"Brother, look! He actually dares to put it up for sale!" Xu Jianjun said in a low voice, his tone full of schadenfreude.
Xu Jianguo sneered, his eyes flashing with malice: "Hmph, fool! He's about to die and he still doesn't realize it! Just wait, wait until he makes someone sick, then let's see how he gets out of there!"
Xu Kuo's vegetable stall was still crowded with people.
"Young Master Xu, give me two pounds of green vegetables!"
"I want that radish, it looks so fresh!"
"Quick, quick, weigh some for me!"
The villagers' enthusiasm remained undiminished, even more so than yesterday. Niu Erbao and his helpers worked swiftly and efficiently, weighing items and collecting money, keeping themselves extremely busy.
"It will take some time for that medicine to take effect! Wait until tomorrow! There will definitely be some progress by tomorrow!"
Amid the two brothers' "anticipation," the vegetables on Xu Kuo's stall were snapped up at an astonishing speed. In less than an hour, the cart was empty.
"Clothes up!" Xu Kuo shouted, and led Niu Erbao and the others, amidst the envious gazes of many villagers, they packed up their things and went home chatting and laughing.
Watching Xu Kuo's departing figure, Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun were furious, but they also held onto a sliver of hope: Just wait, tomorrow you'll be crying!
The next day, it was early morning again.
Xu Kuo, Niu Erbao, and others had just set up their vegetable stall at the village entrance, before they could even start hawking their wares.
A large group of people arrived.
Leading the group were none other than Aunt Zhang, Li Laosi, and Wang Mazi, whom Xu Kuo had specifically instructed to join the celebration the day before. Behind them followed a number of villagers who had come to see the spectacle or perhaps to buy some fresh vegetables.
"Hey, Kuozi, you're up early today!" Aunt Zhang's voice was loud and clear, her voice preceding her arrival, and she wore a familiar smile.
Xu Kuo looked up and greeted them calmly, his face beaming with just the right amount of enthusiasm: "Aunt Zhang, Brother Li, Brother Wang! Good morning! The vegetables are so fresh today, just picked from the field, still covered in dew!"
Niu Erbao also chimed in, "Uncles, aunts, and brothers, what would you like to order?"
"Then I have to patronize your business!" Old Li grinned, stepped forward, and pretended to bend down to pick through the vegetables in the basket. "These radishes are good, give me two."
Wang Mazi chimed in, "These green vegetables are so vibrant and appealing, let's weigh two jin!"
Aunt Zhang looked around and asked casually, "Kuozi, the vegetables I bought from you yesterday tasted great! Nothing went wrong, right?"
This question was cleverly phrased, sounding both concerned and setting the stage for the upcoming "outburst."
Xu Kuo knew perfectly well what was going on, but his face remained impassive. He laughed heartily and said, "What could possibly go wrong? Our vegetables are homegrown and sold directly by us. We know their origins, so you can eat with confidence!"
Just then—
"Ouch!"
A cry of pain suddenly rang out!
Li Laosi, who was bending over to pick radishes, suddenly straightened up, clutched his stomach tightly with both hands, cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, and his face turned deathly pale.
"Ouch! It hurts so much... my stomach..." Old Li grimaced, his body swaying, and he looked like he was about to collapse.
Almost simultaneously.
"Ah! My stomach hurts too!" Wang Mazi dropped the vegetables in his hand, clutched his stomach, and squatted down, his expression one of extreme pain.
"What's going on?!"
"Fourth Brother! Pockmarked Guy! What's wrong with you two?"
Aunt Zhang also cried out "Ouch!" Although she didn't fall over, she clutched her stomach and leaned against the cart next to her with a pained expression: "I can't take it anymore, my stomach is cramping..."
This sudden turn of events froze the previously lively atmosphere.
The villagers who were buying vegetables were stunned and gathered around, their faces filled with surprise and concern.
"What happened? Everything was fine just now!"
"Did you eat something bad?"
"It doesn't look like it, it's hurting so badly!"
The crowd chattered amongst themselves, looking with bewilderment at the two people groaning and rolling on the ground and Aunt Zhang, who was leaning against the car, panting.
"It hurts...it's a stomachache..." Li Laosi groaned intermittently, his voice filled with pain, "It feels...it feels like a knife is twisting inside..."
Wang Mazi was speechless and could only curl up on the ground, clutching his stomach.
Just as everyone was confused and at a loss, a sharp and sarcastic voice suddenly rang out!
"Hmph! What else could it be?! They must have eaten this poisonous dish with black hearts!"
Before he finished speaking, the Xu brothers, Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun, suddenly sprang out from behind a large tree that had been crouching nearby, their faces filled with undisguised schadenfreude and malicious accusations, and rushed straight to the front of the crowd.
Xu Jianguo pointed at Xu Kuo, spitting as he cursed, "Xu Kuo! You heartless bastard! To make money, you actually sold poisonous vegetables! Look what you've done to people!"
Everyone was even more bewildered by this sudden accusation.
"Nation-building? Army-building? What are you talking about?"
"What poisonous vegetable?"
"What does this have to do with Xu Kuo?"
A villager who knew Li Laosi well couldn't help but step forward, help him up, and anxiously ask Xu Jianguo, "Brother Jianguo, what do you mean by that? What's wrong with Laosi and the others...?"
Xu Jianguo, with his nostrils flared, snorted coldly, looking like he was the only one sober in a world of drunks: "What do you mean? Humph! These are my friends! They bought Xu Kuo's vegetables yesterday, ate them and then vomited and had diarrhea, feeling terrible all night! They were worried today, so they came over to ask him about it and buy some more, but who knew... who knew the vegetables were so poisonous! They just touched them, didn't even eat them! And they're already sick again!"
His story was so well-constructed and convincing, especially the way he combined "I got sick yesterday after eating it" with "It flared up as soon as I touched it today," which sounded like irrefutable evidence!
"What?!"
"Did you eat Xu Kuo's dishes yesterday?"
"Really?!"
The crowd erupted in chaos!
The villagers who had been praising Xu Kuo yesterday now looked at him with shock, doubt, and fear.
They instinctively took a few steps back, distancing themselves from Xu Kuo's vegetable stall, as if the lush green vegetables were some kind of monstrous flood.
Xu Kuo stood there, his face calm, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
And then it happened!
When he discovered the vegetables had been poisoned yesterday, he guessed that the other party wouldn't let it go.
He had already buried the tampered vegetables deep in holes overnight, cleaning them up thoroughly. The vegetables sold yesterday, and those displayed today, are absolutely safe and sound!
Someone got sick after eating his food? Unless the sun rises in the west! The only explanation is that this whole charade was orchestrated by those two idiots, Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun!
These two bastards have resorted to such despicable tactics to deal with me!
"Xu Kuo! How dare you stand here!" A villager, incited by Xu Jianguo, pointed at Xu Kuo and cursed, "We kindly patronized your business, and this is how you repay us? Selling us poisonous vegetables? You ingrate!"
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