W Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Worries

Chapter 61: Worries

The four Zhao brothers didn’t bring much, nor did they have much to bring.

Hearing they were going to work, they did bring down the better farming tools from their home.

Saying “better” was relative, as they were still quite worn. But compared to the others at home, a chipped sickle and a shovel with holes were the best.

The Zhao brothers were all tall and sturdy men, each carrying farming tools, giving off a sense of imposing presence.

U Xue, held back by Shen Gui, still growled a warning from its throat, putting on a show of force.

Zhao Changming, feeling uneasy under Shen Gui’s gaze, forced a smile at U Xue, trying to make conversation, “This dog is well-trained, knows how to protect its master.”

Shen Gui chuckled, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Zhao Changming’s smile froze on his face, feeling as if his brother-in-law wanted to sic the dog on him.

“Third sister is in the main room. Instead of seeing your wife and kids, you’re here teasing the dog?”

Well, now his brother-in-law wasn’t even calling him “brother-in-law.”

Afraid of further irritating Shen Gui, Zhao Changming reacted quickly, darting away, “I’m going now.”

“That’s more like it.”

After muttering that, Shen Gui turned to look at Zhao Changyuan, Zhao Changping, and Zhao Chang’an.

Shen Gui glanced at Zhao Changyuan, remembering how Liu Qihua had made a scene at home for an egg eaten for Shen Yan that day.

He wore his emotions on his sleeve, clearly holding a grudge and unhappy.

Zhao Changyuan was half a head taller than Shen Gui and more than ten years older, but he was now somewhat embarrassed, not daring to look Shen Gui in the eye.

He was afraid Shen Gui would chase him away and not let him work.

Previously, when the Yunxia Restaurant’s manager pressured Ling Xing to hand over the fermentation recipe, Zhao Changping and Zhao Chang’an had followed Zhao Changming to the Shen family to put on a show of support.

Shen Gui was very clear about his grudges, and it was all on his face.

He was all smiles to the two of them, but not to Zhao Changyuan.

Zhao Changping and Zhao Chang’an brothers were treated specially, feeling both happy and nervous.

Happy that the Shen family valued them, and nervous about getting beaten by their older brother.

Zhao Changming, after greeting his wife and children, was chased out by Shen Yan, who told him to work hard with Shen Gui and not waste time in the house.

She had learned a bit about the pickled vegetable business these past few days, and the more she learned, the more impressive she found her brother-in-law.

Their family was truly making a living thanks to her brother-in-law.

After Zhao Changming came out, Shen Gui discussed his plans with the four Zhao brothers.

His second brother had said that if they were going to buy vegetables, now was the best time.

Shen Gui thought about it and agreed. Right now, every household still had fresh radishes and cabbages. If they waited any longer, they would pickle them themselves.

Even if they didn’t pickle much, he would still buy less than he could now.

Time and vegetables waited for no one. Shen Gui had been planning to go buy them himself today, so the Zhao family’s arrival was timely.

He said to the Zhao brothers, “We’re not doing anything else today, just buying vegetables.”

Shen Gui estimated that the vegetables from the village alone might not be enough, so they would have to go to the surrounding villages to buy them.

This was to ensure they had a sufficient quantity.

The countryside wasn’t safe, and the Zhao brothers were not only strong but also knew some martial arts; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to hunt.

It was good to have them go buy the vegetables, so they wouldn’t have to worry about being targeted and robbed of money and vegetables.

No one could handle the Zhao brothers.

“When buying vegetables, go in pairs. Don’t ever act alone,” Shen Gui emphasized.

One person would be more easily targeted.

If the other party had overwhelming numbers, even the strongest person would be useless.

Shen Gui was cautious about these things, and the Zhao brothers understood the reasoning, nodding seriously.

Shen Gui would also go with them to buy vegetables.

When they walked past Xie Qingya’s house, he glanced inside, seeing Ling Xing and Xie Qingya grinding soybeans, and Shen Lai leading Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia in the yard, identifying herbs.

