CH 45

“Face slap.”

The success of the Sauerkraut fish dish has become a hot topic among the villagers in the distant Tie Village.

Nowadays, many people have become well-off by selling their vegetables to Cheng Yun. Although they have more money in hand, they still hesitate to go to Yueqiong Tower for a meal. However, there are always some relatives in the village who live in town or the city. Through their introductions, everyone finally knows what this new Sauerkraut fish dish is all about.

Gradually, everyone also learns about the Sauerkraut jars being sold at Yueqiong Tower, and rumors begin to spread within Tie Village.

“I heard from relatives in town that the Sauerkraut jars sold at Yueqiong Tower are made from pickled radish and pickled mustard greens. What about the ones we sold before?”

“Yes, I heard about it too. I was shocked when I heard it! Those sold at Yueqiong Tower are valuable!”

“A jar costs twenty or thirty yuan! Just a few pieces of vegetable leaves.”

“Oh my, doesn’t Cheng-Ge’er make a lot of money then?!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Cheng-Ge’er only supplies goods to Yueqiong Tower. Yueqiong Tower must be making a big profit, otherwise, why would they employ Cheng-Ge’er?”

“Well, it seems like that’s the case…”

“But I still feel like Cheng-Ge’er is making a lot of money. He takes our vegetables and sells them to Yueqiong Tower, making so much money, and yet he still lowers our prices and collects our vegetables. How can his heart be so dark?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Did he force you to sell? If you don’t like it, you can choose not to sell. You can sell them in town instead. Don’t take other people’s money and accuse them of having a dark heart. I think your heart is the darkest!”

“What did you say?!”

“Isn’t it true? If you think he made money from you, then sell them in town yourself. No one is stopping you.”

“So what? Can’t we say a few words even if he made money from us? Isn’t what I said the truth?”

“Stop arguing, stop arguing. The price was set by the village chief. If you have any objections, go talk to the village chief. Cheng-Ge’er has found a way for you to make money, and yet he has to bear this kind of criticism. It’s really unlucky.”

“You defend Cheng-Ge’er. He won’t give you an extra penny. You’re just meddling in other people’s business.”

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

Where there are people, there are disputes. Even if some people don’t say it openly, they murmur behind the scenes. The truth is, the things sold at Yueqiong Tower are too expensive, and everyone believes that Cheng Yun must have made a lot of money. They feel jealous and resentful when they see others living better than themselves.

As these words spread, they eventually reached the ears of Cheng Yun and his group. Cheng Yun himself didn’t care about such matters, but Cheng Bao’er and Aunt Wang, who had lived in the village their whole lives, couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. They came to ask Cheng Yun what to do.

Yueqiong Tower’s products sold well, selling half of their stockpile in a day. Liu Wen quickly placed more orders, urging Cheng Yun to replenish the stock. Cheng Yun was so busy that he was almost exhausted and had no time to worry about these things.

He waved his hand, telling them not to think too much. “Even if we don’t earn a single penny today, or even lose money, they will still think we made a lot of money. In that case, we might as well focus on making money for ourselves. Only what goes into our pockets counts.”

Aunt Wang thought about it and realized that Cheng Yun was right. However, Cheng Bao’er, being inexperienced, still had some concerns. “Brother, are you sure it’s alright? I see many people in the village talking about this. They spread rumors as if they witnessed our transactions, and they’re talking about you…”

Cheng Bao’er couldn’t continue speaking the unpleasant words. His voice became smaller and smaller, but Cheng Yun didn’t mind at all. He comforted him instead, “Don’t worry about them. They’re just jealous that we made money. But I didn’t take anything from them forcefully. It’s all a fair and open business. Just ignore them, and after a while, the rumors will die down, and no one will talk about it anymore.”

“But,” Cheng Bao’er still worried, “Mother also heard some unpleasant words. Everyone says… everyone says that we made a lot of money from them, the vegetables they worked hard to grow…”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yun stopped his work. He frowned and looked at Cheng Bao’er, asking, “Who is spreading rumors in front of Mother?”

Cheng Bao’er lowered his neck, his voice as small as a mosquito’s, “It’s… not many people…”

“Not just one?!” Cheng Yun’s voice rose.

Cheng Bao’er looked like he was about to cry, which made Cheng Yun both helpless and amused. “What are you doing? I wasn’t talking about you,” he said with a serious expression. “It doesn’t matter what they say in front of me. After all, it was my idea. But they absolutely should not say these things in front of mother. Her health is not good, and hearing these things will only make her worry more. Tell me obediently, who has been gossiping in front of you? I will handle this.”

Cheng Bao’er always listened to his older brother, so he confessed everything after a few words from Cheng Yun.

As Cheng Yun listened, his face grew darker and darker.

These idle gossipers, who only knew how to spread rumors, openly ridiculed him in front of his mother and made snide remarks. Afterward, they would come back to continue harvesting vegetables as if it wasn’t enough. In the past, they wouldn’t even bother visiting the house, but now they couldn’t wait to camp outside Cheng’s house to gossip.

