svetikya Chapter 151 If the soft approach doesn't work, then we'll try the hard one!
Chapter 151 If the soft approach doesn't work, then we'll try the hard one!
Li Xiaotao remained calm and took a step closer. "Boss Zhan, don't think we country folk are naive. How much is diesel per liter these days? You only drive twenty or thirty kilometers to the county town. How much would you burn through fuel? As for labor, you're the driver yourself, and those two loaders you brought are your nephews, right? You could have easily paid them with two steamed buns. You're trying to calculate costs with me?"
She turned to face the indignant villagers, her voice firm and resolute: "Fellow villagers, don't listen to his nonsense! The policies are good now; the country encourages economic recovery. The era of Zhan Laosan's monopoly is over! Why should we melon growers eat chaff and wild vegetables while he, the melon seller, enjoys meat and wine every day?"
"You...you..." Zhan Laosan was speechless, his chest heaving violently.
Looking at the pairs of eyes around him that seemed to want to devour him, he knew that his facade of "benevolence and morality" would crumble today.
Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach!
Zhan Laosan suddenly pulled open the car door, pulled out an iron rod he usually used for self-defense from under the driver's seat, and slammed it against the side of the car with a loud bang, causing the rust on it to fall off in a rustling sound.
"Great! Excellent!"
Old Zhan's face was contorted with grotesque grime, and his triangular eyes gleamed with a fierce light. "Li Xiaotao, you're sharp-tongued, and I can't argue with you. But I'm going to lay my cards on the table today! Rules are rules! Your Li Family Village is illegally taking melons to town to sell, which is disrupting the market and constitutes speculation! If I, Old Zhan, just say a few words at the Industry and Commerce Bureau, let's see who dares to buy your melons! Let's see how your melons ever leave the village!"
He pointed the iron rod at Li Youtian, his tone dripping with threat: "Secretary Li, you're a veteran Party member. Can you bear the blame for protecting speculators?"
See the picture poorly.
This is a blatant threat; he wants to use his so-called "network of connections" to crush the entire Li family village.
The villagers' anger, which had just been ignited, was suppressed by the iron rod and the serious label of "speculation and profiteering," and they hesitated again.
After all, in this day and age, those four words still carry considerable intimidation.
Li Youtian's face turned deathly pale, and he was speechless.
Li Xiaotao smiled.
She wasn't frightened; on the contrary, it seemed like she had been waiting for this moment.
She was like a passionate female warrior.
"The current policy is to let some people get rich first, so that everyone can get rich together! How come in your mouth, legal business operations are considered speculation and profiteering? Zhan Laosan, you are going against national policy and trying to restore the feudal landlord system of exploiting us poor and lower-middle peasants!"
This even bigger label fell on Zhan Laosan's head, leaving him completely stunned.
"Xu Yuecheng, the captain of the county's transportation team, told me about it yesterday."
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xiaotao unleashed her final trump card: "If our village is having trouble getting its melons out, he has plenty of spare trucks. Just pay him for gas and he'll help us haul them! He has connections with a legitimate state-owned enterprise!"
Xu Yuecheng certainly didn't say that; she was bluffing Zhan Laosan.
"Fellow villagers!" Li Xiaotao shouted, raising her arm. "Since Boss Zhan doesn't like our melons, then let him get lost! We'll form our own truckload and haul them to the city to sell ourselves! We'll live the good life of selling melons for a penny a pound! Why should he leech off us?"
"Get out! Get him out of here!"
"We'll sell them ourselves!"
"Down with the heartless Zhan Laosan!"
My emotions were completely ignited.
If everything is legal and legitimate, and I have a car and connections, why should I put up with this nonsense?
Several young men even picked up clods of dirt from the ground and threw them at Zhan Laosan's truck.
Seeing the out-of-control scene, Zhan Laosan knew that all was lost.
He glared fiercely at Li Xiaotao, his gaze filled with resentment.
"Alright! Li Xiaotao, we'll see how things unfold!"
Zhan Laosan slunk into the driver's seat, not daring to say a word, started the truck, and fled Lijia Village in a sorry state amidst shouts of "Get out!" and flying rotten vegetable leaves.
