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Lin Zhi’s eyes were filled with malice. Were the people from Hululu Village feeling smug now? If all their fruits went bad, he wanted to see how proud the villagers would remain.
“Su Yu, what do you think about that village chief?” Wang Jinhe asked, standing beside Su Yu.
Even though the villagers from Lin Village had left, Wang Jinhe still felt uneasy.
“He’s a narrow-minded person. Once he finds an opportunity, the villagers of Hululu Village might face trouble,” Su Yu replied, casting a glance at the nearby orchard. These fruit trees might be the ones to suffer if something happened.
After all, the two villages were very close to each other. If something had to be done, it could be done quickly. In the blink of an eye, disaster could strike.
“Uncle Hu Lin, you all still need to be careful. Prevent the people from Lin Village from laying hands on your fruits. It would truly not be worth the loss if something happened,” Su Yu advised. These fruits were the livelihoods of the common people. They had grown exceptionally well this year. If something went wrong, it would be infuriating.
“Hu Lin, you don’t need to worry. We’ll organize everyone to watch over our fruits. This is our village’s source of income this time, and we won’t allow anyone to sabotage it,” Hu Lin said coldly, understanding Lin Zhi’s nature better than Wang Jinhe and the others.
The villagers nearby nodded in agreement. “The village chief is right. This is our lifeline. If anyone dares to harm our fruit trees, we won’t hesitate to take action.”
If Lin Village really dared to harm their fruit trees, they would report it to the authorities.
They wouldn’t let these people off the hook. These fruits were their way out of poverty.
They were hoping to earn more money this year, rebuild their houses, and avoid leaks during the rainy season. It was also essential for keeping warm during the winter.
They still need to buy quilts and other necessities; they want to have a good year this time.
“That’s right.”
Hu Lin nodded with a smile. “Alright, everyone, get back to work. We’ll discuss further after we finish.”
After harvesting the fruits in the evening, Wang Jinhe and the others returned to Hululu Village. The village held a meeting where they discussed everything that needed to be said. In the end, representatives from each family were selected, forming four to five teams to patrol around the orchard to prevent any issues.
Their patrols indeed uncovered a problem. Ten days later, they caught Lin Zhi, who was attempting to set their orchard on fire.
Hu Lin trembled with anger. “Lin Zhi, your actions caused your village’s fruits to go unsold. Don’t think you can come to our village and cause trouble.”
Thanks to Jinhe’s warning, Hu Lin had been more vigilant about Lin Zhi, understanding him better. He hadn’t expected Lin Zhi to actually carry out his threats.
Lin Zhi sneered, “Our village is not doing well. What gives your village the right to thrive?”
“Lock him up, we’ll report this to the authorities tomorrow,” Hu Lin gritted his teeth.
“Alright.”
The next day, when Wang Jinhe and Su Yu arrived with Xiao Bao, they saw Hu Lin and others leading Lin Zhi away. Wang Jinhe exchanged a glance with Su Yu. Seriously? This was actually happening?
“Uncle Hu Lin, what’s going on…”
“He came last night with tung oil, planning to burn down all our fruit trees,” Hu Lin said, his anger palpable. Wang Zhi was truly despicable to contemplate such a heinous act.
Wang Jinhe looked at Wang Zhi in shock, “He actually thought of doing something like that?”
Hu Lin sighed and said, “Who would have believed it? We couldn’t fathom it either, but unfortunately, it’s all too real.”
“In that case, you go report it to the authorities. We’ll handle things here,” Wang Jinhe suggested. It wouldn’t take many people to escort Wang Zhi to the authorities, leaving enough villagers behind to continue harvesting the fruit.
Xiao Bao, overjoyed at the prospect of picking more fruit, exclaimed, “Mommy, I love picking fruit!”
“All right, later I’ll have your daddy take you to pick some,” Wang Jinhe said, surprised at Xiao Bao’s sudden enthusiasm for fruit picking, especially the large and good-quality ones. He usually didn’t pay them much attention.
“Yay!”
“Help Miss Wang Jinhe and the others,” Hu Lin instructed the villagers as he prepared to accompany Wang Zhi to the town. He couldn’t help but worry, emphasizing the need for vigilance.
“Village Chief, rest assured, we know what to do. Don’t worry unnecessarily,” a villager from Hululu Village reassured him, waving his hand dismissively. They had been picking fruit for almost half a month; they knew exactly what was expected of them.
“You have a handle on things; we’ll take our leave,” Hu Lin said, feeling a mix of relief and concern as he departed.
When Hu Lin and the others returned, they brought the county magistrate with them. Wang Jinhe and Su Yu were surprised to see the magistrate again. Clearly, the magistrate was both surprised and delighted to see them. He had heard about Hululu Village’s situation from Hu Lin and was pleased that the village was on the path to prosperity. He had come to visit and, to his surprise, found out that it was Su Yu and Wang Jinhe who had contributed to their upliftment.
“Master Su, I didn’t expect it to be you. Are these fruits satisfactory?” the county magistrate asked Su Yu.
“They are excellent,” Su Yu gave a very high evaluation. This wasn’t an exaggeration; the fruits from Hululu Village sold very well. In just over ten days of selling fruits, they had earned nearly five thousand taels. Although it couldn’t compare with other businesses, every little bit counted. Su Yu couldn’t afford to be picky; after all, he was now the Head of his family.
The money from selling fruits would be enough to buy some pearls for his wife.
Wang Jinhe had noticed that ever since she started using pearl powder for her face, her skin had improved significantly. It had become so good that it made others envious.
“That’s good to hear. Master Su, I plan to merge Hululu Village with Lin Village. If next year, under Hu Lin’s leadership, Lin Village can produce fruits of the same quality, would you be interested in purchasing from them too?” the county magistrate asked Su Yu. Although he was saying this, he felt a deep sense of melancholy. He had truly given his all for the sake of the people in his county.
Su Yu respected the county magistrate’s position and agreed naturally, “If the fruits next year meet the same quality, I will certainly consider it.”
“In that case, I want to thank you on behalf of everyone here,” the county magistrate said sincerely.
“Don’t mention it. However, the atmosphere in that village isn’t good. I wonder if Hu Lin can change it,” Su Yu said with a meaningful look.
He didn’t like dealing with people who liked to create problems, regardless of the type of collaboration. The county magistrate hesitated for a moment and said helplessly, “I’ve discussed this with Hu Lin earlier. We can only take it step by step. It’s impossible to change things overnight.”
“That’s not a problem, but let’s be clear upfront. If the fruits don’t meet my standards when the time comes, I might still buy, but the price won’t be high. If someone causes trouble, I might just put them directly on the blacklist. There won’t be any plans for further cooperation,” Su Yu said bluntly, not giving the county magistrate any face.
“Of course, you’re the one buying the fruits, so your decision holds the most weight,” the county magistrate said, relieved that Su Yu had agreed. He didn’t care about those who didn’t want to earn money.