Li Yan looked down and saw that Mrs. Cui's fingers bore the grey calluses of broken skin. She had even fallen on the way, leaving dirt prints on her pant legs.
Upon hearing Mrs. Cui's weeping complaint, Li Yan showed little expression on his face, but he spoke with a somber voice, "Auntie, what happened? Tell me about it."
Shivering, Mrs. Cui recounted the events in a scattered manner, but Li Yan got the gist of it.
A company from the province, with assets of over forty billion, had built a vast stretch of factory buildings in the town. In recent years, they were expanding and planning to take over the village land.
The brigade had not discussed it with the villagers. In any case, acting first to gain the upper hand, they had long since signed a contract and sold the land.
