Li Ningguang was naturally worried about Liu Dewang and wished he could act immediately. But Liu Dewang was currently in the hospital and would need at least ten days before he could get out of bed. If he fully recovered, it would take at least half a month to twenty days.
But Li Ningguang was anxious. Besides himself, Zhang Guodong was also aware of the green fruit tree. What if Zhang Guodong found Liu Dewang first?
With this in mind, Li Ningguang decided to strike first. Wang Zhen had been sent by Li Ningguang to Qingmu Township in Qingyang County early that morning and was now at the township hospital.
"Boss, Liu Dewang and Zhang Wen are both here. Liu Dewang has agreed to take us into the mountains as soon as his injuries heal. I'll keep an eye on things here; he can't run away!" As soon as Wang Zhen arrived, he went to the township hospital and met Liu Dewang, and Zhang Wen was also there. However, Wang Zhen only cared about Liu Dewang; he didn't care at all whether Zhang Wen stayed or left.
This person is no longer of any value!
Liu Dewang and Zhang Wen were also surprised that Li Ningguang had sent people to find them again. They thought Li Ningguang was going to make a move, and they were so scared that they almost got out of bed and begged for the money. They were even prepared to take out the 20,000 yuan and give it up.
Who knows if this cold-faced bodyguard will snap his neck like an old wolfhound and kill him to silence him?
But after giving Liu Dewang a warning, Wang Zhen said, "This is a good thing, so just focus on recovering!"
This left the old hoodlum half-believing and half-doubting. As for Zhang Wen, Wang Zhen completely ignored him.
Liu Dewang was the one who dug up this incredibly valuable fruit tree. Zhang Wen just seized the opportunity to stage this scam. He had never been into the mountains and naturally didn't know where the digging took place.
Upon hearing this, Li Ningguang was immediately delighted and said, "Treat this chicken egg well. We can promise him 20,000 yuan as a reward if he performs well this time, and 50,000 yuan per trip if he finds good stuff!"
The price was relatively reasonable. A seasoned businessman like Li Ningguang didn't want the old hoodlum to know the tree was valuable; giving too much would only create unnecessary trouble. But giving too little wouldn't work either; he needed to give the old hoodlum something to look forward to.
As for whether to transfer Liu Dewang to another hospital to avoid attracting attention, Li Ningguang said, "This matter can be handled immediately!"
Just as Li Ningguang was giving instructions to Wang Zhen, Zhang Guodong made a phone call.
Very timely!
Li Ningguang was a little uneasy, most afraid that Zhang Guodong would bring up Liu Dewang's matter, but as soon as the call connected, Zhang Guodong went straight to the point: "Brother Li, I've been thinking, how about we have Liu Dewang take us into the mountains again? See if we can find anything else? What do you think?"
Li Ningguang was annoyed when he heard this and cursed under his breath, but Zhang Guodong still brought it up.
Anyone with half a brain would have thought to go into the mountains, but no one expected Zhang Guodong to react so quickly.
While making the phone call, Zhang Guodong pondered that this opportunity was not going to be taken lightly, especially since there was no real friendship between them, at most a fleeting acquaintance.
It would be foolish to give up this opportunity! It's like turning down money.
“Here’s what I’m thinking: this business information was provided by you, Brother Li, so if there are still green fruit trees, you should take the lion’s share, 70%, and I only need 30%. Of course, if there are no more green fruit trees, then this agreement is meaningless. As for other trees, it’s up to each of us. Hehe, what do you think, Brother Li? It would be good if Wang Zhen was sent to stay with Liu Dewang. This business is only known to the two of us!” Zhang Guodong added.
Deep down, Zhang Guodong was somewhat skeptical that there were more sister trees.
It seems highly unlikely that tree species that went extinct two million years ago could have survived to this day without being discovered. Otherwise, given Liu Dewang's roguish nature, wouldn't he have dug them all up?
Of course, there's always a chance of something going wrong.
