Chapter 198 - 197, In a State of Panic

Words : 1345 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 198: Chapter 197, In a State of Panic When Hehua returned to the village and announced the price of persimmons at four yuan per jin and hawthorns at eight yuan per jin, it was like a bomb dropped into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar. It got all the villagers excited! "What? Persimmons can sell for four yuan per jin? How is that possible? I just went to the market two days ago and sold persimmons for only eight mao per jin!" "When did persimmons become so valuable?" The villagers were buzzing because many of their families grew persimmons. After all, this type of fruit didn’t require meticulous management, often referred to as "lazy man’s fruit." That’s why they planted some, not necessarily to make big money, but to supplement household expenses. But no one expected that the price would be so high. "It’s definitely cheaper to sell them in town, because the people there are very poor, and everyone has relatives who grow some persimmons, so there’s no need to buy any." "But good things aren’t cheap in the city. Of course, the reason Zhao Ranran managed to sell at such a high price this time is thanks to Secretary Su finding sales channels." "Now that you mention it, it’s true. I feel that since Secretary Su cut her hair short, she’s like a different person, greeting everyone she meets with a smile, unlike before when she held herself aloof, as if others didn’t know she was the village secretary." "It really seems like she wants to do something for our village." The villagers’ attitudes towards Su Li had noticeably changed, and for the first time, Su Li felt the enthusiasm of the people of Qingshan Village because many added her as a WeChat friend and privately messaged her, hoping she could help find sales channels to sell the persimmons, hawthorns, and nuts they grew. To this, Su Li agreed to all of them. Because she knew that there was a market for crispy sweet persimmons, and Manager Liu had mentioned before that their supermarket was a large chain, and there were also several fresh fruit stores. They could completely absorb all the crispy sweet persimmons from Qingshan Village, provided the supply was of good quality and quantity. Of course, it was also thanks to these crispy sweet hard persimmons; otherwise, even ten large chain supermarkets might not be able to consume all the persimmons from Qingshan Village. Su Li had previously conducted a survey. Nearly ninety percent of the households in Qingshan Village grew persimmons, and this year was also the highest-yielding year, totaling almost two million jin. This was by no means a small number. However, crispy sweet persimmons were different from other fruits; they were transportable and had a long storage cycle, so there was no worry about them rotting even if they couldn’t be sold right away. That’s why Manager Liu dared to say he could take in all the persimmons from Qingshan Village. "Secretary Su, thank you for helping find a market for my family’s persimmons. I’m such a simple person and not good with words. I offer you this drink!" Zhao Ranran’s house. Xu Wendong and more than ten other women sat around together. They had helped Zhao Ranran’s family pick persimmons earlier, and even if Zhao Ranran hadn’t made a tidy sum today, she still would have had to treat them to a meal. After selling the persimmons and hawthorns, she had spent several hundred yuan to buy some ingredients from town, as well as two buckets of juice and beer. "Leading the villagers to become prosperous is my duty. You don’t have to be so polite!" Su Li said with a soft smile on her face, but an unspoken bitterness arose in her heart. Because she knew that the change in her status and the respect she received from the villagers were all thanks to Xu Wendong; he was the true hero. Thinking about her agreement with Xu Wendong, a flush involuntarily rose on her cheeks. She thought leading the villagers out of poverty and toward prosperity would be a very long process, so long that it might not be achievable within the wager with her father. That’s why she agreed with Xu Wendong to share a bed for warmth once the villagers achieved prosperity. Now it seemed... Maybe poverty alleviation wasn’t that difficult after all! No! As long as she could sell the persimmons in the hands of the villagers, then they had already achieved prosperity. Thinking of this, her heart was in chaos. Xu Wendong was just eighteen! Was she really going to sleep with an eighteen-year-old young man? Was this really okay? Looking at Xu Wendong’s handsome profile, Su Li couldn’t help but recall what happened the night before. That poisoning incident made her feel like she was a different person, saying many embarrassing things when she thought back on it. However, thinking about how Xu Wendong didn’t take advantage of her even in such a moment, she suddenly felt that the man in front of her was quite extraordinary. He had clearly helped her wipe down her body and could have gone along with her actions. Yet, he remained composed. "My life was already arranged. I may not be able to change the future, but I can at least plan my life in Qingshan Village!" Su Li showed a soft smile on her face. One should be true to one’s word. Since she had agreed with Xu Wendong, she couldn’t go back on her word. The meal lasted until nine in the evening. During dinner, Su Li talked a lot about picking persimmons and suggested inviting the men from the village to come back and help. After all, picking over two million jin of persimmons was a daunting task for the women who stayed behind in the village. However, this suggestion was immediately met with a lot of rejections. Because those women didn’t want to rely on men. They wanted to accomplish something using their own abilities. Su Li didn’t understand why these women had such a mindset, but she didn’t want to force anyone, nor did she want to damage the newfound image she had built. After the meal, Xu Wendong and Su Li walked toward the village committee. Under the moonlight, the two walked on the quiet road, and Su Li eventually broke the silence: "Why don’t they want their husbands to come back to help?" Xu Wendong questioned back: "Why involve others in sharing their joy and achievements?" In disbelief, Su Li asked: "They are couples! Shouldn’t couples share their achievements and joy?" Xu Wendong shook his head with indifference: "That’s how you city people perceive couples. In your view, couples should be loving and steadfast." "But it’s different in rural areas, especially this kind of impoverished countryside." "Most of their marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers. Some even never saw their other half before marriage. To those women, marriage was merely leaving their own home to continue living elsewhere." "I can responsibly tell you, the relationship between these left-behind women in the village and their husbands was not at all loving, or else their men wouldn’t have left them behind to work outside." "Why do they work outside? To make money? Ask them if they ever received money sent back from their husbands." "They’re merely using work as an excuse to leave this poor little mountain village, living the life they want, while letting their wives take care of their parents and children." "I don’t even feel like talking about these things." "This is why they refused the idea of their husbands coming back, to share money they had finally earned wasn’t in their interest." Su Li was heavy-hearted and remained silent for a long time. Just as they returned to the village committee, Xu Wendong received a call from Wang Feifei, sounding extremely weak and in full agony: "Doctor Xu, I... I can’t hold on any longer... Can you come to save me?"

Chapter 198 - 197, In a State of Panic

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