Chapter 61

The villagers were only happy for a short while when a voice in their heads rang out again. Just as they were about to say that it was impossible, how could Secretary Lin possibly cheat them?

The portly shopkeeper patted his belly and said, "I can buy all your melons, but as you all know, the price can't be the same as before. I'll have to lower the price, otherwise I'll lose money."

Fellow villagers:???

What they heard was almost exactly what was happening now?! So what happens next...?

A note from the author:

The lily festival has officially ended. Time for bed, goodnight everyone, muah~

Chapter 61

◎Real-life version of the Knockout ◎

Song Shiwei clicked her tongue twice in her mind. [Oh ho, they've really started bringing up price reductions. Next, they'll probably have to belittle the villagers' melons, saying they're not good enough, to achieve their goal of lowering prices again. This time, the villagers might become the biggest victims.]

The villagers felt a chill run down their spines and looked at Secretary Lin once more.

Sure enough, the chubby shopkeeper said with a look of disdain, "Also, the quality of your melons this year isn't as good as last year's. I'll have a hard time selling them."

The villagers felt a chill run down their spines; had the words they had just heard come true again?!

The villagers' expressions immediately became uneasy.

"No, Boss Zhang, you can't just lie through your teeth! Our melons are just as good as last year's. This year they're juicy and have plenty of sunshine, so they're even bigger and sweeter than last year's," the villagers chattered.

"You can't just look at the size of the melon. Whether a melon is good or not is determined by the market. It's because your melons had such a good yield this year that the price is naturally low, and people don't like to eat your kind of melons." The chubby shopkeeper glanced at the villagers, then at Secretary Lin, and said calmly and earnestly.

[Shameless! This melon is famous throughout the country, it's delicious, everyone outside loves it, but it doesn't taste good to you? You're so wicked.] Song Shiwei cursed inwardly.

The other three exchanged glances; this scumbag boss was truly wicked.

They stood silently to the side, watching their boss spout nonsense, and inwardly scoffed. They wanted to see what this boss was really up to.

The villagers' expressions changed, and they stared silently at Secretary Lin and the fat boss.

"Boss Zhang, how could you do this! Our village depends entirely on selling melons!" Seeing that everyone was in a bad mood, Secretary Lin quickly changed his tone and gave the fat boss a good scolding.

"Aren't you saying this on purpose to make the villagers lose money?"

"I'm telling you, you have to do this properly for me at this price, or I won't agree."

Boss Zhang glanced silently at Secretary Lin, successfully absorbing the warning in his eyes.

"It's no use, Secretary Lin! Do you know what the situation is like for melons this year? They just won't sell!" Boss Zhang was sweating profusely. "I still have tens of thousands of kilograms of melons left unsold. I really don't know what to do."

"Boss Zhang, I know you're capable and you'll definitely find a way to sell them. How about this, give me some face and buy them all at the previous price?" Secretary Lin glanced at Boss Zhang and pressed him down, saying this.

"No, absolutely not! Do you know how much money I'll lose if I charge the original price?" Boss Zhang was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

With a loud slam, Secretary Lin slammed his hand on a nearby tree, making a deafening sound. "I said it's okay, so it's okay! The villagers have worked hard all year round. Are you suggesting that all their efforts go to waste?"

Hearing the deafening sound, the villagers were stunned, and even Boss Zhang was stunned.

Watching the two of them go back and forth, Song Shiwei immediately thought to herself, "Hey, they're putting on a show, aren't they?"

[Secretary Lin, that's too fierce! Is his hand broken? Hahahaha, that crisp cracking sound just now definitely means it's broken.]

The villagers glanced at him, their expressions unchanged, but the look on his face betrayed him; the pain was unmistakable—his hand was broken.

They cursed him inwardly, thinking, "He deserves it."

"Secretary Lin, don't even mention hitting the tree, even if you slash me with a knife, there's nothing I can do! This year's melons just won't sell," Boss Zhang shouted.

Song Shiwei plucked a large melon from the melon patch and cut it open with the help of the villagers' knives. The bright red flesh was revealed, and she silently took a bite, eating it amidst the lively scene before her.

This melon is absolutely delicious! It's not selling well? I bet there won't be enough to go around!

Watching the two argue heatedly, she clicked her tongue twice inwardly, [What are you two trying to do, putting on this show? Are you planning a promotion in name only?]

[This village party secretary has made so much money over the years, where did it all go? And he calls himself a good public servant? He's practically a bloodsucker.]

[Five years, a full five years! How much money have you taken from the villagers? And now you're even going to go further! Don't be so outrageous!]

Song Shiwei was furious inside, and her whole body was trembling with anger.

The villagers earn their money through hard work and sweat, yet this Secretary Lin dares to plunder their hard-earned money. How is he any different from the corrupt officials who used to exploit the people?

This kind of person should be dragged out and shot.

After hearing Song Shiwei's heartfelt words, the villagers' expressions changed repeatedly. It was true that they had been selling melons to this boss for the past five years.

It turns out that this boss started colluding with Secretary Lin to extort money from them five years ago. How much money must have been made over those five years?

[You know what, the previous Party Secretary actually had such a keen eye for business investment! If the melons from that year had been sold just one month later, the price would have definitely doubled.]

Ultimately, the villagers were too short-sighted. The previous Party Secretary envisioned creating a watermelon brand for Qingyuan Town, so that people across the country would immediately recognize Qingyuan Town as a watermelon brand. Therefore, he sought reliable channels and manufacturers to sell Qingyuan Town's watermelons nationwide.