Blending of Planes: I am leisurely farming

In the afternoon, the sunshine in Pelican Town is soft and warm. The golden light shines on the quiet town square, bringing a bit of laziness and comfort to the town.

However, the town square's bulletin board was unusually lively, with people gathering in a semicircle, surrounding the bulletin board and several Joja uniformed employees in three layers, with discussions rising and falling.

Several employees wearing Joja Corporation uniforms stood next to the bulletin board. They smiled and held stacks of flyers, enthusiastically distributing them to the onlookers.

Whenever someone took a flyer, they would explain the Joja Corporation's acquisition policy in detail. Since most of the residents watching were middle-aged and elderly people who could barely read, the employees explained it with extra patience and care.

"Hello, uncles and aunties!" one of the employees said loudly, "We, the Joja Group, plan to acquire part of the land in Pelican Town. Don't worry, we will provide you with very generous compensation, and the entire acquisition process will be fair and transparent."

Another employee added: "We plan to use the acquired land to build more modern facilities, such as shopping malls, entertainment venues, new factories, etc. In this way, Pelican Town will have more job opportunities and everyone's life will be more convenient."

"No one needs to worry about losing their livelihood after losing their land," the third employee said enthusiastically.

"We, the Joja Corporation, plan to increase investment in the Stardew Valley area and vigorously build factories. When the time comes, residents who sell their land will have priority to work in the Joja factory! Ask your friends and family who work at the Joja Fertilizer Factory in the back mountain to see if the pay is good. The land compensation we provide is enough for you to live out the rest of your life in peace."

The residents began to talk among themselves. Some were obviously moved by the Joja Corporation's promise, and their faces showed anticipation, while others still had frowns on their faces, obviously weighing the pros and cons, or thinking about deeper issues.

"Old Mike, why are you still holding on to your one-third acre of land?" An old man in the crowd said to another, "Take this opportunity to sell it for a good price, and come work in the factory with me, so that I can take care of you. Haven't you seen that old Joey next door has become more fluent since he came to the factory?"

"I'm telling you, old Aurora, you're almost dead, and you'll be all alone. You might as well sell the land and enjoy your last few days of peace and quiet." On the other side, several old ladies were also discussing this issue.

This scene happened repeatedly in the crowd. The Joja Group's land acquisition plan was like a thunderbolt, exploding violently in this peaceful town. The poor town residents were shocked by this seemingly favorable plan.

"Nephew Martin, my uncle has a piece of vacant land. Do you think it's possible to..." A middle-aged man rubbed his hands and nodded to the person in charge of registering the intentions of people selling the land, who was sitting next to the bulletin board.

Behind him, middle-aged and elderly people had already lined up one after another.

This middle-aged man was the one who had shown indignation when rescuing Deputy Mayor Geller. He once criticized the Joja Group, saying that they were heartless and ruthless.

Yet, it was quite ironic that he was standing here now, trying to sell the land to the Joja Corporation.

The person to whom he bowed and scraped was the thin young man who had been accused by him and dared not say a word - Martin.

Unexpectedly, Martin, who seemed a bit bullied and weak at that time, had a drastic change in his personality in a short period of time. At this time, Martin was watching his uncle's performance expressionlessly without saying a word.

"Nephew, have you forgotten how I took care of your bedridden father? A man should never forget his roots!" The uncle still couldn't lower himself in front of his nephew, and his tone became gradually serious as he spoke.

Martin was intimidated by his uncle. After all, the pressure brought by a long time could not be changed in a short time. His pupils, which pretended to be calm, shrank in fear for a moment. But he soon regained his composure and seemed to have made up his mind.

"What's going on! You've been standing there for so long, are you going to queue or not?" an old man behind the uncle shouted impatiently. This sentence was like opening Pandora's box, and the people in the queue began to stir.

"That's right, don't waste everyone's time!" another resident in the queue echoed.

The uncle turned around awkwardly, and saw faces full of dissatisfaction and urging. He knew that he had already aroused public anger, and that continuing the stalemate would not lead to any results.

So he had no choice but to leave the notice board in shame, muttering: "Just wait and see what happens to these heartless people..."

Watching his uncle walk away dejectedly, Martin felt a joy he had never felt before.

It turns out that holding power feels so good, and a certain idea in his heart became more and more firm.

-----------------

Sean stood in the crowd, observing everything silently.

There was a hint of worry in his eyes, as he knew the true purpose of the Joja Group.

This is not just a simple land acquisition, but a political and economic game, a contest that concerns the future fate of the residents of the small town.

He recalled what his father had mentioned in his reply, as well as some news reports from his previous life, and gradually understood the ambitions of the Joja Group - they wanted to win over the residents of the town through money and benefits, so as to control the discourse of the entire town and serve their own political and economic interests.

These investors first entered remote areas under the name of investment, using money to attract some residents. After building trust, they purchased land in the name of expanding investment to attract more people to join.

If local forces oppose, they will use the slogan "They don't let you civilians live a good life, so they can better control you" to incite residents to resist local forces.

Eventually, most of the land in these remote areas fell into the hands of these groups, and the residents who lost their land became lambs to be slaughtered.

The initial capital investment will eventually be sucked back from them doubled.

For the people behind the Joja Group, people are votes. By instructing capital to manipulate local forces, they can squeeze the voice of local forces, tie the townspeople to their chariots, and make them their vote bank, thus consolidating their political ecology.

For groups like Joja, there is also a stable backer who provides policy benefits and bonuses. In remote areas where the emperor is far away, because there is a guarantee from above, they can ignore some regulatory policies to reduce costs and increase profit margins.

It is hard for the people who are tied to the echelons. After losing their land, they have no way out. Once they enter the factory, they will find that the generous wages promised in the early stage will gradually become less and less, and in the end they will only be able to barely make ends meet.

The land payment that was originally paid in one lump sum was changed to installment payment under some excuses, and was delayed again and again until it disappeared. The originally beautiful environment also became worse and worse due to overdevelopment.

The whole place has completely lost its potential, has no way out, and is at the mercy of others.

This is what is happening in much of the Stardew Valley mountain region that Sean's father mentioned in his letter.