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Chapter 714: Chapter 714: Is It Their Fault?
With a reminder from her nephew, Aunt Liu swiftly came back to the real matter at hand, she looked at Si Chen and Gu Hongwei, her smile flatteringly sweet as she said, "Let me introduce you, this is my nephew from my mother’s side. He heard about our village’s fruit tree planting project and wants to join in. His family is quite well-off, and he wants to invest five hundred yuan."
Aunt Liu’s nephew was quick to add, "Yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly why we’re here, to discuss this matter."
Tong Yao found it strange, "If you want to invest, shouldn’t you talk to the village chief? We don’t have the power to make this decision."
Although they had already discussed with the village chief, and it had been decided that only the villagers could invest in the project, Tong Yao was still somewhat surprised when Aunt Liu came to her.
Aunt Liu chuckled embarrassingly, "We went to find the village chief, but he disagreed with allowing my nephew to invest. He said it was a village matter, and our village owned the hills, so outsiders were not allowed to invest. We thought that maybe Xiaochen and Hongwei could say a few good words to the village chief on our behalf. You’ve helped the village build roads and other things, so the village chief would definitely consider it if you speak up. When my nephew invests, won’t there be more funds? Xiaochen, Hongwei, could you please help?"
At first, Aunt Liu was worried that the whole investment thing was a scam and there was no money to be made. But now, seeing that the village didn’t want outsider’s money, Aunt Liu and her nephew were even more eager to invest.
Everyone was just simple farmers, holding onto several acres of land. Their lives were just enough to keep them from starving, while striking it rich was impossible. Now that such a good opportunity had come, if they could grab it, they would have endless good days ahead.
After discussing it, they decided to approach Si Chen and Gu Hongwei for their help, hoping that they could put in a good word to the village chief. Only with the intervention of Si Chen and Gu Hongwei, the project could come off the ground. So they were certain that their involvement would make a difference.
Si Chen and Gu Hongwei exchanged a glance, frowning, they said, "This matter will be managed by the village chief in the future. Since he is the chief, he calls the shots. We don’t interfere. Besides, these hills belong to our village, allowing outsiders is inappropriate." n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
Once they let this precedent set, what if others saw it and wanted to invest as well? What would happen then?
The hills could only accommodate that many trees, and the planting area was limited. If there were too many shareholders, there wouldn’t be much money to divide among everyone.
Their priority were the villagers themselves, they wanted to improve the living conditions of their fellow villagers first.
Aunt Liu didn’t give up, persistently saying, "Xiaochen, you shouldn’t talk like that. He’s my nephew on my mother’s side, isn’t he considered half a villager too? All you need to do is talk to the village chief, he’ll definitely consider the request. Could you help us with this once?"
"Sorry, there are rules to everything. I really can’t help," Si Chen refused firmly.
Seeing she couldn’t persuade Si Chen, Aunt Liu immediately turned her attention to Gu Hongwei, "Hongwei, it doesn’t matter if Xiaochen won’t help. But you must help me, remember when you went to university, my family contributed some money too."
Tong Yao interrupted, "Didn’t Hongwei ask the village chief to return all the money later on? As far as I know, he even paid back more than what each family had given."
Guo Jinnian was not privy to the details, but seeing Aunt Liu trying to use a favor to threaten them, she felt angry. These were two separate matters, how could they be mixed together?
After hearing what Tong Yao said, Aunt Liu was a little embarrassed, but still insisted, "He did return the money, but the favor is still there, isn’t it? Even though my family didn’t contribute that much, without everyone’s help, could he have achieved what he has today? We must never forget our roots."
"How could he have forgotten his roots?" Guo Jinnian retorted sharply, "If he had forgotten, then would he have thought about building roads? What about the planting affairs? Why would Dr. Si and Hongwei bother with such laborious tasks if they didn’t care about the villagers? What’s in it for them?"
These people are just never satisfied.
Having heard her retort, Aunt Liu was left speechless, seeing that her aunt was about to spoil things, Aunt Liu’s nephew, who had been standing by her side, intervened hurriedly.
"Don’t be angry, my aunt means well. She has a sharp mouth but a soft heart, she doesn’t mean to offend anyone. She was just anxious about me. She hopes for my well-being. My grandmother is currently seriously ill, my grandfather is also on his last, my parents aren’t healthy either, my elder brother is already in his thirties, but still hasn’t found a wife. Times are tough at home. My aunt was just hoping that I could earn more money to support my family."
Aunt Liu’s nephew played the sympathy card, hoping that Si Chen and Gu Hongwei would sympathize with his plight and help him speak positively to the village chief.
Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian were speechless. Just a moment ago, he said his family condition was good, and wanted to invest. Now he was saying the family was in dire straits?
Wasn’t this act a little obvious?
Tong Yao wasn’t falling for it, she added, "Then you shouldn’t invest. The fruit planting business will only show a profit after three years. You should keep your money for emergencies. Also, business has its highs and lows, no one can guarantee a sure profit. What if you lose money, wouldn’t that be adding insult to injury for your family?"
"Even if I lose money, it’s my fate, I won’t blame you. You just need to put in a good word for me. Whether the village chief agrees or not is up to fate. Deal?" Aunt Liu’s nephew was very eager to invest. The more these people tried to deter him, the more he wanted to invest. He had a feeling that this was a rare opportunity and if seized, he could make a fortune.
Seeing that he wouldn’t listen, Guo Jinnian lost patience, "Why don’t you listen to reason? We’ve already proven that we can’t help. If you really want to do business, you can do it on your own, right? Your village has hills too, right? You can let your village chief organize it too, right?"
Aunt Liu’s nephew saw that they weren’t going to help, his expression changed, Aunt Liu was also getting a bit upset. They felt that Si Chen and Gu Hongwei had forgotten their roots. But they didn’t dare to speak too harshly as they didn’t want to offend them.
Before leaving, Aunt Liu made a sarcastic remark, "Hongwei, Xiaochen, you guys are good people, you just didn’t marry good wives."
Tong Yao: "....."
Guo Jinnian: "....."
So it was their fault now?
Aunt Liu led her nephew out the door, seeing his disappointed face, she said, "I think what Hongwei’s wife said is correct. If you really want to invest, why not get your village chief to organize it too? The hills in your village are even larger, you could make more money then."
Aunt Liu’s nephew shook his head, "Aunt, you’re being too simplistic. Why do you think the town leaders are helping our village? Is it because of the village chief? Of course not. It’s because of Si Chen and Gu Hongwei. They can guarantee to sell the fruit, and as long as there is fruit, there is money. They also help to hire technical personnel, other villages don’t have these conditions."
He really wanted to scold the fools in their village who didn’t want to invest. It was like money was raining from the sky, but they just didn’t know how to take it.
