The chestnuts in Xiaojia Village are very well preserved and can withstand inspection and testing. Not a single chestnut in the basket, whether on top or bottom, is shriveled or damaged.
After learning about the samples, Yu Fugui and others, led by Li Hongying, went to the villagers' homes to purchase and place orders.
Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu went to Xiao Guofu's house at his invitation.
The elderly couple who had been waiting inside the house beamed with joy when they saw Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu.
"Dazhuang has brought his wife back. Come and sit down."
Xiao Cheng was speechless every time he heard this title, but Bai Lu beside him acted as if nothing was wrong, happily pulling him to sit in the seat of honor, being extremely obedient.
She smiled and agreed with the old woman, then greeted her warmly, "Grandpa and Grandma, how are the piglets doing?"
"So good, chubby and plump!"
Grandma's eyes lit up at the mention of piglets: "Your grandpa and I go up the mountain every day to gather pig feed to feed the piglets. They're so much bigger now than when Dazhuang first brought them over. They've gotten so much fatter and are so chubby and cute! They'll be ready to eat soon. Remember to come back for dinner when that happens, Dazhuang and I!"
The change from cute to edible was so sudden that Bai Lu was stunned for a moment before laughing and saying, "It will take several more months for the little pig to grow up, so there's no rush."
Xiao Guofu was stunned for a moment before he realized that this time, it wasn't just individual households in Xiaojia Village whose lives were gradually improving, but rather the overall standard of living in the village was beginning to improve.
Bai Lu suspected that she had also lost her mind; after studying psychology for so long, she still couldn't control her wavering heart.
Bai Lu didn't want to agree to something she couldn't promise, so she gripped the teacup Xiao Guofu offered, her fingers tightening slightly.
"What a promising child! May your ancestors bless your business to grow bigger and bigger and your life to become better and better. Kind-hearted people are bound to be blessed."
"The ten bosses who came this time are all business partners who have cooperated with us before. Next time, they will be strangers. You should also pay more attention and find someone who knows how to read the scale to accompany you when weighing."
"Grandma, what are you saying? The food from the mountains is the most natural and original, healthy and delicious. We love it so much, how could we possibly dislike it?"
Bai Lu grew up in a happy and warm family, making it easier for her to feel the genuine affection from her relatives.
The voice was deafening: "Xiao Guofu!"
"You've explained the precautions so clearly, you're all so kind, I don't even know what to say. I can only thank you on behalf of the villagers of Xiao Family Village... You are the great benefactors of Xiao Family Village..."
However, when he didn't return to collect the chestnuts for a while, Xiao Guofu had someone sell the chestnuts to others. Xiao Zhenwei was furious and glared at Bai Lu with a fierce look in his eyes.
"You sold the chestnuts I ordered to someone else without my consent, Xiao Guofu! Did Grandpa and Grandma not know, or were they deliberately covering for me?"
Grandpa even angrily rebuked him, saying, "Disrespectful to elders!"
Xiao Zhenwei's ancestors were members of the Xiao family who moved out of Longcheng. They belonged to the same lineage as Xiao Family Village and would return to worship their ancestors during the Qingming Festival.
But he didn't have a secret recipe, so he could only ask a friend to buy authentic sugar-roasted chestnuts from Pingcheng and then try to replicate them himself. He also paid deposits to villagers during the Qingming Festival to order chestnuts.
Grandpa also said, "It won't be long since I came back for a meal."
Xiao Guofu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes."
Their family is considered lucky; they have access to safe food supplies. But those working-class people who frequently eat fast food and order takeout are suffering terribly.
"How could you do something so immoral! We're all members of the Xiao family, even if we're not close relatives, we're still clansmen. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for doing this?!"
Deeply moved, he blurted out without thinking, "We are also members of the Xiao family."
Tears welled up in her eyes with excitement: "You...you are really amazing. You've built such a big business, yet you still care about the illiterate villagers. You're worried that they might be cheated, so you personally brought people back to inspect the goods. You've given outsiders a warning, letting them know that Xiaojia Village is protected by you. They can't shortchange you or lower the price, and they can't bully people."
The reputation of his roasted chestnuts was so great that everyone who owned a door and window shop in Longcheng had heard of them. His friend had even brought chestnuts back for him to try. So he set his sights on this business and wanted to partner with his friend to open a stall and sell roasted chestnuts on the street.
The old woman's smile grew even more kind as she looked at Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu, her aged eyes brimming with light.
"Then it's settled," the old woman declared decisively. "You and Dazhuang must come back for meat then!"
Xiao Cheng suddenly grasped Bai Lu's hand and agreed to the old woman's words: "I will bring her back for dinner."
Bai Lu frowned, and Xiao Cheng gave her a cold look: "Get lost."
Xiao Zhenwei thought that only Xiao Guofu was at home, but he didn't expect that his grandparents were also there. His arrogant attitude immediately subsided by half, but when he saw Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu sitting in important positions, his arrogance doubled again.
Although his roasted chestnuts weren't authentic, they weren't too bad, and people still bought them on the street.
Bai Lu glanced sideways in surprise, then stumbled into a deep sea. In the sea lay her, and also her unspoken stubbornness.
Bai Lu witnessed the food crisis of later generations, so how could she not distinguish between good and bad?
Grandma was unaware of Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng's situation, but she sincerely invited them to her home: "You can definitely eat before the New Year~ I'll have Afu inform you when you come back for dinner, and then bring back some preserved meat and local specialties from the mountains. You can eat whenever you want, as long as you don't mind."
Has the big boss suddenly become a child who's acting crazy?
Or... can't bear to part with her?
"You brought so many people back this time to buy chestnuts, are you planning to sell the method of roasting chestnuts?" Xiao Guofu interrupted, completely oblivious to the situation.
Cursed for no reason, Xiao Guofu's excitement over the good news brought by Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu was ignited by rage. "Xiao Zhenwei, watch your mouth!"
Just as Xiao Guofu was about to invite Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu to lunch, a noisy commotion suddenly broke out outside. A second before he could finish speaking, a figure stormed in.
Xiao Cheng nodded in satisfaction: "That's right."
She wasn't even in the new town anymore by then...
Xiao Guofu saw the key point, and the old man was very pleased: "Thank you for expressing your gratitude through actions."
The village chief's duty is to seek benefits for the villagers and strive to improve their lives. Bai Lu understood his blunt question, "They've already started selling."
Xiao Zhenwei froze, as if enveloped by a malevolent aura. His breath stopped, and his angry glare could only turn to Xiao Guofu.
Facing the furious Xiao Zhenwei, Xiao Guofu remained undeterred, retorting righteously and eloquently—
“You did pay a deposit, but it was only a small amount. You spent it all the first time you came to collect chestnuts. Not only did you not pay any more deposits, but you also didn’t leave any message. You haven’t come to collect chestnuts for more than two months. Who knows if you still want them?”
“Uncle Dashan’s third child was of school age last year, but he didn’t have the money to go to school. He was thinking of selling you chestnuts so that he could send the child to school this year after receiving the money.”
“But you keep delaying, you haven’t come to collect the chestnuts and there’s still no news, and there’s no deposit. What’s wrong with me asking Uncle Dashan to sell the chestnuts to Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu? If they buy the chestnuts, Sanwazi can go to school. Can you do that?!”
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