The surrounding villagers whispered and made a lot of noise, clearly not believing what Huo Duan, this fool, was saying.
Seeing this, Huo Duan could only tug at Gu Fengyan's sleeve and whisper in his ear, "Young Master Gu, I really can't do this. People think I'm stupid. You do it."
"What will we do about writing later?" Gu Fengyan suddenly remembered that Huo Duan had never studied.
If he were to write a few words, it would scare the villagers to death.
Huo Duan was stunned for a moment... He had really forgotten about this. If he had known, he wouldn't have run away last night. He should have taught Gu Fengyan something at least.
But in that situation, who could control themselves? If they reacted in any way they shouldn't, they might as well die.
"It's all your fault." Huo Duan glanced at Gu Fengyan and said coldly.
Gu Fengyan was puzzled. "Hey, why are you blaming me? Can you blame me for not knowing how to write with a soft brush? Can you?"
Huo Duan snorted, "I taught you that a long time ago, if it weren't for you..."
He only got halfway through his sentence.
"What's wrong with me? Don't talk nonsense, this has nothing to do with me..." Gu Fengyan muttered, not taking it to heart.
Wait a minute... He suddenly remembered Huo Duan's unusual behavior last night.
The two were very intimate at the time, and it was at night.
Could Huo Duan be...?
Gu Fengyan looked at Huo Duan with a strange expression.
"What's wrong with me? Do I have flowers on my face?" Huo Duan was quite uncomfortable.
Gu Fengyan suddenly seemed to realize something and pulled Huo Duan away, turning his back to her. He lowered his voice even further and said, "Mr. Huo, we're family, so let's not be so formal. But, you wouldn't happen to... be gay, would you?"
A note from the author:
Mr. Huo: I'm straight! I'm really straight!
Young Master Gu: Are you sure you are? (He kisses President Huo on the lips)
Long, long after:
Mr. Huo: Wife, wife, wife, wife, I love you the most!! (Still wanting more)
Gu Shao: Ha, straight man. (Calmly pushes away the clingy CEO Huo) Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-06-11 23:27:58 and 2022-06-12 23:25:28!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Twenty
Huo Duan felt his blood rushing to the top of his head; if he were a kettle, it would be bubbling away.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" He suddenly looked up, glanced around, and said in a panic, "I'm straight!"
Gu Fengyan was startled by his sudden outburst.
"So what if you're straight? I won't do anything if you're really gay..." He looked Huo Duan up and down and laughed, "We're practically family, right?"
Huo Duan awkwardly pushed him away slightly, "Ahem... Don't talk nonsense at this time, let's get down to business."
After saying that, he fled to the table and spread out his brush and ink.
The people below whispered among themselves, their curious gazes following Huo Duan's every move.
"What is Erdan doing with the paper? Is he going to write something?" a villager asked, puzzled.
Another villager chimed in, "How could he possibly know how to write? The Huo family is so poor, how could they possibly afford to send him to school?"
"But look at that paper, it's snow-white, and the ink is obviously of good quality, much better than what the students in the village use. I'm afraid it's not cheap."
"Oh, really? Has Erdan's family really struck it rich?"
After a few words, the villagers' gazes shifted from Huo Duan's face to the things he was fiddling with... The few students in the village used cheap yellow paper, and their ink was just scraps of paper, not to mention inkstones.
These nice items aren't cheap, so the fact that Erdan can afford them... suggests he must have made some money in business.
The group sighed in disbelief, and began to believe Huo Duan's business acumen, inevitably becoming somewhat tempted to try their luck.
Gu Fengyan seized the opportunity and tapped the table, "Dear uncles, aunts and sisters-in-law, please listen to me for a few words."
Suddenly, all the villagers were staring at this once-famous figure.
Gu Fengyan was a man who had seen a lot, so he was not intimidated. He continued, "If you are not sure about Erdan and I recruiting workers, you can ask the village head and my aunt... We would never lie to you."
