Chapter 101: Agreement to Cooperate

Back in Taolin Village, ever since they started making peach preserves like Ping’an Village, they faced a few problems. The syrup was either too sweet or not sweet enough, causing the flavor of their peach preserves to be far from ideal.

This issue could be adjusted, but they couldn’t figure out where the problem lay. Despite countless attempts, they were unable to replicate the thick syrup of Ping’an Village’s peach preserves.

They had planned to try again, but they had already wasted too much sugar, and the women at home were furious. It had reached the point where anyone who dared touch the sugar would have to deal with their wrath.

In the end, the matter was left unresolved. They set a deadline of ten days and decided to compare their homemade peach preserves with the ones made by Ping’an Village.

The goal was to find out who made the better peach preserves.

Ten days later, the exciting moment had arrived.

Several village officials from Taolin Village, along with their wives, had stopped working and were waiting eagerly. They were quite confident that their peach preserves would turn out better, after all, they had washed their hands so thoroughly while making them that it seemed impossible for anything to go wrong.

Everything had been so clean—how could it possibly spoil so easily?

But with the weather warming up, they weren’t as sure as before.

Upon thinking for a moment, they reasoned that if their peach preserves couldn’t last, then Ping’an Village’s preserves would be even worse, since they had made theirs much earlier.

The village head took out several jars of peach preserves and moved two of them aside. “These two jars are from Ping’an Village, and the other four are ours.”

“Yes, yes, this glass jar is from my house.”

“Village head, we must be clear, don’t mix them up.”

“Don’t worry, I kept them separate. Besides, we cut ours into smaller pieces, so it’s easy to tell them apart.”

“Let’s open them and taste.”

One of the village officials’ wives was particularly confident in her skills. She patted one of the jars. “Let’s open mine first, I’ll show you my handiwork.”

“Alright!”

Secretary Yang took out a screwdriver and pried open the lid. Before he could say any words of praise, a foul, sour odor rushed at him, nearly making him gag.

He quickly set down the jar and turned away, dry heaving.

Those standing nearby could also smell the sour stench and quickly covered their noses and mouths. “Old Dao’s wife, your peach preserves are no good! They’re sour and smelly, they’ll choke someone to death.”

She couldn’t respond, as she too had covered her nose and mouth. “Why does it smell so bad? All that good white sugar went to waste.”

At the mention of the sugar, everyone present felt a pang of regret.

Each family had chipped in for the sugar, and when the children were sick, they hadn’t dared to waste it, even to make a simple sugary drink.

They had hoped to bring the peach preserves home to sweeten the kids’ mouths, but now the preserves had gone sour.

Now, how could they sweeten anyone’s mouth?

After seeing that Old Dao’s wife had failed, others lost confidence in their own jars.

After all, the ingredients were the same, and they had all made the preserves on the same day.

In one go, they opened the remaining three jars. The same sour, stinky smell filled the air, and the women mourned as they patted their thighs. “If only we had given the peach preserves to the children the day we made them. At least they would have enjoyed the good stuff, instead of letting it spoil without tasting it.”

“Did we open all of our peach preserves?”

“Yes, we opened all of them, and they’re all spoiled. What a waste! Such good stuff, ruined without being eaten. We must be cursed.”

The mood in Taolin Village grew a little more somber, and the feeling was one of regret and sorrow.

“Let’s open the two jars of peach preserves from Ping’an Village and see. Maybe they’ve gone bad just like ours.”

At this moment, the feelings in the hearts of Taolin villagers were incredibly complex.

They hoped the peach preserves weren’t spoiled, but at the same time, they hoped they were.

After all, if Ping’an Village had truly mastered some ancient method, and their preserves were perfect, would Taolin Village forever be at their mercy?

Being the elder brother in the region, they naturally didn’t want to become anyone’s subordinate in the future.

But they also longed for success, for if Taolin Village could replicate the success, it would provide another source of income—certainly a benefit without any harm.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Village Head Lin opened one of the jars of peach preserves.

The fruity aroma wafted out, causing him to relax his furrowed brows. He looked at the syrup inside the jar, still as clear as the day it was made, unlike their own, which had turned cloudy.

He took a light sniff of the preserves. “No sourness, no stench. Ping’an Village has truly mastered the ancient method of preservation.”

Someone remained unconvinced. “I don’t believe it. Let’s try it.”

Secretary Yang acted quicker, dividing the jar into portions. “Everyone, taste it and see if it still has the same flavor as the one we tasted that day.”

Everyone eagerly took a bite, then fell into a collective silence.

The taste and texture were exactly the same as the day they had tried it.

“How is this possible? After all this time, how is the taste unchanged?”

“It’s really delicious. No wonder they were so generous with giving us their peach preserves. Clearly, they’re not afraid of us copying them.”

“No, I don’t believe it. Village Head, tell us the truth. Is this from the batch you made in the last few days?”

Village Head Lin barely refrained from rolling his eyes at her. “Am I that free, or that foolish? Why would I use our village’s interests to cover for Ping’an Village?”

That was indeed the truth.

Secretary Yang’s wife spoke excitedly. “This ancient method of preservation is incredible. If it can be stored for a year, then it’ll sell out fast—probably faster than they can make it.”

If a woman could understand this, surely the men could, too.

“Village Head, you must go to Ping’an Village right away. We definitely need to cooperate. Tomorrow is the eleventh day, and Ping’an Village can’t wait any longer. If we hesitate, they’ll just partner with another village!”

“Yes, go now and tell them that we’ve made our decision. We’ll definitely cooperate.”

Any further delay would make everyone anxious.

They were worried that if Taolin Village missed such a great opportunity, the villagers would blame the village officials for not acting fast enough.

Village Head Lin nodded and pointed to a young accountant standing nearby. “You go and give them the message. Tell them we’ve agreed, and we’ll discuss the specifics of the partnership later.”

This decision from the village head quickly calmed many of the villagers.

Such a great opportunity must be seized by Taolin Village first, and other villages could follow behind.

So, when Village Head Sun received the news, he remained calm. After all, Qiu Yinuo had predicted everything.

Village Head Sun was feeling quite pleased with himself. Who had been able to make Village Head Lin so anxious over the past few years?

Apart from Ping’an Village, no one else.

Feigning seriousness, Village Head Sun said, “Go back and tell Village Head Lin that if he says one word, I guarantee the cooperation opportunity will be given to your village.”

The young accountant couldn’t help but be surprised. Village Head Sun of Ping’an Village was as steady as an old dog. He didn’t show even the slightest sign of excitement, as if he already knew Taolin Village would choose to cooperate.

This confidence, of course, came from the ancient preservation method. Why couldn’t their village have someone like Comrade Qiu—someone so selfless?