Shen Gui greeted them.

“Brother-in-law, the Zhao family is here. I’m taking them into the village to buy vegetables. Where are second brother and Cao Manyue? Why don’t I see them?”

Hearing this, Ling Xing turned to look at the half-open door. Behind Shen Gui stood four burly men, smiling politely at him.

Perhaps because they didn’t smile often, he could see their mouths twitching from afar.

Ling Xing first greeted the Zhao brothers, and then answered Shen Gui’s question, “Your second brother and Cao Manyue are inside, reading with Wang Qi.”

Shen Gui nodded. “Oh, then I’m leaving. We have to run to several villages.”

After he left, Xie Qingya asked Ling Xing.

“Are you really planning to expand that pickled vegetable business?”

Ling Xing nodded.

“Fourth brother has the drive, so let’s do it big if we can.”

Xie Qingya reminded him with some concern, “Xing-ge’er, your business hasn’t been done in the village before, and you haven’t even gone to the small gatherings in each village. The villagers don’t know how good your business is.”

The town was far away, and the villagers of Xiao Liucun didn’t go there often. Even if they did, they went to fixed places to buy common necessities that they couldn’t buy elsewhere.

They basically didn’t wander around, so no one knew what the Shen family’s business was really like.

“I’m afraid that when the villagers know you’re making money from your business, that the Shen family is rich, they’ll get ideas.”

It wasn’t the poverty people should fear, but wealth.

Everyone was so poor that they couldn’t make ends meet, with only the poorer.

As a result, suddenly one family became rich, and it was the Shen family, whose foundation was the least stable, many would feel unbalanced and cause trouble.

These people were hidden dangers.

Ling Xing knew that such people existed, but he couldn’t hide forever.

Besides, the family was going to build a house, and had already asked the village chief to help find people, and it was said that everything was almost ready, waiting for an auspicious day in a few days to arrive, and for breaking ground to lay the foundation.

Such a big commotion couldn’t be hidden.

Xie Qingya suddenly said seriously, “Remember, if anyone asks you to borrow money, don’t you dare lend it to them.”

Xie Qingya’s concerns were not without reason. Ling Xing had grown up in a village in his previous life, and had experienced these things.

In his previous life, there was a family in the next village that was famously poor, living off the charity of the entire village.

Later, he heard that their son who was away from home had won the lottery, and came back to build a big house for his disabled parents, two stories high, very impressive.

No one in the village didn’t envy them, and everyone guessed how much money the person had won.

Some said hundreds of thousands, some said millions, and some even said tens of millions.

The threshold of this family was almost broken through, not for congratulations, but for borrowing money.

Everyone wanted a piece of it, for various reasons.

After all, they had to live in the village. They borrowed at first.

Then there was no peace ever again.

Later, this family probably realized that this was a bottomless pit, after all, who wasn’t short of money?

So they stopped lending money.

As a result, this family’s house was splashed with feces, the tires of their car were punctured, the crops in their fields were destroyed, and the people of his family had to pay to walk on the road in the village…

Not only that, even the graves where the family’s ancestors were buried were dug up.

It was difficult to leave the place where they had lived for generations.

It was true that they won the lottery, but it wasn’t enough for everyone in a big family to leave their ancestral land and go to a strange place to live.

But no matter what that person said, no one believed he didn’t have any money.

This family couldn’t hold on any longer after supporting it for a year in the village, and they left the village, no one knowing where they went.

It was only known that two years later, someone quietly came back and moved the ancestral graves away.

Ling Xing had heard and seen far more than just this one.

The main reason why he didn’t do business in the village at the beginning was that he couldn’t sell at a good price, and the other small part was that he was afraid that someone would settle accounts with him.

It wasn’t a good thing for the villagers to know that there was a lot of money in the house.

If they were blinded by greed and gathered together to steal the silver, the Shen family, with only Shen Hui who was able to fight, would have a hard time escaping safely.

From the very beginning, Ling Xing was deliberately taking precautions.

