Chapter 720 Northeast Journey 6
The next morning, when the first rays of light were still looming in the distant sky, the sky was still a bit gray, as if nature had not yet fully awakened from its deep sleep. The biting cold wind was like countless sharp knives, scraping across my cheeks mercilessly. Every gust of wind was bone-chilling, making my cheeks hurt and my ears seemed to be frozen off.
However, in sharp contrast to the cold and quiet morning atmosphere, the village was already as lively as boiling water.
The villagers somehow heard the news that they would show their agricultural products to the buyers today, and they all got up early as if they were injected with endless motivation.
Before the day had fully dawned, they couldn't wait to crawl out of their warm beds, ignoring the biting cold, and began to carefully take care of their belongings.
Some villagers carefully wiped the baskets of agricultural products, wiping every gap clean, as if they were wiping a precious work of art; some villagers carefully classified and placed the agricultural products, putting the big ones together, the small ones together, and the brightly colored ones and the lightly colored ones separately, striving to show the most perfect visual effect;
Some villagers even made some simple decorations for the agricultural products, such as tying a red ribbon on the basket of apples to make the whole stall look more festive. They all have a common hope in their hearts, that is, to be favored by buyers, so that they can sell the agricultural products they have worked hard to grow at a good price and improve their family's life.
Liu Pingan, Chen Dahu and Chen Xiaohu were also infected by the lively atmosphere and got up from bed early. They simply washed up, put on their clothes that were a bit worn but clean, and followed the village chief to the open space in the center of the village.
When they arrived, they were amazed by the sight. The open space was already filled with all kinds of agricultural products, red, yellow, green, purple, colorful and dazzling, just like a colorful market.
There are fresh vegetables with crystal dewdrops hanging on their green leaves, as if nature has just put a pearl necklace on them; there are plump grains, with golden wheat grains sparkling brightly in the sun, as if telling the joy of the harvest; there are also all kinds of fruits, exuding bursts of tempting aroma, making people salivate when they smell it.
At this time, Lao Zhang came out first. Lao Zhang was a simple and honest farmer, with a warm smile on his face, as if he never had any worries.
He was smiling, his eyes narrowed into slits, and behind him were several strong young men, each of them energetic, with vigorous steps, carrying several large bamboo baskets, and walking towards this side steadily. When they came closer, everyone could see clearly what was in the bamboo baskets.
In the bamboo basket, red apples were piled up like mountains, like small and exquisite red lanterns, emitting an attractive luster in the faint morning light, making people want to take a bite; the yellow pears were round and full, with a mirror-smooth skin, as if they were carved from the finest jade, and each one exuded a warm temperament; and the pink peaches, with a layer of fine fuzz, were as delicate as a baby's face, making people want to reach out and touch them.
Old Zhang introduced enthusiastically, "Buyers, take a look at my fruits. I used the best fertilizer and the most careful care to grow them. In order to grow these fruits well, I get up before dawn every day and go to the orchard to check on the fruits. I water, fertilize, weed, and catch insects. I dare not be careless in any link. These fruits are very sweet and juicy. They will definitely be popular in the city. If you don't believe me, try them and you will know." As he said that, he picked up a big, red apple without hesitation, wiped it with his sleeve, and then handed it to Liu Ping'an, "Try it, I guarantee you will be satisfied. If it doesn't taste good, you can take this basket of fruits away, and I don't want a penny."
Liu Ping'an slowly stretched out his slightly rough but powerful hands and steadily took the red apple from Lao Zhang's enthusiastic hand. He gently put the apple to his mouth, slightly opened his lips, and his teeth only lightly touched the smooth skin of the apple before taking a small bite.
Instantly, the sweet juice overflowed in the mouth like a cheerful elf. The sweetness was not as greasy as artificial saccharin, but a natural, pure fruity aroma, just the right sweetness, as if the sunshine and rain of the entire orchard were concentrated in this bite.
Liu Ping'an's eyes lit up instantly, and his calm eyes were now shining with surprise, as if he had discovered some rare treasure. He gave a thumbs up without hesitation, with a satisfied smile on his face, and said loudly: "Well, this apple is really delicious, and of high quality! It is sweet and juicy, crispy, and has a rich fruity aroma. It will definitely sell for a good price in the market. Lao Zhang, we will take all the apples you have, don't hide them."
When Mr. Zhang heard this, the smile on his face was like a blooming flower, and he was instantly overjoyed.
His wrinkled face smiled even brighter, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his mouth almost stretched to his ears. He quickly bowed with both hands and said excitedly: "Okay, thank you so much, buyers! I still have a lot in my orchard, I will go back and arrange for people to pick them. Don't worry, I will ask everyone to send you the freshest and best quality apples, and I guarantee you will be satisfied." After saying that, Lao Zhang turned around and ran towards his orchard, shouting to the guys behind him: "Hurry, follow me back to the orchard, and quickly arrange for people to pick the apples, don't delay the buyers' work!"
Then, Aunt Wang came over with a brisk pace, carrying a few baskets of vegetables that still smelled of soil. The vegetables were still covered with crystal dewdrops, which sparkled like diamonds in the gentle morning light, as if each dewdrop carried the hope and vitality of the morning.
The emerald green cucumbers are fresh and tender, and the yellow flowers on the top have not completely withered, just like putting a delicate yellow hat on the cucumbers, which makes them look particularly playful and cute; the red tomatoes are round and cute, like small and exquisite red lanterns, exuding a light fruity fragrance, which is fresh and natural, making people feel refreshed when they smell it;
The slender beans are plump and tough, neatly arranged in the basket, as if water could be squeezed out of them with a light pinch, as if showing people their freshness and vitality.
