Me! A high-ranking official!

He shook his head dismissively: "Don't worry, he can't bear to part with it. The company's rent of 550 this time is already a very reasonable ceiling price. Go out and ask around, there are almost no higher rents in the whole county. In our village, if we grow an acre of corn and the weather is good, we only get about a thousand yuan a year. That's after deducting the cost of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, and we have to take care of the land in the sun all year round. Now that we've rented out the land, we don't have to do anything, and we're guaranteed a 550 yuan income regardless of drought or flood. Luo Junyi is shrewd; he's just testing my limits."

As Zhao Jianguo had predicted, things went exactly as he had expected.

Not long after Luo Junyi left, several villagers from the west strolled over one after another. Their words and methods were exactly the same as Luo Junyi's: either they complained about being poor or they claimed that the land was good. Their core demand was the same: to raise the rent.

He rejected all of them outright, his attitude resolute and leaving no room for negotiation.

Having worked at the grassroots level, he understood the mentality of these villagers all too well. When it came to matters that directly affected their interests, if he hesitated even slightly in his tone, or softened his tone by saying "I'll think about it," the other party would absolutely pounce on him like a cat smelling fish, relentlessly pestering him until the situation completely spiraled out of control.

Time quickly passed eight o'clock, and the village committee compound began to bustle with activity.

Village head Liu Zhijun arrived at work with his bag, while older women brought various cardboard boxes and plastic bottles to the environmental protection bank to exchange for points.

As soon as more people entered the courtyard, chaos ensued. Some people from the west continued to surround Zhao Jianguo and demand a higher rent, while others from the east rushed over, urgently stating that they would resolutely obey the village's arrangements and demand that the land on the east side be rented out first. The two groups started arguing back and forth in the courtyard for their own interests.

Zhao Jianguo was soon surrounded by a large group of people, and he had to raise his voice and explain the policy and analyze the advantages and disadvantages to them again and again until his lips were almost blistered.

However, when it comes to money, no one is willing to give up easily. A group of people surrounded him tightly, refusing to let go.

Just when he felt he was about to be overwhelmed, a car stopped in front of the village committee.

The car door opened, and several staff members from Hotan Medicinal Herbs Distribution Company stepped out carrying rolls of banners, registration forms, and roll-up banners. Leading them was Manager Wang, who was in charge of project coordination. They had come specifically to recruit workers on-site.

Manager Wang directed his subordinates to quickly set up a table at the other end of the courtyard and pull up a striking red banner with white lettering.

The sign clearly states that the Hotan Medicinal Herbs Base (Luojia Village) is directly recruiting long-term workers with a salary of 3000 yuan/month plus social insurance and housing fund contributions.

As soon as these few lines of large characters appeared, the entire courtyard fell into an eerie silence for a second.

Then—BOOM!

"Three thousand a month?! And they even pay for social insurance and housing fund?!"

"Good heavens, isn't that the same as a permanent office worker in the city?!"

You should know that in a remote mountain village like Luojia Village, being able to save 10,000 to 20,000 yuan a year is considered a well-off family. Earning 3,000 yuan a month, while still being able to work near home and take care of the elderly and children, is even more than the standard offered by many private companies in the county!

What is a fifty-yuan difference in rent? Compared to a monthly salary of three thousand yuan, it's nothing at all!

The crowd that had been surrounding Zhao Jianguo scattered in an instant. All the villagers, whether they met the requirements or not, rushed towards Manager Wang's recruitment table with their eyes gleaming, like fish smelling blood.

"Boss! Look at me! I've been farming for thirty years, I'm very nimble!"

"Don't push! Boss, I only graduated from junior high school, I can read the instructions, I want to sign up!"

Those villagers from the west who were arguing with Zhao Jianguo about raising rents just a moment ago were now shouting louder than anyone else, pushing and shoving forward as if they were afraid of falling behind and having their spots taken by someone else.

The scene instantly descended into chaos, the noise nearly lifting the roof off the village committee building.

Zhao Jianguo stood there, watching this dramatic reversal, and let out a long sigh. He rubbed his stiff cheeks, feeling both amused and exasperated. "Working at the grassroots level really is a case of one thing being the nemesis of another," he thought.

By the end of the day, Zhao Jianguo felt completely drained.

Although he had long anticipated that the unprecedented treatment of "a monthly salary of 3,000 plus five social insurances and one housing fund" would attract a flood of people seeking advice and trying to pull strings, he never expected the scene to become this crazy.

All day long, the village committee compound was constantly filled with people. He was surrounded by all sorts of people, his ears ringing. Some were seven or eight years older than the recruitment requirements, but they still grabbed his hand and begged him to "help them communicate with the company to get a spot." Others came over and made a scene, begging him to "acquire their small plots of land as well," even though their land was not in the planned requisition area to the west.

All sorts of bizarre questions and demands came flooding at him. He didn't even have time to drink water, let alone eat lunch. His stomach was already growling with hunger. In the end, after the hunger subsided, all that was left was a mouthful of bitterness and numbness.

However, although the day was chaotic and noisy, the recruitment process went very smoothly.

With such attractive compensation, applicants were highly motivated. The HR specialist at Hotan Medicinal Herbs Company was also efficient. After a rigorous screening and interview process, the company successfully recruited seventeen full-time workers who met all the requirements in one day.

Luojia Village has been hollowed out and has a serious aging population. The young and middle-aged labor force has long since left. The majority of those who remain in the village who can still do farm work and meet the employment requirements are middle-aged women who are exposed to the elements all year round. Women are women, and when it comes to farming and tending medicinal herbs, rural women are often more meticulous and hardworking than men. The company is very satisfied with this.

After persuading the last group of villagers who were still reluctant to leave and seeing off the company personnel, it was already completely dark.

He dragged his leaden legs back to the dormitory, and without even taking off his clothes, he collapsed onto the hard bed.

"Buzzing..."

He closed his eyes, his mind a jumble of thoughts, feeling as if countless elderly people's voices were swirling around him, making his head throb.

"Ganzi..." He said weakly with his eyes closed to Li Gan, who was washing his face with cold water beside him, "I have to go out tomorrow and not stay in this village. I feel like if I'm surrounded by them in this courtyard for another day, I'll be crippled on the spot."