The villagers then remembered Huo Xiuling, who had been living quietly on the sidelines, and swarmed around her, bombarding her with questions.
“Sister-in-law, is what Yan-ge’er said true…”
"Did Erdan really start doing business with the pharmacies and restaurants in the county?"
"Sigh, have they made a fortune?"
...
Huo Xiuling was surrounded by villagers asking her questions all at once. She had been quite nervous at first, but seeing that they were all neighbors and acquaintances, she calmed down and answered each question one by one.
After a round of discussions, apart from a few lazybones who were all talk and no action, the villagers' doubts completely disappeared. Seeing Gu Fengyan sit down and pick up his pen, they all eagerly gathered around him, afraid of being too late.
"I'll go first. My brother's free, and so is my wife, so that's two people..."
"Including my dad, that makes three people!"
The low table was pushed and shoved around, and Gu Fengyan was almost knocked over.
"Uncles and aunts, Yan-ge and I are looking for people who recognize medicinal herbs... If you do, come and line up so Yan-ge can write down your names. If you don't, there will be another chance next time," Huo Duan said, supporting the small table with one hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, most of the people dispersed in frustration, while the rest looked delighted, as if they had gotten a great deal.
When the queue reached the front, Gu Fengyan held the small wolf-hair brush tremblingly, unable to put pen to paper. He could only tug at Huo Duan's sleeve, "What should I do? I can't write!"
“When you’re on the front lines, you have to do it, even if you don’t want to, and besides…” Huo Duan was still feeling awkward and didn’t intend to pay attention to Gu Fengyan, but when he saw the troubled look on his face, he couldn’t hold back anymore. “Young Master Gu, do you believe that they’ll praise your handwriting? Go ahead and write it, it’s okay, I’ll protect you!” Huo Duan then took the opportunity to pinch his fingertips and place them on the table.
"Stop being so lovey-dovey, you two. Your wives are watching. Get back to writing." This little gesture was noticed by several young wives lining up at the table.
Since everyone's faces were familiar, he casually made a joke.
Gu Fengyan's face flushed, and she lightly kicked Huo Duan's shin with her toe, but her expression remained unchanged. "What you say is true, sister-in-law. How many people are in your family? Do you all know about medicinal herbs?"
“Including my mother-in-law, there are only two people in my family. Don’t worry, Yan Ge’er. I grew up in Heqing Village and I know all the medicinal herbs and mountain products. I could probably pick a couple for you in my dreams…” the familiar-looking woman said.
Gu Fengyan smiled and said, "Alright, we'll take any medicinal herbs you can get. Just send them to the Huo family..."
While the two were chatting, Gu Fengyan wrote down his name in a crooked and messy manner.
Huo Duan felt something brush against his calf, but it turned out to be Gu Fengyan's toe retracting.
He stared intently at Gu Fengyan, a sensation shooting up his calf, an itch that ran through him, a feeling like tender buds sprouting in his heart, a slight pain like ants biting, a bittersweet fullness about to burst forth.
Was this person trying to seduce him, or was he not even there? Huo Duan wondered.
The line stretched out in a long queue. Huo Xiuling stood to the side and watched. After removing some good-for-nothings and lazybones, she wrote down the names of fifteen people in total.
The crowd had mostly dispersed, and the last two people at the table were Zhao, Shen Dingshan's wife whom Gu Fengyan had met on his last trip up the mountain, and Yu from the east end of the village.
Zhao smiled broadly, "Yan-ge'er, count me in, I know about medicinal herbs."
Ms. Yu then added, "There are two in my family, me and the child's father."
Gu Fengyan looked at the two of them. Zhao Shi had been sarcastic to him last time, while Yu Shi was also good at stirring up trouble.
What goes around comes around, and it's quite a surprise to see them all smiling now.
"That's enough people, you two sisters-in-law can go back now." Without Huo Xiuling needing to remind him, Gu Fengyan knew what kind of people these two were, so he rolled up the paper full of names without even looking up.
