Chapter 204: Chapter 204: When Outside, You Fight for
Your Own Status 1
Translator: 549690339
The village was bustling.
Jiang Xu heard the sound of firecrackers.
Generally, there were only two possibilities for this.
Entering the village, he found the character for “happiness” pasted in many places.
It meant that someone was getting married that day.
Jiang Xu said, “It seems we’re in luck, let’s have our lunch here at the wedding banquet.”
“Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Fu Yanjie hesitated, “We’re outsiders, would they be okay with that?”
Jiang Xu argued that paying was the solution.
On such joyous occasions, giving some gift money and having a meal was generally welcomed by everyone.
Even if no money was given, if someone came for the meal, the host, in the spirit of celebration, wouldn’t turn them away.
Lin Xiaoxian found this very intriguing.
He had never been to a rural wedding banquet before.
Probably everyone in the village was attending this one.
Soon, they arrived at the village’s ancestral hall.
The banquet had just started, and each table only had a couple of dishes served so far.
Jiang Xu spotted the groom.
He went over and asked, “Hello, can you understand Mandarin?”
In small mountain villages, the older generations, those above sixty, essentially didn’t speak Mandarin.
“Yes, I can understand. And who are you guys?”
Jiang Xu replied with a smile, “Firstly, congratulations on your wedding, big brother.
We’re just some college students, here for a mountain hike during our holiday.
We happened to catch your wedding and thought we might join the banquet, sharing in the joyous occasion.”
On hearing that Jiang Xu was a college student, the groom’s eyes immediately filled with admiration.
Without any hesitation, he agreed.
To the people deep in the mountains, college students were a rare breed, and something they held in high regard.
“Thank you.” Jiang Xu said, pulling out two hundred yuan and handing it to the groom.
The groom was reluctant to accept it, but Jiang Xu insisted that it was a customary gesture in their hometown, and refusing it would be seen as a slight.
Finally, the groom accepted it.
Then he arranged a separate table for Jiang Xu and his three friends.
The villagers were intrigued and curious when they heard that college students had come.
Except for Jiang Xu, the other three felt a bit embarrassed.
Jiang Xu, however, was still smiling and greeting the villagers.
At the same time, he was observing them closely.
From their faces, he could tell if someone was kind-hearted or wicked, although it wasn’t always 100% accurate.
Generally, the villagers seemed simple and kind to Jiang Xu.
Occasionally, there were a few whose stares were mildly discomforting.
Those were a few middle-aged men, whose gazes were a bit off when they looked at An Nuonuo and Lin Xiaoxian.
Jiang Xu took a mental note of this.
The dishes started to stream in.
Boiled chicken, assorted corn dishes with soup, chicken and fish soup, and so on.
Lin Xiaoxian took a bite of the chicken and her eyes lit up, “This is so delicious.”
Jiang Xu gave a piece to An Nuonuo and chuckled, “The poultry in the countryside are raised over long periods, they roam around freely, eating various leaves and growing up drinking spring water.
It’s entirely different from the feed-raised chicken we eat in the city, so naturally, it tastes better.”
Although the meal didn’t seem overly lavish, each item was all-natural and tasted amazing.
They were all hungry and dug in earnestly, nobody was speaking.
Especially Fu Yanjie and Lin Xiaoxian who were experiencing a rural wedding banquet for the first time, they were stunned.
They hadn’t realized just how delicious this could be.
Once they had almost finished eating, the bride and groom came over to offer a toast.
The four of them poured some cola and raised a toast to them.
Following the bride was a middle-aged man who said something in the local dialect.
The groom translated for them, “This is my father-in-law, he is asking if your families aren’t worried about you four coming out here to have fun, considering it can be a bit dangerous?”
Jiang Xu chuckled, “We’re all adults and capable of protecting ourselves.
Besides, my parents are civil servants, and our other friends’ parents are either police officers or military personnel. Who would dare to mess with us?”
Out in the world, one had to strive for their own identity.
Moreover, even if the other party didn’t mention it, Jiang Xu would take the opportunity to bring it up himself.
This way, he could dispel any malicious intentions that others might have.
After all, Jiang Xu’s principle in dealing with others was to initially treat strangers with the utmost caution.
This way, he wouldn’t be taken advantage of.
Once hearing about the identities of Jiang Xu and his friends, the way numerous villagers looked at them had noticeably changed.
Fu Yanjie and the others weren’t fools, they quickly understood Jiang Xu’s intention.
They all cooperated with a smile.
After the banquet, Jiang Xu said that he wanted to look around, specifically asking where the spring water was.
Two children, in their early teens, bravely volunteered to lead them there.
Through these two children, Jiang Xu learned that there were five springs in the vicinity.
The largest one was deep in the village.
Because the village had enough water, and the journey to the largest spring was rather long, hardly anyone went there for water.
Moreover, this largest spring had been around for decades.
Even in the driest conditions, the spring had never dried up.
This was quite remarkable.
Jiang Xu had set his sights on that largest spring.
When they arrived, he saw Zhang Xiaohui and her team exploring the same spot.
The man leading the team recognized Jiang Xu at first glance.
He strode over with a harsh expression, “It’s you, what are you doing here?” “What a coincidence?” Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, “I’m just here to play with my friends. Is that not allowed?”
The man stared at Jiang Xu for a moment, said nothing more, and walked away.
Four of them stood in front of the spring.
The spring was vast, with a large amount of water flowing out.
Jiang Xu scooped up some spring water with his hand.
He drank a few mouthfuls, then nodded his head.
The water was sweet and delicious, completely unlike tap water.
It was better than any bottled mineral water brand he had ever drunk.
His buddies squatted down and, learning by example, drank a few mouthfuls each.
They all gave unanimous praise.
If they drank this in summer, it would be even more refreshing.
Jiang Xu knew that the spring water was a good find, no tests needed.
The group didn’t stay too long.
They left after collecting some water.
Jiang Xu saw the man reach for his cell phone, yet he put it away soon after.
He guessed the man wanted to inform Zhang Xiaohui that he had seen Jiang Xu here, but there was no signal in the mountains.
Once they left, Jiang Xu and his friends also departed.
Lin Xiaoxian excitedly said, “The quality of the spring water here is high. If we could sell this, it would definitely be popular.”
Jiang Xu calmly replied, “It’s not that simple. We would need the consent of the villagers.”
Jiang Xu was eager to secure this source.
But it would depend on whether the villagers agreed.
Back in the village, Jiang Xu found the village chief.
At that moment, the village chief was chatting with the groom and Zhou Jie on the flat ground of the ancestral hall.
It was an unusual time for the groom to be out there, but it was understandable.
The village chief spoke some Mandarin, though not fluently, making him difficult to understand.
His offer was to lease the mountain for twenty years for fifty thousand yuan.
Upon hearing this price, Jiang Xu was tempted to laugh.
This price was ridiculously high.
However, hearing the amount of fifty thousand yuan made the village chief tempted.
After all, in this small, rural village, a household might only make a few thousand yuan in a year.
Fifty thousand yuan was an enormous sum.
Seeing that the village chief was about to agree, Jiang Xu had to act..
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l