Chapter 13 — Fascinated by the Rooster Farmer Raising His Children

News of the land purchase proposal document spread throughout the village in just one morning, causing the normally peaceful atmosphere of daily life to suddenly become heavy and turbulent.

The Binh Xuyen village meeting took place in an unusually tense atmosphere. Mr. Ly Van Ben, village head, stood in front of more than thirty farmer households, holding an official notice from Dai Thinh Agriculture Group.

"Everyone listen to my announcement." He said, his voice heavy with worry. "Dai Thinh Group has just sent a document requesting to buy all agricultural land in the area, with an initial price that seems attractive. But I heard that if anyone does not agree to sell, they will take other measures to cause difficulties."

A buzz arose throughout the small hall. Many older farmers, who had been attached to the land left behind by their ancestors all their lives, were confused at the prospect of having to leave the place where they were born.

Vinh Khang stood up, took the notice from Mr. Ben's hand, and read each line carefully. He immediately realized that this was not a normal cooperation proposal, but the first step of a carefully calculated acquisition plan.

"Dear people, I have read this document carefully." He said, his voice calm but filled with caution. "The initial price offered was actually much lower than the actual value of land in the area, especially land that has been invested in and renovated, with a stable irrigation system. This is clearly a price forcing tactic, preying on people's fear."

"But if such a large corporation is determined to take over, how can we resist?" A middle-aged farmer spoke up, his voice filled with skepticism. "They have money and connections, and we are just small farmers."

"That's right, I heard that in the neighboring province, there were a few houses that refused to sell, and then their fertilizer supply was cut off, so they had to sell them off." Another older woman chimed in, her voice trembling with fear. "My family is old, we don't know how to fight people."

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavier as one person after another shared similar stories heard from neighboring areas, where large corporations had applied similar tactics to force farmers to make concessions.

Khanh Vy, sitting next to her husband, stood up to contribute, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who had worked in the field of strategic investment. "Dear people, I understand people's worries. But we have something that they cannot easily get — that is solidarity and legal ownership of land. The law does not allow any corporation to force people to sell land if we do not agree. What they can do is only apply indirect pressure, and the only way to fight that pressure is for us to unite, no one is allowed to negotiate with them individually."

*

After the meeting, Vinh Khang and Khanh Vy spent the evening learning more about Dai Thinh Agriculture Group and its leader - Tuong Bach Uy. Through old relationships in the investment industry, Khanh Vy gathered information showing that the group had implemented a similar acquisition strategy in at least three other provinces, each time starting with attractive land purchase offers, then gradually shifting to pressure measures when farmers did not cooperate.

"The way they do things always has a common pattern." Khanh Vy said, flipping through the documents she found. "The first is to offer to buy at a low price but seems attractive to those who do not clearly understand the value of their land. Then, if they encounter resistance, they will find ways to cut off the supply of agricultural materials, make it difficult to borrow money from banks, and even use their influence to influence existing agricultural product purchasing contracts of households."

Vinh Khang frowned worriedly, remembering how much effort he and Khanh Vy had put into building the first supply contract, which opened a brighter future for his farm and his small family. "If they do that to us, will the contract with Xanh Viet supermarket chain be affected?"

"That's exactly what I'm concerned about." Khanh Vy replied. "We need to prepare in advance, build a solid alliance among farmers, diversify distribution channels so as not to depend on a single partner, and most importantly, have full legal evidence to protect our rights if they resort to illegal measures."

She opened her computer and began drafting a detailed action plan, divided into several stages: reviewing land legality, building a common reserve fund for farmer households, diversifying consumer markets, and most importantly, establishing a regular communication channel with the press so that any wrongdoing could be exposed promptly.

"We can't just defend passively." She said, her eyes shining with the determination of a strategist planning an important battle. "We need to proactively build a strong position, so that they realize that acquiring us will be much more costly and risky than they initially imagined."

Vinh Khang looked at his wife, a strange peace of mind filled his heart. If before he could only face great forces alone with sincerity and diligence, now, with Khanh Vy by his side with sharp strategic thinking, he felt he was no longer alone in the fight to protect the land and community that they both devoted their lives to building.

*

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Dai Thinh Agriculture Group, Tuong Bach Uy sat in a large office, overlooking the city scene from a high floor, while his trusted assistant Kieu Dac Nhan stood and reported the situation.

"Mr. Chairman, the majority of small farmers have agreed to consider the land sale proposal, but there is a group led by the Dinh family farm that is organizing an organized protest. They are building a common brand, signing direct contracts with supermarket chains, causing the value of their land to be perceived as much higher than the price we offer."

Tuong Bach Uy put the cup of coffee on the table, his eyes clearly showing discomfort at this unfavorable news. Throughout his business career, he had never encountered a group of farmers organized enough to create difficulties for the corporation's acquisition plan. "Who is the leader of this protest group?" He frowned, lightly tapping his fingers on the shiny wooden table.

"It's Dinh Vinh Khang, owner of Binh Xuyen farm, and his wife — Chu Khanh Vy, the eldest daughter of Chu Thi Group." Kieu Dac Nhan replied, his voice a bit cautious when mentioning the identity of the woman behind this methodical protest plan.

Tuong Bach Uy laughed softly, a cold, calculating laugh. "The daughter of the Chu family? That's interesting. Just in case, I just got an inside source from her younger sister." He turned the pen in his hand, his eyes sparkling with the confidence of someone who believes that he always had a way to achieve his goal. "Prepare a contingency plan. If they refuse to cooperate in a peaceful way, we will have to resort to more drastic measures. I don't have time to wait for stubborn farmers to change their minds."

"Yes, Mr. President." Kieu Dac Nhan replied that even though he was a little hesitant about what he was about to do, he still bowed his head to obey, not knowing that this silent hesitation would become an important factor in the story's later developments. He left the office with an indescribable feeling of heaviness, different from the usual confidence of a senior assistant familiar with big deals.

Outside the window, the sunset dyed the city sky red, while in the remote Binh Xuyen village, Vinh Khang and Khanh Vy were still diligently planning to protect the land and community that they had devoted their hearts to building, completely unaware that Khanh Vy's blood sister was silently becoming an important link in the takeover plot that was gradually tightening around them.

Kieu Dac Nhan left the chairman's office and walked down the long, luxurious red-carpeted hallway of the group's headquarters, his heart heavy with thoughts. He had worked for Tuong Bach Uy for nearly five years, witnessing many controversial land acquisition deals, but this was the first time he clearly felt a deep insecurity, when he realized that this plan could directly affect the livelihoods of dozens of innocent families, including a small child who he heard was living with his widowed father on the Binh Xuyen farm.