叭哒漫画

Young Master Xu has not only helped them so much, but also gave them such a good opportunity. He must seize it properly.

“Hmm.” Wei Ruo nodded.

After speaking with Shi Dayou, Wei Ruo was ready to leave Stone Village.

However, when she arrived at the entrance of Stone Village, she encountered a large crowd of several dozen people, including men, women, the elderly, and children.

Wei Ruo did not recognize these people, but judging from their attire, they should be local farmers.

“Young Master Xu, please help us!”

As soon as they met, these people implored Wei Ruo and started to rush towards her.

Xiumei stepped forward to protect Wei Ruo: “Speak calmly! Don’t push forward!”

Shi Dayou also stepped forward and loudly addressed the crowd: “Everyone, calm down, let’s talk from a distance!”

Shi Dayou recognized those people as being from Xiaoxi Village, their neighbors, separated by a mountain. It only takes an hour to get there if you walk around the foot of the mountain.

The rebukes from Xiumei and Shi Dayou had some effect. The crowd finally stopped moving forward and retreated a few steps, creating some distance from Wei Ruo.

Then the crowd began to explain their intentions in a flurry of voices:

“We came to seek help from Young Master Xu. Our rice seedlings have all died, and it’s too late for the new crop!”

“Yes, yes, we heard that Young Master Xu can help us!”

“Young Master Xu, please have mercy on us and save us! We won’t have enough to eat this year!”

II II

Listening for a while, Wei Ruo managed to understand their requests. Their rice seedlings had died, and they came to ask for her help.

Although Wei Ruo didn’t remember their faces, she knew from their stories that these were the people she had tried to persuade before, but who had not listened to her.

Because when Wei Ruo had visited the surrounding farmlands, she discovered rice blight and tried to persuade the farmers to replant their rice.

Those who listened to Wei Ruo would have already replanted their seedlings. If they were still asking for her help now, they must have been those who did not listen to her advice.

Wei Ruo looked at these people and said loudly: “Be quiet.”

When Wei Ruo finished, the crowd quieted down and stared at her.

Seeing that the noise had subsided, Wei Ruo answered the crowd straight away:

“I have already told you what needed to be said. If you do not replant your seedlings, it would be too late when disaster strikes. So now that this has happened, it is useless for you to ask for my help.”

Upon hearing her words, the crowd burst into a flurry of rebuttals:

“How can there be no solution? We have heard that you gave Stone Village some excellent rice seeds that can also grow if planted late, and their yield is high too!”

“Yes, yes, you obviously have the rice seeds! You can help us!”

“Young Master Xu, if there’s no harvest this year, we will all starve to death! You can’t be so heartless as to ignore our life and death!”

However, those who came to find Wei Ruo firmly believed that she had the means to help them.

“I’m sorry. I cannot help you,” Wei Ruo responded.

“Young Master Xu, you’re standing by and doing nothing! How can you be so heartless? Are you going to watch us die in front of you?” An old man said, pounding his walking stick on the ground.

“Yes, how can you be so heartless? Our children are still so small, how can you bear to watch them starve to death?” A woman, holding her child, said with a resentful expression.

“Young Master Xu, we all know about you helping Stone Village. You can’t hide it! Stop lying to us.” A stout man with a hoe shouted.

Although news traveled slowly in ancient times, information about Stone Village’s prosperity under the aid of a “wealthy merchant” had already spread through the nearby villages.

Xiaoxi Village is close to Stone Village, so the villagers had heard of these events. They heard that this wealthy Young Master Xu is very generous and kind-hearted, providing Stone Village with various benefits. The villagers of Stone Village not only had good rice seedlings, but they also had extra money, leading a good life that others envied.

Although Wei Ruo did not know how these people knew that she had late-season rice seeds, Wei Ruo said in the face of their demands, “If you want the late-season rice seeds, I could help you inquire about where to buy them. You can purchase them at the market price. As for whether it’s too late to replant after buying them, I don’t know.”

Upon hearing Wei Ruo’s words, the faces of the villagers from Xiaoxi Village fell.

“Young Master Xu, you have so much money, why are you asking us to pay for the seeds?”

“Yes, yes, and you gave the seeds to Stone Village for free, why do you ask us to pay for them?”

“Young Master Xu, be a good person till the end, won’t you? You’ve already helped Stone Village, there’s no harm in helping us too. We’ll be grateful to you for the rest of our lives, just like the people from Stone Village!”

II II

Wei Ruo remained unmoved, responding firmly, “Who I choose to give to is my business. The rice seeds don’t drop from the sky. They’re meant to be sold. If you want them, you have to pay.”

“But…but where do we have any money left? We can hardly make ends meet!”

“Exactly, we can’t even eat, where would we find money to buy your rice seeds! Don’t be so cruel, Young Master Xu! It’s just a few bags of seeds to you, while it’s a matter of life or death for us!”

“Young Master Xu, be a good person till the end and help us, will you? Given the circumstances, I’m begging on behalf of my children!”

II II

Listening to their words, Wei Ruo remained expressionless, “Don’t you know that I’m a merchant? Merchants are in it to make a profit. Who cares about your life or death? When did I say I was a good person?”

Those who were about to kneel and bow to Wei Ruo stood dumbfounded.

“But…but you helped Stone Village…”

“They work for me. I pay them. You don’t help me make money. Why should I care about your life or death?” Wei Ruo retorted.

That’s just how Wei Ruo was. She was willing to help those in need, but if someone actively asked her to do a good deed, her rebellious side came forward. She’d rather be a bad person than the good person that they painted her to be!

After Wei Ruo finished, the villagers of Xiaoxi were stunned.

After a brief moment of surprise, the villagers of Xiaoxi began to crowd around Wei Ruo again:

“Young Master Xu, you can’t just stand by and watch us die!”

“Young Master Xu, you helped Stone Village, so you should help us too!”

“You’re wealthy and powerful, and surely don’t lack this little bit of money!”

“Young Master Xu, if you don’t agree to help us today, we won’t get up until you do!”

Although they said they were pleading, the way these people surrounded Wei Ruo seemed more like they were trying to force her to help by physical coercion..