The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 114 Fruit

(Please subscribe and support...)

(Regarding who the father of Liu's unborn child is... I definitely won't tell everyone right now. A friend sent me a comment saying the child is Zheng Dahan's, and if I guessed correctly, I'd give him a "featured" comment. This puts me in a difficult position. This guy is really amazing; his writing is quite good. I can't just delete it. Please don't be misled. Just because I didn't give him a "featured" comment doesn't mean the child is Zheng Dahan's or not. Just pretend you didn't see that...)

"You're back?" Wei Qingqing looked at Liu Sao, who lifted the curtain and walked into the house, and quickly handed her a big peach with a smile on her face.

"Hmph!" Aunt Liu snorted, took the peach, took off her shoes, and got onto the kang (heated brick bed).

"Hehe, Aunt Liu, are you tired? Let me give you a massage..." Wei Qingqing said solicitously as she massaged Aunt Liu's shoulders.

"Hmph! Because you changed your mind at the last minute, they almost turned around and left. Our good start almost turned into a bad one. What a bad omen!" Aunt Liu squinted her eyes, enjoying Wei Qingqing's service, while scolding her.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault..." Wei Qingqing lowered her posture considerably.

"Hmm..." Aunt Liu hummed comfortably.

"Is Qingqing home?" At this moment, Aunt Dabao's voice came from outside.

"I'm here! Aunt Da Bao, come in..." Wei Qingqing quickly put on her shoes and got off the kang (a heated brick bed) to greet her at the door.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Aunt Liu quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed). She had just brought the two guests to Aunt Da Bao's house, and Aunt Da Bao came looking for them almost immediately. She hoped something had happened!

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that those two guests wanted some fruit, so I came to ask about the price..." Aunt Da Bao said with a smile as she entered the house.

"Oh! Is that so?" Wei Qingqing handed Aunt Dabao a carton of milk. "We sell fruit here individually. Peaches, apples, and pears are 10 yuan each, dates and apricots are 1 yuan each, and grapes are 10 yuan a bunch..."

"You're selling this at a pretty high price..." Aunt Liu pinched Wei Qingqing's elbow.

"Ouch...you, did I overcharge you? You know how big our fruit is! I feel like I'm getting ripped off!" Wei Qingqing cried out in pain and slapped Liu Sao's arm.

"Alright then, we're family after all, we can't let them suffer a loss. I'll tell them that..." Aunt Da Bao said, and walked away quickly.

"Sigh..." Wei Qingqing opened her mouth to speak, but Aunt Dabao had already walked away. "I was going to tell you to take some fruit back with you so they could see it..."

Aunt Da Bao returned home and went into the west room, where the two of them were resting on the kang (a heated brick bed): "I just asked, peaches, apples, and pears are all 10 yuan each, dates and apricots are 1 yuan each, and grapes are 10 yuan a bunch..."

"What? Why is it so expensive?" Zhang Xiaofei was annoyed. Wasn't this ripping people off?

"What are those fruits made of? How dare they sell them for such a high price?" Liu Zhengfeng was also somewhat displeased.

"Hehe, you really have to admit... their fruit not only tastes good, but it's also huge..." Aunt Da Bao said.

"How big is it?" Zhang Xiaofei said, dissatisfied.

"There are many big ones, like peaches. Ordinary peaches can't compare to those peaches at all, they're far inferior..." Aunt Da Bao said.

"Can you take us to see it?" Liu Zhengfeng was curious about the peach. After drinking the milk earlier, he had high hopes for the food in this small mountain village. Anyway, he was here to have fun, so he might as well take a look around.

"Of course, no problem, let's go now..." Aunt Da Bao said.

The couple quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and followed Aunt Dabao toward Yang Ming's house.

On the way, Aunt Dabao introduced the two of them to the situation in the village, and they listened with great interest.

When they reached Yang Ming's house, Aunt Da Bao stopped and pointed to Yang Ming's new greenhouse and the construction site across the river, saying, "...See that greenhouse? That's Yang Ming's greenhouse. My son works there. And that construction site across the river belongs to a young couple from the city. Their daughter is Yang Ming's god-sister. They plan to settle here, and they'll build a bridge across the river so cars can drive on it..."

"Good heavens! That must have cost a fortune!" Liu Zhengfeng was in charge of the money and was quite sensitive to sums of money.

"That's right... But the funding for the bridge was provided by Yang Ming. Also, Yang Ming's hot spring was brought over and is planned to be built next to his greenhouse. It will use running water, and the water flowing out will be used directly to irrigate the greenhouse..." Aunt Da Bao said.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go look at the fruit..." Zhang Xiaofei quickly interrupted. She felt particularly aggrieved. People came here specifically to see the hot spring, but it was closed, making their trip a waste. If it weren't for the pleasant environment here, which would be relaxing and beneficial for the old man's recovery, she would have already dragged him away.

