The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 224 - 223: Guo Family Incites Public Outrage

Chapter 224: Chapter 223: Guo Family Incites Public Outrage

Red Star Village is located in a mountainous area with poor, water-scarce land. It’s unsuitable for growing crops, so apple farming has become the sole livelihood for each household.

And the price of apples is a matter of great concern to the farmers.

If the price is good, life can be much better, but if the price drops, the coming year would be spent tightening their belts and enduring hardship.

Li Tiedan had always been on good terms with the Guo Family, so when he heard from Elder Guo that a boss was offering a high price for apples in the village, he was overjoyed. He even planned to sell his apples and buy a few meters of new cloth in the town to make new jackets for the elderly and children at home.

After waiting with bated breath, when the boss finally arrived and stated that the price was not as high as expected, Li Tiedan’s disappointment and frustration were imaginable.

The Guo Family had the worst conditions in the village, and ever since Li Tiedan’s father’s generation, they had received much care from the others.

Therefore, on learning that Elder Guo had colluded with outsiders to play him for a fool, Li Tiedan was exceptionally angry and distressed, so he ran to the village chief’s house to lodge a complaint.

As the village chief and leader of the community, upon learning that a boss was willing to pay a high price for apples, he naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to seek benefits for the whole village. He immediately went with Li Tiedan to the Guo Family’s home.

On the way, they encountered villagers who were going to sell their apples to a trader, and the two of them immediately called out, "Don’t sell yet, the boss at Elder Guo’s house is paying a good price."

This caused quite a stir, and many villagers also headed towards the Guo Family’s home.

...

"Elder Guo, I heard that your boss is buying apples for a high price. Is that true?"

Elder Guo had always been honest and felt torn between telling the truth to the village chief and not wanting to break his promise to Pei Yang. He ultimately looked at Pei Yang for help.

Pei Yang knew that this situation would not end well and spoke up to ease the situation for Elder Guo, "We are also buying them for the same lower price."

Li Tiedan, pointing at Pei Yang, furiously exclaimed, "That’s bullshit! Earlier, when I came over, I heard Elder Guo tell his wife that they were buying for a higher price and that the lower one was just to trick me."

They were all from the same village, and the villagers had often looked after the Guo Family. It was outrageous that they would hide any benefit for themselves.

The expression on the village chief’s face immediately turned cold, "Elder Guo, speak from the heart, is it the higher price or the lower price?"

Elder Guo, with a troubled expression and his face twisted in difficulty, stamped his foot and pointed at Pei Yang, "I’ll listen to the boss. Whatever he says is the price!"

As more and more onlookers gathered, dozens of eyes turned towards Pei Yang.

Used to the battlefield and rough situations, Pei Yang wasn’t troubled by the scene at all.

He calmly said, "The lower price."

The village chief, unable to do much about the tall and strong Pei Yang, turned to pressure Elder Guo, "The boss is paying the lower price, Elder Guo, what do you say?"

Elder Guo looked at Pei Yang, then at the increasingly gathering villagers, and nodded with a bitter face, "Fine, the lower price."

"Dad..."

Guo Er was clearly unhappy with the price and tried to speak up, only to be stopped by Guo Da.

Pei Yang took the opportunity to clarify to the village chief and the villagers, "Our purchasing price is the same as the traders’, which is the lower amount. Today we will just buy from Elder Guo’s family. Those who want to sell apples can wait for the next time..."

Shen Mingzhu inside the house, alongside Elder Guo’s wife and the Guo Family’s daughters-in-law, heard the conversation outside clearly.

Upon hearing that the price had been changed to the lower amount, Elder Guo’s wife immediately grabbed Shen Mingzhu, her emotions quite agitated—

"We had agreed on the higher price, and now it’s changed to the lower one, how can you go back on your word like this?"

The Guo Family’s daughters-in-law also angrily accused Shen Mingzhu, "Knowing that you would buy for the higher price, Dad went to the town early in the morning to get a pound of pork, wanting to treat you well. Now after we have eaten the pork, you change your mind and only give the lower price, isn’t this deception?"

"Liar! Liar!"

The Guo Family’s children surrounded Shen Mingzhu and shouted in unison.

Hearing the argument inside, the village chief and Li Tiedan wanted to lead people in.

Pei Yang, along with the old Zhu and Shen Chaobei, intervened, resulting in unavoidable physical altercations.

Shen Mingzhu, feeling harassed by Madam Guo and her companions, grew infuriated when she heard the noise from outside.

"Eight parts it is, then, let’s settle for this price!"

With that, Madam Guo and the two daughters-in-law from the Guo Family finally relented, opened the door eagerly, and pulling Shen Mingzhu over to Old Man Guo and the two sons of the Guo Family, said, "The female boss said she’ll buy it for eight parts!"

"Yes, Dad, we all heard it, she said eight parts herself," one son added.

The two daughters-in-law from the Guo Family chimed in, even enlisting several children as witnesses, desperate to firm up the deal before Shen Mingzhu could change her mind.

In Fengcheng, December was bitter cold, but the selfishness and ignorance of the Guo women, caring only for their own interests regardless of others’ wellbeing, made Shen Mingzhu feel even colder.

The phrase "there is something detestable about pitiable people" could not be more fitting for them.

Pei Yang was the first to rush to Shen Mingzhu’s side, his gaze full of concern as he looked upon her somewhat pale face and spoke with a gentle voice, "Don’t worry, I will handle this."

"No, I will speak to them myself."

Seeing her heading towards the door, Pei Yang hurriedly followed to protect her.

As soon as she stepped out, Old Man Guo immediately apologized with a guilty expression, "Miss, I’m sorry for the trouble."

"She herself said eight parts, those big bosses aren’t lacking that little money," stated Guo’s second daughter-in-law.

Shen Mingzhu glanced at her, then turned to address the village chief and the villagers, "I’m the factory director, and what I say goes regarding the apple purchase."

No sooner had she finished than the villagers erupted, each one wanting her to buy apples from their own homes.

"My apples are no worse than Old Man Guo’s, we all come from the same mountain."

"Our villagers rely on these apples to make a living, unlike you city folks who have allocated grain. Boss, please, buy our apples too," they pleaded.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t dialogue with the villagers but instead pulled the village chief aside to discuss—

"We only have one truck, which can carry a maximum of two thousand five hundred catties. We will purchase at the price of eight parts, and who sells first, you can arrange."

The village chief naturally would not refuse.

Selling even a little was better than having to sell all at a measly five parts.

Right then and there, the village chief stood in front of the Guo Family house and clearly announced the purchase of two thousand five hundred catties of apples by Shen Mingzhu.

As for whose apples would be purchased, that would be decided by drawing straws, with five straws in total; and anyone drawing one could sell five hundred catties.

This plan, aside from the Guo Family, received unanimous approval from all the villagers.

Madam Guo objected, running to Shen Mingzhu with a pale anxious face, demanding an explanation, "You agreed to buy our apples, how can you go back on your word?"

Shen Mingzhu looked at her calmly, "I only agreed to buy at eight parts, I never said it had to be from your family."

Madam Guo insisted, "I don’t care, you promised my husband last night! You can’t go back on your word!"

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Alright, I’ll speak with the village chief then."

With that, Shen Mingzhu approached the village chief and said in a voice loud enough for all the villagers to hear, "Village chief, Madam Guo insists that I buy her apples first, or else she accuses me of breaking my promise, I’m in a difficult position."

If the two thousand five hundred catties of apples were likened to a cake, the village chief and the villagers were the community awaiting their share.

Now, Madam Guo’s intention to monopolize everyone’s cake was undoubtedly provoking public wrath.