Li Ningguang felt a sense of relief, but also annoyed. Damn it, one sentence took away 30% of the profits! How shady! But how did Zhang Guodong guess that Wang Zhen had already arrived in Qingmu Township?
Did I guess correctly?
But whether it was a fluke or not, it wouldn't be worthwhile to ignore Zhang Guodong for a mountain expedition plan that was still uncertain. Since Zhang Guodong had already expressed his intention to cooperate, he couldn't turn a blind eye.
After thinking for a moment, Li Ningguang smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm so sorry, but as you said, Brother Zhang, business is business. I'll take 70% and you take 30%, which is acceptable. Even 30% is a lot of money!"
Once the two of them have settled the biggest obstacle, everything else is easy to discuss.
Liu Dewang is still in the township hospital, so Zhang Guodong suggested that the plan to go into the mountains be postponed for half a month. In this half month, Liu Dewang's injuries can heal, and he can also take some time to finish up some things.
He was extremely interested in Li Ningguang's "treasure hunting for a year" plan.
But what will happen to Green Treasure Pavilion after a year? It's his bridge to urban life. He can't just shut it down, but where can he find a suitable person? And how will he solve the problem of vegetable and seafood supply?
This is the most crucial question!
Zhang Guodong hung up the phone, sat on the sofa, and pondered the same question.
Letting his parents run the shop? Zhang Guodong was somewhat tempted, but immediately shook his head and rejected the idea. His parents were getting old; they should be enjoying themselves, traveling and exploring nature. Tying them to Green Treasure Shop for a year seemed inappropriate.
The eldest brother naturally wouldn't come back to do this, and the third brother's business is thriving, so this family isn't even on the radar.
This is a mess.
After thinking for a while and still not finding a clue, Zhang Guodong simply stopped thinking about it and went for a walk.
Since opening Green Treasure Pavilion, Zhang Guodong's life has changed drastically, but he is not happy. He believes that backstabbing and intrigue are not what he wants.
Zhang Guodong always felt there was a natural barrier between himself and the "upper class" and their social circles, a barrier that was impossible to overcome.
This life feels a bit unreal.
As Zhang Guodong walked, he found himself at the vegetable wholesale market, the place where he used to start his business selling vegetables. This was also one of Liu Haojun's territories.
As the weather warms up a bit, more people are out and about. The vegetable wholesale market is bustling with activity. Generally speaking, the prices of vegetables, meat, rice, flour, and oil at this wholesale market are relatively affordable.
Most vegetable vendors who are stationed in the market year-round do wholesale business, so their prices are a bit lower. However, because they sell in large quantities, their profits are substantial.
They were walking along, leisurely looking around.
"Where did you get this turtle? Is it farmed? Don't you know it's not allowed to be sold here?" As he was walking, Zhang Guodong overheard a conversation nearby. A man in a jacket was yelling at a woman.
The woman was in her forties, dressed plainly, and judging from her appearance, she seemed to be from the countryside, as her clothes were rather bulky. There were two wicker baskets on the ground, and looking inside, there were about four or five turtles, each about the size of a palm.
Zhang Guodong stopped in his tracks. A soft-shelled turtle? That's a good thing! But at this temperature, shouldn't the turtles be hibernating at the bottom of the river?
"Isn't this a place for selling vegetables? Why can't we sell here?" The woman became anxious when she heard that she couldn't sell. She saw someone come in to set up a stall and thought she could save on the stall fee and sell the turtles, but she didn't expect to be discovered so quickly.
The man in the jacket works at the market; he has a very sharp eye.
"What about the rent? Two hundred a day for the Qianmen retail outlet!" The man in the jacket glanced at the two bamboo baskets, his face stern, and said.
He stretched out his hand and demanded rent!
Still two hundred!
Zhang Guodong was charged once; the fee of 200 yuan a day is very high, and the vendors simply cannot afford it.
"Why is it so expensive?" the woman exclaimed, even more anxious. She hadn't expected to earn two hundred yuan a day just from selling a few turtles. Even if she sold all the turtles, she probably wouldn't make much money.
