After seeing off the bewildered Niu Erbao and Tan Wang, Xu Kuo immediately ordered them to gather the villagers quickly. Time was money; he had to harvest all the available vegetables before the news spread.

Although Niu Erbao and Tan Wang were full of doubts, they still did as instructed. They had an inexplicable trust in Xu Kuo.

Soon, villagers began to gather around.

When everyone saw that it was Xu Kuo, their faces immediately showed disdain. Some even rolled their eyes and muttered under their breath, clearly not holding back any nice words.

"What kind of trouble is this kid up to now?"

"He's probably still eyeing the village chief's position; a toad trying to eat swan meat!"

"If it weren't for him last time, would the village chief have been arrested? He's such a jinx!"

The villagers whispered amongst themselves, thinking that Xu Kuo was coming again to persuade them to vote for him as village chief.

"Pah! Dream on!" A villager spat, his face full of indignation. "Him? He wants to be the village chief? In his next life!"

"Exactly! Anyone who votes for him is out of their mind!"

"We haven't settled the score with him for what happened last time! How dare he come back?"

The villagers were outraged, filled with righteous indignation, and wished they could tear Xu Kuo apart alive.

Xu Kuo remained calm; he had anticipated this outcome. He cleared his throat and raised his voice: "Everyone, quiet down! Quiet down!"

From the crowd, a burly man jumped out, pointed at Xu Kuo's nose, and cursed, "What are you quiet about? You still have the nerve to show your face? You still haven't given us an explanation for what happened last time!"

"That's right! You've ruined us! And now you still want us to elect you as village chief? Dream on!"

"Get out! You're not welcome in our village!"

The villagers' emotions were completely ignited, and shouts and curses rose and fell, creating chaos.

Xu Kuo did not back down or feel afraid; he simply waited quietly for the right opportunity.

"Quiet down, everyone!" Xu Kuo raised his voice again. "I'm not here today to have you elect me as village chief!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, but soon erupted into an even louder uproar.

"If you're not here to elect a village chief, then what are you doing here?"

"Could it be that they've come to apologize to us?"

"Dream on! You think an apology will make things right? No way!"

Xu Kuo and the others lowered their voices slightly before slowly speaking, "I've come to buy the grain and vegetables from everyone. The price is negotiable, and I guarantee it will be higher than the market price!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned.

"Huh? Harvesting... harvesting vegetables?"

"Still a high price?"

"Is this kid alright?"

"I think he's gone mad!"

"What kind of good thing is this? A pie falling from the sky?"

The villagers were abuzz with discussion, all thinking that Xu Kuo must have lost his mind to make such an absurd decision.

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Xu Kuo felt extremely smug. He knew he had achieved his goal.

"That's right, I'll buy them at a high price!" Xu Kuo repeated. "I'll take all the grain and vegetables you have! The price will definitely satisfy you!"

After confirming that Xu Kuo was not joking, the villagers, who had been indignant, instantly changed their expressions.

"Really? You're not kidding us!" a villager asked, still somewhat skeptical.

"Yeah, you're not just messing with us on purpose, are you?"

Where did you get so much money?

The villagers asked questions all at once, their faces filled with suspicion and wariness.

Xu Kuo didn't waste any words. He pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and waved it in front of everyone: "See this? This is the deposit! As long as you sell the vegetables to me, I'll pay you right away!"

Upon seeing that thick wad of money, the villagers' eyes widened and their breathing became rapid.

"I'll sell! I'll sell!" One villager reacted the fastest, turning and running home. "I'll go back and collect the vegetables right now!"

"I'm selling too! Wait for me!"

"Me too! Me too!"

In an instant, the crowd that had been gathered together scattered like birds and beasts.

Watching the villagers walk away, Xu Kuo's lips curled into a smug smile.

In just one day, almost all the vegetables in the village were put into Xu Kuo's warehouse.

As the villagers happily counted their money, they secretly mocked Xu Kuo, calling him a fool for spending a high price on a pile of unwanted rotten vegetable leaves.

When Xu Kuo returned to the room, Jiang Xiuying was sitting at the table, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Honey, what... what are you doing? Why did you collect all the vegetables from the villagers?" Jiang Xiuying's voice was filled with anxiety and confusion. "Will those vegetables be able to be sold?"

Xu Kuo walked to the table, sat down, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp: "Don't worry, wife, we're guaranteed to make a profit on this deal!"

Looking at Xu Kuo's confident demeanor, Jiang Xiuying still had some doubts, but she chose to believe him: "Yes, I believe you!"

"Go and make me something to eat. I've been busy all day and I'm starving," Xu Kuo said with a smile.

Jiang Xiuying nodded and turned to go into the kitchen.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Who is it?" Xu Kuo frowned. Who could be looking for him at this time?

When Xu Kuo opened the door, he was stunned. Standing in the doorway were his eldest brother Xu Jianguo and second brother Xu Jianjun.

These two people rarely associate with him normally, so why did they suddenly come to his door today?

Xu Kuo was puzzled, but despite disliking the two, he still let them into the house.

"Why are you here?" Xu Kuo asked.

Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun exchanged a glance, both with displeasure on their faces.

"Xu Kuo, you're something else now that you've made it big, you don't even recognize your own brothers anymore?" Xu Jianguo said sarcastically.

"That's right, I heard you're buying vegetables from the villagers at high prices, so why aren't you buying from us?" Xu Jianjun chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Xu Kuo immediately understood. It turned out that these two men were envious of his high-priced vegetable purchases and had come to confront him.

Xu Kuo sneered inwardly. When the villagers attacked him, these two had been stirring things up. Now that they saw an opportunity to profit, they were running away faster than anyone else.

“You’ve misunderstood,” Xu Kuo explained. “I confiscated your vegetables for your own good.”

"For our own good?" Xu Jianguo sneered. "Don't pretend to be a good guy! I think you just can't stand to see us doing well!"

“That’s right! You give benefits to those outsiders, but make our own brothers suffer. What are you thinking?” Xu Jianjun retorted angrily.

"Xu Kuo, let me tell you, if you don't take our vegetables today, we're not done with you!" Xu Jianguo threatened.