Chapter 260: Miss He's Deterrent Power

Can we first get the fertilizer and pesticide without having to pay?

With such a good deal, what are we waiting for!

Inside the Tudimiao, the crowd was buzzing.

"Gu Xixi! My family just planted millet; count me in—I'll follow you from now on!"

"Me too! Me too! My family has four mu of land!"

"Can my wife's maiden family also be included together?"

……

Gu Xixi finally promised, "All those present who wish to participate may do so."

"Once the workshop runs normally, even if business grows and we may sell to more people later, we will still prioritize supplying Huachi Du Cun."

The crowd cheered.

He Jinglan then said, "Those who need to buy on credit, I will be responsible for drafting the contracts."

"I'll also say some things clearly in advance."

"First, buying on credit doesn't mean you don't have to pay; once the contract is signed, Gu Xixi can sue those who maliciously owe money at the Government Office."

"For minor offenses, the County Office will confiscate property, sell houses and land to compensate the debt and interest."

"For serious offenses, not only will property be confiscated and compensation required, but the offender will also be sentenced to exile."

"So everyone had better consider this in advance; Gu Xixi's offer to buy on credit is meant to give financially strained villagers a fair chance, hoping everyone will have food to eat and money to spend."

"Those who can afford cash should just buy and use it outright, rather than fuss over the minor compensation of having half the debt waived."

The scene fell silent, not even a sparrow's chirp.

He Jinglan said solemnly, "This is my second point."

"If anyone tries to be clever, looking for loopholes to grab that half-debt waiver, I advise you to give it up."

"Since Gu Xixi dares to say this, she has confidence that you'll be able to repay the goods on schedule after the autumn harvest."

"So if someone buys on credit but then says one thing and does another, and is discovered not to have farmed according to the method, causing the final harvest to fall short of expectations,"

"they must not only bear responsibility and repay the full debt, but the interest for overdue payment will be raised to two fen."

"From now on, Gu Xixi will not give him any chance to receive help again!"

He Jinglan, having said this, satisfiedly saw the fervent atmosphere on site fade away.

She is just here to play the good cop for Gu Xixi.

Ugly words must be spoken up front, especially to warn those who clearly can afford fertilizer yet scheme to get something for nothing and try to exploit loopholes.

Finally, He Jinglan smiled, her tone softening a bit: "Actually, working together, being simple and sincere is good for everyone; there's no need to always overcomplicate things."

"For example, others who farm diligently can harvest five or six hundred catties, but if you act recklessly, even if Gu Xixi doesn't mind waiving half your debt, the result is that your grain yield will be much less than theirs."

"Which is more important, you can weigh for yourself."

Lao Qian stood aside watching, nodding silently; his consideration was so thorough that it balanced rich and poor while combining kindness with authority.

Now he could finally relax.

He confirmed with Gu Xixi that he had finished speaking, then raised his voice to the crowd:

"Did everyone hear that?"

"As for the opportunity, the Gu clan's niece has already given it; the pros and cons have been clearly explained by Miss He."

"Whether to do it or not, and how to do it—go back and discuss among yourselves."

"Tomorrow, at the outdoor drying field, those who need to buy on credit should come find me; once I approve, you can sign the contract on the spot with Miss He."

As the Village Chief, he best understood the circumstances of every household in Huachi Du Cun.

Adding another checkpoint through him, no one should try to muddy the waters and bring shame to the whole village!

After Lao Qian finished speaking, the venue filled with a buzz of discussion.

Although things had been unpleasant before, several Gu clan heads were the first to state their position.

"We've discussed it; we'll follow Boss Gu. We also decided not to buy on credit, but to buy and use immediately."

"However, there might still be two or three families in our clan with difficult circumstances; we'll ask them when we go back and let them decide for themselves."

Gu Xixi smiled and assented.

The Gu clan's current elder, whose hair was already white, looked admiringly at Gu Xixi and said, "You've done well—you've looked after the poor without harming yourself through excessive kindness."

Gu Xixi laughed and said, "Actually, most people think the same way."

"After all the hard work of farming, isn't it just to harvest more grain, to eat well and stay warm?"

"I also believe that once everyone calms down, they will naturally figure out what they truly want."

"A clan official sighed, 'What we're saying is that for farming families, land and crops are the roots passed down through generations; compared to that, a mere half-debt waiver is nothing.'"

The Gu clan elder smiled at Gu Xixi and said, "As I told you before, we hold a local clan gathering after every summer harvest."

"Because of wars and such, it's been postponed until now."

Gu Xixi exclaimed in surprise, "This… is it… going to hold a clan gathering?"

The Gu clan elder nodded with a smile, "The date is set for three days from now; we will formally invite you to attend the clan gathering as one of the organizers."

Gu Xixi had previously served as an organizer and harbored a retaliatory intent.

Now bringing it up again, she finds it a bit troublesome and doesn't really want to go.

Now mentioning it again, she finds it a bit of a hassle and doesn't really want to go.

"I'm young; otherwise I'd rather have someone else take it…"

"Eh, not allowed." The Gu clan elder waved his hand, saying, "What's there to fear about being young? It's rare that you're young and capable—it's even the glory of the Gu clan."

The old man broke into a teasing smile, "Or is it that you hold a grudge against those fellows for their foolish deeds and don't want to see them?"

The old man showed a teasing smile, "Or are you saying that you resent them for the foolish things they did, and you don't want to see them?"

"No, no," Gu Xixi hurriedly shook her head, "We agreed back then to turn the page, and that means it's in the past."

"Three days from now, right? I will definitely attend the clan meeting."

Earlier, to apologize, the head of the Gu Clan also invited Village Chief Lao Qian and his wife, Qian Daxian.

The Gu Clan Elder specially made a formal invitation to Lao Qian once again.

As the two spoke, villagers kept coming over to greet Gu Xixi.

Among them, some directly decided to buy fertilizer.

There were also those whose families were truly poor, fearlessly deciding to buy on credit and strive.

Of course, there were also some whose financial situation was not good, hesitating, and they needed to go home and discuss with the whole family before deciding.

But no matter what, everyone was very attentive; except for Gu Youfu, who left first, no one was willing to leave temporarily.

Several households on good terms gathered together, offering each other ideas.

Some were looking forward to the future.

Some recalled the key points from the earlier 'lecture' and had already begun studying.

Still others gathered in groups of three or five, agreeing to go find Lao Qian later to jointly interpret the 'secret formula' he had just recorded……

The atmosphere was livelier than during the spring festival at the Tudimiao.

What seemed like a modest millet actually brought the thoughts of the entire village to an unprecedented unity.

When Master Liu entered, the villagers all smiled and greeted him,

Master Liu introduced the young man beside him, 'This is my cousin; he came first to visit relatives, and second, entrusted by someone, to bring some items to our village's Gu boss.'

Gu Xixi was currently the center of attention; immediately someone helped point the way, loudly saying, 'Gu Xixi is over there!'

Everyone turned in unison toward Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi looked bewildered, watching the two approach her.