Chapter 155 The Fool Who Overpaid

Chapter 155: The High-Priced Chump

One minute later, Jiang Yingxue opened her phone and pressed the numbers 110.

Seeing she was serious, Hua Gumei hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, saying, "No, no, we'll pay! Don't call the police, we'll pay!"

Jiang Yingxue put her phone back in her pocket. "Fine. Transfer the money to the village's public account now. You still have five minutes."

Hua Gumei reached into Jiang Xingpeng's pocket, pulled out his phone, and asked, "What's the password?"

Jiang Xingpeng was reluctant. "Mom!"

Hua Gumei slapped his head angrily. "What time do you think this is? Do you really want to go to jail?"

"You got 20,000 for them, didn't you! Did you sell ours too? That should make at least 30,000 total."

Grudgingly, Jiang Xingpeng gave her the password, saying, "There's only 30,000 in my bank card."

Hua Gumei didn't believe him. She entered the amount of 40,000, typed in the password, and the transfer indeed went through.

She looked at him with a mix of heartache and disappointment. She had raised her son and daughter the same way, so how had her son turned out so crooked?

"Quick, check. I've transferred the money."

Just as they were about to leave after the transfer, a voice calling them to stop halted them.

"Wait a moment!"

Jiang Yingxue pointed at the burlap sack on the floor. "Clean this up before you go."

"You!"

Jiang Xingpeng wanted to say more, but Hua Gumei glared at him. "Chaomi, take our son back home. I'll handle this." She would deal with her son when she got back.

Hua Gumei placed the seeds from the floor back onto the shelves one by one. Five packets had been crushed by Jiang Xingpeng, so Hua Gumei paid an additional 2,500 yuan in compensation.

The fertilizer store was established by Jiang Yingxue in partnership with Secretary Zhiqiang and the Village Chief.

Jiang Yingxue's focus would be on her family and business ventures. The fertilizer store was her way of giving back to Nanhe Village, and she didn't want to manage it alone, so she partnered with the Secretary and the Village Chief. Each of the three was responsible for a part of the fertilizer production, and profits were split equally.

The partnership was for profit, but more so for the village's development.

The price for a packet of seeds was 500 yuan, and a bag of fertilizer was 1,000 yuan. Villagers were entitled to free seeds and fertilizer, so in principle, they didn't need to buy. However, the quality of the vegetables was excellent, so people from other villages inevitably came to inquire or purchase. Village resources were certainly not given free to outsiders, hence the need for sales.

*

Time flew by, and over half a month passed. The S City Plant Research Center had results from their research and cultivation study on "Xiaohe Mountain Plants."

The research and cultivation proved that plants from Xiaohe Mountain were more nutritious than those from other places. The trace elements and minerals in the soil and water of Xiaohe Mountain were also richer and more abundant compared to others.

Professor Qian and his team had also arranged for someone to purchase nutrient-rich seeds from Nanhe Village. Cultivation proved that vegetables grown from these seeds were sweeter, more nutritious, and had a better texture than ordinary farm vegetables on the market.

Even Nanhe Village's fertilizer had a very rapid and long-lasting effect on soil nutrition.

After reporting these research findings to higher authorities, Professor Cen and Professor Qian led their team back to Nanhe Village.

Professor Cen stood at the foot of Xiaohe Mountain. The mountain breeze blowing toward him carried a hint of coolness and a fresh scent.

They had rented a self-built house in the village for an extended stay to settle in temporarily. Once settled, they went to inquire in the village about the nutrient-rich seeds.

Granny Hua was walking on the road when she encountered them asking for directions. "Nutrient-rich seeds? Where are you from?"

Yu Yingting said, "We came from S City."

Granny Hua sighed with emotion. "Our village's vegetable reputation has even reached S City. I thought your accents didn't sound local."

"There," Granny Hua pointed ahead, "walk about 100 meters straight, there's a fertilizer store. That's the place."

"Okay, thank you, Granny." Bu Yarui smiled and thanked Granny Hua.

"You're welcome."

Soon, they arrived at the fertilizer store.

Inside the fertilizer store, two walls were lined with large shelves filled with a dazzling array of goods—various vegetable seeds. The other side had bags of fertilizer stacked into a neat, square mountain.

After asking about the prices of seeds and fertilizer, Bu Yarui exclaimed, "So expensive!"

Her family was from the countryside. For the same packaged vegetable seeds, you could buy them for two or three yuan back home, but here they cost 500 yuan. Honestly, when she first heard the price, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Lu Ji wore a faint smile on her face. "You get what you pay for. The seeds in our little shop are different from those costing single or double digits."

Lu Ji was an employee at the fertilizer store and also Jiang Yingxue's Spiritual Pet. Her true form was a fifth-tier Ice Snow Spirit Fox.

There were three employees in the store. Jiang Yingxue, the Secretary, and the Village Chief each recommended one person. The salary was 4,000 yuan per month, working from 10 AM to 7 PM, with meals provided, rotating days off and weekends off. On non-holidays, two employees needed to be present in the store.

As the production of fertilizer and seeds had increased, the fertilizer store no longer imposed purchase limits. Both villagers and outsiders could buy without restrictions.

The three employees in the store were Lu Ji, Xi Fangqin, and Liu Shanfang. Xi Fangqin was Secretary Zhiqiang's wife, and Liu Shanfang was the Village Chief's daughter-in-law.

Today, Lu Ji and Xi Fangqin were on duty.

Xi Fangqin asked, "What vegetable seeds would you like to buy?"

Professor Qian inquired, "Do you have seeds that cost 5,000 yuan per bag here?"

Xi Fangqin replied, "No. All seeds here, regardless of variety, are 500 yuan per bag. The 5,000 yuan ones you mentioned, we don't have."

Professor Qian continued, "What about fertilizer for 10,000 yuan?"

"Also no." Xi Fangqin gave Professor Qian a strange look. She had heard from her husband before that the Chaomi family's son had sold his own and stolen others' seeds and fertilizer, selling the fertilizer for 10,000 yuan per bag. Could today's customer know that chump?

"Our store prices have never changed. They've always been this price."

Hearing this, Professor Qian thought of the expensive seeds and fertilizer he had previously arranged to buy through someone, and his expression changed dramatically.

The purchase money could be reimbursed, but being cheated was infuriating.

Professor Cen said, "We'll take one of each type of these seeds, and also ten bags of fertilizer."

"Alright, come with me to the counter to pay." Xi Fangqin led Professor Cen to the checkout counter.

A few days ago, a young man from a neighboring village took a box of seeds and ran without paying. Luckily, Lu Ji chased him down and got them back.

Since that day, the fertilizer store had implemented a rule of payment first before viewing goods. For strong, young men, Xi Fangqin and Liu Shanfang couldn't outrun them.

After paying, Professor Cen borrowed an ox cart from a neighbor and transported the ten bags of fertilizer and the box of vegetable seeds back home.