Chapter 335: It's hard to say

Jiang Shu looked at it carefully.

The child was running out of breath, and his face was flushed. The pears held in his hands were evenly shaped, with beautiful skins. They looked delicious at first glance, but...

After walking through an orchard to taste one or two, Jiang Shu's stomach was already bloated, and he couldn't eat any more, no matter how delicious it was.

But the child's pure and simple intentions should not be let down.

Jiang Shu took it and whispered, "Can I take it home to eat?"

The child nodded his head vigorously and smiled brightly, "Yes."

The mother said that the young man in front of them was their hope. Only if he bought all the fruits could they exchange them for food to survive the winter and tear new cloth to make cotton clothes.

Thinking of this, the child looked at Jiang Shu with hope in his eyes.

Children of a few years old will not hide their thoughts, and everything they think in their hearts is written on their faces.

Jiang Shu looked into his sparkling eyes and talked to him as they walked.

"Your fruits are so good, is there no one to buy them?"

"Yes, many people have come these days. Mother said the price was too low, and the money from the sales was not enough to exchange for food. Father was so worried that he sighed every day and couldn't sleep."

Jiang Shu's heart sank when she heard this. What she was worried about had happened.

Most businessmen are profit-driven, and some unscrupulous businessmen are even more ruthless. In order to make more money for themselves, they don't care about the lives of others.

Jiang Shu held the pear in his hand and felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Walking out of the orchard, the village chief and a group of villagers were waiting under the thatched shed guarding the orchard. When they saw Jiang Shu coming, they poured tea and served snacks.

A girl was afraid that the stool would dirty Jiang Shu's clothes, so she wiped it again and again with a handkerchief. After confirming that there was no dust, she asked Jiang Shu to sit down.

"Mr. Jiang, please eat something and drink some tea first." The village chief's wrinkled face was full of smiles.

Jiang Shu drank a sip of tea and saw that several children were staring at the snacks on the table and swallowed their saliva secretly.

Jiang Shu turned his head and swept it. There were several pieces of oil paper scattered on the corner of the table. The three plates of snacks next to the teapot were not many in number. They should have been bought specially to entertain distinguished guests.

Jiang Shu remembered what the children said to her, and looked at these specially prepared snacks and tea, and felt sad.

How did they feel when they had to save money to buy snacks when they didn't even have food to survive the winter?

Jiang Shu couldn't bear to think about it, so he waved to a few children and distributed the snacks to them.

A woman hurriedly stopped him: "No, the children never know when to eat and it's a waste. Young Master Jiang, you eat it."

Jiang Shu said: "I don't like cakes, let them eat."

The woman was anxious and wanted to say something else, but was stopped by the village chief.

"Has my father not come back yet?" Jiang Shu asked.

There were too many orchards, so Jiang Shu and Jiang's father went to check separately. I don't know how Jiang's father is doing.

The village chief estimated: "He should be back soon."

So the village chief sent a young man to check.

After a while, the young man came back, followed by Jiang's father and a few others.

Judging from Jiang's father's expression, he should be very satisfied with the fruit.

The village chief observed the expressions of the people and said with a smile: "It's noon now. We have prepared food at home. Let's have lunch first."

After running around the orchard for nearly an hour, Jiang Shu and his father were hungry. They did not refuse and followed the village chief to his house.

"Don't mind the simple food." The village chief's wife brought the food to the table and greeted them awkwardly.

A bowl of stewed bacon, a plate of fried eggs with chives, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a plate of salted vegetables.

The simple dishes were the best they could offer.

The village chief looked at Jiang Shu and his father anxiously, fearing that they would be dissatisfied.

After all, the previous batches of wine merchants who came to see the orchard sneered at the food and thought it was too simple.

"No, it's very good." Jiang Shu picked up the chopsticks and ate with Jiang's father.

The village chief was relieved to see this.

After dinner, Jiang Shu asked the village chief to call the villagers to negotiate the purchase price.

The villagers rubbed their hands and grasped the corners of their clothes, looking at the two people nervously.

Jiang Shu asked softly: "What price did you sell it for last year?"

The village chief said: "Three cents a pound for good fruit, and two cents a pound for inferior fruit."

This year's fruit is unsalable, and the price is definitely not as good as in previous years. The villagers are ready. As long as the price they offer is a little higher than the previous batches of wine merchants, they will grit their teeth and sell it.

Winter is coming soon. If they don't sell it, not only will people not be able to bear it, but the fruit will also not be able to hang.

Farming is like this. The harvest depends on the weather, and the price depends on people. Whatever you can get is what you can get.

After hearing this, Jiang Shu whispered a few words to Jiang's father.

The village chief and the villagers stared at them without blinking, waiting for the result anxiously and expectantly. After

the father and daughter discussed it, Jiang's father looked up at everyone and said, "Then we'll charge the same price as last year, three cents for good fruit and two cents for inferior fruit. We'll take them all."

Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard this. They couldn't believe their ears and couldn't come back to their senses for a long time. The village

chief, who was well-read, calmed down a little and came back to his senses first and said, "Are you... serious?"

Jiang Shu smiled and said, "Of course it's true. You can sign the contract if you agree. It's in black and white, and your handprint is the proof. It can't be faked."

Hearing this, the village chief's eyes were filled with tears, and the other villagers were also excited and their eyes were red, with smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang, you are really good people." The village chief excitedly held Jiang's father's hand, as if he had met a long-lost relative.

Jiang's father pulled the corner of his mouth, a little uncomfortably said: "Business is business, it's all right."

The village chief shook his head and sighed: "You don't know what price the wine merchant who came earlier offered."

"They said one cent per pound for both good and inferior fruits."

Jiang Shu and his father were shocked to hear this. These unscrupulous merchants were too black-hearted. No wonder they were unwilling to sell.

Fortunately, it was not too late now. Jiang Shu decided to deal with such shameful behavior.

After signing a contract with the village chief and villagers to agree on the picking time, Jiang Shu and Jiang's father took a carriage back to Shangjing.

Before leaving, the village chief caught his only egg-laying hen, and the villagers brought the freshly picked fruits and insisted that Jiang Shu take them away.

Jiang Shu refused again and again: "No, my family doesn't need these, you keep them..."

"I know that Mr. Jiang and Mr. Jiang are not interested in wealth, but this is a small token of our appreciation. Please do not despise it. Only if you accept it can we feel at ease."

The village chief and villagers were determined and held on to the door of the carriage to prevent him from leaving.

Jiang Shu had no choice but to accept it.

On the way back, the hen, whose feet and wings were tied and unable to move, lay in the corner with two baskets of fruit. Every time the carriage bumped, it would make a sound.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck"

The father and daughter found it funny, and even Leng Xing, who was sitting on the wheel, couldn't help but twitch his lips.

With the occasional crowing of the rooster, the carriage drove through the rugged mountain road and entered the flat road, and the hen became quiet.

Jiang Shu straightened his face and discussed business with Mr. Jiang.

After hearing what she said, Jiang's father frowned and said, "If you do this, you will become the target of public criticism and be hated."

Jiang Shu said firmly, "Don't worry. If I were just an ordinary businessman, I would not be able to afford to offend him. But I am the Princess of Jing, and I have the support of the prince. I should do my part for the people."

"If even I turn a blind eye and dare not stop such evil deeds, who else would dare to do so?"

If a capable person only cares about himself, does not help the weak, and does not uphold justice, what is the difference between him and an evildoer?

Turning a blind eye is sometimes equivalent to aiding and abetting evil.