Chapter 65 The Village Head Sets Up a Banquet

  Thanks to Zhu Lao Mi and Tie Gang An Hei Xue Lang for the reward! The collection is about to reach 5,000, those who haven't collected it yet, hurry up!

  Chu's family brought back a strong strawberry, and saw Yan Lao still fighting with Li Lao, the sky was dark, couldn't help but sigh, indeed they were all poisoned by playing chess.

  In the evening, Old Man Li simply had dinner at Chu Jiaqiang's home. Chu Jiaqiang didn't have any objections anyway, and Old Man Li was also a thick-skinned person who didn't even say a polite phrase before calmly eating his meal, and then continued afterwards.

  Ordinary days always pass especially quickly, and five days have passed again. Chu Jiaqiang has already finished planting strawberries, and even the ones planted a few days ago have taken root and are growing well. This is also thanks to the effect of Ling Shui, and Chu Jiaqiang didn't dare use it extensively, but even so, it's already attracted attention.

  The village's Tianma excavation has also come to an end, and this time everyone made a fortune, with some earning tens of thousands and others at least several thousand. Chu Shengmin didn't earn less either, while Chu Jiaqiang got half the profit, which was nearly 60,000.

  The number of people burning incense in the temple has increased significantly, and the sound of firecrackers can be heard almost every day. While villagers are thanking Chu Jiaqiang, they also feel that there must be divine protection behind this, having made a fortune, it's natural to express gratitude.

  That evening, Old Village Chief walked towards the old house of Chu Jiaqiang with his hands behind his back, humming a classic Cantonese song from the 60s and 70s.

  "Village head grandfather, you're quite leisurely!" Chu Jiaqiang joked.

  At this time, Chu Jiaqiang was having tea with Yan Tianzhi. In the past, Chu Jiaqiang found it unbelievable that there were people who could drink tea all day long. Now that he had become more leisurely, he discovered that it was indeed a delightful way to pass the time. On the other side, the two old men were engaged in a game of chess. These two individuals had also reached the state of forgetting to eat and sleep, and forgetting themselves.

  The old village chief looked at Lao Li with a bitter smile, this guy was still the same, with an air of laziness about him.

  "Hehe! Do you have time to be idle? Has Xiaoyan's legs made any progress?" The old village chief didn't disturb the two old men who were concentrating.

  Yan Tianzhi immediately poured a cup of tea for the old village chief: "Thank you, Village Chief Uncle, for your concern. I'm much better now and can barely stand up, thanks to Jiaqiang's superb medical skills."

  The old village chief smiled, he didn't expect that Chu Jiaqiang actually got the true transmission of the old Taoist priest. He knew before that this guy had learned a few tricks from the old Taoist priest, but at that time this kid was just so-so and perfunctorily responded to the old Taoist priest.

  "That's good, the old Taoist's medical skills are indeed famous far and near, and at that time many outsiders from all over the country came to seek treatment. If our family is strong enough to inherit his mantle, it will also be a blessing for our Chu Family Village. In the future, if there is any illness or pain, we won't have to run to Xiang Zhu Village." The old village chief sighed.

  Because Chujia Village is relatively backward, there is no health station in the village. Since the old Taoist left, the villagers either go to Xiangzhu Village for medical treatment or to the town's hospital, and the cost of medicine is so expensive that it's really hard to get cured!

  "Village headmaster! You didn't come here today just for a casual chat, did you?" Chu Jiaqiang asked with a smile.

  "What leisure time do I have? Tonight, my family is having a banquet, you little kid come over and have a meal, and by the way, talk about some things." The old village chief finally spoke out his intention.

  "What's the banquet for?" In rural areas, having a banquet to invite people to eat is usually because there are things to discuss or big events such as weddings or funerals.

  "This time the Tianma has a bumper harvest, shouldn't we all gather together and have a meal?" The old village chief glared at Chu Jiaqiang.

