?41: Chapter 41 The Rich People 41: Chapter 41 The Rich People It seemed as if a spring breeze had swept through Wanbao Village.

    In just a month, the barren land had turned lush and colorful with an abundant harvest; from the village’s limping yellow dog at one end to the meddlesome old women at the other, everyone seemed to be basking in an unprecedented joy of harvest, their faces nearly cramping from too much smiling yet still grinning.

    However, the joyful atmosphere lasted only a while before dark clouds loomed overhead.

    It turned out that the vegetables had been harvested extensively throughout the village, but an ensuing problem arose—who would buy them?

    “I did the math,” Du Yueling said, chewing on the end of her pencil and seriously examining her notebook as she spoke to Liu Hun and the others.

    “We farmed thirty acres, and the average yield per acre was ten thousand catties.

    If we sell it all at the average price of twenty cents per catty, that’s sixty thousand yuan.

    But...

    we need to manage to sell all these three hundred thousand catties of vegetables first.”

    Liu Hun’s brow furrowed like bitter melon skin; he hadn’t considered this issue before—the sheer volume of produce was definitely a problem.

    Suddenly, he remembered what a cabbage buyer at the village entrance had mentioned and asked Fen Ran, “Sister Yue, what did the Cooperative say?”

    Fen Ran’s expression shifted between cloud and sunshine, and she pursed her lips before replying, “Hun, the Cooperative has a quota; they praised our veggies for being large and well-formed, but they can only take two hundred thousand catties.”

    Liu Hun nodded slightly, his eyebrows relaxing a bit.

    He had invested all the previous money, over a thousand yuan, into seeds planted in the ground.

    If he couldn’t sell these vegetables, not only would it be a total waste, but it would also impact everyone else in the village.

    However, now that he had heard from Fen Ran, he felt almost ready to let go of his worries.

    “Hun, that’s just over half sold, what about the remaining one hundred thousand catties?” Bai Lian asked Liu Hun anxiously, her worried face resembling a wilted camellia.

    “Besides the Cooperative, who else can take so much?

    We can’t let them rot in the field.”

    Qi Yue secretly nudged Bai Lian, signaling her to avoid discouraging words, then turned and took over the conversation cheerfully, “Hey!

    What’s the big issue here!

    If we can’t sell them, can’t we just eat them ourselves?

    Cabbages can be made into spicy kimchi, and radishes can be sliced and dried.

    Aren’t we all married women or daughters-in-law?

    Why worry about this?

    We have mouths not just for nagging, but for eating too.”

    Qi Yue’s words were crisp like pickles, bringing a light-hearted, teasing tone that eased the atmosphere around them.

    “I doubt it!” Bai Lian continued teasingly, “Our mothers and aunts act as if they could turn mud into money if they could; let alone these lush vegetables, they’d never let them sit at home to be eaten.

    They’d surely come here to Hun’s place causing a ruckus every day.

    Wouldn’t be surprised if they took the temple apart!”

    Bai Lian’s remark stirred the pot once again, turning the lightened mood sour.

    Fen Ran, massaging her temples, told everyone, “No need to rush, folks.

    I’ve sent Canghai to the town to look for solutions.”

    “Ye Canghai?

    What can he do?” Qi Yue blurted out without thinking, her tone quite dismissive.

    After all, Ye Canghai didn’t have much capability; he was merely chosen as village chief because he was a mediator and Wanbao Village was too poor to offer anything substantial—no one really respected the position much.

    Fen Ran knew her husband’s limitations, so she wasn’t bothered by Qi Yue’s words and simply responded, “He often plays cards in town and knows quite a few people.

    So, when Hun asked me to negotiate with the Cooperative about selling vegetables, I figured I’d have Canghai snoop around as well.

    Let’s hope he can prove himself useful this time.”

    Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

    Just as they were discussing this matter, Ye Canghai appeared at the temple entrance, accompanied by a middle-aged man slicking back his hair, wearing glasses and a pair of yellow leather shoes.

    “Cough cough, ah... well, everyone’s here,” Ye Canghai entered with an air of authority.

    “Canghai, what’s up?

    Any news?” Fen Ran immediately approached Ye Canghai.

    “Ah, this little issue—do you think I can’t handle it?

    Let me introduce you; this is Bai Dajun, a big boss in agricultural trade,” Ye Canghai pompously introduced the stranger to Fen Ran.

    Upon closely observing Ye Canghai’s wife, Bai Dajun felt a delicate flower had been crudely paired with a pile of dung, a beautiful cabbage ravaged by a pig, especially when he saw Fen Ran’s smile, which could easily pass her for a mayor’s wife.

    “Hello, I am Bai Dajun.” Bai Dajun reached out to shake Fen Ran’s hand, his body trembling so much that the hair on a mole beside his nose stood on end.

    Fen Ran could tell what Bai Dajun was thinking just from his gaze and reluctantly smiled as she pulled her hand back.

    “Mr.

    Bai, please have a seat.

