Chapter 63: Seven Anxious Days and One Day (Part 1)

Amidst the excitement and doubt of the villagers in Talim Village, a new meeting of the Village Elders was convened. This meeting did not have many agenda items; Luo Pei simply planned to report the achievements gained from the trip to Lons Pompey City and arrange the follow-up affairs.

Although everyone had a general idea of the situation from the previous day’s drinking party, Luo Pei still wanted to give a detailed report. Informal talks were always informal, and the official process still had to be followed.

The meeting room was quiet and solemn, with only Luo Pei’s voice echoing inside…

“…That is the main situation. Does anyone have any questions?” After introducing the specific details, which took less than one Magic Hour, Luo Pei closed the folder in his hand, scanned the crowd, and asked with a smile.

Hearing this, the people looked at each other, and most remained silent. Although they were Village Elders and were considered knowledgeable figures in Talim Village, to be honest, they had at most wandered around Hall City. None of them had ever been to the main county seat, Lons Pompey City, and they knew nothing about the situation there. They felt that what Luo Pei said was vague and confusing; they were happy but found it hard to believe. Who could possibly offer an opinion?

After a while, seeing that no one spoke, Luo Pei smiled and continued, “Alright, it seems no one has any questions. In that case, let’s arrange the upcoming matters. In a few days, the caravans from Lin Leather Shop and the Pia Chamber of Commerce will arrive. These are wealthy clients coming right to our door, so we must not relax our reception work! Also, everyone please consider whether you want cash or to exchange it for shares when you go back. Personally, I feel that shares are better for the long term, but this is not mandatory; it is entirely voluntary.”

Upon hearing this, there was a moment of silence, followed by someone saying in a strange tone, “Heh, our village lacks everything, but we don’t lack houses or empty land. If people really come, putting two people in this house and two in that house, we could fit dozens of people. If that doesn’t work, we can just build a shed in the village center; they should be able to stay there, right? But… will people really come? What if we prepare for half a day and end up being fooled? Wouldn’t that be a waste of everyone’s effort?”

Hearing this, Luo Pei’s face darkened immediately. He turned to look and saw that it was indeed Belikov sitting there with a look of disdain, speaking nonsense.

However, Luo Pei did not lose his temper immediately. He simply said calmly, “Father Belikov, what do you mean by that? I have already signed agreement contracts with them. Of course, the caravans will come. Do you have any doubts about this?”

Belikov sneered upon hearing this and said with his head held high, “What agreement contracts? I don’t understand those things, nor do I want to. Those are toys for you city people. We mountain people only believe in one thing: when the people arrive and the money is brought out, that is real. Everything else is just empty talk! Also, stop talking to me about shares and dividends. Stop talking about those fancy things; if you can’t get them, they aren’t money. Only cash in hand has meaning!”

Hearing this, instead of getting angry, Luo Pei laughed. His son was actually right; these mountain people were so short-sighted that it was speechless. However, Luo Pei also knew that this was mainly due to their limited horizons, which could not be changed in a day or two.

Smiling slightly, Luo Pei said very naturally, “That’s fine. Anyway, we agreed that the caravan would arrive here in one week. If Father Belikov still has doubts, won’t everything be clear after one week?”

After the agreement was settled at Lin Leather Shop, organizing the caravan and preparing funds required some time, and Luo Pei was in a hurry to return. Therefore, it was decided that Luo Pei’s group would leave first, leaving Isaiah as a guide for the caravan to follow. As a result, Master Raffy very kindly prepared a high-quality traveling carriage for Luo Pei and the others, and they returned from Lons Pompey City to Talim Village in only a day and a half, while the caravan would take at least a week to arrive.

Belikov gave a strange laugh and said, “Fine~~ fine~~ it’s just one week, hee hee… This old man has lived for over a hundred years and has never heard that worthless things like animal hides could sell for over ten Gold Plangs! I don’t believe there are actually such fools.”

Hearing Belikov’s words, the others unconsciously showed looks of doubt, because they had also never heard of such a thing; it felt like a fairy tale.

The atmosphere in the meeting became heavy again, but this time Luo Pei did not say more. There was no use in saying anything now; it was better to let the facts prove it.

Thus, in an atmosphere filled with doubt, Luo Pei announced the end of the meeting. The Village Elders left in small groups, still muttering to themselves…

…

During the following week, the attention of Talim Village was undoubtedly focused on the upcoming caravan and the animal hides that could be sold for a high price. Generally, everyone hoped it was true, because according to the price Luo Pei mentioned, it was a “huge sum” of money that they had never even imagined. However, there was still a trace of doubt in their hearts, as they had never heard of such a thing for generations…

So, amidst this anticipation and anxiety, “one week later” finally arrived. The agreed time was supposed to be noon, but people gathered at the village entrance early in the morning, each looking expectantly toward the only small road in the village, waiting for the arrival of the legendary “caravan.”

One Magic Hour, two Magic Hours…

Since the agreed time had not yet arrived, people were patient at first, merely looking out with great anticipation, their faces filled with excitement and agitation.

However, as the appointed time drew closer and there was still no movement on the small road at the village entrance, the people gradually became restless.

Luo Pei arrived at the village entrance after eating lunch. Seeing so many villagers gathered, he was slightly stunned. Just then, the villagers were getting anxious. As soon as they saw Luo Pei arrive, someone shouted, “Director, why hasn’t anyone come yet!”

Luo Pei said calmly, “Don’t worry. Arriving at noon was just a rough estimate. The small road in our village is old and broken; it’s hard even for people to walk, let alone for carriages. A slight delay on the road is very normal. Let’s just wait a bit longer.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded and whispered to one another, “That’s true, that’s true~~ the road in our village is too broken. It really should have been repaired long ago. Let’s just wait a bit longer.”

The crowd immediately quieted down and continued to wait patiently. Even Old Belikov, who had just strolled over, only gave a cold snort and did not express much…