"It's the village chief!" Wen Peng exclaimed in surprise.
"What's the village chief doing here?" Yao Shiling asked.
"Let's play peacemaker, Mom. I'll go open the gate." Wen Qing stood up.
"Go ahead," Yao Shiling urged Wen Peng to eat quickly, and then began to clean up the kitchen.
"Mom, the village chief and the team leader are here," Wen Qing called out from inside the yard.
Yao Shiling came out of the kitchen carrying a kerosene lamp, followed by Wen Liang and Wen Peng.
"Village chief, team leader, you've arrived." Yao Shiling said with a smile.
"Hello, village chief! Hello, team leader!" Wen Liang and Wen Peng greeted each other.
"Alright, alright." The village chief asked with a smile, "Have you all eaten?"
"I've already eaten," Wen Peng replied.
"Village chief, team leader, please come into the main room and have a cup of boiled water," Yao Shiling greeted.
The village chief and team leader, who were originally there to make a deal, naturally went into the main room and said, "Okay."
"Wenliang, Wenpeng, go to the west room to get your clothes, take a bath, and go to bed," Yao Shiling said.
"Mom, I want to go play on the main road for a while," Wen Peng said.
Wen Liang pulled him into the west room: "There was a fire this afternoon, who wants to play? Let's not play today, we'll play tomorrow."
As Wen Liang and Wen Peng walked past the village chief and team leader, they both smelled an extremely tempting aroma of pork and scallions. They turned to Wen Liang and Wen Peng and saw that their mouths were greasy.
These days, people are very sensitive to meat. Throughout the year, apart from the two meals with meat during the Lunar New Year (welcoming and sending off the New Year), who has ever seen meat at other times?
However, it seemed that Wen Qing's family was eating pork and scallion dumplings. The village chief and team leader could even smell the tender meat and scallion aroma. Wasn't Wen Qing's family one of the poorest in the whole village? How come they were eating meat when it wasn't a holiday?
The village chief and team leader secretly thought that Wen Qing's family might be the richest in Shuiwan Village. Those gossipy women had always looked down on the Wen family, but they didn't realize how foolish they were.
"Village chief, team leader, please sit down." Upon entering the main room, Wen Qing immediately brought over two wooden stools.
The village chief and team leader glanced at the Wen family's main room. Although it was similar to their own, the Wen family's room was noticeably cleaner and tidier. The side table, dining table, stools, and wooden basin stand were neatly arranged, which made the two of them secretly praise Yao Shiling and Wen Qing.
"Village chief, team leader, have some boiled water." Wen Qing handed over two cups of boiled water and sat down in front of Yao Shiling.
Yao Shiling asked, "Village chief, team leader, what brings you here so late?"
The village chief and team leader exchanged glances before getting straight to the point.
The village chief sighed and said, "It's like this. This evening, there was a fire behind the second team's yard, as you all know. I wronged Pengpeng. I'm sorry, but please don't take it to heart."
“I don’t mind, I don’t mind,” Yao Shiling replied.
Wen Qing listened from the side.
"As you all know, Erhu set the fire, and Huzi's mother fainted. She just went to see the doctor because she got a big cut on her forehead from a tree branch. She's physically okay, but the damage to her family is too severe." The village chief looked at the team leader.
The team leader continued, "Including your family, seven families had their straw stacks burned. Your family also had a direct confrontation with Aunt Wang. The village chief and I were thinking that, considering that Aunt Wang's year's grain was almost completely burned, could we ask her family to pay less compensation? Wang Da just cried in front of the village chief and me. We are all neighbors."
Wen Qing finally understood what the village chief and team leader meant: Wang Da knew he was wrong, didn't want to pay compensation, and was begging the village chief and team leader to act as intermediaries, hoping to avoid paying. Now, the village chief and team leader were using the Wen family as a starting point; if the Wen family relented, they could use them to persuade the other six families. For example, they might say, "Look, Wen Qing and Aunt Wang are almost fighting, and Wen Qing hasn't even said how much compensation she wants, right? You should pay less too." Then Wen Qing would become the target of the other neighbors' silent curses.
"Village Chief..." Yao Shiling had just opened her mouth when Wen Qing pressed her hand down.
Yao Shiling looked at Wen Qing.
Wen Qing said, “My mother and I sympathize with the village chief, team leader, and Aunt Wang’s situation. However, of the seven families affected by the fire, ours was the least damaged. Moreover, we don’t even have a man in our family to take charge. As for whether we will be compensated or how much, my mother and I are too inexperienced to estimate. We might as well ask Grandma Yang’s family and Brother Zhou’s family. They are the elders in our family. My mother and I will follow their lead and listen to the organization’s arrangements.”