    Let me introduce you to everyone here,” Ye Canghai led Bai Dajun to the table and began introducing Liu Hun and the others.

    Bai Dajun felt like a dung beetle amongst flowers; he wanted to fertilize each and every one of those budding beauties.

    Liu Hun briefed Bai Dajun on the situation, and Bai Dajun was so mesmerized by Du Yueling’s smiling face that he wished he could drown in her dimples.

    After listening to Liu Hun, he immediately slammed the table and declared, “Stop talking, just one word—buy!”

    Everyone was overjoyed and didn’t expect that, despite Bai Dajun’s sly-looking eyes, he was actually straightforward.

    Liu Hun, wanting to confirm again, asked, “Boss Bai, you want all 100,000 jin of vegetables?

    When do you plan to take them?

    I’ll have everyone pick them straight from the fields to ensure you get the freshest.”

    “Wait a minute, Village Chief Ye!

    Liu Hun!

    I want these 100,000 jin of vegetables, but there’s one condition,” Bai Dajun said to Liu Hun and the others.

    “What’s the condition?” Liu Hun asked.

    “I need these vegetables urgently, so I came straight here to the Village Chief.

    The tractor has already been called to the village entrance.

    We’ll exchange the money and the vegetables on the spot, and I haven’t had time to check your vegetables out, so I need a written agreement.” Bai Dajun said, pulling out a notebook and a pen from his bag.

    “A written agreement?

    What kind of agreement?” Liu Hun asked, somewhat confused.

    Bai Dajun patted Liu Hun on the shoulder and said, “Kid, I’m a businessman, so I have to be cautious.

    There’s a saying, right?

    ‘Do no evil to others, but guard against the evil of others.’ We just need a written agreement stating the vegetables you sell me have no quality issues and are all fresh.

    If there’s any rotten or moldy produce, you’ll compensate at the price, which is fair, right?”

    Liu Hun was absolutely confident in the vegetables he grew and had no intention of cutting corners, so he let Bai Dajun draft the agreement, and then signed it and stamped it with his fingerprint.

    As soon as he got the agreement, Bai Dajun happily slammed the table and immediately requested to settle the payment for the vegetables.

    The women, as giddy as peanuts in hot oil, began to pick the vegetables from the fields, even Du Yueling rolled up her sleeves and joined them, sweating profusely.

    The entire village got busy, and after a half-day’s effort, they managed to harvest and hand over 100,000 jin of vegetables to Bai Dajun, who then settled all the payments according to the Cooperative’s prices.

    Three days later, all the money from the Cooperative was transferred, and then...

    “Ding ding ding!

    Ding ding ding!

    Money distribution time!

    Everybody hurry to the temple to get your money!

    Brother Hun is distributing money!

    Everybody hurry!”

    Liu Hun’s designated messenger, Gaizi, carrying a copper gong, once again rang it throughout the village.

    Soon, the village women gathered at the temple, and the crowd of onlookers almost broke the temple’s threshold.

    “Look!

    Everybody, look, oh my god, how much money is on that table?

    What happened?

    Did he find a nugget of gold?”

    “I think you’re the one losing your mind!

    That’s the money Brother Hun made from selling vegetables!

    It came from his own hard work!

    If nuggets were so easy to find, go try picking one up yourself.”

    “What are you all babbling about?

    Make way!

    You don’t have a share in this, so why squeeze in here?

    Don’t block my way to get money!”

    “...”

    Wang Dajiao pushed through the crowd of onlookers, strutting into the temple like a county official on an inspection, while the villagers whispered about how shameless these old ladies were.

    “Quiet, please!

    Fellow villagers, please quiet down and let me say a few words,” Liu Hun stood behind the table, waving his hands to quiet the noisy villagers before speaking, “Today, I gathered everyone to distribute money.

    We made a written agreement before, and we need to fulfill it!”

    “Hun, cut the crap and just distribute the money,” Aunt Jin couldn’t help complaining, her eyes almost falling out at the sight of all the money on the table.

    “Alright!

    No more nonsense.

    Let’s start distributing the money!” With that, Liu Hun took the notebook Du Yueling handed him and began reading from it, “Qin Yue, one mu of radishes, a total of 1800—take it!”

    Qin Yue joyfully took the money from Liu Hun, savoring the sweet feeling for the second time, feeling completely content.

    “Bai Lian, one mu of cabbage, a total of 1500—take it!” Liu Hun said as he counted out 1500 from a stack of bills and handed it to Bai Lian.

    “Oh my, this is my first time; I’m so envious of Qin Yue, she’s tasted this twice now.

    Look how happy she is.

    Hey Hun, make sure to include me next time!

    It doesn’t even matter if you include Qin Yue or not!” Bai Lian teased as she took the money from Liu Hun.

    Qin Yue would not let anyone verbally outwit her and chimed in with some banter, livening up the atmosphere.

    Du Yueling watched with a smile, feeling that the mountains, water, and people all radiated a vibrant Life Force.