The old village chief chatted with Zhang Cheng for a few minutes, then left in a hurry, reminding Zhang Cheng to go to the village committee later.
"Wife, have some candy!"
Zhang Cheng happily took a piece of fruit candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into Shi Yangyang's mouth.
Shi Yangyang blushed and obediently opened her little mouth to take the candy in.
"Honey, I'm going to the village committee."
After saying that, Zhang Cheng hummed a little tune and left the mud house.
After Zhang Cheng left, Shi Yangyang quickly raised her hand to rub her burning cheeks.
Village Committee.
There was a row of small bungalows, three of which were used by the group of educated youth who had been sent to the countryside, and the remaining two were used for meetings, storing fruit, and so on.
At this moment, the heads of the six production teams in the village, along with several respected elders, were gathered in the meeting hall.
"Smoke, smoke, everyone smoke!"
The old village chief opened a pack of Pegasus cigarettes and cheerfully handed them out to everyone.
"Old Gui, did Er Gouzi give you this cigarette?" Li Xingshan was almost eighty years old, his hair and beard were all white, but he was very healthy. He was the oldest and most senior man in the village.
"Grandpa has a sharp eye. This cigarette was given to me by Er Gouzi last time, and I haven't been able to bring myself to smoke it!"
The old village chief stuffed the remaining cigarettes back into his pocket and said:
"Er Gouzi has really made something of himself! I heard from Da Nao that on his trip to the county town, he not only struck up a conversation with the hospital director, but also became buddies with the police station chief. He even spent New Year's Eve at the chief's house."
"Our Zhangjia Village has finally produced a true dragon!"
"That's right. When Mancang and the others were hospitalized, they didn't have enough money, and Er Gouzi paid for everything. That's a life-saving favor."
"It's a pity that Lao Hong couldn't hold on..."
When Lao Hong was mentioned, everyone fell silent.
"They all look so gloomy, who are they trying to impress?"
Li Xingshan slapped the table and said:
"Er Gouzi, even after he became successful, hasn't forgotten his roots and still thinks about helping the villagers. He's a man of honor, and we can't let him down."
Old Gui, you need to find someone to clean up that cowshed at the village entrance.
Everyone needs to lend a hand. If I find out anyone is slacking off, don't blame me for coming to your door and yelling at your ancestors!
"Grandpa, don't worry. We'll definitely keep Er Gouzi's matter in mind!"
"That's right, that's right. If it weren't for Er Gouzi, my older brother would probably be reporting to the King of Hell with Lao Hong..."
The old village chief raised his hand to quiet everyone down, and then said:
"The reason I called everyone over here is to help Er Gouzi with something."
Er Gouzi has made a big business in the county and needs Polygonatum and Panax notoginseng.
If you have any stock at home, take it out as soon as possible. Er Gouzi definitely won't treat you unfairly.
"Also, although the mountains are currently blocked by heavy snow, the paths to several nearby villages are still passable. Starting tomorrow, you should go out and collect as much Solomon's Seal and Panax notoginseng as you can."
As the old village chief was speaking, Zhang Cheng poked his head in and walked in.
The scene immediately became lively.
"Er Gouzi, come here, sit next to me!"
"Er Gouzi, my Jianhao has always listened to you since he was a child, so you have to keep an eye on him. If he doesn't listen, then beat him to death."
"Yes, yes, and my little rascal too..."
Seeing how popular Zhang Cheng was, the old village chief felt a mix of emotions. He muttered to himself, "Luckily, Er Gouzi agreed to vote for him in next year's village chief election. Otherwise, the position would definitely have gone to Er Gouzi."
Zhang Cheng hadn't expected everyone to be so enthusiastic, so he quickly took out some Huazi cigarettes and offered one to each person.
This drew another round of praise.
People live for their reputation, just as trees live for their bark. Besides seeking comfort, isn't it all about having a good name? Zhang Cheng felt quite pleased listening to the villagers' praise.
"Er Gouzi, I'm discussing with them how to help you buy Solomon's Seal and Panax notoginseng from the neighboring villages," the old village chief said.
"Er Gouzi, you set a price, and we'll go collect it tomorrow morning."
Zhang Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Polygonatum is one yuan per jin, and Panax notoginseng is one yuan and fifty cents per jin. What do you uncles and elders think?"
"No problem, no problem, this price is high enough!"
"At such high prices, next year all the Solomon's seals in the mountains will probably be harvested."
"Also, it's winter now, and food is scarce in all the villages. When the uncles go to collect medicinal herbs, in addition to paying them, they can also exchange them for coarse grains," Zhang Cheng said.
Li Xingshan raised his eyelids, looked at Zhang Cheng, and said with emotion, "Er Gouzi, you really have the heart of a bodhisattva."
Money is a good thing.
But for the villagers now, food is the only thing that keeps them alive.
Zhang Cheng guessed that most people would be happy to exchange medicinal herbs for food.
"So, how many medicinal herbs can you exchange for a pound of coarse grains?"
Just as Zhang Cheng was discussing the price with his uncles, in the next room, the group of educated youth were pressing their ears against the wall, secretly listening to what was happening.
"Wasn't it said that Yangyang's husband was a coward with no opinions of his own?"
"Yangyang has finally escaped the fire pit."
"Oh, when will our good days finally come?"
"Isn't Zhang Cheng planning to open a consignment store? How about we go talk to him, help him with the bookkeeping, and sell some of his stuff?"
"With so many people in Zhangjia Village, how could Zhang Cheng possibly want us?"
"There are many people in Zhangjia Village, but not many of them can read."
"Old Zhang is right. So, who's going to ask later?"
Suddenly, all five educated youths in the room turned to look at Zhao Qingwan.
Zhao Qingwan's face stiffened slightly, and she said with a bitter expression, "I just borrowed ten catties of grain from him. If I bother him again... won't that bother him?"
"You can't say that. Think about it, he's already willing to lend you grain, which proves he has a good impression of you..."
Just as Zhao Qingwan was hesitating, another female educated youth suddenly spoke up, "Why don't I go?"
"you?"
“Yuanyuan, you and Yangyang had quite a conflict back then. If you go and talk to him, do you think Zhang Cheng will agree?”
Li Yuanyuan was wearing a faded plaid cotton-padded jacket, with two pigtails, and her face was quite fair, unlike the others.
"Yangyang has gone crazy. Do you think she'd gossip about our past with Zhang Cheng?"
Li Yuanyuan pursed her lips and laughed, "Besides, with my abilities, dealing with a peasant like Zhang Cheng from a remote mountain village is a piece of cake."
"That makes sense!"
"Then let Yuanyuan speak!"
Hearing everyone recommending that Li Yuanyuan talk to Zhang Cheng about work, Zhao Qingwan was extremely anxious.
Six years ago, when they were sent to the countryside, Shi Yangyang and Li Yuanyuan were the prettiest, so they were secretly competing with each other...
Previously, when Shi Yangyang was arranged by the village to marry Zhang Cheng, Li Yuanyuan openly and subtly mocked her for a long time.
"They're out! They're out!"
"Yuanyuan, hurry up and go!"
Li Yuanyuan composed herself, straightened her clothes, and pushed open the door to walk out.
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