Me! A high-ranking official!

He raised his hand to stop her: "Don't cry, let me finish what I have to say. One million is not a small amount for an ordinary family, but I called you out alone today because I want to think about the long-term future for you and your two children. Sister-in-law, you are an ordinary rural woman, and suddenly you have a huge sum of one million in your hands. Do you think you can hold onto this money peacefully?"

Xiaojuan was stunned and stared at him blankly.

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." He leaned forward, hitting the nail on the head: "Look at Old Du, who was making the biggest scene outside just now. You and your widowed mother, with this money, in less than three years, relatives will borrow money, invest, or even use the excuse of paying for your second son's funeral to devour this money. Who can you stop?"

Xiaojuan trembled violently. Zhao Jianguo's words struck her heart like a bolt of lightning. She suddenly remembered that since her husband's accident, although her eldest brother, Lao Du, was ostensibly helping to seek justice, he had been secretly grumbling about it. He had even let slip to relatives the night before last that since her second brother hadn't left behind a son, Lao Du's nephew would have to do the work of breaking the burial basin and carrying the memorial tablet on the day of the funeral.

In rural areas, whoever breaks a basin at a funeral is entitled to inherit the deceased's property and assets. Old Du wasn't helping at all; he clearly had his eye on the compensation money and her family's homestead all along!

Seeing Xiaojuan's face turn deathly pale, he knew he had awakened her, so he threw out his real bargaining chip.

"Sister-in-law, money is a one-time thing, but life is a long-term commitment. I've thought of a more reliable way out for you." He said slowly, "In addition to the one million yuan in legal compensation, I'll coordinate with the Municipal Investment Group to arrange for you to work in logistics or dormitory management after the ancient-style immersive experience project is completed. Although it won't be a formal position, you'll be a directly affiliated employee of the Municipal Investment Group. Most importantly, the Investment Group will pay your social insurance and housing fund contributions!"

Xiaojuan suddenly raised her head, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes. For a rural woman who toils in the fields year after year, a regular job with social insurance and housing fund contributions and a monthly salary is a secure job that she never dared to dream of.

Zhao Jianguo pressed his advantage: "With this job, you'll not only have a stable monthly income to support your two daughters' schooling, but you'll also have a pension when you're old. More importantly, you'll become an employee of the investment group, changing your social circle. If any relatives are envious of your compensation and try to force you to pay, you'll have the backing of a large state-owned enterprise in the county. Who would dare cause trouble in the state-owned enterprise's employee dormitory? This job will be the biggest protection for you and your children in your lifetime. Even if someone causes trouble, the state-owned enterprise's legal team is no joke; they'll definitely make them regret it!"

Xiaojuan was completely devastated by these words. She bit her lower lip, tears streaming down her face, and hesitantly asked, "Boss, such a large state-owned enterprise, would they really care about something like this?"

Zhao Jianguo laughed and said, "No way!"

Xiaojuan was stunned, looking at him with tears in her eyes and disbelief!

Zhao Jianguo continued with a smile, "However, you can include this as an additional condition to your compensation in the agreement. That way, it will be compliant and legal! Not only should you include this clause in the agreement, but you should also add a clause requiring the Investment Group to help you obtain a notarized certificate of inheritance rights before paying compensation. Then, write in the agreement that all compensation is for your legal heirs. That way, even if someone tries to seize the money, it won't be legally permissible!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaojuan immediately understood and said gratefully, "Boss, is it really possible to do this?"

"Of course, I've already consulted a lawyer!"

Xiaojuan had an idea after hearing this. She knew better than anyone that it was almost impossible to get more than three million yuan in compensation. They had consulted a lawyer, who quoted a price of about one million yuan. But the older brother, Lao Du, refused, saying that it was too cheap to sell his brother's life for one million yuan. He encouraged them to cause trouble. Xiaojuan knew that this older brother was definitely unreliable. Once the three million yuan came down, he would definitely be greedy and try every means to take it away. On the contrary, a one million yuan in compensation plus a job to make a living would be the real stabilizing force to raise their daughter and protect their family property.

Thinking of this, Xiaojuan, her eyes red, whispered, "Boss, I trust you. Just one million, I'll sign the agreement!"

Seeing that Xiaojuan had made up her mind, Zhao Jianguo nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I'll call the Industrial Investment Group right now and have them bring the agreement over immediately."

He paused, looking at Xiaojuan's slightly pale face, and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to discuss this with those people outside?"

Xiaojuan bit her lip, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination: "I'm not going to discuss it anymore. If I discuss it with them, this matter will never be settled in a lifetime. I've already made up my mind."

Zhao Jianguo said no more, turned around and walked to the window to call Deputy Director Guo Nanguo. On the phone, he briefly reported the results of the negotiation. Although an additional logistics job was added to the one million yuan compensation, as long as the incident could be quelled quickly and the ancient town project could resume smoothly, this price was nothing.

After listening to the conversation, Guo Nanguo breathed a sigh of relief and agreed without hesitation, saying he would immediately urge the legal department of the investment company to go to the site.

After waiting for about an hour, Old Du, who had been waiting outside without seeing anyone, finally couldn't sit still any longer. He pushed open the door to the small office, poked half his body in, and looked at the two of them suspiciously: "Why are you talking for so long? How's it going?"

Xiaojuan sat down in the chair, took a deep breath, and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Big brother, I've already agreed to them. It'll be one million, according to the legal standard. We'll sign the agreement in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Old Du's eyes widened instantly, veins throbbing on his forehead. He stormed in, pointing at Xiaojuan's nose and yelling, "You stupid old hag with long hair and short brains! What do you know! Someone just spouted a few words and you're completely fooled, aren't you? Your second son's life is only worth this little bit of money? Three million, not a penny less and this isn't over!"

Xiaojuan shrank back in fright at his fierce appearance, tears streaming down her face: "Brother, we've already consulted a lawyer, and they said the maximum sentence would be this amount. The matter has dragged on for so long, and the second son is still lying in the freezer and can't be buried. I don't want to go through any more trouble. We need to let him rest in peace as soon as possible."

"Bullshit!" Old Du roared, spitting all over Xiaojuan's face. "Don't try to use the funeral as a shield! I think you're just trying to grab the money and run! Our second son is still alive and kicking, and you're already scheming about dividing the money, trying to take it and run, aren't you? Let me tell you, he's a member of the Du family. Whether he signs or not isn't up to you, an outsider! Without three million, nobody's signing this today!"