Chapter 139 Business
Lu Xiaohui crossed her arms and said coldly, "Don't look at me. You yourselves said earlier that using the debt of saving a life to blackmail someone is despicable. Not only will the Liu family not agree, but I will also be cursed to death by the whole village. We finally managed to save face for the Lu family, and you want to ruin it?"
Lu Jianping's heart sank; he knew this path was blocked.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline: "That's it! There's someone else who can help us!"
After saying that, he grabbed Lu Huaiyuan and ran outside, heading straight for Aunt Zhou's house.
"Bang bang bang!"
As soon as the door was knocked open, Aunt Zhou saw that it was these two troublemakers and slammed the door shut with a "bang," almost flattening Lu Jianping's nose.
Lu Jianping frantically pounded on the door, pleading, "Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law, open the door! This is a matter of life and death; only you can help us!"
Aunt Zhou sneered from inside the door, her voice resolute: "Keep dreaming! Lu Jianping, even if you and your son die out there, I won't give you a second glance!"
After being turned away by Aunt Zhou, Lu Jianping had no choice but to bite the bullet and start the second plan.
He wandered around the village, swaggered into a few houses, and came out followed by a group of villagers.
Finally, this large group of people blocked the entrance to the Liu family's house.
Seeing that the visitors were hostile, Liu Shouren stepped out first and said in a deep voice, "What do you want? Someone reported us again, and you want to search our house?"
Lu Jianping forced a smile: "Brother Liu, it's a misunderstanding! This is good news! I have a big business opportunity here, and I want to help the whole village get rich. Now all that's left is for your Liu family to agree."
Without even thinking, Liu Shouren waved his hand and said, "Sorry, not interested. We're too timid to risk being reported again."
Lu Jianping's face darkened: "Brother Liu, this matter is all in the past, why are you still holding a grudge? Besides, helping everyone make money is a good deed that brings good karma!"
Liu Shouren said impatiently, "Captain, don't waste time. This is such a good thing, if we don't get a share, won't everyone make more money? I'm not going to join in this fun."
Upon hearing this, the villagers who had come along objected, and an uproar erupted instantly.
"Old Liu! How can you not participate?"
"Exactly! Without you, this business simply can't be done!"
"We're a team, you have to have a sense of team honor! You have to participate in this!"
...
The Liu family knew perfectly well what was going on with Lu Jianping's smug face.
Yesterday, Gu Mansheng ran into a wall over the pickled vegetables, and today Lu Jianping brought the whole village to "force the issue," clearly wanting the Liu family to take over that mess.
This tactic of moral blackmail is really clever; it binds the interests of the entire village to the Liu family, and if they refuse, they will offend everyone.
Lu Jianping's move was indeed ruthless.
Liu Zhixia stepped forward, a half-smile on her face: "Dad, since it's a group activity, we really can't refuse. But Captain, what kind of business is this?"
Although Lu Jianping was hesitant, he still braced himself and said, "Make pickled vegetables!"
"Oh? How exactly do you do it?"
Lu Jianping's eyes darted around: "Everyone should do their part. Your Liu family is in charge of the most important part: seasoning. Of course, I can't let your family be overworked, so I'll have my daughter-in-law and daughter come and help. With the whole village working together, we'll secure this big order from the state-owned factory!"
"A state-owned factory?" Liu Zhixia feigned surprise. "Didn't Gu Mansheng just get a big order a few days ago and promise to give pickled vegetables to the villagers who helped? It's a pity they all went wrong. Team leader, are you trying to get the whole village to clean up your daughter-in-law's mess?"
Lu Jianping's face stiffened, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Yes... this is the order. My daughter-in-law comes from a wealthy family, so while her skills aren't great, she's very sociable. It wasn't easy for her to take on this order. Since we've already taken it, we can't let it go to waste. Why not let the whole village do it, and everyone can make money together!"
Liu Zhixia suddenly realized: "Oh! So it's because your daughter-in-law messed things up, and the whole village has to cover for her? That's your real purpose, isn't it?"
Lu Jianping's face darkened: "What nonsense are you talking about! If this business deal falls through, so be it. It's not a political task. I'm doing this entirely so that everyone can get a year-end bonus and have a prosperous New Year!"
"Really?" Liu Zhixia's smile deepened. "Since Gu Mansheng accepted the order in her personal capacity and is now transferring it to the team, shouldn't the deposit also be distributed to the team?"
"Deposit?" The villagers looked at each other, completely bewildered. They were all honest, simple farmers; they had no idea about these complicated matters.
Liu Zhixia nodded: "That's right, a deposit! This matter must be clarified. Besides, the person in charge has changed from Gu Mansheng to the brigade, so we also need to send someone to renegotiate with the state-owned factory. How are the costs calculated? Where is the deposit? And what about the material standards and acceptance requirements? We need to figure all of these out. What if we work so hard to make it, only to have it become a dead stock like Gu Mansheng did? Who will bear the loss?"
The villagers then realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly.
The leading villager stared at Lu Jianping: "The girl from the Liu family is right. We won't be at ease until we get to the bottom of this. Team leader, you have to give us an explanation."
Lu Jianping wiped away a cold sweat, forcing himself to remain calm: "I just want pickled vegetables! Why so many requirements? Just make it taste like the Liu family's!"
Liu Zhixia drawled, "Oh~ so the brigade leader wants the whole village to work for the Lu family for free? He even sent his daughter-in-law and daughter to 'help'. His real intention is not what he seems, but to steal my recipe, isn't it?"
The moment these words were spoken, the villagers erupted in uproar.
So, the purpose of calling everyone here wasn't to make money, but to use them as pawns to force the Liu family to hand over the formula?
The villagers felt they had been made a fool of, and they all pointed at Lu Jianping's nose and cursed him.
Lu Jianping also got angry: "I already said I'm helping everyone make money! What's the difference between working for a state-owned factory and working for the Lu family? You'll get a lot of money anyway!"
"The difference is huge!" Liu Zhixia said loudly. "When the brigade works collectively, it's on equal footing with the state-owned factory, and everyone shares the profits equally; when we work for your Lu family, the Lu family eats the meat while we get the soup, and in the end, the credit still goes to you, while we only get a fixed salary. How can that be the same?"
Lu Jianping was so angry that his teeth itched, and he wished he could sew Liu Zhixia's mouth shut.
That brat, not only is she skilled, but she's also got a sharp tongue!
He gritted his teeth: "So what do you want?"
Liu Zhixia blinked: "It's very simple. The brigade needs to elect a representative to personally renegotiate with the state-owned factory. Wages will be calculated based on everyone's labor, like work points—the more you work, the more you earn. Most importantly, Gu Mansheng's previous deposit must be returned in full and handed over to the brigade for safekeeping!"
Lu Jianping began to have second thoughts.
If the village were to send a representative to negotiate with the state-owned factory, wouldn't the whole scandal of the Lu family's poor performance and needing others to fix things be exposed? They wouldn't gain any benefits and would lose all face!
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