Chapter 145 Lu Zheng, Xia Qianqian Doesn't Love You at All

Xia Qianqian originally only wanted to find a few people to set up a cover, but when she saw the expectation on the dark faces in front of her, her thought of "just dealing with them casually" suddenly disappeared.

She made a secret resolution that as long as these people were willing to work hard with her, she would definitely lead them to earn a living!

"Follow me!" she called out.

The villagers, carrying hoes and sickles, followed. Wang Laowu, walking at the front, couldn't help but speak up: "Qianqian, are we really going to clear this land? The grass is taller than a person, and there are so many stones..."

Xia Qianqian kept walking, her eyes shining as she turned back: "The best place is yet to come."

She paused, softening her tone, "Lu Zheng should have already mentioned it to you all. This is for everyone's benefit, but you have to keep your mouths shut. Anyone who dares to utter a single word will forget about making money with me in the future."

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy queue instantly fell silent.

Old Wang patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry! If anyone dares to tell anyone, I'll be the first to break their legs!"

The others echoed this sentiment, their expectant expressions now tinged with a hint of seriousness.

Xia Qianqian nodded in satisfaction, then turned and continued walking forward.

After rounding a bend in the mountain, the view suddenly opened up, and the clearing that Xia Qianqian had cleared was now laid flat in the valley.

The dark earth was turned over neatly, and green radish greens and cabbage were planted in it. In the distance, there were several rows of bamboo chicken coops. There was no trace of the overgrown weeds that had appeared before.

"My goodness!" The villagers were so shocked their mouths were agape. "How...how did they do that?"

Sister Li stepped forward, reached out and touched a cabbage leaf bigger than her palm, and exclaimed, "Qianqian, did you and Lu Zheng clear all this land yourselves? How much effort must have taken! You just let us do the work and then expect us to share the profits..."

She finally believed Lu Zheng's words. No wonder Lu Zheng only picked the most honest ones. If the other villagers knew that there was such a "treasure land" hidden in the back mountain, they would probably fight tooth and nail to grab it!

These fresh and tender vegetables, even if you only manage to grab a few, are enough to feed your family for several days.

Thinking of this, Sister Li quickly pinched herself to suppress that greedy thought. Lu Zheng and Qianqian trusted her, which was why they let her work. She couldn't have any ulterior motives!

Wang Laowu chuckled and said, "Miss Xia, you've done a really good job cultivating this land! It's even better than the production team's experimental field!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude as they looked at Xia Qianqian.

Xia Qianqian felt a warm glow in her heart as she looked at their excited yet reserved expressions: "Alright, don't just stand there." She pointed to the open space to the east, "You guys finish mulching up the rest of the land first; clear the weeds around the chicken coop so that snakes and insects don't crawl in."

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison, picked up their hoes, and got to work with great enthusiasm.

That night, torches lit up the mountain valley until dawn. Villagers wielded hoes to till the ground and wove bamboo strips to build sheds. Even the usually taciturn Wang Laowu hummed a tune, his sweat dripping onto the newly turned black soil, splashing up tiny specks of mud.

It wasn't until the sky began to lighten and the morning dew dampened her temples that Xia Qianqian called out, "Everyone, let's rest and take our things home."

Two large baskets were already set up in the corner. One basket contained still-warm farm eggs with bits of grass clinging to their shells; the other basket was piled high with fresh, crisp cabbages, and next to it were piled radishes covered in fresh soil.

"Each person receives four eggs, one cabbage, and one radish."

Xia Qianqian handed them out one by one, and when her fingertips touched the villagers' rough palms, she could feel them trembling slightly.

Sister Li's hands, clutching the eggs, turned red, and her eyes welled up with tears: "Qianqian, how can we accept this... We've only worked all night..."

"Take it!" Xia Qianqian stuffed the vegetables into her arms. "This is what you deserve."

She swept her gaze across the crowd: "From now on, if you work for me and are willing to put in the effort, I guarantee you'll have meat to eat every meal and money to earn every month."

Upon hearing this, Sister Li, her eyes red, swore, "Miss Xia, don't worry! Anyone who dares to tell anyone about what happened here may be struck by lightning and have their tongue rotten!"

"Yes! A foul mouth!" Everyone echoed in unison, clutching the eggs and vegetables even tighter. This was their only hope for survival; who would be foolish enough to tell anyone?

After working for half a month straight, the scene in the valley has completely changed. Not only has the field been neatly arranged, but a waist-high greenhouse has also been built on the west side.

The bamboo frame was covered with thick thatch, and Sister Li was leading her two wives to paste oil paper on the shed: "This way, the seedlings won't freeze in winter, and we can harvest an earlier crop in the spring!"

What surprised Xia Qianqian the most was that Wang Laowu actually brought half a bag of sweet potato seeds from home and squatted on the open ground to teach her how to plant sweet potatoes.

The villagers worked hard, and Xia Qianqian was just as generous, sharing food with everyone every few days.

In just half a month, the faces of those who helped with the work had become chubby.

Other villagers were envious and secretly inquired about it, but those who were asked kept their mouths shut tighter than if they were sealed, and no one was willing to say a word.

Xia Wenwen slammed her handkerchief on the table and said to Madam Xia, "Mom! Look at the way those people in the village are acting! It must be Xia Qianqian's doing!"

She gritted her teeth: "I saw Lu Zheng and the others walking towards the back mountain a few days ago, acting suspiciously! I wanted to follow them to see what was going on, but they were very clever. They turned around to look after only a few steps, which scared me so much that I quickly hid!"

Madam Xia didn't even look up when she heard this: "Mind your own business! Your father wrote to the Qin family, and they replied that they will come to Xiangyang Village to see you in a few days."

Seeing that her parents were only thinking about getting her married into the Qin family, she was both angry and anxious. She absolutely could not accept her fate like this!

Xia Wenwen took a deep breath, silently lowered her head, concealing the calculation in her eyes. Tonight, she had to find Lu Zheng and gamble on her future!

That evening, just as Lu Zheng reached the village entrance, Xia Wenwen suddenly jumped out from behind a tree and blocked his way.

"What do you want to do?" Lu Zheng's face darkened, his annoyance undisguised. If it weren't for the village rules, he would have kicked this troublemaker from the Xia family out of Xiangyang Village long ago.

Xia Wenwen shuddered at his icy gaze, but forced a smile, her voice laced with resentment: "Brother Lu, I have something important to tell you..."

She sneered inwardly, "You look down on me now, but wait until you find out the truth and see if you're still so tough!"

"I'm busy." Lu Zheng frowned and turned to walk around. "Get lost if you have nothing to do."

"You dare to leave!" Xia Wenwen panicked and reached out to grab his arm, but Lu Zheng disgustedly shook her off.

She bit her lip until it turned white, intending to keep Lu Zheng in suspense, but now, fearing he would really leave, she hurriedly cried out in a shrill voice, "Brother Lu! You've been deceived by Xia Qianqian! She doesn't love you at all! She's been hiding so many things from you!"