When Xu Kuo, Niu Erbao, and Tan Wang approached, an even louder buzzing sound immediately arose from the crowd.
"Look, the main character has arrived!"
"Tsk tsk, they're really burning money! They don't plant crops on perfectly good land, but build this thing. Can it even feed them?"
"I think it's just a waste of time! Just wait and see, it'll be blown away by the wind in less than three days!"
"How much money will this cost? What a spendthrift! What a spendthrift!"
Although he deliberately kept his voice low, all sorts of sarcastic and questioning remarks reached Xu Kuo's ears without missing a single word.
Xu Kuo ignored these people; in his eyes, these villagers were a bunch of short-sighted fools.
He frowned almost imperceptibly, but his face remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the harsh comments. He simply snorted and walked straight to the greenhouse to examine it closely.
He bent down to check the joints of the plastic film and the wooden frame, and after confirming that they were sturdy enough, he straightened up and instructed Niu Erbao beside him: "Erbao, go and move all the sweet corn seeds we prepared over here."
"Hey! Alright!" Niu Erbao responded loudly and turned to run. Soon, he, Tan Wang, and several other young men whom Xu Kuo had hired in advance to help, came over, carrying several heavy sacks.
Xu Kuo opened a burlap sack, revealing plump, golden corn kernels inside.
He grabbed a handful of soil, weighed it in his hand, and then picked up a small hoe that he had prepared beforehand. He began to gesture on the soil inside the greenhouse, directing everyone to loosen the soil and dig planting furrows.
This caused an uproar among the villagers who were watching!
"What?! He wants to grow things too?!"
"My goodness! It's almost the beginning of winter! The ground is about to freeze! Is he going to plant the seeds now?"
"He's gone mad! I think he's completely lost his mind! What is this if not wasting the seeds?!"
"What a tragedy! Perfect grain seeds, ruined like this!"
A hot-tempered villager couldn't help but jump out and start cursing at Xu Kuo.
"Xu Kuo! You little bastard! Are you deliberately trying to make trouble for the whole village?! This land is yours, that's true, but it's also our village's farmland! If you mess things up like this and we can't grow any crops, who will you be letting down?! It's a complete waste of money and a ruin of our farmland!"
Xu Kuo stopped what he was doing, slowly raised his head, looked sharply at the man, and spoke with a cold tone.
"Who told you nothing can grow now? This is a greenhouse. If you're ignorant, shut up. This greenhouse keeps the soil warm and concentrates the light. Even if it's freezing outside, the crops will grow well inside!"
"Huh? Insulation?"
"Haha! That's hilarious! These few broken pieces of wood and a layer of rotten plastic sheeting, how can they keep things warm?"
"Bragging doesn't cost anything! Does he think he's God, able to turn winter into spring?"
"I think he's gone crazy from reading too much; he's just spouting wild ideas! Idiot!"
A burst of even louder laughter erupted around them, and their eyes were filled with contempt and blatant mockery as they looked at Xu Kuo.
In their view, Xu Kuo's words were simply absurd and nonsense that only a fool would believe.
Xu Kuo's eyes turned cold, and he was too lazy to explain to this group of ignorant people anymore.
Facts speak louder than words. Once the corn in the shed grows in time, it will shut them up. He ignored the crowd, bent down, picked up the plump corn seeds, and began to carefully sow them along the shallow furrows he had dug.
Although Niu Erbao, Tan Wang, and the others were a little apprehensive, they still obediently followed along and worked because of their inexplicable trust in Xu Kuo.
But the villagers' accusations and ridicule did not stop; on the contrary, they intensified.
"Look! They actually planted it! They really won't give up until they've hit rock bottom!"
"Niu Erbao! Tan Wang! You guys are messing around with him too! How much money does he give you? To make you so devoted to him and ruin things like this?"
Niu Erbao, listening from the side, blushed deeply, and the veins on his neck bulged out.
He slammed the hoe on the ground and turned to shout at the crowd.
"Shut your stinking mouths! What nonsense are you spouting?! Master is a very capable person! If he says he can grow it, he definitely can! We believe him! If you don't understand, then don't spout nonsense here!"
"Hey! Niu Erbao, you've really grown up, haven't you? Daring to talk back to your elders now?"
"Exactly! Have you forgotten what happened to your mother back then? If it weren't for..."
A sharp-tongued old woman lowered her voice, but the malice in her words was undisguised, and she deliberately glanced at Xu Kuo.
"Are you stupid to still be taking his side? You're siding with outsiders! You're such an ungrateful wretch!"
"Of course! You heartless bastard!"
These words were very sharp, striking Niu Erbao where it hurt.
His mother had caused trouble before and was sent to the guard team by Xu Kuo, but it was true that his mother was wrong, and Xu Kuo had given her many chances.
Being publicly humiliated, Niu Erbao trembled with anger, his eyes reddening. He pointed at the gossiping people, his lips quivering, but he was too angry to utter a complete sentence.
He was still young and easily embarrassed; when it came to arguing and cursing, he was no match for these old women.
Seeing that Niu Erbao was speechless, the villagers became even more smug, and the jeers, laughter, and accusations mingled together, almost causing the scene to spiral out of control.
The crowd was outraged, as if Xu Kuo, Niu Erbao, and others had done something that would incur divine wrath and public resentment.
Just then, Xu Kuo, who had been engrossed in sowing as if he were detached from the matter, suddenly stood up straight.
He dusted off his hands, his icy gaze sweeping across the room. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling, oppressive force.
"Shut up, all of you!"
For a moment, the noise seemed to subside a little, but it didn't completely stop.
There are always some people who enjoy watching the drama unfold, or who harbor resentment towards Xu Kuo, and they are unwilling to let the matter rest.
A man wearing an old cotton-padded jacket with several patches, with a sallow complexion and a sinister look, squeezed out from the back of the crowd. It was Li Tie, who had been released a few days ago.
He had been in jail for a few days and was seething with anger. When he got out, he heard that Xu Kuo was the most talked-about person in the village recently. Seeing Xu Kuo's current "messing around" only made him angrier.
Li Tiepi forced a smile, deliberately raising his voice in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh, so Xu the Great is showing his power? What's wrong? Can't win an argument with us old folks, so you're trying to act tough? Did we say anything wrong? You're just wasting the land! Wasting the seeds! I think you're just..."
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