Rebirth of a Farmer's Dad

Since there weren't any major issues with the taste, the village chief immediately decided to increase the production of dried fruit and jam. He planned to get everyone to produce a batch as quickly as possible, hoping to make some money before the New Year.

The village chief was incredibly shrewd. To maximize his share of the profits, the old man deliberately avoided Luo Feng and planned to set up a stall in the county town. He originally intended to sell in town before the New Year, hoping everyone would stock up on dried fruit and jam. However, a few naive villagers insisted that the village chief sell a batch first, only proceeding with large-scale production after seeing a return on investment.

There was no other way; the village chief couldn't go against everyone's wishes. Under these circumstances, he could only lead a few young men from the village, along with a batch of already-made dried fruit and jam, to the county town for a trial sale. The village chief had already tasted it, and the village elders who were in charge praised its flavor. In the village chief's view, there was no reason why such good stuff wouldn't sell. So, without making any preparations, they set up a stall in the county town with a large quantity of dried fruit and jam.

The stall had been set up for seven or eight days, but hardly anyone came to buy anything. Now, seeing the unsold goods piling up on the stall, the village chief was really worried.

The village chief had considered asking Luo Feng for help, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. The young men who had come with him tried to persuade him several times, but he refused each time. Another seven or eight days passed, and now half a month had gone by, but their business still hadn't improved.

Faced with tangible benefits, the village chief's words suddenly lost their power. Ignoring the village chief's objections, the young men dragged him to Luo's shop.

Upon meeting again, the village chief seemed quite embarrassed, but he stubbornly refused to let go of his arrogant demeanor. Seeing the old man's unyielding attitude, Luo Feng felt a pang of sorrow. No one knew why they had elected him as village chief in the first place; following such a self-important and incompetent old man was simply a waste of everyone's time.

When the village chief and Luo Feng met, they only chatted about trivial matters, with the village chief not mentioning a word about the difficulties he was currently facing in the county. Looking at his self-deceiving and ostrich-like demeanor, Luo Feng wanted nothing more than to slap him. This was a classic case of being too proud to admit defeat!

Actually, Luo Feng had heard about what they had been going through over the past two weeks. But he wasn't surprised at all. These guys just randomly found a spot, set up a stall, laid out their goods, and didn't even bother to call out to customers. Anyone who knew them would think they were doing business, while someone who didn't would think they were plotting something illegal.

Another problem is his stinginess; the village chief is notoriously stingy. Maybe everyone's been influenced by him this time. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; if you don't invest heavily in marketing, when will you? Dried fruit and jams are local specialties. Who in the surrounding villages doesn't know how to make them?

So here's the problem: since everyone knows how to make this, if you want to sell it, you first need to prove to everyone that yours is better than theirs. Otherwise, why would anyone buy your stuff? Everyone knows how to make it anyway; at best, they can just have their wives make it. Why would they waste their money coming to you?

The village chief clearly didn't understand this principle; otherwise, why would he have arranged for a tasting or something? He just kept praising his own products without any real understanding, making others think he was just a peddler selling his wares.

Seeing the village chief feign indifference, Luo Feng chuckled inwardly. "Fine, if you don't care, then I don't need to either." With that thought in mind, Luo Feng began chatting with the village chief about everyday matters. As for serious business, he didn't mention a single word about it.

Listening to the two chatting about trivial matters, the village lads who had come along were getting anxious. However, since it was the village chief and Luo Feng talking, they didn't dare to interrupt. It seemed that Luo Feng had gained some authority in the village sometime recently.

As dusk approached, the village chief knew he and his group would have no excuse to stay overnight. If they didn't bring up the real issue soon, they might miss their chance. The villagers' patience had reached its limit over the past two weeks, and if he couldn't give them a reasonable explanation tonight, he feared he would be in serious trouble.

Thinking of this, the village chief sighed helplessly and spoke up anyway:

"Fengzi, I won't hide it from you. You should already know what we've been through in the county these past few days."

"What? Did you run into some trouble?" Luo Feng pretended to be crazy.

"Alright, don't try to fool me. I know you know everything," the village chief said reproachfully, glancing at Luo Feng. Then, as usual, he picked up his long pipe, preparing to take a few puffs to calm himself down.

"I made it clear to everyone beforehand that I wouldn't get involved. Now you're trying to drag me into this again, which is like making me slap myself in the face. How am I supposed to face the villagers after this?" Luo Feng knew that the village chief was out of options and could only rely on him to get through this difficult time, but he still couldn't swallow his anger and deliberately acted coy.

"You old codger, you only remember me now. Where were you before? You were treating me like a thief a while ago. Where did the basic trust between people go? If I don't make you really anxious and angry this time, I'm not Luo Feng."

With this in mind, Luo Feng deliberately put on a very troubled look and even asked Ade to light a cigarette for him. Although he didn't usually smoke, he had to set the mood for the occasion.

"Alright, Fengzi, stop playing coy with me. Just tell me what you want." Seeing that dragging this out wasn't going to work, the village chief had no choice but to get to the point.

"You should have been so quick to agree earlier, otherwise I would have been choked by the smoke for ages." Hearing this, Luo Feng was secretly overjoyed, but he couldn't show it on his face, or he would give himself away.

"This business was originally a way for us to make money, and I never intended to make much profit from it. However, my cousin Luo Shun is getting married after the New Year, and he has helped us a lot these days. It's not unreasonable for us to chip in and give him a wedding gift." Luo Feng said, pulling Shunzi in front of the village chief.

"Of course, of course, everyone knows and understands." The village chief nodded repeatedly in agreement. He couldn't afford to be sarcastic at a time like this. Not only were they relying on Luo Feng's help, but just the fact that Shunzi was getting married meant he had to go along with it. Speaking sarcastically during such a significant event would create a deadly enmity. At times like this, business was more important; there was no need to offend anyone.

Besides, what's the relationship between Shunzi and Luo Feng? They're cousins. What's the difference between offending him and offending Luo Feng? The village chief has seen through Luo Feng's behavior today; he's the kind of person who only wants to take advantage and can't stand to suffer losses—he's petty and narrow-minded. If you offend him now, it definitely won't be so easy to get his help in the future, and he might even cause trouble for you someday. It's definitely not worth it.

Seeing that the village chief had agreed, Shunzi was overjoyed. There were still two months left until the end of the year, and he had heard that there would be a year-end bonus. If he added the money that everyone had contributed, he would be able to raise enough for his dowry.

At this moment, Shunzi observed how the village chief viewed him and found him pleasing to the eye, even wishing he could hug and kiss the old man right then and there. Of course, this was just a thought; actually doing it would be truly shocking. However, he still had to do something to show his excitement, so Shunzi personally poured tea for the village chief and his companions. As for the tea leaves, he had specifically rummaged through Luo Feng's room to find them; subconsciously, he believed that anything Luo Feng hid must be valuable.

Looking at Shunzi, who was laughing so hard she was practically out of control, Luo Feng shook his head helplessly. She was about to get married, yet she was still acting like a child.