298 Rich and Inhumane
Ever since she found out that the villagers had designs on her, Xiaoguo became much more direct.
Previously, she didn’t know what their motives were, so she didn’t dare to do anything. Now that she knew, she was more straightforward and rejected them with ease.
She wasn’t afraid of offending the villagers. After all, she didn’t have much to do with them. Besides, this thing was consensual. No one could force it on her.
“I am not taking it into consideration. Please go back.”
!!
Xiaoguo sent off another group of people who were here to talk about Zhuang Zhuang’s engagement and moved out the things they had brought. She didn’t know if they took back the gifts or not. In any case, she didn’t keep a single item.
If she had known what they were scheming, she wouldn’t have accepted the rotten vegetables stems from two days ago. If this matter wasn’t handled properly, the consequences could be dire. If there was anyone with ill intentions and went out to spread rumors, it would be terrible if they claimed that she had accepted the gift and agreed to the engagement.
“Dong dong dong ~”
Xiaoguo had just heaved a sigh of relief and was walking back into the house when there was another knock on the door behind her.
Xiaoguo’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t even dare to breathe loudly. “Who is it?”
“Mrs. Jiang, I’m Jia Bao from the Su Family’s Goods Store. Shopkeeper Su asked me to send you something.”
She heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that. As long as it wasn’t someone who was here to propose a betrothal, it was fine. “I’m coming!”
Xiaoguo opened the front door and saw the smiling Jia Bao. “Mrs. Jiang.”
“Hello,” Xiaoguo greeted him with a rare sincere smile. Finally, it was not one of those people.
“There’s a new type of dried fruit in the shop recently. Our shopkeeper asked me to bring it over for you to try.”
Jia Bao went straight to the topic. He took out a huge gift box from the carriage and opened it in front of her. For a moment, she was dazzled by the object in front of her. She blinked a few times and looked inside again. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “This… this is…”
What season was this? Why were there mangoes?!
“This is called a Wangguo. We took great lengths to preserve the harvest we had from last year. After our Shopkeeper Su’s tireless research, we finally came up with this sweet, fragrant, and chewy Wangguo slice.”
Jia Bao introduced the dried fruits to Xiaoguo thoughtfully. His tone was filled with admiration for Su Changsheng. Their shopkeeper was really amazing!
Xiaoguo was shocked. “So mangoes are called Wangguo here. From what he said, they had planted these mangoes themselves?!”
“Did you plant the mang… Wangguo?”
“That’s right. All our raw materials are produced and sold by ourselves. The raw materials contracted by our shopkeeper come from various regions and countries. The plots cover a total area of 1.88 million square kilometers. We have more than 160 types of plants, excluding those that are under development…”
Jia Bao spoke confidently. He seemed to be hinting to her that their store was rich and capable, she wouldn’t have to worry about working with them.
Xiaoguo looked at the golden light that had risen at some point in time as the other party continued to speak. She felt like breaking down. “Was he humble-bragging to her?”
“What does 1.88 million square kilometers look like?!”
“More than 160 types?!”
“And they were all Su Changsheng’s?!”
“O! M! G!”
Even though Xiaoguo was not greedy for money, her legs were feeling weak at this moment. How rich was that profiteer, Su Changsheng? Why did she feel that he had more money than the national treasury…
To think that the snacks business was so profitable. Maybe she should start a sideline herself.
Amidst Jia Bao’s constant chatter, Xiaoguo gradually became distracted. She only came back to her senses after the other party was done showing off.
Just like the last time, he insisted on bringing the snacks into the house for Xiaoguo. This time, she didn’t bother to exchange any pleasantries. After all, she knew his true intentions. He just wanted to check on the cows.
This time, he didn’t have to ask. When he put down the gift box, Xiaoguo took the initiative to bring him to the cows and updated him on how the cows were doing.
As Jia Bao listened, he observed the situation of the two cows. Xiaoguo still wanted to work with Su Changsheng in the future, so she was very generous with the details.
The cows would produce milk after they have given birth. She and Zhuang Zhuang would not be able to finish so much milk, so she had to think of ways to not to waste it. Milk could be made into many delicious foods. However, Xiaoguo has been getting lazier and lazier these days. She did not want to torture herself. It was better to just send the cows to Su Changsheng and let him do the dirty work. If he needed any ideas, she could provide him with a few recipes.
No matter what, it was a collaboration. She could just sit back and wait for the money to come in. The hard work could be passed on to someone else.
After Jia Bao got what he wanted to hear, he went back happily. Their boss’s instructions had been carried out perfectly. He could go home now!
Yesterday, when Jia Bao received the letter, Shopkeeper Su asked him to quietly reveal his assets to Xiaoguo in order to reassure his business partner. She could rest any worries about working with someone as capable as him!
Xiaoguo was already quite relieved. Now that she had heard Jia Bao’s introduction, she felt even more at ease. She didn’t know if she was besotted by money or if it was due to something else.
His land area was so large, and it was available in many countries. This meant that he had a wide distribution network. Moreover, the fact that he was so confident about the product meant that he had already thought of a market. She was certain that he would not fight an unprepared battle. Milk was a sure win.
At the thought of this, Xiaoguo was getting a little carried away. She could ride on his wings and make loads of money just like him.
The first thing Xiaoguo saw when she returned to the house was the gift box. It looked good on the outside and had delicious snacks on the inside. Xiaoguo walked over and admired it carefully. The box that Su Changsheng had made was really beautiful. If one didn’t know better, they would think that it was a jewelry box. It could really be used as a jewelry box.
Xiaoguo lifted the lid and a refreshing fragrance wafted into her nose. She was intoxicated by it. It was a familiar, and yet unfamiliar smell. It was really intoxicating…
Although the box was not big, it was quite deep. There was no way she could finish so much dried mangoes. Hence, she found a few pieces of waxed paper and divided them into four portions. She gave one pack to Mrs. Yang and brought the other three to the county.
She made a trip to Mr. Kong’s house on the way. She left a portion for the elderly couple and set aside a small portion for Zhuang Zhuang. She did not delay their work and left after playing for a while.
The last portion was taken to the noodle shop.
As she was about to leave, Qin Anming suddenly stopped Xiaoguo. “I almost forgot. Qingming is on the sixth of next month. We have to pay our respects to Father and Mother.”
Xiaoguo thought for a moment and suddenly remembered. After the spring equinox, it will be Qingming. Those with old folks living with them will burn the offerings in advance. Those households with zero old folks will burn the offerings on the actual day of Qingming.
“Got it. I’ll buy some joss paper. There isn’t much left at home.”
After the last time, the supply at home was running low, and Xiaoguo kept forgetting about it.
“I’ll get going.”
After bidding farewell, Xiaoguo went to the marketplace. Everyone was selling joss paper. She checked with a few shops at the marketplace and bought a lot. She had heard from her mother that joss paper should be left at home for a period of time before burning, so she took the chance to buy more.
—-
Time flew by. Xiaoguo lifted the calendar and tore off number 31, revealing the brand new number 1 behind it. Another new moon had arrived.
Zhuang Zhuang had just put down his sling bag when he said to Xiaoguo, “Mother, Master told me to stay at home for a few more days.”
...
“For the Qingming holidays?”
Xiaoguo could guess the reason, but it was quite strange. It turned out that ancient people had holidays during the Qingming Festival.
“That’s right!” Zhuang Zhuang hugged Xiaoguo’s leg happily. “Mother is so smart…”
He could sleep in the same room with his mother again. “How nice. Hehe.”
Xiaoguo laughed. “Little rascal.”
“He always says what people like to hear. How could anyone not like him?”
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