Chapter 267: Why Does This Health Supplement Smell a Bit Sweet?

"I've caused trouble? What kind of trouble have I caused?"

Seeing Li You, who was bewildered and innocent, Li Xian felt that his old man really wasn't cut out for handling situations on the spot.

It was fine to offer emergency aid, but under any circumstances, one shouldn't be seen as just an ATM!

Kindness without expecting a return is admirable. Although Li You's intention was to provide emergency relief, he was clearly hoping to leverage this debt to gain favor and secure the chief's position.

The intention was too obvious, making it too easy for people to see it as a bargaining chip!

Moreover…

What's the situation now? The entire forest farm has been hit by disaster. The first batch of people borrowing money had already taken quite a sum. Isn't this just advertising in the forest, almost saying, "Our Li family is rich and generous, come and borrow money from us"?

How much money could fill this big pit?

Listening to Li Xian's analysis, Li You also started to feel a bit uneasy.

"So, you're saying… I shouldn't have lent the money?"

Li Xian sighed. "Even if you're lending money, there should be a strategy! Officially, no one lends money, but if someone really needs it, you can lend it secretly, at least keep it confidential!"

Hearing this, Li You realized he had acted too hastily and improperly.

But since the deed was done, and he didn't want to show weakness in front of his son, he still stubbornly held his ground. "What can I do? It's not like we're wasting the money. If it comes to that, we've lent it to those who came to our door. We're all fellow villagers. I'm not afraid they won't pay it back."

"This year looks like a disaster year. The people who farmed won't recover for three years. When will they pay back? Besides, the few tens of thousands we have at home—can it support the entire forest farm?" Li Xian said, growing agitated and raising his voice.

Li You, seeing his son's reaction, became even more stubborn. "What are you shouting about? I don't have money, but don't I still have you? The distillery and the new company make money. Now that our hometown is in trouble, can't you take some out to help?"

"My dear father!" Li Xian stomped his foot. "Where do I have spare money? The distillery and the new company are profitable, but I owe over ten million in debt! You think I can just pay it off?"

In his desperation, Li Xian inadvertently revealed his financial situation.

"Ah, heh heh. After a year out there, I owe over ten million in debt... hic!"

Meanwhile, Li You, as usual, was getting a thrashing.

---

Just as Li Xian had anticipated, shortly after the first batch of people borrowed money, the Li family became very busy.

By 8 PM, the dogs in the yard barked one after another, and people came to borrow money, forming a long queue in the yard. The threshold of the big house was even trampled!

Even though Li Xian and Li Daoyun tried to block them, and even with Li You's pitiful state, they still couldn't stop the long queue from stretching into the night. It wasn't until no money was handed out that people gradually dispersed.

Although most people came with the mindset that helping was a favor and not helping was a duty, the first wave of people receiving money easily had sparked greed in others. Some came merely hoping for a chance, not urgently needing the money.

These people were more blunt—who doesn't want money without interest? The Li family was lending money without interest; where else could one find such a good deal?

Li You wanted to be an official; others had borrowed money, so why couldn't he? If he borrowed money, he would give votes in the election; if not, it would show he didn't take them seriously, making him face consequences.

The next day.

Rumors about Li You's pretense, acting, buying people's hearts, and false kindness quietly spread in the forest.

Moreover, although most people's attitudes were correct when borrowing money, those who were turned down inevitably felt awkward.

Li You, who was already frustrated upon learning that his son hadn't earned money but had instead fallen into more debt, noticed people's gossip and avoided glances from acquaintances. He broke down and went home to get an IV drip.

At this time, Gao Dayi received a report that the forestry bureau had organized a disaster relief team consisting of over 400 people and 80 to 90 four-wheel drive vehicles, which had arrived at the forest farm.

With Gao Dayi's assistance, the team immediately began assessing the damage and conducting emergency relief work for the fields, houses, and livestock that had died in the disaster.

Managing the entire relief team, Gao Dayi felt a sense of relief after more than half a year of frustration. Seeing every household offering tea and cigarettes again, he even felt some gratitude towards this once-in-decades hailstorm.

Walking through the farm, receiving flattering smiles and greetings like "Chief, come over for a meal!" made Gao Dayi feel that the upcoming election was secure.

---

"A little beauty, I only feel that it's hard to deal with—just closed my eyes and dreamt that my husband walked into my room. He smiled silently, and with a loving kiss on my cheek, pulled back the red silk quilt to reveal the charming scene loved by young and old… Just when we were about to climb the Wushan mountain road, I suddenly heard a raccoon looking for food and hitting the window. Startled awake from my dream, I saw my husband leaving the room. Little beauty, I hurriedly sat up and cursed, 'Husband, go to hell! If you're gone, let it be. It's unacceptable to tease me in the middle of the night!'"

On his way home, Gao Dayi hummed a tune from *Ma Widow Opens a Shop* with a particularly cheerful mood.

---

Few people meant good meals, many people meant hard work.

After four days of continuous efforts from over 400 people and nearly a hundred tractors, they finally completed the initial cleanup of the hail disaster.

The detailed disaster statistics were compiled; fortunately, no one in the forest farm was injured, but over forty people working in the fields were hurt, more than twenty houses collapsed, and over three hundred cattle and sheep were killed or injured.