Zhao's face immediately darkened. "There are only a few people. That Xue family's daughter-in-law was ahead of me in line just now, and you didn't refuse her. So you think I'm easy to bully?!"
Gu Fengyan was exhausted after a long day and didn't even want to glance at her. He spoke bluntly, "Sister-in-law, we have specific requirements for hiring. Knowing medicinal herbs is one thing... but you also need to be quick, meticulous, and not talkative. Sister-in-law, go around asking each villager, which of these qualities do you possess?"
This time, not only Zhao's face darkened, but Yu's face also turned black. "Yan'er, it's fine if you talk about her, but to do this indirectly and insult her like this, do you think your sister-in-law is easy to fool?! You've only earned a few measly coins, and you dare to look down on people like that?!"
As soon as she opened her loud voice, all the busybodies gathered around and whispered among themselves.
“Sister-in-law, Yan’er has made his point clear enough. There’s no need for him to make a scene with us. You should weigh your own words and see which side Yan’er is on your side.” Huo Duan saw that she was throwing a tantrum, so he quickly pulled Gu Fengyan up and hid her behind him like a protective mother.
Not giving up, Madam Yu sneered, "Oh, you idiot Erdan, why do I see you're not an idiot anymore! Don't think that just because you're an idiot I won't dare to do anything to you!!"
It's time to roll up our sleeves.
At this time, more and more people gathered to watch the spectacle. Once they saw that it was Madam Yu and Madam Zhao, everyone knew exactly what was going on.
In the village, everyone sees each other all the time, and any news about someone spreads faster than wings.
Those who knew the inside story said, "Sister Yu and Sister Zhao, you two shouldn't meddle. Sister Yu's family's bowls are left unwashed for two days, not to mention your husband's clothes haven't been washed for a month... The grass in the wheat field is so thick it could eat people, how dare you say you're hardworking? If you were really hardworking, you'd be ashamed to death!"
The crowd burst into laughter.
The Yu family was a formidable woman. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to tear out the gossip. "Which bastard is spouting nonsense here?! If you have the guts, come out and let me see how many mouths you have!"
A group of people are just watching the show; they're unlikely to actually step forward.
On the contrary, Zhao Shi, who was standing by, stopped talking... She was really afraid that if she continued, these gossipy people would slander her.
"Sister-in-law, let's go. People look down on us. Don't stay here and make a fool of yourself by offering your warm welcome." She tugged at Yu Shi.
Madam Yu was a smart woman who knew when to stop, but she couldn't swallow her anger. She said sarcastically to Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan, "You've only made a few bucks and you dare to look down on people? Who knows if your business will even last..."
"Please take care, sisters-in-law," Gu Fengyan said with a smile, not wanting to hold a grudge.
This angered Madam Yu so much that she glared at her again.
After Yu and Zhao left, the villagers at the village entrance all went home to catch up on their work.
Huo Xiuling knew what kind of person Madam Yu was, but she was still worried and said anxiously, "Madam Yu has always been a formidable person. If Yan'er has offended her, I'm afraid she'll do something bad behind my back... You two should be careful."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. She's just using those little tricks. Duan and I will keep an eye on her." Gu Fengyan wasn't worried at all.
Huo Xiuling nodded. "That's fine then."
Huo Duan squeezed in front of Gu Fengyan and asked, "You have a grudge against those two people?"
“Last time I went up the mountain with Jiang Xuerui, she was being sarcastic towards Jiang Xuerui. I couldn’t stand it, so I said a few words in her defense… Worried about me? Don’t worry, Mr. Huo, I’m capable of handling these kinds of family matters.” Gu Fengyan winked at Huo Duan and smiled, “We have important things to do tonight, so let’s take the table and go.”
Gu Fengyan felt quite helpless. He and Huo Duan, both domineering CEOs, had gotten caught up in these trivial family matters.
But considering they both know how to farm, what are these trivial family matters?