Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"Hanchuan," I raised my head suddenly, a glimmer of hope flashing in my eyes, "We still have one last ray of hope..."

I quickly ran to the room, took out a cloth bag from the bottom of the box, and opened it carefully. Inside were the seeds that I had previously soaked in the spiritual spring water in the space. I had originally intended to keep them as seeds and continue planting next year.

"This is..." Uncle Li looked at the seeds in my hand and asked puzzledly.

"These are the selected seeds that I specially set aside. They have been processed with a special method and have a much higher germination rate than ordinary seeds. If we use these seeds to germinate, maybe they can be ready in time for the trade fair!" My tone was full of hope, but also a little uneasy.

Hanchuan took the seeds from my hand, examined them carefully, and his frown relaxed. "Okay, let's try! Uncle Li, you are experienced, please guide us to germinate them!"

Uncle Li nodded and immediately got down to work. The three of us worked together to disinfect, soak, and germinate the seeds... Time passed by, as if we were racing against time.

Two days later, the newly germinated wheat seeds sprouted green buds, bringing hope and vitality. Looking at the green wheat seedlings in front of us, we finally let go of our worries.

"Great! It's really great!" Uncle Li clapped his thigh excitedly, "I always say that there is always a way out! As long as we work hard, there will definitely be a way out!"

Hanchuan and I smiled at each other, our hearts filled with joy and hope.

The next morning, we got up early, carefully loaded the newly germinated wheat seeds into the truck, and prepared to leave for the trade fair. However, as we were about to leave, an accident happened...

"What's wrong?" I looked at Hanchuan's face and found that it was not right, and I suddenly had a bad feeling in my heart.

"The car, the car broke down." There was a hint of anxiety and helplessness in Hanchuan's tone.

I ran to the front of the car and saw that the truck, which was supposed to be full of goods, was now like a paralyzed patient, powerlessly parked in place. The roar of the engine turned into intermittent gasps, and the strong smell of gasoline filled the air.

"What should I do? It's almost time to leave..." I was anxious like an ant on a hot pot. The trade fair has strict time regulations. If I can't arrive on time, all my previous efforts will be in vain.

"I'll find someone to fix it!" I said, and turned to run towards the village entrance. However, in those days, cars were still rare, let alone repairmen. I ran all over the nearby villages, but couldn't find anyone who knew how to repair cars.

As time went by, I became more and more anxious. When I returned to where the truck was parked, I saw Hanchuan squatting in front of the truck, his brows furrowed, holding tools in his hands, as if he was trying to repair it himself.

"How is it? Can it be fixed?" I asked anxiously.

Hanchuan didn't say anything, just shook his head, his face looked even uglier. Suddenly, the wrench in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang" sound, and I saw his hand...

My heart sank suddenly. A bloody cut appeared on his hand and blood kept gushing out.

“Hanchuan!” I rushed over and grabbed his hand, tears welling up in my eyes. “Why are you so careless? Don’t move. Stop the bleeding first!”

I hurriedly tore off a strip of cloth from my clothes and tied it tightly around his wound. But he seemed to feel no pain, and shook my hand away, saying in a hoarse voice: "Don't waste time, the most important thing now is to get to the trade fair."

I looked at him with heartache. He knew what this trade fair meant to us and to him. But now the car was broken down like this and his hand was injured. What else could we do?

As if to confirm my despair, the engine, which had been running intermittently, completely shut down, like a dying beast, letting out its final wail.

Just when we were at our wits' end, Uncle Li came in breathlessly. "What happened? I just heard..."

He was also stunned by the scene in front of him, and it took him a long time to react. "This... What should I do?"

I shook my head helplessly, tears blurring my eyes again. Are we really going to miss this trade show? Are all our efforts going to go to waste?

"No, there is still a glimmer of hope!" Uncle Li suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had thought of something. "Old Wang's family at the east end of our village also has a truck. I saw him driving it to the city a few days ago. I should be able to borrow it!"

The flame of hope ignited in my heart again, and I tightly grasped Uncle Li's hand, as if grasping a life-saving straw. "Really? That's great! Uncle Li, please go and ask!"

Uncle Li nodded, turned around and walked out, walked a few steps and then turned back, looking a little hesitant. "Jinli girl, I heard that... Lao Wang is not easy to talk to. If you want to borrow his car, I'm afraid..."

Of course I understand what Uncle Li means. In this day and age, a truck is a treasure for every family, let alone one that is loaned out for such a long distance.

"I know, Uncle Li, don't worry, as long as he can lend me the car, I will agree to any conditions!" At this point, I can no longer care about so much.

Uncle Li sighed, said nothing more, and walked quickly towards the east end of the village.

We waited anxiously, and every minute seemed as long as a century. Finally, Uncle Li came back, followed by a burly, shrewd middle-aged man, who must be the "Old Wang" he mentioned.

"Old Wang, this is the girl Jinli I told you about. They put a lot of thought into this trade fair. You see..." Uncle Li said carefully with a smile on his face.

Lao Wang squinted his eyes at us, walked around the disabled truck, and said with a fake smile: "It's okay to borrow your car, but my car is very expensive. After this trip, I have to pay for the gas, tolls, and lost wages..."

