activa-t Chapter 118 Being Beaten
Chapter 118 Being Beaten
As Li Mu calculated the costs, he muttered to himself.
The price of blueberry seedlings, the cost of baskets, the labor cost of building the large pot, the purchase cost of bottles, and the expenses for seasonings such as sugar and citric acid—every penny must be carefully calculated.
"Looks like I'll have to find some time to go to town and take a good look around, see if I can find a supplier with more affordable prices," Li Mu thought to himself.
Just as Li Mu was worrying about the cost, Jiang Xuefen poked her head out of the kitchen and called out, "Muzi, come and taste this blueberry juice, how does it taste?"
Li Mu put down his pen, got up and went into the kitchen, where he saw Jiang Xuefen holding a bowl of blueberry juice, waiting for him to taste it.
He took the bowl, took a sip, and immediately found it sweet and sour, and very thirst-quenching.
"Mom, this blueberry juice is delicious! You're such a good cook!" Li Mu praised.
Hearing this, Jiang Xuefen smiled from ear to ear: "As long as it tastes good, as long as it tastes good. Once our blueberries are grown, Mom will make you blueberry juice every day."
Li Mu nodded with a smile, but in his heart he was thinking about how to make the blueberry juice business even better.
"Mom, do you think we could sell better if we made the blueberry juice a little more exquisite?" Li Mu suddenly asked.
"You think you can give this little thing as a gift? It's not like it's wine, no way!"
Li Mu calmed down; he knew he couldn't get rich overnight, and he needed to find Li Jianjun about this.
Since Tao Qingshan's stroke, Li Mu had not run into Li Jianjun again. Whenever he went out, he would go to Li Jianjun to discuss the matter. His house was at the west end of the village, not too far from Li Mu's house.
Under the scorching sun, Li Mu arrived at Li Jianjun's door shortly after walking. He knocked on the door and called out, "Li Jianjun!"
No one answered. Li Mu called out a few more times, but still no one responded. He thought to himself that Li Jianjun might not be home, or he might be busy with something else and hadn't heard him.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the door creaked open, and a simply dressed, haggard-looking woman appeared in the doorway—it was Li Jianjun's mother. Seeing that it was Li Mu, she forced a smile: "Oh, it's Mu Zi! Come in and sit down."
Seeing Li Jianjun's mother's appearance, Li Mu was puzzled and asked, "Auntie, where's Jianjun? Isn't he home?"
Li Jianjun's mother coughed a few times, her voice a little hoarse. She sighed and said, "Jianjun, he went to town early this morning, saying he was going to buy some medicine. My health is so poor, I'm always causing him trouble."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt a pang of sadness.
He knew that Li Jianjun's family was not doing well. Li Jianjun's mother had remarried and brought him with her. She married Li Siming's second brother, but unfortunately, Li Siming's second brother had left Lijia Village long ago and no one knew where he had gone. There had been no news of him for many years.
Li Jianjun became a leper because of his family background; he suffered a lot of scorn and bullying from the villagers since childhood.
But he was stubborn and never bowed to anyone, and gradually he became known in the village as "the scoundrel".
"Mu Zi, what do you want with him?"
Li Mu hesitated for a moment and said, "It's nothing serious, I just wanted to talk to Brother Jianjun about something."
A glint of light flashed in Li Jianjun's mother's eyes: "Muzi, can you do me a favor? Jianjun went to town to buy medicine, and he hasn't come back yet. I'm so worried about him. Could you go to town and look for him to see how he is?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu nodded quickly: "Okay, Auntie, don't worry, I'll go to town to find Brother Jianjun right away."
After saying that, Li Mu turned and left, still thinking about Li Jianjun's situation. He also bought a fresh batch of blueberry juice to take to the restaurant. There was only one old Chinese medicine shop in town where he could get medicine, and Li Mu planned to try his luck there first.
He peeked inside and saw an old Chinese medicine doctor writing a prescription with his head down, while the clerk was busy weighing the herbs. He didn't see Li Jianjun.
Li Mu went inside and asked the old Chinese medicine doctor, "Excuse me, have you seen a young man come here to buy medicine? He was about this tall and wearing blue clothes."
The old Chinese medicine doctor looked up, thought for a moment, and said, "Oh, you mean that young man? He just came to buy medicine and left a while ago."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu breathed a slight sigh of relief; at least Li Jianjun had come here to buy medicine. He then asked, "Do you know which direction he went?"
The old Chinese medicine doctor pointed to the main street of the town: "He went that way."
Li Mu thanked him and turned to walk towards the main street. As he walked, he looked around and passed an alley. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of people gathered inside, with shouts of cursing and fighting rising and falling.
"You bastard! How dare you block my way? Are you tired of living?" A rude voice came from the crowd.
Li Mu's heart tightened, and he quickly walked over. Four or five thugs were punching and kicking a thin figure. The figure was curled up on the ground, protecting his head with his hands, looking very disheveled.
Upon seeing the figure, it was confirmed to be Li Jianjun. His face was covered in blood, and his clothes were torn to shreds, making him look utterly disheveled.
Li Mu was furious and shouted, "Stop!"
Upon hearing this, the group of thugs turned to look at Li Mu. One of them, who appeared to be the leader, sneered, "Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in other people's business?"
He held a sharp fruit knife in his hand, stepped on Li Jianjun's chest, and his face was full of arrogance and disdain.
Li Mu came to town alone today, with no one to help him. Seeing that Li Mu was all alone, these thugs became even more unscrupulous. The one who seemed to be the leader laughed arrogantly, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, get lost and don't ruin my good time!"
"If you keep looking, I'll hit you too!"
Li Mu couldn't just stand by and watch Li Jianjun die; he couldn't just stand by and watch Li Jianjun be bullied.
"Why are you hitting people?! Can't you talk things out? You're beating people up in broad daylight!"
Upon hearing this, the young men were taken aback at first, and then burst into laughter.
The young man who appeared to be the leader laughed so hard he almost fell over, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world: "Oh ho, you're quite the busybody! We beat someone up? What's it to you? He owes us money, we're teaching him a lesson, is that wrong?"
"How much does he owe? I'll pay it all for him!"
The young men exchanged glances, a sly glint in their eyes.
The young man who looked like the leader chuckled and said, "It's not much, just a thousand yuan. Since you're so generous, then hand over the money."
A thousand yuan is no small sum for Li Mu. His blueberry juice business, which has just started, has not yet turned a profit, and he doesn't have much savings.