Knowing that Xie Qingya was really worried and thinking of him, he spoke out to comfort him, “It’s okay, before building the house, I will let father and the village chief reveal that I can talk to the county magistrate. And I certainly won’t lend money to the villagers, but you are an exception.”

He was busy every day with his stall, and had no friendship with the villagers.

But Xie Qingya was different. Xie Qingya was his first friend here, and always thought about him, remembered him, and was good to him.

Therefore, if Xie Qingya wanted to borrow money, as long as he had it, he would lend it no matter how much.

The words that came out of his mouth showed his true heart. The phrase “but you are an exception” was a blatant special treatment, distinguishing him from others.

Xie Qingya’s eyes turned red in an instant, and the tall man, over six feet tall, hugged Ling Xing and spun him around twice.

“Xing-ge’er, having you as a friend in this life, I can die in peace.”

Ling Xing patted Xie Qingya’s back with a smile, “Me too.”

Knowing that Ling Xing had a plan, Xie Qingya felt relieved.

Moreover, Ling Xing wasn’t exaggerating. He really could talk to the county magistrate.

In this way, the village chief would definitely help the Shen family.

With the village chief’s help, there wouldn’t be any major problems.

The conversation between the two was also heard by those reading in the room.

Seeing that Ling Yue was a little distracted, Shen Hui said, “There’s no need to worry. The villagers wouldn’t dare do anything.”

Ling Yue turned to look at him. “People kill for profit.”

He had experienced his clansmen being killed after their grain was robbed, and he had also experienced famine during his escape. During that time, he had seen too much of the darkness of human nature, and he had even experienced it himself…

“Then it depends on how you use this ‘profit’.”

It was Wang Juan who spoke.

As the weather turned cold, his clothes were thicker than Shen Hui’s and Ling Yue’s, but his hands were still very cold.

His face was also much paler, but his spirits were very good.

When speaking to Ling Yue, his tone was very relaxed.

“It’s a double-edged sword. Some people kill for it, but others will save people for it.”

“Your brother is very smart, and Shen Gui is good at business. When he expands, he chooses to buy vegetables from the village, which means that the villagers can earn money from you.”

“For money, for profit, most people won’t go to extremes again.”

Ling Yue suddenly realized, and he added, “Plus, the deterrent of being able to talk to the county magistrate, and the village chief’s care, the family won’t be in danger!”

Seeing Ling Yue’s quick reaction, Wang Juan couldn’t help but smile. “Naturally.”

Not only would there be no danger, but they would probably also gain the support of many people.

Buying the vegetables of one household might be small money for the current Shen family.

But for the villagers, it was life-saving money that could get them through the winter.

The Shen family’s choice to buy vegetables during this season was wonderful.

It could not only ensure that they received a sufficient quantity of vegetables, but it could also allow the villagers to earn more money, adding an extra layer of security for the winter. In any case, someone would always remember the Shen family’s kindness.

Shen Gui led the Zhao brothers to a dilapidated fence yard and stopped.

He didn’t let the Zhao brothers separate for the time being, but took them to a few houses first, to familiarize themselves with the situation.

In the fence yard were three children, all naked, squatting on the ground making mud balls, shivering from the cold from time to time.

The children’s hair was dry and frizzy, but it was still considered clean, without lice jumping around.

As Shen Gui and the others approached, they discovered that there was dried mud ash around the children’s mouths. A four or five-year-old was putting a crooked mud ball into his mouth.

Xiao Liucun was a large, mixed-surname village formed by a group of famine refugees, and it was also a well-known poor village.

Nearly a hundred years of development had not developed the foundation of Xiao Liucun, but had become increasingly poor.

There was nothing else to it; a lack of unity was one thing, but a lack of foundation was the most fundamental reason.

It couldn’t be compared to those large surnames with ancestral clans at all.

Only two or three families were rich, and poverty was the norm.

It wasn’t uncommon for a family to not have enough clothes for everyone, but for a family to have only two or three clothes to wear.