Great, we're doomed now!

Whether in the East or West, the elderly are always divided into two camps: one is conservative, stubborn, and cautious; the other is fond of new things, trend-following, and playful, sometimes even to the point of making their children and grandchildren feel embarrassed.

The four sat down in front of the stall, while Xiao Hei sat a little further away, squatting on the ground, as quiet as a stone lion statue. Because of its fur color, it was hard to recognize it without careful observation.

"Uncle, are you still doing business?"

"Hmm? Oh, what a cute little guest~"

The boss looked up, revealing a middle-aged face that looked perfect for a suspense film. He chuckled at Qianhua as if he hadn't noticed Xiao Hei.

“My noodle stall rarely gets any young customers. You are the first customers tonight, so of course I’ll do business with you.”

Look! The moon has just risen, and it's still a full moon!

"Then I'll have a large bowl of buckwheat noodles!"

Chika generously declared, "It's my treat today!"

Everyone ordered food. This trip could be considered a rural tour, and they didn't usually have the chance to visit these roadside stalls. The girls, who came from big cities, were quite excited and started chatting while waiting for their food.

Seeing that Zi was practically a host, she was naturally bombarded with questions, but since she herself only came to visit her elders during holidays, she quickly became embarrassed.

"Haha, you've stumped this little girl. She clearly doesn't know anything about this town."

The stall owner turned around, wiping his hands as he chuckled, "But you can ask me, I know everything that happens on this land."

"Has this uncle been setting up his stall here for a long time?"

"Well, how should I put it? It's been so long that I've lost count of how many years it's been~"

The stall owner sighed with melancholy and reminiscence: "Back then, this town didn't have streetlights, and the village was pitch black at night..."

"How do you do business, uncle?" Qianhua asked curiously.

"There are lanterns, little girl." The owner stirred the noodle soup with long chopsticks. "Lanterns, stars, campfires—I used to walk along the pond, and the light on the water seemed to flow!"

"It sounds so beautiful~" Chika exclaimed, captivated. "Where is the pond? I want to see it too."

"The pond...sigh, it's gone!"

The boss was a little angry. He arranged the large bowls that had been covered up one by one, making a thumping sound, and then skillfully scooped up the noodles and put them in one by one.

"She's been gone for ten years—does this little girl still remember her?"

"Well……"

Seeing that Zi hesitated for a moment, she tried hard to recall: "I do remember... there used to be a lotus pond behind my mother-in-law's house?"

"Yes! The Lotus Pond!"

The owner excitedly banged on the pot: "That's a beautiful lotus pond! I always sit in the pot and slowly slide to the center of the lake to pick lotus pods to eat."

We also had to eat all the lotus seeds, leaving only the empty shells and the lotus hearts inside, watching the little devils go home happily, then come back dejected~ Hehehe~

"Boss, you're so mean~" Chika retorted with a giggle, completely oblivious to the impropriety. "But you can't sit in the pot, and there's a limit to how much you can brag."

"You have no idea, my pot can get really, really big!"

The boss and Chika were chatting happily, while Miko was reminiscing about whether she had ever been tricked by hollow lotus pods when she was a child. Only Ruri noticed the strangeness in the person next to her.

Ye Shou has not uttered a single word since he sat down.

He sat there quietly with a smile on his face, looking very relaxed, but Liuli, who knew him well, knew that her master was actually on guard against something and could get up quickly to deal with it at any time.

Is there any danger associated with this noodle stall?

A hint of suspicion flashed through the maid's mind, but she remained outwardly calm.

Although their group appeared to consist of only four people and a cat, they were guests and it wasn't convenient for them to make a big fuss. In reality, they were being protected by someone in secret.

The maid believed that if the noodle stall owner made any unusual moves, there would be more than one sniper rifle aimed at him in secret.

However... judging from Ye Shou's appearance, he didn't seem to have encountered any danger. He was just tense and wary, and didn't seem to have any intention of making a move. Liu Li temporarily put aside her doubts, fearing that she might misjudge, and decided to observe Ye Shou's actions carefully and follow suit.

"How come such a beautiful lotus pond is gone?" Qianhua was still chatting there, getting more and more familiar with the stall owner.

"There's nothing we can do. The residents need to build houses too, and the lotus pond is blocking the road and house construction."

The middle-aged man pulled out a short stick from somewhere and pointed it into the distance: "It's right there... it's a building now."

"What a pity~" Chika said regretfully.

There are too many regrettable things. Young lady, you are too young to understand.

Cherish what you have now, and don't wait until it's gone to regret it, understand?

"Hehe~" Chika laughed nonchalantly, "Of course I know this, I don't need you to teach me, Uncle!"