Aunt Wang had a warm smile on her face, which was like the warm sunshine in spring, making people feel particularly warm. She smiled and said, "Comrade purchaser, look at my vegetables. They are all grown by ourselves, absolutely green and healthy. We are very particular about growing vegetables. We have never used any chemical fertilizers. We use farmyard manure, such as chicken manure, duck manure, and pig manure. They are all fermented and have sufficient fertilizer. The vegetables we grow taste good and are rich in nutrition. If you take them back, the city people will definitely like them and want to eat them again."
Chen Xiaohu walked forward, squatted slightly, and looked at the vegetables carefully. He reached out his hand, gently picked up a bean, and put it in front of his eyes to observe carefully. He saw that the skin of the bean was smooth and shiny, and the color was bright green, without any flaws. He leaned in and smelled it again, and a faint bean fragrance came to his nose. Chen Xiaohu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Aunt Wang, your vegetables do look fresh and of good quality. We will take them all, and the price will be based on the market price. What do you think? We will not treat you unfairly, and everyone will win together."
Aunt Wang nodded quickly, her head nodding like a chick pecking at rice, her face full of gratitude. She said, "Okay, okay, okay, your presence here is a blessing to our village. The price is negotiable. As long as you can take all our vegetables and let us vegetable farmers have a good harvest, we will be satisfied. Don't worry, we will grow more and better vegetables for you in the future."
This side was busy purchasing vegetables and fruits, and everyone was discussing prices and quantities, the atmosphere was very lively. Over there, a group of villagers came over carrying a few slaughtered goats. The goats were neatly placed on the wooden board, the meat was tender, the texture was clearly visible, and every muscle seemed to tell the story of them running freely in the mountains when they were alive. The goats exuded a faint meaty aroma, which mixed with the fresh air of the mountains and forests, making people swallow their saliva.
A burly man walked forward. He was wearing a coarse cloth shirt that looked a little pale from washing, revealing his strong muscles.
He patted his broad chest and said in a loud voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, these goats are raised on the mountain in our village. They eat the grass on the mountain and drink the spring water in the mountain. Their living environment is so good. They run around on the mountain every day and have a lot of activities, so the meat is so delicious, firm and chewy. You can buy them and stew them in soup or roast them. They are absolutely delicious. If you stew them in soup, the soup is rich and fragrant and rich in nutrition; if you roast them, the skin is golden and crispy, and the inside is tender and juicy. I guarantee that you will want to eat more after eating them."
Chen Dahu walked forward and touched the goat meat, saying, "This goat looks really good. Let's buy some. But the price..."
The big man said quickly: "The price is definitely fair. We are honest people and will not cheat you. Let's lower the market price by 10%. Just consider it as making friends."
Chen Dahu nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, that's settled then."
As the purchase progressed, the agricultural products on the vacant land became less and less, while Liu Ping'an's purchase list became longer and longer. The villagers were all filled with happy smiles when they saw their agricultural products being selected by the purchasers.
However, just as the purchase was coming to an end, a discordant voice suddenly sounded: "Huh, you want to sell these little things to the city? Don't you know what kind of goods you are?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a thin man with a pointed face and monkey cheeks walking out of the crowd. He was wearing a worn cotton jacket and his eyes were filled with jealousy and dissatisfaction.
The village chief frowned and said, "Zhao Ergou, what are you talking about? How come the things we have worked so hard to grow can't be sold in the city?"
Zhao Ergou curled his lips and said, "Village Chief, it's useless for you to protect them. These buyers might just come to cheat us. What if they take the goods away and don't pay us?"
Liu Ping'an's face changed slightly after hearing this, but he remained calm and said, "Brother, we purchase agricultural products according to the formal procedures. How can we not pay? We have already negotiated the price with the village, and we will settle the payment after the goods are loaded and shipped away."
Zhao Ergou was not relenting: "Humph, who knows whether what you said is true or not. I think you are just trying to get something for nothing and cheat us out of our agricultural products."
After hearing what Zhao Ergou said, the villagers began to whisper to each other, with worried looks on their faces. The originally lively scene suddenly became a little tense.
The village chief saw this and quickly stepped forward and said, "Don't listen to Zhao Ergou's nonsense. The purchasers are good people. They saved the hunters in our village and plan to cooperate with us for a long time. How can we doubt them?"
Liu Ping'an also stepped forward and said sincerely: "Fellow villagers, we really want to cooperate with you to sell the village's agricultural products to the city so that everyone can live a better life. If you are worried, we can pay a part of the deposit first, and then settle the rest of the money after the goods are safely transported to the city."
After hearing what Liu Ping'an said, the villagers nodded and thought that this method was feasible.
Zhao Ergou saw that his provocation had failed, and his face turned very ugly. He snorted coldly and said, "Humph, even if you pay the deposit, there is no guarantee that the money will be paid off later. I think you have ulterior motives."
Chen Dahu was furious when he heard this. He pointed at Zhao Ergou's nose and said, "Why are you so unreasonable? We came here with good intentions to purchase agricultural products, but you are making trouble here. If you continue to act like this, don't blame us for being rude."
Zhao Ergou was frightened by Chen Dahu's momentum and took a few steps back, but he still said stubbornly: "What do you want? Do you want to beat me up?"
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, the village chief stood up and said sternly, "Zhao Ergou, stop making trouble. The purchasing comrade is here to help our village. If you continue to make trouble like this, don't blame the village for being rude to you. We are all from the same village, and we should unite and live a good life together instead of being suspicious of each other."
Zhao Ergou listened to the village chief's words. Although he was still dissatisfied, he didn't dare to make trouble anymore. He glared at Liu Pingan and the others fiercely, then left in disgrace.