He held up a finger and waved it in front of us.

I gasped. He actually wanted... a thousand dollars!

One thousand yuan, in the 70s, was almost equivalent to two or three years' salary for an ordinary worker! He was clearly taking advantage of the situation!

The anger was burning in my chest, almost bursting out. However, looking at Uncle Li's embarrassed expression and Han Chuan's pale face, I swallowed my anger.

"Okay, I promise you!" I gritted my teeth and squeezed out these words.

Lao Wang showed a triumphant smile on his face, "Great! But we have to make a written agreement, so that we won't be confused when the time comes."

I suppressed my anger, signed a document with him, and signed my name. I felt like every stroke of the pen was like cutting flesh from my heart.

Lao Wang happily collected the receipt and then drove his truck over in a leisurely manner. We loaded our things into the truck one by one, and Uncle Li also helped us move them.

"Jinli girl, don't be discouraged. I believe you will succeed." Uncle Li whispered to comfort me.

I forced a smile, but I felt like a heavy stone was pressing on my heart. One thousand yuan is not a small amount of money for us, which means that we must achieve greater success at the exhibition to make up for this loss.

Finally, we set out on the road to the city again. This time, I was filled with uneasiness and anxiety.

It was almost noon when we arrived at the exhibition venue. Other exhibitors had already set up their booths and the place was bustling with people coming and going.

We quickly found our position and took the time to unload the goods and set up the booth.

"Jinli, look!" Hanchuan's face suddenly changed, pointing to a stall not far away, and said in a low voice.

I followed his gaze and saw a familiar figure standing there, surrounded by a group of people. It was Zhang Dazhuang, who we had refused to cooperate with before!

"Why are they here?" My heart skipped a beat and I had a bad feeling.

"Their vegetables..." Hanchuan's expression became even uglier, "They are exactly the same as ours!"

I was shocked and quickly walked to their stall. After a closer look, I immediately understood. Although their vegetables were the same variety as ours, their appearance was much worse. It was obvious that they were ripened with a lot of fertilizers.

"Fellow villagers, come and take a look. Our vegetables are all grown with the most traditional farm fertilizer. They do not contain any chemical ingredients and are guaranteed to be green and healthy..." Zhang Dazhuang's voice sounded like a fly buzzing in his ears.

I noticed that while he was greeting customers enthusiastically, he was glancing at us intentionally or unintentionally, with a sinister smile on the corner of his mouth.

I immediately understood that he came here on purpose to challenge us!

What’s even more hateful is that he even spread rumors in public, saying that our crops were grown using improper means, which is why they grew so well.

"Don't be fooled by them. You can tell at a glance that hormones have been used on their vegetables. They may look good, but they are actually inedible..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a discussion broke out among the crowd.

After hearing the rumors, the customers who came to watch the exhibition left our booth. I was furious, but I couldn't think of a way to dispel the rumors. The exhibition had just started, and I was in such a predicament. I didn't know how to save the situation. At this time, a discordant voice suddenly sounded in my ears... I took a deep breath and tried to suppress the anger in my heart. The questioning and contemptuous eyes around me stung me like needles. I clenched my fists tightly, and my nails almost dug into my flesh.

"Hanchuan, what should we do?" I turned to look at my husband beside me, my tone full of helplessness and anxiety.

Hanchuan's expression was also very ugly. His thick brows were tightly furrowed, and his thin lips were pursed into a straight line. He was obviously also feeling troubled by the current predicament.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way." He reached out and held my hand, the warmth of his palm giving me a sense of strength.

But, where is the solution?

I looked blankly at the bustling crowd in front of me, and at those customers who were originally full of interest in us but now left with suspicion and caution, and my heart felt cold.

Are we going to fail after all our hard work?

No, I am not reconciled!

I bit my lower lip hard, forcing myself to calm down.

"Zhang Dazhuang, stop slandering me here!" I turned around abruptly, pointed at Zhang Dazhuang not far away, and said loudly, "You said that our vegetables use hormones, then why don't you show us the evidence!"

Zhang Dazhuang obviously didn't expect me to suddenly attack him. He was stunned for a moment, then sneered and said, "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, everyone knows it very well! You city people, what can't you do to make money?"

He apparently said this to us, but actually he was speaking to the customers around him.

Sure enough, there was another round of whispers among the crowd, and the looks they gave us were filled with even more suspicion and hostility.

I was so angry that I was shaking all over, but I couldn't refute it.

"Jinli girl, don't be impulsive." Uncle Li pulled my sleeve and advised in a low voice.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. I knew that now was not the time to act rashly, and I had to find a way to prove our innocence, otherwise, our trip today would be in vain.

But how to prove it?

I looked at the dazzling array of vegetables in front of me, and a thought suddenly flashed through my mind... I raised my head abruptly, looked forward with a firm gaze, and said in a firm tone: "Since you said that our vegetables use hormones, then well, let's show everyone whether there is any problem with our vegetables!"

After saying that, I picked up a fruit knife on the table, walked to the stand where fresh fruits were placed, picked up a fruit, and cut it without hesitation...