"Alright, alright, let's go inside quickly..." Aunt Da Bao hurriedly led the two towards the yard, and as soon as they entered, she called out to the house, "Qingqing, I've brought our guests. They want to see what your fruit looks like..."

"Coming, coming..." Wei Qingqing called out as she ran out of the house, smiling and inviting the three of them in, "Please come in, please come in..."

"You're such a beautiful girl. Are all the beauties in your mountain village?" Zhang Xiaofei looked at Wei Qingqing and praised her. First it was Aunt Liu, and now it's her. How come this little mountain village is full of golden phoenixes?

"Hehe..." Liu Zhengfeng chuckled, but didn't dare say anything. He couldn't possibly praise another woman's beauty in front of his wife, even if he really didn't have any such thoughts in his heart.

"Hehe, please come inside, you two..." Aunt Liu also came out of the house.

So the five of them went into the house together. Wei Qingqing led the three of them to the east room, and then she and Aunt Liu went to pour water and wash fruit for the three of them.

"Qingqing, don't bother. We came here to see your fruit..." Aunt Dabao said.

"It'll be ready soon..." Wei Qingqing said, carrying a tea tray with several large fruits on it as she walked in.

"This...this is...fruit???" Zhang Xiaofei stared in disbelief at the enormous fruit on the tea tray. Was this even considered fruit? How could it be so big?

Actually, the fruit in Yang Ming's house isn't that big. Some ordinary fruit trees have one or two exceptionally large fruits, which isn't unusual. What is unusual is that all the fruits can grow to such a large size.

"..." Liu Zhengfeng was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He had been an official for many years and had never seen such a big fruit before.

"Our fruit is big and looks great..." Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

"This... 10 yuan each is really cheap. If it were in the market, people would be fighting over it for 100 yuan each. If someone were to give such a big peach as a birthday present, it would definitely make them look good..." Zhang Xiaofei said.

"Girl, please give us a thousand yuan..." Liu Zhengfeng made the decision immediately.

"We only sell our fruit retail, not wholesale. We only sell to tourists who register in the village. Each person can only buy a maximum of 10 pieces at a time, because the quantity is limited! The calculation method is based on the number of pieces of fruit, which means each person can only eat one piece per day. If you buy more, the price will be higher..." Wei Qingqing could only smile apologetically.

"Limited quantity? You've been eating like this for so long, and I've never seen you eat less..." Aunt Liu muttered to herself, secretly pursing her lips.

"We bought them to give to relatives and friends, not to resell..." Liu Zhengfeng said.

"We have an agreement with a large hotel that our agricultural products can only be sold in retail, not wholesale. If we want to sell in large quantities, we have to pay a higher price than the hotel we supply..." Wei Qingqing brought up the Yingning Hotel as an example. Fruit is considered an agricultural product, but it is not currently supplied to the Yingning Hotel. However, there is a price standard, which is 20 times the market price.

"Give me a price?" Liu Zhengfeng is a retired cadre, how could he not even afford a piece of fruit?

"We don't have a fixed price. When we signed the agreement with the hotel, the hotel's condition was that the price of the agricultural products we supplied to the hotel could fluctuate within 20 times the market price, and the retail price could not be lower than the price supplied to the hotel..." Wei Qingqing said.

If we calculate based on a 20-fold increase, the market price of ordinary peaches is 5 cents per pound, but that's the price during the season. However, in this season, you might not even be able to buy them for 10 yuan per pound. If the price increases by 20 times, the price would be terrifying.

"Hiss..." Liu Zhengfeng gasped, looking at his wife. Seeing her equally shocked expression, he asked, "Is the hotel you signed the agreement with the Yingning Hotel in our city?"

Wei Qingqing raised an eyebrow and asked, "How did you know?"

"So it really is you?" Liu Zhengfeng had an expression of relief, as if he had finally found the real culprit. "It's because of the agricultural products you supplied that Yingning Hotel has become famous throughout Hebei Province, leaving its original competitors far behind. At this rate, they will soon be known all over China..."

"I didn't expect you guys to be hiding here. Now a lot of people outside are asking about you..." Zhang Xiaofei said.

"Hehe, now that you two have discovered this secret, I hope you will keep it a secret, otherwise we will never have a peaceful life..." Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

Seeing that Wei Qingqing showed no surprise and remained unusually calm, Liu Zhengfeng and Zhang Xiaofei exchanged a glance and made a decision at the same time: to keep quiet. She was sitting calmly, so she must have something to rely on. No matter how big or small that was, why should we get involved?

It's not surprising that Wei Qingqing is so calm. She has met leaders before, and she's not nervous at all when talking to anyone now.

