45 Announcement
The Village Chief ignored him, he continued, “Your uncle, Zong Quan’s granddaughter, Qingqing, has found us a job that will earn us a lot of money! The yellow-flowering vine in East Mountain is called honeysuckle. It’s a medicinal herb. The flower bud that has not yet bloomed can be sold for 50 wen a catty! The dried vine can be sold for 1 wen a catty!”
The Village Chief’s words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. The villagers below discussed animatedly.
“Is it true?”
“Could it be a scam? Why haven’t I heard that the flower can be sold for money?”
“If it could be sold for money, wouldn’t it have been chopped up long ago? Why would it be left for us?��
“But the Village Chief already said it should be true. Otherwise, why would they call us here?”
“Maybe the Village Chief was cheated by that girl Qingqing. If it really could be sold, why would she tell us? Is she stupid? Isn’t it good to earn money at home?”
“I think it’s true. If it really can be sold, wouldn’t we be rich?!”
…
The Village Chief waited for them to finish their discussion before saying, “Alright, Alright! I know many people don’t dare to believe it, but it’s true! Qingqing has already gone to the Ji Shan Hall to ask. They told you that they are thinking of you and want to bring you along to make a fortune! Qingqing is a kind and magnanimous girl. If anyone dares to gossip in the future, they will no longer be a member of our Jian Family Village! I will remove them from the family tree!”
Removing the family tree was a very serious matter. Hearing this, everyone’s hearts trembled.
“Village Chief, we trust you! If we can really earn money like this, then Qingqing will be my great benefactor in the future! I will never gossip about her!”
“That’s right, Village Chief, we know what’s good for us. If we can really earn money, I will do whatever Qingqing wants me to do!”
After someone spoke, more and more people expressed their stance. No matter who it was, as long as they could earn money, it would be their benefactor!
Hearing their attitude, the Village Chief also smiled, “Alright! I know that everyone is very busy at this time, so I won’t waste your time. After the work ends in the afternoon, each family will send someone to go with me to East Mountain. We will chop all the vines back and then distribute them to each family! Tomorrow, let the children of each family pick the flowers! The flowers should belong to the family who picked them. However, don’t move them all to the house at once. What if the herb merchant doesn’t want them if they’re not fresh? So take as many as you can! After we pick them, we’ll all take them to the herb shop to sell! Do you understand?!”
“Yes!”
The Village Chief smiled in satisfaction, “Good! Qingqing also introduced another herb. It could be sold, and it was even more expensive! We’ll do that after the spring planting is over! If anyone can’t make the honeysuckle well this time, they’ll fight over it. In the future, that person won’t have to deal with that herb anymore! All of you, do it well!”
“Yes!”
Hearing that there were still more medicinal herbs to be harvested, the villagers’ hearts pounded. There were also some who had originally wanted to move more honeysuckle into their homes and gave up on the idea. Those were even more valuable medicinal herbs! 50 wen a catty of honeysuckle was already very expensive. How much more would it be if it was even more valuable?! What if the Village Chief did not allow them to take part in this? Therefore, all of them stopped thinking.
“Alright, you guys go and do your work!”
Seeing that everyone had dispersed, Jian Qingqing also revealed a happy smile. This not only solved the hidden danger of the villagers’ jealousy, but also helped them live a better life.