In addition, over 300 mu of soybeans and more than 20 mu of corn were affected. Corn was manageable; once the hail melted, it could still be collected from the fields. However, soybeans were almost completely lost. Coincidentally, soybeans were the main cash crop in the 89 Forest Farm.

This meant that after this hailstorm, 80% of the households in the forest farm would be struggling for the next three years.

Farmers, who had invested in seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor in spring and summer, would now face a crop failure. This disaster year's failure would affect next year's planting, leading to a cycle of debt.

Within the forest farm, sorrow was everywhere.

---

After the disaster came the frost.

After the hail melted, the temperature in the forest farm dropped several degrees.

In these days, Li Xian had been busy. Although Li Qing's family could still get by without relying on crop yields, the two mu of disaster-affected soybean fields still needed attention.

As an idle person in the family, Li Xian and Li Pi took up the task.

However, it was a futile effort; the temperature had dropped, and the fields had already frozen. Although the soybean plants had been harvested, the bright yellow beans scattered on the ground were covered with a thin layer of ice, appearing to be buried.

Li Pi was unconcerned, believing that the family's main income now came from the factory. But Li Xian looked at the soybean fields with a heavy heart.

In the original history, Li Pi returned to 89 Forest Farm after graduating and became an honorable high school teacher. However, new teachers at that time only earned about ninety a month, barely enough to support a family.

So later, half of the two mu of land in front of him belonged to Li Pi.

Li Pi was never suited for farming. When he was nine, while others were planting soybeans, Li Pi, thinking soybeans were unprofitable, switched to growing tree seedlings when the nursery closed.

Tree seedlings didn't show returns immediately; they needed three years to bring back profits. Li Pi took care of the seedlings for three years, only for a severe frost to kill seedlings worth over twenty thousand.

Because of the enormous debt incurred, the family couldn't stay in the forest farm and moved to Bangye. Zhu Jing worked as a tailor, and Li Pi ran a small tutoring class, spending five years to pay off the debts.

After that, the family was poor for several more years until Li Xian entered high school, when things improved slightly.

During those years, the family was so poor that they needed help from Li You and Old Zhu for New Year's celebrations. Li Xian spent his entire junior high school years in poverty.

Thinking about those past hardships and seeing his currently carefree fourth brother, Li Xian couldn't help but pat his younger brother's shoulder.

At that moment, a figure appeared in the neighboring field.

Li Xian shaded his eyes and looked closely, seeing Zhu Laowu's wife, bent over and struggling to gather something in the field with four children on her back.

After watching for a while, he understood what she was doing—she was picking up yellow beans from the ground, using a bag.

Seeing Li Xian standing at the edge of

 the field, the woman straightened up slightly and nodded.

"Second brother, what's wrong?"

Sensing Li Xian's mood was off, Li Pi asked concernedly.

Li Xian smiled and flicked his younger brother's forehead. "Poverty is a disease; it needs to be treated."

Leaving those words, he turned and left the field.

---

With the crop failure, there was no need to harvest the fields. The entire forest farm's labor force was idle at home, each person downcast, smoking and sighing in the yard.

Walking along, Li Xian was also affected by this gloomy mood.

In October, if it weren't for the hailstorm, it should have been the best season in the mountains.

Nature's gifts would normally be piled in the yard of forest farm households: hazelnuts, wild mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms, five-flavor berries, and Siberian ginseng… All sorts of mountain specialties would be everywhere.

But these things, in the eyes of forest farm residents, were just luxuries and didn't provide essential help.

Smelling the strange aroma of Siberian ginseng, five-flavor berries, and hazelnuts in the sunlight, Li Xian seemed to grasp something.

These things weren't worth much right now…

Hmm.

Selling them at the foot of the mountain didn't seem very profitable either…

But considering the current environment and the still-developing market for mountain specialties, he dropped the thought.

In these days of salvaging soybeans, he felt particularly heavy-hearted. He wanted to do something but didn't know where to start.

This feeling was very unpleasant.

With a hint of melancholy, he returned home.

Before even entering the door, he heard Old Wu's loud voice.

"Godfather?"

Standing in the yard, Li Xian called out and quickly entered the house.

Sure enough, inside, Wu Shengli was sitting cross-legged on the kang, chatting with the IV-drip-strapped Li You.

"Godfather, why are you here?"

Old Wu smiled at Li Xian and said, "I heard your elder brother's family is about to have a baby. When I called yesterday, they said Old Li's health wasn't too good these days, so I came to check on him."

On the kang, Li You waved his hand. "You came, so why bring so many things?"

Old Wu smiled even more brightly. "I thought I'd bring you some supplements! Besides, with the baby coming in the big family, you'll need to take care of yourself. I didn't know what to buy, so I just brought a few boxes of what's popular now."

Standing at the door, glancing at the gift boxes on the kang, Li Xian's face fell.

More of that yak bone powder… and the new trendy Chinese softshell turtle essence.

These deceptive products…

Oh?

Just as Li Xian was about to complain about Old Wu buying these things, he suddenly had a flash of insight.

His eyes lit up.

"Why does this health supplement smell a bit sweet?!"

Old Wu, seeing his godson staring at the boxes with gleaming eyes, laughed and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense, they haven't even been opened yet!"