The village chief and team leader were taken aback. They hadn't expected that Wen Qing, this young girl, would not only understand their intentions but also outmaneuver them with such ease.
Then Wen Qing asked, "Village chief, team leader, what's the deal with Grandma Yang's family and Brother Zhou's family?"
The village chief and the team members looked embarrassed.
"We haven't asked either of them yet," the village chief stammered.
Wen Qing smiled and said generously, "Then there's no need to ask our family. We are a small family, and we will follow the wishes of the whole family. Village chief, team leader, how about this?"
The village chief and team leader were immediately embarrassed. Wen Qing's words sounded nice, but in reality, she was trying to humiliate them. Her family had suffered such a great injustice, and they hadn't stood up for justice back then. Now they were here to plead for another family. No way.
The village chief and team leader realized they had indeed gone too far, and using the excuse of going elsewhere to inquire, they left the Wen family's courtyard.
As soon as they stepped out of the yard, the team leader said angrily, "I told you, we can't bully whoever is weak!"
The village chief retorted, "What can I do? Wang Da and his wife are so persistent and shrewish, what can I do?"
"What to do? Use policy to suppress them. If they don't obey the organization, then kill them all for any future benefits the country offers! Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch. Look at the Wen family, haven't they been wronged enough today? Now they're treating people like pushovers. I was embarrassed by what Wen Qing said. And look at how they eat pork and scallion dumplings. Look at Yao Shiling and Wen Qing's demeanor. Wen Liang and Wen Peng are doing well in their studies. Village chief, let me tell you, don't look down on them just because they're poor now. Who knows, one day, you and I won't be able to catch up with them even if we take off our shoes!"
The village chief got impatient: "I'm just annoyed by Wang Da's crying!"
The team leader was quite firm: "Ask a few more companies to see how they'll compensate. The system still needs to be enforced. Otherwise, we'll use policy to pressure them! Let's see if Wang Da and his wife will accept it!"
"Alright!" The village chief never intended to act as an intermediary for Wang Da.
The village chief and team leader went to Grandma Yang's house.
Wen Qing and Yao Shiling were making shoes under the lamp, chatting about the day's events as they worked.
Compared to Yao Shiling's desire to appease everyone, Wen Qing's attitude was to neither provoke trouble nor be afraid of it. If trouble came, she would confront it head-on and fight it off. What was there to be afraid of?
Yao Shiling laughed: "Your personality is about to catch up with your second uncle's."
Wen Qing smiled and said, "I'm better at managing money than my second uncle."
Speaking of Wen Qing's second uncle, Wen Qing thought of Ji Yanjun again, and then said, "Mom, I saw Ji Yanjun today."
Yao Shiling was startled, and almost pricked her hand with the needle.
Wen Qing looked up at Yao Shiling and said, "I've made it clear to him that I will definitely not marry into the Ji family in the future, and I have nothing to do with them anymore."
Yao Shiling looked Wen Qing up and down and asked, "Really?"
"Yes. Ji Yanjun never liked me to begin with. I forced him to accept my second uncle's words, but it was pointless," Wen Qing said calmly.
"What did Ji Yanjun say?" Yao Shiling asked.
"He stormed off in a huff, but he's never come looking for me when we've argued before, and he definitely won't this time either. Besides, I'm going to school in the city soon," Wen Qing said with a smile.
Yao Shiling looked at Wen Qing and saw no lingering affection for Ji Yanjun in her eyes. Yao Shiling felt relieved: "That's good. When you go to high school, study hard, get into university, and then you can talk about dating. People with more knowledge understand things better."
Wen Qing smiled and nodded: "Mm."
That night, Wen Qing lay in bed, not falling asleep immediately, but thinking about Yao Shiling's words.
Going to high school, taking the college entrance exam, dating... she probably won't date again in this life. She died of illness at the age of thirty-five in her previous life. Will she die at the age of thirty-five in this life, or at thirty-four, thirty, or even in her twenties?
Why would someone like her date? Wouldn't that be harmful? She just needs to work hard to earn money, give her mother a good life, pave the most basic path for Liangliang and Pengpeng, and let them strive on their own.
Thinking of this, Wen Qing felt no sadness. She was already fortunate to be where she was now; even if she died in her twenties, it would still be a gain. She was just a little reluctant to leave her family.
Just then, I heard Aunt Wang's voice from the village entrance: "Impossible! Our haystacks have all been burned! Who am I supposed to ask for compensation? Unless I die, no one will pay for it!"
Wen Qing smiled upon hearing this, and soon drowsiness overcame her, and she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, as soon as Wen Qing got up, Yao Shiling and Wen Peng were rubbing corn cobs in front of the bamboo basket. The bunches of corn hanging on the mud wall had been almost all picked, and the rubbed corn kernels were put into a porcelain basin.