"Hehe, let's not talk about that. Have some fruit. This is Wei Qingqing's treat for the guests. It's free..." Aunt Liu said with a smile, handing fruit to Liu Zhengfeng and Zhang Xiaofei.

"Hehe..." Liu Zhengfeng chuckled and nodded his thanks to Aunt Liu, "Thank you so much. Otherwise, I wouldn't know whether I should pay for the fruit I was eating..."

Liu Zhengfeng is indeed quite humorous.

"You old man, really, you're so annoying. How old are you, still making flirtatious remarks with young girls..." Zhang Xiaofei glared at Liu Zhengfeng and said.

"Hehe, Auntie, please don't be fooled by her appearance! She's actually thirty years old and has officially entered middle age..." Wei Qingqing laughed as she revealed Aunt Liu's secret.

"What? Thirty years old?" Zhang Xiaofei's eyes widened. It was hard to believe that this girl was already thirty years old. When he heard that she was the village chief, he thought she was a college student who had come to the village for training!

Zhang Xiaofei had heard Aunt Dabao call her Sister Liu, but no one said that people couldn't get married, right?

"Hehe, if thirty years old is considered middle-aged, then we're old people. I don't agree with that! I'm still very strong..." Liu Zhengfeng said with a smile.

"Wei Qingqing..." Aunt Liu glared fiercely at Wei Qingqing, then looked at Liu Zhengfeng and smiled, "Uncle's words are always more pleasing to the ear..."

"Village Chief..." Zhang Xiaofei stared at Liu Sao with a wolf-like gaze in his eyes.

"No...don't call me village chief anymore, my name is Liu Fen, just call me Xiao Liu..." Aunt Liu waved her hands repeatedly.

"Okay, Xiao Liu, can you tell me how you take care of yourself?" Zhang Xiaofei's voice trembled.

"How can I take care of myself? I'll just live a normal life, won't I?" Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"Then tell me what you usually do?" Zhang Xiaofei's voice trembled even more. If it's just your daily routine, does that mean your maintenance methods are very simple?

"Alright, I'll tell you about it. Every morning when I get up, I wash my hands and face, cook for my daughter, and after she goes to school, I tidy up the house, do some odd jobs, and when there's farm work, I go to work in the fields. I come back at noon to cook for my daughter, and after she eats, I go back to work in the fields. I come back in the evening to cook for her again, and after dinner, I supervise her doing her homework before going to bed..." Aunt Liu briefly described her day.

"Is it that simple? You didn't use any cosmetics?" Zhang Xiaofei said.

"I'm raising a child alone, and life is tough enough as it is. Where would I find the spare money to buy cosmetics?" Mrs. Liu said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Ah?" Zhang Xiaofei understood; this person was a widow. He quickly said, "Little Liu, I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright..." Aunt Liu quickly replied with a smile.

"Actually, Xiao Liu's secret to staying young is already obvious: it's the influence of this beautiful nature. There's no car exhaust, no chemicals, no noise, no plastic pollution. Just breathing the air here is refreshing. Living here long-term, it's hard not to stay young..." Actually, Liu Zhengfeng didn't say one more thing: living in such a small mountain village, almost completely disconnected from city life, makes people's minds simple. With simpler minds, there are fewer worries, and one can maintain a good attitude all day long. Isn't there a saying? A smile makes you ten years younger...?

If he said that out loud, people would definitely think he was indirectly calling them stupid, naive, and superficial, and they'd get really angry! There are always troublemakers in poor mountain villages; if he and his wife got beaten up, they'd have nowhere to turn for justice! As a retired government official, he understood these kinds of situations. The biggest headache for the government was communicating with the mountain people. They didn't have much contact with the outside world, their thinking was closed-minded, stubborn, and inflexible; it was basically impossible to work with them. If you arrested one person, the whole village would besiege your government office without asking why…

"Ah! Brother, you're right. In our remote mountain village, there's less conflict, the environment is good, and the food is simple and light, unlike you city people who eat meat and fish all day long and get all fat." Aunt Da Bao was a very straightforward person, which made Liu Zhengfeng keep looking at his belly. Fortunately, because of his kidney disease, his beer belly had gone down, otherwise he would have been very embarrassed and would have wanted to crawl into a hole.

For the first time, Liu Zhengfeng was grateful that he had kidney disease.

"It seems I'll be staying here permanently from now on..." A determined glint flashed in Zhang Xiaofei's eyes.

"You're not going to work anymore? You're the head of the gynecology department..." Liu Zhengfeng said.

"It's not like the hospital can't do without me. How old am I now? My skin is all sagging. If I don't take care of myself, what will I look like when I retire? Will I still be able to see a doctor?" Zhang Xiaofei said.

