I Got Rich in Period Fiction

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Compensation for All Losses Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Compensation for All Losses Qiao Qingyu glanced at the one thousand yuan lying on the office desk but didn’t reach for it. Instead, she lifted the contract in her hand, raised her eyebrows, and asked with a smile brimming her face, “Leaders, did you not carefully read the last clause of the contract?”

They had read it, how could they not have?

They had drafted it together just yesterday.

So these two were also waiting to see how things unfolded.

Qiao Qingyu read slowly, “…The aforementioned clauses are jointly agreed upon by both parties on a completely voluntary and equal basis. Neither party may breach the contract for any reason. Otherwise, the party who breaches the contract will bear all the economic and other losses caused to the other party.”

Economic loss, that was the key point, and both men were staring at Qiao Qingyu intently.

They had analyzed yesterday that there had been no investment yet, and the land hadn’t been surveyed, so it seemed that no economic loss had been caused and therefore it should be easy to handle.

But they had no confidence.

Moreover, after talking with her yesterday, they realized Qiao Qingyu was not the uneducated, foolish, and ignorant village woman that everyone talked about.

She was formidable!

This time, Old Wei spoke solemnly, “Rest assured, we will carry out the terms stipulated in the contract. All economic losses will be borne by Tenghai Research.”

After saying this, Old Wei felt a fire brewing inside him; he was over fifty and was doing this sort of a breach for the first time.

Contracting the barren land to Qiao Qingyu wasn’t done on an impulse, nor was it just because Qiao Qingyu was related to He Xiuyu.

He believed that contracting the wasteland to Qiao Qingyu was truly feasible.

Of course, if Qiao Qingyu had been a stranger, there would have been no deal.

Although Tenghai Research was a research experimental base, it did not mean he was uninterested in the green waters and mountains and thousands of acres of good farmland described by Qiao Qingyu.

On the contrary, he was very interested.

Tenghai Research was located in the northern part of Xichuan due to its specificity and necessity. This place was sparsely populated, especially north of the base where it stretched for over two thousand kilometers without a soul in sight, and also very close to the sandstorm zone.

Alarmingly, the sandstorm zone had advanced four hundred and fifty miles towards the base in just three years.

It seemed calm recently, but from past experience, if it did not rain, in another week, the sandy weather would start again.

He had experienced two sandstorms here, which were the main reasons for the desert’s advancement towards the base.

Those who haven’t lived through it can never appreciate what it means to have sand filling the sky.

Moreover, if the situation continued to worsen, the existence of the research base was threatened.

Qiao Qingyu was right, in such an environment, in a few years, either the sand retreats or the people do!

But withdrawing was out of the question because the investment in the research base was simply too great.

At the beginning of the year, the headquarters had issued instructions to start managing the surrounding environment of the base, and of course, that meant planting trees.

He had also contacted the Agricultural Research Institute, but there were no suitable tree species. He thought it over, and it made sense; if there were any, Xichuan would have already started planting trees and it would have nothing to do with him.

So, he was immediately interested when Qiao Qingyu mentioned the thousand silk hemp seeds.

After several hours of discussion, I signed a contract with Qiao Qingyu that very day.

But to my surprise, all my plans were denied by Mr. Qi in the afternoon because of Su Yunyao’s tattling.

Mr. Qi was mainly worried about He Xiuyu.

Not only was He Xiuyu the chief engineer at the base, he was also the head of the aviation project. Tenghai Research had been established for less than three years, yet it already had more than a dozen scientific achievements.

One can imagine how important He Xiuyu and his team were.

He Xiuyu was an undisputed genius. He was involved in other fields as well and was currently the youngest chief engineer in the realm of research. So, a talent like him was regarded as precious by the headquarters.

Of course, nothing untoward was allowed to happen to him or his family.

Mr. Qi was right to consider these aspects, but I really wanted to tell him the truth: when discussing the contract for the wasteland, and when talking about thousand silk hemp, Willow Wood, and Barley Grass, I had completely overlooked the fact that Qiao Qingyu was He Xiuyu’s family member.

So, this situation was really regrettable yet frustrating.

Naturally, as long as Qiao Qingyu’s demands were not excessive, I agreed to them.

Qiao Qingyu smiled, “Unilaterally tearing up a contract, no matter the field, comes at no small cost. Are you sure you want to compensate?”

Old Wei nodded without hesitation, “You can be assured of that. We keep our word.”

Qiao Qingyu snorted with laughter, causing Old Wei to blush with embarrassment.

“Perhaps you think that because the contract has just been signed, the land hasn’t been measured, and I haven’t invested anything, the loss shouldn’t be much, right?”

Indeed, both of them thought so.

“I had planned to contract the wasteland for a while, and I had also looked up related policies and regulations beforehand. After confirming that I fully met the requirements of a contractor, I contacted my uncle. My family’s financial situation isn’t good, so my uncle, my younger uncle, my aunt, and even my grandparents risked their entire savings to give to me, sparking a lot of family strife.

My aunt almost divorced my uncle because I took her dowry money. Moreover, my uncle borrowed a significant amount of money to help me buy seeds. To ensure that my grandparents could eat an egg every now and then and have meat every two months, our family truly burnt our boats this time.

I cooperated with Xiaxi Commune; I provided the thousand silk hemp seeds, and they helped me with the planting. For the seeds, I only charged half, which means there’s another two thousand yuan in Xiaxi Commune. It was an advance payment for labor and other expenses.

But now, you want to unilaterally tear up the contract, yet I can’t ask for the remaining two thousand yuan. This turn of events would negatively impact the members’ perception of our Agricultural Research Institute. Besides, they can’t afford to pay that money right now; the only thing they can offer is their labor…

I could overlook the effort and dedication that I’ve put into this, for the sake of He Xiuyu, but are you sure you want to take on all the other losses and the series of negative impacts that come with them?”

Qiao Qingyu’s voice was calm, and so was her tone, but after her words, the office fell into a dead silence.

Old Wei and Old Xie, “…”

They knew it wasn’t going to be simple, but they hadn’t expected it to be so complicated.

Old Wei looked at Qiao Qingyu differently now. He knew she was capable, but he hadn’t realized just how capable. No wonder He Xiuyu never left her side no matter how much she kicked up a fuss.

Old Wei braced himself, “Qingyu, do you have a specific figure?”

He had to make his tone sound as friendly as possible to bridge the gap.

Qiao Qingyu stood up, placed the contract on the office desk, her brows slightly furrowed, let out a long sigh, her voice tinged with a bit of grievance, “I must stress once again that the money for the seeds and other expenses was all helped by my maternal family. I didn’t touch a penny of He Xiuyu’s money.”

Old Wei and Old Xie’s faces turned red. Even if it was He Xiuyu’s money, what business was it of theirs? Who were they to worry about how a wife spends her husband’s money?