  Chu Jiaqiang rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly: "Should, very should, good! I'll go with you now." Chu Jiaqiang told Xu Xiu that he didn't need to add a portion for him at dinner, then followed the old village chief away.

  Before leaving, the old village chief still asked Li Lao a routine question: "Today my family is setting up a banquet, are you going or not?"

  As expected, Old Man Li didn't even lift his head and waved his hand impatiently: "Not going, the food here isn't bad either." Looks like this old man is ready to freeload at the Chus' again.

  On the road, the old village chief inquired: "I heard that you've been growing those red bumpy things these past few days? I've seen them in town too, they're quite expensive, but from what I understand, they're also a glut in the market! They can't be sold for much."

  Chu's family was slightly smiling: "The reasons for the rotten market are many, and most of them can be avoided. For example, time and place. Early ripe fruits are generally better sold, and the price is also relatively high. Strawberries belong to high-end fruit, selling in rural areas, naturally not going well. There are also some reasons that can be defended, such as climate, which involves management aspects."

  The old village chief listened carefully for a while and indeed it was this truth. He nodded and stopped talking.

  Arriving at the old village chief's home, it was already somewhat crowded, with almost every family having invited someone to attend. Chu Jiaqiang's second uncle was also inside. Everyone was enthusiastically discussing their gains over the past few days, such as who had earned how much this year, making everyone else envious.

  In the kitchen, several village girls were busy cooking, and a strong fragrance wafted out. When villagers set up banquets, they usually ask their neighbors to help with cooking.

  Seeing Chu Jiaqiang and the village chief walk in, almost everyone stood up, with a strong sense of leadership. Many people took out their own cigarettes, mainly for Chu Jiaqiang, as the village chief rarely smoked, just being polite.

  "The university students have arrived, make way for them." someone shouted.

  "Alright, just find a seat anywhere! Today we're gathering everyone to have dinner together, it's to celebrate our unexpected gains these past few times. I won't go into details." The old village chief said with a pleased expression as he sat on the stool.

  Everyone nodded in agreement. This year's wheat harvest was a big success, with an increase of about 10% compared to previous years. After Zhu Jiaqiang returned, each household earned nearly 10,000 yuan more.

  After everyone sat down, the dishes were served from the kitchen. In rural areas, there's no need to be too particular, when there are many people, the dishes are usually served in large basins. A big basin was carried over, emitting an enticing aroma.

  Fifth Uncle knocked on his pipe and said to the old village chief, "Old Chu, what's the point of hiding those few jars of old wine? Just bring them out and let's drink them up."

  Many of you are connoisseurs, and upon hearing this, your eyes lit up. The old village chief had stored several jars of aged wine, a fact known to everyone in the village, but they didn't dare ask him directly to bring them out for a drink, after all, the old village chief's status and seniority were at stake. But Fifth Uncle was different; he and the old village chief were from the same generation, so it was easier for him to speak up.

  The old village chief sighed and glared at Fifth Uncle: "If you don't finish off those few jars of wine, I think you won't be satisfied." He continued to walk inside.

  Chu Shengyi followed to help, because the wine was placed in the cellar. Cellars are relatively rare in the south and more common in the north. However, Chu's village followed the ancestral customs and also dug a cellar at home to store some things.

  After eating and drinking, the old village chief spoke again: "This time, everyone saw Jiaqiang's move back home. He is preparing to start with fruit planting. What do you think?"

  When it comes to this topic, almost everyone falls silent. Chu Shengmin, Yang Guafu and a few others were prepared to follow in the footsteps of Chu Jiaqiang's success with watermelon, but they didn't dare to do too much, after all, everyone still had an unremovable pessimism about watermelon, despite Chu Jiaqiang's previous successful experience.

  The old village chief also understood that the villagers' concept could not be changed overnight, he waved his hand: "You go back and think about it carefully! If you have this intention, you can find a strong family to discuss."