"..." Liu Zhengfeng was speechless. In fact, he knew that his wife was thinking of him in a roundabout way. In such an environment, it would be very helpful for his recovery.

"So Auntie wants to settle down in the village? See these two people in front of you? One is the village head, and the other is the village party secretary's wife. If you want to get a piece of land, hurry up and find them, especially the village party secretary's wife. As long as the village party secretary's wife says a word, anything can be done within our village. The village party secretary is the leader of our village, but the village party secretary's wife is the leader of the village party secretary..." Wei Qingqing always liked to make a joke.

"You can't say that. How can I interfere in your Uncle Da Bao's affairs?" Aunt Da Bao waved her hands repeatedly.

"Why not? When Uncle Dabao asked us for a dog, he told us that your aunt was the head of the household..." Wei Qingqing smiled mischievously.

"That's our small family, not the larger family..." Aunt Da Bao blushed slightly and waved her hands repeatedly, inwardly complaining that Zheng Da Bao said whatever came to mind.

"Hehe... There's a saying, 'Men rule the world, women rule men.' For a girl to achieve this level, she's truly a heroine among women..." Zhang Xiaofei was quite mischievous, and began teasing Aunt Dabao with a smile.

"Hahaha..." Aunt Liu and Wei Qingqing both laughed, but Aunt Dabao blushed and was a little at a loss. Aunt Dabao was a very serious person and never joked with anyone. This was the first time she had been teased.

"You're not bad either..." Liu Zhengfeng muttered to himself.

Zhang Xiaofei's face flushed red instantly, his gaze turning menacing as he stared at Liu Zhengfeng, cursing inwardly, "That old bastard dared to sabotage me at this crucial moment! Just wait until we get back, I'll deal with him..."

Seeing the shadow of gloom in his wife's eyes, Liu Zhengfeng felt a pang of unease. "Why did I have to be so quick to speak? You could have just thought it in your mind! Why did it have to slip out like that?"

"Hehehe..." Aunt Liu and Wei Qingqing covered their mouths and laughed, while Aunt Dabao chuckled. She didn't like joking, but that didn't mean she wouldn't fight back when provoked. She immediately said, "Sister is truly an idol! 'Men rule the world, women rule men,' what a brilliant statement! Just for saying something so insightful, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're remembered in history. What day is it today? Next year at the National People's Congress, we should propose a motion to designate today as our country's Women's Day. If Sister's story were publicized, it would be such a boost for all women..."

"Hahahaha..." Aunt Liu and Wei Qingqing couldn't help but burst into laughter. They felt like they were getting to know Aunt Dabao all over again. They never expected that Aunt Dabao, who was usually so gentle and virtuous but hadn't received much education, could say such insightful things.

"You..." Zhang Xiaofei was both ashamed and angry, her face so red it was almost dripping with juice. Thinking of the culprit behind all this, she didn't care about the inappropriateness of the occasion and immediately used her two-finger Zen skill to twist Liu Zhengfeng's waist hard. Liu Zhengfeng's face changed between blue and red with his wife's movements, but he just stubbornly held on and refused to make a sound.

"Alright, alright, Auntie, we're not laughing anymore. Let go of him. Uncle's face looks off, it seems..." Wei Qingqing looked at Liu Zhengfeng's changing expression and couldn't help but feel a little scared. How much pain must one be in to turn their face like that? Seeing him in so much pain made her feel pain all over herself.

"Yes, Auntie, there are many acupoints on the human body, some of which are fatal. You are a doctor, so of course you know that. Please don't..." Aunt Liu was also a little frightened. She really didn't expect Zhang Xiaofei to be so ruthless.

"Stop! Stop! You're going to strangle him!" Aunt Da Bao was terrified.

"Hmph!" Zhang Xiaofei, now that he had a way out, snorted and released his grip. Liu Zhengfeng breathed a sigh of relief, and his complexion gradually improved.

"Oh my goodness..." Aunt Da Bao finally breathed a sigh of relief. "No wonder your brother was so afraid of you. Anyone would be scared if you disciplined him like that..."

Seeing her husband wincing in pain, Zhang Xiaofei felt a pang of sympathy, but she stubbornly retorted, "Who told him to talk such nonsense? I'm usually so gentle at home, and I always listen to him. How could he say such things about me? It's outrageous!" She was also a little flustered, otherwise she wouldn't have said those words.

Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. This is what you call gentle? If he weren't gentle, what would he be like? Wouldn't they twist him into a pretzel?

"It's only because my brother has a good temper. If it were my husband, he would have slapped me across the face..." Aunt Da Bao was also a little dissatisfied. This man was too arrogant, making people feel sorry for Liu Zhengfeng.

P.S.: Please recommend and add to your favorites...

(End of this chapter)