Volume One, Chapter Seven: Words Without Trust
On the road back to the village, Guo Dong and Meng Xiaohan were both in high spirits.
The two, who were usually not given to joking, were even bantering with each other along the way.
“Jelly, you’ve finally made your first real profit. How does it feel?” Meng Xiaohan said teasingly as she drove. “If it weren’t for me today, you definitely wouldn’t have sold it for that price. Remember to treat me to a meal later!”
Guo Dong laughed sheepishly. “All right, no need to wait for another day. Once the fruit is sold today, I’ll treat you to a proper feast.”
As he spoke, he sighed with emotion. “It really is better to have an education. If I had been the one haggling with them today, I definitely wouldn’t have dared ask that much.”
Meng Xiaohan smiled, but said nothing.
Guo Dong went on, “Once today’s sales are done, I can pay back what I owe.
“Oh, and when we get out of the car later, let’s repay your family first. If I remember right, I still owe your family five thousand, don’t I?”
Even after hearing that, Meng Xiaohan remained silent, driving on with a serious expression.
If one looked from the front, it was plain to see that her face had turned rather unsightly.
But Guo Dong was in such a good mood that he never noticed.
The moment he entered the village, he shouted, “Uncle Haozi, I’m going to sell peaches later. I should be done by this afternoon. Are you home? If you are, I’ll bring the money over to you!”
His loud voice drew the attention of many people.
Some were chatting in the fields.
Others were playing cards at the little shop near the village entrance.
“Heh, so Jelly found a buyer for his fruit?”
“Probably. Otherwise why would he be so happy? I wonder how much he managed to sell for a pound.”
“At most two yuan. Everyone knows what peaches are worth these days. Selling to a produce buyer instead of taking them to market yourself won’t fetch much.”
“Two yuan a pound isn’t bad, though. His two mu of land should yield around ten thousand pounds of peaches. At two yuan a pound, that’s still twenty thousand yuan. Not bad at all.”
“Ten thousand pounds? More than that, I think. Last time I went up the mountain, one peach tree looked like it could give over two hundred pounds. I heard he planted nearly two hundred trees.”
“Really?”
A few people were instantly envious, each of them wearing a look of disbelief.
If each tree yielded two hundred pounds, then two hundred trees would mean forty thousand pounds.
At two yuan a pound, that would still be a handsome sum.
“It’s a lot, sure, but the peaches he gave me a taste of back then weren’t very good, and their appearance wasn’t great either. I doubt he can sell them for two yuan. After all his peaches are sold, it still may not be enough to pay off the debts he owes.”
Guo Dong was having a hard time of it.
Everyone in the village knew that.
His father was useless, borrowing money everywhere, and the burden had all fallen on Guo Dong’s shoulders alone.
So the villagers couldn’t bring themselves to push him too hard. Unless there was some real trouble, they never came asking for repayment on their own.
While the villagers were chatting, a large truck slowly rumbled into the village.
Seeing this, no one cared about playing cards anymore. They all rushed over to look.
“Gentlemen, busy?” Zheng Weiguang stopped the truck right at the village entrance.
The vehicle was too large; the village road was blocked, leaving only enough room for small cars. A truck like this could not get through.
As a businessman, he was quick to act. The moment he got out, he took out two packs of cigarettes and handed one to each of them.
“What’s there to be busy about now? You’re the produce buyer here for Jelly’s family’s peaches, right?”
Zheng Weiguang chuckled, took out a lighter, and lit their cigarettes before lighting one for himself as well.
“That’s right. Guo Dong, Boss Guo!”
Someone glanced at the truck and asked with a smile, “Are you planning to take all the fruit from his family?”
“Why not? As long as the quality is good, taking everything isn’t out of the question!”
Though Zheng Weiguang’s shop was small, his business was large, and he dared to say as much.
The villagers exchanged looks, each of them beginning to nurse their own thoughts.
“That kid Jelly still owes my family several thousand yuan. Maybe he can pay it back today. I should go take a look and lend a hand while I’m at it.”
“He still owes my family ten thousand. Besides, we’re all from the same village. It would be awkward not to help.”
Hearing one person after another say this, Zheng Weiguang suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“Oh? Boss Guo owes you people that much money?”
“Oh, the child’s had it rough. It’s a long story, and not a pleasant one. In our whole village, there isn’t a single family he doesn’t owe. If that boy Li Tianhu hadn’t come to collect debts yesterday and accidentally hurt Old Master Guo, he probably wouldn’t be in such a rush to sell these peaches!”
At that, Zheng Weiguang began to think.
“So that means he’s short on cash right now?”
“That’s right. All right, enough talk. Everyone go and see whether we can lend a hand.”
And so a group of people headed toward Guo Dong’s orchard.
Zheng Weiguang followed behind them.
Just then, someone turned back and asked, “Boss, how much per pound did you offer for his peaches?”
Zheng Weiguang instinctively raised three fingers.
“Three yuan? Damn, Jelly’s made it. He’s trying to pay off all his debts at once.”
Zheng Weiguang smiled but offered no explanation, simply walking with the others toward the village outskirts.
At that moment, a black sedan stopped beside the truck, unnoticed by anyone.
The villagers thought it belonged to Zheng Weiguang’s people, while Zheng Weiguang assumed it was a village vehicle.
From that unremarkable little car stepped a beautiful woman wearing sunglasses.
She was elegantly dressed, looked quite young, and seemed to be only in her twenties.
...
The orchard was bustling.
Even Old Master Guo, who rarely came out to wander about, had rushed over.
Blackie had been tied up with a rope, so it would not frighten the guests.
More than ten villagers were chatting and laughing as they discussed the peach sale.
Some had even brought baskets from home, ready to pitch in and work hard.
Zheng Weiguang’s eyes shone as he looked at the peach grove.
More than two hundred trees, all full of white peaches.
Just as Meng Xiaohan had said, these peaches were no worse than the ones delivered to his shop that morning.
Then his gaze swept to one side and landed on the pesticide barrel, and he frowned.
“Boss Guo.”
Guo Dong had been following beside him the entire time, smiling ingratiatingly.
“Yes, sir?”
“I’m afraid the price for these peaches can’t be based on what we discussed before.”
“Why not?” Guo Dong’s face suddenly fell.
Zheng Weiguang pointed at the barrel and said, “You never told me these peaches had been sprayed with pesticides.”
Hearing this, Guo Dong immediately laughed. “You must be mistaken. I only sprayed some water this morning. It wasn’t pesticide!”
Zheng Weiguang naturally did not believe that story, and only smiled at him.
Seeing this, Guo Dong grew anxious and directly lifted the barrel.
“Boss Zheng, if you don’t believe me, smell it. Do you smell any pesticide?”
Zheng Weiguang shook his head. “I looked at it just now and thought it over carefully. At most, I can give you ten yuan for these peaches.”
The price, which had been thirty yuan, was cut straight down to ten.
No matter who it was, that would be hard to swallow.
And all because of such a ridiculous excuse.
Guo Dong felt aggrieved, his face darkening as he stared at Zheng Weiguang.
“Boss Zheng, a man must keep his word!”
Zheng Weiguang spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
“If you had told me in advance that they had been sprayed with pesticide, I definitely wouldn’t have offered such a high price.”
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Guo Dong clenched his fists, his expression shifting repeatedly.
This man’s fickleness was more than he could bear.
After a long while, he flung the barrel to the ground.
“I’m not selling these peaches!”