CH 40

“Wife, clean!”

Wang Liang was so ambitious that Cheng Yun couldn’t refuse, so he agreed on Yang Hongjin’s behalf . These two days, Wang Liang had nothing to do and would also tinker with wood with Yang Hongjin.

After that, because Aunt Wang lived nearby, she demonstrated how to make Sauerkraut for Cheng Yun. Cheng Yun didn’t see any problems after watching, and Aunt Wang Danni, like an examinee waiting for exam results, breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Cheng Yun’s approval.

On the other hand, because Cheng’s mother couldn’t go out and couldn’t frequently disturb her son’s family, Cheng Bao’er took full responsibility.

Bao’er was conscientious and responsible in his work, and Cheng Yun trusted him. The taste of the finished products made by Bao’er was exactly the same as when he made them himself.

Everything was prepared properly, and now they were waiting for the village chief to announce the news publicly so they could get started.

At night, after Cheng Yun finished organizing everything and turned off the lights to lie in bed, his mind was still filled with various miscellaneous matters. Suddenly, Yang Hongjin, who was lying beside him, softly called out, “Wife.”

At first, Cheng Yun didn’t pay attention, but Yang Hongjin furrowed his brow and raised his voice slightly, calling out again. Only then did Cheng Yun snap back to reality, “Hmm?”

Hearing his wife respond, Yang Hongjin became happy. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy it for long. The thought of Cheng Yun being busy these past few days, with many people coming in and out of the house, made his smile fade away.

Cheng Yun waited for a while but didn’t hear Yang Hongjin say anything. He turned his head and glanced at him, only to meet a pair of pitiful eyes.

Cheng Yun burst into laughter and instantly stopped thinking about work. He turned to face Yang Hongjin, pinched his face, and coaxed him like a child, saying, “What’s wrong? Who made my Hongjin unhappy?”

Yang Hongjin’s eyes immediately lit up, and he seemed much happier. However, in an instant, his mood dampened again. He couldn’t hide his concerns and spoke frankly, “My wife ignores me.”

Cheng Yun, who was becoming more and more familiar with Yang Hongjin, thought for a moment and could probably guess what he was upset about. He chuckled lightly, lifted Yang Hongjin’s chin, and pinched his cheeks to make them look like an octopus mouth, intentionally saying, “How am I ignoring you? Look, I’m talking to you right now, aren’t I?”

(Siv: I really don’t know what to make of this. I think it means pouty?(ᗒᗩᗕ))

Yang Hongjin became dissatisfied upon hearing this and listed numerous examples of how Cheng Yun had been busy talking to others these past two days and ignoring him, explaining them in detail.

Cheng Yun found it amusing to listen, but then he realized that he had indeed been too busy to pay attention to Yang Hongjin these past few days. As Yang Hongjin pointed out, he seemed to remember several instances when Yang Hongjin called him, but he was too preoccupied and forgot about it.

There was a slight sense of guilt in his heart, but seeing Yang Hongjin’s serious expression, Cheng Yun couldn’t resist teasing him.

“I’m not ignoring you. It’s just that many people are looking for me. They can only see me during the day, but you can see me all day long and sleep with me at night. Doesn’t that make it balanced?” Cheng Yun almost convinced himself with his reasoning.

But Yang Hongjin couldn’t be fooled. His logic was clear, and he asserted more resolutely, “But you’re my wife!”

Thus, Cheng Yun had nothing to say in response.”

Cheng Yun coaxed softly and gently for a while, making various assurances that he would never ignore Yang Hongjin in the future. The corners of Yang Hongjin’s mouth gradually lifted as a result. Fortunately, he wasn’t difficult to appease. Just a few words from his wife could make him happy for a long time. The way Cheng Yun was coaxing him now exceeded his previous experiences.

However, Cheng Yun also felt happy while coaxing. As he pinched Yang Hongjin’s face and hands, his actions and tone carried an intimacy that he himself hadn’t noticed.

Their voices grew softer as they spoke, and their distance closed. Cheng Yun, exhausted from a busy day, fell asleep while holding onto Yang Hongjin’s arm.

