The rest of the villagers were also filled with righteous indignation.
"I went to ask around a few days ago. Even if the quality of the watermelons planted this year is a little bad, they will at least pay six cents per 500 grams. You're only paying us three cents?! We've been working hard all year, and in the end, we only earn money for fertilizer!"
"And sweet potatoes, one cent per half kg! Are you collecting goods or eating up people's lives? Isn't it obvious that he wants to gnaw on our bones!"
There were two people in the middle of the crowd.
One of them was a young man wearing a flowery shirt, jeans, and a pair of aviator sunglasses.
One of them was an old man in a white shirt and long pants.
In the face of the angry questioning from the villagers of Taoxi village, the two of them looked calm, with obvious arrogance in their eyes.
"Brothers and sisters, it's not that we want to lower the price, but that's the market right now." The old man in the shirt smiled faintly and said arrogantly, "there are not many things in your village that can be gathered together. Besides, Taoxi village is remote and the mountain road to enter the village is very difficult to walk. Ordinary merchants are not willing to come here at all. The return and forth transportation fees alone are a loss. It's only because the two villages are neighbors that I'm kind enough to bring you along. In the end, I'm still being blamed, making me worse off."
The young man with the aviary glasses was even more impolite. "The price has already been decided. If you want to sell, then sell. If you don't, then just wait to get them rotten in your hands! Why don't you think about the appearance of the fruits you've grown? Only my uncle is kind enough to do a favor for free. Otherwise, who would be willing to accept them? You still don't know what's good for you!"
"You guys!" The villagers of Taoxi village trembled with anger, but they could do nothing.
He was speaking the truth.
Their village's land was barren. Even if the things in the land were carefully taken care of, it was difficult to grow them in a good condition. Even the yield was very low.
Crops were planted, but the crops were empty shells. In other villages, the yield per mu of rice was over a thousand kg, but in their village, it would be considered a great harvest if they could harvest six or seven hundred kg.
When the watermelons were harvested, most of them were small watermelons, small and unsightly.
When it came to planting sweet potatoes, other people could dig up four or five sweet potatoes on a vine, while the three they planted in a nest were very few.
Not to mention corn, potatoes, and fruits.
The most important thing was that they had no way of finding someone to take it in.
Two years ago, there were people in the village who went to the farmer's market in the county to find a buyer. However, for some reason, when they heard that it was from Taoxi village, the buyer shook his head and said that he would not accept it. He did not even want to talk about it.
The things planted in the field would not be picked until the end of time. After the picking period, the fruits would rot in the field, and at that time, they would really lose everything.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was very depressing.
The villagers of Taoxi village were silent, their eyes full of sorrow and hopelessness.
Day after day, year after year, they had to suffer in the days of poverty.
They didn't know when this would end.
There was no hope at all.
The two of them left after leaving the price list.
The villagers in the courtyard also dispersed. When they left, everyone's back was hunched, as if something was bending their backs.
When Zhang Xifeng was about to leave, she was stopped by the village head's wife.
"Aunt Zhang, wait a moment. I have freshly cooked corn on the stove. Take a few back and try them with the child."
"Sister, you don't have to take anything. There's food at home." Zhang Xifeng quickly refused.
"It's just a few corn cobs. They're not worth much. Wait a moment. I'll go pack some for you." The village head's wife, Luo Yuqiong, was a few years older than Zhang Xifeng. She was almost 70 years old, with a head of white hair and an aged face.
She found a small clean bamboo basket in the kitchen and deftly picked up a few freshly cooked corn cobs. She came out and stuffed them into Zhang Xifeng's hands without any explanation.
"Yesterday, the water buffaloes went crazy. Hua Zi came back and told us about it. I was so scared that I broke out in a cold sweat. I should have gone to see you and the child yesterday, but it was already late then, so I thought of going during the day." After that, Luo Yuqiong looked at Qiqi, who was following her obediently. Her eyes softened. "This must be Qiqi, right? She's a good kid."
"Yes. She is only four and a half years old, but she already knows how to help me out. She is so well-behaved and obedient." At the mention of Qiqi, the gloominess on Zhang Xifeng's face dissipated a little. She patted Qiqi's little head. "Qiqi, this is Granny Luo."
Qiqi immediately greeted her timidly. "Hello, Granny Luo." Her voice was sweet.
"Eh, good, good child." A smile appeared on Luo yuqiong's face. She looked at Qiqi very attentively and sized her up as if she could not get enough of her.
As she read on, her eyes turned red.
At this time, the old village chief Li Shuigen also walked over. He looked at Qiqi and patted her head. "In the future, if you have time, come to Granny's house to play. Your brother Huazi is a few years older than you. Let him take you to catch birds and fish."
Qiqi answered timidly. The feeling of her little head being stroked made her shy and uncomfortable.
Ever since she came to Taoxi village, her forehead had been touched several times.
That strange feeling of intimacy made Qiqi a little uncomfortable and confused.
Zhang Xifeng chatted with the old village head and his wife for a while before leaving with Qiqi.
When she walked out of the Li family's courtyard, Qiqi couldn't help but turn back to look.
Granny Luo was still standing there, staring at her.
Grandpa village leader squatted in the shadow of the corridor, smoking a pipe. The smoke covered his face, making it hard to see clearly.
However, Qiqi felt sad for some reason. "Granny, Grandpa village chief is crying."
Zhang Xifeng sighed softly. "Your Grandpa, the village chief, is worried about all the matters in the village, big and small. This year, no one can make any money. He's very worried."
"Granny Luo seemed to have cried just now. Is she also worried that everyone can't make money? "
The child asked innocently, but this time, Zhang Xifeng was silent for a long time.
When they were almost home, she whispered to the child about Luo Yuqiong. "Your Grandpa village chief and grandma Luo had five children in the past, four sons and one daughter. Later on, there was a famine and four of them died. Only the third son survived. Among the four who died, the youngest is their youngest daughter. She's four and a half years old like you, and she was very obedient and sensible. That year, the girl was so hungry that she couldn't help but steal a handful of chaff from someone else. In the end, she was beaten to death and left in a hurry. she was so thin that she was only a handful of bones."
"Your Granny Luo was reminded of her little baby when she saw you."
Zhang Xifeng's voice became choked with sobs. She turned her head to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Her only son had also passed away in the last famine.
Her husband had also died on the battlefield, never to return.
Most of the older people in the village had experienced that era. Every family had unspeakable pain.
Those years, those past events. They could not be mentioned.
At the mention of it, it was all blood and tears.