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“That’s no problem. You uncles can go back and discuss it with your families, decide how much land you want to use for planting. When the time comes, just let me know, and I’ll set aside the seeds for you,” Wang Jinhe assured them.
“Alright.”
After the discussion, Xiao Bao, feeling a bit bored, leaned on Su Yu’s shoulder and said, “Mommy, let’s go home.”
“Alright, we’re going home. Village chief, we’ll take Xiao Bao back with us for now,” Su Yu said.
“You can go ahead.”
After the three of them left, the village chief turned to the fellow villagers, a smile on his face. “Since Wang Jinhe is willing to help you earn money, you should join her in planting fruits. Let me give you some insight—Wang Jinhe’s watermelons weigh over ten kilograms each, and she sells them for 50 cents per kilogram. When she told me, she made it clear that if she plants more next year and maintains the quality, even if the price goes down a bit, it will still be at least 20 cents per kilogram. That means each watermelon will be worth two to three hundred cents. If you plant a lot, earning dozens of taels of silver in a year won’t be a problem.”
The villagers gasped in shock, unable to believe it. “Such large watermelons? And the price is that high?”
“Yes, Wang Jinhe’s watermelons have an excellent flavor. Even if we can’t match that exactly, it won’t be too far off. We’ll probably sell them for a slightly lower price than Wang Jinhe’s, but it’s still better than going outside to earn money, right? Besides, Wang Jinhe told me that these watermelons are easy to grow, and you won’t need to stay in the field every day. Even your wives can handle it.”
“We understand. We’ll go back and discuss it with our families now,” the villagers replied.
The village chief waved his hand. “Alright, you can all go back.”
The villagers returned home with a mix of curiosity and excitement.
When Xie Chun returned home, his wife looked at him strangely and asked, “Did you find money on the road? Why are you so happy?”
“I’m even happier than finding money,” Xie Chun said excitedly.
“Did the village chief call you over for something? Tell me quickly,” his wife urged.
“Let me tell you, we hit the jackpot, we’re going to get rich,” Xie Chun said mysteriously.
His wife stared at him as if he were a fool. “Did you hit your head out there? Get rich?”
“It’s true. Do you know who called us over today?” Xie Chun asked his wife.
“Who was it?”
“It was Wang Jinhe who called us over.”
“Wang Jinhe?” Liang Shi looked at Xie Chun in surprise. “What’s going on? Does Wang Jinhe have a problem?”
“Why are you so worried? It’s good news. Didn’t you hear about their family growing watermelons and selling them in the village? Wang Jinhe called us over today to ask if we want to join her in planting watermelons next year. It doesn’t matter if we don’t know how to grow them; she will teach us step by step. We don’t have to worry about selling them either. She and Xiao Bao’s father will open a store, and they will buy all the melons we grow,” Xie Chun explained happily.
Liang Shi looked at Xie Chun in astonishment. “Is this for real?”
“Of course it is. Today, we even met Xiao Bao’s father. Xiao Bao looks exactly like him, and he’s easy to get along with. He even thanked us, which shows he likes both Xiao Bao and Wang Jinhe,” Xie Chun said, most pleased with Su Yu’s attitude.
“If it’s really like that, then it’s indeed great,” Liang Shi said in satisfaction.
“That’s right. The village chief also told us that Wang Jinhe’s watermelons weigh over ten kilograms each, and she sold them for 50 cents per kilogram this year. The village chief said Wang Jinhe made it clear that even if she plants more next year, as long as we grow them well, 20 cents per kilogram is perfectly fine,” Xie Chun added.
The price had quite an impact on Liang Shi; she couldn’t help but be startled. If they planted a lot, how much money could they potentially make?
“Do the others in the village also plant?”
“What are you thinking? Those who used to be so hostile, wishing for Wang Jinhe’s family to die, Wang Jinhe doesn’t plan to make money with them. She’s only taking those with a good relationship with her family, a few who secretly helped them back then, and the village chief’s family. There’s no one else,” Xie Chun explained. Wang Jinhe wasn’t going to be taken advantage of.
Liang Shi not only didn’t find this unfavorable but also nodded in agreement. “Wang Jinhe is doing the right thing.”
“Let’s spread the word about this and let those people regret it,” the village chief had already stated that Wang Jinhe wasn’t part of their village anymore, yet those people were still hostile, wishing for Wang Jinhe’s family to meet their end.
“Alright.”
The news that Wang Jinhe intended to find people to plant melons and sell them next year quickly spread throughout the village, and people had already been selected.
Some of the villagers who were completely unaware of this development approached Liang Shi to inquire about it.
“Sister-in-law, did you hear that Wang Jinhe plans to make money with you next year?”
“Yes, why were you chosen? What about us? This is so unfair.”
Liang Shi waited for them to finish speaking before she smiled and replied, “There is some truth to that. Xie Chun also asked Wang Jinhe about it. Wang Jinhe said that those who wished for her family’s downfall and treated them so badly back then, she won’t be making money with them. Now that Xiao Bao’s father has returned and caused quite a commotion with the village chief when he found out about this, in the end, it was the village chief and Wang Jinhe who managed to calm him down.”
“What? He really came back? How could such a coincidence happen?”
Liang Shi gave them a sly look and said with a smile, “Yes, isn’t it quite a coincidence? He has indeed returned, and he’s even from a wealthy family. If the village chief hadn’t intervened, do you think those who treated Wang Jinhe’s family that way in the past would be in good luck now?”
One of the villagers nearby chuckled awkwardly and said, “Well… do we really need to go that far?”
“Need to? Well, now Wang Jinhe is the lady of a wealthy family, and Xiao Bao is the young master. Xie Chun came back yesterday and said that they treat Xiao Bao like a treasure, pampering and protecting him. Do you think there’s no need for it?” Liang Shi did her best to persuade them. After all, they couldn’t approach the village chief to inquire about this matter.
“But… can’t we at least be considered for this opportunity? It’s a big opportunity to make money, how can we just let it go?” Making money was a big deal, and they couldn’t just resign themselves to it.
Liang Shi scrutinized them for a moment and said, “Back then, the village chief said Wang Jinhe wasn’t from our village, and the people from our village shouldn’t treat her that way. How did you all act? Didn’t you force her family to the brink of death? Did you care about their life or death at that time? Now that they don’t care about your life or death, what can you do?”
“We’re going to see the village chief,” they said and walked away.
Today, no matter what, they were determined to have Wang Jinhe take them along to plant and sell watermelons. Regardless of how much they could earn, it would still be an income.
Liang Shi smirked as she watched their retreating figures, thinking that going to the village chief would solve everything. How naive.
The village chief was unsurprised when he saw the people from their house. “What brings you here?”
“Village chief, can Wang Jinhe make money with the people from the village without including us?”