Chapter 146 Disclaimer Agreement
Aunt Zhou suddenly realized: "It's probably because of that batch of goods you sold that caught people's attention, letting them know there's treasure in our mountains. Are there any more in the mountains?"
Liu Zhixia shook her head: "It's hard to say. The patch I picked was already empty. This thing is delicate; it grows specifically on cliffs and steep slopes, and picking it is extremely dangerous. It could even be fatal."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou became even more anxious: "Then I have to stop them right away! If the villagers sign that damn waiver of liability for money, who will be responsible if something goes wrong?"
She got up and rushed out, turning back before asking, "Your family doesn't want to make this money too, does it?"
The Liu family shook their heads vigorously. Who would dare to do such a dangerous job?
As soon as Aunt Zhou left, Zhang Xiuying said worriedly, "Sister Zhou is cutting off our livelihood. She just became the team leader, and instead of leading everyone to get rich, she's blocking people from making money. She's bound to be resented. Boss, you're the team leader, hurry up and go help her out!"
Without hesitation, Liu Xiangyang said, "Okay, I'll go take a look!"
"I'm going too!" Liu Zhixia followed closely behind.
The two caught up with Aunt Zhou and ran all the way to the village entrance.
Sure enough, the area was already crowded with people. Gu Mansheng was taking advantage of the break after dinner to recruit a large number of people. She was waving a thick stack of disclaimers in her hand, which already had many red handprints on them.
Lu Huaiyuan stood to the side, fanning himself with a large coin, making the villagers envious and their hearts race.
"Stop! Don't sign!"
Aunt Zhou shouted angrily and rushed into the crowd, blocking the villagers who were pressing their handprints.
She glared at Gu Mansheng and Lu Huaiyuan: "I rejected you long ago, how dare you still recruit people on your own?"
Gu Mansheng rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Oh, Captain Zhou~ Is it only allowed for officials to set fires but not for commoners to light lamps? Liu Xiangyang can find work for the villagers, but I can't? I'm leading everyone to get rich, and you're going to stop me? What, can only the Liu family make money in this village?"
After these words were spoken, the way the surrounding villagers looked at Aunt Zhou and Liu Xiangyang changed.
Someone grumbled, "Sister Zhou, you need to give us an explanation! Why can't we make money? This is a dollar a day! It's much better than making pickled vegetables last time!"
Aunt Zhou stomped her feet in anger: "Are you all stupid? Do you know what that handprint means? It's a contract of servitude! If you sign that and you fall and get maimed in the mountains, or even lose your lives, Gu Mansheng won't have to pay you a single penny!"
Seeing that the villagers were still hesitant, Liu Zhixia stepped forward and said loudly:
"Guys, these dendrobium orchids grow on cliffs. Picking them is a life-or-death struggle! One slip and you're smashed to pieces! Our brigade is just getting by. Is it worth risking our lives for this money?"
These words were like a bucket of cold water, causing many people to back down and shrink back.
Gu Mansheng got anxious and jumped up, shouting, "Don't listen to her nonsense! You all grew up in the mountains, what's climbing a mountain? Besides, this one yuan is just a tip for your trouble! If you really find one, I'll give five yuan to whoever can climb up and pick it!"
Five yuan?!
Lu Huaiyuan shuddered in fright, quickly tugging at her sleeve and lowering his voice, "Are you crazy? Five yuan each? How are we supposed to make any money then?"
Gu Mansheng shoved him away and roared righteously, "Lu Huaiyuan! I didn't expect you to be such an ingrate! These are all villagers who watched you grow up. How can I go against my conscience and make money off them? I won't make a single penny of this money. I'm just doing this for the leaders and incidentally helping everyone get rich!"
Lu Huaiyuan was taken aback by the shout, but quickly realized what was happening and cooperated with the act: "Yes, yes, yes! This job is indeed dangerous, but the leaders urgently need it, so we can't let them down. As long as everyone is willing to help, we won't take a single penny of the reward!"
This back-and-forth banter instantly ignited the atmosphere.
The villagers, who had been hesitant just moments before, were now as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood. They pushed Aunt Zhou and Liu Zhixia aside and rushed to put their handprints on the document.
"I'll sign! I'll sign! Fortune favors the bold!"
"Five yuan each! That's a lot of money!"
Aunt Zhou was trembling with anger and tried to rush forward to stop them, but was pushed aside. Liu Zhixia reacted quickly and caught Aunt Zhou, who almost fell.
“Aunt Zhou, don’t stop them. You can’t reason with a devil who’s already asking for it. We’ve already explained the pros and cons, but they’re still jumping into the fire. That’s their own choice. If something goes wrong, the commune will hold them accountable, and everyone who was there but didn’t sign can testify.”
Aunt Zhou looked up at the villagers who were not blinded by money, and felt a little better.
An older woman standing nearby, who hadn't signed either, advised, "Sister Zhou, you've done your best. These people are bewitched, believing the capitalist's daughter's lies. They'll be crying sooner or later! We'll vouch for you!"
Aunt Zhou slapped her thigh anxiously: "I'm not afraid of being held accountable by the commune! I'm afraid someone will really die! Those are living, breathing people!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Yang's wife rushed out and shoved her hard, pointing her finger at her nose and yelling, "You Lu and Liu families live a life of luxury, and you're just talking without understanding the hardships? You've become successful, but you won't let others have a bite to eat?"
Aunt Zhou staggered a couple of steps, steadied herself, and said urgently, "If making money is so easy, why would I stop you? Xiangyang led everyone to make money from the state-owned factory a few days ago, and your family got quite a bit too, didn't you?"
Madam Yang spat fiercely: "Bah! What can that little bit of money do? My son is getting married this year, and we haven't even settled the bride price yet! It's not easy for a sucker to give us money, why should we refuse it? What's wrong with the cliff? Didn't the Liu family's son-in-law pull us up with a rope last time? What's wrong with tying a rope?"
Aunt Zhou laughed angrily: "Shen Yi is a soldier, he's trained! How can you compare? He's your only son, are you really willing to let him risk his life?"
"Shut your mouth!" Madam Yang snapped, as if she'd been stepped on. "Stop cursing my son! The real problem is that he won't be able to find a wife and the family line will end! Get out of here!"
Immediately afterwards, several other families gathered around, criticizing Aunt Zhou with a barrage of comments. Some even brought up the fact that her son wasn't around, accusing her of being unable to stand seeing others make money.
Faced with these people blinded by money, Aunt Zhou was trembling with anger, but there was nothing she could do. She could only suppress her rage and retreat to the side with Liu Zhixia and the others to discuss countermeasures.
Zhao Dongmei gently patted Aunt Zhou's back and softly comforted her, "Auntie, don't be angry. They are all adults. They chose their own path. If something really happens, it won't be your fault."
Liu Zhixia nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's no use saying anything now. All they care about is that five yuan. If they actually manage to get it done, they'll hold a grudge against you for blocking their path to wealth. You've just taken office; you can't afford to create conflict with the masses."
Aunt Zhou sighed, and had no choice but to give up. She looked at the group of villagers who were excitedly pressing their handprints, her eyes filled with worry.
Early the next morning, Gu Mansheng led more than twenty strong laborers into the mountains in a grand procession.
This scene was even more lively than when the whole village was digging for wild vegetables.
Liu Zhixia stood in her own yard, watching the team disappear into the depths of the mountains and forests, her brows slightly furrowed.
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