Chapter 77: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 77: Crooked Thoughts Arise
"Little brother, what are you up to? It's freezing cold, why are you standing here in the cold wind?" Mo Yonglu blew on his frozen hand and rubbed it vigorously, grumbling discontentedly.
Mo Yongshou, staring at the door of the teahouse, where no one had come out yet, couldn't help but feel anxious. When he heard his useless brother complaining, he couldn't hold back his temper, "Humph, if you don't want to make a fortune, then get lost!"
Make a fortune?
Mo Yonglu's spirits lifted upon hearing this and he didn't mind his brother's rudeness, "Make a fortune? Little brother, tell me more!"
Mo Yongshou waved his hand dismissively, "You'll see in a moment."
Seeing this, Mo Yonglu's curiosity was piqued. He knew his brother was cunning and if he mentioned making a fortune, there must be a way. So he pleaded with him earnestly, wanting to share in the opportunity.
Mo Yongshou teased him for a while, piquing his interest, before leaning in close and whispering mysteriously, "That girl has the secret method for growing greenhouse vegetables in her hands. That old man came to buy the secret method. But that girl doesn't know how to make a fortune even if she has one. Since she won't sell it, why don't we sell it?"
As he finished speaking, a hint of cunning flashed in Mo Yongshou's eyes, revealing his determination to succeed.
"But... where do we get the secret method? Besides, there's no secret method for greenhouse vegetables. Didn't we ask those old men in the fields before?" Mo Yonglu scratched his head, expressing his doubts.
Mo Yongshou sneered inwardly at his foolish brother. Nevertheless, he patiently explained for the sake of their plan, "If there's no secret method, how can the vegetables grow so well and so quickly? Just look at those vegetables. Which one doesn't grow faster than usual? It's already the coldest time of the year, yet those vegetables are still fresh and vibrant. Do you think they could grow like this in winter without a secret?"
Mo Yonglu found his brother's reasoning convincing, but then he hesitated, thinking it unlikely, "If there really was a secret method, wouldn't there be some rumors? Moreover, those vegetables are grown by those old men in the fields. It's impossible that that girl wouldn't share the secret with them. Many people asked before, and some even tried to extract the secret from those old men with money, but they got nothing!"
Mo Yonglu felt frustrated. This was also something he couldn't figure out. Those greenhouses were built right under their noses, and the vegetables were grown right before their eyes. Yet, no one found any secrets. But if there were really no secrets, how could the vegetables grow so well?
"Humph, whether there's a secret or not, those wealthy people believe there is, so there must be! When that girl comes out later, we'll just..." Mo Yongshou leaned in close to Mo Yonglu's ear and whispered his plan.
"But... won't there be any trouble?" Mo Yonglu hesitated, realizing that this might not be as easy as it seemed. If they were exposed, they might end up in legal trouble.
Seeing Mo Yonglu's hesitation, Mo Yongshou imagined the luxurious life he would have after obtaining the money, enjoying fine food, fine wine, and various beautiful women. Mo Yonglu's eyes lit up with greed, finally succumbing to temptation and resolving to follow Mo Yongshou's lead.
In a private room of the teahouse, Mo Yan's conversation with Shopkeeper Xing was not pleasant.
"Shopkeeper Xing, Miss Mo knows that you are very sincere in wanting to obtain the secret of greenhouse vegetables, but no matter how many times she says it, Miss Mo still insists that there is no secret. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to watch the vegetable field day and night, and you'll see that Miss Mo is telling the truth."
Mo Yan felt like crying. She had said it so many times, but Shopkeeper Xing kept insisting that she had the secret. If she didn't know that her diluted Lingquan water couldn't be detected, she would have doubted if her secret had been exposed.
"Miss Mo, this old man believes you, but someone else doesn't!" Shopkeeper Xing felt even more miserable. If it wasn't for his big mouth, tasting the greenhouse vegetables grown by the Mo family and being impressed by their taste, he wouldn't have tried to curry favor with his master and inadvertently caused trouble. Now, he was regretting it to death.
He had sent people to the village of Liuyang before, but they couldn't find anything suspicious. However, someone insisted that there was a secret method, and now he was in a dilemma. Even if he believed there was no secret method, he still had to come up with one to satisfy his master.
"May I ask, Shopkeeper Xing, who are the 'some people' you mentioned?"
Mo Yan grasped onto his words sensitively, feeling a sense of alertness. She wondered if the person who came up with this idea had sensed her secret but wasn't sure yet, so they sent someone to test her?
But she was always careful. How could it be possible? Now, even Mo Yan wasn't sure!
Shopkeeper Xing didn't realize that his words had caused Mo Yan to go through a whirlwind of thoughts. He tried to cover up his slip of the tongue, saying, "No, no! Other teahouses also have their eyes on your vegetables. They are convinced that you have a secret method. I'm just afraid of being preempted by others!"
Mo Yan didn't believe his explanation, but she also knew it was not good to pursue the matter further. So she smiled politely and made a few perfunctory remarks, wanting to end this fruitless conversation as soon as possible.
Everything that needed to be said had been said. Feeling that this wouldn't lead to any results, Shopkeeper Xing also lost interest. He politely escorted Mo Yan out of the private room.
Outside the door, Lin Meng and Xiao Zhu stood on each side.
Xiao Zhu tried to get closer to Lin Meng, hoping to extract useful information from him. But Lin Meng had a bad impression of the two, like two flies buzzing around. How could he be drawn in by a little brat? At first, he responded to Xiao Zhu, but later, he couldn't be bothered to talk.
Xiao Zhu felt frustrated, wishing he could scratch the walls. He stared at the door, eagerly awaiting news from Shopkeeper Xing.
When the people came out of the room, Lin Meng saw Mo Yan come out unharmed and felt relieved.
Mo Yan nodded at him appreciatively, said goodbye to Shopkeeper Xing, and then descended the stairs, leaving the teahouse.
Shopkeeper Xing felt depressed and didn't want to go back to face his ancestor, but he had to report the results. He drank a bellyful of tea and, after calming his mind, led Xiao Zhu out of the teahouse.
But before he could even step out of the doorway, someone rushed up and blocked his way.
"Shopkeeper Xing, this kid has the secret of those vegetables. Are you interested?"
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