A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Chapter 455 Not Afraid of Offending People

Stone performed so well.

Gu Xixi laughed heartily, "Mmm, this fermented vegetable soup is really delicious! I don't feel so dizzy and nauseous anymore!"

Lü Jing laughed heartily, "Yes, yes, it's so delicious, really good!"

The others present didn't care at all about Gu Er's embarrassment; instead, they burst into laughter.

"My wife remembered that our boss, Mr. Gu, loves to drink fermented vegetable soup, so she specially made some new one!"

"It's easy enough that Boss Gu likes to drink it; just take the jar with you when you go back!"

"This little boy is definitely living with our Xixi; he's much smarter than my son who's the same age!"

"Ah! This is what they call being influenced by what you see and hear, and how you become like those you associate with!"

……

Gu Er's teeth were practically grinding to powder, but he still managed to keep smiling.

At this moment, the clan elder was also secretly observing Mu Nanzhao.

His aura is indeed unlike that of an ordinary person.

Moreover, it's not even worth mentioning that ordinary families struggle to afford a horse.

He had two carriages drawn by four horses each, and the frames were made of the finest wood.

Could it be... someone with a very important background?

The clan elder glanced at Gu Xixi, who was chatting and laughing with someone, and began to have doubts.

It's not easy to get to know such an important person, no wonder this girl is unwilling to introduce them to everyone.

It's because important people don't want to reveal their identities.

Or was it that Gu Xixi was selfish, afraid that the Gu clan would use her to climb the social ladder?

Gu Xixi could tell that the elder seemed unhappy, but she didn't care.

I just want to break through this barrier in front of everyone as soon as possible.

So she took the initiative to steer the conversation toward the tea plantation.

"It's hot lately, so people tend to be lazy. It's a pity that the tea plantation is still under construction."

“I can’t help but run over there every now and then to keep an eye on the progress.”

Upon hearing the words "tea garden," everyone's ears perked up.

Gu Er's eyes gleamed with a sly light as he spoke first, "I heard it'll be finished soon."

"When planting tea trees, you must need several large trucks to haul the saplings and fertilizer, right?"

Gu Xixi smiled faintly, "Yes, it is necessary."

"I have already agreed on a price with a truck driver in the county town."

"His caravan had dozens of vehicles, all of them the largest four-wheeled vehicles, with twenty horses and ten camels."

"Besides driving the carts, they also handled loading, unloading, and transportation. They employed more than a dozen workers, all of whom were skilled workers."

Gu Er's face turned ugly.

Compared to others, his private car fleet was like a small blade of grass compared to a towering tree.

Some people secretly mocked Gu Er for his insatiable greed, wanting to take over the transportation of the entire tea plantation. Now he's finally met his match.

Don't you even know if you're worthy?

The man smiled confidently and said, "Putting everything else aside, such a large tea plantation must be short-handed."

"My two sons are both strong and obedient. It's a piece of cake for Boss Gu to arrange jobs for them."

"Don't be like us farmers who toil in the fields with our backs to the sky. I think it would be good to help with bookkeeping and accounting."

"For anything involving money, we can only trust our own people to handle it!"

He opened the door, and others with the same idea quickly gathered around.

They were afraid that if they arrived a moment too late, they would miss out on the benefits.

“My daughter is no less capable than the girl next to you, Xixi. You should take her under your wing and teach her a thing or two!”

"I have three sons. They'll do anything as long as they can find a job at the tea plantation!"

"Xixi, my nephew is in his late twenties and still hasn't gotten married. He doesn't like farming, so he went to work in the tea garden. That way, we can find him a wife!"

More and more people gathered at the clan gathering.

My ears were filled with chattering, all sorts of undisguised desires.

Gu Xixi, Mu Nanzhao, Lü Jing, and Shi Tou were surrounded in the middle, all with their eyes half-closed and expressionless.

It was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

At this moment, the elder slammed his cane on the ground twice and shouted, "Quiet down, all of you!"

He repeated it twice, his voice filled with anger.

Only then did everyone reluctantly and gradually fall silent.

The clan elder angrily retorted, "All of you only know your own family's private affairs!"

"The mouse is short-sighted!"

"With you all only concerned with your own petty gains, how can the Gu family prosper?"

Lu Jing gave Gu Xixi a knowing wink.

It seems this old man has much bigger ambitions than others; he's even more greedy!

Sure enough, the clan elder cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Xixi, there has never been a tea garden in the Northwest before. This is the first one."

"If you can make it happen, the entire Gu family in our area will be proud."

"However, for a girl like you to do such a big thing, you still need the help of your family."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Elder, please speak frankly what you wish to say."

An unusual fervor shone on the elder's face. "The largest tea plantation in the Northwest—this is the Gu family's chance to rise again!"

“I asked Mingyuan, and he said the government wouldn’t contribute any money, and he didn’t know exactly how much money needed to be invested.”

“Such a large tea plantation, I imagine it must have been very difficult for you, Xixi, to invest all the money yourself.”

"So, with so many people, we have great strength, and every household contributes a share to the tea plantation."

"Consider it a favor!"

Gu Xixi was amused. "Help me?"

The clan elder, however, took Gu Xixi's smile as a sign of goodwill and said solemnly, "That's right."

"Once the tea plantation becomes profitable, everyone will receive dividends from you every year."

"If we don't let the good stuff go to outsiders, then our Gu family will all be living better lives again. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Lu Jing couldn't stand it anymore, "You've got the best of both worlds, but what benefits do we, the employer, get?"

Gu Xixi pressed Lü Jing down and looked at the clan elder with a smile, "Please continue, is there anything else?"

The clan elder glared at Lü Jing, raised his head, and struck a pose befitting an elder.

"There are so many people with the surname Gu among us, and we also have relatives, so you don't need to bother hiring outsiders."

"The tea plantation belongs to the Gu family, so it's only natural to employ people with the surname Gu."

"Also, your great-grandfather and great-uncle both know they were wrong and want to reconcile with you through me."

“I’ve heard about what happened to your third uncle’s family. His daughter is unfilial; she got married and no longer cares about the old couple. His son is a debt collector and has become paralyzed. He will need them to take care of him for the rest of his life.”

"Now that you have a large and successful family, you can help them by sharing a few steamed buns with them."

"Why don't you just forgive them? Our Gu family will prosper and be harmonious. In a couple of years, we can build an ancestral hall, and outsiders will be envious!"

The clan elder finally finished speaking.

Gu Xixi stood up without saying anything.

Everyone looked at her with suspicion.

Gu Xixi raised her head. "If you want to invest money, that's fine. Each household must invest at least three hundred taels of silver. We won't accept less."

"If you want to work in the tea plantation, that's fine. We'll post job openings in the city tomorrow, and you can apply yourself. I can't stop you."

"I don't care about hiring; whether or not you can hire someone depends on your own abilities."

The crowd erupted in uproar, shouting in disbelief.

Gu Xixi turned coldly to the clan elder, looking at his astonished expression.

"You mean those three? I've already shown mercy by not crushing them to death."

“Since the clan elders pity them, I will help you hire a carriage to send Gu Tiezhu to your home to be supported.”

"The elders don't need to pay for the car; just consider it an occasional act of charity on my part."