ALL NOVEL Chapter 30: Xinghua Village's Demolition
Chapter 30: Xinghua Village’s Demolition
After Su Nuokang’s explanation, Su Mu finally understood what he meant about losing their home.
It turned out Xinghua Village was facing demolition – the government wanted to build a tourist attraction here.
The villagers were deeply attached to this place, preferring to stay in their rural homes rather than move to the city.
That’s why they kept arguing with the law enforcement officers.
Even after Su Mu and Su Nuokang finished breakfast, the commotion outside continued.
Su Mu couldn’t help but peek through the door curiously.
He saw the old man who had guided him yesterday fall during the argument, struggling to get up.
Su Mu rushed out to help, offering his hand, “Sir, are you alright?”
With Su Mu’s support, the old man finally managed to stand.
As Su Mu turned around with a dark expression, intending to scold the crowd, someone bumped into him from behind. The impact made him stumble, nearly taking the old man down with him.
As Su Mu was losing his balance, a strong hand wrapped around his waist, pulling him close.
The other hand steadied the old man before letting go.
Startled by the sudden close contact, Su Mu frowned, intending to push away until he caught a familiar scent of tobacco.
Looking up, he found himself staring into Chu Hanting’s perfect face at close range.
Instead of backing away as planned, he seemed to press even closer, as if still unsteady.
Chu Hanting’s breath caught as the warm body pressed against his chest. How could this little thing be so alluring?
Though he could have pushed him away, he remained frozen in place.
Those questioning, alluring eyes blinked up at him as Su Mu asked in surprise, “Why are you here?”
“Who are you! What are you doing here!” villagers shouted from behind.
Chu Hanting gently pushed him away, and Su Mu suddenly realized they weren’t alone – many strangers had witnessed their close proximity. He quickly stepped back from Chu Hanting’s embrace, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Su Mu touched his burning cheeks, imagining they must be bright red though he couldn’t see them.
He felt embarrassed and flustered having this moment witnessed by so many people.
Chu Hanting observed all of Su Mu’s reactions with interest, his lips curving upward.
He was used to seeing Su Mu boldly approach him, but this innocent side was unexpected.
It made him curious to discover what other sides of Su Mu he hadn’t seen yet.
News of the handsome young man’s arrival had already spread through the village yesterday.
In such a small place where gossip traveled quickly, word spread from one end of the village to the other in no time.
Some families with unmarried daughters had even started considering Su Mu as a potential son-in-law.
Of course, Su Mu knew nothing about this.
Now, seeing another man who clearly came from wealth, multiple pairs of curious eyes studied Chu Hanting.
But unlike Su Mu’s approachable demeanor that matched the villagers’ criteria for a son-in-law, Chu Hanting exuded an intimidating aura. Though his tall build suggested he’d be good at manual labor, he carried himself with such an imposing presence that no one would dare bring him home.
Chu Hanting paid no attention to their stares. Used to being scrutinized in various settings, these curious glances were nothing compared to the calculating looks from cunning business partners seeking profit or bold individuals trying to seduce him.
The villagers’ curious gazes posed no threat to him.
His deep voice carried the authority of someone in power as he scanned the crowd: “I’m here to resolve the situation.”
The villagers didn’t understand, but the officials standing further back looked relieved, as if they’d been desperately waiting for his arrival.
They pushed through the crowd to reach Chu Hanting.
One of them extended his hand to shake Chu Hanting’s.
“Hello, I’m Xiao Zhao. Director Zhang has briefed us. Everything here is under your command – whatever you need, we’re at your service.”
The villagers of Xinghua Village had lived on this land for generations, with deep emotional ties to it. Even generous government compensation couldn’t persuade them to relocate.
In this predicament, the government had decided to hand over the development project to the Chu Group, essentially passing the problem to the corporation.
While most companies wouldn’t dare take on such a project, the Chu Group was different – only they could handle it.
With construction pending and villagers refusing to move, Chu Hanting had decided to assess the situation personally after receiving Yang’s report.
The village road was too narrow for his luxury car, so he had to walk in.
Unexpectedly, he’d arrived just in time to catch Su Mu as he nearly fell.
In that urgent moment, he had pulled him close – that’s how things had unfolded.
The villagers’ attitudes toward Chu Hanting instantly soured when they realized from the officials’ words that he outranked them and was on their side.
Someone spoke up: “It doesn’t matter who comes, we won’t move.”
“That’s right! My ancestors have lived here for generations. Did my forefathers approve of me moving?”
The crowd voiced their opinions one after another, all expressing their determination to stay in Xinghua Village.
“Old Zhang, Old Li, Young Zhang, Young Li…”
“Why hold onto these small plots of land? The resettlement housing is in the city. You could experience urban prosperity, and the government compensation is enough to support you for life. Wouldn’t it be nice to retire early?”
Su Nuokang had never involved himself in these matters before, but things were different now that his son was here – they were preparing to move too.
Su Mu was originally from a wealthy family, and coming here meant a significant drop in living standards. They couldn’t hold him back – after graduation, he would naturally develop his career in the capital.
Besides, their family weren’t real farmers. Even when Su Ning was here, they never let him experience hardship or do farm work.
Now with Su Mu here, there was no reason to keep him confined in this small village. Moving to the capital sooner would be better.