He wore a fake smile, his tone ingratiating: "Brother Xu, what happened before was all a misunderstanding, don't take it to heart. How about this, you can come sell vegetables at my market from now on, I'll arrange two stalls for you, how about that?"
Xu Kuo sneered and refused without any politeness: "Boss Shi, I have nothing to talk to you about. I'll say it again: in this market, it's either me or him; only one of me or Tan Wang can stay!"
Shi Jixing's face stiffened, and his smile vanished instantly.
He never expected Xu Kuo to be so ungrateful! He suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth, saying, "Boy, don't be so stubborn! Who do you think you are to talk to me like that!"
"If there hadn't been so many people around, and Secretary Wen hadn't been there too, do you think I would have apologized to you? I'm already doing you a favor by letting you come back now, so don't be ungrateful."
Xu Kuo glanced at him disdainfully: "Boss Shi, you'll regret this."
"Regret? Hahahaha!" Shi Jixing laughed in anger. "If I regret it, I'll be your grandson!"
Xu Kuo was too lazy to waste any more words with him, so he took Niu Erbao and left the market without looking back.
Back in the village, Niu Erbao went to settle his things first, while Xu Kuo went straight to the village chief's house.
As soon as Xu Kuo reached the door, he saw Tan Wang inside the house.
Tan Wang had been staying at home these past few days because he couldn't sell any vegetables. He was unaware that Xu Kuo's vegetables had already been planted, let alone the commotion he had caused at the vegetable market.
Upon seeing Xu Kuo, Tan Wang revealed a sinister smile. He assumed Xu Kuo had come to beg for mercy and apologize.
"Hey, isn't this Boss Xu? What brings you here?" Tan Wang said sarcastically. "Did all the vegetables in your garden die, so you've come to beg the village chief for mercy?"
"What a piece of trash! You actually think you can grow vegetables? That's hilarious!" Tan Wang mocked without restraint.
"Let me tell you, Xu Kuo, even if you kneel down and beg me today, it won't do you any good! My uncle will be back soon, so you can just wait to get out of the village!"
Tan Wang was smug, as if he could already see Xu Kuo kneeling and begging for mercy.
Xu Kuo sneered, "Don't worry, what I say is what I say, I will never go back on my word."
Tan Wang was taken aback; he hadn't expected Xu Kuo to be so assertive.
"When will you hand over the farmland?" Tan Wang asked suspiciously, his heart pounding.
Xu Kuo scoffed and retorted, "I'll hand it over? You're the one who should be handing it over! Give me back all those good plots of land that you and the village chief own!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Tan Wang laughed in anger, pointing at Xu Kuo's nose and cursing, "Are you crazy? You haven't even grown any vegetables yet, and you dare to ask me for land? You're dreaming!"
Xu Kuo calmly replied, "Who said I didn't grow them? I sold them at the market entrance this morning. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask."
Tan Wang sneered, not believing it at all: "Who are you trying to scare? You think I'm afraid of you?"
He secretly gloated. This Xu Kuo was definitely bluffing, trying to scare him off and make him cancel the bet. No way!
"Alright, since you're so confident, let's go!" Tan Wang deliberately provoked him, already convinced that Xu Kuo was boasting. "But let me tell you, the bet is off-limits! You must take me to see your farmland today!"
A playful smile appeared on Xu Kuo's face as he asked again, "Are you sure?"
Seeing Xu Kuo's appearance, Tan Wang became even more certain of his guess: this kid was definitely feeling guilty! He urged, "Stop talking nonsense! Let's go!"
Xu Kuo sighed, feigning difficulty, "Well, since you insist, let's go. But let me make this clear: you might regret it later."
Tan Wang sneered inwardly. Regret? Me, regret it? I'll make you kneel on the ground begging me later! Worried that Xu Kuo might renege on the bet later, he added, "No, words are no proof, we need a written agreement! Write down the bet, sign it, and put your fingerprint on it!"
“Great, that suits me perfectly,” Xu Kuo readily agreed.
The two returned to the house, found paper and pen, wrote down the bet in duplicate, and signed and pressed their fingerprints on it.
Then, the two walked one after the other toward Xu Kuo's farmland.
Throughout the journey, Tan Wang continued his incessant taunts: "Xu Kuo, I advise you to admit defeat as soon as possible! Kneel down and beg me now, and maybe I'll take pity on you and let you go!"
Xu Kuo completely ignored him and simply led the way in silence.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Xu Kuo stopped in front of a lush vegetable field.
"Why aren't we leaving?" Tan Wang asked impatiently.
Xu Kuo sneered, pointed to the vegetable field in front of him, and slowly said, "This is my farmland."
Tan Wang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha... Xu Kuo, are you out of your mind? This... this is your farmland? Are you kidding me!"
He could hardly believe his eyes. The vegetable field before him was thriving, a vibrant, lush green, brimming with life. It had every kind of vegetable imaginable, far superior to the produce in his own garden!
How could this possibly be Xu Kuo's farmland? His few plots of land, in such a short time, how could they possibly grow such good vegetables?
Tan Wang simply didn't believe it; he was convinced Xu Kuo was lying to him: "Xu Kuo, don't try to fool me! These vegetables must have been bought from somewhere else, right? You think you can fool me like this? Dream on!"
Xu Kuo didn't explain. He walked to the edge of the vegetable field, bent down, grabbed the root of a large cabbage with both hands, and pulled it up by the roots with a sudden burst of strength.
Fresh soil still clung to the roots of the cabbage, emitting a faint fragrance.
"Now, do you still think these vegetables were bought?" Xu Kuo held up a cabbage in front of Tan Wang and asked coldly.
Tan Wang was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the cabbage, his mind reeling. This…how could this be? These vegetables were actually grown!
A sense of foreboding washed over Tan Wang, and he felt dizzy. It's over, it's really over!
"Well? Now, it's your turn to fulfill your bet, isn't it?" Xu Kuo pressed on, "Hand over half of the village chief's farmland."
Tan Wang's face turned deathly pale instantly. He gritted his teeth, trying to deny it: "This...this doesn't count! Who knows what kind of sorcery you used to grow these vegetables!"
"Sorcery?" Xu Kuo sneered. He had long expected Tan Wang to act shamelessly. "It seems you're going to refuse a toast only to suffer the consequences."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Kuo suddenly punched a small tree next to him.
"Snap!"
With a crisp crack, a deep fist-shaped mark appeared on the tree trunk, which was about the thickness of a bowl!
Tan Wang trembled with fear, nearly collapsing to the ground. Was this... was this even human? One punch had shattered a tree trunk like this; if it had hit him... Tan Wang dared not think further. He had no doubt that Xu Kuo could kill him with a single punch!
Tan Wang's legs began to tremble, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out of his throat: "Xu...Xu Kuo, I...I'll go back and get the land deed right away..."
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