Indirectly Saving the Nation

Qiu Qi didn’t intend to reveal the drought, because no one would believe him now, and if he were to be accused of spreading rumors and arrested by the authorities, it would be troublesome.

But he couldn’t just stand by and watch Dong Bai Village suffer. For his own peaceful life later, the only thing Qiu Qi could do was to “indirectly save the nation” by helping the villagers preserve some grain before the drought hit, giving them a chance to survive.

In addition, he also had to help Zhong Fu Shu maintain his position as Village Head. Because in the plot, the villagers of Dong Bai Village, greedy for high grain prices, sold all their stored grain, leading to them helplessly watching as the drought hit the following year. In the end, the Zhou family, who had prepared early, stepped forward to help everyone, gaining gratitude and laying the foundation for Old Zhou to become the Village Head.

This time, with him here, such a thing definitely couldn’t happen. Otherwise, with the bad relationship between the Zhong family and the Zhou family, he would certainly not have a single peaceful day later.

Hearing Zhong Fu Shu say he wanted to ask about his business, Qiu Qi immediately took out a plan for opening a grain store. This was something he had specially prepared to appease Zhong Fu Shu. The original owner used to sneak into the private school to eavesdrop on lessons when he was young and happened to know how to write.

“…The store, business, expenses, and so on, I’ve all thought them through carefully. I mainly sell grain to external merchant caravans, so Elder Uncle can rest assured, it’s a fair deal, no one will cheat me. The specifics are all written here; Elder Uncle can take his time to read. My main problem is procuring grain, and I want to ask Elder Uncle to help me contact the villagers.”

“For the grain procurement price, I won’t let the villagers suffer losses. If any family in the village has relatives outside who want to sell, I will also buy. I will stop once I’ve spent all the silver in my hands.”

The black bear and tiger were already valuable, and when hunting, he also ensured the integrity of their hides. The Zhou family, who dealt in wild game meat year-round, knew many wealthy gentlemen. Adding the remaining wild boars, mountain goats, deer… it was estimated that this time he could harvest about a thousand taels, enough to procure all the grain in Dong Bai Village and still have some left over.

Zhong Fu Shu looked at the plan in his hand, nodding repeatedly. Yu Ge Er’s idea was very good, and the plan was very detailed and feasible. He had put in effort and thought, and it was commendable.

But villagers valued stability, and doing business ultimately carried too much risk. Yu Ge Er was still young, and he was very worried. A Ge’er going into business felt a bit like a fantasy, too unrealistic.

“Yu Ge Er, your idea, Elder Uncle thinks it’s very good, but doing business carries too much risk. You are a Ge’er; how can you go out and socialize, discussing business with people? In Elder Uncle’s opinion, let’s not do business. After settling the casino matter, why not use the remaining silver to renovate the house, buy a few more mu of land, and become a landlord for an easier life? Don’t get involved in all this trouble…”

“It’s alright. When it’s time to discuss business, my husband will go. I plan to take a husband into the family,” Qiu Qi added calmly.

He had just subdued the Zhong family; their addiction to being the head of the household hadn’t worn off yet. He absolutely couldn’t change the power dynamic.

“What? You really want to take a husband into the family?”

Zhong Fu Shu was startled again upon hearing this. He thought Yu Ge Er’s previous words about not wanting to marry were just said in anger. In the village, girls and Ge’ers who took husbands into the family were either only children or those who couldn’t get married otherwise.

“Yes, I will argue with my grandma and my father to the very end,” Qiu Qi said firmly. “I’ve made up my mind about this; Elder Uncle, please don’t try to persuade me anymore. Anyway, I won’t listen. If Elder Uncle keeps trying to persuade me, if anything happens to my family later, I’ll blame you.”

Zhong Fu Shu’s mouth twitched: …I’ve really gotten myself entangled with your family.

“Alright then, this is the money you worked hard to earn; Elder Uncle can’t manage that much. Do whatever you want. But, now that you have silver, redeem the land you sold, and then buy a few more mu. We country folk, who doesn’t have land in their hands? At least you’ll have something to eat later.”

Qiu Qi understood the other party’s good intentions, but: “Elder Uncle, do you think my grandma and my father are people who know how to farm?”

The Zhong family was a typical example of lazy people who only knew how to eat well and dress well. Except during harvest, the Zhong family’s ten mu of land were usually not even looked at; all the land was taken care of by the original owner and Wang Xiu E, along with other relatives, taking turns.

The reason he sold the Zhong family’s land, apart from lacking money, was largely because there was no one to cultivate it. The only two mu of sandy fields that weren’t sold were because he wanted to eat watermelons, and with this small amount of land, the Zhong family was willing to put in the effort to cultivate, which was why he kept it.

In short, before he could train the Zhong family, he absolutely wouldn’t buy land to make himself work hard, let alone during a drought when not much grain could be grown anyway.

Zhong Fu Shu only thought with common sense, wholeheartedly wanting to help, but overlooked the fact that the Zhong family couldn’t be dealt with using common sense.

He sighed, looking at Qiu Qi, feeling a little comforted: “Alright then, Elder Uncle sees that you are capable of managing the household. From now on, I won’t interfere with your family matters. You handle it yourself, and if there’s anything you can’t resolve, come find Elder Uncle.”

Qiu Qi nodded, not being polite.

He would have many more things to ask Zhong Fu Shu for help with later.