It was because he treated them too well, putting money directly into their pockets, that they had so much leisure time to spread rumors. Cheng Yun made a mental note of each and every one of these people. He had never believed in repaying ingratitude with kindness. Since they didn’t appreciate it, he wouldn’t be polite either.

When it was time to harvest the vegetables again, the news spread, and a group of people showed up at his door.

However, this time, Cheng Yun didn’t rush to collect the vegetables. He asked everyone to line up and wait quietly.

He stood on a chair, and everyone looked at him. Cheng Yun cleared his throat and said, “I know there have been rumors circulating recently about the collaboration between Yueqiong Tower and me. I would like to take a moment here to explain.”

Cheng Yun had given many speeches during his time at university, honing his public speaking skills. Although he wasn’t exceptionally skilled, just by standing there, he managed to suppress the people in front of him. Everyone instinctively felt that it wouldn’t be wise to offend him.

He continued, “Yes, it is true that I have a working relationship with Yueqiong Tower. The vegetables you sell to me ultimately become products that are sold at Yueqiong Tower.”

As soon as this statement was made, there was a commotion among the crowd. Many people whispered to each other, convinced that Cheng-Ge’er had just admitted to profiting from reselling! This time, they hadn’t fabricated or speculated anything about him!

Cheng Yun raised his voice a little and quieted everyone down. “I have been honest about this with the village chief. In fact, I have also given the village chief the contract regarding the collaboration with Yueqiong Tower. It is because of this that the village chief trusted us to do business together.”

“But,” he shifted the tone of his speech and his expression became stern, “recently I have heard some unpleasant rumors about me. They say I lower the prices of the vegetables and resell them to Yueqiong Tower, making a large sum of money. Here, I would like to clarify a few things.”

Cheng Yun’s gaze swept across the crowd, his eyes sharp. He lingered a little longer on certain individuals, making them subconsciously feel guilty.

“First,” Cheng Yun said, “all the prices for the vegetables are set by the village chief. I haven’t interfered or had any say in that matter. Perhaps you don’t believe in my character, but you should at least trust that the village chief wouldn’t deceive you. If you have any issues, don’t talk about it privately, go to the village chief and express your concerns.”

He paused for a moment and continued, “Second, all the transactions are based on mutual consent. Whether I make money from the collaboration with Yueqiong Tower or not, that is my own business. If you have the ability, you can negotiate with Yueqiong Tower for a collaboration and make as much money as you want. I don’t restrict you from taking your produce to sell in town, nor do I force you to sell it to me. If you bring it to me for sale, then you have accepted the price. Therefore…”

He said every word clearly, “Those who spread rumors in front of my family, I regret to inform you that I will no longer accept anything from you. Since you don’t appreciate my goodwill, I will have to take it back. I hope you will have some self-respect and not force me to tear my face.”

After Cheng Yun finished speaking, he lightly leaped off the chair, and Yang Hongjin hugged him with both hands, pretending to turn his head and glare at the people standing in line.

For a moment, the people in the queue fell silent, and after a while, they began to whisper and discuss quietly.

Among the people in the queue, there were those who supported Cheng Yun. They all said that those who backstabbed others behind their backs were despicable, especially when they went to speak in front of someone’s mother. It was extremely abhorrent to do such unethical things while taking someone else’s money.

However, there were also some who were the very people Cheng Yun accused of spreading rumors. Hearing others criticizing, they felt as if they were being criticized themselves. They felt ashamed for talking ill of others behind their backs and having it exposed in public.

But among them, there were also those shameless individuals who were exactly what others accused them of. They took Cheng Yun’s money and still badmouthed him behind his back, so naturally, they had no sense of shame.

A few people exchanged glances with each other, and some silently changed their positions, moving to the end of the queue, wanting to see how Cheng Yun would handle this matter. However, there were also one or two shameless individuals who remained at the front, refusing to believe that Cheng Yun could do anything to them.

Cheng Yun glanced at the crowd, inwardly sneering. After he sat down, he announced the start of the vegetable collection, and the queue became lively again.

The first few people in front were the strongest supporters of Cheng Yun, including Chen Fang and others. While Cheng Yun was weighing the vegetables, he heard them comforting him.

“Cheng-Ge’er, relax. We all support you. Don’t bother with those shameless people, but don’t let them off easily either.”

“Yes, those people are despicable. We all look down on them!”

Cheng Yun felt grateful in his heart. Although there were a few bad individuals, the majority of people still carried a sense of gratitude, which made him feel a little better.

After the first few people passed, Cheng Yun quickly encountered the first so-called shameless individual.

This person was on Cheng Yun’s list and was an older Ge’er known as Lu-Ge’er.

Lu-Ge’er walked up to Cheng Yun, happily pointing at his two baskets of vegetables, asking Cheng Yun to weigh them.

The smile on Cheng Yun’s face instantly disappeared. He folded his hands and sat there, looking at Lu-G’er with a rejecting expression, and said, “Sorry, Lu-Ge’er, I won’t accept your vegetables. Please leave.”

For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the long queue suddenly fell silent.