Lu Lin took Chen Xiaomai, Qin Ming, and Zhang Rui to the countryside. As soon as Lu Lin arrived at Sanxia, several villagers greeted him.
Although many villagers secretly complained about Lu Lin taking kickbacks, they were still very polite to him. After all, in the eyes of the villagers, Lu Lin was a capable person, and many villagers relied on him to make money, so they naturally didn't want to offend their bread and butter. Lu Lin spread the word that he had come to buy wild berries.
The idea of finding a few people to pick wild berries quickly attracted the attention of many people in the village.
Zhang Rui looked at Lu Lin with some doubt and asked, "Brother, why are we picking so many wild berries? They won't last long after we pick them, they'll just go bad."
The weather is already quite hot right now. If these wild berries go bad, eating them will cause diarrhea, and seeing a doctor for diarrhea can cost a lot of money.
Lu Lin smiled and said, "Buy them and sell them for money."
Zhang Rui said sullenly, "This stuff isn't going to sell very well!"
Lu Lin said nonchalantly, "Just accept it."
Lu Lin had previously collected wild berries in the village. At that time, he had gathered a few kids to pick them together. Knowing that Lu Lin wanted these, many adults also joined in. Lu Lin borrowed several large baskets from the village to hold the wild berries.
As soon as Chen Xiaomai returned to the countryside, she ran around having fun with several older children.
Lu Lin told Qin Ming to come along so Chen Xiaomai wouldn't do anything reckless. Qin Ming had been active in the mountains since he was a child, so he was more than capable of looking after a child.
Zhang Meizi looked at Zhang Dahu and said, "Big brother, you're really amazing! You actually managed to call Lu Lin back!"
Zhang Dahu said somewhat smugly, "Of course! Look at me, your brother, with my skills, how could I not accomplish anything?" Zhang Dahu was too embarrassed to say that he hadn't even seen Lu Lin in town. He could only use sweet talk to fool Chen Xiaomai. Fortunately, Chen Xiaomai was quite helpful and actually managed to persuade Lu Lin to come to the countryside. Otherwise, he would have been humiliated this time.
Previously, Lu Lin bought wild berries in the countryside. Zhang Dahu and a few other boys made a lot of money by picking wild berries for Lu Lin and even received praise from their families.
However, after Lu Lin went to town, such good fortune did not come his way.
The wild berries in these mountains go to waste if they're not eaten in season.
Seeing that the wild berries in the mountains were going to go to waste, the boys who had made money before decided to ask Lu Lin if he would still buy wild berries.
Lu Lin is now a "big shot" in town. The boys don't know if Lu Lin will be willing to come to the countryside. Zhang Dahu, the leader of the kids, also wants to make some money, so he told his playmates that he would go to town with the oxcart to see if he could invite Lu Lin back. When the boys saw this, they all expressed their admiration for Zhang Dahu's "bravery".
Zhang Dahu actually managed to bring Lu Lin back, which further enhanced his prestige among the group of kids.
“Big brother, a lot of adults have come this time,” Zhang Meizi said.
Zhang Dahu said sullenly, "Yeah, these people only know how to take advantage."
Zhang Rui was sent by Lu Lin to get a basket, and that's when he was spotted by several villagers.
"Arui, I heard you're working at Huaxia Trading Company now!"
"Yes!" Zhang Rui was relatively honest.
"Arui, is working at Huaxia Trading Company tiring?"
"Not tired."
Zhang Rui was somewhat overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the villagers. At first, the villagers asked questions in a rather subtle way, but as time went on, they became more and more direct.
"Arui, why aren't you helping your dad slaughter pigs? Why are you working at the trading company instead? Is the work there better?"
"Arui, how much does the trading company pay you?"
"Arui, the trading company is still short-staffed!"
"It's good to have connections in the business! We can just walk right in."
The villagers were exceptionally enthusiastic towards Zhang Rui. When they learned that Zhang Rui was Chen Chun'er's son, many villagers exclaimed that it was always easier to get things done if you had connections.
Working at Huaxia Trading Company was considered a lucrative job by the villagers, and many wanted to work there. However, Huaxia Trading Company was very selective in its recruitment, and none of the villagers could get in.
In fact, because Lu Lin had many secrets and felt that there were too many people and too much gossip in the village, he didn't like to use the villagers.
Seeing that the villagers' questions were becoming increasingly absurd, Zhang Rui simply turned cold. The villagers, seeing Zhang Rui's cold expression, became somewhat more restrained.
After Zhang Rui left, the villagers started talking about it again.
"The Chen family is really not what it used to be, and Chen Jing has stopped studying."
"In that state, how can they possibly continue studying!"
"Chen Jing caused such a huge disaster, it's already good that he survived."
"Unexpectedly, Chen Xiaomi dislikes the Chen family, but treats this aunt's son quite well!" Chen Xiaomi's father also had a good relationship with Chen Chun'er when he was alive!
"In the end, if the Chen family hadn't gone too far, they wouldn't have driven a little Shuang'er to this state."
Lu Lin saw Zhang Rui, who had gone to borrow something, walk over with a sullen face and asked with some doubt, "You borrowed the thing? Did it go smoothly?"
Zhang Rui forced a smile and said, "Borrowing things went quite smoothly." It was just that people kept bothering him with all sorts of questions, which was a hassle.
Lu Lin glanced at Zhang Rui's expression and vaguely understood what was going on, but he didn't say anything more.
Chen Xiaomi severed ties with the Chen family and then recruited Chen Chun'er's son into the Huaxia Trading Company. When the villagers found out, they couldn't help but gossip about it.
Chen Xiaomai followed Qin Ming over, and Lu Lin was somewhat surprised to see the cheerful Chen Xiaomai.
