Chapter 357: Chapter 358: Opening a Store Chapter 357: Chapter 358: Opening a Store Village Chief Wang went straight to Xu the next day.

“Jianjun is busy!” Village Chief Wang entered the yard with a smiling face.

As soon as Mr. Xu saw Village Chief Wang, his face lit up with a smile because he and his son had asked several villages, and only Village Chief Wang had offered to rent them land.

“Sure, Brother Wang, please have a seat,” Mr. Xu hurriedly offered his hospitality.

Village Chief Wang took his seat with a beaming smile and brought up the matter of land rental, “Jianjun, do you still stand by your offer of renting one acre of land for twenty yuan?

If you do, all the people in our village will rent.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu’s face showed shock. The peasants all relied on the land for food, and originally he thought that it would be fine just to rent a few acres, but now it seemed that everyone from Wang Family Village was willing to rent land.

Had these people all found jobs and decided not to farm anymore?

Doubt rippled through Mr. Xu’s mind.

Seeing this, Village Chief Wang, afraid of a mishap occurring, said with a smile, “If there’s no problem, then let’s sign a contract!”

Mr. Xu hesitated a bit, but Xu firmly said, “Uncle Wang, to sign the contract, it needs to have all the villagers from Wang Family Village involved.”

Village Chief Wang’s expression changed several times, and quickly, he said with a smile, “As a village chief, can’t I make this decision? I’ll just sign on their behalf.”

“That won’t do. This land belongs to the villagers. If they don’t come to sign, I dare not rent it,” Xu raised his eyebrows, now somewhat suspicious.

Catching the cue from his son’s eyes, Mr. Xu laughed and picked up his cup of water for a sip, displaying the same authority, “Village Chief Wang, we are both village chiefs, and as such, we must serve the people.

For such a big matter, the villagers definitely need to be involved. Even as village chiefs, we cannot overstep our bounds.”

Village Chief Wang’s face turned shades of green and white. He could clearly hear the implication in Mr. Xu’s words–
This was an outright statement that he was flouting the rules.

Village Chief Wang left Xu Ji Village in a huff.

Back in the village, many people from Wang Family Village had already begun plowing the land to plant wheat.

Though they felt intimidated upon seeing the village chief, they continued to plant the wheat. The land was their food source, the means of their livelihood, and they could not just abandon it.

Village Chief Wang passed by these people with a darkened face.

Thus, the matter of renting the land came to a conclusion.

In Jingcheng City District, the scene was bustling with excitement. Several shops were opening simultaneously, setting off firecrackers and making a lot of noise.

“Don’t miss out as you pass by, Xu’s Fried Goods Store officially opens today.

Today, anyone who makes a purchase will receive a points ticket. Just collect ten stamps, and you can exchange them for a free portion of our store’s fried goods,” Xu Ying stood at the door with a loudspeaker, calling out to passersby.

Zhang Shulan and Yang Hongxia also helped out, “Everyone is welcome to try our store’s fried goods for free, if you don’t like it, there’s no need to buy.

Taste for free, taste for free.” Each held a platter, which was filled with glittering fried treats.

There were not only items like crispy meat but also fried chicken legs, wings, and more…

These were the newest recipes that Xu Ying had unlocked, but these dishes were especially prepared exclusive formulas for their own storefront.

After Huo Chen secured the exclusive distribution rights with the food factory, he began setting up his own stores in Beijing, conveniently located near his wife.

Business looked good on this first day of opening, with a crowd of people standing at the storefront, and after all, Yu County Food Factory’s fame had spread nationwide.

Even without braised foods, there were still fried goods.

Especially the newly launched hotpot, which was also uniquely delicious.

“You go inside and rest, I can handle this,” Huo Chen, worried about his wife, insisted. She was pregnant now after all, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her getting tired.

Xu Ying shook her head. Her favorite thing to do was making money, especially since this was her family’s own business, she had to work even harder.

“I’m fine. What’s so tiring about sitting here? You go ahead and keep busy,” Xu Ying urged him to leave, but before she could react, her body suddenly hung in the air. She cried out in alarm, “Ah!”

Huo Chen didn’t say a word; he simply picked her up in a princess carry and brought her to the backyard of the house to rest.

Yang Hongxia saw this and elbowed Zhang Shulan.

The two exchanged glances, a look of mock torture on their faces.

Zhang Shulan said enviously, “If I could find a man like Xu Ying has someday, that would be great.”

“There’ll surely be one if you look slowly. My man is also very good to me,” Yang Hongxia’s eyes sparkled as she mentioned her man.

After chatting for a bit, they got back to attracting customers.

The store they were in was right next to a school, and since it was the weekend, there were quite a few students passing by.

Hearing that there was free fried food to sample, students flocked to try it, all thinking it would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal.

Qu Huimin, Bai Yushui, and their group naturally wouldn’t miss such a lively scene.

Especially Qu Huimin–seeing Zhang Wu also in the store, she hurried over.

“Zhang Wu, you’re here for the fried food too!” she said excitedly, patting Zhang Wu’s shoulder.

Zhang Wu turned around to see Qu Huimin, and the smile that had begun to form on his face instantly froze: “Do you need something?”

“Zhang Wu, even if we aren’t betrothed, we can still be friends. Why are you so cold to me?” a pitiful Qu Huimin spoke.

Zhang Wu looked at her with extreme disgust, still unable to forget how the Qu Family kicked them when they were down: “I could never be friends with you.”

“Aren’t you aware of what your family has done? Stop playing innocent here. Get lost!”

He shouted sharply.

Qu Huimin was startled, shivering, and watched as Zhang Wu left with a bag of items in hand.

Unwilling to let it go, she thought about chasing after him, but when she turned, she saw Xu Ying sitting by the side door. Her face immediately turned cold.

She ran over, fuming, and started to berate Xu Ying: “Xu Ying, are you enjoying watching my trouble?”

A loud slap resounded, and Qu Huimin, along with the others next to her, were stunned.

“Qu Huimin, you think you’re the main character, that everyone is always watching and revolving around you, enjoying your spectacle? What a load of crap!

I’m trying to sleep here, and you come out making a racket,” Xu Ying was really fed up.

She just couldn’t figure out why she was so unlucky lately, with this damn woman appearing out of nowhere and yelling at her. Did she think Xu Ying was an easy target?

Regaining her senses, Qu Huimin covered her swollen face, trembling with rage, tears streaming down her cheeks: “Xu Ying, how dare you hit me.”

“You stand in front of me making a racket, and yes, I’ll hit you,” said Xu Ying, lifting her hand again.

Qu Huimin, frightened, took several steps back.

“What’s going on?” Huo Chen heard the commotion and came over, frowning.

Seeing his wife with a face full of anger, he gently patted her back, “Don’t be angry.”

After speaking, he looked coldly at the few girls in front of him and said sternly, “Please leave quickly and don’t disturb my wife’s rest.”

Xu Huimin was already extremely aggrieved, and now being told to leave, she exploded.

“This store isn’t yours; what right do you have to drive me away? I’m staying right here, and I want to go in and rest too.”