"Hmm~"

"Is there anything else fun to do in this town? We probably won't be staying for two days, so we should try to see as much as possible."

"...not many left."

The stall owner became saddened as he spoke of this: "And there will be fewer and fewer of them."

"Ok?"

"Oh, right, about this... let me explain."

When she finally encountered a topic that she could participate in, out of respect for being the host, she began to tell Chika the whole story.

In short, the land has been contracted by developers, and planning is underway. It is expected that various large-scale facilities will be built in about one or two years. However, given Japan's infrastructure efficiency, it is not impossible for it to be delayed for three or four years.

"I heard it's going to be an amusement park, but some say it's going to be a waste incineration plant."

"Such a beautiful town, why build an incinerator...? An amusement park would be more acceptable."

Chika was puzzled: "Do all the villagers agree? Won't this affect the surrounding environment?"

“I don’t know about that, Jie.” Jianzi shook her head. “I wasn’t there when everyone was making the decision.”

At this point, Ye Shou finally spoke up: "Presumably, the local government has given its consent, and the villagers have also cast their votes."

"……I see."

Needless to say, Qianhua nodded knowingly as soon as she heard the word "vote".

"Huh?" Jianzi looked completely bewildered. "What's going on?"

"This is a very common technique, Yotsuya-kun."

Liuli glanced at the boss, who also had a curious expression, and then explained to Jianzi, "From a legal perspective, building large facilities around residential areas requires taking into account the impact on the surrounding environment, conducting strict reviews from all aspects, and obtaining the residents' consent before construction can begin."

For example, sunlight, water quality, air quality... these are the legitimate rights of residents, and contractors cannot infringe upon them arbitrarily—in theory.

"theory?"

"The same thing—contracting a piece of land to build an amusement park versus building a garbage dump—gives residents a completely different impression. The former is far more likely to be approved by the vote than the latter."

So, they first lure residents with good news to get their consent and promise compensation, then negotiate with the government to secure the contract—however, the project to be built in the official documents may not be the one promised to the residents.

"Isn't this a scam?!"

"Plans can't keep up with changes."

Liuli smiled as if talking to a child, saying, "This method used to be very common, but it's slowly becoming less effective, especially with the increasingly strict urban planning regulations for large-scale facilities."

Therefore, many companies would rather spend more on infrastructure than relocate to rural areas where things are easier to manage.

Due to declining birth rates and the emptying of rural communities, many towns and villages in Japan are predominantly populated by middle-aged and elderly people. These people find it difficult to resist corporate propaganda campaigns, and once they realize something is amiss, they lack the energy to fight back.

Once they've received compensation, the matter is usually dropped.

"Won't the government investigate the problems inside?"

"All you need to do is win over the local councilors."

"It's that simple?"

“Occasionally things will get out of control,” Liuli said nonchalantly. “That’s a problem for the government and banks. A mature company should learn to control costs and plan ahead.”

"This is really..."

"Hey, guests, what you were talking about earlier, that agreement, that contractor's... does it mean that as long as we get the land from the daimyo, we can decide what to build on it?"

Unlike Jianzi, the boss seemed very excited.

"In other words, it's okay to not let it build anything, right?"

Land hoarding? We stopped doing that twenty years ago!

Liuli's first thought was of some outdated practice, but looking at the boss's wise eyes... it probably wasn't that.

“It’s normal for land to sit for a few years, and some can even sit for decades… but ultimately it depends on what agreement is reached with the government.”

Speaking of which, why are you mentioning a daimyo? Are you from the Edo period?!

"The government... you mean the shogunate?" The boss scratched his head, unable to come up with a good solution.

"Hmm...actually, becoming a councilor would be enough. As long as there's someone who can speak up in the local area, businesses can't act recklessly." Chika suggested at this moment.

"Uncle, you should run for councilor! Haha~"

A member of parliament? His/Her full name?

—The buckwheat stall owner seemed to be deep in thought.

What should we do?

"Every day I have to stand under the sun and spout nonsense in front of a lot of people that I don't even believe myself."

Chika smiled and said, "If you can do this, you'll have a foundation to climb the ladder."

"..."

It's impossible!

The boss shook his head: He doesn't like the sun or crowds!

"No way? That's a shame. It's actually not difficult at all. Several of my relatives do it this way. You'll get the hang of it once you do it a lot."

The Fujiwara family has been a first-class noble family since ancient times, with many branches and factions.

In modern times, Chika's family has even produced a prime minister. Although her father is currently just a diplomat, he has a good chance of becoming the Minister of Foreign Affairs in two terms, which is a powerful position in Japan.

Among her relatives are quite a few members of parliament... She might not know anyone anywhere, but she can establish a connection as soon as she introduces her family.

"I'm a little afraid of getting sunburned..."