Volume One, Chapter 35: Two Choices
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He never even got to see the fishpond. Instead, Liu Yang took a thorough tour of Guo Dong’s vegetable garden.
An entire mountainside had been planted with all kinds of vegetables, leaving Liu Yang utterly stunned.
This place had real potential!
Cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans…
In fact, most of the vegetables he could think of that could be grown during this season were all here. Not only that, they were growing exceptionally well.
“What a wonderful mountainside!” Liu Yang could not help exclaiming.
“Boss Guo, how much have you invested in this place altogether?”
Liu Yang was extremely curious.
The land was fertile, and the scenery was beautiful as well. It was practically the perfect location for growing vegetables.
Of course, that was merely his perspective. If he knew that wild beasts often appeared here and that the land had once been a barren wasteland, he probably would not have thought so highly of it.
“It’s all from the village. I didn’t invest much.”
Guo Dong did not say it outright, but the expression on his face made it clear that this harvest had been tremendously profitable.
“It’s just that there’s too little of it!”
His heart ached whenever he thought of how much money Xie Minmin had swallowed along the way.
If he had contacted Guo Dong sooner, what business would there have been for Xie Minmin?
Judging by these vegetables, if they were all as high-quality as those baby bok choy, he could guarantee that his hotel business would rise several levels. He might even be able to create a one-of-a-kind gourmet hotel.
“You’re Lanlan’s friend, so I won’t stand on ceremony with you. Everyone calls you Jelly, so it should be all right if I call you that too, right?”
Guo Dong chuckled without objecting.
“Let me put it this way: there’s no need for you to go through Minmin with your produce. If we work together directly, it’ll be more convenient—and you’ll make more money.”
He lowered his voice this time, but Guo Dong still gave no indication of agreement.
He knew his own limitations better than anyone.
With his current abilities and experience, if he really partnered with Liu Yang, he would probably be chewed up until not even his bones remained.
Things were different with Xie Minmin in the middle. Although he did not know much about her character, they had worked together before. Even if she was greedy, at least she would keep up appearances.
That was why he made no promises to Liu Yang.
Perhaps poverty had limited his imagination, but Guo Dong knew that even if Liu Yang bought the produce for thirty yuan, there was still a considerable profit to be made. Otherwise, he would not be so excited, nor would he have come here in person.
“And your fish…”
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Seeing that Guo Dong remained silent, Liu Yang took the initiative and shifted the conversation to the fishpond below.
“The fish were only recently stocked, so I’m not planning to sell them yet. But I do have my own method of raising fish. Once they’re ready, you’re welcome to come and taste them. As for the price, anything we say now would be empty talk.”
Liu Yang took those words to heart. He reached out and patted Guo Dong on the shoulder.
“You’re a genuinely honest man!”
What honest man?
Guo Dong had not thought that far.
The reason he was not considering the fish business yet was that he simply did not have the time or energy to deal with so many things. The vegetable business had not even been fully settled. How could he possibly worry about anything else?
So after selling this batch of vegetables, he would first buy a car—and quickly.
“Jelly, I’ve fired that floor manager. I also looked into what happened. At the time, you gave Lanlan’s name, but they didn’t know who she was. If you had given them my name, the outcome would definitely have been different.”
Guo Dong merely smiled.
Fortunately, he had given the name of someone they did not know. If he had mentioned Liu Yang, the consequences would probably have been even worse.
The chairman of a hotel chain was hardly someone a poor country boy could possibly know.
Liu Yang himself seemed to realize how unconvincing that explanation was, so he took out a card and forcibly stuffed it into Guo Dong’s hand.
“Next time, at any branch of my Harmony Hotel, just show them this card and everything is free!”
Guo Dong picked up the card and waved it in his hand. At last, he felt somewhat compensated.
……
When he saw all the vegetables loaded onto the truck and hauled away, and the payment appear in his account, Guo Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Another seventy or eighty thousand yuan in income greatly bolstered his confidence and gave him plenty of assurance.
“Xiaohan, help me count everyone who worked here. Everyone gets a hundred yuan!”
A hundred yuan for several hours of work!
It was practically free money. More importantly, everyone had also taken some baby bok choy home.
Even growing vegetables could make money!
Guo Dong had truly set a good example.
Meng Xiaohan’s eyes narrowed into cheerful crescents.
With this one day’s work alone, Guo Dong had already fulfilled one-third of his agreement with Meng Tianming.
Were the villagers envious?
Of course they were!
From the moment he rented the mountainside to the moment the money arrived, barely half a month had passed.
In such a short time, he had sold several tens of thousands of yuan worth of produce. It was practically like picking money up off the ground.
“Jelly, do I get a hundred too?”
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Li Tianhu rubbed his hands as he approached Guo Dong.
Although it was somewhat inappropriate to bring this up at a time like this, whenever money was involved, what dignity did Li Tianhu need to worry about?
Guo Dong slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and took out his phone to make a transfer.
Very soon, the transfer notification arrived.
Staring at the transfer of ten thousand yuan, Li Tianhu stood rooted to the spot, counting the digits over and over.
One zero, two zeros…
After counting several times and confirming that there was no mistake, he nearly threw his arms around Guo Dong and kissed him.
“Jelly, I’ve got nothing else to say. From now on, if you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west!”
Meng Xiaohan, standing nearby, was curious. She leaned over and glanced at Guo Dong’s phone.
After only one look, she immediately frowned.
Guo Dong said nothing about it. Instead, he turned to the dozen or so villagers before him.
“You’ve all seen it for yourselves: growing vegetables can make money! Of course, it isn’t easy money, and not everyone is suited for it. Since we’re speaking frankly here, I might as well tell you the truth. I made a bet with Uncle Tianming!”
At that, he turned to look at Meng Xiaohan.
Meng Xiaohan grew anxious and tried to stop him, but Guo Dong ignored her completely.
“When I first started growing vegetables, I imagine many of you were skeptical. Although luck played a major part this time, we’ve managed to get through the difficult stage.
“The terms of my bet with Uncle Tianming were these: within a few years, I would help everyone earn money and enable him, as village chief, to achieve some real results!”
No one spoke. They all listened patiently.
Apart from Meng Xiaohan and Li Tianhu, everyone present was his elder.
Once a person had money, they gained confidence, and their words carried much greater weight.
At least, that was how things stood now.
“So, I have two plans. You may choose freely. I won’t force anyone.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the dozen or so elders before him.
“First, if anyone in the village has land they don’t want to cultivate, I’ll take responsibility for all of it—but I won’t pay you up front!”
Everyone frowned at once.
Guo Dong continued, “However, once I sell the vegetables and make money, I’ll give everyone a share of the profits.”
“What’s the second option?” someone suddenly asked. It was Uncle Fu, the oldest man there.
Guo Dong smiled.
“The second option is that I have money now, so I’ll buy all your land outright!”
No one spoke again. Every one of them was considering whether the proposal was feasible.
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