Chapter 9

Wang Jian's words completely ruined the subtle atmosphere that had just formed between the two, and Xiao Ping couldn't help but frown. If Zhou Jun, who was very familiar with Xiao Ping, were present, he would have noticed that Xiao Ping was already angry.

Xiao Ping slowly turned around and, looking straight at Wang Jian, said in a deep voice, "Do you have the guts to say that again!"

Although Wang Jian had always looked down on Xiao Ping, he felt a chill from the bottom of his heart when Xiao Ping stared at him. However, Wang Jian was also aware that this was the best opportunity to damage Xiao Ping's image, so he mustered up the courage and said, "I'll say it ten more times if I dare. I saw you give the water for watering vegetables to Wanqing with my own eyes..."

"Wang Jian, stop talking!" The usually gentle Li Wanqing rarely showed a tough side, and she coldly interrupted Wang Jian, "I trust Xiao Ping. Please don't say bad things about him in front of me!"

Wang Jian never expected his "good intentions" to result in such an outcome and was momentarily stunned. After a while, he came to his senses and, pointing at Xiao Ping and Li Wanqing, trembled and said, "Fine... you two remember this!"

After leaving this dramatic statement, Wang Jian slunk back to his room, unable to understand why Li Wanqing would believe Xiao Ping when he had clearly seen Xiao Ping give her the water for watering vegetables.

In fact, Wang Jian had been outsmarted by his own cleverness. If he hadn't been so focused on delivering the heaviest blow to Xiao Ping and had intervened earlier to stop Li Wanqing from drinking the water, she might have believed him. But now, Li Wanqing clearly felt much better, even more energetic than before she had worked overtime. Wang Jian's accusations against Xiao Ping had no credibility at all.

After Wang Jian closed the door, Li Wanqing smiled at Xiao Ping and said, "Thank you. If it weren't for your help, I would have been in trouble today."

Xiao Ping didn't take credit for it and smiled faintly, "It's nothing. We're neighbors, and we should help each other."

This attitude made Li Wanqing feel more favorably towards Xiao Ping. She was about to say something when she accidentally noticed the blood on Xiao Ping's sleeve and couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you injured?!"

Xiao Ping smiled indifferently, "It's nothing. I got hurt while working just now, but it's not serious."

Xiao Ping spoke lightly, but Li Wanqing couldn't remain calm. Thinking of how Xiao Ping had ignored his own injury to protect her, she was deeply moved and asked with concern, "Does it hurt? Why don't we go to the hospital and get it checked out?"

"Really, it's not necessary. The bleeding has stopped, and it will heal in a few days," Xiao Ping really didn't want to waste money and firmly refused to go to the hospital.

"Alright, but be careful not to get it wet, or it might get infected." Seeing Xiao Ping's determination, Li Wanqing didn't insist but reminded him to be cautious.

After drinking Xiao Ping's herbal medicine, Li Wanqing felt much better. She looked at her watch and saw that it was still early, so she decided to return to the company to continue working overtime. Everyone had their own work to do, and Li Wanqing didn't want to drag down the entire team. Before leaving, she suddenly stopped and turned to Xiao Ping, "Thank you so much. When this busy period is over, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Alright, it's a deal," Xiao Ping didn't put on airs and agreed straightforwardly.

Li Wanqing smiled at Xiao Ping and then turned to leave. Her charming smile made Xiao Ping's heart race, and he stood in the house for a while before remembering he had things to do and hurried to the vegetable garden.

Wang Jian, hiding behind the window, watched Xiao Ping working in the vegetable garden and gritted his teeth, muttering, "Xiao Ping, don't blame me for being rude this time!"

Three days later, Xiao Ping began his second harvest. He neatly arranged the green vegetables in plastic baskets and, after filling them, loaded them onto a tricycle. Each full basket weighed about a hundred pounds, but Xiao Ping lifted them effortlessly, as if they were empty. Soon, all the vegetables in the field were loaded onto the tricycle, piled high like a small mountain.

