RPAGF Chapter 335 Envy of Futian Village
Chapter 335 Envy of Futian Village
Tian Guilan approached Zhao Cunliang, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Boss, what do you think we should do about this? I'm really at a loss. Where can we find whips for wolves, tigers, and leopards? We can't just go up the mountain and try our luck; that's too dangerous!"
Zhao Cunliang frowned deeply, the wrinkles on his forehead as deep as a knife's, lost in thought. After a long pause, he slowly spoke, "I heard that a few years ago, a hunter named He San from the next village was lucky enough to kill a tiger during a hunt. Tigers have incredibly powerful weapons." A hint of yearning and anticipation flashed through Zhao Cunliang's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by worry.
He paced back and forth as he continued, "He soaked that thing in medicinal wine and treasured it like a treasure. He wouldn't give us something so precious easily."
Zhao Cunliang stopped, sighed heavily, shook his head helplessly, his face full of frustration and loss.
Zhao Cunliang crossed his arms over his chest, his brows knitted into a knot, and muttered to himself, "Alas, that Third Brother He has always treated that medicinal wine like his lifeblood. If we go to him for help, I'm afraid we'll be turned away. But who else can we turn to besides him?"
Tian Guilan's eyes swirled, a sly glint flashing across them as she excitedly said, "That's not necessarily true, Master! In times of famine, people everywhere are starving. Look at the situation around us. Although our family isn't as wealthy as others, we haven't let anyone go hungry."
Tian Guilan gestured as she spoke, a look of pride on her face.
She put her hands on her hips and raised her voice, continuing, "People in other villages are miserable. They're either eating tree bark or weeds, and some are even starving and sick. But what about us? We're about to have a good second sweet potato harvest! That's a lot of food!"
Tian Guilan's eyes were wide open, her gaze filled with pride in her own family's food and sorrow for the plight of other families.
Tian Guilan leaned closer to Zhao Cunliang and said in a low, mysterious voice, "Master, just because we have this grain, how could He Sange not be tempted? At this critical moment when people are starving to death, grain is more precious than anything else. Let's take the grain and trade it with him, maybe there will be a chance!"
Zhao Cunliang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, his eyes revealing a hint of determination. He said, "Okay, then it's settled! Then tomorrow we will go to the next village to find He Sange and hear what he has to say."
Zhao Cunliang pursed his lips and continued, "No matter what, we have to give it a try. Maybe Brother He San will agree to our request because of our sincerity."
The next morning, just as daybreak was breaking and the thick fog hadn't completely dissipated, the village chief and Xiuying hurried to the ancient locust tree in the center of the village. The village chief looked solemn, holding a gong tightly in his hand, while Xiuying helped hold the hammer.
Only a few loud "clang clang clang" sounds were heard, and the village chief struck the gong hard. The crisp and loud sound instantly broke the tranquility of the village and echoed over the entire village.
The village chief shouted at the top of his voice: "Everyone come here quickly! There is something important to say!" After a while, the villagers hurried out of their homes and gathered under the old locust tree, whispering and talking.
The village chief cleared his throat and said seriously, "Our village is planning to sell sweet potato noodles together. This is a major matter concerning the livelihood of our entire village. However, in order to keep the method of making sweet potato noodles secret, we have to write an agreement. Everyone puts their handprint on the agreement to promise not to disclose the method. If anyone dares to violate it, don't blame us for being ruthless, you will be expelled from the village!"
The villagers were silent at first, then nodded in agreement. The atmosphere was solemn and serious as they stepped forward and placed their fingerprints on the solemn agreement.
Zhao Cunliang and Tian Guilan were also busy, and they started working early in the morning. Tian Guilan was carrying a large backpack on her back, which was so heavy that she could hardly straighten her waist.
Tian Guilan's face was a little tired, but her eyes were filled with a hint of joy. In the backpack were the sweet potatoes they had secretly dug up from someone else's house last night. Although those sweet potatoes still had some time to mature, they had already grown quite big.
The two of them glanced at the villagers gathered under the old locust tree. The villagers were discussing sweet potato flour enthusiastically, their faces full of anticipation and excitement.
Zhao Cunliang curled his lips, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes; Tian Guilan quickly lowered her head, fearing that she would be discovered by others.
Zhao Cunliang snorted and said, "Let's not waste time here, let's go!" Tian Guilan nodded quickly, followed Zhao Cunliang, and walked out of the village silently.
As they walked, Zhao Cunliang muttered, "They don't have the time to learn how to make sweet potato flour. We have our own plans."
Tian Guilan agreed, "That's right, let's go and do our business."
The clothes that Tian Guilan and Zhao Cunliang wore today were both made of coarse cotton. Although the fabric was rough, it was clean and tidy.
Although their daily diet wasn't very good, consisting of simple meals, they were not starving, so they looked quite healthy. Tian Guilan's face had a healthy blush, and Zhao Cunliang's eyes were full of energy.
As soon as they entered the next village, their unique figures attracted a lot of people's attention.
All they heard was a shout: "Hey, that's Brother Cunliang and Sister Guilan! Look at how energetic you are, you look so good!" The person who spoke had an envious look on his face, staring at them with his eyes wide open.
Someone nearby immediately echoed, "That's right, you look good! You live such an enviable life." The person who agreed nodded repeatedly, looking them up and down.
After hearing this, Tian Guilan showed a smug smile on her face and said, "Oh, it's not as good as you say. It just fills my stomach."
Zhao Cunliang puffed out his chest and responded with a smile, "Haha, thank you for the compliments, everyone. Aren't our lives slowly getting better?"
A few days ago, the heroic story of the girl from Futian Village who rejected the overbearing county magistrate spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding area, and she became famous overnight.
People spread the story by word of mouth, adding more details and making it more exciting and legendary. At this time, in the eyes of others, looking at Zhao Cunliang and Tian Guilan, it seemed as if they were both coated with a layer of mysterious gold.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity, envy and awe, as if they had a unique aura.
Everyone was talking about it: "It's so good to live in Futian Village. Not only can we have enough to eat, but we can also avoid being bullied. Even the county magistrate is a little afraid of us!" The people who spoke were full of emotion in their tone, and their eyes revealed their yearning for Futian Village.