Chapter 39: Doubts of the Village Elders (Part 2)

Luo Pei went to meet the only fur buyer in Wooden Bucket Town with the attitude of seeking a “win-win” cooperation. However, he did not expect that the boss—who had some unclear relationship with the Mayor’s third concubine’s second grandmother’s sister-in-law’s nephew’s cousin’s brother’s neighbor’s classmate’s second uncle—was so short-sighted that it was outrageous, yet his arrogance was terrifying.

The man had no concept of “win-win” in his head. In his eyes, a mere Director like Luo Pei was absolutely nothing. As a result, Luo Pei was kicked out without even getting a cup of tea. The boss even left him with a final word—What? Large-scale supply? If I am to buy in large quantities, then the price must be lowered by one or two Silver Krongs.

…Boss, the buying price was already three or four Silver Krongs. If you lower it by another one or two, isn’t that just daylight robbery?

Even the accountant could not stand these words, but the boss still looked as if he were granting a favor. This made Luo Pei explode with rage, but he was helpless. The man was wealthy and power ful, and it was a classic buyer’s market. No matter what, one could only listen obediently. The Director finally returned in defeat.

As a result, this situation was spread by the villagers who had accompanied Luo Pei, leading to the scene from before…

…

…

…

A meeting for discussion turned into a condemnation rally against Old Belikov. The bad start made everyone feel somewhat moody. They all lowered their heads in silence, while only Old Belikov continued to mock and sneer.

“The old saying goes, those without hair on their lips are unreliable in their work…”

“I told you long ago that this wouldn’t work, didn’t I? If you don’t listen to the elders, you’ll suffer the consequences…”

“We farmers have lived off the soil for generations. Who has ever heard of getting rich through hunting…”

“What ‘new growth point’? In my view, this is just… uh… what was it called? Oh, a vanity project, a performance project!!”

“You people from the city…”

“I already said…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Seeing that Old Belikov was going too far, the first Village Elder finally could not sit still. He glared at him fiercely and said sternly, “Belikov, where is all this nonsense coming from? Isn’t the Director doing this for everyone’s own good? Besides… everyone was gathered here today to give ideas and find solutions, not for you to spout nonsense here!”

Hearing this, Old Belikov shrugged with disdain and said, “Tsk… for everyone’s own good? I’m not sure if everyone is better off, but he certainly is… As for a solution, I don’t have one. I don’t have the ability to help him clean up the mess from a decision made on a whim. What’s wrong with an old man speaking his mind? This is just how I talk. If it sounds unpleasant, and you’re so great, then tell everyone to remove me from my position and see if you have the ability! I worked hard for decades to become a Village Elder, unlike some people who get promoted through a few connections!”

Speaking like this at a Village Elder meeting in the Village Office was basically the same as screaming in a courtroom. However, Old Belikov had always been this way; he was the same even when speaking to the Mayor, and no one could do anything about it. No matter how angry Luo Pei was, he could only listen obediently, though his face had turned blue with rage. If it weren’t because he was the Director and could not punish someone for their words, he might have split this old thing in half with a sword. After all, Luo Pei’s status as a level-three Swordsman was not obtained through connections!

Well… actually, in Old Belikov’s eyes, Luo Pei’s identity as a level-three Swordsman might also be full of exaggeration…

With such a discussion, naturally, nothing productive was decided. Everyone just listened to Old Belikov performing a one-man show. However, despite his anger, Luo Pei did not blow up on the spot. Seeing that the meeting could not continue, he simply decided to end it. He stood up and said, “Village Elders, do not worry. Since I was the one who proposed the hunting team, I will certainly give everyone an explanation. How about this… I will go out again tomorrow and strive to give everyone a satisfactory answer this time!”

Luo Pei spoke with determination, but Old Belikov, not wanting to be ignored, said, “Director… this old man advises you to stop tossing and turning, lest you get beaten up, and then the village will have to pay for your medical bills.”

Hearing Old Belikov’s rumors again, the first Village Elder, Mr. Weichi, could no longer bear it and cursed loudly, “Belikov, if you want to curse, go home and do it. What can your broken mouth do other than talk nonsense?”

Luo Pei had been in Talim Village for over a year. In fact, except for Old Belikov, he had a decent relationship with the other Village Elders. Everyone could see that Luo Pei truly intended to do something, and he wasn’t some “privileged second generation” who came just to polish his resume before leaving—the highest nobility didn’t need to come to the countryside to polish their resumes; at most, it would be the children of officials. In the eyes of others, Luo Pei’s failure this time was mainly because he was too young and too naive about human nature.

[…What “win-win” or “mutual benefit”? For things that can be bought for a few Silver Krongs, he insisted on asking for several Gold Plangs. If you don’t take a bargain, do you think the boss is stupid?]

Shaking their heads, they stood up one by one and walked toward the door. Although they had a good impression of Luo Pei, the group of Village Elders truly did not believe in his current action. Some of Old Belikov’s words had indeed hit home.

—How many Gold Plangs could those ragged furs possibly sell for? No one has ever heard of such a thing for generations! That’s why these young people from the city don’t know the value of money and just speak based on their own assumptions!!

However, as the Village Elders left, they did not notice the hint of anger in Luo Pei’s eyes. Whether the furs could be sold for a high price was a small matter. The key was that Luo Pei had not expected his control over Talim Village to be so poor even after a year. Although the young people respected him greatly, these old men…

Clenching his fist casually, Luo Pei realized that success or failure depended on this one move. He could only make this work now to properly intimidate these old men; otherwise, he would truly have no authority in this village!

Damn it, you people really don’t treat the Director as a leader at all!