"Mom, Pengpeng, what are you doing?" Wen Qing asked.
“We hull the corn kernels, and after that, my mom and I go to the fields by the river to plant corn,” Wen Peng said.
Wen Liang then came out of the kitchen and called out, "Dinner's ready."
There were quite a few dumplings left over from last night, so Yao Shiling put them in a water tank to keep them chilled. The taste remained the same, and Wen Liang and Wen Peng ate them with gusto.
Wen Qing asked, "What else are we lacking?"
"The beans have all been planted, and the corn, wheat stubble, and sweet potatoes will be planted in the next couple of days. By the time you come back from your Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, they will all be ready to eat."
Wen Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Do we have a lot of corn seeds and sweet potato vines left at home?"
"A lot, what's wrong?"
Wen Qing countered, "Were all of Aunt Wang's houses burned down?"
Yao Shiling was taken aback, not understanding what Wen Qing meant.
Wen Qing said, "Mom, let's ignore them for now and eat. I have to go to the city later to take care of the follow-up matters, and then I won't go to the city again."
"good."
After finishing his meal, Wen Qing patted Wen Peng on the head, picked up his cloth bag, and headed towards the county town.
After arriving in the county town, he handed the shoes he and Yao Shiling had made to Aunt Xiao, then waited for the bus at the four-way intersection, and went straight to Tangquan Garment Factory after getting off the bus.
Tangquan Clothing Factory had already started production. When Wenqing arrived, Master Zhu and Master Ye warmly stepped forward and showed the clothes to Wenqing.
Wen Qing took two garments from the assembly line, examined them, and nodded in satisfaction.
Master Zhu and Master Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Quan smiled and expressed his gratitude to Wen Qing.
Tang Quan was genuinely reluctant to let Wen Qing go after he completed his mission. It would be such a pity if someone as talented as Wen Qing couldn't be put to his use.
Wen Qing asked, "Uncle Tang, have you found a sales channel yet?"
Tang Quan frankly said, "When you first enter the market, there needs to be an adaptation period, a month or even longer before you see results."
Wen Qing said, "I have a quick and effective method."
Upon hearing this, Tang Quan was overjoyed. Wen Qing's methods were always ingenious and extremely effective, and he wished Wen Qing would give him methods every day: "What methods?"
Wen Qing said, "If I tell you this method, you have to grant me one request?"
"you say."
"If I want to buy clothes from you, you have to give me the lowest factory price."
"You're selling clothes too?"
“I have a shop, that is Aunt Xiao’s tailor shop.”
"Is that your shop?" Tang Quan was taken aback. Wen Qing didn't look like the descendant of a wealthy family. She was only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet she owned her own shop.
Wen Qing nodded: "Yes."
Tang Quan said, "Okay, as long as your method works, I'll give you an additional 10% discount on top of the minimum factory price."
“Okay.” Wen Qing smiled. She came up with this idea from her neighbors in Shuiwan Village. Of course, this method was not unusual in the 21st century, but it was rare in this era. She said, “Find a shill.”
"A 'tuo'?" Tang Quan asked.
Wen Qing nodded: "That's right, it's a shill!" Besides secrets and gossip, conversations among women also contain endless business opportunities.
Her neighbors in Shuiwan Village said bad things that could damage her reputation.
If Tang Quan were to pay someone to promote the clothes among women at the right time, word would spread quickly, creating an advertising effect in this era. Of course, this is on the premise that both she and Tang Quan have great confidence in the new clothes. Otherwise, no amount of advertising can save a flop.
Upon hearing Wen Qing's words, Tang Quan's eyes lit up immediately, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Wen Qing, this method is excellent, wonderful, and so practical!"
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Then I'll wait for your good news. I'll come and pick up the goods then."
"Sure, no problem. If business is good, I'll give you a big bonus."
Wen Qing smiled, then said goodbye to Tang Quan.
Tang Quan hurriedly returned to the factory. Upon seeing this, Master Zhu and Master Ye asked, "President Tang, why do I feel that Wen Qing's method is too frivolous? How could she possibly buy clothes with just a few words?"
“Our clothes are good!” Master Zhu said.
Tang Quan was thrilled: "Yes, our clothes are good. Wen Qing's method is more economical, less troublesome, and more effective than mine. It's really great!"
Master Ye was puzzled. Was it really that good? Would the clothes sell well?
Master Zhu, on the other hand, remained neutral. Although he was interested in Wen Qing's clothes and thought they would sell well, he became uneasy once they were actually made.
Will it really sell well?
What if I can't sell them?
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