Chapter 128: A New Outlook on the Village
"I'll inform the village head to recruit people for the packaging job tomorrow. You don't need to go tea - picking. You and your mom can do it at home," Huo Cheng's voice was as calm as ever.
The girl was a bit surprised. "Really? Both my mom and I can?"
The girl's excitement puzzled Gu Sisi beside her. After getting an absolute yes, the girl quickened her pace back home. One could tell from her back that she was happy.
"Are you so caring about her because you have a crush on her?" Gu Sisi squinted and wore a mischievous smile.
As soon as Huo Cheng turned around, he saw Gu Sisi, who was seemingly "jealous".
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" he asked calmly.
Seeing her pout secretly and whisper, "It's up to you."
He pulled her into his arms and explained seriously, "There are only three people in Xiaocui's family. An old grandma stays at home and her mom is disabled. Almost all the financial pressure of the family falls on her. The old and the young can't earn much. If there's one more laborer, her family will be much more relaxed."
"Why are you so concerned about that family?" Although Gu Sisi understood, she couldn't help but think more.
"There's no special reason. It would be the same for anyone else," Huo Cheng looked at her seriously. The atmosphere between them suddenly became a bit strange.
It seemed like a confession. Gu Sisi's heart suddenly raced. She stared blankly into Huo Cheng's eyes.
"You're the only special one," Huo Cheng's lips moved. Before Gu Sisi's ears could react, there was a sudden coolness on her lips. His thin lips covered hers.
Without any extra thoughts, they were indulged in this contact. Both were passionate and eager. As it got dark, there were a lot of tea leaves piled up outside, but the door was tightly closed.
Less than a week passed, and Gu Sisi noticed that the villagers had quietly changed.
First of all, it was their spirit. Now they were like they had been injected with stimulants. Everyone was in a hurry, but they were more enthusiastic. Everyone would greet her when they saw her.
They called her "sister - in - law" affectionately, as if she was really their sister - in - law.
If it weren't for the fresh memory of a week ago, Gu Sisi would never have thought that they were the kind of people who would do such things.
The way people addressed Huo Cheng also changed.
The original "Brother Biao", which carried a bit of a tough - guy flavor, was uniformly changed to the more refined "Mr. Wang".
Moreover, Huo Cheng's prestige had increased a lot. For all matters big and small in the village, the villagers would come to Gu Sisi to discuss.
Gradually, Gu Sisi no longer felt so insecure.
"Sister - in - law!" someone shouted outside.
Gu Sisi walked out. It was a familiar face, but she couldn't remember the name.
"What's up?" She paused. "He said he went down the mountain for something related to the tea business."
The other person said enthusiastically, "Please tell Mr. Wang that the third family at the village entrance is getting married. You guys must come then!"
Gu Sisi opened her mouth in surprise. All her words were condensed into one: "Is it you?"
The young man's dark skin blushed slightly. He nodded vigorously and then ran away shyly.
"Be sure to come tomorrow!"
...
Gu Sisi thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until Huo Cheng came back that she told him about it.
She also asked, "This marriage doesn't seem like buying a bride!"
Huo Cheng nodded. He took out tea cakes from the sealed packaging bags, brewed two cups of tea, and put them on the table. The steaming mist spread.
Huo Cheng's words seemed a bit ethereal.
"I heard from others in the village that he's marrying a girl from a family down the mountain."
"Really?" Gu Sisi was a bit surprised.
Huo Cheng stopped while holding the teacup. His eyes were distant. "His family asked someone to thank me, saying that I gave them hope. The two young people had been in a relationship for a long time, but the girl's family didn't agree because they thought his family was poor and unreliable."
"Are they not poor now?" Gu Sisi was a bit stunned.
Huo Cheng shook his head. "There's still a gap between the two families, but it seems that they have confidence in the boy's family now. They think the young man has started to work hard and is reliable."
Gu Sisi didn't know what to say. She sipped the tea from the cup gently.
Huo Cheng had good judgment. The tea from the mountain tasted good. Gu Sisi thought to herself and finally understood why Huo Cheng had such high prestige.
It wasn't just about making more money. He had almost changed the future of the whole small mountain village.
The original small mountain village was barren and even had no future.
Now, although no one had become rich, the future seemed to have a goal. Everyone was radiant.
Gu Sisi secretly glanced at Huo Cheng and was in awe of him.
One person had changed a small mountain village in just one week. What kind of magic was this!
Huo Cheng gently put down his cup and looked at the woman who was secretly and openly sizing him up with amusement.
"Just found out I'm super handsome today?" Huo Cheng joked.
Gu Sisi nodded blankly and then shook her head vigorously.
"No, you've always been handsome. I'm just curious. Don't you think the change in this village is too fast?"
Now Gu Sisi still couldn't figure out why. It was hard for a single person to change so quickly, let alone an entire village.
Huo Cheng stared at the tea in the cup, as if in a daze.
Gu Sisi thought he wouldn't answer. Just as she was about to change the topic, he spoke softly.
"Poverty is the root of all evils."
They didn't say anything more. Gu Sisi also fell into deep thought.
She knew what Huo Cheng meant. It was no doubt related to crime. It seemed that such things would no longer happen in this village.
The next day, all the villagers stopped working. This was their first break after hard work and also a rare happy event for the whole village.
For this reason, Huo Cheng covered all the costs of the wedding drinks.
There was no other reason. He was just rich.
The groom was in tears, giving his words of thanks. "If it weren't for Mr. Wang giving me the chance to make money, I might not be able to get married. Thank you, really thank you."
The groom was not good at expressing himself. After his words, he bowed three times in the direction where Huo Cheng was sitting.
Gu Sisi grabbed Huo Cheng's hand and gasped. Why was all the attention at this wedding on Huo Cheng?
From the start of the meal until now, people had been constantly offering toasts to Huo Cheng. Gu Sisi watched as cup after cup was emptied. She couldn't help but worry.
Sure enough, as soon as the groom finished his thanks.
Someone proposed, "Come on, we should also thank Mr. Wang. Let's toast him together."
"Yes!" Everyone responded and raised their glasses.
Huo Cheng didn't decline. He drank it all in one gulp.
"Don't drink too much," Gu Sisi whispered. In her memory, Huo Cheng had never been drunk and rarely drank.
Seeing that his face remained unchanged, maybe he had a high alcohol tolerance. But no matter how high it was, he couldn't stand so many people taking turns to toast him!
Gu Sisi frowned and directly snatched the cup.
"No more drinking!" Gu Sisi was serious, but in Huo Cheng's eyes, she looked like an angry little hamster.
He laughed. As if a bit drunk, he gently leaned on Gu Sisi's shoulder. His hot breath sprayed on Gu Sisi's ear. "Are you worried that I'll do something bad after getting drunk?"