"Exactly! Some of the vegetables are almost rotten; nobody wants them even if we give them away!"
Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Xu Kuo didn't offer much explanation. He knew that saying anything now would be useless; only by letting the facts speak for themselves could he truly convince these people.
Xu Kuo dusted himself off, looked at the mountain of vegetables in front of him, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips. "Alright, that's enough for today." He turned to Niu Erbao and Tan Wang, "You two can take a day off tomorrow too, you don't need to go to the market."
"Huh? Master, you're not setting up the stall anymore?" Niu Erbao's eyes widened, his face full of confusion. He'd worked himself to the bone these past few days collecting so many vegetables, all for the sake of selling them, right? Why was he suddenly not going anymore?
Tan Wang was also completely confused. He scratched his head and asked, "Brother Xu, are we not going to sell these vegetables anymore?" He was very anxious. He had invested so much money, and if they were to become worthless, he would be in deep trouble.
"Who said we wouldn't sell? Just wait, the real show is just beginning." Xu Kuo patted the two men on the shoulders. "Go back and get some rest, and recharge your energy."
Niu Erbao and Tan Wang exchanged a glance. Although they still had doubts, their trust in Xu Kuo made them suppress their questions.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the villagers, who were used to getting up early to go to the market to buy vegetables, arrived one after another.
However, the scene before them stunned them.
The once bustling market, lined with stalls, was unusually deserted at this moment. The few stalls that were there displayed vegetables that were not only wilted but also scarce in quantity.
"Auntie, how much is this cabbage?" A villager walked up to a familiar stall.
"Five cents a pound!" the stall owner said without even looking up.
"What?! Fifty cents?!" The villager's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Didn't you sell it for fifteen cents yesterday? Why don't you just rob us!"
"Take it or leave it!" the stall owner scoffed. "This is the price now, it's the same everywhere in the market. Why don't you go look elsewhere?"
The villagers, refusing to believe it, walked to another stall with grim faces. When they asked about the prices, their hearts sank – radishes were four mao, potatoes were three mao five, and even the cheapest leafy greens were two mao!
"They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"
"These vegetable prices are outrageously high!"
"This is outrageous! Are they trying to kill us all?"
Complaints and curses rose and fell. But despite the cursing, the villagers still had to eat. Some gritted their teeth, hardened their hearts, and only picked out the cheapest vegetables to buy a little bit, enough for one meal, cursing the opportunistic vendors in their hearts.
The news spread like wildfire back to the village, and soon everyone knew—vegetable prices had skyrocketed!
This price surge spread rapidly, not just in this small vegetable market, but also in surrounding towns and even further afield, where vegetable prices skyrocketed. People already had little food left, and now they were struggling to afford vegetables, causing widespread panic.
In the town committee office, Secretary Wen was so anxious that blisters appeared on her lips. In front of her lay a stack of reports, the figures on them shocking.
"Secretary, we've released some of the grain station's reserve vegetables, but it's just a drop in the ocean, and the prices still won't come down!" an officer reported anxiously, wiping his sweat.
At this moment, Shi Jixing, who was not far away, had a face so gloomy it could drip water.
He was filled with remorse! If he had known vegetable prices would rise like this, he would never have let Xu Kuo take all the vegetables from the market! That's all money! Now, he could only watch helplessly as his hard-earned money flowed away, and he still had to share the responsibility for failing to control vegetable prices.
"Secretary Wen!" Shi Jixing slammed his fist on the table. "I think this matter is most likely related to that Xu Kuo!"
Secretary Wen looked up at him.
Shi Jixing added fuel to the fire: "Think about it, a few days ago, the infectious disease caused widespread panic, and the vegetables were almost rotting in the fields. But Xu Kuo did the opposite, buying up all the vegetables in the market and even the rotten vegetable leaves in the village at high prices! I knew something was wrong at the time!"
He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "He must have anticipated the price of vegetables would rise, so he hoarded them to profit from the national crisis! This kind of person is so ruthless! He's a parasite on the people! I think all his previous acts of treating patients and compiling textbooks were just an act; deep down, he's just a greedy and despicable person!"
Secretary Wen frowned. She recalled the scene of Xu Kuo treating her daughter's illness and his meticulousness in compiling agricultural textbooks. She didn't entirely believe Shi Jixing's words. Although Xu Kuo's actions were somewhat unpredictable, he didn't seem to be a truly wicked person.
The current situation is indeed tricky, and Shi Jixing's words are not entirely without merit. It is a fact that Xu Kuo has a large quantity of vegetables in his possession.
"How many vegetables does he actually have..." Secretary Wen muttered to himself, pondering, "It seems I need to have a talk with him."
"Knock knock knock".
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
"Please come in."
The door was pushed open, and a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.
Xu Kuo!
A hint of surprise flashed in Secretary Wen's eyes; he clearly hadn't expected Xu Kuo to come to him on his own.
When Shi Jixing saw Xu Kuo, he was first taken aback, then his anger flared up. He stood up abruptly, pointed at Xu Kuo's nose, and shouted, "Xu Kuo! How dare you show your face here! Tell me! Are you hoarding goods, driving up prices, and trying to profit from the national crisis?!"
He was spitting everywhere, looking like he wanted to eat someone alive.
Xu Kuo didn't even lift his eyelids, completely ignoring Shi Jixing's roar, and his gaze fell on Secretary Wen, his tone calm: "Secretary Wen."
Secretary Wen composed herself, waved to Shi Jixing to calm down, and looked at Xu Kuo with a serious expression: "Comrade Xu Kuo, Deputy Secretary Shi just said that you have stockpiled a large amount of vegetables and want to drive up prices, is that true?"
"I do have quite a few vegetables," Xu Kuo frankly admitted without any concealment.
Upon hearing this, Shi Jixing immediately jumped up: "Look! Secretary Wen! He admitted it! He just wanted to..."
“However,” Xu Kuo interrupted Shi Jixing, his voice not loud but carrying an undeniable force, “I’m here today not to raise prices, but to help Secretary Wen bring down these out-of-control vegetable prices.”
What? !
Secretary Wen and Shi Jixing were both stunned.
Trying to lower the price? He spent so much money to buy the vegetables, and now he wants to actively try to lower the price?
“I know that vegetable prices in the market are out of control and the government’s reserves are limited. Secretary Wen, you are under a lot of pressure,” Xu Kuo continued unhurriedly. “The vegetables I have are enough to alleviate the current situation.”
A glimmer of hope flashed in Secretary Wen's eyes, but then she hesitated: "What...what are your conditions?" There's no such thing as a free lunch, and she didn't believe Xu Kuo would give away his wealth for nothing.
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