Everyone inside turned to look out at the sound.
The usually stern and serious village chief of the Xiao family was seen running excitedly and briskly towards the main house.
Although Xiao Guofu was not well-regarded by outsiders in the Xiao family, he was the village chief and head of the Xiao family, who comprised hundreds of households in the Xiao family village deep in the mountains. He spoke with authority and acted with composure and prudence, without being impetuous.
It's almost impossible for a three-year-old to run around excitedly.
But at this moment, not only was it happening in real time, but he was also so excited and surprised that he didn't see the people inside the house.
Then he shouted the good news: "Grandpa and Grandma, the chestnut buyers are from the Xiao family in the new town. Xiao Zhihai runs a general store on the street. They want to add a new business to their store by selling roasted chestnuts. They're offering us two cents a pound! Twenty pounds can be exchanged for a pound of meat!"
"You can sell all the chestnuts you've stored up now. With the money you get from selling chestnuts, you can buy meat and rice, and you can also go to Zhujia Village on the other side of the mountain to trade for piglets with the big pig farmer. Once the piglets are grown up, you can eat them whenever you want, whether it's for the New Year or any other time."
“Raising sows can continue to produce piglets, which can then be raised and eaten…” Xiao Guofu’s voice trailed off.
Seeing Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu excitedly walking quickly in their grandparents' house, I immediately slowed down.
The excitement and surprise on his face faded after a moment of stunned silence, but he regained his composure and calm, and walked seriously into the house.
She didn't forget to greet Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu with a smile.
Bai Lu responded with a smile.
Xiao Cheng nodded slightly, his expression calm. After listening to the whole story, he drank his tea slowly.
The elderly couple were clearly used to Xiao Guofu's impulsiveness and knew that he would find a seat on his own.
He went even further, asking bluntly, "Was it those charred charcoal pieces you brought over yesterday?"
Xiao Guofu was embarrassed and explained in detail what Li Shuixian had said when she gave him the roasted chestnuts: "The first time Xiao Zhihai's family made roasted chestnuts, they didn't control the heat well. The second and third times were much better."
"So he brought back those charred chestnuts that even pigs wouldn't eat as a gift?" The old woman saw through his lie.
They even made a reasoned inference: "The charcoal is so bad that customers won't buy it a second time. I bet those unsold and returned charcoal chestnuts are just thrown into the ditch. After all, they don't raise pigs in town, and they wouldn't feed them to pigs."
We'll feed it to that stupid pig, Xiao Guofu.
Grandpa's eyes also seemed to see through everything.
Xiao Guofu felt that everyone in the room was staring at him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
The elderly couple despise people who disrespect food. Xiao Zhihai and Li Shuixian's actions were tantamount to stepping on their landmine and provoking their bottom line.
Everyone knows that he's not stupid; he wanted to explain things in a positive light for Xiao Zhihai and his wife, but he couldn't find a reason to do so.
The only way to plead for her was by appealing to her as a member of the same clan: "Grandma, Xiao Zhihai is also a member of the Xiao family. He wouldn't knowingly give me roasted chestnuts that are inedible, and then bring them back for everyone to try."
“The chestnuts they sell to their customers are all good, there’s no reason why they should be bad for us. They must have just been roasted and brought back to me before we even tasted them. You know, even chestnuts that aren’t in season can spoil if stored in sand. Maybe that particular batch just went bad…”
Grandpa was displeased with Xiao Guofu's repeated defense of Xiao Zhihai and his wife, and said, "How long are you going to defend them? Do you think you're superior just because you moved to town?"
"You always make excuses for their mistakes. They're all children of the Xiao family. When the villagers do wrong, you punish them or scold them as they should. But when they do wrong, you close your eyes and make excuses to absolve them. Do you think they're emperors?"
Xiao Guofu was left speechless after being reprimanded.
Grandpa and Grandma were brothers with Grandpa Xiao Guofu, and their branch of the Xiao family has always been highly respected.
They are kind and friendly in daily life, and have a long-term vision when it comes to important matters, and can offer the most insightful advice to the family.
He has always been the most respected, loved, and supported by his clansmen.
Even he, the village chief of Xiao Family Village and the head of the Xiao clan, was able to successfully assume his post only with the strong support of the two elders.
Xiao Guofu also knew that his approach was not advisable, as he had been excessively accommodating to the outside Xiao family members.
He simply wanted to find a way out for the impoverished Xiao family in the mountains, where even eating meat was a luxury.
The old woman had watched Xiao Guofu and her son play and grow up together since they were little. How could she not know his thoughts? He only humbled himself for the sake of the Xiao family in the mountains.
The old woman originally had a son and a daughter. Her daughter married into Zhujia Village on the other side of the mountain. The mountains were high and the rivers were long and the road was difficult to travel, so she rarely came back. Her son went hunting in the mountains in his early years and was accidentally knocked off a cliff by a group of wild boars. He died without leaving behind a son and a daughter.
But she also has a nephew, Xiao Guofu.
The Xiao family in the mountains still needs the village chief to help them escape poverty. Xiao Guofu is too impatient and inevitably misjudges people.
The old woman sighed and said softly, "Ah Fu, we're not some unreasonable old stubborn people. Of course, we should seize any opportunity that can change our lives and make us live a better life, but we shouldn't rush to give away our food to be wasted. If Xiao Zhihai and his wife's roasted chestnuts can't be sold, it would be a waste for us to sell them to them."
"It would be better to sell it to Dazhuang's wife!"
The old woman changed the subject, looking at Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng with a kind smile: "I believe in Da Zhuang and Da Zhuang's wife."
"They are just like you, filial and good children, so the things they make will definitely be good."
Grandpa nodded in agreement.
Xiao Guofu was taken aback by the old woman's sudden and unexpected words. He stared blankly at Xiao Cheng, who sat calmly and composed opposite him, a truly ruthless bully.
He could barely speak: "Grandpa, Grandma, you're talking about him...she...Dazhuang..."
"Uncle Fu".
Bai Lu spoke up with a smile, kindly taking over the conversation for Xiao Guofu: "We also buy chestnuts."
Xiao Cheng continued to drink his tea calmly and unhurriedly, as if Da Zhuang and Er Zhuang were none of his business.
Xiao Guofu was completely bewildered by what he saw and his mind was a jumbled mess, but that didn't stop him from receiving the most important information.
"You're here to buy chestnuts too?"
Bai Lu nodded: "It's also two cents a pound."
"This is too sudden! How come you didn't mention it on the way here?" Xiao Guofu was overwhelmed with surprise, as if he had been hit by two big windfalls at the same time.
All those notions of bully Da Zhuang have been forgotten.
The old woman, however, felt uneasy thinking about what had happened on the mountain. She huffed and said, "Today is Qingming Festival, when everyone goes back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors. They haven't even offered incense to the ancestors yet and they're already asking for money. Do they think Da Zhuang and his wife are money-grubbing beggars?"
The young couple, Da Zhuang and Xiao, maintained a calm demeanor, as if they weren't beggars.
Xiao Guofu coughed awkwardly and casually asked, "Do you also sell roasted chestnuts?"
The old woman spoke in a chilling tone: "You don't need to test me. The roasted chestnuts were first sold by Da Zhuang and his wife. Xiao Zhihai and his wife tried to steal the recipe but failed, so they roasted them into charcoal and fed them to the pigs."
Xiao Guofu Pig: "..."
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