Watching the truck's rear end disappear into the distance, Li Youtian's legs went weak, and he almost sat down on the ground, but Li Xiaotao caught him.
"Dad, stand up straight now."
Li Xiaotao used a hidden force to catch Li Youtian, who was about to slip down, and straightened his bent spine.
Li Youtian's legs were still trembling, his lips were shaking, and he lowered his voice, "Tao'er... you've blown your own horn to the heavens... if the melons don't sell, our family's savings won't even be enough to fill this hole!"
"What are you afraid of?"
Li Xiaotao reached out and patted the dust off his Zhongshan suit. "You were definitely bluffing him earlier, but since we dared to take this path, we'll find a way to make it through. You're the backbone of the whole village now. Even if you're panicking inside, you have to keep a calm and collected facade. Don't let people laugh at you!"
Spurred on by his daughter's words, Li Youtian took a deep breath, bit his cheek, and forced himself to pull himself together.
Before the dust kicked up by the truck had settled, the villagers in the courtyard came to their senses one by one. Looking at the empty village entrance, they began to feel uneasy.
"Xiao Tao... Zhan Laosan is really gone..." Aunt Jing twisted the hem of her clothes, her face full of fear. "If... if no truck comes to pick up the melons, what will happen to them..."
The crowd began to stir again, hundreds of eyes fixed on Li Xiaotao—hundreds of mouths waiting to be fed.
Li Xiaotao let go of her father, took a big step forward, and jumped directly onto a large blue stone millstone next to her.
She looked down at the crowd, her gaze sweeping over them.
"Everyone, please listen to me quietly!"
That crisp, clear voice brought the scene to a sudden silence.
"Weren't you all pretty enthusiastic when you were cursing Zhan Laosan just now? What, you've already lost your souls as soon as he left?"
Li Xiaotao stood with her hands on her hips, displaying an air of indomitable spirit. "I, Li Xiaotao, am making this clear: since you dared to drive away that vampire, I will absolutely not let these tens of thousands of pounds of melons rot in the ground!"
She pointed to the dirt road leading to town: "Want to sell them for a dime a pound?"
"I want to! I dream about it!" someone shouted.
"If you want to, then follow orders!"
With a wave of her small hand, Li Xiaotao's capable demeanor commanded respect. "Everyone disperse! Those who need to go to the fields, go to the fields! Stop standing here staring at each other. The Party Secretary, the village secretary, and a few other village elders will go to the brigade headquarters now to discuss the regulations. We'll broadcast this over the loudspeaker in half an hour!"
After saying that, she jumped off the millstone, and without looking at the reactions of the crowd, turned to look at the village cadres who were still in a daze, as well as the accountant who was huddled behind the crowd.
"Dad, Uncle Fugui, and Father, come in with me."
Li Youtian has recovered by now.
This old man is obsessed with saving face. Since his daughter has already set the stage, he has to keep performing.
He straightened his askew hat, hands behind his back, and glared at the still hesitant villagers: "What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear me? Get moving! Are you waiting for a windfall? Scatter, scat!"
With the Party Secretary's words and Li Xiaotao's confident presentation, the villagers, though not completely relieved, finally felt a little more at ease.
The crowd dispersed noisily, each heading home to fetch baskets and prepare their vehicles.
The peeling wooden door to the brigade headquarters creaked shut, shutting out the noise from outside.
The room was dimly lit, with only a long, mottled table.
As soon as the door was closed tightly, Li Fugui couldn't hold back any longer. He rushed to Li Xiaotao, slapping his thigh anxiously, "Xiaotao! My dear niece! Do you... do you even know what you're doing? This is tens of thousands of pounds of melons! If the truck doesn't come, where will we put our faces? The villagers will probably gossip about us!"
Li Jianshe also pulled out his pipe, his hands trembling so much that he had to strike several matches before he could light it. His brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly: "Yeah, Peach, this is no joke. We've all risked our lives for you."
Li Youtian slumped into a chair, picked up the large tea mug on the table, and gulped down a mouthful of cold water before he felt half-recovered.
He raised his eyelids and stared at his daughter: "Tell me the truth, what connections do you have that give you the audacity to ask for such an exorbitant price? This is hundreds of thousands of kilograms of melons, not just a few hundred!"