The old village chief's voice trembled slightly. He stared intently at Zhang Cheng in the rattan chair, as if he were not an injured young man, but the last hope of the entire village.
Zhang Cheng's brows were furrowed.
He knew better than anyone that abolishing the work point system was an irreversible trend of the times.
However, the city leaders moved too quickly.
This decree was a spring breeze for the sparsely populated north, but for Funing, a city with a large population and limited land, especially at this critical juncture when everything needs to be rebuilt, it was nothing short of a frost.
Without work points, it's like cutting off the most stable lifeline for farmers.
My sense of security vanished instantly.
The villagers were completely thrown into chaos, and desperate whispers spread like a plague among them.
"How am I supposed to live? I'm almost fifty. Even if I went to the county to carry heavy loads, I'm afraid no one would hire me!"
"My family has seven members, and we rely on those work points to exchange for food... Now, what are we going to do..."
"The sky is about to fall..."
Listening to the villagers' heart-wrenching complaints, Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly sharpening.
He raised his hand and patted it gently.
Snap, snap.
Two crisp sounds, not loud, yet seemingly possessing some kind of magic, instantly suppressed all the noise.
All eyes turned to him, filled with confusion and a hint of pleading.
"Uncles and aunts, crying won't solve anything."
Zhang Cheng's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable power.
"Mayor Zhou is right. The leaders of Funing have already done a huge favor by holding this policy in place until today."
He looked around, his gaze sweeping over every terrified face.
"Besides, we have hands and feet, how can we let ourselves die from holding in our pee?"
"Ergouzi, that's not how it works!" a farmer couldn't help but shout. "We're not afraid of being tired, but we have nowhere to use our strength!"
"Yes! We're just afraid we won't be able to find work!"
The crowd's emotions were reignited.
Zhang Cheng smiled, a smile that carried a hint of domineering confidence.
He didn't answer directly, but turned to look at Li Fuguo, who was already waiting.
"A wealthy country".
“Brother, I’m here!” Li Fuguo suddenly straightened his back.
"Don't stay in the village anymore, go back to the county right now!"
Zhang Cheng's tone became unquestionable.
"Do you remember what I told you before? Go find Boss Zhou Yuanhang and ask him to help me find a shop for the restaurant as quickly as possible!"
"Once the restaurant opens, I want all the richest people in Funing County to dine here!"
Li Fuguo felt a surge of heat rush to his head. He nodded heavily and said in a loud voice, "Don't worry, brother! I'll leave right now!"
After saying that, he turned and ran without the slightest hesitation.
Li Fuguo's father stared at his son's resolute back, stunned for a moment, then his old face lit up with immense satisfaction and pride.
Zhang Cheng's gaze returned to his fellow villagers, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Folks, the restaurant is about to open, what do we need in the kitchen?"
"We're short of vegetables!" someone answered instinctively.
"Yes! We're lacking in wild game and rare delicacies!"
Zhang Cheng's voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"From today onwards, everyone who goes hunting in the mountains will have all the wild game they hunted collected by me! And all the medicinal herbs they find, I'll collect them all too!"
"If Tianyao Company won't accept it, then Yangcheng will!"
"Prices will only go up, never down!"
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the crowd!
The villagers' eyes lit up instantly!
Hunting! That's their specialty!
In the past, he would secretly take the money to the village to exchange for a few coins, but now, Zhang Ergouzi actually wants to take on the whole business!
At that price, how could they possibly lose money on their own people?
Before everyone could recover from their euphoria, Zhang Cheng looked at Li Qiming, Zhang Mangui, and Li Weibing.
"You three, don't just sit there either."
"Take the money, do as I say, go to Wenzhou, go to Hangzhou, and do your research!"
"Once I recover from my injuries, I'll open the biggest nightclub in the whole county!"
"Brother Gou, let's set off right now!" Li Qiming and the other two excitedly agreed and turned to chase after Li Fuguo.
Next up is a big head.
"Big Head Bro, the clothing store is doing well, and you can't handle it all by yourself. Pick two clever young men from the village to help you out."
"Okay!" Zhang Da Nao grinned.
Then there's Zhang Jianhao.
"Sword Master, if you need more staff for the six video arcades, hire from the village. You set the wages, don't shortchange your own brothers."
"Yes!" Zhang Jianhao nodded emphatically.
Zhang Cheng's arrangements flowed smoothly, with each step seamlessly connected to the next.
His smile remained unchanged, and his voice echoed throughout the entire courtyard.
"Uncles, don't worry. My friend's cannery is short of fruit. I'll contract out the transportation work to the village. It'll be 50 cents a day. Anyone who wants to do it can get a share!"
"besides!"
His gaze fell on Zhang Guangtian and his group of twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old youths.
"The nightclub is opening and we need security guards. Brother Guangtian, if you're willing, it'll be twenty yuan a month, with bonuses on top of that!"
Twenty yuan a month!
Zhang Guangtian's eyes widened instantly, and he shouted excitedly, "Er Gouzi, we'll do it! Of course we'll do it! But... when will that nightclub open?"
"At the slowest, six months."
"It will take half a year..." Zhang Guangtian's excitement immediately deflated.
Zhang Cheng chuckled: "You guys can't be idle for the next six months. Go into the mountains to hunt and earn money, and while you're at it, train your grappling and combat skills to the bone!"
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