The simpleton muttered softly, “Wife,” and Cheng Yun, in a drowsy state, responded with a muffled sound. After a while, he called out softly again. Once Cheng Yun was completely lost in sleepiness, Yang Hongjin gathered his courage, leaned closer, and planted a kiss on Cheng Yun’s face.

Yang Hongjin acted swiftly, immediately retracting and covering his mouth, carefully observing Cheng Yun’s reaction. He discovered that his wife was still sound asleep, blissfully unaware, like a child enjoying a stolen treat.

He patiently waited for a while, realizing that his stomach wasn’t hurting. His joy soared even higher, and he couldn’t help but act smugly. He whispered, pressing against Cheng Yun’s ear, “Wife, clean!”

Early the next morning, after breakfast, the large gong in front of the village chief’s house rang out.

The villagers of Tie Village looked at each other, as they hadn’t heard of any announcements before. So, not in a hurry to go to the fields, they headed in the direction of the village chief’s house.

Cheng Yun didn’t expect the village chief to act so quickly. After stuffing a meat bun into Yang Hongjin’s mouth, he grabbed one for himself and they set off towards the village chief’s house.

In just a quarter of an hour, a crowd had gathered under the trees in front of the village chief’s house. It was rare for couples like Cheng Yun and Yang Hongjin to come together. Most families sent only one representative, yet there were still many people in attendance.

Aunt Wang and Wang Liang also arrived. They found Cheng Yun and greeted him before Aunt Wang whispered, “Did you go to see the village chief? Is he going to talk about our matter today?”

Cheng Yun nodded. “It should be.”

Aunt Wang’s face was filled with anticipation, her eyes gleaming. Wang Liang beside her had the same expression, staring intently at the village chief, amusing Cheng Yun.

Seeing that everyone had almost arrived, the village chief wasted no time. Clearing his throat, he confidently announced, “Today, I gathered everyone here to inform you of something. I won’t waste your working time and will be direct.”

“Our village’s Cheng-Ge’er recently negotiated a deal with the owner of Yueqiong Tower in town. He will now be supplying them with several vegetables, primarily white radishes, mustard greens, and chili peppers. In the future, they may require other vegetables as well. If any of you have excess produce to sell, you can sell it to Cheng-Ge’er. I will help determine the prices: two yuan for white radishes per catty, three yuan for mustard greens per catty, and eight yuan for chili peppers per catty. Go home and calculate. If you have anything to sell, wash it and deliver it to Cheng-Ge’er’s house.”

The village chief succinctly conveyed the message, and after listening, the people fell momentarily silent before starting to whisper among themselves.

Cheng Yun stood aside, nodding in gratitude to the village chief from a distance. The people near him glanced at him from time to time and began whispering to the person next to them.

Everyone was extremely surprised by what the village chief had said. First, they didn’t expect Cheng-Ge’er to have such abilities. Although there were rumors about his activities in town, rumors were just rumors, and no one took them seriously. After all, who could have imagined that Cheng-Ge’er, who used to be looked down upon, would have such skills?

But now, he had successfully negotiated a real business deal and brought good news to the village. Everyone was taken aback.

“What do you think of this? Could it be fake?”

“The village chief has spoken. Can it still be fake? Anyone can lie, but the village chief wouldn’t deceive us.”

“Two yuan per catty for white radishes, three yuan per catty for mustard greens. That’s one yuan cheaper than what they sell in town. Will you sell?”

“Do you think Cheng-Ge’er wants to buy our produce and resell it to Yueqiong Tower?”

“Well, it’s his ability. Can you negotiate with Yueqiong Tower and secure the purchase of our village’s white radishes and mustard greens?”

“So, are you going to sell or not? I’m not very confident, and besides, they sell for a higher price in town. I can sell them all in just a couple of trips.”

“Did you not hear? The village chief said he set the prices. I guess it’s to save us time and effort. Anyway, I don’t care. I have plenty of white radishes at home. I’ll go ask Cheng-Ge’er later if he still needs them.”