"Expensive? You can choose not to come if it's expensive! But since you're here, you have to pay whether you like it or not. You sneaked in, and we're already ignoring the fine! Still complaining about the price? Stop talking nonsense!" Naturally, the man in the jacket wasn't going to let them go, and a fight broke out. He threatened to confiscate their two bamboo baskets. This kind of thing happens frequently not only in the market but also outside of it.
The town officials chased after the vendors, and those who were caught were unlucky; their stalls were smashed, and they were fined in addition.
"Young man, they're not having an easy time either, can't you charge a little less? Two hundred a day, that's incredibly expensive!" someone said to the man in the jacket, unable to bear it any longer.
Is this turtle wild or farmed?
"They look like they're wild, but they're a bit small. The biggest one is only about half a pound, right?"
Seeing that the crowd was growing larger and the woman was almost in tears, Zhang Guodong realized he was also interested in the turtles. So he squeezed through the crowd and said to her, "I'll take all your turtles. Five turtles for five hundred yuan, how about it? But I'll pay you back after we leave the market!"
Five turtles weigh just over two pounds, and they're small, so five hundred yuan is a fair price. Of course, if you were to sell them in a high-end hotel, the price would be much higher.
As soon as Zhang Guodong announced his price, those who had initially intended to buy at a lower price immediately gave up. The turtles weren't very big, and the price was a bit high!
When the woman heard that Zhang Guodong wanted to buy it, she was overjoyed, feeling relieved that someone had come to her rescue. She immediately picked up the bamboo basket and headed outside.
The man in the jacket got angry; Zhang Guodong was stirring things up.
"Kid, who do you think you are? Pointing fingers and gesturing here? Getting a beating?"
Zhang Guodong glanced back at him, then punched him. With a thud, the man in the jacket fell backward, blood splattering from his nose and his face a bloody mess.
"Remember, watch your mouth next time!"
"Ah—" The onlookers were shocked that no one dared to make a move in front of them.
Zhang Guodong punched the man in the jacket to the ground, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He hadn't expected the man to be so weak; his body must have been completely drained. But this was a dangerous place, and Liu Haojun's territory, so it wasn't safe to linger. He simply gestured to the woman, and the two of them quickly left the market, one after the other, before even the security department could react.
After turning a corner and blending into the crowd, Zhang Guodong laughed a few times, feeling great.
"Do you...do you still want the turtle?" The woman, terrified by Zhang Guodong's beating, had followed him down the street and finally couldn't help but ask. She was now afraid that Zhang Guodong would change his mind.
"Of course I want it! Is this turtle wild?" Zhang Guodong said with a smile.
Looking at the five half-grown soft-shelled turtles in the bamboo basket, their shells were dark green, but they were not plump, their bodies were rather thin, and the outlines of their ribs could be seen.
"I caught it in the river—" the other person said with delight.
The river is actually a small river, but it flows out of the mountains, and the turtles are caught from a deep pool, that much is true.
After examining it for a while, and feeling that it was indeed no problem based on his basic knowledge of identification, Zhang Guodong readily counted out the money and gave it to her, saying, "Sell me these two bamboo baskets too, I'll give you six hundred yuan in total!"
The other party readily agreed. The two bamboo baskets were actually not worth much; anyone in the area with the skills could weave them. Unexpectedly, they sold for a hundred yuan!
After thanking Zhang Guodong, the woman left happily.
This unexpected encounter while out for a walk greatly relieved Zhang Guodong's rather depressed mood. Since the five turtles were too small, Zhang Guodong decided to put them in Peach Blossom Spring as soon as he got back; otherwise, if Fatty saw them, he'd probably have to eat them.
Zhang Guodong was in a great mood at the thought of Taoyuanli soon having five new members.
However, the current paradise is a bit small, and turtles have specific requirements for their living environment. Even if the spatial resource utilization of the paradise is adjusted, it won't have a significant effect, which is a major problem!
The space is too small!
P.S.: The second book will be available soon. Dear readers who support this book, are your VIP accounts ready?
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