Chapter Five: The Deliberation

"Oh? Third Brother, why are you back?" An Jianmin recognized An Jianping's figure and immediately took several long strides to welcome him.

Jiang Shanshan, who had been whispering to her husband just moments before, looked slightly uneasy. She thought about the things they had discussed at the village secretary's house and regretted that she had wanted to consider things further when Jianmin had been ready to agree outright.

An Jianping greeted the couple first, but he did not directly answer An Jianmin’s question. After all, the matters he needed to consult and discuss were not suitable for such a public place. Seeing An Jianping's demeanor, An Jianmin came to the same conclusion as his wife. He quickly ushered his third brother toward their home.

Jiang Shanshan followed them with pursed lips, not saying a word until they arrived. Once the brothers had settled down with tea, she said, "Third Brother, you and Jianmin talk. I’m going to check on the garden."

"Third Brother, why don't you stay for the night? I’ll go catch a chicken and prepare it later?"

"No need, sister-in-law. I have something to discuss with Jianmin, and I’ll head back to the city once we're done," An Jianping replied quickly. If he could verify certain things with his brother, he wouldn't be able to sit still for a moment, let alone stay until nightfall.

Jiang Shanshan didn't press him further. "Then don't be in such a rush to leave, Third Brother. I’ll go cut some vegetables from the garden for you to take back to the city."

This time, An Jianping did not refuse.

Once Jiang Shanshan was out of sight, An Jianping looked at An Jianmin with a sense of hesitation. He had thought a great deal on his way here, but now that he needed to speak, he didn't know where to begin.

An Jianping was at a loss for words, but An Jianmin did not hesitate. "Third Brother, what do you think about what I mentioned on the phone last time?"

With his mind full of the potential relocation, An Jianping didn't immediately grasp what his younger brother was referring to. He asked, "Which matter?"

An Jianmin found this strange. He had assumed that since his third brother had returned to the village specifically to wait for him, it meant he had made up his mind. Nevertheless, he said with great patience, "The matter of building a house together!"

"If your family joins in, we can build three houses together, five stories each. That’s a significant project. Whether we’re negotiating with contractors or buying materials, we should be able to get quite a few discounts."

An Jianmin did not mention the plot of land for his nephew. He knew his third brother was still hoping to buy a house in the city for his nephew's wedding. If he really had that plan, he would likely have to subsidize the construction costs. Given his current financial status, helping to build one house wasn't a problem, but building two together might be troublesome.

Earlier, An Jianmin and his wife had been at the village secretary’s house discussing the leasing of fish ponds, mulberry orchards, and flower gardens. An Jianmin wanted to build the house because the agritourism business was booming in the village. Although his fruit shop was doing well, he didn't want to pass up an easy opportunity for extra income.

An Jianping, unaware of his brother's inner thoughts, looked at An Jianmin’s sincere expression and sighed. "Jianmin, why the sudden urge to build a house?"

Hearing this, An Jianmin perked up. He even felt this was a sign that his third brother was wavering. Otherwise, he had mentioned this several times in the past, and his third brother had never asked for details. Of course, An Jianmin forgot that every time he had visited his brother before, he had laid out his own plans completely. In the eyes of the An family, An Jianping, who had moved to the city early and established a firm footing, was someone they could rely on.

"Most of the village is developing agritourism now. Some have planted orchards for people to pick fruit; some offer vegetable picking; some have fishing and barbecues; others rely on their skills, serving authentic farmhouse dishes and free-range poultry. Some have even built swimming pools and rent out tents. Third Brother, you know that we people from Shuncheng can lack anything, but we cannot lack good food. Plus, since the bus line to the lower counties opened two years ago, there’s direct access from the city to our village. Whether it’s families coming out for a weekend break or just coming to eat and play, it’s perfect. The village still has fish ponds, mulberry forests, and flower fields that haven't been leased out yet. The village secretary wants to lease everything out this year and bring the whole village together to build scale."

"We’ve been to look a few times. If the remaining fish ponds and mulberry fields weren't so far from the village, they would have been snapped up long ago. My only hesitation is building on that specific plot of land; there are no other houses nearby, and the road access might be poor."

An Jianping understood the rest without needing to be told. An Jianmin had discussed this with him more than once since last year; it was just that An Jianping hadn't asked for such details in the past.

An Jianping couldn't help but carefully observe the expression on An Jianmin’s face. *He doesn't seem to know anything? Is he just hitting a good opportunity?*

"Third Brother? What do you think?" An Jianmin asked again. "I know that because of my nephew’s upcoming wedding, you might be a bit tight on cash. But don't worry, while my wife and I aren't exactly swimming in money, we can manage to cover your house as well."

An Jianmin wasn't just being foolishly generous. There were six siblings in the family, but the fact that he and his third brother were the closest had its reasons. Now it was An Jianmin’s turn to help his brother, though in the past, it had always been An Jianping helping him.

After thinking for a long while, An Jianping reached a decision. He stood up decisively, walked out of the courtyard, and observed the surroundings. Then, he went back inside and checked the house room by room.

An Jianmin was confused and was just about to ask what he was looking for when An Jianping sat down beside him.

He lowered his voice and said, "Jianmin... when your niece was working at the hotel, she heard a guest on the top floor say that a logistics center is going to be built in this area. It seems the neighboring village was requisitioned the year before last? And more than two-thirds were taken. The rest shouldn't be enough."

"A logistics center?" An Jianmin’s eyes widened. He finally understood why his brother had been looking around everywhere. If he had such information, he wouldn't dare let a third person hear it either.

"Right!" An Jianping nodded firmly, then added, "You’ve been asking me about building a house since last year, and this year you specifically called me. I originally thought you had some inside information too!"

An Jianmin shook his head violently. What kind of information could he have? He was just a fruit seller. If he had such news, it would have been spread all over the village and beyond.

However, An Jianping was quick-witted. He beckoned to his brother, "Let’s go. We’ll take the motorcycle and go see for ourselves."

The two villages were not far apart, and that land had been under requisition for nearly two years. By all accounts, the construction should be well underway—especially according to the information his niece had overheard.