"Xiaomai, you're back so early." Lu Lin had thought Chen Xiaomai would play a little longer, but he didn't expect her to come back so quickly. Chen Xiaomai said proudly, "Brother Qin Ming caught something good, so we brought it back to show you, Brother Lin."
"What good stuff is it?" Lu Lin asked with great interest.
Chen Xiaomai lifted the straw mat covering the basket.
Upon seeing the contents of the basket, Lu Lin instinctively took a few steps back, "Snake, snake..."
There was a snake over a meter long in the basket. It had some strange patterns on its body, and its head didn't look triangular. But Lu Lin couldn't tell whether it was poisonous or not.
Chen Xiaomaisi didn't notice Lu Lin's displeasure and said smugly, "It was caught by Brother Qin Ming. We can take it back and have snake soup. Brother Qin Ming is very capable."
Qin Ming scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and said, "It's not that amazing anymore."
When Qin Ming caught a snake with his bare hands in the woods, he scared many people in the village.
However, quite a few daring children expressed their admiration for Qin Ming, making him the center of attention.
Lu Lin's lips twitched. It wasn't like they were starving at home. These two brats were catching snakes. Weren't they afraid of getting bitten? Such a thick snake must be hard to catch. Qin Ming, that brat, may be young, but he's not to be underestimated. Zhang Changrui glanced at Lu Lin and noticed that Lu Lin's face was extremely pale, as if he had been...frightened.
After Zhang Changrui entered the business, he saw that Lu Lin arranged everything in the business and admired Lu Lin immensely. Now, seeing Lu Lin looking frightened, he vaguely found it amusing.
“Catching snakes is dangerous!” Lu Lin said coldly.
Qin Ming patted his chest and said, "Brother Lin, don't worry. I know how to distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes. I've caught a lot of snakes."
Qin Ming was very experienced and had a very accurate grasp of the snake's vital spot, which is why he was able to hit it with one strike.
Lu Lin: "..." He almost forgot that the person in front of him wasn't an ordinary child, but a mountain dweller who lived like a wild beast in the mountains—a little savage. Some people in this world, though less worldly-wise, possessed survival skills far beyond his own!
Chen Xiaomai grabbed the basket and handed it to Lu Lin, saying, "Brother Lin, look, look, this snake is really fat!"
Lu Lin took two steps back, thinking to himself: I appreciate it, I appreciate it, but I really don't want to see it! Seeing Lu Lin back down, Chen Xiaomai took a few more steps forward and insisted on handing the basket forward.
Zhang Rui stopped Chen Xiaomai and said, "Alright, alright, Xiaomai, put your things away. Brother Lin has already seen them."
Chen Xiaomai said sullenly, "Okay."
Lu Lin spent 800 coins to collect more than a dozen baskets of wild berries. More wild berries kept arriving, so Lu Lin had no choice but to stop collecting them for the time being.
Previously, when Lu Lin collected wild berries, he would only incite some children to pick them. This time was different; some adults also joined in. Although Lu Lin offered a much lower price than before, the villagers didn't mind.
Before long, Lu Lin received several baskets of wild berries. Previously, because Lu Lin had only found some children, he only allowed a few of them to pick them at the edge of the forest.
Because adults joined in this time, many people ventured deep into the mountains.
There were too many wild berries to harvest, so Lu Lin borrowed an oxcart from the village and transported them all to the town.
Lu Lin went to the countryside to collect wild berries. The villagers he hired all earned about ten or twenty coins. Although the price was lower than before, adults were still much faster than children.
A dozen or so dollars isn't a lot of money, but it's always good to earn some.
After Chen Jing got into trouble with usury, his family stopped letting him go to school. His grandfather made him work in the fields, but Chen Jing was used to being lazy and worked very slowly. He would often sneak back home to slack off.
The marriages of the two brothers, Chen He and Chen Qu, were both delayed by Chen Jing. The two brothers already disliked Chen Jing, and the delay in their marriages made them hate him even more.
Seeing Chen Jing slacking off, he would make a fuss. Although the old man had settled the issue of Chen Jing's usury, he was completely disappointed in this grandson.
Because the marriage of the third son fell through, the old man felt somewhat guilty towards his two grandsons. As a result, his two grandsons, Chen He and Chen Qu, argued with Chen Jing. The old man usually sided with the two brothers, Chen He and Chen Qu. When Chen Jing wanted to shirk his responsibilities, Chen He suggested that if Chen Jing didn't want to work, he shouldn't be fed to save some food.
Chen Jing never dreamed that Chen He would be so harsh as to offer such an absurd suggestion.
But the old man actually thought Chen He was right. If you don't work, you don't need to eat so much. One meal a day is enough.
Chen Jing originally thought that once the issue of usurious loans was resolved, he could finally live a peaceful life. However, he never expected that the days that followed would be so agonizing. Chen He and Chen Qu, who had previously treated him with respect, now regarded him as an enemy and even kept an eye on him while he worked.
As soon as Lu Lin came to the countryside to collect wild berries, many people came up to him to get close to him.
Chen Jing scoffed at the villagers' sycophancy, but felt a pang of jealousy.
When Lu Lin first married into Chen Xiaomi's family, Chen Jing was at the height of his power and ambition. At that time, Chen Jing thought it was shameless for Lu Lin, a grown man, to marry into Chen Xiaomi's family, who was a lesbian. However, in the blink of an eye, he fell into such a sorry state, while Lu Lin became the number one figure in the village.
Regardless of what the villagers say behind his back, many in the village are now making money with Lu Lin, and when they meet him, they all address him politely as "Brother Lin."
Chen Jing realized that he, a scholar, was doing worse than a son-in-law, and he immediately felt that the times were against him and his future was bleak.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
