to control those who break contracts in the future. However, I will not take this money. Half of it will be deposited into the Little Bell Charity Fund, and the other half will be deposited into the Sifang Island Security Account to support the lives and education of the widowed and orphaned."

Tang Xiaoyu was taken aback. "Meilan, do you know how much money that is? It's probably tens of millions!"

Liu Meilan smiled and said, "I don't want any amount of money."

Tang Xiaoyu gave a thumbs up, "Meilan, you're amazing. That's what I admire most about you. Compared to those people who are never satisfied with making money, you can distinguish between what kind of money is worth making and what kind of money is not."

Zhang Xiufang praised, "After Meilan did this, her reputation improved even more. From now on, whenever a villager breaks a contract, they will be criticized."

Liu Meilan said modestly, "You flatter me. I was just following my heart."

When Tang Xiaoyu returned, she relayed Liu Meilan's words to Mayor Tang, which shocked the soon-to-retire grassroots cadre.

Mayor Tang sighed and said earnestly to Tang Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu, you must get along well with Meilan for the rest of your life! Even if your ideas conflict with Meilan's, and you two have disagreements, they should only be disagreements. Never quarrel with Meilan, and never part ways!"

Tang Xiaoyu wholeheartedly agreed, "I'm so lucky to have such wonderful parents like you and Mom in this life. Meeting such a good friend like Meilan is my source of confidence and blessing for the rest of my life."

Mayor Tang nodded, "That's right! If you follow the right person, your life will be good!"

Ye Qiang came in from outside with a smile, "Is Dad praising me?"

Tang Xiaoyu looked at her father and then smiled, "Yes, I was talking about you! Before marriage, I was loved by my parents, and after marriage, I am loved by my husband and his family. I'm living the good life!"

Ye Qiang grinned, revealing his white teeth. "But why did I hear you mention Meilan just now?"

Tang Xiaoyu smiled and said calmly, "Having a good friend like Meilan is a blessing for me! Isn't that right?"

Ye Qiang nodded repeatedly, "Of course! Even I benefited from it!"