Xiao Ping found Sun Lin's business card and called him, tentatively asking, "Hello, Chef Sun. This is Xiao Ping who sold you vegetables last time. We have another batch of green vegetables ready. Do you want them?"

Sun Lin was initially a bit annoyed at receiving a call from a stranger, but he was delighted when he heard Xiao Ping's name and quickly replied with a smile, "Yes, of course! How much do you have this time?"

"Over six hundred pounds."

"Over six hundred pounds is quite a lot. You know vegetables can't be stored for too long," Sun Lin seemed a bit hesitant on the other end of the line but quickly added, "But it's fine. Bring all the vegetables over, and I'll introduce you to a few colleagues. We'll divide them up among us."

Xiao Ping happily said, "Thank you so much, Chef Sun."

Sun Lin chuckled, "No problem, no problem. Just remember to let me know if you have any good ingredients in the future."

Sun Lin's kindness to Xiao Ping was not without reason. After the food critic praised the simple stir-fried green vegetables at the Garden Hotel, the dish became a signature dish, and Sun Lin's reputation in the culinary world also rose significantly.

Sun Lin knew that the dish's popularity was entirely due to Xiao Ping's vegetables, and he had long wanted to befriend this young man. Since the secret of the dish was already out, Sun Lin decided to do a favor for Xiao Ping and introduce him to a few close colleagues. As long as Xiao Ping felt he owed him a favor, he would prioritize selling his best ingredients to Sun Lin in the future.

Xiao Ping didn't care about Sun Lin's intentions. As long as he could open up a market, it was a good thing. So he happily said, "Don't worry, I'm leaving now. I'll call you when I get to the hotel. Goodbye!"

After hanging up, Xiao Ping rode out on his tricycle, calculating how much income the over six hundred pounds of vegetables would bring him, and he was in a very good mood.

Not long after Xiao Ping left, Wang Jian came out of his room with a sullen face and hurried to Zhao Yong's house, knocking on the door.

"Damn, who's so early?" A grumbling voice quickly came from inside, and the door was slammed open, revealing a furious Zhao Yong.

Seeing this village bully, Wang Jian's legs trembled, and he hurriedly smiled, "Hello, Brother Yong."

Zhao Yong glared at Wang Jian and said, "Aren't you a tenant at Liu Jian's place? What do you want from me?"

Wang Jian didn't want anyone to see him associating with Zhao Yong and asked tentatively, "Brother Yong, can I come in and talk?"

Zhao Yong looked at Wang Jian suspiciously but finally let him in. Zhao Yong soon realized that letting Wang Jian in wasn't a waste and asked, not quite believing, "That guy really makes that much money?"

"I heard him say it with my own ears, it's definitely true!" Wang Jian said confidently, "He's going to sell vegetables again today, and he'll definitely have a few thousand more in his pocket when he comes back!"

Zhao Yong had recently become addicted to gambling and was in dire need of money. He couldn't help but stroke his chin and think, "I didn't expect this kid to make so much money now. I could borrow some from him..."

Zhao Yong's "borrowing" was actually robbing. He was used to bullying people in the village and felt no pressure doing such things. After all, Xiao Ping was just an outsider, and taking some money from him was no big deal. Even if Xiao Ping reported it to the police, Zhao Yong wasn't afraid. At worst, he would write an IOU and say he borrowed the money, and that would be that.

With this in mind, Zhao Yong had a plan and said with a fake smile, "It's his business if Xiao Ping makes money. What's it got to do with me? Why are you telling me this?"

Wang Jian could see from Zhao Yong's expression that he was interested and didn't say anything more, just smiling, "I was just talking casually, no special meaning. It's almost time for work, I'll go now. Goodbye, Brother Yong."

"Don't bother!" Zhao Yong coldly waved his hand. As soon as Wang Jian left, he immediately called one of his subordinates, "Xiao Shan, gather the others and wait at the village entrance. As soon as Xiao Ping comes back, follow him! What for? This kid is a fat sheep now. We'll borrow a few thousand from him. Don't argue! I wouldn't lie to you. Bring more people and act quickly!"