…

As the discussions grew more lively, some who already grew these vegetables and had plenty of stock returned home after a few words to discuss the matter with their families. However, some people were unwilling to sell at a lower price, while many others adopted a wait-and-see attitude, intending to see how others fared in their sales.

Cheng Yun didn’t care about what they thought, nor did he have the energy to respond to each one. After the village chief announced that they could disperse, he walked back home with Yang Hongjin and Aunt Wang.

Upon reaching home, Aunt Wang looked worried as not many people had come. Cheng Yun noticed her concern and reassured her, “Don’t worry, people will come. Besides, even if no one comes, I can still fetch the goods from town. It’ll just be a bit more troublesome on the way.”

“But… hey…” Aunt Wang had been learning to make Sauerkraut at Cheng Yun’s house these past few days and knew some details about his business deal with Liu Wen. Naturally, she knew that if they had to fetch the goods from town, it would cost more money than obtaining them directly from the village.

She thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t I go talk to them? I have a good relationship with several households in the village. I can ask them to contribute a bit.”

Cheng Yun smiled helplessly. “It’s not necessary. Let’s wait a bit. Maybe…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a strong man appeared not far away, carrying two baskets filled with white radishes.

He hurriedly approached them and stopped in front of the group, panting and wiping the sweat off his forehead. With a hint of nervousness, he said, “Cheng-Ge’er, are you buying white radishes? Do you think these are suitable? You can pick as many as you want, and if it’s not enough, I have more at home.”

Cheng Yun recognized him as the burly man who had stood not far from him earlier, loudly proclaiming that he would sell radishes to them.

If Cheng Yun remembered correctly, this person’s name was Chen Fang, and his family relied on vegetable farming for a living. Cheng Yun had seen him go to town several times before and occasionally, he would also see him carrying vegetables to sell in town.

When Cheng Yun conducted his investigation, Chen Fang was one of the targeted individuals on his list.

There were quite a few people like him in the village who relied on selling vegetables in town. It was a difficult and thankless job. They would work tirelessly all day to sell only around ten catty of vegetables, barely enough to make ends meet. Sometimes, when business was slow, they would take out a certain amount in the morning and end up bringing back almost the same quantity in the afternoon. Vegetables didn’t last long, and the rotten ones could only be eaten by themselves. If there was too much, they would end up incurring losses.

But now, Cheng Yun had cleared their entire stock in one go, saving them the trouble of picking and selling. Although the selling price was slightly lower than in town, considering the portion that would have rotted over time, they still made a profit overall. When Chen Fang heard this news, he immediately went back home and informed his family. Everyone urged him to hurry and pick some vegetables, afraid that they would miss the opportunity if they were too late.

Cheng Yun smiled and agreed, asking the man to bring the radishes to his doorstep. After a simple inspection, he weighed them using a scale he had prepared in advance. “This basket weighs 23.8 catties, and the other one weighs 25.7 catties. Let’s round it up to a total of 50 catties. One catty of white radishes costs two yuan. So, the total comes to 100 yuan. Here, collect the money.”

Chen Fang couldn’t believe how simple the whole thing was. A hundred yuan which would take him three or four days to earn in town, was now sold all at once, and he had the money in his hands!

He received the money handed over by Cheng Yun, tightly gripping it in his hands. Being a straightforward person, all he knew was to repeatedly bow in gratitude and help Cheng Yun carry all the white radishes into the house.

Cheng Yun felt a bit embarrassed by the man’s actions but didn’t stop him from helping. If he didn’t give him something to do, he might not feel at ease.

Carrying two empty baskets, Chen Fang’s expression was no longer tense like before. After asking Cheng Yun if he needed anything else and receiving the reply, “I’ll take as much as you bring,” he happily ran back home. Now, they could empty all the accumulated white radishes in their house at once!

Some people who were returning home after dispersing from the village chief’s place saw this scene. Their previously anxious hearts instantly calmed down. They glanced at each other and then hurriedly ran home, hoping to find some surplus vegetables to sell.

Author’s note:

Yang Hongjin: Emjoy more bites of clean things! Muah =3=