Chapter 495 The whole village came to apologize

Sun Shuiqin directly recounted what had happened.

The initially excited Shagen's mother gradually calmed down.

She asked, "So, if you hadn't cooperated with Manager Hu beforehand, this thousand taels of silver should have been earned by Aunt Dashan?"

“Aunt Zhao is so capable, with so many profitable businesses, why does she have to focus on just this one?” Sun Shuiqin said confidently. “Just because she sells clothes doesn’t mean others can’t sell them! Aunt Zhao already knows about this, and I’ve already made it clear to everyone. I’ll use this money to buy a shop. In the future, Shagen and I will go to the city to do business. Isn’t that better than working in a soap factory?”

Shagen's mother looked at her son: "What exactly did Dashan's mother say?"

"Aunt Zhao is very angry." Zhao Shagen didn't remember what Cheng Wanwan said, only the emotions he felt. "Kong Xiuniang is even angrier. She broke off her master-disciple relationship with Shuiqin. Er Gou's wife is also very angry... In short, everyone is very angry."

"Oh dear!" Silly Root's mother dropped the silver notes in her hand. "Big Mountain's mother is someone who never gets angry, so why is she angry? We're doomed! Have we offended Big Mountain's mother? Offending Big Mountain's mother is offending the village head, which means offending most of the people in Dahe Village. How are we supposed to live in Dahe Village now?"

Sun Shuiqin looked incredulous. Her mother-in-law would rather not have the money than offend Aunt Zhao!

Is a mere sixth-rank official really that terrifying?

“Mother, a thousand taels of silver can buy a courtyard in the city, enough for our family to live in, and we can even do business.” She took a deep breath and said, “We’ll never come back again, and we don’t need to worry about what the villagers think!”

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Zhao Yougui, the father of Shagen, walked in from the doorway, his voice filled with anger. "Our Zhao family has lived in Dahe Village for eighteen generations. You think you can just move away like that? You think you'll never come back like that? When did it become your place, a mere daughter-in-law, to make decisions for our Zhao family!"

Sun Shuiqin argued forcefully: "What's so good about living in the village? Farming doesn't make money, and working in a soap factory doesn't earn much either. Why can't we move to the city to do business? I'm doing all this to make our family's life better and better. What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, you jinx! You're still being stubborn! Fine, fine, you're not wrong, I'm the one who's wrong! I shouldn't have agreed to let Shagen marry you!" Shagen's mother slapped her thigh and wailed. "You're shameless enough, but you dragged our whole family into it! What sins have we committed? Dashan's mother has worked so hard for Dahe Village, it's her duty to earn money. Why did you steal her away? Just because you're pregnant, does that mean Dashan's mother wouldn't dare scold or hit you? No way, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of Dashan's mother first!"

Silly Root's mother picked up a piece of firewood and was about to hit him.

Zhao Shagen rushed over and shielded his wife behind him.

The onlookers outside also rushed over to try and break up the fight.

"You're pregnant, be careful of premature birth."

"Sit down and talk things out. What kind of family fights like this?"

"Silly Root's wife is always well-behaved, what on earth happened?"

Villagers came in to inquire about the news; some were genuinely concerned, while others were just bystanders. A crowd gathered at the entrance.

Shagen's mother began to recount what had happened: "Do you remember Manager Hu who came to buy cotton back then? Those clothes that are selling for exorbitant prices in the city recently were made by Manager Hu using cotton from our Dahe Village. Dashan's mother is also making those clothes. Before Dashan's mother even started selling her clothes, Manager Hu had already sold thousands or tens of thousands of pieces. Dashan's mother's entire stock is now stuck with unsold goods!"

"It was that jinx that Shagen married who leaked the secret to Manager Hu, which is why Manager Hu came to our village to collect cotton. If it weren't for this jinx, how could Aunt Dashan have suffered such a huge loss! Oh my, don't stop me, I have to teach this arrogant little bastard a lesson!"

The villagers looked at each other in confusion.

I was just observing other people's gossip, but somehow it feels like this matter is also related to them?

If they hadn't sold cotton to Manager Hu, Manager Hu wouldn't have had cotton to make clothes, and he wouldn't have been able to steal Da Shan Niang's business.

Oh dear, you can't afford to offend anyone but Aunt Dashan! If you offend Aunt Dashan, there's no hope for Dahe Village!

"No, I have to go and apologize to Aunt Dashan right away!"

"I knew they were up to no good by buying cotton at such high prices, and it turns out they were right!"

"Shagen's wife is such a jerk. Dashan's mother has done so much for the village, how could she team up with outsiders to bully her?"

"Grandma Dashan has probably suffered a great loss this time. What should we do? We need to think of a solution!"

"Let's go apologize to Aunt Dashan first, and then ask if we can help..."

The crowd dispersed instantly.

Sun Shuiqin was incredulous again. If she hadn't called Manager Hu to collect the cotton, these people would have only been able to use the cotton to make winter clothes or sell it to Aunt Zhao at a low price. She had helped the villagers make a small fortune, and they were actually blaming her. Was there no justice in this world?

The simple-minded mother didn't have time to scold her daughter-in-law anymore. She took out the pig's head she had bought that morning from the kitchen and hurriedly followed the group to apologize.

As it grew dark, Cheng Wanwan finished her dinner and was picking pears in the yard.

The pears were fully ripe in late autumn, and they looked exceptionally good, their bright orange color making one's mouth water. There were so many fruits that she couldn't possibly eat them all herself, so she planned to give some to the villagers to try later.

Suddenly, Granny Qi rushed in: "My lady, a lot of villagers have come, almost a hundred people. They say they want to apologize. I don't know the specifics. Should I let them all in?"

Cheng Wanwan frowned. Had something big happened in the village?

She nodded and asked Granny Qi to bring the person in.

Fortunately, the courtyard is large enough that even a hundred people can stand comfortably.

The village head stood at the front, looking apologetic, and said, "Auntie Dashan, I just found out that Manager Hu, who came to buy cotton before, had ulterior motives. We shouldn't have sold the cotton to him. We were all wrong, so we came here to apologize. Please forgive us this time, Auntie Dashan. We will never sell cotton to him again next year."

As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers behind him immediately apologized, each with a sincere expression. Some even wanted to return the money they had earned from selling cotton.

Cheng Wanwan was both amused and exasperated: "Why can't we sell cotton? Why not do business that can make money?"

Cotton is a cash crop; after a good harvest, it's sold to make money, which is the main source of income for farmers. How can they stop selling it because of this trivial matter?

She said earnestly, "If the other party asks for a high price, then you should sell. This money is all your hard-earned money, you deserve it. Don't feel bad about it. Nobody should turn down money."

“But Aunt Dashan, you’ve suffered a great loss!” Shagen’s mother came out, her face full of apology. “It’s all because of my ignorant daughter-in-law. If she hadn’t messed things up, none of this would have happened. I’ll make her pay back the money she earned with a guilty conscience! Aunt Dashan, are you having trouble selling your clothes? It’s okay, people from our village will come to buy them. That will help reduce some of your losses!”

Others followed suit.

"My family has eight members, enough to buy eight sets of clothes."

"I'll buy twenty sets; if I can't wear them all, I'll save them for next year."

"Anyway, I made a lot of money selling cotton, so I'll use it all to buy clothes."

"..."

As she watched the villagers take out their money, Cheng Wanwan's eyes welled up with tears.

Her efforts seemed to have been rewarded, as these impoverished villagers generously offered to help her out of her predicament; this was a blessing she had accumulated.