eurekapd Chapter 210 Seeking Support
Chapter 210 Seeking Support
Anyway, these matsutake mushrooms grow in the forest, so everyone will be able to see them eventually.
So Liu Weidong had no intention of hiding anything, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Yes, I was thinking that matsutake mushrooms on the mountain also grow in the forest, so I wondered if matsutake mushrooms could also grow in this forest in our village. So I tried to cultivate matsutake mushrooms in the forest, and after a few tries, it actually worked!"
The villager said enviously, "Wow, I never thought it could be like this! You've taken over this forest; the good days are yet to come!"
"It was just good luck. I only wanted to give it a try, but I didn't expect it to actually work." Liu Weidong was naturally modest. He shouldn't act innocent after getting such a good deal, as that would only make others jealous.
Secrets can't be kept in a small village. By noon, the news that matsutake mushrooms had grown in the woods allocated to Liu Weidong's family had spread like wildfire.
The villagers reacted in various ways to this unexpected event.
Most people simply envied Liu Weidong, thinking he was quick-witted enough to realize that matsutake mushrooms might grow in the woods near the village. He was willing to risk exchanging farmland for woodland; he certainly deserved to be rich.
A very small minority argued that when the village allocated the forest to Liu Weidong, there were no matsutake mushrooms growing there. Now that matsutake mushrooms have grown, the village should reclaim the forest and allow everyone to pick them.
However, this claim was immediately opposed by most people, as this forest was not originally intended to grow matsutake mushrooms. It was Liu Weidong who paid people to clear the forest and then devised a method to cultivate matsutake mushrooms, which resulted in this harvest.
It's fair to say that the growth of matsutake mushrooms in the forest was all thanks to Liu Weidong, but now they're kicking him out. This isn't just kicking someone after they've served their purpose; it's practically outright robbery!
Liu Weidong is now the hope of the entire village, and no one wants to offend him over something like this. Moreover, village chief Hao Qiang strongly supports Liu Weidong, so the village committee quickly decided that the grove of trees would belong to Liu Weidong, and all the agricultural products produced there would naturally belong to him as well.
The vast majority of villagers had no objection to the decision, but were more concerned about another matter. They quickly asked the Third Grandfather to come and ask him for clarification.
Third Grandfather was a kind-hearted man, and unable to resist everyone's pleas, he came to find Liu Weidong again, leaning on his cane.
"Oh dear, Third Grandfather, it's so hot today, come in and sit down." Liu Weidong quickly helped the old man into the house, and while he was helping him to turn on the fan, he said, "It's so hot today, I'll go get you a bottle of chilled orange juice!"
Third Grandfather quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, I'm too old to drink something so cold. Wei Dong, actually I came to see you today because I wanted to ask you something on behalf of everyone."
Liu Weidong smiled and said, "Just ask me anything, and I'll answer truthfully."
Third Grandfather nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's good. Everyone asked me to ask: Now that you can grow matsutake mushrooms in the forest yourself, will you still accept the ones they pick?"
Liu Weidong readily agreed, "Of course I'll take them! Third Grandfather, go tell everyone that the more dried matsutake mushrooms the better. I'll take as many as you have, and I mean what I say!"
Third Grandfather said happily, "That's good, that's good! Everyone was worried that if you grow matsutake mushrooms yourself, you won't be willing to pay for their mushrooms anymore!"
Liu Weidong said seriously, "I know everyone makes money this way, and we're all from the same village. I can't just focus on making money for myself; I have to help everyone else too!"
Third Grandfather nodded repeatedly and said, "That's absolutely right, Weidong! You're so sensible. Everyone will be very happy!"
In fact, Liu Weidong had already anticipated that his successful cultivation of matsutake mushrooms in the forest would attract envy from some people. He needed to continue to enhance his prestige in the village to prevent anyone from sabotaging him behind his back.
Although continuing to buy dried matsutake mushrooms was enough to maintain his status in the village, Liu Weidong decided to take an extra layer of insurance. So he said with a smile, "Third Grandfather, I heard that there are fewer and fewer matsutake mushrooms on the mountain now. Everyone has to go deep into the mountains to find as many as before?"
Speaking of this distressing matter, the Third Grandfather's wrinkles deepened, and he sighed deeply, saying, "Alas, everyone is picking matsutake mushrooms, so there's no wonder there are fewer and fewer of them. There's nothing we can do about it."
Liu Weidong said seriously, "Since everyone is working harder and harder to pick matsutake mushrooms, I should show my appreciation. How about this, the purchase price for dried matsutake mushrooms will be increased by twenty yuan per jin, making it seventy yuan per jin!"
The third great-grandfather thought he had misheard and asked with wide eyes, "How much?"
"Seventy, I mean what I say!" Liu Weidong said earnestly, "I'll go tell Jianjun later and have him buy dried matsutake mushrooms at the new price. You can also share this good news with everyone so that everyone can feel more at ease."
Third Grandfather said happily, "Oh, this is wonderful! Weidong, you haven't forgotten everyone even after you've made your fortune. On behalf of the whole village, I thank you!"
Liu Weidong said modestly, "No need to thank me, we're all from the same village, this is what I should do!"
Third Grandfather happily stood up and said, "Alright, I'll tell everyone the good news now and make everyone happy!"
"Alright, take care." Liu Weidong helped the old man out the door and asked him solicitously, "Would you like me to take you home?"
"No need, I can walk by myself!" The third great-grandfather waved his hand and went back, leaning on his cane. Hearing this good news, even his steps became lighter.
Just as Liu Weidong had predicted, everyone was incredibly grateful to him when they learned that the price of dried matsutake mushrooms had increased by another twenty yuan.
Everyone agreed that Liu Weidong was truly generous. Earning an extra twenty yuan per pound of dried matsutake mushrooms would make everyone's lives much easier.
Many people were worried about the increasing difficulty in finding matsutake mushrooms, but this good news brought them a sigh of relief. Even if fewer matsutake mushrooms are found, their income will remain roughly the same as before.
While praising Liu Weidong, people had even less objection to him taking over the grove. The grove originally yielded nothing; it was only because of Liu Weidong's efforts that matsutake mushrooms grew there, so it was only reasonable for him to keep them.
It's no exaggeration to say that most villagers rely on Liu Weidong for their extra income and have always been very supportive of him. After Liu Weidong started cultivating matsutake mushrooms, he not only didn't lower the price of dried matsutake but actually raised it, which naturally garnered even more support.
However, a village is so large that it's impossible for everyone to have the same opinion. Although the vast majority of people agreed with this, there were always a very small minority who were not convinced.
Among these people, besides Wang Jianguo and others who already had a grudge against Liu Weidong, there was also a villager named Sun Libing.